The nitty-gritty: A grim, bloody delight with pitch perfect black humor, Victorian Psycho will make you gasp and laugh in the same breath. “Mother first tried to kill me when I was thirteen months old. ‘You learned to walk so fast,’ she told me later. ‘I thought I might as well stop you while I […]
The nitty-gritty: Adventure, danger, magic and a touch of romance, Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales brings all these elements and more together in this satisfying series conclusion. “I must write it down. For it is in writing that I will discover a way out. A door within the story. There is one. It cannot […]
The nitty-gritty: Found family, tense action and otherworldly elements combine in this engaging and funny story with big ideas. For my first T.J. Klune book, I think this was a great place to start. Of course, I have nothing to compare it to, but I absolutely loved The Bones Beneath My Skin, even though Klune’s […]
The nitty-gritty: Funny and heartwarming, Kira Jane Buxton takes on truffles and Tuscany in this worthy follow-up to her beloved Hollow Kingdom series. After loving the brilliant Hollow Kingdom, I was a bit leery to read Tartufo, a straight-up piece of literary fiction that didn’t have the speculative elements I usually look for in my […]
The nitty-gritty: I enjoyed parts of this bizarre fantasy/horror novella, but some elements were a little too bizarre. But Not Too Bold is a very weird piece of fiction that didn’t completely work for me, but I do appreciate some of the things the author did with worldbuilding. I also loved the Latin American flavor […]
The nitty gritty: An emotional journey through grief and self-loathing, Eric LaRocca’s latest is a dark, gut punch of a story. “The world is nothing more than a carnivorous plant that devours the things that are the softest and most delicate.” Eric LaRocca has come up with yet another intense, emotional story about damaged people […]
The nitty-gritty: A trio of ghosts seek their revenge in this atmospheric but uneven story. At the Bottom of the Garden was just OK for me. I loved some of the ghostly elements, and the overall story idea was intriguing, but the execution didn’t quite work. What appears to be a more serious plot—two orphans […]
The nitty-gritty: A thoroughly entertaining—if not perfect—Alice Feeney thriller, full of her trademark twists and quirky characters. Alice Feeney has written another twisty story with unreliable characters and a very cool set-up, and although it’s not my favorite of her books, it was a lot of fun. We follow writer Grady Green, who, when the […]
The nitty-gritty: A delightfully unique fantasy tale, Greenteeth combines richly developed folkloric world-building with lovable, flawed characters. A delight from start to finish. “‘There is some hope then?’ I asked. ‘You remember what I said the first time we met, Jenny? There is always hope.’” I came very close to not requesting Greenteeth, and I’m […]
The nitty-gritty: A delightful romantasy that focuses more on characters and world-building than romance, Wooing the Witch Queen is the perfect start to a promising series. I’ve been a Stephanie Burgis fan since 2016, and with each new book, she gets better and better. Wooing the Witch Queen is the start to a new romantasy […]