The nitty-gritty: Chris Panatier captures the slow collapse of a close-knit family in Worry Box, a tense, terrifying horror story steeped in emotional heartbreak. “Whenever he tried to visualize what family meant, he saw the woman who he’d loved as his mother strobing in and out of existence behind the roller rink wall. Family was […]
The nitty-gritty: Relentless pacing, thrilling action and heartbreak combine in Christopher Golden’s latest, a violent but satisfying horror tale. This is my first experience reading Christopher Golden, and I’m not sure why I waited so long. Carry Me To My Grave was surprisingly well written, tense and unexpectedly horrific. Golden gives readers a unique, very […]
The nitty-gritty: Filled with memorable characters, enchanting creatures and a touch of romance, Sea of Charms offers thrilling adventures and feel-good emotional moments. Sea of Charms is the third book in Sarah Best Durst’s interconnected series of cozy fantasy romances, and you can definitely read this as a standalone (in my opinion, it doesn’t really […]
The nitty-gritty: An uneven story with top notch body horror, Bestiary gets an A+ for the horror elements, but a C- for execution. Bestiary has some great ideas and plenty of gruesome body horror, and in that respect it worked well for me. Patrick Rutigliano is a solid writer (despite some awkward phrasing here and […]
The nitty-gritty: A thrilling space adventure with colorful, complex characters and non-stop action and danger, Havoc is the perfect wrap-up to Constance Fay’s addictive sci-fi romance series. And so with Havoc, the adventures of the crew of the Calamity and their significant others come to a close, sadly. I have enjoyed this series so much, […]
The nitty-gritty: A modern fairy tale that embraces the idea of “cooking is magic,” The Farewitch of Foxe Holler is a delightful, feel good fantasy with wonderfully relatable characters and plenty of Southern charm. “If a recipe goes wrong, embrace it and eat the surprise. If a recipe goes really wrong, start over and learn. […]
The nitty-gritty: A vampire decides to vacation in Italy but runs into a heap of trouble in Be Still My Unbeating Heart, an uneven story with some great ideas. Be Still My Unbeating Heart is another case of “the cover is better than the book,” unfortunately. I so wanted to love this more, but it […]
The nitty-gritty: While the writing and themes were beautifully done, the plot and the multiple timelines never really gelled for me. Mudlark had a lot of potential, but it lacked a few important things for me. Mostly, I never felt an emotional connection to the characters, so it was very hard to care about what […]
The nitty-gritty: A delightfully swoony conclusion to Brigitte Knightley’s Dearly Beloathed duology, The Exquisite Torment of Loving Your Enemy sparkles with wit, romance and unforgettable characters. “Hearts are such wretched things.” I enjoyed the first book in Brigitte Knightley’s duology, The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy, but the second book is better in […]
I figured it was time to do another DNF post, and both of these hurt! I do want to say that a lot of readers love both books, so do keep that in mind as you’re reading my personal opinions. Both books were gifted to me by the publishers (Titan Books and Orbit Books), and […]