The nitty-gritty: A highly entertaining debut, American Ghoul excels with standout characters and unexpected humor. You can’t tell from the rather serious cover, but American Ghoul is extremely funny and much more lighthearted than I expected. This is due mostly to the pitch perfect voice of the main character Lavinia, a recently freed slave who […]
The nitty-gritty: Libby Cudmore’s carefully plotted PI story mixes interpersonal drama, music and the emotional pitfalls of addiction. “Junkies will always break your heart.” I have to admit it was the cover of Negative Girl that first caught my attention, and after reading it, I think it perfectly fits this murder mystery that centers around […]
The nitty-gritty: A perfectly paced page-turner that will keep you guessing, The Night Guest is a small gem of a terrifying story. The Night Guest is written by Icelandic author Hildur Knútsdóttir and translated by Mary Robinette Kowal, and even though I don’t read a lot of translated fiction, it’s one of the best I’ve […]
The nitty-gritty: Rachel Harrison takes on vampires in this fun, fast-paced story about friendships and sticking together when life gets tough. The short version: Thelma & Louise with vampires. The long version: I’m a huge Rachel Harrison fan, especially since her last book Black Sheep was one of my top five favorite books of 2023. […]
The nitty-gritty: With larger-than-life characters and an immersive setting, Pay the Piper is an engaging story and an excellent collaborative effort. Ever since reading and loving Whalefall, I’ve added Daniel Kraus to my auto-read author list, and I’m so glad I had the chance to read his latest, a collaboration with the late George A. […]
The nitty-gritty: Light on scares but big on character growth and emotion, Haunt Sweet Home offers up interesting characters but is a disappointing ghost story. Haunt Sweet Home is described as a “spooky ghost story,” but unfortunately, that description doesn’t fit the story at all. There isn’t a single scary moment in the book, which […]
The nitty-gritty: A surreal take on the asylum trope, Crypt of the Moon Spider is an unsettling, shudder-worthy start to a new series. This must be my “week of weird,” because I have a review for yet another very weird book. That isn’t to say I didn’t enjoy it, because I did. Crypt of the […]
The nitty-gritty: A weird take on the locked room mystery, Glass Houses was entertaining and unique despite some flaws. “When you were a woman in tech, you could either emphasize the woman or the tech, and the founders of Wuv clearly favored the former. A woman could do the whole jeans and ironic T-shirts thing, […]
The nitty-gritty: A focus on relationships rather than plot left me with mixed feelings for this cozy, science fiction alien invasion story. Key Lime Sky is the second book I’ve read by Al Hess, and although it has elements I love, like humor and interesting queer characters, it didn’t hit the highs I experienced when […]
The nitty-gritty: A novella sized book packed with intriguing ideas and an emotional storyline, Time’s Agent gives readers plenty to think about. Time’s Agent is such a unique story, and I’m so glad I had the chance to read it. Brenda Peynado imagines a future where pocket worlds—alternate worlds where time moves either faster or […]