The nitty-gritty: Titanic meets The Sixth Sense in this terror-filled mystery set in space. I had a blast with Dead Silence, undoubtedly one of my most highly anticipated early 2022 releases, and while it didn’t necessarily go where I expected it to, I found it to be surprising and addictive. Dead Silence features an unreliable narrator […]
The nitty-gritty: An eerie, feminist coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of a series of grisly murders, Such A Pretty Smile is both horrific and empowering. Her eyes looked different. The pupil larger than the surrounding brown, and she blinked at her refection. It didn’t blink back, and she smiled. There were too many teeth […]
The nitty-gritty: With familiar characters and a new setting, the seventh book in McGuire’s portal fantasy series shows us a different side of what happens to some children when they return. Since the Moors, her dreams were still full of water and waves, but the sea she swam in while she slept was no longer […]
The nitty-gritty: Full of charm, mystery and magic, A Marvellous Light is a delightful start to a new series. Robin thought about the string that Edwin used in his spells: how a particular cradle might have five or six or eight lines of the pattern joining one hand to another. Binding them close. Robin and […]
The nitty-gritty: A locked room murder mystery on a spaceship is just one element in this carefully layered and thoroughly entertaining futuristic thriller. Far From the Light of Heaven was one of my most anticipated 2021 SF books, especially since I’m a big fan of Tade Thompson, and it did not disappoint. This is a […]
The nitty-gritty: A delightful combination of space opera, mystery and loveable characters, You Sexy Thing is a hopeful adventure and an excellent start to a new series. What a wonderful surprise this was! You Sexy Thing was a delight from start to finish, and before I start this review, I want to mention that yes, […]
The nitty-gritty: Dan Hanks blends 80s nostalgia, portal fantasy and parenthood in this fun romp/quest to save the world. Swashbucklers was a lot of crazy fun, and I do mean crazy—think Ghostbusters meets Stranger Things. Dan Hanks does a good job of combining humor, action and nostalgia, and he even tugged on my heartstrings a […]
The nitty-gritty: Unsettling and atmospheric, I loved some of the elements, but the author’s writing style kept me from completely enjoying this story. “Hope has no place on this vessel of death and disease, aimless and everlasting in its path.” This is an odd one, folks. Flowers for the Sea is an atmospheric, angry tale […]
The nitty-gritty: Despite a couple of intriguing mysteries and an atmospheric setting, Summer Sons ended up being a disappointing read. The description and early blurbs for Summer Sons promised a queer, spooky, Southern Gothic ghost story, and the creepy cover made it even more appealing to me. And while it’s unabashedly queer and creepy and atmospheric […]
The nitty-gritty: A clever and surprising mystery steeped in myth, Comfort Me With Apples is told in Catherynne M. Valente’s unique style. If there’s one thing I can count on with Catherynne M. Valente, it’s that she always surprises me. Her stories are not your normal, run of the mill variety. Rather, she creates scenarios […]