The nitty-gritty: A perplexing mystery and a second chance romance set the stage for this engaging science fiction series starter. This was such a lovely, gentle story with unique world building, and I really enjoyed it. If the description “cozy mystery set in space with a queer love story” gets your attention, then you will […]
The nitty-gritty: Zoje Stage’s latest should have worked, but too many disconnected elements made for an overall confusing and lackluster thriller. I had high hopes for Mothered, since I’ve had such good experiences with Stage’s other books, but unfortunately this didn’t completely work for me. The premise is great: a woman struggling to pay her […]
The nitty-gritty: An apocalyptic virus, eldritch horrors, brain eaters and more, Sister, Maiden, Monster feels like the literary equivalent of thrash metal, and that’s a compliment:-) “Living with her is breathtakingly terrifying. She seems aware, occasionally, that she’s become a complete maniac. If you crossed a savant with a perfect predator, gave that hybrid a […]
The nitty-gritty: A feel good story with lovable characters, World Running Down is an engaging dystopian that offers plenty of food for thought. Despite the gloomy title, World Running Down was a breath of fresh air, an upbeat and optimistic story that tackles some heavy themes in an accessible way, and it was simply a […]
The nitty-gritty: Surreal and heart-wrenching, The Crane Husband is a short but emotional tale of trauma and survival. “My mom was sleeping with a crane who was sometimes a man. Or a man who was sometimes a crane. My mom was sleeping with a person who hit her. Both of these things felt too awful—too […]
The nitty-gritty: Complex characters, buckets of blood, and an intriguing mystery make Don’t Fear the Reaper a worthy sequel. Stephen Graham Jones returns to Proofrock, Idaho in this second installment of The Lake Witch Trilogy, which takes place four years after the bloody finale of My Heart is a Chainsaw. I ended up loving parts […]
The nitty-gritty: The gang is back in this second book in Kendare Blake’s Buffy-inspired series, with plenty of action, laughs and monsters. I love when the second book in a series hits its stride and improves on the first book, and that was my experience with One Girl in All the World. I’ll admit I […]
The nitty-gritty: Intricate world-building and sparkling dialog make The Keeper’s Six a must read for fans looking for a fantasy adventure on the lighter side. “A Keep knows its Keeper, and a Keeper knows their Keep. The two are bound by threads of unbreakable magic, a connection to the unnamable Source, one of the strongest […]
The nitty-gritty: A clever twist on the haunted house trope, Episode Thirteen is both weird and terrifying. Craig DiLouie is one of those authors who never writes the same book twice, and Episode Thirteen is a great example of that. What starts out as your typical haunted house story—creepy old house, strange noises and lights, […]
The nitty-gritty: Everything has a price: that’s what one young girl learns in McGuire’s latest Wayward Children story. “Elodina is gone…The great tale of her being shall be extended no more; she is gone to the Library where all of us must one day be Returned, and she will pay no overdue fines on her […]