The nitty-gritty: An uneven collection of short horror fiction that nonetheless delivers some truly terrifying tales. It’s very rare these days that I accept a book for review directly from an author, especially one unfamiliar to me. But I decided to take a chance on Deborah Sheldon and her debut short story collection, Perfect Little […]
This might be the first ever Did Not Finish review on this blog! Normally I wouldn’t post anything about a book I didn’t finish, but I’m changing up things for a couple of reasons. 1. I want to let the publisher know WHY I didn’t finish it. 2. Since I have a NetGalley copy, I […]
The nitty-gritty: Exquisite writing and magical worldbuilding made this a reading experience I won’t soon forget. Lussadh turns on the heating and listens to the ghosts murmur, a low purr that thrums through walls and ebony boards. Shamans–alchemists of the spirit–can hear and understand their chatter, it is said, the secrets of the dead. If […]
The nitty-gritty: This story had some wonderfully magical elements and compelling characters, but as a whole it didn’t quite work for me. “You were a mermaid, weren’t you? That’s what Nadya said.” “I still am,” said Cora. “I just have my scales under my skin for now.” It pains me to admit that I didn’t […]
Before I begin my real review, I’m going to do something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. And that is, I want to compile all the “notes” I took on my Kindle while reading this book. Together, they form a sort-of review, an overall impression of this very strange story. So forgive me […]
The nitty-gritty: A strange, dangerous and magical glimpse into a future world, told in stunningly beautiful prose. Now, too, patterns began to emerge. There were people who seemed to just disappear, and the city had no answer for this except rumors—murmurs of an invisible killer from the tattered remnants of Wick’s contacts and my contact […]
The nitty-gritty: Another winner for Andy Weir, full of his trademark irreverent humor, non-stop action, and fascinating science. Like many other readers, I was a little scared to read Weir’s follow up to The Martian, which earned five enthusiastic stars from me a few years ago. By now you’ve probably read a bunch of reviews […]
The nitty-gritty: A super fun read with a cool concept, well drawn characters, and some social commentary for those who like depth with their action. This might be the quickest I have ever read a book! I got through Spliced in just over a twenty-four hour time period, mostly because I stayed home sick from […]
Sparked started out very strong, and I really enjoyed the first half of the story. But unfortunately, around the halfway mark, things started to go downhill for me, and it ended up being a typical YA paranormal that reminded me of so many other stories I’ve read. Which is sad, because I’ve had great luck […]
The nitty-gritty: Strange and horrific, I loved this novella, even though it’s still giving me nightmares. Once, while they are sweating together, a molly appears in the doorway and joins them. It does not go bad while the three of them make love, and Molly kills it with regret and an ice pick the next […]