The nitty-gritty: An original world-building idea that just didn’t get off the ground for me. Perhaps a novel might work better? I was excited to check out a shorter piece of fiction by Fran Wilde, whose Updraft I really enjoyed, and so when Tor.com announced The Jewel and her Lapidary, I jumped at the chance […]
The nitty-gritty: Potential not quite realized, but a fantastic premise full of hilarious dialogue and some hard-hitting emotional moments near the end. And once again a cool cover and a really good idea grab my attention and I immediately hit that “request” button! Down with the Shine does have a great concept: a girl is […]
The nitty-gritty: A bunch of stories that will make you very uncomfortable. And that’s a good thing! God watches as you bring another into the room. He does not take his eyes off you. Sits in his LifeChair exactly where you parked him two days before. White beard and tubes. His cartridge core throbs, like […]
The nitty-gritty: A short tale that’s packed with action, humor, and some old favorite characters. I fell in love with Wesley Chu’s Tao series, which ended last year with The Deaths of Tao, and so I was thrilled to discover he was writing a novella set in the same universe. The Days of Tao is […]
The nitty-gritty: An unexpectedly entertaining and emotional story, whose prison drama and tough characters outshine the paranormal story-line. The Girl with All the Gifts was a top ten read for me a couple of years ago, and so it was with great anticipation that I started M.R. Carey’s follow-up, Fellside. And while it didn’t completely blow […]
The nitty-gritty: A heartbreakingly sad but wonderfully magical tale about growing up. What she wanted most didn’t need to be spoken, for they shared her hunger, her brutal, unforgiving desire: what she wanted most was a door, and the things that waited on its other side. But unlike the rest of them, she knew where […]
The nitty-gritty: A fun and furious romp with the gods through Manhattan, an intricately plotted murder mystery, and a delightful and refreshingly chaste romance. “One half brother with a huge penis, another with giant testicles. No wonder I’ve never gotten along with my family.” – Selene DiSilva I was so excited when I was […]
The nitty-gritty: A short but powerful twist on the Lovecraftian tale, a story that didn’t quite work for me, but overall an interesting, clever and atmospheric tale. Mystery lingered in the air like the scent of a scorched book. It wasn’t until I had finished reading The Ballad of Black Tom that I found out […]
The nitty-gritty: A refreshingly original YA fantasy with pirates, sea monsters and deeply developed and complex relationships. They can try to kill me all they want, but I’m the girl who stands on the backs of the beasts of the NeoPacific. The Minnow blazes from within, promising life and warmth and villainy, but out here […]
The nitty-gritty: A big, complex and emotional sequel that delivers on all levels, with the best female characters you’re likely to read all year. Mulaghesh slows to a stop as it comes into view. It is like a dome—a broad, brown, curving structure nearly thirty or forty feet wide. But it is made entirely out […]