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 […]
The nitty-gritty: Another hilarious entry into the Sin du Jour world, with some of the funniest dialogue I’ve ever read. “Are you guys almost done down there?” he asks the impossibly small piece of composite concealed in his right ear. “I’m fuckin’ bored.” “Us ‘guys’ are rigging the final charge now,” Cindy’s irritated voice answers […]
The nitty-gritty: A compact story with big ideas, featuring a fascinating magic system and fierce and determined female characters. I was immediately drawn to this novella by the cover: a beautiful and fierce-looking woman in the middle of a stormy sea. What was happening to her? It is book covers like this that make me want […]
The nitty-gritty: A darkly funny and violent tale with black magic, fallen angels, demons and angry girlfriends, complete with some loathsome characters you will love to hate. Trixie’s eyes widened as she took in the crimson and grey splatter all over the wall of my office, and then the corpse lying in a pool of […]
The nitty-gritty: A laugh-out loud skewering of the fast-food industry, filled with funny dialog and memorable characters. I have to admit, when I first saw the cover for Envy of Angels, I immediately filed it in the “I hate the cover so I don’t want to read this book” compartment of my brain. Typically I […]