The nitty-gritty: An excellent start to a new series, Stormblood melds high tech thriller with a cyberpunk sensibility and a dash of humor and heart. I’m so grateful that Jeremy Szal reached out to me and asked if I’d like to read his book, because otherwise I wouldn’t have even tried to get a review […]
The nitty-gritty: Calvin Demmer offers up a tasty but bloody chocolate box of horrific tales that revolve around holidays. I had seen Calvin Demmer’s collection The Sea Was a Fair Master around, and so when he contacted me to see if I’d be interested in reading his latest short story collection, I immediately agreed. Demmer’s […]
The nitty-gritty: A lighthearted, humorous “found family” story with plenty of laughs and even a few sweet moments. I enjoyed this unexpectedly humorous and touching novella, even though it didn’t really rock my world. The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water is Zen Cho’s ode to the Chinese wuxia genre of martial arts […]
The nitty-gritty: Ambitious and complex, We Ride the Storm, although beloved by many readers, didn’t quite work for me. There has been a lot of hype surrounding We Ride the Storm, and tons of 4 and 5 star reviews on Goodreads. But this time the hype backfired for me, and I ended up really struggling […]
The nitty-gritty: A creeping dread infuses this atmospheric Gothic tale of diabolical family secrets. “The walls speak to me. They tell me secrets. Don’t listen to them, press your hands against your ears, Noemí. There are ghosts. They’re real. You’ll see them eventually.” One of Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s strengths is her ability to create an atmospheric […]
The nitty-gritty: An unflinching look at cultural identity, revenge, and the horrors we bring upon ourselves, The Only Good Indians is one of the best SFF books of the year. You may have already read some rave reviews for The Only Good Indians, and now you’re about to read another one. Everything you’ve heard is […]
The nitty-gritty: Big ideas, big dinos and lots of thoughtful commentary, Hella was an odd combination of quick thrills, fascinating facts and very uneven pacing. I had high hopes for Hella, and although it started off with lots of promise, halfway through the book I realized that there were several problematic elements that would ultimately […]
The nitty-gritty: A tense, fast-paced futuristic thriller that was almost impossible to put down. I love finding well written debuts, and I’m happy to say that Corporate Gunslinger is now on my list of favorites. I don’t usually make “blank meets blank” comparisons when I’m reviewing books, but in this case I have to go […]
The nitty-gritty: Fans of sci-fi graphic novels will probably love this, but I struggled a bit with the format and plot. Before I get into my review, I want to mention that I’m not a big fan of graphic novels, and I’ve struggled with them in the past. Every time I’m offered the opportunity to […]
The nitty-gritty: Another winner from Grace Draven, full of magic, romance, danger and yes, a dragon. I really enjoyed this book, which is the second in Draven’s Fallen Empire series. The story follows a different set of characters from the first book, Phoenix Unbound, but several characters from that book cross over into Dragon Unleashed. […]