The nitty-gritty: A fast and furious sci-fi adventure/romance with plenty of action and even some emotional character development. Who can resist a cover with a bad-ass female mercenary standing on a pile of books while the world falls to pieces behind her? Certainly not me, which is one reason I was excited to pick up […]
The nitty-gritty: Flyaway is dripping with style and atmosphere, but the plot and characters fell flat for me. Howling wilderness, my mother had once called the bush beyond town. Dad had laughed. My heart sat high in my chest. I was more alive and more scared than I had been for years. Ahead of us, […]
The nitty-gritty: Dark and unsettling, The Year of the Witching is perfect for fans of horror-tinged, dystopian fantasy. You know me, when I see a book with the word “witch” in the title, I’m all over it! So of course I couldn’t wait to read The Year of the Witching, a debut that really impressed […]
The nitty-gritty: Cheryl Low delivers yet another bloody good horror story, complete with vengeful ghosts and buried family secrets. Cheryl Low’s latest horror novella was a perfect distraction from real life, a combination of ghostly hauntings, twisted family secrets, mysteries and even an unexpected love story. All of these elements come together in a short, […]
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 […]