The nitty-gritty: Intricately plotted with nuanced characters, Comeuppance Served Cold is a fun heist story with plenty of surprises. What a nice surprise this was! Comeuppance Served Cold is a wonderful mix of magic and Jazz Age elements, a heist story that takes place in 1929 Seattle. Marion Deeds has captured the essence of the […]
The nitty-gritty: An excellent sequel, Sisters of the Forsaken Stars delves deeper into the complicated lives of a group of nuns in space. I’m so glad Lina Rather decided to continue her series, and after finishing Sisters of the Forsaken Stars, I hope there are more books on the way. The author takes the idea […]
The nitty-gritty: With familiar characters and a new setting, the seventh book in McGuire’s portal fantasy series shows us a different side of what happens to some children when they return. Since the Moors, her dreams were still full of water and waves, but the sea she swam in while she slept was no longer […]
The nitty-gritty: Full of charm, mystery and magic, A Marvellous Light is a delightful start to a new series. Robin thought about the string that Edwin used in his spells: how a particular cradle might have five or six or eight lines of the pattern joining one hand to another. Binding them close. Robin and […]
The nitty-gritty: A clever mix of fantasy and science fiction that explores the different ways stories are told and interpreted, Elder Race was a joy to read. Something within the foundation of the tower groaned, deep and tormented. In the next moment Lyn changed her mind: not a living thing at all, but as though […]
The nitty-gritty: Unsettling and atmospheric, I loved some of the elements, but the author’s writing style kept me from completely enjoying this story. “Hope has no place on this vessel of death and disease, aimless and everlasting in its path.” This is an odd one, folks. Flowers for the Sea is an atmospheric, angry tale […]
The nitty-gritty: Despite a couple of intriguing mysteries and an atmospheric setting, Summer Sons ended up being a disappointing read. The description and early blurbs for Summer Sons promised a queer, spooky, Southern Gothic ghost story, and the creepy cover made it even more appealing to me. And while it’s unabashedly queer and creepy and atmospheric […]
The nitty-gritty: A clever and surprising mystery steeped in myth, Comfort Me With Apples is told in Catherynne M. Valente’s unique style. If there’s one thing I can count on with Catherynne M. Valente, it’s that she always surprises me. Her stories are not your normal, run of the mill variety. Rather, she creates scenarios […]