The nitty-gritty: I loved the magical worldbuilding and stellar writing, but the plot felt scattered and confusing, resulting in a story with mixed results. Don’t Sleep With the Dead is a companion novella to Nghi Vo’s The Chosen and the Beautiful, a magical retelling of The Great Gatsby which I read almost four years ago […]
The nitty-gritty: An emotionally charged story with plenty of surprises, When the Wolf Comes Home is Nat Cassidy’s best book yet. “Love is a shape-shifting monster, she thinks, dizzy and horrified and exhausted and devastated. A werewolf with a bottomless stomach.” The cover of When the Wolf Comes Home is a bit misleading. This isn’t […]
The nitty gritty: A woman on the run encounters mysteries and horrors on a derelict space ship, in this scary but uneven space thriller. I can’t resist a good sci-fi horror story, and once again S.A. Barnes gives her fans a fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat thriller with some good jump scares and plenty of atmosphere. Although Cold […]
The nitty-gritty: A kooky, feel-good road trip story set in a Matrix-like world, When We Were Real explores the meaning of life in a humorous, heartfelt way. “Getting inebriated inside a sim was like turning yourself into a cartoon—and then turning on your cartoon television to watch the Simpsons watch Itchy and Scratchy.” Not only […]
The nitty-gritty: A powerful and complex tale of revenge, Stephen Graham Jones’ latest is an emotionally draining but ultimately rewarding reading experience. “What I am is the Indian who can’t die. I’m the worst dream America ever had.” No one can write a raw, unflinching account of the Indigenous experience like Stephen Graham Jones can, […]
The nitty-gritty: A surreal, locked room murder mystery set in an impossible house, Rose/House is a beautifully written puzzle of a story. “There is, as there has always been for Selene inside one of Basit’s buildings, a sense of hypnosis. Of being led, of being let into a a secret, a series of revelations, stripping […]
The nitty-gritty: Humor, action and romance combine in this latest entry in Constance Fay’s absurdly fun sci-fi series. This is the third book in Constance Fay’s Uncharted Hearts series, and Chaos is another adrenaline-fueled story with lovable characters and plenty of humor. I did have a few issues with pacing and logistics this time, although […]
The nitty-gritty: A story told by a unique protagonist, Once Was Willem shines with well drawn characters, magic and found family. “Gird yourself, therefore. I speak of monsters and magic, battle and bloodletting, and the crimes of desperate men. I speak also of secret things, of that which lies beneath us and that which impends […]
The nitty-gritty: John Scalzi takes an absurd idea and adds humor, heart and thoughtful commentary about life in this fast-paced, engaging “what if” story. You can always count on John Scalzi to come up with fresh ideas, even if they’re waaay out there (literally, in this case), and that’s what you get with When the […]
The nitty-gritty: Sara Raasch brings the enemies-to-lovers trope to life in this laugh-out-loud, sexy and heartfelt entry in her binge-worthy Royals & Romance series. I’m loving this holiday-centric romance series, and the second book, Go Luck Yourself, is another fun entry. In The Nightmare Before Kissmass, we met Coal and Kris, heirs to the Christmas […]