The nitty-gritty: Interesting worldbuilding clashes with an overstuffed plot and slow pacing, making The City of Dusk a mixed bag. It took me almost a month to finish The City of Dusk, and I almost called it quits several times, but I finally decided to finish it out of sheer determination. As you can see […]
The nitty-gritty: A fast-paced survival story with engaging characters, Gone Dark was a lot of fun and a solid YA thriller. “Don’t cry, Zara. Crying is a waste of water.” I don’t read YA very often these days, but I wanted to take a chance on Gone Dark because it sounded like a pretty good […]
The nitty-gritty: There’s plenty of food for thought in this short horror story that takes the idea of perception and turns it on its head. “It had already started. The world was tipping, its weight shifting, and no one had really noticed how precarious the ground beneath our feet had become. Every image, every video […]
The nitty-gritty: Full of effortless humor, imaginative world-building, and complex characters, Stringers is a smart, bold sci-fi adventure—with pickles. “The Chime sounded, like, well, a chime. A really big chime. But still. If there truly was a sound evil enough to destroy the galaxy, wouldn’t it be something like pre-Black Album Metallica, or Justin Bieber? […]
The nitty-gritty: A true crime blogger uncovers some long-buried truths in this stellar murder mystery. This is my first time reading Simone St. James, and I was blown away! The Book of Cold Cases is an intricately plotted mystery with fully developed characters and a twisty plot that will keep readers guessing. The story takes […]
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 ode to fandoms and the nostalgia of 1980s fantasy films, The Shadow Glass drips with magic, humor, perfect pacing and thrilling adventure. “Jack, didn’t you hear Brol’s story? The Shadow Glass was stolen from the kettu castle, Nebfet was enchanting it when Zavanna found her…none of that happened in the movie. We’re […]
The nitty-gritty: Another strong entry into Anne Bishop’s World of the Others series, Crowbones is full of mystery, terror, lovable characters and fascinating world-building. Some authors just make you feel cozy, and Anne Bishop is one of those authors for me. I loved being back in her world of The Others, where humans live alongside […]
The nitty-gritty: A wacky science lesson with swearing, The Kaiju Preservation Society is full of humor, heart and just enough tension to keep the pages turning. “We did our job,” Kahurangi said. “We preserved a kaiju.” I don’t know about you, but every once in a while I need a book that’s fun, fast, and […]
The nitty-gritty: A fun mystery with interesting characters and relationships, The Paradox Hotel was full of good ideas but ended up confusing me more than anything. This was a strange little story, but I ended up really enjoying it after a bit of a rocky start. I thought the book was going to focus more […]