The nitty-gritty: Nature and the strange world of cryptids are the backdrop for this inventive and smartly written fantasy tale. “The intruder was already inside. And it was, without any doubt, too late.” Strange Animals surprised me in just about every possible way, and I’m so glad I had the chance to read Jarod K. […]
The nitty-gritty: Weird, grotesque, absurd and emotional, Krackle’s Last Movie is a quirky mystery with plenty of heart. “When I’m conducting these interviews, I am never in one place. I shift from their childhood until their death, dropping into the days before their change, then into the moment they knew, for sure, that their body, […]
The nitty-gritty: A grand and harrowing adventure sets the stage for this intimate portrayal of an unlikely romance. Molly O’Neill has become a go-to author for me, especially since she’s proven that she can write a satisfying follow-up to the amazing Greenteeth. Once again, her story is rooted in history and mythology and gives readers […]
The nitty-gritty: Magic, mayhem and a bunch of shelter cats make up Heather Fawcett’s latest, an enchanting tale, perfect for fans of Emily Wilde. After loving Heather Fawcett’s Emily Wilde series, I could not wait to read her next book! And I’m happy to say that Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter was just as delightful, […]
The nitty-gritty: A beautifully written story of survival and redemption, Yah Yah Scholfield’s weird, devastating and brutal Southern Gothic debut is a rollercoaster of emotions, both monstrous and beautiful. “It happened in the kitchen. Very germane—butchery in the cooking place, the cleaver and carving knife bearing witness. The tile, slick, grouted, was receptive to the […]
The nitty-gritty: A loyal general meets a scheming fae queen in this lively romance, perfect for readers who love political intrigue and well developed characters. “I’m afraid,” said her mother, “it is time for you to learn that, as queens, we do what we must, not what we would prefer.” I am enjoying this series […]
The nitty-gritty: Laura Purcell delivers another chilling haunted house tale in this atmospheric and terrifying ghost story. “Their procession had a sick, decayed sort of grandeur to it. This was what it was, Belinda thought, to be master of The Bridge. A throne of rotten fruit and ashes.” House of Splinters is a companion novel […]
The nitty-gritty: Detour takes standard sci-fi tropes and twists them into a unique and outrageously entertaining story, complete with well developed characters and surprising emotional moments. The premise of Detour starts out in familiar territory: a rich billionaire is trying to fund the first trip to Saturn’s moon Titan, in hopes of finding a viable […]
The nitty-gritty: Cottagecore meets The Lord of the Rings in this entertaining but slightly uneven debut. I couldn’t resist this adorable cover, which I’ll admit is one reason I wanted to read How to Lose a Goblin in Ten Days. And it was cute! There are also some rather weighty themes hovering over all the […]
The nitty-gritty: A multilayered horror story set in a dangerous town, A Box Full of Darkness expertly mixes carefully drawn characters, emotional relationships and ghostly terrors. “This was Fell, the town of graves where they shouldn’t be and a missing girl’s shoes placed neatly outside her dorm room door. Fell, which had swallowed my little […]