The nitty-gritty: DiLouie explores the emotional aftermath of surviving a doomsday cult in his latest, a dark and atmospheric tale steeped in mystery. The Children of Red Peak is my third Craig DiLouie book, and once again I’m in awe of his storytelling skills and the way he is able to evoke emotions. DiLouie tends […]
The nitty-gritty: An enjoyable but slightly uneven sequel in K. Eason’s imaginative Star Wars inspired space opera series. Last year I was surprised by how much I loved How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse, so I was very excited to read the sequel. And for the most part, I enjoyed it. Rory Thorne was more […]
The nitty-gritty: Malerich brings some interesting ideas to the table, but the novella format was just too short in this case, and didn’t allow for much story or character development. The Factory Witches of Lowell takes place in nineteenth century Lowell, Massachusetts (the exact date is never mentioned) during the boom in the production of […]
The nitty-gritty: A thoroughly entertaining mystery with an unappealing protagonist, Voodoo Heart was a fun read but ultimately a mixed bag for me. I was eager to dive into this horror/noir mystery by the prolific John Everson, especially when I found out that the story is set in New Orleans and involves voodoo. Can a […]
The nitty-gritty: Stylish and creepy, The Remaking takes inspiration from a real life ghost story and twists it into a macabre homage to horror movies. I’m so glad I received a surprise copy of the new paperback release of The Remaking from the publisher, because otherwise I might have missed it altogether. And Halloween was […]
The nitty-gritty: Rebecca Roanhorse does it again in this lush and thrilling tale of magic, adventure, betrayal and redemption. All the glowing reviews you’ve been reading got it right: Black Sun is a wonderful start to a new epic fantasy series based on a Pre-Columbian Americas world, and Rebecca Roanhorse proves once again what a […]
The nitty-gritty: Weird, unsettling and laugh-out-loud funny. How can you resist that combination? My breath came in great choking sobs while I tried to beat the dead thing to death a second time. It really was a joy to read a new T. Kingfisher (aka Ursula Vernon) novel, which turned out to be much in […]
The nitty-gritty: P. Djèlí Clark’s tale of otherworldly horror is one of the best I’ve read, an emotional tour de force of good versus evil, upsetting at times, but ultimately uplifting and full of joy. Sadie’s no sniper. But she ain’t lying. Girl can shoot the wings off a fly. Never one day in Uncle […]
The nitty-gritty: A lively and compelling feminist story about grit and determination, sisterhood, and the hidden power of stories. “A witch is merely a woman who needs more than she has.” If ever there was a time for this book, that time is now. The Once and Future Witches is a love letter to women […]
The nitty-gritty: Two children enter a magical land and learn some hard lessons in this tale-within-a-tale by Seanan McGuire. “People say I look like a girl, but that won’t ever make me one.” Zib blinked. “You’re not? But I thought–” “Oh, I’m a crow girl, but I’m not a girl girl.” The crow girl’s smile […]