The nitty-gritty: A touch of romance blended with a magical tale of witches and wine, The Vine Witch was a pleasant surprise. October is the perfect month for stories about witches, and The Vine Witch is an atmospheric tale that, while very light on spooky elements, offers plenty of magic and witchy folklore. I don’t […]
The nitty-gritty: I loved the moody, dangerous quality of these stories, but both endings left me confused. Demain Publishing’s Short Sharp Shocks! is a series of short horror fiction by various authors, and I was recently offered a review copy of their most recent release by Mike Thorn. Dreams of Lake Drukka & Exhumation is […]
A love spell is not a bouquet of flowers but a boot in your face, grinding its muddy heel. The nitty-gritty: A worthy follow-up to The Girl With Ghost Eyes, Boroson’s latest shines with magical imagery, sparkling and downright funny dialog, complex characters and an immensely satisfying plot, all framed by the rich history of […]
The nitty-gritty: Weird, shocking, bloody and did I mention weird? Reading Gideon the Ninth was an experience. Gideon the Ninth was weird. I can honestly say I’ve never read anything quite like Tamsyn Muir’s debut, so if you’re looking for that elusive, completely original story, then Gideon might just be the book for you. And […]
The nitty-gritty: Evocative world-building combined with an overstuffed plot left me with mixed feelings about this YA fantasy debut. I had read some glowing reviews of The House of Salt and Sorrow, so I jumped into this with rather high expectations. Unfortunately, even though there is a lot to love about this book, as a […]
The nitty-gritty: A sinister, blood-soaked story steeped in myth and darkness. Monster, Monster, Monster, Johann said to himself, the first half a kiss, the second a hiss. I wanted to squeeze in one more review this month, so I decided to grab one of my September novellas in order to make that happen. And wow, […]
The nitty-gritty: A thrilling, fast-paced beginning lost steam for me near the end, but up until about the three-quarter mark I really had a lot of fun with this book. I enjoyed the hell out of this book—up to a point. And then things really started to go wrong for me. It’s almost as if […]
The nitty-gritty: Mexican mythology mixed with a 1920s vibe makes this a stand-out fairy tale. Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s Certain Dark Things is still one of my favorite books, and it’s always exciting when she releases something new. Somehow I completely missed her last book, but I was determined to read her latest, not only because of […]
The nitty-gritty: Exciting action and relatable characters make this futuristic look at corporate greed a ton of fun from start to finish. I got to meet Rob Hart at San Diego Comic Con, which made me even more excited to read his book. Rob put a cool stamp each attendee’s ARC and filled in their […]
The nitty-gritty: A harsh, dystopian future where a girl’s life is measured in calories, Ration is not for the faint of heart, but don’t let that stop you from reading this book. “You’ll find that the world is just a machine. And you are fuel.” Ration is Cody T. Luff’s first novel, and frankly I’m […]