I enjoyed this book. I read it cover-to-cover in almost one sitting, but as I sit here to write this review, I’m left with distinctly meh feelings about it. Is this because I had a disappointing breakfast and that’s colouring my perspective? Or was the book meh? Let’s find out together. This story is set in the Jewish community of London in the 1830s and is essentially a gender-reversed Snow White retelling. Solomon Weiss is … Continue reading Wake Me Most Wickedly by Felicia Grossman→
How can I review a book that has a plot twist in the last chapter that changes the entire book? Lore of the Wilds is a fantasy that is enjoyable but…odd. The heroine is twenty-one but the book reads as very YA despite one graphic sex scene. There’s a love triangle, but it’s difficult to write about it without revealing a spoiler that comes out of nowhere at the very end of the book. There … Continue reading Lore of the Wilds by Analeigh Sbrana→
Camp Damascus is a full-length novel by Chuck Tingle. Chuck Tingle is famous for writing many, many erotic and humorous short stories and novellas, and he is beloved for including rather pointed social commentary in these stories and for a social media presence in which he celebrates all kinds of love. For an idea of his short work, check out my review of Oppressed in the Butt by my Inclusive Holiday Coffee Cups or listen … Continue reading Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle→
This was an excellent airplane book. I found it on Kindle Unlimited in the airport, and read it on a two hour flight. It held my attention, but was light enough that I could read quickly and not feel like I was taxing my tired brain. There is a lot of dialogue and in just about any other circumstance that would make me very happy. I love dialogue. But the characters do a lot of … Continue reading Death in Soho by Emily Organ→
I was mildly annoyed the whole time I was reading Nora Goes Off Script but I also enjoyed the heck out of it. I’m not sure how to grade a book that’s simultaneously pleasurable and grating. Nora is a single mom and a Hallmark-esque screenwriter who just had her big break—her depressing script detailing her recent divorce from her self-absorbed husband sold for a bunch of money. The book opens just as the movie crew … Continue reading Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan→
Threadneedle was not at all the book I expected, but I found myself engrossed in the story even though I was upset by the content. In this YA novel, Anna, who has been taught to suppress her magic by her abusive aunt, falls in with a group of teens who are all too eager to explore their magical skills. As they hex bullies and dabble in romance, Anna must determine whether her aunt is to … Continue reading Threadneedle by Cari Thomas→
The Change is a flawed novel, but by golly it sure cheered me up at times. This book is about three women in their late forties who develop magical powers and use them to avenge murdered young women. I’m forty-nine-and-a-half and my only perimenopausal superpower so far is the ability to give progressively less of a shit, and this book fit right in with my current mood. Unfortunately, the book was somewhat superficial and problematic … Continue reading The Change by Kirsten Miller→
The Science of Women in Horror is disappointing in the sense that there’s very little science in it. Instead, it’s an overview of women as depicted in horror, along with interviews with women who have worked behind the camera. As such, it’s pretty basic, but it did add several films to my To Be Watched List. The cover promises “The Special Effects, Stunts, and True Stories Behind Your Favorite Fright Films,” but very little of … Continue reading The Science of Women in Horror by Meg Hafdahl and Kelly Florence→
I’m So Not Over You is a m/m contemporary romance about two men living in Boston who rekindle a relationship during a “fake dating’ weekend. I had a hard time connecting with the story, but Shana liked it a little bit better. Tropes include second chance romance, a wedding, fake dating, and ‘there’s only one bed’, and we know those are gold for a lot of readers! Unfortunately, it also has problems with the structure … Continue reading I’m So (Not) Over You by Kosoko Jackson→
Wild and Wicked Things is a fantasy novel of magic and mayhem on fictional Crow Island, where a group of young people throw endless, Gatsby-esque parties in the aftermath of WWI and practice illegal magic. I loved the imagery and the portrayal of the English side of the Lost Generation – the parties are equally beautiful and hollow, tainted by grief and cynicism. However, I found the book to be maddeningly repetitive and the characters … Continue reading Wild and Wicked Things by Francesca May→
Content Warning I picked up Greener Pastures when I was trying to break a late-night doomscrolling habit, and found it to be solid bedtime reading, if a bit dull. It’s a wholesome fish out of water romance where women fall in love over farm chores. The romance is solid enough to be distracting, but moves so slowly that it’s easy to put the book down and get some sleep. The most important thing you need … Continue reading Greener Pastures by Aurora Rey→
