I went into this book totally oblivious. I didn’t even know what genre it was. I had been drawn in by the slick cover and the vague blurb. This is 100% the way I recommend you approach this novel. If you’ve read a few of my reviews and you tend to like the books I like, I recommend stopping here. Leave this review for afterwards. For those requiring a bit more information before embarking, read … Continue reading Serial Killer Games by Kate Posey →
I’m very fond of cryptids that fall under the category of “You! Kids! Stay away from the water!” I’m talking about your La Llorenas and your kelpies, your kappas and your shellycoats. English folklore alone provides a treasure trove of water spirits that will teach your child a very important and possibly fatal lesson that he or she shall not soon forget! Think of the grindylows, or Nelly Longarms and Peggy Prowler, all of whom … Continue reading Greenteeth by Molly O’Neill →
I dithered for a week before starting this book. I had it in my possession, but couldn’t get past the first page. I’m not sure if this is unique to me, but when I’m really looking forward to something, it’s very difficult for me to start it. Then, one morning I bit the bullet and pushed through to page two. From there, I tore through the book, snatching reading time wherever I could until I … Continue reading Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry →
Swordheart was originally published in 2018. Luckily for me, Tor is republishing it with a gorgeous cover and pretty green edges, so I have an excuse to review it. I was charmed by the characters and the dialogue, but less so by the fact that the book Would. Not. End. for the longest time. The book opens with Halla, our heroine, a 36-year-old, slightly stout widow, being locked in a room by her relatives, who … Continue reading Swordheart by T. Kingfisher →
Ed.note: before you continue reading this review, please be aware that the TW/CW above includes discussion in this review. Reader discretion advised. Victorian Psycho is what would happen if Patrick Bateman and Jane Eyre had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad baby. Protagonist and narrator Winifred Dotty has no ability to experience fear or empathy. She is completely indifferent to physical pain, be it her own or that of others. She has an endless … Continue reading Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito →
Revisionaries: What We Can Learn From the Lost, Unfinished, and Just Plain Bad Work of Great Authors is a fun and interesting book for writers and for readers who like to know how authors work. It imparts twenty-one lessons to writers using the challenges and unfinished writings of classically regarded writers. Easily read and easily digestible, each chapter uses a different author to teach a different lesson. These examples aren’t modern, and the diversity is … Continue reading Revisionaries: What We Can Learn From the Lost, Unfinished, and Just Plain Bad Work of Great Authors by Kristopher Jansma →
The Stars Too Fondly has queer romance, found family, diverse representation, multiple references to Star Trek, and space travel. I love all of these things. I should adore this book. But I found it to be deeply implausible, frustrating, and full of undeveloped emotion, ideas, and characters. A really bad book is fine – I can toss it aside with never a qualm. A really, REALLY bad book that delivers its badness exactly as advertised … Continue reading The Stars Too Fondly by Emily Hamilton →
CW: Quoted verbatim from the book itself: “Sweet Obsession is an occasionally dark and very spicy book that contains parental abuse (historical, non-graphic), torture (briefly on page, not overly graphic), attempted spousal murder (historical, non-graphic), violence, murder, explicit sex, elements of dubious consent (because of captor/captive power dynamics), and panic attacks (on page, brief)” Truth be told, I am no longer reading this series for each book’s romantic plot. I am reading it to find … Continue reading Sweet Obsession by Katee Robert →
This book had to work hard to win me over, and darn if it didn’t succeed. I find dishonesty to be deeply triggering. Yet even I was charmed by The Truth According to Ember, a romance in which the main character, Ember, simply cannot seem to tell the truth, creating a cascade of lies, half-truths, and obfuscations ranging from large to small as Ember tries to get ahead in both her personal and professional life. … Continue reading The Truth According to Ember by Danica Nava →
This book is part of a series, but operates alongside another series, and they are very much connected. The first is ‘The Secret Scientists of London’ which focuses on women scientists working at Athena’s Retreat and the second, of which this is the second installment, is ‘Damsels of Discovery,’ which features women scientists not operating within Athena’s Retreat but nonetheless linked to it. I have dipped in and out of both, and it’s becoming clearer … Continue reading The Lady Sparks a Flame by Elizabeth Everett →
This is a very silly book. You could even call it ridiculous. Absurd even! So why was I charmed by it? I have no defence! For charmed by it I was, despite it containing many things that in my more serious real life I find very very annoying: sexism, misogyny, dubious consent, prescribed gender roles, fatphobia, etc. Magnus is a Viking in the year 999 and he has 10 children. He decides to do two … Continue reading The Very Virile Viking by Sandra Hill →
