Book Description: Dorothy Gale doesn’t know where she came from. She has only the vaguest memory of her life before landing in the dull, gray world of the vast Kansas prairie.
Then a cyclone rips through the night and carries her, her dog, and the farmhouse somewhere a lot farther than Dorothy imagined. She’s in a strange land that’s apparently cursed, shrouded in shadow. And to get home, Dorothy needs to seek out a wizard, following a treacherous path and watch out for a never-ending list of forest beasts, witches, a cursed mercenary, and perhaps most dangerous of all, the wizard himself.
Nikki St. Crowe vividly reimagines the world of the Wizard of Oz, where the villain gets the girl…and the girl gets the power.
Review: I had heard of this author before because I looked into a “Peter Pan” retelling that she wrote at one point. That one seemed like it was a “reverse harem” romance, so I gave it a pass. But this one sounded like the more straightforward “enemies to lovers” trope, and, combined with my nostalgic love of “Wizard of Oz,” I thought this might be a good entry point to this author.
And, while I didn’t outright love it, I can also see the appeal of this author for sure. Right from the start, she has a very compelling style of storytelling. The pacing is quick, but I never felt like the author was skimping on the characterization or world-building. I had a decent understanding of just who Dorothy was and what was important to her fairly early in the story. As her arc continues, there were added layers given to her motivations and changes in perspective, so I appreciated that growth was there.
I also enjoyed the twists and turns taken with the world of Oz and the original characters. Frankly, this carried much of the book for me, as I was always eager to meet new characters or see new locations and explore the unique take the author was bringing to these classic elements. That said, if you feel at all “precious” about these originals, this book might not be for you. The author plays fast and loose with any original characteristics; I found this fun, but it could also be jarring if you were hoping to find characters that were more in line with their original versions.
Probably not surprising anyone, I mostly had gripes with the romance and the spice. On the spice side, the story starts out with a completely unnecessary erotic scene between the main character and a throwaway character. Now, I know that some readers enjoy spice for spice’s sake. But for me, these kinds of unnecessary spice scenes so early in a book make me feel as if the author thinks that readers are just hornballs who will put down a book if they don’t get a sex scene in the first 25 pages. This scene literally had zero impact on the story and could have been removed with no one the wiser. I wish it had been.
The romance itself was more interesting and developed at a slower pace (this made the initial jump right into a sex scene with the soon-to-be ex all the more weird!). There were also some big twists that came toward the end that I enjoyed. However, as always it seems, the book definitely sets up a secondary romance in the end as well. This is purely a subjective thing, and readers who enjoy love triangles and bait-and-switch romances may enjoy this aspect more.
As it stands, I think I’ll wait and spoil myself on how the entire trilogy ends before committing to reading more of the series, largely due to my feelings regarding the romance. I enjoyed the overall writing and Dorothy as a character, but the romance is a big question mark, and I’ve been burned too many times in the past to blindly keep going.
Rating 7: I liked this interpretation of “The Wizard of Oz” and its classic characters, but the spice and romance raised some big question marks for me personally. Other romance readers who enjoy certain tropes, however, may enjoy it more!
It’s been eighteen years since Suzanne Collins wrote “The Hunger Games”, the smash hit literary sensation that continues to feel relevant and capture the attention of readers. This ongoing series will be a review series of both the Suzanne Collins books, as well as the film adaptations of the novels. I will post my review on the last Thursday of the month as we revisit the totalitarian world of Panem and the hope of the Mockingjay.
Book: “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” by Suzanne Collins
It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capitol, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to outcharm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute.
The odds are against him. He’s been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined — every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favor or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute… and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes.
Review: A few years after “The Hunger Games” trilogy wrapped up with “Mockingjay”, the announcement was made that Suzanne Collins was going to write a prequel story. It was a bit vague at first, and I remember the buzz and anticipation that was tittering throughout the fandom. Who could it be about? Maybe Haymitch’s Games? Or maybe it was going to be about Mags? I was thinking it was maybe going to be about my gal Johanna Mason to see how she played everyone to think she was a scaredy cat and then eventually came out on top through brutality and managed expectations. And then it was announced that it was going to be about Coriolanus Snow, the brutal dictator in charge of Panem in the original trilogy. And I remember people being PISSED.
I will admit that as someone who always thinks that fandoms do the absolute most sometimes, I was pretty amused by the tantrums people were throwing. (source)
I wasn’t as put off by the concept. It did take me some time to read the book initially, but I did enjoy it, and re-reading it this year made me appreciate it even more. Because once again, Suzanne Collins knows EXACTLY WHAT SHE IS DOING.
So I will say right off the bat that this is probably my least favorite of the “Hunger Games” books, but that isn’t because it’s a bad book. I still really like this book. But there is a big narrative shift from the original trilogy to follow Katniss Everdeen and all of her innermost thoughts to Coriolanus Snow as a teenager and all of his innermost thoughts. But it’s still a very well written book that only expands more of the lore of Panem and builds the world even more in a way that makes it all the more intriguing. When we follow Coriolanus as he mentors Lucy Gray Baird from District 12 in the 10th Hunger Games, we get to see Panem in a transition period. It’s post-War/Rebellion, and the Capitol is still in shambles (which means you know the districts are having a rougher time as a whole). The Games right now aren’t the big entertainment event that they are when Katniss is reaped; if anything they are kind of run down and gritty. I really loved seeing the huge difference between the two time frames, and it goes to show just how much Snow influenced the Games and how much inspiration he took from his mentee Lucy Gray. Because Lucy Gray is the first one to weaponize her personality to be likable and to make it a bit of a spectacle with her singing and performance to make people root for her. If Coriolanus is a grating narrator (as he is supposed to be), Lucy Gray is a shining light of a character who has moxie and a drive to survive at all costs, even if it means cuddling up with Coriolanus (though I do believe that she DID care for him at one point, even if it wasn’t at the level of obsession and possession that he saw her at; notice I say obsession and possession as opposed to love). I also really liked seeing Lucy Gray’s Covey community, as by the time we get to the original trilogy in the timeline The Covey, a group that was trapped in District 12 after the rebellion after years of being nomadic, have all but disappeared, at least culturally. Seeing how Panem has changed between this book and the original trilogy is jarring but also so, so interesting.
I also liked getting some insight into the Capitol side of things in this book, be it with Coriolanus and his fellow students at The Academy being recruited to mentor the Tributes for the games, or the faculty indoctrinating them and manipulating their every move. We spend so much time in the Districts in the “Hunger Games” trilogy and only see the opulent and decadent Capitol in very specific instances, and in “Ballad” we see a Capitol that is grimy and, as I said, in transition, but it still has the superiority complex and the hints of totalitarianism that is still in shaky stages and is only waiting for a truly ruthless leader to bring it to its full horrific potential. It’s also interesting seeing the politics and ideologies of how the Capitol views the Districts at this point, still dehumanizing them but in a far more overt way at this point, like the Tributes being held in literal zoo cages. Or the way fellow students and Coriolanus look at Sejanus Plinth, who grew up in District 2 and whose family became wealthy and was able to essentially able to buy its way into the Capitol through loyalty and money, but is still looked down upon by others and feels like he is in an identity crisis. There are so many layers here and I greatly appreciated seeing this side of Panem, if only to get context.
Now, I may be treading into some kind of controversial territory here, but I kind of want to address one of the biggest hang ups people have about this book. There were a lot of people I saw, be it in my own life or online, who were very put off by the idea of this book following something of an origin story for President Snow. I had a few people say ‘I am not interested in getting a villain origin story that humanizes PRESIDENT SNOW’, and I mean, hey, that’s a valid worry about the book because there have been some stories where a clearly bad or villainous person gets some kind of redemption arc because of a sad backstory. But I never really had the fear that Collins was going to do that with Snow, as I know that she isn’t going to be an apologist for a fascist dictator just based on the original trilogy. Yes, Coriolanus Snow grew up during a time or war that left his life in shambles, even if his family was on the ‘winning’ side. He and his cousin Tigris are living with their completely indoctrinated grandmother in abject poverty, and while he comes from a prestigious family with name recognition (especially at the school he is attending), he has a huge victim complex because he isn’t living the life he was promised as a Snow. And that victim complex simmers as resentment, then turns into ambition, then turns into a thirst for power at any cost which turns into violence. I have always said that Collins’s “Hunger Games” stories always, ALWAYS have something to say, and the clear message of “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” is about the way that young men can be radicalized by fascist ideology in times of instability within their lives, and while she explains it, she never excuses it with young Coriolanus, especially since we get into his head so deeply and he is just awful. This came out in 2020 when we had been seeing the starts of the Manosphere, and white male grievances were motivating a lot of young white men to embrace far right values, and unfortunately it has only gotten worse since then. So while I understand people not wanting to read about Coriolanus Snow as anything but an irredeemable villain, I also think that turning away from uncomfortable truths about radicalization of people like him in real life just helps the problem grow and grow. Collins doesn’t excuse his actions throughout the book, which are reprehensible even before he becomes president. But to dismiss this kind of exploration as being apologia for his actions is missing the point Collins is trying to make.
So while “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” is probably my least favorite of the books about Panem, I still really enjoy it whether it’s the new lore and expanded world building of Panem, how it has changed over time and how the Games themselves have changed, and how it explores the dangers of radicalization through one of the biggest monsters in the series. Suzanne Collins does not miss. Next up I take on the next prequel book and the final book in the series “Sunrise on the Reaping”. Haymitch’s moment is upon us.
Rating 8: While it’s probably the weakest of the books for me, I still find it to be compelling and complex with a lot of relevant things to say. Also, I love seeing the huge differences in Panem between Katniss’s time and Snow’s time as a mentor.
Reader’s Advisory:
“The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” is included on the Goodreads list “YA Dystopia Novels”.
Book Description: As a human vessel for an ancient spirit, Sandis lives no ordinary life. At the command of her master, she can be transformed against her will into his weapon—a raging monster summoned to do his bidding. Unlike other vessels, Sandis can host extremely powerful spirits, but hosting such creatures can be fatal. To stay alive, she must run. And in a city fueled by smoke and corruption, she finds a surprising ally.
A cunning thief for hire, Rone owns a rare device that grants him immortality for one minute every day—a unique advantage that will come in handy in Sandis’s fight for freedom. But Sandis’s master knows how powerful she is. He’s determined to get her back, and he has the manpower to find her, wherever she runs.
Now, to outwit her pursuers, Sandis must put all her trust in Rone and his immortal device. For her master has summoned more than mere men to hunt her down…
Review: After absolutely loving “The Shattered King” and “The Half-Hearted Queen,” I eagerly jumped into Holmberg’s back catalog. Seriously, I think I bought probably two or three e-books in one night after turning the last page on that duology. Out of the many options I purchased for myself, I wanted to try another series, so I picked up this, the first in a complete trilogy.
This didn’t quite live up to the high that was “The Shattered King” duology, but I definitely enjoyed it for what it was! And, honestly, if the bar hadn’t been set quite so high, this one would have landed even better, so any/all qualms I had felt very much a product of unreasonable expectations more than anything else.
To start, I absolutely loved the world-building and magic system introduced here. For the world, our characters live in a highly corrupt city-state, essentially, that eats up its poor and doesn’t allow any past their gates. Right from the start, we see a system that doesn’t care about justice and, if you’re poor or unimportant, you can be disappeared without so much as a bat of the eye. In this world, our MMC, Rone, has pried out a life for himself and his mother by creating a name for himself in the criminal underworld. As for our FMC, Sandis, her side of the coin is the more unfortunate tale of those who have lost everything and been lost themselves, caught up by powerful players with very few options for escape.
The magic system was also great. There are hints of an ancient world that had magical resources that have been lost to this time, except for a few rare trinkets, including a device that allows Rone to be unkillable for a very short period of time once every 24 hours. Sandis’s story, however, is the one that centers more fully around the true magic of this series, that of summoners and the powerful beings that can be called forth from within them. But the process by which this happens is brutal and oppressive, with dire requirements for the body of the one who turns into the summoned creature and a horribly oppressive dynamic often coming from the summoner who controls them.
I also really liked both Rone and Sandis. This might actually be one of the rare books where I think I enjoyed the MMC POV more than the FMC. Sandis was a great character, but she was also a bit too perfect and too naive at times. She treaded the ground of the “perfect victim” stereotype a few times. That said, I did still very much enjoy her. For his part, I think Rone’s voice was stronger, and his character was often the driving force behind much of the action of the story. His arc is also the more complicated, with his attempts to balance protecting his mother as well as this new woman he finds himself working alongside. He doesn’t always make all the right decisions, and I liked him all the more for it.
Overall, I really liked this one! The pacing was a bit uneven at times, with Sandis and Rone playing out a bit of a circular pattern of being on the run, finding temporary safety, and then being found again and again. But their love story was lovely, and the end of this one set up some pretty high stakes for the next book. Of course, I already own it and will be jumping in again soon!
Rating 8: The FMC was a bit weaker than I prefer, but the world-building, magic, and MMC were all excellent, and I’m excited to see where the trilogy goes from here!
Book Description: molka (n): the Korean term for spy cameras secretly and illegally installed, often to capture voyeuristic images and videos
Dahye can’t believe her luck when she finds herself in a whirlwind romance with handsome, charismatic Hyukjoon, the heir to a multi-million dollar fortune.
But then a shocking revelation threatens: the couple has been caught on a spycam amid Korea’s growing molka epidemic, and the video is all over the internet. When Hyukjoon flees the country to avoid the intense public scrutiny, Dahye is left to grapple with the ramifications on her own; and the demons from her childhood, long dormant, begin to surface.
Amid the chaos, she catches the attention of Junyoung, a nerdy, introverted IT tech at work. Junyoung harbours a dark secret: he has been spying on the women at work with his own hidden cameras. As Dahye’s life begins to unravel, she unknowingly becomes the sole target of Junyoung’s perverse obsession.
When the facts surrounding the invasion of her privacy come to light, Dahye is faced with the humiliating truth. Her pain and hurt turn to rage as she faces her past. Her desire for vengeance is insatiable, and she will not rest until the men who have wronged her have paid in blood…
Review: Thank you to Erewhon Books for giving me an ARC at PLA 2026!
Okay, before I even go into my introduction to my review, I want to let people know that this review is going to be covering some triggering topics like rape/sexual assault, and sexual exploitation. So just be aware that it’s going to get heavy.
As I was reading “Molka” by Monika Kim the disgusting revelations of a so called online ‘Rape Academy’ broke in the news cycle, where men would drug their partners, rape them, film it, and then upload it for other users to see. It was horrifying but not all that surprising, and it just made me shake my head because the book I was reading was unfolding in real life in a lot of ways. “Molka” is a horror story to be sure, with a good majority of the horrors being completely man made, and Kim doesn’t hold back in her storytelling even if it makes for an incredibly triggering read. But a necessary one, as evidenced by the fact this shit is happening off page and in reality.
Our story takes place in Seoul and has two main POVs. The first is of Dahye, a young woman who has been swept off her feet by Hyukjoon, the son of a millionaire who showers her with gifts and incredible experiences… until footage of them having sex pops up online, seemingly filmed without their knowledge. While Hyukjoon has the wealth and privilege to ride the storm (being a man also helps… more on that in a bit), Dahye does not, and finds herself spiraling as the footage is everywhere, bringing up memories of her sister Euhnye, who killed herself years ago at seventeen after being impregnated by an older man and being terrified of the fallout. Our second POV is that of Junyoung, one of the IT guys at her work who has installed his own hidden cameras, or molkas, in the women’s restrooms so he can spy on unsuspecting women and see their privates, with Dahye catching his eye. Both POVs are so upsetting, whether it’s getting into the head of a predator like Junyoung, or seeing how absolutely wrecked Dahye is because of the violation and because of how women in molka cases are blamed, ignored, and shamed. And seeing them both escalate in their own ways, whether it’s Junyoung’s obsession becoming more dangerous, or Dahye’s mental health spiraling and her rage building, makes for such suspense and tension. Especially when it seems like Eunyhe’s ghost may be manifesting more and more as Dahye becomes more and more frenzied. I loved the bits with Eunyhe, with little hints of water and fleeting glances turning into a full on vengeful ghost egging Dahye on.
But potential supernatural themes aside, the really scary aspect of “Molka” were the real life themes of violent misogyny, sexual exploitation, and gender double standards within societies when it comes to sexuality. For characters like Dahye and Eunhye, as women who experience violence because of their sexuality (whether it’s the assault and exploitation in Dahye’s case or Eunhye killing herself after her out of wedlock teen pregnancy is revealed) are shamed and shunned and driven to the brink. But for people like Hyukjoon and Junyoung, who are men, they can either be wholly unaffected by scandal, or even be abusers either out in the open or hidden in the shadows, and even if their nastiness becomes known they are excused because boys will be boys. There were so many infuriating moments in this book that had to do with the disgusting ways Dahye was sexualized and violated, and Kim makes sure to tread a very fine line that makes sure the reader knows exactly what’s going on without making it feel all the more exploitative of, even worse, titillating. It is a VERY difficult read at times, especially when we see how objectified and dehumanized women are in the eyes of their abusers, but it’s also a searing and unflinching portrayal of feminist rage that has moments of catharsis to balance out the incredibly triggering moments.
“Molka” is a dark and upsetting horror novel, but it also feels like a very timely read, unfortunately. I definitely recommend it to any reader who likes a ‘good for her’ story.
Rating 9: A dark and difficult but unfortunately timely horror story about misogyny, violence against women, and the double standards between the treatment of genders in sexual situations. “Molka” is filled with content warnings, but the message is cathartic and the feminist rage burns bright.
While we do love us some books, believe it not, we do have a life outside of reading. So to highlight our other pop culture interests, on the last Monday of each month, we each will highlight three other “happenings” from the last month. Big events on favorite TV shows, new movies we’ve watched, old movies we’ve “discovered,” etc. Pretty much whatever we found of particular interest outside of the book world during the last month. Share your own favorite things in the comments!
Like everyone this month it seems, I dutifully left my house and booked a ticket to see what feels like the only true blockbuster of a film that’s come out in oh, I don’t know, years at this point! Ok, I joke. But it does seem like it’s been quite some time since there’s been a movie that has been so widely enjoyed. I didn’t get around to seeing this until it had been out in theaters for three weeks, and even then, my evening showing on a Thursday night was a packed house! I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen that! And the movie was well worth all of these sales. There was adventure, there was humor, there was heart. But most of all, it was an optimistic film with a central message about the need for true connection. In many ways, I feel like it’s the sort of movie that hit at just the right time. But even besides that, it was just a great movie-going experience, and I highly recommend a theater showing if you can swing it!
Fall is for “Bake Off” and spring is for “Top Chef!” It’s a nice little tradition for my husband and to watch together: two shows where we can judge contestants as they create dishes we have zero chance of making ourselves! “Why, why would you try to do a soup for a quickfire? There’s not enough time to develop the flavors!” We definitely sound like we know what we’re talking about, and that’s all that matters. In this season in particular, we’ve spent a lot of time criticizing the one contestant whose arm seems to be more injured when she’s doing poorly or doesn’t want to do a quickfire but then magically repairs itself for the challenges where she feels more confident!
This was a fun little palatte cleanser of a game between my obsessive “Baldur’s Gate 3” runs and my continued effot to work myself up to trying “Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader.” This was a much more manageable length, around 35 hours, and had a very fun game play loop. Most of all, I loved fighting the giant constructs and the various unique approaches you had to take to defeat each one. The voice acting was also incredible throughout, and by the end, I was quite attached to everyone in this odd little group. If you’re looking for a fun, fairly straightforward action game, this is a nice option to consider!
It’s been a bit since I’ve watched a horror TV show that completely pulled me in and left me going WHAT ON EARTH DID I JUST WATCH. It’s been awhile since Mike Flanagan created a ghost story for Netflix, but if you have been missing that or something along those vibes, look no further than “Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen”, because this show MESSED WITH ME. Rachel is a woman who is going to meet her fiancé Nicky’s family for the first time, with their remote cabin setting being the spot for their small wedding that weekend. But things are very strange at the house and with the family, with people acting weird, and an overwhelming sense of dread that Rachel can’t shake. To make matters worse, the family lore of a creature in the woods makes Rachel all the more nervous. But things are even more horrifying than she realizes as family curses and secrets start to come out of the woodwork. This show kept me on edge basically the whole time, with crazy reveals, incredibly unsettling imagery, and a great cast who all seem unhinged.
As mentioned last month, “Deadloch” Season 2 dropped and now I am back with another entry focusing on this darkly funny Australian murder mystery! Dulcie and Eddie have left the small Tasmanian town and have headed for the mainland when Eddie wants to follow up on the death of her detective partner. But they don’t stay in Darwin long, because some body parts in the mouth of a crocodile in the small town of Barra Creek brings them there to investigate… And brings up the fact that Eddie has a past and connection to the community that she was hiding from Dulcie. And this time it’s involving crocs, feuding tourist companies, and MORE body parts washing ashore. Dulcie and Eddie still have great chemistry, and the mystery this time around is just as engaging and complex. We also have some new supporting characters, as well as some familiar faces (really happy to see Abby has returned and is fully into forensics, and wow, Cath is actually really fun this season after being wholly insufferable last time around!), and it’s still super funny, super queer, and kept me on my toes. I don’t know if we’re going to get more seasons after this one, but if it’s the end, it ended on a high note.
Another procedural on my list, though I was waiting awhile for “Dark Winds” to come back after season three, especially since we left on a bit of a cliffhanger (Emma left Joe!! NOOO!). And now “Dark Winds” is back, which means Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee are back on the case. In Season four they are looking for a missing Navajo girl, who ran away from a Catholic boarding school and then vanished, last seen with a young man with a criminal past. Their search takes them to Los Angeles, where they get tangled up in the seedy underbelly of the crime world, as well as become targets of a meticulous killer. Meanwhile Joe is still reeling from Emma leaving him, and Bernadette has newly rejoined the Navajo Tribal Police after leaving her position with the border patrol, though her relationship with Chee is still new and growing, and the thought of a workplace romance feels complicated. I’m so glad this show is back, as I absolutely love Leaphorn and Chee, and still love how Indigenous perspective centered it is.
Book Description: When Claudia Jolicoeur is rejected from Cygnus University, a devilish stranger named Dorian appears in her nightmares and offers her a bargain: he will get her into Cygnus if she learns how to free him from a prison of stars. He takes a bite of her soul to seal the deal, and Claudia wakes to a letter from the High Sage of Cygnus stating she will take the place of Odette Dufort, a Rhetoric student who passed away.
Her arrival raises suspicions, rumors that she had a hand in Odette’s death spread like wildfire, and Cassius MacLeod, the High Sage’s apprentice and Claudia’s fellow Rhetoric student, seems hellbent on humiliating her. Determined to clear her name, she searches for any evidence that could prove her innocence. When someone—or something—starts slipping her pieces of Odette’s diary, Claudia uncovers a horrifying truth: over the last century, celestial witches at Cygnus have been murdered. Odette was one of them, and Claudia could be next. For her own protection, Claudia needs to free Dorian—and fast.
By night, she studies the stars, slowly unraveling the mystery of Dorian’s prison. By day, she and Cassius wage rhetorical war as debate partners in class. What begins as a fierce rivalry devolves into something deeper, darker, and dangerously sensual. As Claudia inches closer to the truth, she must decide: would trusting Cassius be the last mistake she ever makes?
Review: Well, here we go again. Every once in a while I seem to hit a reading slump where I pick up one book after another and keep bouncing off of them. I should have perhaps been a bit more wary of this one, as I didn’t love the author’s first book, “The Honey Witch.” But I keep looking for a book to scratch that dark academia itch, so here we are.
Let’s start with some positives, though. The book starts off with an incredibly strong opening chapter, setting the stage of a trapped god who is awoken by a woman’s scream. And as the story continued, I kept wanting to get back to this energy! Not only did the writing of this opening chapter feel superior to much of what was on offer in the rest of the book (I’m not sure if this was due to a tone change, veering away from the more serious “high fantasy” tone used in this prologue or what), but the world-building and history explored in this subplot were by far the most interesting parts of the book. It was only here that the story came near to anything resembling the “dark” portion of “dark academia,” and it was also the only portion of the book that felt like it had any true stakes involved.
That said, even here, I felt like most of the twists and turns were projected so far in advance that the impact was completely lost when these reveals actually landed. We get to the end, and there’s supposed to be this major twist, and I just found myself raising my eyebrows at it all. Wasn’t this obvious from practically the start? Beyond that, there were some late-game twists in the romance that I really hated. I’m not going on another rant about this; I can’t. But I’m so sick of these romance twists.
But unfortunately, the romance and the characters were the biggest letdown. We had another example of “enemies to lovers” turning into “instalove” almost immediately. There wasn’t enough time to build up any sort of real antagonism between these two. And, likewise, there wasn’t enough time for me to buy into the extreme levels of devotion being proclaimed on the page shortly after this shift in their relationship occurs.
Beyond that, the romance took a distinct turn into the BDSM realm that I wasn’t expecting at all. I usually look for the label “dark romance” when making my selections, as I know that BDSM love stories aren’t for me. But, again, this one didn’t give any hints that this was the sort of spice content that would be on offer. I don’t think it was particularly extreme by any means, but again, this is a romance topic that is never going to work for me, and I wish I could more easily discover it going in so that it wouldn’t hit as a surprise halfway through a book I’m now committed to reading/reviewing.
Overall, this book might work better for dark romance readers. I think many of the tropes that the romance plotlines follow will work much better for these readers. I also know that I was an outlier in my opinions of “The Honey Witch,” so there are definitely fans of this author who will enjoy this. Indeed, based on the strength of the captured god subplot, even I could find the appeal in parts of what this author has to offer. Unfortunately, the romance was really not for me.
Rating 7: While I liked some aspects of the fantasy world and there is potential in the overall world-building, I didn’t enjoy the love story at all.
Book Description: A terrifyingly twisty, wholly original thriller following a group of amusement park visitors who get stuck on a roller coaster high above the ground—with no way down.
Six hundred and fifty feet in the air, no one can hear you scream.
Some might say that thirtysomething Cady Ellison landed herself a strange creative career, but Cady finally feels like she’s found her footing. Now an online theme park influencer, she is invited to the opening of a brand-new park by her old friend, Danny, who wants to use her online profile to help build buzz for its flagship ride, Hysteria, a record-breaking 650 foot-tall roller coaster.
When she arrives at the half-complete theme park site in the middle of the desert, Cady is unexpectedly met with her old college friend Femi, an award-winning actor, Naseem, a decorated novelist, and Winston, a member of a popular rock group. Wanting them all to sing the praises of Hysteria online, Danny has arranged an exclusive private ride for them, capped off with the stunning desert sunset. But when their coaster cars get to the top of the first hill, the ride stalls 650 feet above ground. With no one due on site for days and over 100-degree heat awaiting them once the sun rises, the four friends soon realize that they must unravel the secrets from their complicated past if they are to find their way to safety.
Review: Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for sending me an ARC of this novel!
While I can still do some mid level rollercoasters whilst visiting a theme park here or there, it’s been a long time since I could do something really intense. While at Disney World a couple years ago I was fine on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Snow White’s Mine Cart Ride, but I steered clear of the likes of Tron, Space Mountain, and Guardians of the Galaxy. I definitely envy people who can do the big scary coasters (this will be my kid in the future almost assuredly), but I imagine even they would have a problem with being stranded on a rollercoaster ride with no ride operators to be found. That’s basically the premise of “The Drop” by S.R. Masters, a new thriller where a group of friends from university have a reunion at a not yet opened theme park in an unnamed Middle Eastern country, only to be trapped by themselves at the top of the highest coaster in the world. I love creative thriller premises like this, and “The Drop” really leans into the hook with pretty solid results.
Cady is a youtube influencer who reviews and livestreams amusement park rides, and is thrilled when she is contacted by her university friend Danny, who is working for a company that has a theme park being built to be the best in the world. She arrives, sees that hers and Danny’s friends from college Femi, Naz, and Winston, are also there, and Danny puts them in the cars of Hysteria, the tallest rollercoaster in the world, and promises them a good time… Only for the car to stall hundreds of feet above the ground, and Danny to basically ghost them. It’s a good device, and it has a growing dread as the friends go from amused, to irritated, to absolutely horrified that they may be stuck with no help coming, no water, and no shade as the hot sun is set to rise in hours. These kinds of thrillers can be hard to pull off, but when you do pull it off it makes for such an unsettling experience for the reader/viewer. I mean the very idea of being trapped in this way is SO scary to me, especially since it is drawn out and mentally torturous as well as physically. We have reasons as to why this is all happening, and while it’s not super creative or reinventing anything in terms of motivations the setting of being trapped on a coaster more than makes up for it.
But I will admit, I also loved all of the over the top soapiness that came with this book. All of our characters, be they be the ones trapped on the rollercoaster as the night goes on and the threat of desert temps has them terrified, or the ones who have a beef with others, are dramatic and have things they are hiding and stewing over. I found twist after twist and reveal after reveal to be enjoyable and very sudsy, and while some characters felt more caricatures than others, I was definitely turning the pages to see who had backstabbed whom, and how it was all going to shake out after their revelations were out in the open. We get insights not only through their confessions in the moment, but also in flashback sequences for the various players to show where they were coming from when they were making the choices they were making.
If you are looking for a fun read, especially with summer approaching sooner rather than later, “The Drop” is one to add to your to be read pile. And it may put you off rollercoasters for a bit.
Rating 7: A creative thriller with a suspenseful main storyline (and some soapy asides to build the suspense even more) kept me reading and invested.
Reader’s Advisory:
“The Drop” isn’t on any Goodreads lists as of now, but it would fit in on “Theme Parks”.
Book Description: Thalia, Princess of Agripa, has spent the last four years hunting her ex-lover, Cassius—the man who shattered her heart and betrayed her kingdom by becoming a Vampyr. Vampyrs and humans have had a tenuous past since Thalia’s father and sister were murdered thirteen years ago. But with Agripa’s ore supply—the lifeblood of human cities—running out, Thalia’s mother strikes a desperate and dangerous deal: Thalia will marry a Vampyr prince in exchange for their ore.
Thalia is blindsided by the arrangement—and horrified to find Cassius, now serving as the prince’s Hand, is the man tasked with bringing her to the Vampyr kingdom safely. To save her people, she agrees to the marriage: but plans to dismantle the Vampyr kingdom from within by killing the prince.
The Vampyr court is rife with danger and secrets, and Cassius is always watching. When a monstrous new threat emerges, Thalia realizes the safety and security of their world is far more fragile than she ever believed.
Caught between duty and desire, Thalia must grapple with her feelings for Cassius and decide if she will fulfill her duty to the human crown or embrace the darkness within herself to protect both realms.
Review: This one had a lot of potential, but unfortunately, the romance fell into a few early pitfalls that are always struggle points for me. But to talk about the positives first, I think the world-building here was one of the strongest parts of this book. The author had clearly put a lot of thought into this world and the various components that make it up, from the political landscape to the geographic layout that influences the relations between the humans and the Vampyrs.
Speaking of Vampyrs, I also think that the version we have here is fairly interesting. Much of it was familiar, but with just enough twists and turns to make this version feel unique from the standard fare. There were some interesting factors making up their own politics as well as elements of their culture, like the value placed on the forest that surrounds their mountain.
However, the book really fell apart with the characters. At first, I went in with high hopes. Thalia felt like your rather standard stabby, feisty heroine, but her inner voice and backstory gave her enough weight to feel slightly different than all of the other characters like this we have seen. However, as the book went on, this tragic backstory was repeated so many times that it began to lose any emotional weight. And further, Thalia’s decision-making began to become so ridiculous that no amount of tragic history could justify it.
And, of course, the romance. This went off the cliff almost immediately. I was initially intrigued by the “second chance” romance that was being set up, since, if done well, that can be one of my favorite tropes. However, things took a downturn almost at once. Practically from the very first scene in which he appears, it’s glaringly obvious to the reader what happened the night he became a Vampyr. And then, a few short scenes later, he even offers to clarify to Thalia what really happened. Is she curious to hear what he says? Has she ever wondered before why a man she loved and knew deeply would suddenly make such a traitorous decision? NOPE! Instead, she just stomps her foot like a petulant child, and thus the “angst” continues. It was so, so stupid. I couldn’t take her seriously as an adult woman after this fact. Honestly, it was one of the worst “miscommunication” tropes that I’ve seen in a long while, and it really tanked the entire experience for me.
I didn’t enjoy this one. That said, I think the author has potential, and readers who are less turned off by the miscommunication trope might find themselves enjoying it more. So, on a personal basis, I would rate this a “6,” but objectively, it’s probably closer to a “7” if you’re interested in these sorts of romance tropes.
Rating 7: The miscommunication trope reared its ugly head and damaged my ability to appreciate this one, but the bones of an interesting fantasy world were definitely there!
Nothing less than the survival of humanity is at stake.
From Marcus Kliewer, a new “titan of the macabre and unsettling” (Erin A. Craig, #1 New York Times bestselling author), comes a supernatural horror about a young woman who accepts a caretaking job from Craigslist, only to discover the position has consequences far greater—and more dangerous—than she ever could have imagined.
EXCITING OPPORTUNITY: Caretaker urgently needed. Three days of work. Competitive pay. Serious applicants ONLY.
Macy Mullins can’t say why the job posting grabbed her attention—it had the pull of a fisherman’s lure, barbed hook and all—vaguely ominous. But after an endless string of failed job interviews, she’s not exactly in the position to be picky. She has rent to pay, groceries to buy, and a younger sister to provide for.
Besides, it’s only three days’ work…
Three days, cooped up in a stranger’s house, surrounded by Oregon Coast wilderness.
What starts as a peculiar side gig soon becomes a waking nightmare. An incomprehensible evil may dwell on this property—and Macy Mullins might just be the only thing standing between it, and the rest of humanity. Follow the Rites… Follow the Rites… Follow the Rites… ..— / ….. / —..
Review: Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an eARC of this novel!
I somehow missed the book “We Have Always Lived Here” by Marcus Kliewer when it came out, and I still haven’t worked it into my reading schedule in spite of the fact basically all of the praise it has received. Like not just from reviewers or influencers, but also people in my life who like horror. It entered my mind that I hadn’t read it yet as I started Kliewer’s newest book “The Caretaker”, as I had a fleeting thought of ‘oh I wonder if I should get to that eventually’. And as I was reading “The Caretaker”, I realized why everyone was praising “We Have Always Lived Here”. Because “The Caretaker” is TERRIFYING.
I did not read this book at night for a reason. (source)
I will reiterate: this was a scary read for me. It read really fast even though it’s a pretty average length of a book, and Kliewer has the pacing and vibe down pat. It starts with a terrifying bang and then cycles back down to a level that has time to build the dread and tension, and BOY does it build. We are following Macy, a woman who finds herself down on her luck and desperate for employment as she has to try and care for herself and her sister in the wake of their father’s tragic death. So a strange ad for a caretaker needed sounds like a good deal, and she applies and gets the job for a LOT of money…. but the instructions seem odd. I loved how strange and out there the rules were, which sound crazy and innocuous, but as Macy fails to follow them (oh my GOD, MACY, GET IT TOGETHER!) things go from weird to horrifying. There were so many moments of just absolute DREAD for me as the tension builds and builds, and I found myself putting the book down a couple of times because I was so stressed out. I don’t want to spoil any of it for people who want to check it out, but let me tell you, the rules may sound innocuous (to a point), but they are anything but. Especially as they all start to fall apart. I also enjoyed how ambiguous things are in this book. I know that sometimes ambiguity or a lack of explanation of supernatural or magical systems are frustrating in books (I find myself irritated from time to time with this kind of thing), Kliewer’s ambiguity adds to the story because it means that the reader can see themselves in Macy’s shoes when the really strange things start happening. And the really strange and weird things REALLY messed with my head.
And Macy herself is an interesting heroine because she is such a mess, but a mess whose messiness makes sense as we find out about her thanks to flashbacks to her childhood, and the loss of her dad. She is clearly struggling with depression and grief, and has to try and pull herself together because of her desperation to keep herself and her sister Jemma (who is a mess in hew own way) afloat. It makes for a lot of her choices and decisions as the story progresses to be believable for the most part. I definitely had a lot of anxiety as she continued to mess up the instructions, though I will fully admit that once we got into some of the late stage ones they do seem a bit impossible or COMPLETELY insane, and a lot of that was because of how much I empathized with her. Kliewer did a great job fleshing her out and making it both easy to root for her and easy to get so frustrated (while fully recognizing I’d probably also mess up like she did).
“The Caretaker” is so incredibly scary and engrossing. I really enjoyed it and if you want something weird and terrifying definitely check it out.
Rating 9: High intensity, a slow building dread, and an overall unsettling and WEIRD vibe that turns into abject horror. “The Caretaker” is scary as hell.
Book Description: In this lyrical, wildly inventive horror novel interwoven with Japanese mythology, two people living centuries apart discover a door between their worlds.
October, 2026: Lee Turner doesn’t remember how or why he killed his college roommate. The details are blurred and bloody. All he knows is he has to flee New York and go to the one place that might offer refuge—his father’s new home in Japan, a house hidden by sword ferns and wild ginger. But something is terribly wrong with the house: no animals will come near it, the bedroom window isn’t always a window, and a woman with a sword appears in the yard when night falls.
October, 1877: Sen is a young samurai in exile, hiding from the imperial soldiers in a house behind the sword ferns. A monster came home from war wearing her father’s face, but Sen would do anything to please him, even turn her sword on her own mother. She knows the soldiers will soon slaughter her whole family when she sees a terrible omen: a young foreign man who appears outside her window.
One of these people is a ghost, and one of these stories is a lie.
Something is hiding beneath the house of sword ferns, and Lee and Sen will soon wish they never unburied it.
Kate’s Thoughts
Given how much I adored Kylie Lee Baker’s previous novel “Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng” I knew that I wanted to get my hands on “Japanese Gothic”. Baker really has a solid grasp on how to craft a well done horror story that not only reflects her cultural background, but also universal fears across many different people. Reading about “Japanese Gothic” had me excited, and when Serena asked if we wanted to do a joint review I was in because I really wanted to see how our two different perspectives of the genres involved (fantasy and horror) would meld. It’s always fun to see how we approach the same book through these lenses.
As I was reading it I kind of found myself feeling like this book was more dark fantasy than horror (only because while it had spooky elements it didn’t really invoke dread in me), but given that I love dark fantasy as well that wasn’t a detriment. The suspense was there and as we follow two different perspectives (that of murderer Turner in our modern timeline, and that of ambitious would be samurai Sen in a timeline centuries before, who both live in the same house), Baker creates a time bending and mysterious story with murder, mystery, and two damaged people making a connection. We don’t really know why they are having this overlap, but as we learn more about the both of them I found myself getting more attached even though both of them, especially Lee, seem pretty menacing. I also liked how Baker carefully peels the layers back of both Lee and Sen, letting them learn about each other and letting us see how they could be drawn to one another through a weird dreamlike connection that feels otherworldly and strange. I liked both of them and all of their trauma, be it Lee’s mother who disappeared and who he thinks was kidnapped for human trafficking purposes, or Sen trying so desperately to impress her uncompromising samurai father. All of it worked for me and kept me on edge.
I will say, though, that if you are a little squeamish around violence and gore, this book has it’s moments. I still don’t really think it’s horror, but others may disagree due to some of the story beats and violent moments.
I enjoyed “Japanese Gothic”! It’s unique and weird and it will surely satisfy horror and dark fantasy fans alike.
Serena’s Thoughts
It’s always fun when we can find authors that cross over between our two genres. I had read Baker’s YA duology, “The Scarlet Alchemist,” a few years ago and really loved it. Her next book, “Bat Eater,” I saw was more horror-focused and left to Kate. But when I saw this one coming down the pike, the mentions of “dark fantasy” and “gothic” sounded more up my alley, so a joint review was definitely in order!
And it really came through in that way! I’d agree with Kate that this felt much more like a dark fantasy than a horror novel. I’ve read and enjoyed a few horror novels here and there, and as Kate identified, a feeling of dread is key to that genre. And while this had spooky elements, it didn’t have that lingering feeling in the back of your mind that something terrible was right around the corner. That said, it’s definitely not a book for the faint of heart; Baker doesn’t back away from some of the more gruesome moments and depicts them quite starkly on the page.
Part of the darkness came down to the two main characters, each with their own simmering issues. They are the sorts of characters that you catch yourself rooting for, and then take a step back and look at them objectively and start questioning whether you really should be supporting them so fully. It’s an interesting dynamic and one that had me sucked into each of their stories, perhaps even despite myself at times.
I also really liked the way she used the two timelines and wove them together. There were plenty of twists and turns throughout, and I was on the edge of my seat for much of it to see how it was all going to come together in the end. Towards the end, some of these twists and turns began to feel a bit overwhelming as characters were dropping left and right, but I found the end itself satisfying.
Overall, I enjoyed this one and definitely think it’s a great read for dark fantasy fans!
Kate’s Rating 8: A suspenseful and time bending dark fantasy with two complicated protagonists and a hell of a hook.
Serena’s Rating 8: Dark in just the way like: full of twists and turns and grounded in two protagonists that you’re not quite sure what to do with at times.
The Library Ladies 