Serena’s Review: “This Shattered Tempest”

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Book: “This Shattered Tempest” by Thea Guanzon

Publishing Info: Harper Voyager, October 2026

Where Did I Get this Book: Netgalley

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: Throughout their political marriage, Alaric and Talasyn struggled to resist the undeniable pull between them, even as rising tensions forced them on opposite sides of a looming war. Hand in hand, they vanquished the cataclysmic threat of the Moonless Dark—and started to hope for a future together.

That hope is shattered when a devastating attack sets off a chain of events that tears them apart once more. Now, as two rival nations prepare for a final, decisive clash, the Master of the Shadowforged Legion and the last Lightweaver fight to find their way back to each other. But the odds are stacked against them, and time is running out…

Is love enough to rewrite destiny? Can a new beginning rise from the ruins of the past? Or are Alaric and Talasyn doomed to meet as enemies on one last battlefield? This explosive third and final book brings the beloved Hurricane Wars series to a stunning conclusion—where passion and power collide, and the fate of a divided world hangs in the balance.

Previously Reviewed: “The Hurricane Wars” and “A Monsoon Rising”

Review: My review of this one could probably be summed up with one big, drawn-out sigh. I remember distinctly writing about two things in my review of the second book. One, that I was concerned that this didn’t need to be a trilogy, based on the pacing of the plot and its conflicts. And two, that I hoped the miscommunication/deception/general angst of the romance would finally cease in the third book. Well, unfortunately, both of those concerns feel well-founded, and, in hindsight, I think the fact that this was originally a fanfiction story shows more than it should in a traditionally published series.

It’s tough, because there are still things that in a vacuum I enjoyed about this book. But because it was wrapping up the trilogy and was retroactively lowering my opinion of the entire series as a whole, it was difficult to step back and try to evaluate this one on its own merits. I will say that I think this author’s writing is still incredibly strong. For all that I’m going to rant about fanfiction later, there are incredibly talented authors who write fanfiction, and many of them, like this author, deserve to make the leap to traditional publishing. When Guanzon publishes another book, I will definitely be first in line to read it. Her world-building is creative, her characters are complex and interesting, her dialogue is distinctly non-cringy (something I shouldn’t have to say, but unfortunately really does stand out when you finally see good dialogue on the page in romantasy novels), and while I think the romance here was too drawn out, she does write romantic tension well.

But yeah, this book and its place as the cap of the trilogy just didn’t work for me. It started off well enough, picking up immediately after the cliffhanger at the end of the second book. I had high hopes that would help the pacing along, but unfortunately, no. This entire situation was wrapped up so comedically fast and easily that I ran into the exact same question I had in the second book: was any of this really necessary? Instead of feeling like an actual plot point, it instead felt like only a small speed bump inserted to break up the romantic angst.

And, unfortunately, right after this is all wrapped up, we immediately dive right back into the same angst that we’ve been reading about for two books already. I like a slow burn as much as the next person, but this is an example of an author refusing to allow her characters to travel an actual romantic arc. They simply quickly climbed the first half of yearning, got to the angst, and have now hung out here for hundreds upon hundreds of pages.

And at a certain point, it doesn’t matter how strong an author is at writing romantic tension, it’s going to get pretty dull spending your time in the heads of two people who continue to travel the same tired ground of drama over and over in their own minds. It’s incredibly frustrating to read, and I was increasingly annoyed at both of these characters. We’re well past the “enemies” stage, so instead the author threw in tons of miscommunication, misunderstanding, and a truly baffling amount of time spent on each character internally bemoaning the secrets they were keeping from each other. It was honestly awful, and I wish that some editor had taken the author gently by the hand and said, “It’s ok to move on to the ‘lovers’ stage now, honey. Let it go…”

This romantic “tension” took up so much of the third book that the greater conflict largely fell to the side. At the end of the second book, Talasyn loses her magic. This is a pretty big deal. But she doesn’t even really bother with trying to get it back until nearly halfway through the book because instead so much energy must be focused on the romantic travails.

And this gets to the fanfiction roots of it all. Fanfiction, especially long-form fanfiction of the sort that this came from, is often a relationship-focused medium. Likewise, the longer fics out there are truly behemoths, going on for thousands of pages. And this was one of those, originally. But what works for fanfiction, a medium that releases periodically and is consumed in a very different manner than traditional books, doesn’t necessarily translate straight over to traditional publishing. This entire trilogy needed editing. I’m now fully convinced that with a firm editor at the helm, this could have been trimmed down to a duology and would have been a million times better for it. Every aspect would have been strengthened, from the actual plot and conflict to the progression of the romance. Needless side plots could have been removed, since it’s clear they were mostly there to break up the romantic drama. And that same romantic drama could have been pared down to a tight, satisfying romantic arc, instead of leaving readers stranded on a frustrating angst plateau for almost two entire books.

So it’s tough to know who to recommend this one to. Because, like I said, the writing was still strong, and some of the romantic beats were truly good. But the pacing and the romantic drama were all too much for me. If you don’t mind miscommunication/misunderstanding tropes and really enjoy angst, I’d say you’re much more likely to enjoy this book and this trilogy as a whole.

Rating 6: While I can still see the potential of this author, this book was a frustrating conclusion to a trilogy that started off so well.

Reader’s Advisory:

“This Shattered Tempest” can be found on these Goodreads lists: October 2026 Most Anticipated Romance Releases and End of Series in 2026.

Kate’s Review: “Off the Reservation”

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Book: “Off the Reservation” by Stephen Graham Jones

Publishing Info: S&S/Saga Press, October 2026

Where Did I Get This Book: I received an eARC from NetGalley

Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: A ragtag group of activists sets out to repatriate the bones of a Blackfeet boy taken to the infamous Carlisle Indian Industrial School in author Stephen Graham Jones’s return to the Blackfeet reservation of his award-winning New York Times bestsellers The Only Good Indians and The Buffalo Hunter Hunter.

Five years have passed since the massacre on the Blackfeet reservation in Stephen Graham Jones’s breakout bestseller The Only Good Indians. Nathan Yellow Tail, one of the survivors of the revenge murders, finds himself in the hospital after a terrible accident that should’ve killed him and that nearly killed his best friend, Sebby, who is hanging on to life in a room a few doors down.

Nate’s life is out of balance, so when he is given the chance to reset his life, and maybe save Sebby in the process, Nate steps up, again. This time it’s into a camper van that is almost as run down as his broken body, filled with three older Blackfeet, to find the bones of the lone Blackfeet boy who died at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School—where many Indigenous children were abused—and repatriate this boy home. The problem is, when they get the bones, something terrible has escaped with them.

By turns terrifying and deeply moving, Off the Reservation is a haunting American Indian novel of survival, reckoning, and redemption, shining light on the dark corners of this country’s history while also showing the desperate choices people make when they’re put up against a wall.

Review: Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an eARC of this novel!

I feel like it has been a bit since Stephen Graham Jones released a horror novel in October, which usually means they don’t get covered in my Horrorpalooza festival. So how lucky is it that his newest book, “Off the Reservation”, is finally here, and that it has been released during this most wonderful and holy of months, October! Jones has been a long time favorite of mine, and I’m definitely pleased that I had a new book of his for the Halloween season. And no surprises here, it’s great!

Jones has so much intention and detail to all of his books, and that was incredibly clear here as we start to unwind this new story set within the same storyline as “The Only Good Indians”. It’s referred to as a sequel but I would say that it is more of a companion piece, as while Nate Yellow Tail is definitely in “The Only Good Indians” (as he is present at the climactic scenes/massacre of that book), you need not read it to be able to understand all that is going on. And the story of Nate being recruited to help reclaim and return the remains of a murdered Blackfeet boy from the Carlisle Indian School back to his ancestral home in Montana takes time and details to set up before it goes into full wild out mode with possession horror. Jones wants to make sure that all of the important information is there so that when it all starts to come together, sometimes at breakneck speed, it has all been laid out so the reader can say ‘oh yes!’ as they plunge through the narrative. And it’s a good thing too, because as we get to know Nate’s compatriots, be it nurse Seine Plenty Wolf who met Nate whilst he was in the hospital and then brought him in for this mission, or mysterious driver Christian, or long mourning widow Mooch (who has lost her entire family), their back stories become incredibly important as everything starts to fall apart. The characterizations are well done and the back stories all inform what is to come.

In terms of the horror, we all know I do really like it when authors tweak and mess with the idea of ‘possession’, and Jones brings his own perspectives to the sub-genre that feel unique and pertinent for the themes at hand with Indigenous themes and history. There are a lot of creepy and really intense moments with this, running the gamut of emotions from scary to funny to heart-rendering. And it is once again the realities of the history of the injustices that the United States Government has committed towards Indigenous people that really drive the horror in this book. For God’s sake, the main plot is about repatriating the bones of a murdered child back to their ancestral land from the government institution that caused their death all in the name of ‘assimilation’ (but what was in actuality state sanctioned violent racism as well as cultural genocide ON TOP OF ACTUAL GENOCIDE). It has beats that absolutely devastated me, and between the overt plot points and the references to other historical moments in time (Little Big Horn, DAPL), the horrors do not stay confined to a mere supernatural tether, and that makes it all the more powerful and harrowing.

“Off the Reservation” is another good read from one of the most important horror voices of the present, and it continues a streak of well done stories that will stick with a reader after the last page has been turned.

Rating 9: Another visceral and haunting horror story from Jones, who brings in a unique take on possession and condemns, once again and rightfully, the United States and its treatment of Indigenous people, specifically with the boarding school system.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Off the Reservation” is included on the Goodreads list “Horror to Look Forward to in 2026”.

Book Club Review: “Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs?: Big Questions from Tiny Mortals about Death”

This post may contain affiliate links for books we recommend.  Read the full disclosure here.

We are part of a group of librarian friends who have had an ongoing book club running for the last several years. Each “season” (we’re nerds) we pick a theme and each of us chooses a book within that theme for us all to read. For this blog, we will post a joint review of each book we read for book club. We’ll also post the next book coming up in book club. So feel free to read along with us or use our book selections and questions in your own book club! This season’s theme is books with specific colored covers where we all drew a color and matched it with a book.

Book: “Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs?: Big Questions from Tiny Mortals about Death” by Caitlin Doughty

Publishing Info: W. W. Norton & Company, September 2019

Where Did We Get This Book: Serena got the audiobook from the library; Kate got a print copy from the library

Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound

Prompt Color: Red

Book Description: Every day, funeral director Caitlin Doughty receives dozens of questions about death. The best questions come from kids: What would happen to an astronaut’s body if it were pushed out of a space shuttle? Do people poop when they die? Can Grandma have a Viking funeral?

In Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs?, Doughty blends her mortician’s knowledge and the intriguing history behind common misconceptions about corpses to offer factual, hilarious, and candid answers to thirty-five questions. In her inimitable voice, Doughty details the lore and science of what happens to, and inside, our bodies after we die. Why do corpses groan? What causes bodies to turn colors during decomposition? And why do hair and nails appear longer after death? Readers will learn the best soil for mummifying, whether you can preserve your best friend’s skull as a keepsake, and what happens when you die on a plane.

Kate’s Thoughts

This isn’t my first time at the ‘book about death’ rodeo. I’ve always been interested in death and death rituals and things like that (I even took a class in college about graveyard imagery and burial practices), and I’ve read books like “Stiff” by Mary Roach and others. Book Club picked “Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs” and the concept alone was incredibly fun. I was more than happy to pick it up, and I had a very fun time reading it.

This book takes a very simple concept: children have questions about death, some are outlandish and hilarious, others are poignant and bittersweet, and a mortician, Caitlin Doughty, answers them in a straightforward and scientific way (though for adults). They range from questions about what happens to bodies if an astronaut dies in space, or if you can keep a loved one’s bones, or what happens when a person dies on a plane, and while some sound completely wacky (after all, kids asked the questions), Doughty approaches it with full seriousness and answers the questions in a scientific and realistic manner. She clearly knows what she is talking about, and she makes the answers, no matter how outlandish the question, accessible and interesting for a layman. The questions are from kids but the answers are for adults (though I do think teens would find this a very fun read too without being too complex or wordy), and while I knew a lot already (I’m a morbid weirdo after all), some explanations were actually new to me and really fun.

I also liked the humor that Doughty brings to this. I’ve always had a bit of a gallows humor streak when it comes to comedy I enjoy, and Doughty sometimes tries a little hard, but overall I really enjoyed the jokes and the flow of the humor, be it just kooky and fun or kind of macabre. It just hit in the ways that I wanted it to hit, and I read it in one afternoon it flowed so well.

So if you like death talk and want some solid facts wrapped in a very easy to digest package from a mortician, “Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs?” could be a good choice of book to check out!

Serena’s Thoughts:

This is the kind of book that is kind of hard to review. Because, on one hand, I think it would work well for its target audience (children who have questions about death and want light-hearted but informative answers), but for me, an adult, it was just an ok reading experience. I listened to the audiobook version, which the author narrated herself. She did a fine job, but for me, I feel like the combination of her narration style and the type of humor she utilized didn’t quite work for me. Kids will likely find it hilarious, but I found it to be a bit “try-hard” at times. Further, some of the references and jokes are clearly directed at adult readers and won’t be understood by kids, but this just made my personal disconnect with these comedic beats be felt all the more strongly.

Beyond the humor, the book was generally informative. Again, this is for children, so much of the information was familiar to me, but there were some interesting tidbits thrown in here and there that I found genuinely interesting. For example, there was a version of a spacecraft that was in use at one time that had a dedicated storage capacity for dead astronauts, should the worst occur. But beyond these moments, much of this was familiar. There were also a few questions that had answers that were almost the same. We heard more about “corpse desecration” laws than I needed to know!

But, again, I wasn’t the target audience for this. That said, I think that young readers who want a gentle and generally amusing introduction to some of the scientific aspects of death will be well served by this one.

Kate’s Rating 9 : This is one hundred percent my kind of jam due to the morbid curiosity, the interesting scientific and historical facts, and the gallows humor that it is all packaged within.

Serena’s Rating 7: Probably a great resource for children with questions about death, but as an adult reader, I wasn’t particularly blown away by this one.

Book Club Questions

  1. Did this book change your perceptions on death and dying?
  2. Were there any scenarios or explanations of death in this book that kind of surprised you?
  3. Have you thought about what you want done with your remains after you die? Has that changed at all as time has gone on?
  4. Have you read any other books about dying and death? How did they compare to this one?
  5. Who would you recommend this book to? Kids? Teens? Adults?

Reader’s Advisory

“Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs?: Big Questions from Tiny Mortals about Death” is included on these Goodreads lists: Humorous, Strange, or Downright Shocking Titles and Non-Fiction Books About Death and Death Culture.

Next Book Club Pick: “Forgive-Me-Not” by Mari Costa

Serena’s Review: “The Sixth Faction”

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Book: “The Sixth Faction” by Veronica Roth

Publishing Info: HarperCollins, October 2026

Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from the publisher!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: Beatrice Prior stands on the brink of a decision every person in her world must make: five factions, five futures, five lives.

She has a plan: she’s going to make the bravest choice, and leave Abnegation behind to join Dauntless, even though it means leaving her family behind.

But when tragedy strikes at her Choosing Ceremony, everything changes—her world, her plans, even Beatrice herself.

Her ensuing decision thrusts her into the crosshairs of an underground rebellion, and into the path of a boy with secrets as dangerous as her own—a boy with only a number for a name.

One choice will change everything.

Review: I have to say, I feel like I’m probably the perfect reader for this book. I read the first “Divergent” book back when it came out, and while I didn’t dislike it, I also didn’t continue with the series. Mostly, there were just so many YA dystopian series coming out at this time, and this one didn’t particularly catch my eye. That being the case, I did not experience the extreme upset that seems to have been the ending of that series. I can even say that if anything, I remember reading about how the story tied things up and mentally applauding the author for having the guts to buck current trends in YA that seemed to ensure happy, fluffy endings for all. But it was only after the high (and low) that was this series that I really discovered Roth’s writing and grew to adore her books.

Since I read “Chosen Ones,” she’s gone on to be a must-read author for me, and I’m pretty sure I’ve read everything she’s written since that point. So, with this history, when I heard that she was revisiting her original blockbuster YA series, I was thrilled! I had missed the boat the first go-around, and how often do you get a second chance at something like that? What’s more, as a reader, I was excited to dive back into this world without the baggage of the previous series (other than my vague memories of the first book). And so, while I can’t speak to all the tie-ins or nods to the original series that may be contained within this title, I can say that this book stands fully on its own as a fantastic read.

Having only brief memories of the first book (something about jumping in a massive pit as part of an initiation process), I won’t be spending much of this review comparing and contrasting it to the original. I’m sure other reviewers will have that angle covered. Instead, the entire book felt incredibly fresh to me. The broad strokes of this world remain, and the general impression I remember of Tris persists as well. But everything was given additional depth.

The world-building, while still adhering to the basic principles, feels much more developed than I remember it being from the first book. Yes, you have the basic factions, but the story spends additional time diving behind the scenes into each one, exposing their various strengths and weaknesses. Not one of them comes out cleanly, while there were also various points throughout the book where members of each group made a good argument for why their approach was the most sympathetic. Even the factionless, the group we spend the most time with, was painted in these shades of grey. True to the message of the book, while the factions (and factionless) seem to unite around singular principles, they are ultimately made up of individuals who all interpret those values differently.

Likewise, the characters were expanded upon here as well. Beyond Tris herself feeling like a more nuanced individual and less of a “chosen one” archetype, Roth wisely breaks the story up between several POVs, including, alongside Tris, her love interest, Four, as well as her brother. While her brother gets less page time than the other two, his chapters did much of the heavy lifting in some of the overall world-building and the lead-up to the greater conflict. But from there, the story really does now feel equally split between Tris and Four.

I really enjoyed both of these characters. For her part, Tris’s story is one of finding her place in this world. Ostensibly, this was the same arc she traveled in the original book. But here, Tris’s struggles felt much more grounded. Instead of simply struggling with her Divergent status, the conflicts Tris faces have much more to do with the connections she has to those around her, from her original family to the ones that she forms in her new factionless group. While her being Divergent got the ball rolling, it wasn’t the primary driving force behind her arc, and I greatly preferred this approach to the character.

Four was also an interesting character. Much of his story was a surprise to me, because if we learned much about his background way back in the first “Divergent” novel, I for one had completely forgotten it. He was a bit too “perfect” in a few ways, but I appreciated the look at the complicated nature of his relationship to his mother and the ways that this history has shaped him as a person.

I also enjoyed the love story between these two. I remember rolling my eyes a bit at the romance between Tris and Four in the original story, as there it very much came across as Tris spotting the first hot guy she came across and them immediately, mutually falling in lust with one another. This may just be a testament to the author honing her skills over time, but it felt like the relationship built up between Four and Tris in this book felt much more organic and earned.

Beyond this, this was simply a fun book to read. It was well-paced, action-packed, and the world felt interesting with new secrets to be revealed around every corner. Again, I can’t speak to how much of this was known from the first book, but I for one was gobbling up all the twists and turns as they came, especially in the final quarter of the book. I also think it was a wise choice by the author to reduce the original trilogy to a duology. This book felt tightly plotted and paced, and I’m incredibly excited to see where the story goes from here. While I’m sure that “Divergent” fans will have a unique experience ahead reading this book, I can also say that as a reader who didn’t complete the first series and had only the vaguest memories of the first book, this was definitely approachable as an entry point for new readers. I definitely recommend giving this one a go (yes, even you, reader who is still bitter about the original ending a decade later!)

Rating 9: At this point, I will follow Veronica Roth’s writing journey wherever it takes me. Even if it is back in time to a re-imagining of her blockbuster “Divergent” series that I gasp didn’t even finish at the time. This was a brilliant read, and well worth it for new and old fans alike!

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Sixth Faction” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Dystopias I Would Like To Make An Exception For and 2026 Romance Duets.

Kate’s Review: “Quaint Folk”

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Book: “Quaint Folk” by Bitterl Karella

Publishing Info: Run For It, October 2026

Where Did I Get This Book: I received an ARC from the publisher at ALAAC26

Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: From the outside, it looks like Jessica has the perfect life. She’s a stay-at-home mom, married to a man with a respectable job, raising a son they adore. Her family is as wholesome as all-American pie. But deep down, Jessica knows there’s something wrong with her; she knows she can’t escape her past.When her husband’s job has them move abroad, Jessica thinks this is her chance for a fresh start. On the remote island of Hasenhurst, the modern world can’t get in. The people there grow their own herbs, make their own jam, and mind their own business. They believe in folk tales and the power of dreams. They tell visitors, we’re a quaint, quiet people.The right sort of family would do well here.Jessica is determined to be the right kind of person for a family―and a life―like this. But as she tries to befriend the townsfolk and learn their ways, she soon realizes that beneath the town’s cozy idyll, something sickly-sweet and rotten lays buried …

Review: Thank you to Run For It for providing me with an ARC at ALAAC26!

Sometimes when I’m at ALA’s Annual Conference I stumble upon a book that I have never heard of, but am then incredibly intrigued by when it crosses my path. This year that honor went to “Quaint Folk” by Bitter Karella. I had never heard of it. But when I saw this amazing cover with so many folk horror and “Wicker Man” visuals all with neon coloring, I HAD to have it. May as well be catnip to me! Well, “Quaint Folk” wasn’t a one to one (but queer!) “Wicker Man” homage, but it’s still very much in the tradition of other folk horror classics.

I will admit that the comparisons to “The Wicker Man” really roped me in, but I definitely think the foundation and homage is there (the cover alone with the Green Man imagery REALLY stood out to me). This book is self aware and tongue in cheek with its folk horror elements, and sometimes it felt a little TOO twee for this reader, and some of the folk horrorness of it all got bogged down because of it. But it is clear that Karella loves the folk horror genre, and it all works as a folk horror tale (an outsider family, a seemingly perfect but perhaps sinister community pulling them in). I also enjoyed the framing of each chapter with ‘quotes’ about Hasenhurst, the traditions that are found there (Tigglestide Eve, and the entity Round Robin), which helps slowly set up the reveal and build the tension as the story goes on and Jessica, Sandy, and Greg are becoming more entangled.

But I also liked the way that “Quaint Folk” works in themes of queerness and identity into this book, mostly explored through Jessica herself as well as her nonbinary child Sandy. For Sandy it’s a bit more staightforward, as they are very self assured in their identity and have very supportive parents in Jessica and Greg. Sandy has a harder time fitting in in the new community, though they do make a connection with a girl named Georgette, who hates having to conform to female gender norms and insists that people call her George, even though she is constantly warned that the mysterious Round Robin doesn’t like people moving outside their gender. Not that she cares. I really enjoyed seeing both of these characters exploring their gender expressions, and their interactions are pretty funny with the more subdued Sandy and the WHOLLY unhinged George playing off each other. Jessica’s own journey of identity is a bit more difficult. She has religious trauma from her adolescence, as she had romantic feelings for another girl and her parents were furious. She has since rejected religion, but has still felt a need to conform with a perfect husband and perfect wife role, though when she gets to Havenhurst old temptations start to bubble up. It adds another layer of tension as the story goes on.

“Quaint Folk” is a unique folk horror tale that had themes I wasn’t expecting! While the comparisons to “The Wicker Man” didn’t really ring as true as I had hoped, I still had fun with it.

Rating 7: A witty satire on folk horror that also frames the sub genre through a queer lens, “Quaint Folk” has fun with a long loved trope and brings new perspectives to it.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Quaint Folk” is included in the Goodreads blog post “Peek If You Dare: Our Guide to to New Horror Books Coming This Fall”.

Serena’s Review: “Victorious”

This post may contain affiliate links for books we recommend.  Read the full disclosure here.

Book: “Victorious” by V.E. Schwab

Publishing Info: Tor, October 2018

Where Did I Get this Book: copy from the publisher!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: Eli Ever. Victor Vale.

Two men, first best friends, then mortal enemies, each destined to be the other’s shadow.

One left standing—but the game isn’t over yet

Against all the years—and the odds—a group of allies and archrivals meet on a chessboard set by an opponent they couldn’t have predicted….to see who will be victorious.

Previously Reviewed: “Vicious” and “Vengeful”

Review: As I said, I think there’s definitely been a benefit in reading these books now, almost back to back. I think consuming the trilogy in this way both helped me appreciate the overarching story that Schwab was telling and lessened some of the frustrations that I think fans will have with this last entry.

To speak to the purely positive things first, Schwab continues to be a simply excellent storyteller. This world, the special abilities, the dynamics between the characters—it’s all so creative and interesting. While I didn’t necessarily love having a greater and greater cast of characters to follow and I had mixed feelings about the continued use of time jumps, the story was still incredibly compelling and well-paced throughout. Sometimes the strength of an author’s writing forgives many sins, and I think that was the case here.

This story picks up immediately after the first book, and the stakes should be incredibly high. However, some of my lower moments in this read did come in this early portion. Yet again, we were given new characters to get to know with their own complicated histories. This, of course, included a new antagonist. It’s tough, because I didn’t actively dislike any of these characters. But given the start of the series (so tightly focused on Eli and Victor) and the explosive conclusion of the second book, it was tough to pick this one up and have that gratification of seeing these two interact again delayed even further. And, like I said, I was only dealing with having had to wait a few weeks between books. Readers who have been on this ride from the beginning might find this continued delay even more frustrating. Of course, once we get closer to the end, we did get some of these scenes that I know readers were craving.

In hindsight, the trilogy seems to be trying to do much more than tell the story of two friends who become bitter rivals. However, it’s a bit of a tough sell at this point. The first book was so solid on its own, and Victor and Eli and their complicated relationship were so firmly placed at the center of the story, that the entire trilogy feels a bit wobbly with this refocus on these newly introduced characters in each book. For better or worse, readers are largely in it for these two characters, so even for me, reading these three books within a few months, it’s been tough to not resent page time that is devoted to any characters other than these two, no matter how interesting they are on their own.

That said, I think the ending of this book and the trilogy as a whole was the natural conclusion of the story. I was also having such a great time in the final third that it helped soothe some of the frustration of the slow start. Readers who have been enjoying the series so far are sure to enjoy this one. If, however, you were hoping for a hard switch back to a closer focus on Eli and Victor here in the final entry, you may be a bit disappointed.

Rating 8: A satisfying conclusion to the trilogy, though I do wish we had gotten to spend more time with Eli and Victor here at the end of it all.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Victorious” can be found on this Goodreads list: Can’t Wait Adult Fantasy & Sci-Fi of 2026

Kate’s Review: “Something Followed Us Home”

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Book: “Something Followed Us Home: Tales of Latiné Horror” by Cynthia Pelayo (Ed.)

Publishing Info: Atria, September 2026

Where Did I Get This Book: I received an ARC at ALAAC26

Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: Dive into the chilling depths of Latiné horror with Something Followed Us Home, edited by Bram Stoker Award–winner Cynthia Pelayo, a groundbreaking anthology where each story reimagines immigration, colonization, faith, and folklore as the fears we inherit and carry across borders and generations.

Something followed us home. It crawled in with our prayers, slipped into our beds, watched from mirrors, waited in water, and learned our names. In these stories, horror does not announce itself. It possesses, feeds, whispers, and waits.

Gathering chilling work from some of today’s most acclaimed Latiné voices, this anthology moves through haunted households, brutal landscapes, sacred spaces turned dangerous, and bodies claimed by forces both ancient and intimate. The dead murmur behind locked doors. Bones rebuild themselves under merciless suns. Love becomes a doorway for demonic hunger. Prayers summon answers that arrive too late…or too fully. Blood, devotion, and memory intertwine as the past presses back with teeth.

Something Followed Us Home is a landmark anthology of Latiné horror. These stories remind us that the past is never gone, the dead are never silent, and the places we come from will always find their way back to us. Featuring stories Agustina Bazterrica, Ann Dávila Cardinal, Cynthia Pelayo, Isabel Cañas, Gerardo Sámano Córdova, Zoraida Córdova, Mariana Enriquez, Carolina Flórez-Cerchiaro, Ananda Lima, Xochitl Gonzalez, Leopoldo Goût, Juan Martinez, Mónica Ojeda, Daniel Jóse Older, Lilliam Rivera, Alex Segura, Diana Rodriguez Wallach

Review: Thank you to Atria for providing me with an ARC of this novel at ALAAC26 and thank you to Cynthia Pelayo for signing it!

One of my favorite moments at ALAAC this past summer was getting to go to a panel that focused on horror and thriller novels, especially because Cynthia Pelayo was one of the speakers AND she was there to promote the short stories collection she edited entitled “Something Followed Us Home: Tales of Latiné Horror”. This book had been on my must read list for a long time, and not only getting a copy but also getting her to sign it (and to tell her how much we like her here on the blog!) was a true joy. I opted to save it for Horrorpalooza, and it was a good call because it is a great horror collection for the spooky season! No surprises here, given that I really enjoy a lot of the authors that contributed.

Like I always do, I will review in detail my three favorite stories from the collection, and then review the collection as a whole.

The Hand That Feeds by Isabel Cañas: We all know how much I love Cañas, and her contribution to the collection was pretty early on and it really sank its claws into me. A she wolf, La Loba, who can transform between human and canid is living her life, until she marries a controlling man who decides to take her wolf skin and therein steal away her powers and agency. This story feels like it’s within the same realm as the story of the selkie, but Cañas brings in some more tension and some gruesome beats to it, making it deeply satisfying.

El Jíbaro de Puerto Rico by Cynthia Pelayo: This is my favorite in the collection, and I was full on weeping by the end. Pelayo is one of my favorite horror authors because she can bring in such bittersweet beauty with incredible beats of frightening prose, and while this one isn’t exactly subtle, I think we can throw subtlety out the window when talking about colonization and the violent suppression of a people. A teenage girl lives with her abuelo outside of San Juan, preparing for a misa and seance with some strangers, all while her family is haunted by violence and despair as the American Government brings more and more force to the island. As I said, this one made me cry, but while it’s upsetting and horrifying it is also raw, dreamy, and beautiful.

We Are Gathered Together by Diana Rodriguez Wallach: There were a few quite humorous stories in this book to balance out some of the horrors, and this one was the last story in the collection and also helped it end on a charmingly funny note. A school community is gathering for the funeral of a fifteen year old girl, though many of them were either wholly removed from her life or downright awful to her. Little do they know that this funeral is inhabited by some things that aren’t quite human… I was cackling at this story, with some fun bitchy antagonists and a fun twist that felt pretty damn cathartic when all was said and done!

Taking the collection in as a whole, this was a well done anthology! I liked the variety of authors and their different perspectives, and while I generally enjoyed the horror and dark fantasy tales more than the speculative fiction ones I felt that each story had things that I enjoyed about them. The cultural throughline of various Latiné inspired stories, be it vis a vis history, folklore, horror mythologies, and more really blended together to bring a unique reading experience that I greatly enjoyed. Whether it be about the horrors of colonialism, the realities of living in America during this time period as a Latiné person, or just plain old horror stories from the various parts of the diaspora, it meshes well and I found it very entertaining and creepy at times.

“Something Followed Us Home” definitely lived up to my expectations! If you want some stories that you can tackle one at a time at your own pace, consider giving it a go!

Rating 8: A solid collection of horror, dark fantasy, and speculative fiction tales with Latiné experiences and perspectives at the forefront, “Something Followed Us Home” is must read for this Halloween season.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Something Followed Us Home” is included on the Goodreads list “Horror Books Coming in 2026”.

Highlights: October 2026

Fall is well and truly here and with it Kate’s favorite month on the blog where she explores all things spooky and creepy in preparation of Halloween! Serena quietly tries to slip in some cozy witch romances here or there, but mostly just closes her eyes and pretends it’s still summer. Either way, here are some of the titles we’re looking forward to this month!

Serena’s Picks


Book: “The Sixth Faction” by Veronica Roth

Publication Date: October 6, 2026

Why I’m Interested: This has to be one of the oddest things I’ve ever seen, an author going back and re-imagining her original blockbuster series. But man, I’m here for it. I only read the first book in the “Divergent” series and was honestly not that impressed. It was only later that I rediscovered Veronica Roth, and she’s since become a must-read author for me. So in many ways, I feel like I’m the perfect reader for this book: I don’t have much knowledge of the first series or many expectations to compare it to, but I’m also a huge fan of her books now. I’m so excited to see what this is all about!

Book: “Reap and Sow” by Charlotte B. Plumb

Publication Date: October 6, 2026

Why I’m Interested: Probably mostly the beautiful cover art? But also, I’m always excited to check out a debut author, even if this one sounds a bit familiar overall. A young woman makes a bargain with a demon to save her siblings but, oh no, begins to have feelings! So, this could go either way. It could surprise me greatly and remind me why some of these tropes became popular in the first place. Or….it could continue to prove that the romantasy genre is too bound up in tropes for its own good. I really don’t know which way this will go, but hope live eternal, so here we go!

Book: “The Scarlet Ball” by Nghi Vo

Publication Date: October 6, 2026

Why I’m Interested: Speaking of awesome covers! I’ve read a few novellas by this author and have really enjoyed them. Her fantasy worlds are so creative and unique, and this one sounds like more of the same! Something about demonic husbands set in the Gilded Age in New York City? I mean, that’s ally I really need to know. But again, look at that cover! It looks dark, gothic, and everything I want from historical fantasy!

Kate’s Picks

Book: “Off the Reservation” by Stephen Graham Jones

Publication Date: October 13, 2026

Why I’m Interested: Not only is this a new Stephen Graham Jones horror novel, it is also a follow up to “The Only Good Indians”! I didn’t realize there was going to be a sequel to that book, so it was a fantastic surprise. It follows a group of Indigenous Blackfeet activists who are determined to reclaim and repatriate the remains of a Blackfoot child who died at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School. But after they get the bones and start the journey home, strange things begin to happen. Then terrifying things. I imagine that this one will not only be scary, but also deeply emotional considering the subject matter. I can’t wait to check it out.

Book: “What Feeds Below” by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne

Publication Date: October 6, 2026

Why I’m Interested: I really loved Schlote-Bonne’s previous novel “The Mean Ones”, and this one sounds incredibly unique and strange, but in a good way. This one also sounds a bit more dark fantasy than straight up horror, but I’m always down for dark fantasy. A large chasm filled with carnivorous plants and other dangers sits next to a large city, where people have found ways to profit off of the hazards. Two orphan friends Petra and Jade even lead tours down into the Void for adventurous (and rich) tourists. But after Jade gets lost in the lower and more dangerous levels of the Void, Petra is determined to save her, no matter what.

Book: “Savage Lake” by Nick Medina

Publication Date: October 27, 2026

Why I’m Interested: Cabin the woods horror!! I live for that stuff and I don’t feel like I’ve read a lot of it lately! So let’s all thank Nick Medina for bringing it back into my orbit this October! A mother named Nell and teenage son Oscar are returning to the lake house that holds terrible memories for her, hoping that she can fix it up and sell it and be done with it forever. But when the local Tribe, which owns the land, shuts down all of the roads around the lake with no explanation, Nell and Oscar are trapped in the cabin. As time goes on and weird things happen, Oscar also realizes that there is something going on with his mother. This one has LOTS of promise.

What books are you looking forward to reading this month? Let us know in the comments!

Serena’s Review: “Winterveil”

This post may contain affiliate links for books we recommend.  Read the full disclosure here.

Book: “Winterveil” by Ava Reid

Publishing Info: HarperCollins, September 2026

Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from the publisher!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: There is no application process for Valeran Academy, but it boasts the brightest – and precociously criminal – students in the nation.

A disgraced politician from a powerful American dynasty.

A coldly brilliant strategist who will sacrifice anything to win.

A former pageant queen with a talent that could change the world.

A prodigious female soldier with an enigmatic past – and a dangerous secret.

With eerie war simulations, cutthroat competitions and foreboding new technology, Valeran trains its students to be elite assets in a Cold War that has dragged on for nearly a century. But as a sinister conspiracy takes shape and these four are drawn together for a mysterious mission, their loyalties are tested, their convictions shaken and they all begin to are they ushering in a new era of freedom, or tyranny?

Review: I don’t know if there’s another author who I have a more complicated relationship with as a reader than Ava Reid. On one hand, when I enjoy her books, they are absolute favorites, of the sort that I will rave about to whomever gives me an opportunity. But on the other hand, when her books don’t work, I find myself not only struggling to finish them but sometimes actively repulsed by some of the story beats. Part of this last point is on me, as I should just expect certain themes to always show up in her work. And yet, I do think it’s also a mark against some of these titles, as it begs belief that every single story needs some of the sexual darkness that pervades Reid’s work.

Let’s start with what I did like, which was the bare-bones concept of the story. Reid often writes straight fantasy, and this was more of a sci-fi/dystopian-type thriller. There were some interesting concepts introduced with AI and virtual reality and the ways these tools would be used to train teens. At the very least, it was fun to follow students in a school where their training was focused on more than simply bashing each other with swords, as much as I do love a good battle school fantasy novel.

But, as the story continued, I kept having to actively refocus myself on the action, because if I ever stopped and thought too hard about how any of this worked or whether it even made sense for the stated purpose, my brain would start hurting. At one point, a character describes something as “like magic,” and this unwittingly pointed to the entire problem. This wasn’t a fantasy story, and things should be understandable beyond some woo-woo, handwaving “like magic” explanation when things get complicated.

Things really fell apart, however, when it came to the characters and the sexualization explored here. Look, I’m not a prude or anything, but this book is marketed as YA. That doesn’t mean that there can be no sexual content, but I do think it puts a greater onus on the author to handle these topics responsibly. And what we had here was the exact opposite of that.

Firstly, the main female love interest was repeatedly being described as ugly throughout the book. It’s totally fine to not have a hottie as the main character, and there are ways to represent an average girl in this situation in a healthy way. But over and over, this girl’s looks were harped upon in a way that seemed to emphasize the fact that she was the love interest despite her looks.

Secondly, Julian’s inner thoughts were so off-putting that I really struggled to enjoy him. Again, there is a way to represent teenage boys and the different ways they can think about sexuality from girls, but Julian’s inner thoughts were so gross that it was so far and away from this as to be laughable. The use of sexual assault paired with his inner thoughts was really upsetting at times.

There were also several interactions between adults and students that were incredibly creepy and icky. And look, none of these things on their own would necessarily be deal breakers, but it did add up to feeling like quite a lot of darker sexual themes throughout the book. And unfortunately, this does seem to be a trend with Reid’s books. I don’t know what is going on in the background, but there seems to be some inability to resist using sexual assault or darker sexual themes/thoughts in a way that feels exploitative, like it’s all there for shock value and nothing else. When every book I pick up by her includes these themes, it starts to feel a bit weird.

So yes, I struggled to enjoy this book. The general concept was interesting, but there wasn’t enough structure for how things worked to not leave me with constant questions. Beyond that, I was increasingly uncomfortable with the incredibly unhealthy depictions of sexuality and physical appearances, and the use of sexual assault throughout the book. With an adult novel, I may have given some of this more of a pass. But as a YA book, I think this presents these themes in incredibly poor ways, which is a disservice to the teen readers who could pick it up. I guess I would recommend this to Reid fanatics who enjoy all of her books. But if you’re like me and have found yourself bouncing off some of her titles, this might be another one in the “pass” column.

Rating 5: I just don’t think this book did enough to justify its use of dark sexual themes, and instead set up some truly unhealthy dynamics between characters.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Winterveil” can be found on these Goodreads lists: September 2026 Most Anticipated Romance Releases

Kate’s Review: “The Sisters of Crimson House”

This post may contain affiliate links for books we recommend.  Read the full disclosure here.

Book: “The Sisters of Crimson House” by Melissa Anderson Sweazy

Publishing Info: Sourcebooks Landmark, September 2026

Where Did I Get This Book: I received an ARC from the publisher

Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: Every house has its secrets.

Charley Bryde is miserable in a house filled with magic. The only woman in a long line of famous psychics to not inherit the family gift, she spends her days inside Crimson House, the coveted family mansion in Memphis, Tennessee, living in the shadows of her talented older sister, Miranda. But when a shocking tragedy scatters the Brydes across the globe, Charley is forced to grow up on her own, and fast. As the money runs dry and Charley’s ownership of Crimson House is put at risk, she’s left with no other option; turn the manor into a haunted attraction and start representing the family brand with lies, cons, and expertly read tarot cards to make ends meet.

When a skeptic starts targeting Charley for the fraud that she is, she’ll stop at nothing to save the family legacy. But the skeptics’ arrival cracks something open in Charley that the Brydes wanted to remain buried. Deep. And when Miranda shows up unannounced after eight years away, the two will come to realize that Crimson House, and their own family, hold secrets even the greatest psychics couldn’t foresee. Secrets that will threaten to destroy them.

Review: Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for sending me an ARC of this novel!

Gather round everyone, for it is October 1st, and that means that not only is my very favorite month of the year, but that it is time for my annual Horrorpalooza celebration! For those unaware, during the entire month of October and in honor of my favorite holiday, Halloween, I will be reviewing horror and horror adjacent books, saving all other genres for after the holiday has passed. It’s always a fun endeavor for the Season of the Witch, and it’s fun to start things off with a bit of a bang. And therefore I am starting with Melissa Anderson Sweazy’s horror novel “The Sisters of Crimson House”! A Southern Gothic horror/family drama about a family of psychics, the one without any powers, and a reunion between estranged sisters who need to come together to save their loved ones and their legacy against a malicious entity. Like I said, starting off with a bang.

I love stories about psychics and I love family dramas, so there is a lot to like about “The Sisters of Crimson House”. I enjoyed the idea of a faux psychic who comes from an actual line of psychics having to hold a run down house together after tragedy has pulled the family apart. Charley feels a bit like Mirabel in “Encanto”, if Mirabel decided to pull cons on tourists by doing cold readings and tarot cards under guise of her very truly psychic family lineage that she herself never grew into. When actual psychic/sister Miranda returns after running away after their parents deaths (and most of the rest of the family has scattered to the wind), a malicious presence starts to threaten the estranged sisters, and they have to put aside their differences to try and save each other and the Bryde family legacy. I liked the psychic elements of this book, and how Charley is doing her best while powerless, though she too is starting to see things as an entity grows stronger and stronger. Is it particularly scary? I didn’t think it was, though I did like the world building and the magic system at hand. The vibe is also SO Southern Gothic, with family conflicts, a heady Memphis setting, and ghosts galore.

But it’s the relationship between Charley and Miranda as well as the other family members that really bolsters this story. We see their story through both the past and the present, seeing the Bryde women at their most powerful and sought after, as well as seeing Charley as she tries to keep the house and her life afloat after they have lost almost everything and she is the only one left, and has turned to faux psychic readings and parlor tricks to keep the lights on. When the gifted Miranda returns, resentments, secrets, and trauma brim up and the two sisters have to work together through all of the baggage in hopes of saving their home and their legacy (as well as themselves). There is a clear tension between the two, with Charley resentful that Miranda was so loved and then ditched out leaving her to pick up the pieces, while Miranda seems resentful of her gifts that made her a golden child, and they have to overcome their mutual frustrations with each other. It’s a sister story at the heart of it, and found that to be the strongest piece of it. I really liked Charley and found her to be very easy to root for and connect with, and while I didn’t really like Miranda as much I definitely understood her. They were well developed and had clear motivations. I also enjoyed thorn in the side skeptic Sy, who has a bone to pick with the family that may go beyond wanting to expose frauds, but who also has some interesting chemistry with Charley. Can you tell I really liked Charley?

“The Sisters of Crimson House” might not have been as spooky as I had hoped for, but it is still a great way to kick off Horrorpalooza because of the very human aspects of the story of two sisters finding each other again. With some spooky psychic energy to boot!

Rating 7: A sister story with psychic powers, a Southern Gothic flair, and a few menacing spirits, “The Sisters of Crimson House” is perfect for the start of Halloween Season!

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Sisters of Crimson House” is included in the Goodreads article “A Coven of Beloved, New, and Upcoming Witch Books”.