Serena’s Review: “Want Me, Take Me, Haunt Me, Make Me” by Isabel Crowley

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Book: “Want Me, Take Me, Haunt Me, Make Me” by Isabel Crowley

Publishing Info: Sourcebooks Casablanca, August 2026

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

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

Book Description: Hazel Lewis has a serious problem. The guy who hired her to conduct a seance before he died turned out to be a serial killer with a demonic contract, and the seance itself was a trap. Hazel escaped with her life, but not as she knew it: the bite of a demon is spreading through her body, letting the supernatural bleed into the world around her, and the now-dead serial killer is waiting to take over her body if she dies. 

Hoping to contain the damage, Hazel moves to a small house in a remote location. She figures she’ll stay on her own until she gets a handle on her new dark reality, but she soon finds out that she’s not alone. There’s the reporter demanding answers, the friendly neighbor with chemistry she doesn’t need and problems he can’t talk about…and the mysterious face she sees beyond her window, watching her every night with glowing red eyes.

Making her hunger.

Hazel knew a little bit about the world beyond the physical. Now she’s learning how much she doesn’t know, including who she can trust…and who she can become if she trusts herself enough to give in to the shadows stalking her dreams.

Review: This book started off on a high note, but unfortunately dropped off a bit as I continued reading. From the start, however, I appreciated the simple fact that this book was written in third-person perspective. This is definitely a preference thing, for sure, but more and more books that I pick up like this are written in first person and are often worse for it. I honestly think first-person perspective is harder to write, and I wish it wasn’t the default for romantasy authors nowadays, as I think a huge percentage of these books would be improved with the one neat trick that is third person! Here, the writing immediately felt more elevated simply for being written in this style.

Further, the book starts off with a strong first quarter to third of the story that is highly focused on action and horror. Hazel, as a medium, was an interesting character from the start, and the plot throws a lot at the reader right away. I was fully on board during this section and had high hopes for the rest of the book. Some of the horror elements were surprising in how far they went, and this is one of those cases where I appreciated the commitment to the darkness.

But then the romance started, and it all went wrong so quickly. Mostly because the romance itself happened so quickly. There were strong instalove/instalust vibes almost immediately, with almost no buildup of tension, emotional attachment, or much of anything. The spicy scenes themselves weren’t bad, but I do feel like once the spice started up, the balance between horror, romance, and action fell out of sync. It was at this point that the reading experience started to feel like a struggle.

What’s more, while I liked Hazel initially, as the story went on and more characters were introduced, I found it hard to maintain much interest in any of them or their personal stories. While the writing was strong enough, there was a distinct lack of “voice” to the entire affair, which left me feeling removed from much of the action as the story continued.

Overall, this was just an ok book. I do think that the writing was fairly good for the most part, and I appreciated that the author committed to some of the darker moments of the horror, especially in the beginning. I’d definitely be interested in reading another book from this author, as this could be a case where she grows into a greater talent. But the instalove and tepid characterization did make this one a struggle, especially in the back half. However, if you’re looking for another paranormal romance and you don’t mind instalove, this might be for you!

Rating 7: I appreciate the commitment to the horror elements, but the instalove really took me out of it in the end.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Want Me, Take Me, Haunt Me, Make Me” can be found on this Goodreads list: Upcoming Horror (2026, 2027, 2028).

Kate’s Review: “The Unknown”

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Book: “The Unknown” by Riley Sager

Publishing Info: Dutton, August 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: In 1926, five women disappeared from a remote island in Vermont. Now, one hundred years later, it’s happening again.

Struggling actress Marin Keane is shocked when she lands a role in a major motion picture about the unsolved mystery of New Avalon, an island on sprawling Lake Faraday in Vermont. She’s even more surprised when she learns that the role requires a weeklong research trip to that very spot.

Because New Avalon isn’t your ordinary island. A century ago, it was a commune for spiritual mediums—until they all vanished in 1926. The only trace of them was five dresses hanging from the branches of an old oak tree in the middle of the island, one for each missing woman. Some locals say they simply left. Others think they were murdered. But the prevailing opinion, thanks to a diary left behind by one of the vanished, a young woman named Daisy Rue, is that a séance gone wrong conjured something supernatural that took them all one by one.

Not long after arriving, Marin and her castmates, including legendary actress Violet Wright and white-hot director Ronan Peters, begin to realize all is not right with New Avalon. They hear strange noises in the night and notice mysterious symbols left behind by the island’s previous occupants. And after a sudden health emergency leaves Marin, Ronan, and the other actors stranded on the island, the disappearances begin again.

Is it the work of someone trying to derail the movie? Or is the island’s alleged supernatural past catching up with the present? As fear and suspicion mount, Marin turns to Daisy’s diary, hoping it holds the key to figuring out what really happened to the women of New Avalon—and how to keep the island’s terrible history from repeating itself.

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

Perhaps some people remember that last year I read and reviewed Riley Sager’s previous novel “With a Vengeance” and didn’t really care for it. I have generally been super down with Sager’s books but that one didn’t really work for me. I was excited to see that his next novel, “The Unknown”, was stepping away from locked room whodunnits and coming back to a spooky horror/thriller story. I’m already really excited for a story with people mysteriously disappearing on a strange island, but if you add in spiritualism and potential witchcraft it just sweetens the deal. And I’m happy to report that we’ve returned to form with “The Unknown” because I found it to be super fun!

Sager knows how to craft a fast paced thriller that keeps me engaged, and “The Unknown” kept me invested pretty much from the start. We jump between two timelines: the first is that in the present day, where aspiring actress Marin has been cast as the lead in a highly anticipated historical horror film, which is based on a true story of multiple women mysteriously disappearing on the island New Avalon in the 1920s, inspired by the diary of one of the women who wrote of potential ghosts, demons, and witchy activity. Marin and the rest of the cast have been brought to the island to experience it in a method way, and things start happening to THEM in a similar way as the diary. The second timeline is the diary of Daisy, who ended up on New Avalon and wrote the entries the movie takes inspiration from. It’s a great hook, and Sager creates a mystery with themes of grief, spiritualism during the 1920s, and misogyny across centuries. Marin was sometimes a grating narrator, but she is the perfect protagonist who has so much to lose if the movie doesn’t work out, but also becomes more and more frightened as the movie crew slowly disappears in the same way the other women did. I liked the way Sager showed the circumstances, revealed the twists, and turned up the tension with what could be ghostly encounters and witch activity.. Or maybe something more Earthly.

And the atmosphere is top notch. An isolated island with a strange and witchy history is always a fun locale to explore, and Sager really figures out how to bring the Gothic vibes to the tale of isolation and questions of supernatural hijinks vs insanity in this book. I really enjoyed some of the beats and imagery, with a few points making me genuinely creeped out, and the claustrophobic island with woods, a potential murderer, and potential ghosts was eerie. I also liked that we got the history of New Avalon through the diary entries that could line up with what Marin and the rest of the cast was experiencing so we could expand the lore of the island and get it in context. While it’s true that I could parse out some of the surprises, overall I liked how things ultimately unfolded and the setting made it that much more addictive.

I’m quite pleased that “The Unknown” was an enjoyable read! Sager may have stumbled last time around in my eyes, but clearly that was a temporary stumble!

Rating 8: A tense psychological horror/thriller novel that brings us back to the Riley Sager basics! A great summer read as we start to wind down the season.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Unknown” is included in the Goodreads article “A Month-by-Month Guide to Summer’s Biggest Mysteries and Thrillers”.

Highlights: August 2026

It’s hard to believe that it’s already August! Serena is home from her time out west, Kate is spending time at the cabin and by the pool (yep, she has her routines), and soon it will be time for the grand Minnesota tradition of the State Fair, signaling the end of the summer season. But it’s not time to say goodbye to the heat yet, and we have some books that we are looking forward to as the month starts the official summer wind down!

Serena’s Picks

Book: “The Lion and the Deathless Dark” by Carissa Broadbent

Publication Date: August 4, 2026

Why I’m Interested: It’s been a lovely time the last few summers, in that each year I can look forward to another entry in the “Crowns of Nyaxia” series. And I’m particularly excited for this one not only because, historically, the first book in these duologies has always been the stronger, but because we are finally diving into Septimus’s story! He’s been popping in and out of the series for some time, always hinting to some grand plan, so it’s about time we get to know what that’s all about! Further, it sounds like our new heroine, Kyrene, is the vengeful warrior type, one of my favorites. Can’t wait to check it out!

Book: “The Infinite State” by Richard Swan

Publication Date: August 4, 2026

Why I’m Interested: I’ve been meaning to check out Swan’s original fantasy trilogy for a while now, as it’s been highly praised by other reviewers whose opinions I trust. But in the mean time, I was happy to receive this ARC and can now look forward to starting a brand new series with him! This one sounds like it will be some combination of science fiction and dystopian, two genres that I always mean to get to more than I do. Transitioning from writing in one genre to another can sometimes be a challenge, but I’m hopeful that Swan can pull it off!

Book: “The Art of Charming a Changeling” by Sylvie Cathrall

Publication Date: August 25, 2026

Why I’m Interested: I really loved Cathrall’s first duology. In particular, I loved the detailed, historical-feeling nature of the writing itself. That being the case, this is the perfect author to write a Regency-era fantasy romance! It takes a certain knack to master the tone of historical romances like this, but I’m confident that Cathrall will pull it off. Plus, you know, changelings and faeries are always up my alley! Will have to use much self control to hold off on this one until later in the month!

Kate’s Picks

Book: “The Unknown” by Riley Sager

Publication Date: August 4, 2026

Why I’m Interested: If it’s another summer, it’s time for another Riley Sager book! I didn’t really love his book last summer, but with “The Unknown” he goes back to his horror roots and I am incredibly here for it. An actress hoping for her big break is cast in a movie which has a supposedly true story about women who disappeared on a strange island. The director wants all of the cast to go to the actual island and live the way those women lived, performing seances and being cut off from the world, as a method exercise. But then the women start disappearing just like in the past. Sounds spooky. I’m thrilled we’re back to horror!

Book: “Back for Blood: Never Whistle at Night Part II” by Shane Hawk (Ed.) and Theodore C. Van Alst Jr. (Ed.)

Publication Date: August 18, 2026

Why I’m Interested: I so enjoyed the first short story anthology of this series, and I was very excited to see that it has coming back with more Indigenous authors, more stories, and potentially more scares! “Back for Blood” is the same premise as the first one in the series with a number of Indigenous authors write horror, thriller, and dark fiction. With authors like Stephen Graham Jones, Tommy Orange, and Ramona Emerson I was already hooked, but I look forward to discovering new authors to add to my reading lists.

Book: “Devil Inside” by Clay McLeod Chapman

Publication Date: August 11, 2026

Why I’m Interested: YES, not only is there a new Clay McLeod Chapman book out, he is now going to delve into ROMANCE!….. Almost assuredly in a way that is VERY Clay McLeod Chapman-esque!! At least I hope so. After a man has a near death experience, he starts having visions of faces melting, everything he eats tastes like ash, and he wonders if he’s going crazy. He meets a strange women named Lilith, and while they have passion and chemistry, she seemingly ditches him…. Only to perhaps show up again later, but with a different face, though she seems to know everything about him and their connection. As he gets closer and closer to her, things keep getting stranger and stranger…. Look a join review of this one from us!

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

Serena’s Review: “The Witch Below the Dreaming Wood”

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Book: “The Witch Below the Dreaming Wood” by H.G. Parry

Publishing Info: Redhook, July 2026

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

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

Book Description: Wales, 1941. As the second world war ravages the globe and bombs fall from the sky, people all over the world begin to dream of King Arthur. The dreams spread like a fantastical plague, flooding people’s sleep night after night. Whispers arise of wonders and unexplained sights—dragons in the London Underground, and strange lights over Stonehenge. Self-proclaimed prophets claim they are miracles, heralding Arthur’s return at the time of Britain’s greatest need.

Elaine Ambrose has never dreamed of Arthur, and she doesn’t believe in miracles. A librarian at the British Museum, she wants only to protect the museum’s collection from the London Blitz, and is frustrated to be sent instead to catalogue a reclusive professor’s private library on the coast of North Wales. But all is not as it seems. Soon Ellie must confront what she’s tried to she dreams not of Arthur, but of Nimue—the Lady of the Lake. And her dreams promise not salvation, but a return to the darkness of the last days of Camelot. 

Review: This sounded like a match made in heaven when I came across it this spring! I’ve really loved everything I’ve read by Parry, and I’ve been desperately searching for a good Arthurian fantasy for several years now. There have been quite a few to come out, but for whatever reason, none of them have really scratched my particular itch. Well, that ends today!

There was so much to love about this book! I wasn’t quite sure what to expect with the format of this book, told in two timelines, one following Elaine during WWII and the other featuring Nimue recounting her life at Camelot. The latter sounded familiar enough, but how would Elaine and WWII figure into things? Well, I can’t get into how it all ties together, as that would include massive spoilers, but the twists and turns that wove it all into one cohesive tale were very impressive.

Further, I appreciated the historical fiction aspect that was explored through the WWII sections, with Elaine’s experiences and thoughts while living through the bombing of London and the national crisis that followed. Hers is a story of a nation living in a constant state of fear and desperately looking for heroes, even if they have to turn to long-lost myths. At first, I thought this general theme (the comfort found in stories during times of trouble) was as deep as this would go. But, again, the twists really pulled this all together in a deeper, more meaningful way.

Nimue’s tale, of course, gets into the more traditional Arthurian myths. However, even here, there were just enough twists and turns woven through the stories we’re more familiar with to keep me on my toes. Indeed, the very fact that there are so many variations on these tales is pulled into the narrative in a fantastic manner. And, of course, I loved the simple joy of getting to experience these characters on the page, all under the steady hand of an author who knows how to bring out what’s most important about each character without overdoing it. Merlin, Lancelot, Guinevere, Arthur. All fantastic.

I also loved Elaine and Nimue themselves. Elaine’s story is much more mysterious, as we’re never quite sure what’s going on with the dreams she is having. But through her attempts to unravel the mystery, there was a lovely friendship built up between her and Tom, the groundskeeper. This relationship was so lovely and, again, progressed toward a conclusion that was as beautiful as it was heart-wrenching.

And for Nimue, I loved the relationship between her and Merlin. This was an interesting relationship as, on its face, the romance is very much a subplot. But on the other hand, by the time you get to the end, it also becomes clear that the romance itself almost IS the plot. It was one of those love stories that you can’t fully appreciate until the book is over.

Overall, I loved this book. It was beautiful, heartbreaking, and full of deep themes. In particular, the core theme that fighting for what is right is enough on its own. Even if you can’t win, even if it feels hopeless, even if you know that doing what is right will lead to your own doom. I strongly recommend this to all fantasy fans, particularly those who enjoy Arthurian legends!

Rating 9: Absolutely brilliant! Parry takes familiar Arthurian legends and breathes new life into them!

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Witch Below the Dreaming Wood” can be found on this Goodreads list: 2026 Arthurian releases

Kate’s Review: “Hot Girl Murder Club”

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

Book: “Hot Girl Murder Club” by Ashley Winstead

Publishing Info: Minotaur Books, July 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: What’s a girl got to do to get some fame, a few million record sales, and justice for murder?

Ten years ago, aspiring singer-actress Scout Sage lost the only thing that mattered: her sister, Georgia. Ever since Georgia’s mysterious death at a Hollywood party, Scout’s done her best to honor her memory, clawing her way through the industry and collecting a network of climbers along the way, fellow hot girls in stilettos with cutthroat ambition, a new Hollywood order.

But when a slew of targeted murders makes headlines across LA, all pointing to Scout as the killer, she turns overnight from a mid-tier pop star into the world’s most famous (alleged) murderer. Now everything she’s worked to build—including the justice she wants for Georgia—will fall apart unless Scout can prove she’s not guilty.

Meanwhile, the young and unusual detective assigned to her case, herself no stranger to tragedy, begins to unearth secrets not even Scout knows, let alone her millions of new fans. Particularly about the ways Georgia’s death connects to an even older pattern of crimes long hushed over in Hollywood—an old reign of terror that, if brought to light, could be the fuel that ignites a reckoning the world over.

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

One would think that a book that has a premise in which a Taylor Swift-esque pop sensation is leading a group of women vigilantes against scummy men in Hollywood would be one hundred percent my jam. I mean, on paper it absolutely is! And given that I have enjoyed books by soapy thriller author Ashley Winstead in the past, when I read the description of “Hot Girl Murder Club”, her newest book, I was pretty damn eager to get my hands on it. So it’s really too bad that I didn’t particularly like it.

There was just so much going on in this book. I understand wanting to have an intricate thriller that has a lot of working parts that seem separate, and then how satisfying it is for both author AND reader for those parts to finally come together in a mind blowing way. But this book never had that kind of pay off, because there were SO MANY parts that it was hard to keep track of all of it. I don’t deny that with a thriller like this with a huge web of lies, abuse, privilege, and greed at its heart that you probably want a large scope, especially since we all know by now that Hollywood DOES have a lot of festering corruption that leads to vulnerable women getting hurt and it’s very entwined. But the problem is that all of it in this book is confusing and feels pretty shallow even when it all does come together. Surprise, this person is actually THIS person, and THIS person has THIS motive that has been hidden that has a connection to this OTHER person. It made my head spin and I found myself continuously having to try and recalibrate to figure out who was doing what. I already have a difficult time dealing with a book that has a whole lot of twists and turns just for the shock of it, and when they feel like they are not only unearned but also half baked it’s that much more frustrating to read. Sure, it all did mostly come together by the end, but I didn’t really buy it.

And because of all of these perspectives and connections and players, MANY of our characters didn’t get the amount of page time that they deserved, and that in turn led them all to feel underdeveloped and two dimensional. I love the idea of a vigilante Taylor Swift or Ariana Grande as much as the next person, but Scout was pretty darn boring. It’s true that we never really got fully into her head as she didn’t have perspective chapters (and that’s no doubt by design), but with multiple people having lots of thoughts about her I had hoped we would get a little bit more than we did. Even characters like Isabel, Scout’s assistant/best friend/enabler, who WERE interesting suffered a bit because while I understood her motivation the most, she still had to cede the floor to lots of other characters that weren’t as interesting. Too many players.

“Hot Girl Murder Club” was disappointing. I had high hopes, but sadly they were not met.

Rating 5: There was just too much going on, and while it mostly did come together, the character development suffered quite a bit.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Hot Girl Murder Club” is included on the Goodreads list “Popsugar 2026 #37: A Book About a Pop Star”.

Serena’s Review: “Vicious”

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

Book: “Vicious” by V.E. Schwab

Publishing Info: Tor, September 2013

Where Did I Get this Book: copy provided by the publisher!

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

Book Description: Victor and Eli started out as college roommates—brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong.

Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find—aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revenge—but who will be left alive at the end?

Review: Somehow, even though I’ve loved V.E. Schwab’s work for years, I’ve never gotten around to this book. In this case, however, this has worked out for me since what was once a stand-alone novel has now turned into a soon-to-be-completed trilogy! So I thought now was the time to jump in so that I’d be all ready to pick up the final book when it drops this fall.

Right from the start, this is one of those compulsively readable books. The writing jumps off the page, and I was immediately drawn into the story and quickly invested in the characters. This is all the more unique as neither Eli nor Victor are particularly good people. But man, are they, especially Victor, the sort that you quickly grow to love in spite of (or because of??) these very same flaws.

The story alternates between two timelines. One is set when Eli and Victor are both students, sharing a room and dreaming of the limits of their world. The other is set years later, with Victor finally freed from the prison in which he’s languished for years, dreaming of his revenge against his former friend. Sometimes I struggle with dual timelines like this, but in this case it works really well. We get to see very different versions of both characters and slowly piece together how they go from that version to the ones we see in the current day.

Naturally, given the subject matter, there was a detailed exploration of what it means to be both a hero and a villain. Victor is very much an anti-hero, and Eli, the more “villainous” of the two, is the one the world looks to as a hero and who sees his own mission as the more virtuous. Through both characters, there’s much reflection on what makes one a hero or a villain: actions, intentions, or some nebulous combination of the two.

I will say that the ending left a bit to be desired. It’s an interesting thing, as when it first came out, it very much felt like a stand-alone affair, and this ending would have been even more frustrating. As it stands, I’m glad there are two more books to delve more fully into both of these characters and to get a better resolution to the entire storyline. If you enjoy fantasy novels with a strong focus on morally gray characters, I definitely recommend this one!

Rating 8: Compulsively readable, I really enjoyed this book and its greater exploration of what makes a hero…or a villain.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Vicious” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Super Hero Books [Not Graphic Novels] and Superhero Fiction.

Kate’s Review: “The Whisper”

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

Book: “The Whisper” by Chelsea Iverson

Publishing Info: Sourcebooks Landmark, July 2026

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

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

Book Description: Perfect for fans of Alice Hoffman and Riley Sager’s Middle of the Night, comes a sweeping, atmospheric thriller following a group of friends and the power given to them by the trees…

Rule 1: When the trees whisper, listen. 

Rule 2: Don’t go into the woods alone. 

In the small mountain town of Whisper Ridge, the girls were inseparable. Joey, Quinn, Sophie, and Elena. Together, they channeled magic in the woods, living by six simple rules. The first when the trees whisper, listen. 

But all rules are forgotten, all bonds broken, when Quinn is found dead in the trees. 

In the aftermath, the friends scattered. All except Joey, who still can’t move on. Until now, over a decade later, she again hears the trees whisper. 

Those woods remember some of Quinn’s last words, and for the first time, Joey realizes she may learn the truth of what happened to her best friend. And so, the friends return to Whisper Ridge, to the woods that once held their magic and their secrets. But unearthing the truth about Quinn puts them all in danger, and in order to survive they’ll need to channel their power for the first time in fifteen years to finally put the past to rest.

Review: Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for sending me an eARC of this book via NetGalley!

I know that it’s the end of July and Summer isn’t really winding down yet (hell, it’s still so damn hot here in Minnesota it’s hard to deny that we are definitely still in my least favorite season). But I am one of those people that once we get part way through July, I start to think about Autumn. And inevitably when I think about my favorite season, I think about spooky books that I can recommend to people for the weeks leading up to Halloween. And I have my first one ready to go with “The Whisper” by Chelsea Iversen, a thriller/horror witch tale about three former witches reuniting after one of them thinks that they have new information about their friend who was killed when they were all still in high school and coming into their magic. If that doesn’t scream ‘autumnal reading’, I don’t know what does!

It’s never too early to prepare for the Season of the Witch, spell and reading alike. (source)

We follow the perspectives of four women. In the present day we have Joey, Sophie, and Elena, whose friendship fractured and went their separate ways after high school, and after their friend Quinn was found murdered in the woods. All of the were young witches who were bearers of forest magic, trained by older witches to learn to care for the magic, but after Quinn’s murder Sophie and Elena left, while Joey stayed unable to let go. But Joey thinks that she hears in the tree whispers some new information about Quinn’s death, and she brings the other two home so they can all try and solve what happened once and for all. And in the past is our fourth perspective, which is that of Quinn in the days leading up to her death as we see secrets, tensions, and friendships shifting and Quinn is both trying to use the magic for bolder things, but isolating herself in a dangerous way. All four of the perspectives add something to the story and give us insights not only into the mystery of what happened to Quinn and what led up to it, but also into the minds of traumatized and grieving women who never got the closure that was needed and have tried to carry on with their lives, but are still haunted. I liked the suspense and tension as it was building throughout the chapters, not only as to the murder mystery but also the tension between the women who were once close but are now fractured, and I also liked the exploration of complicated friendships trying to reconnect after so much has happened.

The magical system in this book is also pretty well done and creative to boot. We have a magic that is passed down to women in the community, with previous generations training and supporting the younger ones, and I liked the idea of the magic being tied to nature, to women, and to a strong community. We see the dangers of trying to force the magic to work outside its intents, as well as the way that bad actors can try to weaponize it and take it for themselves. With the trees being able to whisper things to the witches and the magic being nature based in a lot of ways it just felt very ethereal and grounded in a clear intention of story, and I thought that was very cool. It also has some pretty solid horror beats as we follow Quinn’s journey and start to slowly see what actually happened to her, and while I kind of figured out what had happened, I still found it to be a well done mystery that kept me interested.

“The Whisper” is an entertaining witch tale with well done horror beats, and I think that anyone who wants to get a head start on planning their autumn reading would do well to put it on their lists for the spooky season.

Rating 8: A suspenseful and witchy thriller about friendship, secrets, and grief, “The Whisper” is an entertaining read and will be perfect reading for the upcoming Autumn season.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Whisper” is included on the Goodreads list “All the New Horror Books Arriving in July 2026”.

Not Just Books: July 2026


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!

Serena’s Picks

Movie: “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare”

My husband made the mistake of mentioning that he had started this one while doing a workout down in our basement. So of course I informed him that he’d have to stop immediately and find something else to watch, since I wanted to watch this one too! And I was right to make him re-start! This was a fun action movie, all the more so for the fact that it is based off of a true story and that the main character is said to have been the primary inspiration for James Bond. All of the actors were phenomenal and there was just the right amount of humor to be entertaining without feeling over done. This is a Guy Ritchie movie, and it very much felt like one.

Movie: “The Sheep Detectives”

I actually went and saw this last month while it was in theaters with my boys. I had been trying to find a good theater movie for them for a while, something that, god forbid, I could enjoy as well! And this one was the perfect fit! It had strong “Babe” vibes, if perhaps a bit sadder at times. But it was funny, whimsical, and 5, 7, and *cough* 40 year-old all enjoyed it! From watching the trailer, I was most concerned about the CGI work with the animals, as this can really throw me out of these kinds of movies when it’s done poorly. But here I quickly forgot to even watch for it, since the sheep themselves were all also excellent characters. I definitely recommend this one if you’re looking for a wholesome family movie!

Video Game: “Divinity: Original Sin 2”

While I’m unwilling to truly confront my “Baldur’s Gate 3” addiction in any meaningful way, I have decided that I could at least try to expand my Larian boundaries. For one thing, they announced their upcoming game, “Divinity,” at last year’s Games Awards. So, in preparation for that (which is years away, frankly) I’ve decided to dive into their back catalog. Honestly, their whole “Divinity” series is a hot mess of spinoffs, prequels, reboots, and who knows what else. I took one look at the name progression of the games and simply skipped to their last and most recent, “Divinity: Original Sin 2.” And man, has it been fun! It’s easy to see the influences carried forward into “Baldur’s Gate 3,” but this is also definitely its own thing. I can’t tell whether BG3 has become easy simply because I’m so familiar, or whether this one truly has harder combat, but I’ve definitely been challenged by the game play here. It’s also a massive game, so I haven’t finished it yet to see where the story goes, but so far, it’s been a blast and the writing is of the same high quality as BG3. Definitely check it out if you need to scratch an RPG itch (this year has been sadly lacking on this front, as far as new games go.).

Kate’s Picks

Soundtrack/Concert/Film Screening: “Hedwig and the Angry Inch”

This is by NO means a new ‘pick’ for me, as I have been a fan of “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” since I was a teenager. But at the end of June right before ALA I had the opportunity to not only go to a screening of the film for its 25th Anniversary at a local theater, but the creator of the show/music/character, John Cameron Mitchell, had a Q and A and live performance of music to go with it (I definitely wept a couple times when he sang songs from the show). And for a good long while afterwards well into July I had the soundtrack, from the movie AND the original off Broadway production, on a loop. It’s the story of Hedwig, an East German glam rocker who is trying to break it into the music business after their music and ideas were stolen by their ex/song writing collaborator Tommy Gnosis, who has found superstardom. As Hedwig tours around/stalks Tommy, we find out their back story as a queer man living in Cold War Berlin who, in love with an American GI and desperate to escape Germany, agreed to have a sex change at their lover’s behest… only to have it botched. Now they are traveling and playing the songs trying to get recognition, and on the verge of a breakdown whilst doing it. It’s been a favorite of mine for YEARS, and the influence is strong and undeniable (honestly, so much of “The Vampire Lestat” in music and journey just SCREAMS “Hedwig” to me).

Film: “Evil Dead Burn”

“Evil Dead” movies have been in my life since I was in high school, and I think that it may be the most consistent of horror franchises when it comes to creativity and quality. Which is saying a lot for a franchise that has been around for more than forty years. The newest installment is “Evil Dead Burn”, and you KNOW that Terror Tuesday people and I went to see it in the theater in all its over the top and gory glory! Alice is a recent widow, though her marriage was messy and rife with abuse. When her in laws insist that everyone go to the family cabin (which has been neglected for years) to grieve together, Alice feels obligated to attend, even if it’s incredibly toxic. But little do they all know that Deadites have a link to the family history, and they are on a mission to find something, possessing and destroying anything in their wake. I didn’t love this one as much as I did “Evil Dead Rise”, but it has everything I want in an “Evil Dead” film: gore, nonsense, and lots of iconic Deadites action. It was a blast, even if I was cringing throughout (I wouldn’t have it any other way).

Vacation: Alaska

This month my husband, daughter, and I went on a Disney Cruise to Alaska. While cruises intimidate me (there are so many people and it’s SO overstimulating), I did love the idea of going to Alaska, so when my husband suggested we do that this summer I insisted we go North instead of South to see the 49th State. And man, it was absolutely gorgeous. We cruised by glaciers, stopped in Skagway, Juneau, and Ketchikan, and I was able to see eagles, ravens, whales, and a moose (I also ALMOST saw a brown bear but by the time I got to the group of people who had seen it it had dashed back into the trees, DANG IT!). Not to mention take so many landscape photos, which has been a hobby of mine for as long as I can remember. And I will fully admit that I also enjoyed the cruise itself, as it felt far more laid back than the one I went on this winter (though that’s probably due in part to being there with my husband and kid instead of husband and other couples). And having a morning in Vancouver was also lovely. All in all it was a nice family vacation and I wholly intend to go back to Alaska someday!

Serena’s Review: “Among the Thorns”

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Book: “Among the Thorns” by Jennifer K. Lambert

Publishing Info: Bramble, July 2026

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

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

Book Description: Ambitious young sorceress Rose of Northbrooke is about to graduate. She’s the only known dream sorcerer of her generation and she’s a remarkable one—formidably powerful, strikingly beautiful, and destined for greatness. No wonder she has a prince of the realm trailing her skirts.

But when rumors of dream magic gone awry reach her ear, Rose discovers she’s not the only oneiromancer of her generation. And she might not be the most powerful.

In a faraway cottage, Thorn has lived a simple and isolated life. She’s kept hidden by magic that prevents her from wandering past the cottage fence. Thorn longs to be a part of the world, to learn more about her magic, to be rescued by a prince who could love her with his whole heart.

When she discovers there’s another dream sorceress out there who has everything Thorn has ever wanted—freedom, education, prince and all—her acceptance of her isolation transforms into a hunger for everything she has been denied. Everything Rose has.

When Rose and Thorn meet, they realize their lives have been a lie and their fates have been carefully planned by political schemers. The outcome is only one sorceress can live in the open, reap all the glory of her kingdom, and claim the prince’s loving hand… condemning the other to a life of perpetual non-existence.

Previously Reviewed: “Never the Roses”

Review: This one didn’t quite hit the highs of “Never the Roses,” but I still think it was an enjoyable, quieter fantasy read all the same. This quieter approach is one of the things that made both the first book and now the second stand out in the romantasy genre. We often see books in this genre rely on either spunkier heroines, quippy dialogue, or snappy action. But here, the pacing takes its time introducing the three characters, and much of the plot revolves around the dynamics formed between them.

I did enjoy all three of the characters, for the most part. Rose could come across as harsh at times, especially in the beginning chapters, but as she came into her own and understood the true circumstances of her life and Thorn’s, I loved her arc. Thorn was a great character from the start, much more reserved and needing to deal with the trauma inflicted upon her throughout her life. Hers is a story of discovering the strength within and the bravery of finally reaching out to take what is yours. Sebastian had his moments (I enjoyed his relationship with his half-sisters), but he was also the least interesting of the three. As this is very much Rose and Thorn’s story, I was ultimately fine with this, but it did leave me feeling a bit less interested in his particular parts of the story.

I did struggle a bit more with the writing here. There was nothing overtly bad about any of it, but for whatever reason, I continuously felt a bit removed from the action. It was one of those books where I never felt drawn into the story and was always very aware of the process of reading. I’m not sure exactly where the change came from, however, between this one and the first. Perhaps the writing here simply felt a bit more simplistic and didn’t flow as nicely. Perhaps the pacing was just a bit too slow in this one to really grab my attention like the first book did.

It was an enjoyable read, however, and I liked how things were wrapped up in the end. I’m still waiting on some sort of resolution for our main characters from the first book, though, so I hope a third book is on the horizon! But if you’re a fan of slower-paced, quiet romantasy, this is definitely one that might be of interest to you!

Rating 7: I struggled to fully connect with this one as much as the first book, and I’m not sure why. But it was still a lovely romantasy with a heavy focus on two strong women, each demonstrating that there are different ways to have strength.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Among the Thorns” can be found on this Goodreads list: July 2026 Most Anticipated Romance Releases.

Kate’s Review: “Love Bites: Volume 1”

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Book: “Love Bites: Volume One” by Alicia Wallace (creator) and Ele (adaptor)

Publishing Info: WEBTOON Unscrolled, August 2026

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

Where You Can Get This Book: Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: As a teenage vampire, Kieran has always been warned to stay away from werewolves, but everything changes when he falls for Mason—the Alpha’s son.

What started off as disdain, lines drawn in the sand between two opposing sides, quickly turns to fascination after the two share one fateful kiss.

Kieran and Mason know they can’t be together, their communities would never approve. And with every hidden kiss and rendezvous, keeping their secret takes on a whole new set of problems.

Avoiding the eyes of both society and Kieran’s extremist family grows more and more challenging, and as silver blades sharpen, the two must choose to stand up for a love worth fighting for.

Review: Thank you to WEBTOON Unscrolled for giving me an ARC at ALAAC26!

Whenever ALA Annual is coming up I start perusing authors and signings a couple of months in advance, always on the look out for horror and thriller names that I know, as well as titles that could fit within those categories. That was how I discovered “Love Bites: Volume 1”, a graphic series based on the Alicia Wallace book “Bite Me”, adapted by ELE, as the title intrigued me and lo and behold it was a paranormal MLM YA romance about a vampire and a werewolf! I figured that maybe I’m not in the age demo, and maybe I have thoughts about vampire romance, but at the same time it looked kind of cute and I know that I do like a fun and not high stakes read every once in awhile. So I grabbed it!

And I have no regrets because it’s pretty cute (source)

As a paranormal romance story, this has elements that I like in a romance. I enjoy enemies to lovers tropes, and while it’s not a top trope for me I do find the occasional forbidden lovers story to be enjoyable because usually it means LONGING. In “Love Bites” we get both, as teenage vampire Kieran and teenage werewolf Mason find themselves drawn to each other even though the relationships between werewolves and vampires are tenuous at best and deadly at worst. There is tension from the jump as Kieran decides he doesn’t like Mason even without knowing his background, but then it gets even more complicated because Kieran’s mother was killed by werewolves when he was a child, so his trauma, grief, and anger are all twisting his judgement a bit. This is really Kieran’s story so far as he grapples with his emotions, as well as his anxiety at home with a stoic father and angry older brother, but the seeds and laid for the romance to start building with angry banter, sexual tension, and an impulsive kiss. I like both Kieran and Mason, though I will say that the other characters thus far, like Kieran’s best friend/Mason’s maybe girlfriend Cella, are kind of static and two dimensional as of now. There is obviously room to grow, but it’s too bad that thus far the girl who seems to be cool and full of potential may be a road block for Kieran and Mason. There are also some pacing issues that feel stilted, as Kieran being antagonistic from the jump without even knowing Mason is a vampire felt pretty fast and maybe not super well earned. But for the target audience who just wants a fun read, I’m sure it will be easy to overlook (I mean, I had fun!).

I also enjoyed the vampire and werewolf lore and world building that we get in this story. It may have been easy to just rely on well known beats and tropes, but instead we have two distinct groups that have their own rules, mythology, and characteristics. We haven’t seen much of the werewolves yet, but we have a fair amount of info about the vampires thanks to Kieran’s perspective, from the pact that the vampires and werewolves made to keep the peace, to the different kinds of vampirism you can take depending on your decisions and innate skills, and the way that family lines work. I imagine we will learn more about Mason’s family as the story goes on, as right now we just know that he’s the son of an alpha and is dealing with some issues with his wolfiness. I enjoyed the mythos quite a bit, which made up for some of the flat characterizations seen outside of the main characters.

I will definitely be going forward with the “Love Bites” graphic novels as they come out! It’s cute and fluffy and sometimes ya just gotta lean into the fluff.

Rating 7: A promising start to a supernatural enemies to lovers romance series, “Love Bites: Volume 1” has some potential to be a fun story arc for a vampire and a werewolf who are drawn to each other despite being on opposite sides of a conflict.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Love Bites: Volume 1” is included on the Goodreads list “Best Comics and Graphic Novels of 2026”.