Serena’s Review: “Immortal Rose”

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Book: “Immortal Rose” by Alexandra Bracken

Publishing Info: Avon, August 2026

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

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

Book Description: Members of the ancient House Rosebourne have a strange gift born of a fairy ancestor: the ability to infuse fragrance with magic capable of manipulating mind, body, and emotion.

When a shocking murder leaves the kingdom of Albion vulnerable to a coup, royal spymaster Hugh Thornton seeks the one person who can help: Viola Lockwood, the last living Rosebourne and secret heir to a fraught legacy.

Livid at the silver-eyed aristocrat who had her thrown in jail to force her compliance, Viola nevertheless comes to an agreement with him. In exchange for crafting Immortal Rose, the singular perfume capable of saving Albion, illegitimate Viola can seize the life—and fortune—that should have been hers.

As Hugh and Viola race to find the perfume’s lost fairy ingredient, hidden deep in Albion’s dark underbelly, neither can deny the scorching attraction building between them—especially as the attempts on Viola’s life grow increasingly brazen.

But a terrible truth lurks in the heart notes of their kingdom—and while every bargain has a cost, Immortal Rose may demand more than Hugh and Viola can ever pay.

Review: Often when I talk about pacing, it’s in a negative light. But this book was one of those nice examples of pacing done right. What’s more, it was pacing done right across many aspects of the book, including individual character arcs, the romantic arc, as well as the world-building and storytelling itself.

To speak to the pacing in regard to the story and the world-building, I enjoyed the way the author introduced this world. Through some very clever early scenes, the reader is fed a boatload of world-building information, from how the magic of this world works, to the hierarchies at play within it, all the way down to some basic logistics about the sort of fantasy world this is (seems obvious, but I’ve read fantasy novels where I go in assuming it’s a high fantasy world and then am surprised around the 25% mark by some random mention of jeans!).

But all of this information is doled out carefully through a mix of dialogue, inner thought, and description, avoiding long info dumps. What’s more, the author does a good job of sprinkling in action throughout, so even while the reader is being inundated with new information, the story still feels lively and that things are happening at a steady pace.

I also really enjoyed the pacing of the character development. We aren’t told everything that drives the characters from the start, and instead must peel back layers as the story continues to discover what depths they contain. Notably, neither character is a perfect individual, and we see them grow and change over the course of the story.

This is particularly the case with the development of the romance. These two do not meet under the best of circumstances, and the story doesn’t rush the slowly changing feelings between them. It’s a true slow-burn romance, and part of it hinges on the characters reevaluating both themselves and their actions, as well as the other person. It made the payoff when things come together toward the end all the better.

That said, there were a few moments where I struggled a bit with the way plot points played out. There were times where characters behaved in ways that only made sense because the story needed to hit some particular beat. These were always frustrating to see, as so much of the rest of the book felt tightly written.

Overall, however, I enjoyed this read! I thought it was a refreshing example of a true slow-burn romance, and I appreciated the time and thought that the author put into the development of these characters and this world. Nothing felt like cardboard cutouts (either characters or plotlines) that are simply there to get the story to check off certain trope lists. Definitely give it a go if you’re looking for a more polished romantasy read!

Rating 8: A great example of a romantasy novel that commits to a true slow-burn love story!

Reader’s Advisory:

“Immortal Rose” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Regency Romantasy and whimsical romantasy books.

Kate’s Review: “The Night Mother: Volume One”

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Book: “The Night Mother: Volume One” by Jeremy Lambert & Alexa Sharpe (Ill.)

Publishing Info: Oni Press, October 2024

Where Did I Get This Book: I received a copy at ALAAC26

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

Book Description: Endless night befalls a sleepy seaside town, leaving it to young Madeline Tock to save her community from a threat known only as the Night Mother . . .

The moon is stuck like a broken clock in the midnight sky, the sun a distant memory. No one in this quiet seaside town can remember how long this unnatural darkness has lasted. No one, that is, except for the curious girl who lives in the graveyard, caring for the dead: twelve-year-old Madeline Tock. In gratitude, the departed whisper their worries to her, sounding just like her overprotective but loving father: beware this endless night and she who causes it.

Because there’s someone else who can hear the whispers, too . . . someone whose gown is a map of the cosmos, hair a tangled constellation, eyes like the lights of faraway stars. The Night Mother. Her elemental duty is to gather the souls of the dead in her lantern, then send them to their eternal rest as beautiful moonlight. But when her hunger for power drives her to take souls from the living, Madeline bravely stands up to defend her town and those she loves. Can Madeline help bring back the sun, or will she be lured by the starry promises of this mysterious woman?

Review: Thank you to Oni Press for giving me a copy of this graphic novel at ALAAC26!

My personal goal I made for myself this reading year was trying to do more graphic novels, as I feel like last year I didn’t really do as many as I could have. I made sure to pass by some of my favorite comic publishers while I was at ALA this summer, and a pile of comics caught my eye: “The Night Mother: Volume One” by Jeremy Lambert and Alexa Sharpe (Ill.) had such a captivating cover I had to grab it. It just looked so interesting! And I’m happy to say that when I picked it up, it grabbed my attention almost immediately.

The premise of the story is very unique. In a world where the moon has stopped as it has been taken over by a cruel being called The Night Mother, leaving the world in darkness, a little girl named Madeline Tock can hear the voices of the dead and tries to help them in any way she can. Her adoptive father Barnabus keeps them isolated and keeps her by his side in an overprotective manner, and when a stranger arrives and says that Madeline is the key to stopping The Night Mother, she has to go on a journey to try and save her home and community. For a first volume it has a lot of foundation to lay, and it does so in a very readable manner and in a straight forward way. I got a good sense of the seaside community, of Madeline and her relationship with her father, and the threat that is The Night Mother and how the magical systems in the book work with the moon, the souls of the dead, and the Night Mother herself. The audience of this book is probably on the younger teenage side, so it’s simple, but that simplicity doesn’t take away from the story.

I also liked the characters in this book, from intrepid Madeline to devoted Barnabus to the mysterious newcomer Nura, who has been sent to Madeline to warn her of danger and to help lead her to her destiny. I also have liked what we’ve seen of The Night Mother thus far, as she is scary and ethereal in her darkness and corruption. We haven’t really delved into all of them to much just yet, but I am hoping that now that we have a clear framework of where the story is going to go that in the following volumes we get to really delve into what makes them tick.

And the art in this comic fits the vibe so perfectly. I have seen some works of Alexa Sharpe before, and her style works well with this dreamy and somewhat dark story.

(source)

“The Night Mother: Volume One” is a solid start to a fantasy comic series! I am definitely interested in seeing where it goes from here.

Rating 8: A promising start to a new to me fantasy YA graphic series, “The Night Mother” is dreamy and ethereal with a strong premise and some well done world building.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Night Mother: Volume One” isn’t on many Goodreads lists as of now, but it would fit in on “Fantasy Comics Books”.

Serena’s Review: “The Infinite State”

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Book: “The Infinite State” by Richard Swan

Publishing Info: Tor Books, August 2026

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

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

Book Description: WHO GIVES YOU LIFE?
PATER AETERNUS.

Katherine Fuller’s husband is dead. As an esteemed member of Pater Aeternus—governing party of the fascist, galaxy-spanning Decurion Empire—he has left behind an estate of immeasurable wealth. And Katherine is going to inherit it.

WHO GIVES YOU PURPOSE?
PATER AETERNUS.

Life under the Eternal Father is rigidly stratified, surveilled, and controlled—each new day to be endured, not lived. But with Katherine’s newfound fortune, she is presented with a rare and dangerous opportunity: purchase a virgin world, and create a better, fairer society.

WHO GIVES YOU JOY?
PATER AETERNUS.

But the Empire cannot allow its wayward daughter to succeed. And as Katherine works in secret, recruiting allies she’s not even sure she can trust, she will discover exactly how far Pater Aeternus is willing to go to stop her. Because Katherine is going to create something nobody has seen for many years.

A democracy.

Review: I went into this one fairly optimistic. I had heard great things about this author and his various fantasy series and had been waiting for a chance to jump on the band wagon. Based on my experience here, I’ll definitely still be looking into his previous fantasy titles, but I don’t think the jump between genres worked as well for him as it may have for others making a similar switch.

To start with what I did like and the reason that I’ll continue to keep an eye on this author and try to read his previous titles, the writing itself was very strong. It’s clear that he has a particular talent for writing complex, interesting characters, and I was quickly drawn in to the stories of the various personalities we found here. Each was compelling in their own way, with their own rich histories and particularities of viewpoint that they brought to their experience of the events in this book. There was a lot of variety between them, which I really appreciated. In particular, I enjoyed the perspective of Katherine, a middle-aged (ish) woman who has struggled with fertility and goes on to lose her husband in a mysterious way. Hers is a perspective that we don’t often see in books like this, and I think it balanced nicely against some of the more expected perspectives.

Beyond characterization, the author has a great overall style to his writing. “Voice” is a hard concept to write about in a book review, but so often it is the one, nebulous element that really makes certain books stand out. The storytelling just flows in a way that is easy to read and enjoyable, and such was the case here.

Unfortunately, when we get into the nitty-gritty of this particular story and the worldbuilding/dystopian elements, that’s where things start to fall apart. Right from the very beginning, I was put on the backfoot by the fairly generic set up of it all. We’re introduced to an extremely authoritarian world with a heavy dose of social monitoring. Insert grand leaders and an obsession with fertility, and you’ve got most of the generic bases covered. And while many dystopian novels follow a similar vein, I kept reading for quite some time expecting some further depth to be revealed about this all. WHY was this society so obsessed with fertility? What was the original driving force behind this regime?

Instead of any actual depth, it felt like certain aspects of the world building (the fertility thing is the best example) were inserted just because they felt like hot button issues or coded towards certain viewpoints. But without something behind them, it all just felt kind of weak and silly. And then the regime itself felt evil simply because…they are evil? For an adult sci-fi dystopian novel, I needed more. Authoritarianism is bad, obviously. But if that’s all you got, it’s a pretty dull, generic, and ultimately, derivative reading experience.

There were also some issues with pacing and an over emphasis on certain plot points. I, for one, could have lived without some of the page count devoted to the world of racing that made up one character’s plot line. But even these scenes were written well, so while I don’t think the balance was quite right, had the overall dystopian worldbuilding aspects been better fleshed out, I don’t think these would have stood out to me so starkly.

Overall, this was a frustrating reading experience. On one hand, I think this author is very talented. On the other, I’m not sure what this book was trying to accomplish. Like I said at the start, transitioning from one genre to another can sometimes be a challenge, and this was a case where it felt like the author didn’t quite have enough to back up the story he was trying to tell and relied too strongly on basic genre conventions to hold the entire thing up. Fans of this author may still want to check this out, however, as well as those who perhaps care less about intricate world-building.

Rating 7: Way too generic on the dystopian front for my taste, but the author is clearly a talented writer and had some great characters, so I look forward to exploring his back catalog.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Infinite State” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Best Dystopian and Post-Apocalyptic Fiction and Excellent Space Opera.

Kate’s Review: “The Devil Knows Her Name”

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Book: “The Devil Knows Her Name” by C.N. Vair

Publishing Info: Berkley, August 2026

Where Did I Get This Book: I received an ARC from PLA 2026

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

Book Description: In the isolated Appalachian town of Burrsville, Tess Wynne lives in precious quiet. Having been left for dead a century earlier, Tess made a deal with the devil to stay in the only home she’s known. Tending to her wildlife sanctuary, she keeps the land and its people safe — pulling on spidering threads of ancient magic, trying to preserve the balance of nature against the encroaching ravages of human influence. But, every autumn, the devil returns, offering Tess more power in exchange for a foothold into the human world. And, every autumn, Tess refuses.

As Tess prepares her wildlife sanctuary for the winter, an unexpected addition to Burrsville catches the locals’ attention. Freshly arrived Zeke Abdee, the town’s new pastor, begins to sinisterly mold the townspeople to his will.

With everyone slowly turning on Tess, Pastor Zeke is determined to stake his claim on the very land where Tess keeps her sanctuary. Cornered, a desperate Tess pushes her magic to the darkest edges. All the while, the devil bides his time, waiting for Tess to decide if she will be prey — or predator…

Review: Thank you to Berkley for providing me with an ARC at PLA 2026!

It is still so darn hot in Minnesota. Granted, I consider anything above 72 degrees Fahrenheit hot, but I assure you it’s hotter than that lately! I am now at the point in the Summer where I am just done and ready for Fall. The good news is that hopefully, HOPEFULLY, the seasons will start to mellow and shift in a month or so, and I am also starting to get my book choices ready for my favorite time of year. So it was the perfect time to pick up “The Devil Knows Her Name” by C.N. Vair, a debut horror story about a witch in Appalachia who takes care of animals, the town that is starting to turn on her, and a potentially nefarious (but also charming and maybe sexy?) ally who offers her help…. Though he is THE DEVIL.

You have my attention OFFICIALLY. (source)

This was almost guaranteed to be a win for me content wise because god DAMN do I love a witch story, especially one where a witch is not only teaming up with the literal DEVIL to do some shenanigans, but when said shenanigans involve having to deal with a zealous force and a fickle community coming to oppress her. I’m already inclined to be Team Witch and Tess and her story make it super easy, at least for this reader. Vair has created a character that has made a pact with The Devil in a moment of true powerlessness (Tess is nearly murdered by her lover after he blames her for his adultery and tries to drown her), and Tess asks the Devil to save her and to give her magic powers to keep herself and her land/animal sanctuary safe, as well as the community at large. As time passes Tess does not age, but she binds magic and her very body to the town and community over the years to keep everyone out of danger, people and animals alike, while also trying to fend The Devil off as he tempts her with more power every year, perhaps to his advantage. But of course, as the small Appalachian town starts to run stagnate and a charismatic Pastor named Zeke comes to town with promises, things start to get dangerous for Tess. Especially since Zeke is trying to turn the town against her to get her land, and because a strange fawn with strange appetites ends up on her nature preserve. Oh, and her magic is fading more and more as more people turn against her. It’s a classic ‘outsider being oppressed by those who claim to be pious’ tale, and I LOVE that stuff. Vair shows us how Tess has made a place for herself, but how suspicion, desperation, and a slow moving decay of the community threatens that because of her differences and a need for a scapegoat. It’s a tale as old as time, but Vair still manages to make it fresh, as I felt the exact indignation that I imagine I was supposed to feel as Tess has to start protecting herself against people she thought she knew, all while The Devil offers help she isn’t comfortable taking lest he use it against her.

I also liked that Tess is actually a pretty morally grey character as the story unfolds. I am one hundred percent on her side in all of this, and I completely understand why she makes the choices that she does (being a victim of misogynistic violence, valuing the sanctuary and the animals she has bound to protect, having the community slowly turn on her due to Pastor Zeke’s influence when she has done nothing but be helpful both overtly and covertly), but sometimes I was like ‘damn, girl, that’s cold’. I also really loved her relationship with The Devil. I was worried that it would go one of two ways; either it would be a romance that didn’t really examine the power that he has over her as the being that has granted her her protection but for a price, or it would be a completely moralistic ‘she cannot be with him because ultimately she is GOOD and The Devil is BAD’ scold of a story. But Vair manages to find a happy medium where Tess isn’t wholly willing to trust him or give him any more power over her than he already has thanks to the bargain, while also showing that hey, just because he’s THE DEVIL it doesn’t mean that he has to be wholly terrible or in it for selfish reasons. Their back and forth was always fun, and their chemistry crackles. We all know I’m a bit of a sucker for a story with a witch and a demon/The Devil finding a connection (hello “The Witch” and “Slewfoot”), and I can now add “The Devil Knows Her Name” to that list of go to tales that fit the bill.

“The Devil Knows Her Name” is a cathartic horror novel that I definitely recommend for anyone who loves a witch story. Summer is waning, and as my favorite time of year creeps up upon us I urge people to add this book to their lists for the upcoming spooky season!

Rating 8: A dark and mesmerizing witch story about power and zealotry, “The Devil Knows Her Name” is a dreamy and unsettling read just in time for Fall.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Devil Knows Her Name” is included on the Goodreads list “Horror Releases Coming in 2026”.

Joint Review: “Devil Inside”

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Book: “Devil Inside” by Clay McLeod Chapman

Publishing Info: MIRA, August 2026

Where Did We Get This Book: We received ARCs from publicists/the publisher

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

Book Description: A man who’s back from the dead meets a woman who’s from somewhere even worse in Clay McLeod Chapman’s new horrormance about love, possession, and just a little murder.

After a traumatic accident that almost cost Jordan his life, he’s finally starting to feel normal again. Well, maybe not normal. Everything tastes like ash, and when he looks at the people around him, their faces start to melt. At least he’s not dead, right? His friends are doing their best to get him back on his feet, maybe find someone to talk to, perhaps even find someone to take his mind off his last failed relationship.

Then he meets Lilith. The two share an instant connection but after a wild and passionate night together, she ghosts him. Jordan searches the city for Lilith, desperate to see her again. But when a woman claiming to be Lilith shows up, wearing a different face but knowing intimate details about Jordan, he worries he’s losing his grip on reality. As he grows closer to this mysterious woman, he discovers that happily ever afters sometimes come at a cost. How far will Lilith take him, and how much darkness will he embrace to find love?

Kate’s Review

I heard Clay McLeod Chapman talk about “Devil Inside” at ALA in 2025, and I was very intrigued by the idea of a Clay McLeod Chapman take on a horror romance. I knew it would be heavy on the horror, but was QUITE interested to see what he’d do with the lovey dovey stuff. I had a feeling it was going to be wild, and as I was reading I was like ‘oh, yeah, this is going to be INCREDIBLY polarizing I bet’. Because yeah, again, heavy on the horror. The romantic entanglements are dark, dubious, and bordering on problematic. But as someone who has read or seen horror with deeply problematic romantic elements and who has enjoyed them before, it wasn’t my first time at the rodeo, and overall it worked for me as a possession story, a horror story, and, yes, a love story.

I have unironically and fully shipped these two toxic assholes since I was in high school, your deeply fucked up romance doesn’t scare me, Chapman! (source)

“Devil Inside” follows a bike courier named Jordan who was in an accident that left him dead for two minutes, and has now left him aimless and anxious and seeing strange things. He meets a woman who calls herself Lilith and is immediately smitten, but Lilith is a demon who hops from body to body causing chaos, who finds herself drawn to and obsessed with Jordan. A romance is sparked, obsessions and possessions of multiple kinds foment. The demonic possession elements of this story are super unsettling and I loved getting into Lilith’s head as she hops from host to host, sampling them and feeding on them and encouraging darkness to come out even after she has gone. In true Chapman form it can go hog wild and be disturbing and in your face, and while usually demonic possession tales can be a bit predictable, this one felt unique enough that I enjoyed the freshness of it all.

Now. The romance. So it has some actually incredibly tender moments between a demon and her object of obsession. There is one scene where Jordan takes Lilith on a bike ride that actually had me saying ‘awww’ as I read it, even though I had also seen Lilith viciously murder multiple innocent people and take away their bodily autonomy for her own devices. Overall, I liked their fucked up dynamic as an entertaining plot point in a horror novel about demons and not so good people. All that said, this will NOT be for everybody. There are definitely themes of dubious consent here, as Lilith is possessing a woman’s body and Jordan is having sex with Lilith while in said body, which is SKETCHY AT BEST. I will say that Chapman does address this, and does find a way to make it less like an “Obsession” Nicki/Bear situation (that was a specific comparison I saw in a review after the fact) and more ‘consensual’, but it’s still debatable. I totally understand how people would be uncomfortable with it and I don’t undercut that. For me it never read as aspirational, and this is, after all, a horror story. But it’s probably good that there is a content warning at the start of the book, because, like I said, this won’t be for everyone and people should know what they are getting into.

“Devil Inside” is a fresh an interesting new book from one of my favorite horror authors! I recommend people look into it a bit before reading, but if you know what you’re getting into as a horror reader it will probably be a fun and nasty read.

Serena’s Review

I largely agree with everything Kate has already so well stated! I hadn’t read anything by this author before, but I knew that Kate was a big fan, so I was excited to give this one a shot, seeing as it was blending elements from some of my favorite genres. And I’ll say, as a first look, I can definitely see the appeal! While horror will never be my go-to, there are some authors who are simply so compelling that I’ll find myself picking up books that I never would have otherwise. McLeod Chapman spins a tale so cleverly that you find yourself caught up in it almost despite yourself (much like certain characters in the book, perhaps). The strength of the writing really did carry me through some of the horror elements that weren’t naturally to my taste.

That said, I didn’t enjoy the romance itself. I think as a horror story that revolves around obsession, possession, and the darkness within, it works very well. But I agree with what Kate said: the romance itself will be polarizing, and this one wasn’t personally for me.

However, I also think that there is a very interesting conversation to be had about how we evaluate romance novels and darker elements. I don’t have any strict evidence to back this up, but it sometimes seems that readers will give a pass to dark romance novels but then turn around and point the problematic finger at books that contain the same elements in different subgenres. Dark romance routinely features non-consensual aspects, many of which are the same as, if not much, MUCH, worse than anything we get in this book. On one hand, the fact that a book is labeled a “dark romance” is essentially a trigger warning for this kind of thing. But on the other, shouldn’t we apply a similar standard to a “horror romance?” It’s right there in the name!

So while this book’s love story wasn’t my thing, I’d put that right next to the reason that many “dark romance” novels aren’t my thing. And I’m not sure it’s fair to judge this book’s problematic love story through a different lens than that which we use for a sister genre like “dark romance.”

Overall, I enjoyed this one as a horror novel more than I did as a romance novel, and I’m glad I got to finally check out a book by an author I know Kate’s raved about repeatedly on this blog!

Kate’s Rating 7: A unique and creepy possession story with an entertaining (albeit bordering on problematic) romance storyline, “Devil Inside” was a fun read. But it won’t be for everyone.

Serena’s Rating 7: I could enjoy it for what it was, even if it wasn’t my preferred sort of love story. The horror aspects worked particularly well which I think made up for my disconnect with the love story.

Reader’s Advisory

“Devil Inside” is included on the Goodreads list “All the New Horror Books Arriving in August 2026”.

Serena’s Review: “The Lion and the Deathless Dark”

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

Publishing Info: Bramble, August 2026

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

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

Book Description: Under an eternal night, the world has been ravaged by ten years of war between humans and vampires. Kyrene scrapes by as a bounty hunter, bearing a blessed sword from the goddess of justice. But in the wake of a devastating loss, Kyrene commits a crime that makes her a target for mortals and gods alike – and she is still desperate for vengeance.

Her only chance at survival – and revenge – is making a deal with her enemy, the silver-tongue vampire prince, Septimus, who offers her one final to slay the gods themselves.

Together, Kyrene and Septimus must hunt the ultimate marks, all while navigating a web of prophecies and curses. Septimus is calculating and mysterious, masking secrets bloodthirsty enough to consume them both. Yet, most dangerous of all, Kyrene finds an unexpected kinship in him.

But their growing attraction is deadly in a world where the only currency is blood. And Kyrene will stop at nothing to fulfill her ultimate to kill the goddess of vampires, even if it means sacrificing love for revenge.

Review: It’s always great picking up books like this, ones that come from authors who have never let you down in the past. In the case of Broadbent specifically, the first book in a new duology has historically been the best, in my opinion, which made this book all the more exciting! And so it continues; I loved this book!

There was a lot to love about this one, but what stood out the most for me was the main character. I’ve enjoyed all the main characters in this series to different extents. Oraya was probably the more stereotypical stabby, sassy romantasy heroine, but her conflicts with her father gave her an extra edge to stand out from a crowded pack. And I enjoyed the change to a quieter, more optimistic heroine, Mische. But in that duology, it was the hero who really ticked the box for my favorite sort of romantic interest more than a particular attachment to Mische.

But Kyrene, oh Kyrene. Ever since I was a child whose favorite character was Rachel from the “Animorphs” series, I’ve always loved the warriors, especially the brave, blunt, impulsive sort who hide deeper layers within, often some sort of self-hatred or self-fear. And Kyrene ticked all of the right boxes. Every moment in her head was a joy, from watching her bullishly barge into any situation with a “hit first, ask questions later” mentality, to seeing her struggle with the concept of heroism and whether it could ever apply to a person like her.

By this point in the series, the general stakes have been set for this world: everything is awful, and it’s mostly the gods’ fault. So Kyrene’s arrival to the series with her single-minded focus on revenge fits perfectly to drive these final books forward. What’s more, we finally get to see more of Septimus, a character who has popped in and out of the series for several books now and who has always had something brewing under the lid. His focus on cool, meticulously laid plans, juxtaposed by Kyrene’s single-minded approach to vengeance, led to a really excellent pairing.

By this point in the series, we can always expect some major twists to come by the end of the first book in a new duology, and this one delivered on that promise. While I could see at least one of these reveals coming, there were also several that took me completely by surprise. There was even one that came around the 75% mark that totally blindsided me and completely reset the stage of what had come before and what was possible going forward.

And, of course, the romance was great. After Mische’s more romantic duology, it was a change of pace to follow Kyrene, a woman who has as few inhibitions around sex as she does violence. What’s more, the unavoidable tragedy that lies before them both set a different sort of tone for their developing relationship. The tension that was built was much less focused on the physical than it was on the emotional. Both Septimus and Kyrene have their own reasons for not wanting to become emotionally attached.

By this point in the series, it also shouldn’t surprise anyone that this book ends on a pretty big cliffhanger. But Broadbent has always been an efficient writer, so hopefully the wait for the last book in the duology (and the series as a whole!!) shouldn’t be long in coming. If you’ve enjoyed the series so far, this is a must-read. And it will be especially pleasing for any readers who enjoy the warrior woman archetype and who have been desperately longing for Septimus’s book for some time now!

Rating 9: Kyrene has my whole heart! Septimus was great, too, but I do love me a warrior woman protagonist!

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Lion and the Deathless Dark” isn’t on any Goodreads lists yet, but it should be on Can’t Wait Sci-Fi/Fantasy of 2026.

Kate’s Review: “Back for Blood: Never Whistle at Night Part II”

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

Publishing Info: Vintage, August 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: They’re baaaaaaaaaack!

As any savvy horror fan the monster never truly dies. The team that brought you the bestselling dark fiction anthology Never Whistle at Night has risen, hungry, from the grave to summon more dark delicacies for your delectation. In these twenty-one brand-new, groundbreaking, gruesome stories—authored by both established and newly unearthed Indigenous talent—the contributors are fully embracing both supernatural horrors and the everyday horror of living under colonialist rule.  

Featuring stories of unspeakable yet satisfying terror, from twisted psychological tales to gore-filled monster hunts, this new selection of sinister stories will sate your darkest appetites and leave you slavering for more. Never Whistle at Night, Part Back for Blood is a further celebration of Indigenous survival and the enduring tradition of transforming adversity into art.

Review: Thank you to Vintage for providing me with an ARC of this novel at ALAAC26!

Before I go to ALAAC every year I make a list of books that I hope to find there. I never get my hopes up for any of them, because I know that access is limited (and I’m never upset with the selection of ARCs that the publishers provide), but I do have a few I really cross my fingers for. One of those sought after titles this past year was “Back for Blood: Never Whistle at Night II: An Indigenous Horror Anthology”, edited by Shane Hawk and Theodore Van Alst Jr., because I so enjoyed the first collection and wanted to see which Indigenous voices were going to provide tales of terror this time around. And the hooting and hollering I did when I did see it and did get it was pretty substantial. I had such high hopes for this new collection, and I’m thrilled to report that it was just as grand as I had hoped it would be!!

As I always do for short story collections, I will review my three favorite stories and then the entire series as a whole.

“Party at the Alvarez Ranch” by Mat RudeWalker: It is probably no shock that one of my favorite stories in this collection involved the folklore of a ravenous monster that could be an urban legend, but could also be a true threat in the woods. Two teenagers are attending a party when they stumble upon a lofa, a large beast that eats the flesh of those who are unfortunate enough to encounter it. This one is a pulse pounding down and dirty monster tale, and I really enjoyed the build up, the lore, and then the way it all settles out, as creepy and nasty it was.

“We Don’t Talk About It” by Alina Pete: I think this was my favorite story in the collection, as while it definitely has some scary as hell monster stuff it also has a heartbreaking examination of addiction and denial/familial rejection after being burnt out by a loved one being an addict. A woman returns home one night to find her brother, having left rehab early and asking for help even though she and the rest of the family have tried to create distance after years of anguish. But it becomes clear that her ‘brother’ is actually something else, a being that feeds and feeds on despair and has come to take her as well. I found this one incredibly emotional as well as scary, as Pete brings in mythology about “That One” and creates a devastating tale about how addiction can tear families apart.

“The Corpse Room” by Debra Magpie Earling: This is probably one of the darkest, if not THE darkest, stories in the collection, but that’s no shocker given that it is set in a Catholic boarding school where Indigenous children are abused, tortured, and killed. Teenage girls at a boarding school endure horrific abuses at the hands of the nuns and a new priest, and all fear being sent to the ‘corpse room’ where girls enter but never come out. After one girl goes in, the others are desperate to find out what happened to her. This one made my heart ache on a whole other level, and Earling doesn’t mince words when describing the atrocities perpetrated against children (and babies too) by the Church. It also makes it one of the more cathartic stories in the collection, but it’s just brutal and devastating.

But honestly, it was SO HARD to narrow it down to three, because there were so many FANTASTIC stories in this anthology. I think with the exception of one or two I genuinely enjoyed pretty much all of them (and even the ones that didn’t work for me were more about genre or stylistic choices than anything else). The genres have a large range, and many of the stories not only had some serious scares, but also a poignancy and a reflection of societal issues facing Indigenous people (as well as larger crises, like climate change, that are coming for us all as much as we don’t want to think about it). I also appreciated the large swath of different groups that the authors are members of, showing that there are distinct beliefs, mythologies, and practices between the groups. It’s really just a great collection of horror and dark fantasy stories, and it will surely stick with the reader long after the last page is turned.

“Back for Blood: Never Whistle at Night Part II” is another banger of a horror anthology. If you are a horror fan, definitely pick this one up.

Rating 9: Another solid collection of Indigenous horror and dark fiction, “Back for Blood: Never Whistle at Night Part II” has some unique tales of terror as well as poignant reflections on being Indigenous in North America.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Back for Blood: Never Whistle at Night Part II” is included on the Goodreads list “Indigenous Books 2026”.

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!