Serena’s Review: “A Dark and Wild Wood”

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Book: “A Dark and Wild Wood” by Sarah Nicole Lemon

Publishing Info: Harper Voyager, May 2026

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

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

Book Description: Ever since she was a child, Salomé has been plagued by visions of spirits and dangerous powers she can’t control. After watching her foster mother burn as a witch, she and her beloved sister Rochelle are raised together in a convent, a grim and dreary existence. Until one day, Rochelle vanishes.

Determined to find a way to save her, Salomé runs: first to a brothel, and then, after a terrible accident, away from the village and into the woods. Deep amongst the trees of the wild Black Forest, she comes face-to-face with Lord Death.

Rather than taking her life, he brings her to his home at the heart of the woods, a strange manor full of locked rooms and mysterious corridors, crumbling one moment, magnificent the next. He promises to make her his apprentice and teach her how to harness her mind and magic. His words are as seductive as his presence—but should one trust Death?

A swirling mirage of dark fairy tale, gothic romance, and historical fantasy, A Dark and Wild Wood is a novel best devoured all at once. But proceed with caution, as everything is not what it seems…

Review: So, unfortunately, I think we’re running headfirst into another case of a book being poorly marketed right from the top. Whether marketers were trend-chasing or honestly didn’t consider the differences, this book says right there in the summary that this is a gothic romance. And oh boy, it is not. (To be fair, it seems that the author has been clear that this is not a romance, but it’s too bad that they seem to be putting forward a message that is now at odds with their own publisher’s summary.)

Yes, there is a “romance,” but there is a gaping gulf between books that have romance elements and books that are “romances,” gothic or otherwise. The latter has many conventions that are expected, such as happy endings, relationships that readers root for, etc. The former can be found in all kinds of different books (horror, thriller, fantasy, etc.), and there’s no guarantee that the romance is even a good thing at all. And the latter is definitely the case here. And that’s fine! But unfortunately, when the book puts itself forward as a “gothic romance,” I feel like a lot of readers are going to pick this one up and be massively disappointed by what they find.

That aside, once I settled into the sort of book I was reading, there were elements that I enjoyed. While the pacing was a bit all over the place (slow at the beginning, only to pick up speed later in the story), it did work with the sort of gothic fairytale that was being spun here. In this way, the comparisons to “Bluebeard,” a deeply disturbing fairytale in its own right, are much more apt for this book. Fairytales often start from the very beginning, and such is the case here, starting with the birth of our main character. The writing itself was also often beautiful and further established the dark fairytale tone of the overall story.

I was more conflicted about the characters themselves. As I mentioned, this is not a romance in any way, mostly because the relationship itself is deeply unhealthy and abusive, and Death is not a hero, romantic or otherwise. Given the “Bluebeard” comparisons, it’s clear that you are not meant to root for this relationship or like Death at all. However, I also struggled with Salome. At best, she was incredibly naive, but at worst, the reader was never given enough information to truly understand the connection she felt with Death or why she craved that relationship in the way that she did. On one hand, abusive relationships are never understandable to outsiders looking in. But on the other, I do think more could have been done to show Salome’s twisted understanding of this relationship and her own manipulated feelings.

Further, I think the actual fantasy elements and magic system were interesting but not fully explored. I kept wanting just a bit more from this aspect of the story.

Overall, this book showed a lot of potential on the part of the author, but it just wasn’t quite as polished as I would have liked with its characterization of the main character and some of its fantasy elements. I think the writing itself was quite strong, and the primary missteps come down to the way the book has been presented. If readers go in with the understanding that they are reading a gothic dark fantasy novel first and foremost, I think they are much more likely to enjoy what they find here.

Rating 7: While not a romance story in any way, the writing had some beautiful moments. I only wish the main character was a bit more fleshed out.

Reader’s Advisory:

“A Dark and Wild Wood” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Bluebeard Retellings and 2026 Gothic.

Kate’s Review: “You First”

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Book: “You First” by Caroline Kepnes

Publishing Info: Random House, June 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: Joe Goldberg is ready for his life to start. He’s seventeen years old, working in Mr. Mooney’s bookshop, falling in love with every girl on the subway all while wondering who will be the one. He knows what he needs: A woman who will force him to get his GED, go to night school, and make something of himself. But who would ever fall in love with him?

Then he spots it: MISSED CONNECTION, NYC Bookstore Babe.

Someone is looking for Joe. And that someone is Vail Gunderson, a production assistant with a passion for rom-coms. The only catch: she’s twenty-four, which means that Joe has no choice but to lie about his age…and, naturally, nearly everything else in his life. Joe thinks he’s found true love, but when Vail needs more convincing that Joe is her happily ever after, he’s determined to convince her…no matter what it takes…

With her incisive and darkly comedic prose, Caroline Kepnes captures Joe poised on the edge of manhood, entering the vicious, dog-eat-dog New York dating scene for the very first time, and buffeted by forces that will determine what kind of man he will become—and how he will write his own twisted love story.

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

It’s been a couple of years since we last saw stalker super creep Joe Goldberg in book form. His show on Netflix had its run and finale, and I was pretty satisfied with how it all shook out, but it’s been since his time in “For You and Only You” that we’ve seen him on the page. And he’s very different on the page. I will admit that after time passed and I was cycling through my insomnia listens of his books, that previous book was the one I revisited the least, and I was a bit worried that it was the end of his story. When it was announced we were getting a fifth book I was excited. When I saw it was going to be a prequel instead of a sequel I was…. apprehensive. What could teenage Joe tell us that we don’t already know about him? Was it going to be a little bit of a retcon that upends the canon? I didn’t really need to be nervous, because Caroline Kepnes’s “You First”, while a shift in the timeline, is still entertaining and a solidly ‘Joe’ story, giving us a glimpse into what made him Joe, terrible personality and all. I’m still a okay with shitty villain protagonists and their gross twisted stories, and this one keeps it up!

Footage of me when I see people complaining about trash main characters doing obviously trash things in a thriller novel as if its an endorsement of trash. (source)

This is less of a thriller this time around just based on the fact that TECHNICALLY Joe doesn’t really start getting fully into his murderous ways until AFTER this point in the timeline just based on what happens in the other books in the series (there is a little bit of wiggle room here, just to note), and more of a character study set in a historical fiction genre (oh GOD, the early aughts are now historical fiction, I’m Joe’s age and this makes me feel OLD). We meet Joe when he’s seventeen, working at Mooney’s Books (hooray for the return of Mr. Mooney!), and the entire city is still dealing with 9/11, which only happened a few months earlier. He’s hyper-focusing on the Internet and Missed Connection ads, and through his he meets Vail, a twenty four year old woman who works on the “Sex and the City” set. Vail is the blueprint for his future obsessions, and she is neurotic, self absorbed, and flitty. But this is through the eyes of seventeen year old Joe, who has basically been abandoned by his parents, left to his own devices with the occasional support from the weird and abusive Mr. Mooney, and we see how his experiences are, indeed, warping his sense of love and connection. This may sound like it’s getting into excuse territory, but I don’t feel like it is for the most part. Something that does have to be kept in mind is that he is still, technically, a kid here, and it’s an interesting trajectory to see his obsession form and how it stays with him from here on out. Especially since everyone else in this book that influences and interacts with and affects him is a full on adult. It explains a lot. And he does sound like a nervous teenager in his inner monologue with insecurities that feel familiar, even if they are dark and fucked up. It’s a twisted coming of age story to be sure.

Kepnes still keeps the weird dark humor and the seediness of the other books in this one! That is part of the reason I love these books so much, just how damn funny Joe can be and how skeevy they can make me feel as I read them. It’s a little harder to swallow at times in this book given that Joe is only seventeen, and Kepnes does tread a fine line with some of the sexual situations in this book between him and Vail, but it’s far more restrained than previous books. We are seeing similar patterns with bad people being bad to each other, and it’s getting a LITTLE repetitive, but it didn’t drag it down too much. Vail is grating but she’s supposed to be, but she also captures that wannabe Carrie Bradshaw NYC delusion that I remember well from being a high schooler and young adult from this time period (I remember binging “Sex and the City” with my roommate and being so insulted she thought I was a Charlotte even though now I’m like ‘yeah probably, but without the WASP-iness’). It has the vibes I look for in these books. But I do wonder how much longer they can be sustained.

I am curious to know where Joe is going from here. “You First” gives us a backstory, and I wonder if it is telegraphs what is next for the character. I’m still fully on board to go on whatever ride Kepnes wants to make me on with this character, and his lore has expanded in a way that worked for me.

Rating 8: Teenager Joe Goldberg as a concept gave me a little pause, but the execution was pretty well done and the outcome was seedy, twisted, and exactly what I’ve come to expect from Joe, even as a teenager.

Reader’s Advisory:

“You First” isn’t on any Goodreads lists yet, but it would fit in on “I’ll Be Watching You”.

Serena’s Review: “The Unicorn Hunters”

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Book: “The Unicorn Hunters” by Katherine Arden

Publishing Info: Del Rey, June 2026

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

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

Book Description: Anne of Brittany was a child when her realm was invaded, her home besieged, and her royal father driven to his death.

Now her treasury is empty, her land occupied by her enemies, and she is ordered, under threat of renewed war, to become queen of her conquerors and marry the King of France. This marriage means her country’s annexation. But Anne promised her father that Brittany would never be conquered.

Defiantly, she betroths herself in secret to France’s greatest enemy. But in a world where courts may spy on each other by magic, there is only one way to solemnize this illicit union.

Anne takes her court deep into a legendary forest, where the court diviners’ skill cannot reach. The world thinks they are only a hunting party, coursing after unicorns. But that is a lie, a trick, a feint. No one in living memory has seen a unicorn. All Anne wants is this secret wedding, which is her only hope of salvation.

But when against all hope a unicorn appears and a stranger out of legend stumbles from the trees and falls at her feet, Anne is plunged into a world of enchantment where a doomed sovereign might find the power to change her own and her country’s destiny—or be lost in the shadows forever.

Review: It was never in doubt that I was going to absolutely love this book. I’ve adored everything I’ve read by this author, and this was more of the same. From the excellent and seamless blending of historical fiction and fantasy fairytale, to the impeccable writing, to the strong character who serves as the heart of the tale, this was fantastic from start to finish.

One thing that stood out as particularly impressive is the aforementioned blending of genres. Change a few plot points here and there, and this could have read as a straight historical fiction novel focused on the life of the real woman and queen, Anne. I only knew a few vague bits and pieces of her story, so the author’s note at the end was immensely helpful in contextualizing the story. From that and my brief further research, Arden has done an incredible job both capturing the draw and charisma of Anne, but also imagining a new future for her, one where a woman can reclaim her own power outside of her ability to produce heirs.

Anne was powerful, but in unique ways. Yes, there are magical elements, but the story goes to great lengths to establish her true power as her ability to draw people to her, to gain loyalty, to persuade, and to trick when necessary. Of course, I loved the flashy fantasy moments, but these quieter strengths were the true heart of the character and what made me so eager to continue following her along her journey.

Beyond reimagining true events and characters, Arden manages to capture a style of writing and speaking that feels true to its time. This reads like a medieval fairytale first and foremost. There are moments in the dialogue that are very distinct in how far they are from the modern English that we speak today, from the use of turns of phrase no longer seen to simply the order of word choice. In this way, the story always felt grounded in its time and place, and I can’t emphasize enough just how impressed I was by the author’s strong hold on her craft and tone throughout.

Beyond Anne, there’s a full cast of compelling side characters, from the spunky younger sister, to the crafty street kid, to the mysterious stranger who comes among Anne and her court bringing dark magic alongside him. There was also a lovely romantic subplot that I adored. There was just the right balance placed on this love story where it felt fully formed but didn’t detract from the primary tale, that of Anne and the mystery of the unicorn.

The fantasy portion of the story was also directly up my alley. This is very much a medieval fairytale, and I loved every minute of it. There was darkness woven in and among the beauty, tragedy alongside the wonder, and I blazed through the final quarter of the book when this element really came to the forefront.

So, yes, if you couldn’t tell by now, this was a “10”-rated read for me. Arden had already cemented herself as a must-buy author, but this one really stood out. The “Winternight” trilogy is amazing, but there’s something special about a standalone novel that feels as tightly put together as this one: no missteps, nothing missing, just perfection from start to finish.

Rating 10: Absolutely brilliant! Arden’s beautiful, lyrical writing captures the deep peace of the unicorn, the terrifying shadows of the dark forest, and the endless well of strength found in one woman who sets out to change her fate.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Unicorn Hunters” can be found on these Goodreads lists:Most Anticipated Adult Fantasy & Sci-fi of 2026 (Standalones & New Series) and My favorite Medieval Fantasy novels.

Kate’s Review: “It Came from Neverland”

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Book: “It Came from Neverland” by Cynthia Pelayo

Publishing Info: Crooked Lane Books, June 2026

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

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

Book Description: Peter Pan meets Stephen King’s It in this twisted horror retelling of a classic childhood fairytale set during WWI.

1914, Wendy Darling works by day as a school teacher and by night, she assists soldiers who have returned home from the Western Front. There is one mysterious patient who despite all the care they’ve given him, is in a deep sleep, unable to wake up. One night, when he murmurs the words “Peter Pan,” Wendy is thrown back to a darker time, one that she wishes she could forget.

When one of her students goes missing, it brings back memories of when children went missing and were later found murdered in London many years ago. Wendy believes that Peter Pan, the entity that she believed killed those children, is back. She and her brothers had a close encounter with Peter Pan, after all. But her brothers only remember Peter Pan and Neverland as a fantasy of childhood games.

When another child goes missing and signs start to point to Wendy, Scotland Yard digs into old reports, finding that Wendy knew the names of all the children who had been killed. As Wendy tries to prove her innocence, she also has to find a way to stop Peter Pan once and for all.

Review: Thank you to Kaye Publicity for sending me an ARC of this novel!

I’ve never been SUPER connected to the “Peter Pan” story. I definitely had the Disney version on VHS as a child, as well as the Mary Martin version (which I actually preferred), and I definitely liked “Hook” (and own it to this day). But the story itself isn’t really precious to me. But I AM someone who loves a dark retelling of a classic story, especially if there is a horror twist, and I have LOVED basically everything I’ve read by Cynthia Pelayo. So “It Came from Neverland”, her newest horror novel, made perfect sense as a highly anticipated novel this year for me. Especially since this one promised to center Wendy. Even if it sounded like Wendy was going to be put through hell.

Even if the story never really resonated, I always loved Wendy. (source)

One of the things that I love most about Cynthia Pelayo’s horror stories is that while they are always genuinely creepy, there is also almost always a dreamlike quality to them, and that translates very well to her take on Peter Pan and Neverland. Taking place in WW1 London, Wendy Darling is all grown up, living as a school teacher while also spending time volunteering at a hospital to read to wounded soldiers. As a child she and her brothers were taken to a strange place called Neverland by a strange boy named Peter who couldn’t grow up and promised a fun life with other children, but was in actuality manipulating all of them and killing them to keep his power. Wendy and her brothers escaped, but she has been living with the trauma years later even as the world has learned the story as a fantasy tale of joy and imagination. Pelayo does a fantastic job of incorporating the original story that is filled with magic and whimsy and twisting it into something more sinister, while also taking inspiration from faerie stories and mythology. There has certainly been a more recent take on Peter Pan tales that paint him as less mischievous and more monstrous, but Pelayo’s feels unique in that it’s a bit more sinister fairy and Pennywise-esque. Because of this reimagining it completely reframes the entirety of Neverland, but Pelayo is really skilled at reframing it while still making it feel like it COULD be a place that J.M. Barrie could water down to make more family friendly. Peter in this is terrifying and creepy, but still feels like it could be connected to Barrie’s creation just through how Pelayo brings in references and tweaks them just a little. We still have lost boys, who are kidnapped children that Wendy wants to protect while Peter harms them to manipulate her. We still have the idea of Peter’s shadow, making it more of thing that can be used to connect to others to create a bond that makes an abuser hold onto a victim. But my favorite was the reimagining of Captain Hook, as instead of a foppish pirate who is constantly undermined by the mischievous Peter, we have a man who has had so much taken from him because of this nasty entity that harms everything it comes in contact with.

But my favorite element, which is unsurpising, is Wendy herself, as Pelayo has perfectly expanded upon her to explore her as a trauma survivor who was so connected to Peter, only to realize he only meant harm to her and everyone else. I really enjoyed the flashbacks to see how it affected her mental state, and how that in turn affected her relationships with Michael and John, who also experienced it but were more able to convince themselves it never happened. Wendy is still the caring girl who wants to care for and help others, and by making it a strength instead of the obligation we kind of get in the source material (Wendy is really only there because as a girl she HAS to be a mother figure) it shows how much more powerful she is, even if she is still quite damaged. I also loved that she is not only helping literal children as she teaches them, but that she is also helping wounded soldiers back from the Western Front, as so many soldiers were teenagers and children in their own right (the WWI setting was such a great idea in and of itself and it really resonated with this part of the plot). I also appreciated that so much of the horror of Peter and his monstrous ways were entangled with Wendy’s trauma, as he was SO scary and seeing her gather the strength and courage to stop him once and for all made for a very satisfying horror plot.

“It Came from Neverland” was everything I was hoping it would be! Pelayo is so talented as creating dreamy and spooky horror stories, and I recommend it to both those who love “Peter Pan” and those who just love a horror tale littered with well crafted symbolism and metaphors.

Rating 9: A haunting and eerie re-imagining of “Peter Pan”, which focuses on trauma, grief, loss, and overcoming a childhood stolen and an alternate truth to a beloved classic.

Reader’s Advisory:

“It Came from Neverland” is included on the Goodreads lists “Peter Pan Re-Tellings”, and “Horror to Look Forward To in 2026”.

Highlights: June 2026

Well, forget spring, we’re straight into summer! At least if the last week of May has anything to say about it! While the extra sunshine and daylight is great, the return of the heat and humidity is…less so. Ah well! At least we have ALA at the end of the month. We also have a bunch of new titles to look forward to reading from the shade or, more realistically, the air-conditioned home.

Serena’s Picks

Book: “The Unicorn Hunters” by Katherine Arden

Publication Date: June 2, 2026

Why I’m Interested: Arden is a must-read author for me, so naturally this is at the top of my list. Beyond the fact that she’s such a talented author and could probably make any story work, this one sounds particularly up my alley! A historical fairytale that re-imagines the life of Anne of Brittany. Dark forests, mysterious magic, and what sounds like a solid romantic subplot! I can’t wait to check this one out! Plus, this cover is absolutely hitting it out of the park!

Book: “The Fatal Unpleasantness at Netherfield” by Claudia Gray

Publication Date: June 16, 2026

Why I’m Interested: Every spring I get excited for the next entry into the “Mr. Darcy and Miss Tilney” mystery series by Claudia Gray. There hasn’t been a singled misstep so far! I’m, of course, excited to see how the slowburn romance between our two main characters will progress, but I’m also excited with the new location and cast of characters we’re going to see in this one! Give me more Mr. Bingley and Jane Bennet any day of the week! I can’t imagine two people less able to manage needing to be suspicious of house guests as potential murderers! Jane would simply say there must have been a terrible misunderstanding somewhere and no one is actually murdered! I can’t wait for this!

Book: “Endless Blue Beneath” by Shannon K. English

Publication Date: June 9, 2026

Why I’m Interested: There have been some great mermaid stories recently, not least our recent book club book, “When the Tides Held the Moon.” So of course I was going to jump at the chance to now read a sapphic version of mermaids! The story follows a young woman who is shunned on land, only to find a new family and world deep beneath the sea. And, of course, a mysterious love interest. Plus, again, the cover art on this one is just amazing!

Kate’s Picks

Book: “You First” by Caroline Kepnes

Publication Date: June 9, 2026

Why I’m Interested: I am ALWAYS going to be interested in a Joe Goldberg story, I don’t care how creepy and terrible he is. And the wait for a new one is finally over as Caroline Kepnes is back with a new Joe book, this time taking us back in time to when he was a teenager! And to the first time he had a transformational obsession, I mean romance. Seventeen year old Joe meets Vail, an older woman who comes into Moody’s Books and sweeps Joe off his feet. Everyone has an origin story, even the stalker creeps, and seeing how Joe became Joe is sure to be a dark and sardonic ride.

Book: “It Came From Neverland” by Cynthia Pelayo

Publication Date: June 9, 2026

Why I’m Interested: I love Cynthia Pelayo’s dark fairy tale horror stories, and this time she is taking on a literary fantasy classic: Peter Pan! Wendy Darling is living in World War I London, teaching children and caring for wounded soldiers, and trying to forget how she and her brothers were lured away by a mysterious boy when they were children, only to find out that Neverland was a place where a monster lived. Now she is starting to see hints that Peter, the boy who stole her and other children, may be back to harm more kids. I love a dark retelling and Pelayo is always a macabre and emotional delight steeped in dreamy prose. This is sure to be a winner.

Book: “What Happened To Those Girls” by Carlyn Greenwald

Publication Date: June 30, 2026

Why I’m Interested: Mean girl antics meets “The Blair Witch Project”? Oh yes please! I love a soapy teen drama with girls being cruel to each other already, but when you throw in a horror twist it’s all the better. Emma is always the odd one out of her friend group, but it goes one step too far one night when her friends go on a camping trip that was her idea and leave her behind. But her friends are murdered on that trip, and Emma starts getting weird videos of the night they died. In order to clear her name, she teams up with one of the victim’s sister’s to discover who is behind it. I like mysteries too so it just sounds like a fun read all around.

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

Serena’s Review: “Sisters of the Lizard”

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

Book: “Sisters of the Lizard” by Jackson Ford

Publishing Info: Orbit, May 2026

Where Did I Get this Book: Netgalley!

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

Book Description: All Sayana wanted was to enjoy her life in the rolling grasslands of the Tapestry. After she and her fellow Rakada managed to ride humongous fire-breathing lizards to face down the Great Khan’s army, they should have been able to kick back a little for once. Not too much to ask, right?

Instead, the Tapestry is in turmoil – invading armies threaten, the other raider clans are at war, and inside his fortress city of Karkorum, the Khan broods and plots. What’s more, the Rakada’s giant lizards are getting sick, and they have no idea how to cure them. If they die, there’s no telling what might happen to the Tapestry.

But then the Rakada receive a vision – apparently from the gods. A deep emerald pool surrounded by bone-white sands – one that may be able to heal their lizards. With no other option, the raiders set out on an epic quest across the mountains and into the desert.

But the danger that awaits them will be one greater than they’ve ever faced before. These guys really can’t catch a break.

Previously Reviewed: “The Bone Raiders”

Review: After really enjoying the first book in this series, this had a firm spot near the top of my TBR. And this sequel succeeded in the most basic sense: it was more of what I liked from the first book!

The first book introduced a wide cast of female characters, all with excellent and distinct personalities and inner arcs. Here, we got more of the same. While I like all of the main characters, I was especially excited to see that Hogelun moved more to the center stage of the story. She was probably my favorite character from the first book, the one with the most surprising personal story of the sort that we don’t often see in these sorts of stories. And here we see that arc continue even further as Hogelun is pushed to come more fully into her own. The lasting effects of her previous emotionally abusive relationship remain a challenge, and it was so satisfying watching Hogelun progress forward through her own struggles. And while this sounds like a lot of slow, introspective work, the author manages to explore these deeper psychological moments all while making his characters fight on the back of giant lizards!

Sayana’s story also went in a surprising direction. Her story was built more around the fears and challenges the Bone Raiders face in this book, some of which are truly tragic. There was also a stronger emphasis on the religion and lore of this world that was brought to the forefront in Sayana’s story, wrapping up in some fairly incredible twists and turns.

I also continued to be impressed by the author’s ability to merge an action-packed fantasy world alongside deeper themes of family, leadership, and loyalty. Like I said, there was definitely more tragedy in this book, and I definitely found myself tearing up at points. That said, I wouldn’t say it was a heavy read. The action was exciting and there was a humorous tinge to most of the writing.

My one qualm comes down to something that I praised in the first book. There, I enjoyed the fact that the author devoted so much page time to the villain of the story. The same approach was taken here, and while I did appreciate some insights into this character’s perspective, I also disliked them so strongly that I had a hard time wanting to spend any more time with them as the story continued, especially as I became more and more invested in the other storylines.

Overall, this was a fantastic sequel. It delivered on the same strengths in the first book and elevated the overall stakes of the world and story going forward. If you liked the first book or are looking for an action-packed fantasy series, I strongly recommend these books so far!

Rating 8: A bit darker than the first book, but “Sisters of the Lizard” was still a blast, full of action and fierce women!

Reader’s Advisory:

“Sisters of the Lizard” can be found on this Goodreads list: All the New Fantasy Books Arriving in May 2026

Fire’s Catching: “Sunrise on the Reaping”

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

It’s been eighteen years since Suzanne Collins wrote “The Hunger Games”, the smash hit literary sensation that continues to feel relevant and capture the attention of readers. This ongoing series will be a review series of both the Suzanne Collins books, as well as the film adaptations of the novels. I will post my review on the last Thursday of the month as we revisit the totalitarian world of Panem and the hope of the Mockingjay.

Book: “Sunrise on the Reaping” by Suzanne Collins

Publishing Info: Scholastic Press, March 2025

Where Did I Get This Book: I own it

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

Book Description: When you’ve been set up to lose everything you love, what is there left to fight for?

As the day dawns on the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem. This year, in honor of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes.

Back in District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances. All he cares about is making it through the day and being with the girl he loves.

When Haymitch’s name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He’s torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who’s nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town. As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he’s been set up to fail. But there’s something in him that wants to fight . . . and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.

Review: We are now at the last book in the “Hunger Games” universe, and I remember being wholly stoked when “Sunrise on the Reaping” was announced. We were finally going to get Haymitch’s Games! I have loved Haymitch since I first read the books, and on this read through I only appreciated his character more. When we meet Haymitch he is the lone surviving victor of District 12 (and only the second victor overall), and he is a drunken PTSD ridden mess who has to mentor Katniss and Peeta, and he turns into a emotional support for them as well as an important part of the rebellion. We all know that he was going to have a rough backstory, but the idea of meeting him when he was young and a tribute was so exciting! I know that some people thought that it was going to be fan service. Well, I can tell you that Suzanne Collins basically said ‘yeah, fuck you and your fan service, you are going to only get FAN DEVASTATION’ (outside of a cameo by THE Effie Trinket), because “Sunrise on the Reaping” is quite possibly the most depressing “Hunger Games” story yet.

I should have known it was going to make me sob. (source)

I am sure that that was in part due to the fact that Collins didn’t want the fandom to get comfortable and to lose sight of the overall message of these stories. But it is also because Haymitch Abernathy, while a side character seen through the eyes of Katniss in the original trilogy, has an incredibly sad backstory that has to shape who he is by the time we get to Katniss and Peeta’s games. And shape “Sunrise on the Reaping” does.

So we go to the 50th Hunger Games, which is also the Second Quarter Quell, where the ‘special twist’ is that each district sends four tributes. We had some info about this thanks to snippets in the original trilogy, like we knew that Haymitch had a fellow tribute named Maysilee Donner (whose twin Merilee was the mother of Katniss’s friend Madge). But Collins gives us a far larger picture about how Haymitch got to where he was, as well as a look at propaganda in Panem and how entrenched it is.

The propaganda is REALLY apparent this time around, as we see more blatant examples of it in this book that the regular viewers of The Games would completely miss. Whether it’s sudden replacements of tributes after horrific tragedy that is scrubbed from view (like Haymitch not being the original tribute, or the whole Louella/Lou Lou thing, my GOD), or the way that we see Plutarch Heavensbee’s original role as a cinematographer of sorts (more on him in a bit) to promote the games, we see how Snow has taken his lessons from “Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” and really started to implement them to make the Games full on garish entertainment and a tool of control through fear. And not just the general population, but also the former victors, as we see some fan favorites in this book making appearances like Beetee and Mags and Wiress, but whose circumstances of being involved range from depressing (Mags and Wiress being mentors and seeing them BEFORE they are where they are in the original series, mental health wise), to outright devastating (Beetee’s own child has been reaped, and it’s implied that it is in retaliation).

But the other huge theme in this book which REALLY worked for me and feels SUPER RELEVANT (not that government propaganda doesn’t) is the way that Collins approaches and expands upon the idea of a revolution. When we read the initial trilogy, it seems like Katniss as the Mockingjay is the spark that lit the flame to revolution in Panem, as so many things came together to make her a symbol and people like Plutarch, Haymitch, and Alma Coin took advantage of her popularity to pull off the uprising. But we find out in “Sunrise on the Reaping” that Plutarch has been working on a revolution alllll the way back to Haymitch’s games, and Haymitch was his first tribute recruit. Obviously, it doesn’t go well, and while Haymitch does win and while Plutarch goes undetected, Haymitch loses basically everything after he goes outside of Snow’s approval of how he handles the Games. The revolution this time is a failure, and it takes YEARS to actually achieve, and it needs a lot of lucky timing and non-controllable circumstances to actually come to fruition. This is what hit me the hardest as I read this book, because I think that for a lot of people the idea of a ‘revolution’ is something that just happens, it works, and everything is better. But in reality, it can take a lot of time, it usually involves a lot of deaths, and it also tends to have to have people behind the scenes, like Plutarch Heavensbee, bless is incredibly morally gray character, who are willing to do REALLY dodgy things to achieve their goals, with others, usually more vulnerable groups, bearing the brunt of it like poor Haymitch who lives in the poorest area of one of the poorest districts.

And finally, I also want to touch on the portrayal of District 12 in this book, as we’re kind of in the middle of the timeline between “Songbirds” and the original trilogy. The Covey are still around at this point, with Haymitch being in love with a Covey girl named Lenore Dove. It’s an interesting point in the timeline because the Covey are becoming more sparse, though there is still a clear divide between the Covey, the more merchant class, and the working class in the Seam. We also know that by the time we go twenty five years into the future, the Covey are basically gone, at least culture wise (as Katniss’s father is Covey on his mother’s side), and we see a cultural extermination in process over the series’s timeline. It’s sad and deeply interesting, and with the way Lenore Dove’s fate settles out and how Lucy Gray disappeared in the previous novel, it stings all the more knowing their community will be gone in the coming years.

“Sunrise on the Reaping” is another impactful and powerful “Hunger Games” story that avoids the pitfalls that could have come with it. If Collins is done with these stories and this world, it has ended on a strong note. Up next we start our movie reviews, and we start with “The Hunger Games”! Back to the beginning folks!

Rating 9: There is no fan service to be found here. Instead we get a despairing look at how Haymitch Abernathy became who he was in the original trilogy, as well as an examination of the power of propaganda as manipulation to get a population to believe whatever those in power want them to, and how sometimes revolutions take decades to achieve.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Sunrise on the Reaping” is included on the Goodreads lists “Best Dystopian and Post-Apocalyptic Fiction”, and “[ATY 2026] Character in More Than One Book”.

Serena’s Review: “A Curse of Beasts and Magic”

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Book: “A Curse of Beasts and Magic” by Jeaniene Frost

Publishing Info: Bramble, May 2026

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

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

Book Description: Raine Stone was the sole survivor of a horrific creature while camping. Her account of the attack was attributed to shock, but Raine knows all too well that her story is true because now she carries that same Beast inside her!

She’s been restraining its violent urges by letting it ‘feed’ on the pain and chaos she’s exposed to as an ER nurse, and by playing vigilante against would-be muggers at night. But when Raine uses the Beast’s energy to heal a frail elderly gentleman from a seemingly random attack, she opens herself to a new world of danger—literally.

Remington “Remy” Byrne knows that the wall between a realm of deadly mythic creatures and our own world is very thin; he’s the Warden who guards the gateways between them. He also rules the supernatural creatures living in secret among us. Raine’s Beast makes her an intruder on Remy’s territory, but the elderly gentleman she saved is Remy’s grandfather, and her Beast contains power that could tip the scales in a sinister plot against Remy’s rule—if Raine allies with him.

Will they be friends or foes…or will the dangerous attraction between them turn into something else? And can our world be saved by their explosive alliance?

Review: To start with an aside, I do wish publishers would find a better way of differentiating their fantasy titles. Between the book cover and the book description, there were zero hints anywhere to be found that this was an urban fantasy. I enjoy urban fantasy, but for readers who picked this up off the shelf, looked at the ballgown on the cover, and then read the book description, which hints at a fairytale retelling, there’s very little to clue anyone in that this is not the high fantasy story it appears to be. Sure, if you look closely at the one castle, you can see a cityscape, but that’s asking a bit much of readers to dig out clues. This isn’t a deal breaker by any means, but I do think that this kind of thing can lead to a mismatch between the book and the reader, leaving some of the prime audience members unaware that this might be right up their alley! It’s as simple as not putting that central character in a ballgown! Put her in some badass leather jacket number and boom! Problem solved!

That being the case, once I mentally slotted this one into the “paranormal romance” category, there was a lot to like here! Most notably, I did enjoy the romance here. There was an appropriate build-up of tension, and any trust built between the two characters had to be earned. This made the eventual resolution between them that much sweeter. I also thought that the banter here was some of the better that I’ve read recently. While I wasn’t in love with the dialogue, the fact that it wasn’t actively cringey was still a massive win. Most importantly, their banter felt appropriately rooted in the two sorts of characters our main leads are.

The pacing, however, was a bit all over the place. The story starts off quickly, pulling you immediately into the action and introducing the characters and the stakes. However, once you get to the middle portion, things slowed down quite a bit. Some lull is to be expected, but there were moments here where it did veer into infodump territory, with a lot of world-building thrown at the reader all at once, without much else happening for a decent chunk of time. The end picked up again, but it did leave the overall pacing of the book as a whole feeling uneven.

However, and this is a massive however for me, I do feel like the ending was doing yet another bait-and-switch love interest move. I’m so, so tired of this trope, and I can’t say enough how frustrating it is to pick up a book and have to read the entire thing before this trope punches me in the face in the last chapter. It’s really getting to the point where I feel like I might have to stop reading romantasies for the foreseeable future. There’s not enough time in the day and too many books to read to devote hours of reading time to a book only to then run into a deal-breaker trope at the very end, making the entire thing feel pointless.

But this is very much my hang-up, and my suspicions about the next book won’t impact my rating of this one (though I will not be reading it until I’ve read other reviews and determined the direction things are going). Once I settled into the correct subgenre of fantasy, this was a fun, fast read with a compelling romance at its heart. If you’re looking for the high fantasy “Beauty and the Beast” retelling that it looks to be advertising, this isn’t that. On the other hand, paranormal romance and urban fantasy fans should be well pleased!

Rating 8: Uneven pacing in the middle did hurt things a bit, but I enjoyed the romance and Remy as a main character!

Reader’s Advisory:

“A Curse of Beasts and Magic” isn’t currently on any Goodreads lists, but it should be on Beauty and the Beast.

Kate’s Review: “Dead Weight”

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Book: “Dead Weight” by Hildur Knútsdóttir & Mary Robinette Kowal (Translator)

Publishing Info: Tor Nightfire, May 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: An Icelandic night may hide secrets and affairs—or even bodies—in this gruesomely cathartic horror thriller from the author of The Night Guest.

Unnur was living a normal, if lonely, life until a black cat showed up at her door.

Trying to do the right thing, Unnur reunites the lost pet with its owner—a young woman named Ásta who is in desperate need of some help. Unnur reluctantly agrees to take in the cat until Ásta is able to care for it again herself.

Soon, Ásta becomes a fixture in Unnur’s life and the two form an unlikely friendship. But like a black cat, trouble is tailing Ásta, and Unnur is the only one there when things take a violent turn.

Nothing tests a friendship like blood on your hands.

Review: Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this novella!

I’m a big fan of stories that like to talk about women’s rights AND women’s wrongs, and especially love stories like that if it’s a cathartic story about women getting revenge on the men that cause them harm. Basically I love a story that has a “Goodbye Earl” kinda vibe to it. When I read the description of Hildur Knútsdóttir’s “Dead Weight”, I DEFINITELY caught that kind of vibe from it. I enjoyed Knútsdóttir’s previous book “The Night Guest”, and this one sounded perhaps less strange, but still very much my thing. I jumped in and was pleased that not only did it have the ‘get revenge’ theme, but also CATS!

This novella is definitely more of a thriller than a horror story this time around, but Knútsdóttir still manages to find ways to not only bring out suspense but also dread at times. The plot is fairly straightforward as we follow Unnur, a woman living in Iceland who keeps to herself and is carrying on an affair with a married man, convincing herself she’s okay with all of it. One night a cat named Io randomly ends up in her apartment, and a woman named Ásta comes looking. Unnur and Ásta are different in temperament, they get to know each other and Unnur takes on Io (and a surprise kitten!) at Ásta’s behest, as her boyfriend Ragnar doesn’t like the cat and she worries he’d flip about a kitten. As the story quietly unfolds we see more and more hints and evidence that Ragnar is a very dangerous man, we also see two women confiding in each other and finding strength in their friendship as they become closer and danger starts to threaten both of them. It’s pretty clear where this story is going, but I was still kept on the edge of my seat as Knútsdóttir lays out the building blocks for a visceral climax.

I also liked the burgeoning friendship between Unnur and Ásta, and the way that Knútsdóttir compares and contrasts their romantic relationships and deconstructs the different ways that they are toxic. For Ásta it’s pretty straight forward, and Unnur is horrified to see Ásta being dominated and intimidated by her boyfriend Ragnar, and his vileness is pretty apparent with how he treats not only Ásta but also the cats (whose presence has helped Unnur and Ásta bond). But we also see the toxic relationship that Unnur has with her boyfriend Joi, who is married with a family and who has been stringing Unnur along for awhile, making promises that she clings to even though she knows deep down that what she is doing is not only cruel to Joi’s wife, but also to herself. I loved the way that both women could see the damaging facets of their friend’s relationship, but had the blinders put on due to the manipulative and abusive, be it overt or not, relationships they themselves were in. As they disentangle and find connection with each other (and the cats!), we see this really empowering story about female friendship, which has a little bit of the “Goodbye Earl” vibes that I was hoping for.

I definitely enjoyed “Dead Weight”! It’s cathartic and atmospheric and I found it incredibly satisfying.

Rating 8: A quick and enjoyable thriller about friendship, solidarity, and the sour parts of relationships where men mistreat women and the women have to fight back one way or another.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Dead Weight” is included on the Goodreads list “Creepy Statue Covers”.

Not Just Books: May 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

Video Game: “Rise of the Ronin”

To prove that I’m not ONLY playing BG3 and nothing but BG3, I started up a few new video games this month. So here is the first of two! Open word games can be a bit hit or miss for me. I really loved “Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey” but “Vahalla” was a slog, just too big and with too actual story to balance out the endless sprinkling of pointless map markers. That being the case, I was unsure what to expect with “Rise of the Ronin.” But overall, I’ve been really loving it! The scenery is gorgeous, the character creator was honestly shocking in how robust it was, and the story so far has been great, nicely slotting in to the void left behind after finishing watching “Shogun” last year. Plus, one of your mini quests is to find and pet cats. So, yeah, that’s obviously up my alley.

TV Show: “Jury Duty: Company Retreat”

Both my husband and I really enjoyed “Jury Duty,” the reality show where one poor guy doesn’t know he’s on a show and is surrounded by actors all doing their best to be as ridiculous as possible. It was so weird, and funny, and almost voyeuristic? So of course we were immediately interested when we saw that another season was coming out, this time swapping the “jury duty” concept for an intern at a company retreat. Like the first go around, the show really lives and dies on the niceness of the actual person at the center of the show. And Anthony seems like such a stand up guy, that by the end, you almost feel bad for him that he’s been put through this whole ridiculous thing and has been the only sane person in the room so much of the time.

Video Game: “Pragmata”

While “Ronin” is both and older and much longer game, one that I’m still working on now, “Pramata” came out only a month or ago or so and was a much more manageable length. I was fairly completionist with it, and it only took me about 20 hours to finish up. And boy, I was surprised by how much I liked this! Action shooters aren’t my go-to game, but the combination of shooting plus the hacking puzzle to break enemies’ shields really ended up working for me! The story was also straight-forward and sweet. I especially enjoyed the wholesome and optimistic relationship between Diana and Hugh. Most notably, Hugh wasn’t a “sad dad” type of character, which I really appreciated. Definitely give this one a go if you’re looking for a unique-feeling sci-fi adventure!

Kate’s Picks

Band: Tragedy

I went to a well loved St. Paul music venue called The Turf Club to see Electric Six at the beginning of the month with my husband and some of our friends. We all have loved Electric Six for years and try to go see them when they come to town. None of us had heard of the openers, a metal tribute band called Tragedy. We figured it would be a fine way to pass the time to wait for the main event as we all like metal (hell, one of my friends has done drumming in metal bands in the past), but when Tragedy came on stage and started to play, my brain chemistry was forever changed. They are a metal band that covers songs that you would NOT associate with metal. They played “Summer Nights” from “Grease”. They played “Without You” by Air Supply. It was when they played “Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond, but in the style of heavy/prog metal artist King Diamond (with one of the members in full King Diamond cosplay) that short circuited my brain. Their glam/sleaze metal styling of their cheeky cover choices is SO inspired, and I am OBSESSED. THEY ARE SO GOOD AND I CANNOT STOP LISTENING.

Film: “Forbidden Fruits”

There are some kinds of film vibes that are always going to win me over. Witch shit, campiness, cuntiness, horror, and quippy dark humor all fall into this category. So it’s very obvious that a film like “Forbidden Fruits” is going to be very much my scene. Taking place at a Dallas shopping mall, we have Apple, Cherry, and Fig, three It Sales Girls at the hot boutique Free Eden. And when they are approached by the food court pretzel seller Pumpkin, they decide to pull her into their group, which is actually a coven, with Apple as their ruthless leader. But Pumpkin’s inclusion upends the hierarchy of the sisterhood, and things start to fall apart. Especially when Pumpkin finds out about a previous member named Pickle who isn’t in the circle anymore. It is “The Craft” meets “Heathers”/”Mean Girls”, and it has so many ridiculous moments I was cackling the whole time. All of the characters were fun, but Lili Reinhart as the intimidating and vicious Apple and Victoria Pedretti as the completely unhinged Cherry REALLY stood out to me.

Film: “Obsession”

I remember seeing a really short teaser for this before some other horror movie I was watching with the usual Terror Tuesday crew and we all looked at each other and nodded, knowing we needed to see this movie. We finally got to it over the holiday weekend, and my GOD. It really got under my skin but in the best way. Bear is a neurotic and intimidated guy who has a huge crush on his friend Nikki, though he can’t get the courage up to ask her out or make his feelings known. Instead in the heat of the moment he uses a One Wish Willow, a novelty toy he bought at a mysticism shop, to wish that Nikki would love him more than anyone else in the world. Well, his wish comes true. But Nikki very quickly starts to act unhinged and completely obsessed with him, begging for his love at any cost. Inde Navarrette as Nikki is one of the best horror performances I’ve seen, and what I liked most about this movie is that it is less about ‘be careful what you wish for’, and more about someone taking someone’s agency away from them in the most horrific way. And THAT is what scared me the most. MAN this is an intense but great watch.