Month: July 2025

Kate’s Review: “Influencer”

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

Book: “Influencer” by Adam Cesare

Publishing Info: Union Square & Co, October 2024

Where Did I Get This Book: I received a finished copy at a panel at ALAAC25

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

Book Description: Aaron Fortin is new in town. He drives a brand-new Acura—a gift from his parents for uprooting him in the middle of senior year. Showing up on his first day at the local public school in that nice of a car? He knows he’ll never blend in, and he doesn’t care to try. The car, the new kid mystique, he can use all that…

Crystal Giordano carpools to the same school in her friend Trevor’s beat-up van. In the van along with Crystal and Trevor are Paul, Harmony, and Gayle. Crystal’s technically part of their misfit group, but most of the time, she feels like she’s the only one who doesn’t fit.

When Aaron Fortin sits at their lunch table, Crystal can see he’s not who he says he is. But how big of a fraud is Aaron Fortin? Crystal clumsily exposes Aaron and becomes his target, falling victim to his insidious campaign to erase her. Only then does she discover who he truly is—and it’s so much worse than she thought.

As her friends begin to follow him one by one, Crystal wonders if she can protect them or if his influence is just too strong.

Review: Thank you to Union Square & Co for giving me a finished copy of this novel at ALAAC25!

So here is a story that perfectly reflects the fates of some of my ARCs. During the ALA Annual Conference in 2024, I picked up an ARC of the book “Influencer” by Adam Cesare. I grabbed it because 1) I have enjoyed other books by Adam Cesare and was happy to see he had a new one, and 2) I just love a thriller or horror story that uses social media influencers as a sticking point in their plots. Fast forward to the ALA Annual Conference in 2025, where I find myself attending a panel that has Adam Cesare, and he is talking about his 2024 “Influencer”…. A book that I wholly left by the wayside the year before. As I listened to him talk I thought to myself ‘ah shit, I really should have read “Influencer” by now, it sounds great’. Well good news! I got a new copy at ALAAC25, and I DID READ IT THIS TIME!

Hooray! (source)

I had a lot of fun with this book! Once it hooked me in the very first chapter (which was a start that had QUITE a shocking bang I must say!), I had a really hard time putting it down. It’s a very readable thriller with a well done narrative structure of two narrators, one being our psychopathic ‘influencer’ Aaron and the other being awkward but observant Crystal. Through both of their perspectives we see the making of a cat and mouse game as Aaron slowly dismantles Crystal’s life and isolates her from her friends, and as Crystal tries to figure out a way to expose him for the dangerous villain he is. We can slowly start to tell what Aaron is plotting on one hand, but on the other we can see Crystal coming up with her own counter moves, and the tension of seeing who ends up on top propels the story. And as someone who used to have an unfortunate hyperfocus on serial killers, I definitely picked up on a lot of what Cesare was referencing. It’s also just a wicked take on how social media stars and influencers build upon parasocial relationships to create a profit, whether that’s money in our world or Manson-like control and violence mongering to make oneself feel powerful in the story at hand. Cesare isn’t afraid to really go balls to the wall in disturbing content in this book, but it makes his point (also, note that this book has instances of animal abuse, sexual assault, and many murders including that of a pregnant person, just to put some content warnings out there. Also, the book has a page of content warnings to refer to). It’s just a thriller that really worked for me.

But my favorite part of this book was the character of Crystal, our protagonist who can see right through Aaron due to her incredible intuition and pattern recognition. Crystal is very observant and perceptive, but she is also riddled with anxiety and awkwardness and constant worries about the status of her friendships and how her friends perceive her. If we’re being honest, Crystal was a LOT like me in high school, never quite feeling like she totally fit in with her peers and even her friends outside of perhaps one or two exceptions, and I thought that she was very, very endearing because of it. In fact, I also really enjoyed (as much as one can, I suppose as a villain’s perspective!) Aaron’s POV chapters as we see his manipulations, his deviousness, and his absolute sociopathy. It’s a shocking contrast between the two main POVs, and I thought that Cesare nailed both of them pretty well. Some of our supporting characters could have used a bit more oomph, specifically Harmony and Paul, as I felt like I didn’t know them well enough to know if I believed their quite heel turns as happy lapdogs to Aaron’s plots and plans no matter how crazed and violent, but I’m willing to suspend my disbelief a bit just because I enjoyed so many other things about the book.

Me finally getting to “Influencer” took some time, but I’m thrilled I finally got the kick in the pants I needed to pick it up. If you are looking for some more fast and fun reads as the summer winds down, check this one out for sure!

Rating 8: Fast paced, twisted as hell, and suspenseful until the end, “Influencer” is a darker tale from star on the rise author Adam Cesare!

Reader’s Advisory:

“Influencer” is included on the Goodreads list “Fiction About Influencers”.

Serena’s Review: “A Theory in Dreaming”

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

Book: “A Theory in Dreaming” by Ava Reid

Publishing Info: HarperTeen, July 2025

Where Did I Get this Book: Edelweiss+

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

Book Description: All stories come to an end.

Effy learned that when she defeated the Fairy King. Even though she may never know exactly what happened at Hiraeth, she is free of her nightmares and is able to pen a thesis with Preston on the beloved national fairy tale Angharad. She has finally earned a spot at the literature college, making her the first woman in history to enroll.

But some dreams are dangerous, especially when they come true. The entire university—and soon the entire nation—is waiting for her to fail. With the Fairy King defeated and Myrddin’s legacy exposed, Effy can no longer escape into fantasy. Who is she without her stories?

With Effy under threat, Preston is surprised to discover a rage simmering inside him, ringing in his ears like bells. He begins to dream of a palace under the sea, a world where he is king—visions that start to follow him even in waking.

As the war between Llyr and Argant explodes, Effy and Preston find themselves caught in the crossfire: Effy losing her dreams and Preston losing himself in his.

Are dreams ever truly just dreams?

Previously Reviewed: “A Study in Drowning”

Review: I loved “A Study in Drowning.” It felt like such a tightly plotted YA title that incorporated a strong personal arc for the main character, Effy, as well as a tension-filled gothic mystery that built to an incredible climax at the end. As you can expect from this, it was a fantastic stand-alone read. That said, while I was satisfied with its ending, I was more than happy to return to this world and these characters. Especially to see more of the burgeoning love story between Effy and Preston.

Unfortunately, this one didn’t live up to the highs of the first book, mostly because of how perfectly insulated that story felt. But there was still much to enjoy here, so let’s start with that first. Per Reid’s typical style, many of the themes explored within this story are dark but important. Through careful crafting, the author explores the slow descent into isolation and withdrawal that can come with serious depression. Both Effy and Preston also constantly struggle to find a place for themselves in an institution and society that is built for others, Effy as a woman in the man’s world of academia, and Preston as a man of two heritages, both of which are at war with one another. These themes were richly detailed, and while it didn’t necessarily make for a “fun” reading experience, I definitely felt like I was getting a stark window into the struggles of these two characters and others like them.

That last point speaks to one of my struggles with this book, however. While well-represented and thoroughly explored, the reading experience itself quickly began to feel heavy and almost tiring; I found myself needing to put the book down after only short reading sessions. Part of this, I think, comes down to the fact that both Effy and Preston’s inner arcs are fairly similar. They are each dealing with similar feelings of isolation and like they are outsiders intruding where they are not welcome. This then leads to a lot of inner dynamics centered around feelings of weariness and fear. So, while the book does alternate between their perspectives, much of the story felt the same between the two, and it began to feel a bit draining.

The romance itself also suffered a bit from this as well. Both Preston and Effy spend much of the book hiding things from one another, both preoccupied with not wanting to place a burden on the other. And, again, the fact that both characters had such similar experiences with in the romantic plotline, it began to feels as if their relationship was spinning its wheels, with a lot of words spent saying the same or similar things over and over again.

I did enjoy some of the deeper looks into the magic of this world. Most of this came through Preston’s side of the story, and I would argue that this is largely his story. But even here, while I enjoyed getting a better understanding of this history and magic, there didn’t feel as if there was enough of a plot to serve as a structure upon which to hang these descriptive elements.

Overall, this book felt like what it was: an unplanned sequel to a stand-alone fantasy story that had been complete on its own. The writing was luscious, as always, and I did enjoy elements of the love story. But ultimately, I came away from this one feeling as if it didn’t really add anything. I felt like Preston and Effy had ended the previous book with challenges ahead but with a new will to overcome, comfortable in themselves and their new relationship. And perhaps this book was honest about the reality of the hardships they would face and that that same will to move forward could begin to crumble in the face of these struggles. I just…am not sure those realities really make up a story, all on their own?

Fans of Reid’s will likely still want to check this one out. Quality wise, it’s still a well-written book with an interesting world. Effy and Preston also remained characters whom I loved and rooted for. I simply couldn’t get into the limited amount of actual “story” to be found here.

Rating 7: I still enjoyed the world, the characters, and the love story. But it felt clear that with the first book being planned as a stand-alone, this one didn’t really have anywhere to take the story.

Reader’s Advisory:

“A Theory in Dreaming” can be found on this Goodreads list: omg i love this cover.

Kate’s Review: “The Between”

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

Book: “The Between” by Tananarive Due

Publishing Info: Harper Perennial, October 2021 (originally published 1995)

Where Did I Get This Book: The library!

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

Book Description: When Hilton was a boy, his grandmother sacrificed her life to save him from drowning. Thirty years later, he begins to suspect that he was never meant to survive that accident, and that dark forces are working to rectify that mistake. 

When Hilton’s wife, the only elected African American judge in Dade County, Florida, begins to receive racist hate mail from a man she once prosecuted, Hilton becomes obsessed with protecting his family. The demons lurking outside are matched by his internal terrors—macabre nightmares, more intense and disturbing than any he has ever experienced. Are these bizarre dreams the dark imaginings of a man losing his hold on sanity—or are they harbingers of terrible events to come? 

As Hilton battles both the sociopath threatening to destroy his family and the even more terrifying enemy stalking his sleep, the line between reality and fantasy dissolves . . . 

Chilling and utterly convincing, The Between is the haunting story of a man desperately trying to hold on to the people and life he loves as he slowly loses himself. 

Review: Back in 2024 when I read Tananarive Due’s “The Reformatory”, I told myself that once I had processed the absolute magnificence of that book I would need to start reading her back catalog. And it admittedly took me awhile, probably not just because I was processing (out of sight, out of mind is basically how I function, unfortunately). But I finally kicked myself in the pants and told myself READ MORE TANANARIVE DUE, and I decided to go back to her debut novel “The Between”. Staring at the beginning is a very good place to start after all! It helped that it had been re-released a few years ago, and my local library had a copy ready to to! So as I read the story of Hilton James, a Black man who nearly drowned as a child but was saved by his grandmother, and who is now married and having horrifying nightmares AND dealing with racist threats on his family, I could tell from the jump that starting here was the right choice.

My initial thought was, as an elder Millennial horror fan, that this has similar vibes to “Final Destination”, but this came out long before that first movie made its grand entrance into the zeitgeist. So it goes to show that Due was ahead of the curve! I really enjoyed the weird and ever building tension as Hilton starts to have weirder and more distressing dreams, just as his wife (and the entire family really) is getting death threats from a stalker with a racist hatred for the family. It makes for some good muddling of the waters, in that it’s not fully clear if Hilton is really experiencing premonitions or harbingers of doom due to something supernatural, or if it’s because of a very real threat of racist violence against his family. Due taps into both the worldly and otherworldly, and I found myself just completely wound up as Hilton spirals more and more and alienates himself from those he loves as things become more and more out of control for him.

But what really stood out to me, and what I have greatly appreciated in Due’s other work, is her take on American racism and the harm it has caused and continues to cause. Setting aside the strange dreams and setting aside the lapses in memory and setting aside Hilton’s history and his potential outrunning of Death when he wasn’t supposed to, the letters and threats that he and Dede and their children receive are terrifying, vile, and, unfortunately still all too real even in the decades after this book was first published. Hilton has a lot of trauma that has been passed down through the generations as well, and the themes of grief, loss, trauma, and race all come together in ways that are incredibly powerful and absolutely heartwrenching. It’s really terrible that so few things have changed in this country since it was first published in 1995.

“The Between” was a stellar debut from a horror author that I really, really enjoy. I’m glad I went back to Tananarive Due’s first novel, as now I am going to work my way through the rest!

Rating 8: Haunting and incredibly tense, “The Between” is a strong debut from a now legendary horror author.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Between” is included on the Goodreads list “BELLETRIST”.

Not Just Books: July 2025

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

Show: “Daredevil: Born Again”

While I haven’t kept up with or been overly impressed with what I’ve seen from Disney’s Marvel TV shows, I had a lot of hope for this one. I mean, I loved the first version of this show, and Disney rightly understood what they had with Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio and kept the focus largely narrowed in on these two. The show also did a great job of staying true to some of the more impactful themes from the first show (the focus on balance between vengeance and justice, largely). While I don’t think that the support cast was as good as in the first version, I was still satisfied with the new characters. All in all, it was just fun to return to this world and this story! (Plus, I now have an extra soft spot for Charlie Cox after he voiced my beloved Gustave in “Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.”)

Movie: “How to Train Your Dragon”

While I’ve been to a few movies in the theater with my oldest, my youngest has been hankering for his turn! So this June we decided to all go together to the movies for the first time, and this movie came out just in time! Now, I’ve definitely started to lose patience with the endless stream of live action re-makes, but this movie is proof that it can still be a winning strategy. For one thing, the makers of this film understood the prompt: a live action REMAKE of the original. I don’t want added songs or character arcs or “interpretations” from these movies, especially not when the original story is great on its own, as these additions almost always make it worse. No, here we have almost exactly the same movie, shot by shot, only now in live action. The music is the same, the script is largely the same, we even have the same actors for certain roles. There are large chunks of this movie where you could play the original and this side by side and they would show the exact same sequence. And that’s all I want from these remakes! Also, you know, my kids had a fun time!

Movie: “The Fountain of Youth”

This is movie was pretty much exactly what it looked like: an “Indiana Jones” lite quasi sequel. And, in that light, it succeeds fairly well. There was a lot of action-adventure fun to be had throughout! The writing was definitely a bit weak at times (especially some of the explanations at the end of the movie about how everything worked). So things really lived and died based on the charisma of the actors, mostly John Krasinski. The rest of the cast was good as well, but without his natural charm, I do think this one would have verged into extreme cheese ball territory. As it is, it wasn’t a masterpiece by any means, but still a fun time, especially as a summer popcorn flick!

Kate’s Picks

Film: “28 Years Later”

I remember going to see “28 Days Later” in the theater with one of my good friends from high school the summer after graduation, and we were both wholly blown away by it. I have loved this movie ever since. When I saw the trailer for “28 Years Later” with Terror Tuesday people, I was nervous, but intrigued (I really hated the previous sequel). And when Terror Tuesday went to see it in the theater, I was, once again, blown away. Set 28 years after the Rage Virus Infection’s start, Great Britain has been quarantined. Infected still roam the mainland, having become more feral but also more evolved, and some survivors live peacefully on an island off the coast. When twelve year old Spike and his father go to the mainland for his right of passage Infected hunt, he has to experience the Infected like never before, which in turn leads to a poignant coming of age tale when he returns to the mainland with his ailing mother in hopes of finding her help. Because there are rumors of a doctor nearby. Yes, the ending is jarring, I’ll admit it. But I found myself sobbing more than I would have anticipated, as this movie is, in many ways, heartfelt and beautiful and not only about zombies and the end of civilization, but also never forgetting those we love and lose at the end of all things.

TV Show: “The Gilded Age”

I still love a soap opera, and if it is all dolled up in historical fiction finery and opulence I will love it even more. That’s why I enjoyed “Downton Abbey” so much, and that’s why I enjoy “The Gilded Age” (both by Julian Fellowes, boy does he love his soapy aristocracy shenanigans!). Season 3 is finally here, and it’s already off to a very scandalous start! Bertha is haranguing daughter Gladys into marrying into a Duke’s family even though Gladys is terrified and uninterested (boy do I loathe Bertha, but I do love Carrie Coon)! Marian and Larry are having a secret courtship! Agnes is having a hard time accepting that younger sister Ada is in charge of the household now since she has a fresh inheritance and Agnes is now penniless! Peggy is perhaps finding romance?! And AUDRA MACDONALD’S VERY PRESENCE!!! Yes, this show makes me want to tear my hair out at times (I mean they REALLY want us to believe that because George Russell is a hot wife guy that his anti-labor robber baron ways are FIIIIINE), but I love the costuming, I love the time period, having worked in a historic house that was very much during this time, and I love the drama.

New Family Addition: KITTENS!

Back in March we had to say goodbye to our elderly twenty year old cat Baby, who had been with me since my husband and I were in college, along with her sister Kasha who passed in 2022. We decided that this summer was the time to add some new pets to our family. And we have started with two kittens! One belongs to my husband, the other belongs to my daughter (I intend on getting my own in a month or two, I’m being VERY picky about what I want in a cat…), and boy, I had forgotten what HOOLIGANS kittens can be. But The Beast and Betty Draper (my kid insists it’s just Betty, but given this cat’s personality it’s absoLUTEly Betty Draper in my mind) are both very cute and a lot of fun, even if they are complete menaces, like all kittens should be. And hopefully soon we will welcome our third and final kitten into the family….. We may be insane for getting a third, but hey, we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Serena’s Review: “Neverthorn”

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

Book: “Neverthorn” by Shannon Mayer

Publishing Info: Hijinks Ink Publishing, July 2025

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

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

Book Description: At nearly thirty, Harlow can’t even cast a simple rune without blundering it. So why does anyone think she can take up the mantle of Hero? Reluctantly, she’s dragged back to Neverthorn Academy with seven former classmates, tasked with training to confront and defeat the Villain of their world.

But the challenges are stacked against

Professor Hot-As-Sin makes it clear she’s a failure.

Professor Used-To-Be-A-Mean-Girl has a vendetta.

And lurking in her past is a secret so dark it could reveal she’s not the Hero the world needs—but the next Villain.

With fate hanging in the balance, can Harlow embrace her destiny before the shadows claim her?

Review: There was a lot to really like about this book! For one thing, it started off with the sort of zippy, fast-faced action that I have come to associate with some of the best urban fantasy. This was, of course, helped by the snarky, smart main character who also read as familiar ala many urban fantasy leading ladies. This familiarity is by no means a bad thing, as it helped me easily feel centered in the style of writing this book was offering and the sort of lead character I could expect to follow. Perhaps this also lead to some rather predictable twists and turns, especially with regards to the heroine’s history, but the entire reading experience was still fun enough to get me through even these moments of easilly-guessed twists.

It was also an interesting concept to take on the “magical school” setting from the angle of an adult woman returning to a place she hated and left as soon as possible as a teenager. Ultimately, there were a few pros and a few cons to be found in this approach. In the positives, I enjoyed the duality of Harlow’s experiences with Neverthorn and the people there. Returning as an adult, everything and everyone is seen through the lens of her experiences as a teenager, for good or ill. This lead to a lot of increased tension between characters she was meeting for a second time, as she had a built in history with many of them. Further, many of the secrets she discovered were tied back to ways in which her first experience here was such a disaster for her.

On the other hand, I do think that there was an imbalance between the tone of the school story and the age of the characters. I was really excited to see adults in this school setting, both as teachers and as students. But, unfortunately, the minute we got to the school, Harlow seemed to regress in age quite significantly. In the “real world,” she was highly competent, whip-smart, and written with an inner voice that would fit an upper 20-something. However, in the school, this inner voice and her general approach to problem solving and interacting with others around her seemed to regress to a much younger level. There were a lot of highschool dynamics being revisited, and while I liked the idea of confronting school fellows from one’s past, this went a bit too far, with everyone seeming to turn back into those same high school age students. This wasn’t helped by certain writing choices that compounded the problem, like a swearing ban that went into affect and had everyone using “Good Place” style alternatives. It was funny enough once or twice, but as it continued, it began to lose its shine and further emphasize the strangely YA feel of it all.

I did enjoy the romance for the most part. There was a bit of a love triangle going on, which isn’t my favorite, but I think it was done well enough that it didn’t bother me. The “primary” love interest was also very well done I thought, and I enjoyed the slow burn nature of their story. In particular, this was one of the relationships that benefitted the most with the pre-established history the two had from the time together as highschoolers at the school.

Overall, this was a fun read! I think it got bogged down a bit towards the middle with a bit of wheel-turning with the main plot. But the characters were fun and the writing was snappy. I’m excited to see where the story goes from here!

Rating 8: Full of snappy writing and sparking romance, this was a fantastic new entry into the world of dark academia!

Reader’s Advisory:

“Neverthorn” isn’t currently on any Goodreads lists, but it should be on Magic Schools, Academies & Universities.

Joint Review: “The Library at Hellebore”

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

Book: “The Library at Hellebore” by Cassandra Khaw

Publishing Info: Tor Nightfire, July 2025

Where Did We Get This Book: ARC from the publisher!

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

Book Description: The Hellebore Technical Institute for the Gifted is the premier academy for the dangerously the Anti-Christs and Ragnaroks, the world-eaters and apocalypse-makers.

Hellebore promises redemption, acceptance, and a normal life after graduation. At least, that’s what Alessa Li is told when she’s kidnapped and forcibly enrolled.

But there’s more to Hellebore than meets the eye. On graduation day, the faculty go on a ravenous rampage, feasting on Alessa’s class. Only Alessa and a group of her classmates escape the carnage. Trapped in the school’s library, they must offer a human sacrifice every night, or else the faculty will break down the door and kill everyone.

Can they band together and survive, or will the faculty eat its fill?

Serena’s Thoughts

There are definitely specific sorts of books that Kate and I target for joint reviews: often some sort of dark fantasy/horror lite title. That being the case, the balance between dark fantasy and horror elements often determines where each of lands on any given read. And this one leaned a bit too far into the horror side for me to fully appreciate.

I did, however, enjoy the dark academia vibes of the story. I definitely understand the comparisons to Naomi Novik’s “Scholomance” trilogy. However, for me, this worked a bit against the book too, as Novik’s series is one of the more fully realized, complex world/magical systems that I can remember reading. In contrast, while this book leaned heavily into similar areas of dread and constrained claustrophobia within the school setting, there wasn’t quite as much actually backing up how this world operated.

In place of some of these scene setting or worldbuilding elements, the author peppered in a seemingly inexhaustible number of deep cut word selections. It sometimes felt like a thesaurus was required reading for getting through certain sections (perhaps this is just revealing my own limited vocabulary, but it’s a fairly unique problem I had with this book.) At the same time, there was a lot of emphasis on modern references peppered throughout. Between the high-end academic vocabulary, the modern references, and the choice to swap between two different points in time within the story, the book had a distinctly choppy feel to it as I read through.

I appreciated a lot of what this book was trying to do, and towards the back half I definitely started to become more invested. I also think that, when disconnected from some of the more elaborate word choices, there was a lot of skill to the writing itself. There were some incredibly poetic turns of phrase, and, even if I didn’t enjoy some of the darker horror moments, there’s no denying the author’s ability to write in a way that elicits a strong emotion.

However, in the end, this was simply too gross and too depressing for me to really enjoy. It may work better for true horror fans than the dark fantasy readers who enjoyed “Scholomance” so much.

Kate’s Thoughts

As someone who has read previous works by Cassandra Khaw, this was not my first time the gruesome body and cosmic horror rodeo, as it were, so I think that I was little more prepared for some of the elements than Serena was (also, SORRY SERENA, I should have warned you that Khaw is BRUTAL). I think that going in expecting something truly disgusting along with flowery turns of phrase made my experience a bit better than my blog partner’s, but I also think that I agree in a lot of ways with her review.

Since I’m the horror gal here I can focus on that for the most part, and I still think that Khaw has this true knack for pulling truly beautiful words and phrases and literature from unrelenting balls to the wall descriptions of viscera, violence, and despair. This was the first full length novel I’ve read of theirs, and I will say that MAN the body horror and gore just kept going because it wasn’t a novella, and it made for a harder read. But at the same time, I really appreciated the visuals and the descriptions because Khaw is more than willing to go to some disgusting places, and I gotta respect that even if it can be stomach churning. And I also have to give credit where credit is due; they are VERY creative with some of the kills in this book.

I also didn’t mind the time jumps as we went on, as I generally enjoyed getting juxtaposition of the present danger of being trapped in a library with a ravenous faculty outside the door with the background of our main players, and getting to know Alessa and her changing relationships with her dangerous cohorts turned unlikely allies. I also just liked Alessa. She’s not particularly likable but I found her refreshing in her candor and ruthlessness.

“The Library at Hellbore” is exactly what I expected from Cassandra Khaw, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t wholly repulsed as I was reading. I mean that as a compliment.

Serena’s Rating 7: This one was a bit too horrific for me, but if you’re truly looking for a dark DARK academia read, this one might be for you!

Kate’s Rating 7: Gory and horrific but sure to please those who love some really gnarly body horror.

Reader’s Advisory

“The Library at Hellebore” is included on these Goodreads lists: Twisted Tales for Beautifully Damaged Minds and 2025 Dark Academia Releases.

Kate’s Review: “Not Quite Dead Yet”

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

Book: “Not Quite Dead Yet” by Holly Jackson

Publishing Info: Bantam, July 2025

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 seven days Jet Mason will be dead.

Jet is the daughter of one of the wealthiest families in Woodstock, Vermont. Twenty-seven years old, she’s still waiting for her life to begin. I’ll do it later, she always says. She has time.

Until Halloween night, when Jet is violently attacked by an unseen intruder.

She suffers a catastrophic head injury. The doctor is certain that within a week, the injury will trigger a deadly aneurysm.

Jet has never thought of herself as having enemies. But now she looks at everyone in a new light: her family, her former best friend turned sister-in-law, her ex-boyfriend.

She has at most seven days, and as her condition deteriorates she has only her childhood friend Billy for help. But nevertheless, she’s absolutely determined to finally finish something:

Jet is going to solve her own murder.

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

I’ve been on the Holly Jackson hype train for a few years now, having read most of her books and enjoying all of them to varying degrees. But imagine how surprised and excited I was when I found out that she had written a new thriller for an adult audience instead of the expected YA crowd. “Not Quite Dead” yet is her adult debut, and boy does it have a banger of a premise: a woman named Jet is brutally attacked, leaving her with a brain aneurysm that is going to eventually kill her in a few days time, and she decides to use her final days to figure out who killed her. If that doesn’t grab ya, I don’t know what will. And WOW. I absolutely loved this book.

No doubt in my mind this is going to be on my Top 10 list of this year. (source)

As a mystery and thriller, I was pretty much hooked on this book from the moment I picked it up until the moment I finished. Jackson has crafted well done mysteries in the past, but this one, for me, is her at her best. I think that perhaps because it’s for adults this time around she has a little more freedom to explore the darker tendencies, and in “Not Quite Dead Yet” explore she does. I thought that the mystery about who attacked/will ultimately kill Jet was well done, with a town full of secrets, a family full of problems, and a very plucky but addled amateur detective at the forefront. The idea of having to solve one’s own murder is horrifying, and we have lots of clues, lots of suspects, and some well done misdirections and some well done reveals as well. While I could call a few things here and there, I was mostly kept in the dark, and Jackson really keeps things tight lipped and well hidden until she’s ready to start explaining. Jet and her friend Billy follow leads, find suspects, and look for clues, all while her health continues to deteriorate, and the very enjoyable mystery mixed with a building dread of her about to die at any moment made for a LOT of suspense as I read.

But the heart and soul of this story is Jet and the ever present reality of her imminent mortality as she races the clock to solve her eventual murder. Jackson has always had a knack for writing witty dialogue and interesting and well rounded protagonists, but she really takes the cake with Jet, who is snarky and steely and a pain in the ass while also being incredibly vulnerable and easy to care about. The messy family dynamics, her chronic illness and the way it affects her relationships with those around her, the way she has to peel back really dark and upsetting truths about people and things she thought she knew, it’s an amazing emotional journey, and the fact that she is going to die soon and knows it makes it all the more emotional. Her relationship with childhood best friend Billy was also one of the strongest pillars of this story, as her rough around the edges personality combined with his gentle soul as they desperately search for answers makes for a wonderful duo. Sometimes with foregone conclusions when it comes to characters stories I don’t find myself getting too attached, but Jet? Good lord did I absolutely adore Jet, and that made all the emotional beats resonate all the more.

“Not Quite Dead Yet” is a fantastic mystery with a deep emotional well it pulls from. I absolutely loved it. I hope that Holly Jackson writes more adult thrillers because this one was tops.

Rating 10: A suspenseful mystery with some perfect twists, and enjoyable main character, and a deeply emotional core, “Not Quite Dead Yet” is a fantastic adult debut for Holly Jackson.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Not Quite Dead Yet” is included on the Goodreads list “Mystery & Thriller 2025”.

Serena’s Review: “In the Veins of the Drowning”

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

Book: “In the Veins of the Drowning” by Kalie Cassidy

Publishing Info: Little, Brown and Company, July 15

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

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

Book Description: The monster is always slain…

Imogen Nel is in hiding. Hiding from a cruel kingdom that believes Sirens are monstrous, blood-hungry creatures. Hiding from a king and his captain who viciously hunt her kind. Hiding from her own alluring abilities. By keeping herself from the sea, Imogen’s bloodlust is dulled, and her black wings remain hidden beneath her skin.

When a neighboring king comes to visit, Imogen can no longer hide. He knows precisely what she is, and he believes she can save both their kingdoms from an even greater monster. But Imogen’s power threatens to violently reveal itself, and the two form a blood bond that protects them both. They flee the kingdom together, traversing waters teeming with the undead. As the lines between duty to their people and desire for each other begin to blur, Imogen worries her own ancestral powers may not be enough to kill what hunts her—the only way to defeat a monster may be to become one herself.

Review: This book had so much potential, but ended up falling a bit flat for me, unfortunately. The concept itself is really interesting, with the focus on sirens rather than the much more common mermaids. I especially appreciated that the author didn’t “clean up” the nature of sirens. Yes, they are hunted and our main character is in hiding. But they are also incredibly powerful and vicious in their own right. At its peak, the book highlighted the dichotomy of beauty and terror, with sirens perfectly representing the mixed emotions we feel when admiring deadly, powerful beings.

The main character also had an interesting set-up, and in the first few chapters, I was definitely drawn into her story and excited to see where she went from there. Unfortunately, it was kind of nowhere? Much of the middle of the book felt as if it was made up of Imogen flailing around, primarily reacting to whatever was happening around her, but not driven by any goals or motivations of her own. I couldn’t latch on to anything as a true driving force for her, and struggled to remain invested in her story.

The writing, while beautifully strung together at times, also lacked in the world-building department. As the book continued, I kept waiting for more clarity with regards to this world’s history, politics, and the lore of the sirens. But unfortunately that information never really came. I’m ok with initial nebulousness in fantasy books, but as the story continued, I was disappointed to find that there simply wasn’t anything more coming and many of my questions would remain unanswered. That said, worldbuilding is very important to me, and those who are more interested in the romance than the fantasy elements may not be as bothered by this lack of clarity.

I also enjoyed the love interest. I thought he was incredibly interesting and well-written. However, the romance itself moved way too quickly for my preference. Yes, I enjoyed what we got, but I would have enjoyed it even more had the book pumped the brakes a bit more and allowed these two to settle in to their burgeoning feelings before jumping right into the actual romance of it all.

I think this is one of those fantasy romance titles that will definitely work better for romance readers than it will fantasy readers. The love story, while too quick for me, was well done and the MMC was appropriately swoon-worthy. There was also just enough worldbuilding to add a fantasy flavor to it all, especially with the interesting subversion of the “monster romance” subgenre with the FMC being the “monstrous” one. However, if you’re more of a fantasy reader who enjoys fully thought out world-building and established lore, this might be a more frustrating read for you.

Rating 7: Scores well on the “romance” side but struggles a bit with the “fantasy” elements.

Reader’s Advisory:

“In the Veins of the Drowning” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Epic High Fantasy/Romance/Mythology in 2025 and “Imogen”.

Kate’s Review: “It Was Her House First”

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

Book: “It Was Her House First” by Cherie Priest

Publishing Info: Poisoned Pen Press, July 2025

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

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

Book Description: Ronnie doesn’t know it yet, but her fate rests in the hands of the dead. 

Silent film star Venita Rost’s malevolent spirit lurks spider-like in her cliffside mansion, a once-beautiful home that’s claimed countless unlucky souls. And she’s not alone. Snared in her terrible web, Inspector Bartholomew Sloan—her eternal nemesis—watches her wreak havoc in helpless horror, shackled by his own guilt and Venita’s unrelenting wrath.

Now the house has yet another new owner. This time it’s Ronnie Mitchell, a grieving woman who buys the run-down place sight unseen. She arrives armed with an unexpected inheritance, a strong background in renovation, and a blissful ignorance regarding the house’s blood-soaked history. But her arrival has stirred up more than just dust and decay. In the shadows, unseen eyes watch. Then, a man comes knocking. He brings wild stories and a thinly veiled jealousy, as well as a secret connection to the house that can only lead to violence.

Venita’s fury awakens, and a deadly game unfolds.

Caught between a vengeful ghost and a ruthless living threat, Ronnie’s skepticism crumbles. The line between living and dead isn’t as sharp as it seems, and she realizes too late that in Venita’s house, survival might be just an illusion.

Review: Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press for sending me an ARC of this novel!

I’ve read a few titles from the sub-genre so far this year, but MAN I love a haunted house horror story. It’s a gift that keeps on giving for me, as I love ghosts, I love strange occurrences in a new home, and I love the way that horror authors can pull out truly unsettling and scary things from the trope but in so many different ways. I was definitely interested to read “It Was Her House First” by Cherie Priest, because it promised not only a haunted house but also the ghost of Venita, a glamorous Hollywood starlet who now haunts her mansion and brings woe to anyone who moves in. All of this was top notch in theory, and I dove in hoping for a creepy read.

I think that a truly strong haunted house narrative needs to have hauntees that you can engage with and root for, and we definitely got that in protagonist Ronnie. She’s the kind of main character that has some rough edges but still shines brightly, and I found her very enjoyable. Her motivation for buying this house without even seeing it first was believable (she’s mourning, she had an unexpected inheritance, she needs SOMETHING to distract her AND she’s handy!), and seeing her and her friend Katie work through their shared grief of losing Ronnie’s brother to cancer made for bittersweet moments, especially as we learn more about Ronnie’s feelings of guilt. I really liked her, and therefore was invested when this house started messing with her and she started realizing that things weren’t as they seem, whether it was because of strange occurrences in the house or the strange man who has started visiting, claiming a family connection to Bartholomew Sloane, who died on the property. Ronnie having to unravel the history of the home and this man’s motivations were compelling and suspenseful story beats. Especially after she finds the diary of tragic starlet Venita, whose angry spirit is said to haunt the house and bring death to anyone who moves in.

And what of the ghosts themselves? It was a little of a mixed bag. I do think that Venita wasn’t as fury filled as I had hoped she would be, which kind of cut down on the scares. But on the flip side of that, I thought that getting into her thought process through her diary did a good job of peeling back her motivations, and perhaps I didn’t find her as scary as I thought I would because I kind of felt like she was correct and justified about a lot of the things that made her such an angry and unwilling to leave spirit. I did, however, enjoy some of the eerie descriptions of the way that the hauntings would make themselves known, be it furniture moving about or the POV of the other ghost in the home Bartholomew Sloan, who has a connection to Venita and has a lot of guilt associated with that connection as they lead separate afterlives within the halls of the house.

I did enjoy a lot about “It Was Her House First”. It had a pretty stellar main character and some well executed shifts between POVs, and a creepy haunted house with a lot of tragedy attached to it. Ultimately, that’s what I look for in a story like this.

Rating 7: A mysterious haunted house story with an engaging main character bolstered this up, though I admittedly anticipated more scares. But that said, I found “It Was Her House First” enjoyable!

Reader’s Advisory:

“It Was Her House First” is included on the Goodreads list “2025 Horror I Can’t Wait For”.

Book Club Review: “A Master of Djinn”

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

We are part of a group of librarian friends who have had an ongoing book club running for the last several years. Each “season” (we’re nerds) we pick a theme and each of us chooses a book within that theme for us all to read. Re-visiting some of our past themes, we’re once again pulling genres from a hatch and matching them together in one book. For this blog, we will post a joint review of each book we read for book club. We’ll also post the next book coming up in book club. So feel free to read along with us or use our book selections and questions in your own book club!

Book: “A Master of Djinn” by P. Djèli Clark

Publishing Info: Tor Books, May 2021

Where Did I Get This Book: Serena had a copy from ALA years ago!

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

Mix-and-Match Genres: Fantasy and Mystery

Book Description: Cairo, 1912: Though Fatma el-Sha’arawi is the youngest woman working for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities, she’s certainly not a rookie, especially after preventing the destruction of the universe last summer.

So when someone murders a secret brotherhood dedicated to one of the most famous men in history, al-Jahiz, Agent Fatma is called onto the case. Al-Jahiz transformed the world 50 years ago when he opened up the veil between the magical and mundane realms, before vanishing into the unknown. This murderer claims to be al-Jahiz, returned to condemn the modern age for its social oppressions. His dangerous magical abilities instigate unrest in the streets of Cairo that threaten to spill over onto the global stage.

Alongside her Ministry colleagues and her clever girlfriend Siti, Agent Fatma must unravel the mystery behind this imposter to restore peace to the city -or face the possibility he could be exactly who he seems…

Kate’s Thoughts

I have read P. Djèli Clark before, as I read and really enjoyed his novella “Ring Shout”, mostly because I love how he had a very real and specific time and place of the Jim Crow South and brought in cosmic horror and demons to make for a very fun horror story. So while I was once again the odd one out in book club who doesn’t really vibe with fantasy, I wanted to see what Clark would do with it.

And while it didn’t hit the way that “Ring Shout” did, I did appreciate the mystery at hand and the fun takes on djinn mythos. I am someone who has enjoyed djinn and genie mythology in the past, and I definitely liked how Clark took this concept and had fun with putting them into an alternate history of early 20th century Egypt. I am also just someone who likes the idea of an elite investigative group that takes on the supernatural, and watching seasoned agent Fatma delve into a mystery of murder and magic was entertaining, especially as Clark brings in themes of colonialism and imperialism given the setting.

But on the flip side, at the end of the day this is still pretty heavily fantasy, and that’s a genre that doesn’t REALLY hook me as easily. So because of that, I wasn’t as invested as I was with “Ring Shout”, because fantasy just isn’t really my thing. But it is definitely the kind of story that just has the kind of oomph that I could fully recognize why this was a well done fantasy tale. Clark has writing chops that excel across genres. I hope that he comes back to historical horror at some point!

Serena’s Thoughts

Well, it’s no surprise probably that I loved this book! All of the genres involved are right up my alley: fantasy, historical fiction, and a mystery at the heart of it all! It also features an incredible female protagonist who checks off a ton of my preferences as well: smart, action-oriented, and not standing for anyone’s BS.

Beyond the incredible main character and the cast that surrounds her, I really enjoyed the alternate history and world that this book establishes. The introduction of magic has changed the arc of history, with Egypt rising to a new level of prominence on the world stage. But we see that not all has been solved by magic; instead, new and even more complex situations have been created, with world powers vying for control of magic and with fantastical beings who may have their own agendas. However, even with all of these fantasy trappings, the heart of the mystery and the story itself comes down to the very human influences that drive us: distrust of others, cravings for power, and the necessity of overcoming all of these things to create a world where all can thrive.

It’s easy enough to see the bones of the novellas that came before this one, but I think Clark did an excellent job of introducing everything to a new reader as well. If anything, I caught these references to past works and now want to go back and explore the earlier stories as well! In particular, I’d love to go back and read the story where Fatma and Siti first meet!

This is now the second book I’ve read by this author, and I think they both ended up with a 9 rating from me. So I guess I have another must-read author on my list going forward!

Kate’s Rating 7 : While the fantasy genre isn’t really my thing, “A Master of Djinn” was entertaining and a fun exploration of djinn in an alternate history mystery.

Serena’s Rating 9: Full of steampunk vibes and badass female characters, this is an incredible historical fantasy read!

Book Club Questions

  1. What were your thoughts on the setting and time period in this novel?
  2. Did you enjoy the portrayals of the mythological beings in this book? Have you read many books that have creatures like djinn?
  3. Did you like the mystery in this story? Were there any parts of it that you found surprising as it unfolded?
  4. What did you think about the different conflicts between the various groups in the novel as the story was winding down towards the conclusion?
  5. What were your thoughts on the magical systems in this book? Did they feel well explained and explored?
  6. Who would you recommend this book to?

Reader’s Advisory

“A Master of Djinn” is included on these Goodreads lists: Fiction Novels Featuring Djinn/Jinn and Arabian, Egyptian, and Indian Fantasy.

Next Book Club Pick: “Starling House” by Alix Harrow