Month: November 2025

Serena’s Review: “A Curious Kind of Magic”

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Book: “A Curious Kind of Magic” by Mara Rutherford

Publishing Info: Wednesday Books, October 2025

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

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

Book Description: Everyone in Ardmuir knows that Willow Stokes is a charlatan, including Willow herself. Her father’s shoppe hasn’t sold anything magical in decades, and it’s only hanging on by the skin of the fake dragon’s teeth Willow sells as charms, along with “enchanted” ostrich eggs, taxidermied chimeras, and talismans made of fools’ gold.

Until outlander Brianna Hargrave appears and turns Willow’s fakes into exactly what they’re purported to be. But try as Willow might to enlist Bri’s help, she wants nothing to do with Willow and her curiosities.

Because Brianna is harboring a secret of her own: everything she touches turns to magic, and the consequences have chased her all the way to Ardmuir. All she wants to do is find a particular missing grimoire, which contains a spell that can finally put an end to her curse.

Desperate to keep her father’s shoppe, Willow proposes a bargain that could save them both. Together with the frustratingly handsome printer’s assistant, the girls will uncover a plot that goes far deeper than either could have imagined. But when Willow is forced to participate in an ambitious collector’s quest for the rarest magical object in the world-a quest that risks almost-certain death-she learns that not all treasure is for sale, and that true magic is closer than she ever could have imagined.

Review: This is one of those books where I closed the page and my only thought was, “Well, what’s next?” Everything about this one was almost aggressively just okay. Nothing was bad enough that I wanted to get out my laptop right away and start a rant. But nothing was good enough either that I wanted to think much more about the entire experience.

Part of this comes down to the fact that nothing really stands out in this book. It’s set in some nondescript “historical” time period and setting. The magical elements are just your typical fairytale sort of thing where certain people have access to magic and others don’t. And the characters are all fairly familiar archetypes, from the prickly leading lady to the cinnamon roll romantic interest.

None of this is particularly helped by the slow pacing of the story. I’ve struggled with this aspect of Mara Rutherford’s writing in the past, and it was the same situation here. These YA books aren’t particularly long, but given the actual plot and content of the book, like her others, this one felt as if it could be 50 pages shorter at least. Some of this can be explained away by the cozy subgenre, a particular subset of genres that often rely on slower pacing and day-in-the-life motifs. But even within this category, I think this one felt particularly uneven in its pacing and plotting. However, cozy fantasy is often a struggle for me, so bigger fans of the genre may be less bothered by this aspect of the book.

I also struggled with the characters. The main character is written to be prickly and standoffish, but more often than not, this translated into me simply disliking her much of the time. Much of the spare 50–75 pages worth of content in this book is taken up by Willow’s poor decision-making and insistence on keeping everything and everyone at arm’s length. Bri, perhaps, was a bit better, but again, I never felt like I had enough to really grasp onto her as a unique and interesting character. And Finlay, for his part, was a sweet character, but too often this sweetness took a turn towards bland and left me feeling distinctly underwhelmed.

Perhaps “underwhelmed” is the best description for my feelings for this book. I’ve enjoyed Mara Rutherford’s books in the past, but I think that some of her particular writing foibles (slower and sometimes uneven pacing) were not benefitted by the cozy subgenre. Her previous books had darker themes and elements which I think elevated some of the weaker portions (characterization and pacing). Whereas here, with less plot to speak of, these flaws rose more to the forefront. However, I will say that this may appeal more to general fans of YA cozy fantasy, so if you’re a fan of that subgenre or a big Rutherford fan, this one may still be worth checking out!

Rating 7: Just okay. There was nothing bad about this read, but nothing will really stick with me either, unfortunately.

Reader’s Advisory:

“A Curious Kind of Magic” can be found on these Goodreads lists: YA Cozy Fantasy and Cozy and Cold Weather Reads (YA and Children’s).

Kate’s Review: “The Bone Thief”

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Book: “The Bone Thief” by Vanessa Lillie

Publishing Info: Berkley, October 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: When a Native teenager vanishes from her small town—a place with dark ties to an elite historical society—archaeologist Syd Walker is called to investigate…from bestselling author Vanessa Lillie.

In the hours before dawn at a local summer camp, Bureau of Indian Affairs archaeologist Syd Walker receives an alarming call: newly discovered skeletal remains have been stolen. Not only have bones gone missing, but a Native teen girl has disappeared near the camp, and law enforcement dismisses her family’s fears.

As Syd investigates both crimes, she’s drawn into a world of privileged campers and their wealthy parents—most of them members of the Founders Society, an exclusive club whose members trace their lineage to the first colonists and claim ancestral rights to the land, despite fierce objections from the local tribal community. And it’s not the first time something—or someone—has gone missing from the camp.

The deeper Syd digs, the more she realizes these aren’t isolated incidents. A pattern of disappearances stretches back generations, all leading to the Founders Society’s doorstep. But exposing the truth means confronting not just the town’s most powerful families, but also a legacy of violence that refuses to stay buried.

From the national bestselling author of Blood Sisters (a Washington Post Best Mystery of the Year and Target Book Club pick) comes a new Syd Walker novel that proves the sins of the past are destined to repeat until the truth is finally unearthed.

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

I really enjoyed Vanessa Lillie’s first Syd Walker Mystery “Blood Sisters” when I read it awhile back, having stumbled upon it and taking a chance on it only to be really happy with it. Because of this it’s definitely not shocking that when I saw that Lillie had a new Syd Walker mystery coming out, “The Bone Thief”, I had to request it post haste. I am always hoping to find a new mystery series to follow, and sometimes one good read can be a fluke. I hoped it wasn’t the case for Lillie’s Syd, and boy was I happy to see that Syd is still going strong and bringing compelling and searingly relevant mysteries!

We have two mysteries at work here. The first is the case of some remains of an Indigenous woman and her baby that Syd is involved with as a BIA archaeologist, and how the local historical group The Founders Society wants to have them for clout while the local tribes want to bring them back to the community… only for the remains to disappear. Along with that, a Native teenager named Naomi has gone missing, harkening back to Syd’s previous mystery where she went searching for her missing sister, and also found her childhood friend Luna and Luna’s daughter Gracie on her search (Luna and Gracie have since moved in with Syd and her very pregnant wife Mal, which is causing some friction). I enjoyed both of the mysteries, as I felt that Lillie did a good job of keeping the focus even upon both while also slowly intertwining them, with connections between missing teen Naomi and the Founder’s Society, as well as other mysteries connected to the group over the years. Syd is still a very enjoyable detective, trying to remain true and honest to her own Indigenous heritage while also working for the BIA in a way that she feels can be positive. I felt like there were solid reveals, well done misdirections, and a well placed smattering of clues that all came together for some satisfying conclusions.

But, like so many other books that have such themes, it was the social commentary about the way that Indigenous people in this country are being erased, ignored, oppressed, and victimized, whether it’s during this time period in a pre-Obama United States, or in the many years since the invasion of this country by European colonizers. In this book Syd has found herself not only investigating another missing Indigenous woman case, she is also dealing with the theft and exploitation of Indigenous remains, when the skeletons of an Indigenous woman and her baby are found and the local historical organization The Founders Society wants claim to the bones. Syd has to walk a tenuous line as a BIA archaeologist, as she believes in the education of the masses to the history of Indigenous peoples and how history should, indeed, be accessible to anyone… But she also is fully aware that a predominantly white historical society mainly made up of descendants of colonizers keeping not only artifacts but also remains of Indigenous people is deeply, DEEPLY problematic and unethical. Lillie raises a lot of good questions about not only the way that living Indigenous people are still being wronged in the modern world, but how the long dead continue to be victimized through their remains being disrespected and withheld from tribes in the name of white history. It’s important to keep talking about it, and I appreciated the way that Lillie blended it all together along with the mystery.

“The Bone Thief” is another enjoyable Syd Walker mystery from Vanessa Lillie! I really hope this series continues, it really clicks with me.

Rating 8: Another solid mystery with all too relevant social commentary about the Indigenous experience, “The Bone Thief” is a gripping thriller with a very likable protagonist.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Bone Thief” is included on the Goodreads list “Indigenous Books 2025”.

Serena’s Review: “The Wolf King”

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Book: “The Wolf King” by Lauren Palphreyman

Publishing Info: Bloom Books, November 2025

Where Did I Get this Book: Netgalley!

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

Book Description: When a princess is kidnapped by an alpha , war rages between the humans and the wolves. But soon, forbidden attraction starts to grow. . .

Princess Aurora longs to escape the castle and the marriage that has been arranged for her.

But on the night before her wedding, at a dog fight where captured werewolves are made to fight for sport, she spares the life of a young wolf. It puts her on the radar of the powerful alpha who was going to kill him. And it changes everything.

That night, when the alpha escapes, he kidnaps her and takes her to the rugged lands north of the border — where the once warring werewolf clans are beginning to unite. He thinks that she is the key to winning the war against the humans.

Only, as they spend time around one another, forbidden attraction starts to grow. And as Aurora learns that not all wolves are bad, the alpha discovers that she is in danger from both his enemies, and those he once considered friends.

With monsters on both sides, a bloodthirsty war between humans and wolves raging, and undeniable passion growing between them — will their story end in love? Or tragedy?

And will Aurora ever get home?

Does she even want to?

Review: I’m going to be honest, this was a really tough one to think about reviewing. To sum up my experience, for the first third of the book, I was absolutely loving it. The main character was interesting enough, if a bit generic and predictable. But the romantic interest was a breath of fresh air! Funny, friendly, considerate, gasp blonde… I have a very clear memory of thinking, “Finally! A breath of fresh air to the standard romantasy fare, proof that there is more to the world than dark, secretive, shadow daddies!” And then… the shadow daddy entered the scene, and I actually slammed my Kindle down in immediate frustration. Honestly, I would have DNF’d it on the spot if it wasn’t for the fact that this was a NetGalley request, and I wanted to follow through on a review.

Now, to be fair, this is an incredibly subjective reaction per my own preferences—so much so that I’m going to go on a rant about this later in the review. But it’s not fair to review the book purely on the rage this “twist” induced in me as one unique reader. For those who enjoy ACOTAR and the sort of romance that has (unfortunately) taken over the romantasy genre ever since, I think this book will be a great fit. Indeed, I was having enough fun with the readability of the prose itself that even I, hating everything about what’s happening with the love story itself, am considering checking out the next book. So, yes. It’s incredibly readable. The main character is not insufferable. And the primary love interest of this book was a character I enjoyed.

So that’s my fair review of the book. Now on to the rant! There will be spoilers for this book and predictions for the next included, so be warned!

I’ve mentioned this point before, but I think romance is one of the few genres that not only benefits from but should almost require some sort of tags for tropes. It’s just such a subjective thing, and it’s all the more infuriating when a book summary sets the reader up to expect one thing and then delivers something completely different. In this case, we have the Tamlin/Rhysand situation where an entire first book is devoted to one love interest, but a secondary (the true!!!) love interest is introduced toward the middle/end. The expectation is then that something will occur in the second book to either make the original love interest intolerable, dead, or otherwise unavailable so that the true romantic lead can slot in.

And boy, do I hate this! I have a long TBR list—so long that I’m never going to get through it. And what this horrible trope has essentially normalized is taking what should be a passing comment found in many romance novels—“My ex was a jerk”—and turning that line into an entire, freaking, hundreds-of-pages-long book! I’m reading romance, for heaven’s sake! One of the primary conventions is a “happily ever after.” And when I start a book and am given two romantic leads, I think it is fair that I then expect those characters to have that happy ending. But no. Instead, I get an entire book devoted to a character who is going to be, essentially, a throwaway line in the main character’s toxic relationship history. That’s not romance! That’s… I don’t even know what!

And the author herself has pointed out the reason that she—and I imagine other romance authors—does this: it’s to get to the smut scenes sooner. And frankly, I find that kind of demeaning as a romance reader. Look, it’s fair to want to read erotica for the, well, erotica of it all. But that is a genre in itself, and there are plenty of options to be had there. Romance is a love story. Yes, there are steamy sections often, but the love story between two people is the heart of it. That being the case, why am I being given an entire book of smut scenes between the main character and her soon-to-be ex? Just because I, the reader, can’t go twenty pages without a smut scene, according to authors and publishers in romantasy? It’s belittling, is what it is.

Of course, this entire rant is very much just my opinion on this matter. And, of course, it’s completely fine to disagree with me, as I imagine many romantasy readers do. But this gets to my final point about tags. I had to read over a hundred and fifty pages of this book to even get an inkling of the fact that this book was taking on this trope. And I’ve looked ahead at reviews for the next book, and it looks like I’d have to go AN ENTIRE BOOK MORE only to find this all completely confirmed. At that point, as a romance reader, I’d have read two entire books about two characters who aren’t going to have a happily-ever-after. And I just think that’s the sort of thing I should know before opening book one. Heaven forbid I had actually paid money for this, having been given zero reason to expect a bait-and-switch like this.

So, yes. Ultimately, I think this author has a compelling style, and I was completely on board for the situation that I was originally sold: Outlander but with werewolves. Unfortunately, that is not at all what we got (Jamie Fraser would never end up being the probably toxic ex). All of this said, if you enjoy the old Tamlin/Rhysand switcheroo, this book is definitely for you! However, if you don’t enjoy this trope, definitely steer away.

Rating 7/4: On its own merits, this is the score I’d give it. Based on my own preferences, this is probably around a 4 due to the sheer gall of writing an entire book about an FMC and her soon-to-be ex-boyfriend and calling it romance.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Wolf King” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Only one horse scenes in romantasy and Historical Fiction/Fantasy with Werewolves.

Kate’s Review: “Sisters in the Wind”

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Book: “Sisters in the Wind” by Angeline Boulley

Publishing Info: Henry Holt & Co., September 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: From the instant New York Times bestselling author of Firekeeper’s Daughter and Warrior Girl Unearthed comes a daring new mystery about a foster teen claiming her heritage on her own terms.

Ever since Lucy Smith’s father died five years ago, “home” has been more of an idea than a place. She knows being on the run is better than anything waiting for her as a “ward of the state.” But when the sharp-eyed and kind Mr. Jameson with an interest in her case comes looking for her, Lucy wonders if hiding from her past will ever truly keep her safe.

Five years in the foster system has taught her to be cautious and smart. But she wants to believe Mr. Jameson and his “friend-not-friend,” a tall and fierce-looking woman who say they want to look after her.

They also tell Lucy the truth her father hid from her: She is Ojibwe; she has – had – a sister, and more siblings; a grandmother who’d look after her and a home where she would be loved.

But Lucy is being followed. The past has destroyed any chance of normal she has had, and now the secrets she’s hiding will swallow her whole and take away the future she always dreamed of.

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

I was so elated when I saw that Angeline Boulley had a new YA novel coming out this year! I saw a big poster for it at ALAAC25 and it made my day (sadly I wasn’t able to attend her talk this year, but if she comes back she will get priority). I finally sat down to read “Sisters in the Wind” a few months later, and I went in with very high hopes. I’ve so enjoyed her other YA thrillers, and I was hoping for another winner. And I got it.

Like Boulley’s other YA novels, “Sisters in the Wind” tackles some pretty heavy societal issues to go along with the thriller and mystery elements in this story. In this book, the mystery is less about her main character, Lucy, solving a whodunnit, and more about the reader starting to untangle Lucy’s secrets and her difficult and traumatic past as a foster child who has been dealing with the foster care system since her father’s death. To make matters for difficult, her identity as an Indigenous person (as her mother was Indigenous and her father left her mother and took Lucy with him when she was a baby) has been suppressed her entire life, which cuts her off not only from her culture but from a family that is shocked to find her once they finally do. Boulley is so good at presenting difficult topics about racism and oppression of Indigenous people in this country to her audience, dismantling dark histories and white supremacy and showing how it reverberates and harms people. The big topic in this book is the Indian Child Welfare Act and how Lucy’s situation was lost through the cracks, and also puts a focus on the foster system and how corrupt and traumatic it can be. We don’t know what exactly happened to Lucy when the story starts, just that she’s on the run and someone wants to kill her, but as we go through her history we find a girl failed by so many finding her way back to a community that was taken from her. I know that some people have said that they found this endless tragedy to be unrealistic, but I don’t agree because Lucy’s story isn’t exactly unique to real world experiences, whether it’s racism, sexual abuse, coercion and manipulation, or even human trafficking. It’s a hard read, but it’s, sadly, still relevant.

We also have a welcome return to Sugar Island and familiar faces, characters, and the return of one who was missing in “Warrior Girl Unearthed”. In the timeline “Sisters in the Wind” takes place after “Firekeeper’s Daughter”, but before “Warrior Girl Unearthed”, and we find Lucy meeting a Daunis who exists between the scrappy teen in the first book and the grounded and nurturing mentor in the second book. I really enjoyed how Boulley gave us some more insight into Daunis and her trajectory, including more insight into her relationship with Jamie from the first novel, and I thought that she worked it in better in this one than the previous one. But I also appreciated that the presence of Daunis and Jamie and their connection to Lucy didn’t overshadow Lucy’s story or characterization, and if anything it made her family connections and her journey to the home she never knew feel all the more poignant and powerful. It also filled in some gaps and questions that were in place once we got to “Warrior Girl Unearthed” regarding how some of these characters got to the point they were at in the time jump, some of it incredibly satisfying, some of it devastating (but still satisfying? Just trust me). I really hope we get more stories from Sugar Island and the characters who live in the pages of these books.

“Sisters in the Wind” is another impactful and emotional thriller from Angeline Boulley. It had me running a full gamut of feelings, with difficult subject matter but an ever present thread of hope and love moving throughout the narrative. Good golly I love these books.

Rating 9: Another emotional and important book about Indigenous life in America from Angeline Boulley, with a compelling mystery, familiar faces, and some moments of heartbreak, hope, and coming home.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Sisters in the Wind” is included on the Goodreads lists “Native American Lit”, and “ATY 2026: Indigenous Character or Author”.

Not Just Books: November 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

TV Show: “Slow Horses”

This show is so dang good, and I think that’s largely down to its stellar cast. The stories themselves are fun, what with following a bunch of slightly inept MI5 agents run around trying to save the day but often making it worse. But the cast! Gary Oldman is, of course, a treasure, somehow managing to make you absolutely love a character who is gross, rude, and often downright mean. But ensemble cast surrounding him all hold their own, including James Callis who is absolutely hilarious as the bumbling head of MI5 itself. Season six has already been filmed it looks like, so I can’t wait to see what these fools get up to next time!

Podcast: “Dungeons & Dragons & Dramas”

You know you’ve reached new lows (or highs??) or nerdiness when you find yourself binging episodes of a podcast with at title like that! But it’s just that fun! And funny! It’s pretty much exactly what it sounds like: a bunch of actors and such playing D&D and making a podcast out of the experience. But everyone is hilarious and their attempts at cohesiveness as a D&D party are questionable at best leading to some truly memorably moments. Most recently, they attempted to get through combat sequence by…making soup? It was definitely as ridiculous as it sounds, and I’m here for it!

Video Game: “Persona 5”

After loving “Expedition 33,” I’ve been on the lookout for other games like it. And this game routinely comes up as a favorite turn-based JRPG. So I’ve been making my way through it these last few weeks (it’s long!). I’m definitely enjoying it, with its unique mixture of action/combat and a lot of social sim elements, but it’s also one that I would hesitate to recommend with out warning. Cuz, yeah…there are some extreme moments of male-gaze and pretty misogynistic story beats. So, I can enjoy it for what it has to offer, but it’s definitely not the sort of game that will appeal to everyone, especially those who just don’t want to deal with the slightly toxic side of gaming that is still evident in games like this.

Kate’s Picks

Film: “Frankenstein”

I love Guillermo del Toro’s films, especially his Gothic ones, so obviously I was excited for his take on “Frankenstein”. The man knows how to capture not only a vibe, but also emotional beats of tragedy and longing and existential angst. And I really enjoyed his take on the story, making it his own and conveying a story about cycles of abuse and trauma. I’ve always been pretty neutral on Oscar Isaac with little to no opinion on him, but he really brought the narcissism and hubris of Victor Frankenstein to life. Mia Goth is always iconic and I wholly enjoyed her portrayal of Elizabeth, as well as the way the del Toro makes her more in charge of her own destiny in this story (also she loves science and bugs!). And my goodness, Jacob Elordi, another person I’ve had no real opinion on, KILLED IT as The Creature. Just killed it. His movements, his mannerisms, his speech patterns, everything is so damn good and heartbreaking. And yes, it’s all vibes, not only with great casting and acting but BEAUTIFUL sets, styling, and costume design. Loved it.

TV Show: “Only Murders in the Building”

My favorite cozy mystery show is back! I mean, it’s been back, but I like to save it for November and binge it all at once, and I did just that this month. I don’t know how they keep coming up with believable and interesting murders in the same damn building, but they did it! Oliver, Charles, and Mabel are back on the case, as Lester, the beloved doorman of the Arcadia, was found dead in the building’s courtyard fountain at the end of last season (legit devastating, I loved Lester). Their investigation is rife with crazy twists (naturally), with mobsters, billionaires, secret gambling parlors, and dismembered fingers abound! I still love the chemistry between Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez, and we once again have lots of great humor, some fun twists, and so many great guest stars. There was a moment where there were FOUR Academy Award winning actresses in one scene (Meryl Streep, Renée Zellweger, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, and Dianne Wiest) and I was freaking out. God I love this show.

TV Show: “Canada’s Drag Race”

My favorite “Drag Race” spin off is back!! And while my usual watch buddy has moved to California (I miss you, David!), I am still amped to watch Brook Lynn Hytes judge a bunch of Canadian drag performers with a kind of new judging panel (well, mostly it’s just that Brad left because I imagine he’s a very in demand stylist at the moment). We are only one episode in at this point so I don’t have a FULL feel of the contestants just yet, but some are standing out for me already (PM is incredibly intriguing, as are Saltina Shaker and Mya Foxx). And I just love Brooke Lynn Hytes as the host and main judge, she’s still exquisite and just kind and insightful and supportive. I’m also hoping for some good drama this season. Because this spin off has had some GREAT drama in past seasons (Melinda Verga vs everyone, anyone?).

Kate’s Review: “Shadow Lab, Volume Two”

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

Book: “Shadow Lab, Volume Two” by Brendan Deneen (Ed.)

Publishing Info: Blackstone Publishing Inc., September 2025

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

Where You Can Get This Book: Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: Just in time for Halloween 2025, it’s Shadow Lab, Volume Two!

In Gibbett Hill by Faith Merino, Virginia has moved with her husband to the town of Gibbet Hill, where they plan to raise their three-month-old daughter. But as a Gold Rush reenactment festival begins to blur the line between real and imaginary, Virginia finds herself the target of the town’s strange hanging ritual.

In Forty Weeks by Adam Godfrey, Sarah is transformed into a vampire after her husband’s research team finds a dormant virus buried in the arctic permafrost. When her husband is killed by his employers, Sarah flees in search of someone else who’s infected, operating on the rumor that their death would trigger an antibody surge that could save not only her, but her unborn child …

In The Retreat by Gemma Amor, a troubled military veteran tries to get her life back in order by taking an office job, and soon finds herself on the fast track to success. But when she’s invited to a corporate retreat in the middle of the wilderness, she encounters dark and mysterious forces at work, and she must use all of her skills to survive.

Find these and more horrifying tales in the second Shadow Lab anthology from Blackstone Publishing.

Review: Thank you to Blackstone Publishing for providing me with an eARC of this anthology!

I was looking back at my reviews this past year as I start thinking about what titles are going to make my Top 10 of the year (look for that reveal in December!), I noticed that I reviewed and read almost all of my short stories collections reads of 2025 in the last two months. Clearly I’ve been following a bit of a theme these past couple of months. And let’s just add another title to the mix! I was asked to check out “Shadow Lab, Volume Two”, a collection of horror stories from Blackstone Publishing that was edited by Brendan Deneen. It sounded intriguing enough, so I decided to give it a go!

Like I always do, I will first talk about my favorite three stories in the collection and then talk about the collection as a whole.

“Insatiable” by Diana Olney: This was one of the earlier stories in the collection and it helped set the stage, and really stood out. A girl has perhaps inherited something strange from her long absent mother, and as she finds more and more disconcerting changes in and behaviors in her day to day life, she has to learn to control it. Or.. not. I love a story about a girl coming into her own power, just as I like a story about not only women’s rights but also women’s wrongs, and this one was deeply satisfying.

“Hachishakusama” by Kylee Shimomura: If you throw me a horror story based on an urban legend or a creepypasta I’m almost assuredly going to want to get my hands on it, and it’s not shocking that “Hachishakusama” is probably my favorite story in this collection. A woman has to return to Japan after being away for a long time after her mother has died. But everywhere she goes she sees an impossibly tall woman with sharp teeth, getting closer and closer, until people around her start being torn to shreds. This one freaked me out but left me wanting more, and it was definitely the scariest.

“The Retreat” by Gemma Amor: This seems to be a favorite for a lot of people, at least in the reviews I found after I had finished, and I definitely see why being a solid scary story along with some fun corporate satire. A veteran is trying to fit back into everyday life, and is trying to get used to her new seemingly boring corporate job. When she stops a gunman in the office, her boss invites her on a highly coveted company retreat reserved only for the most elite, which can set its most promising attendees on a higher rung of the corporate ladder. But at what price? I liked the wild places this one went to, as well as the biting send up of toxic work environments that try to play up a familial vibe while actually exploiting its workers.

As a collection, I thought that it was a pretty strong one. All of these authors were new to me, and outside of a couple of exceptions I felt like I enjoyed at least something about almost all of them. It’s especially cool because none of these stories have any themed connections, it’s just a group to show off their ideas of horror and it really runs a gamut.

“Shadow Lab, Volume 2” was an enjoyable horror short story collection with some promising rising voices in the genre. If you like horror short stories, give it a go!

Rating 7: A solid collection of horror short stories that had mostly well done tales of terror.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Shadow Lab, Volume Two” isn’t on any Goodreads lists as of now, but it would fit in on “Best Horror Anthologies”.

Serena’s Review: “The House Saphir”

Gothic fairytale fantasy at its best! Meyer deftly navigates tough themes of domestic violence and manipulation while crafting a sweet and funny romance to boot! My full review of THE HOUSE SAPHIR by @marissameyerauthor is now live on the blog! – S #thehousesaphir #bluebeardfairytale #fairytalefantasybooks

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

Book: “The House Saphir” by Marissa Meyer

Publishing Info: Feiwel & Friends, November 2025

Where Did I Get this Book: Netgalley!

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

Book Description: Mallory Fontaine is a fraud. Though she comes from a long line of witches, the only magic she possesses is the ability to see ghosts, which is rarely as useful as one would think. She and her sister have maintained the family business, eking out a paltry living by selling bogus spells to gullible buyers and conducting tours of the infamous mansion where the first of the Saphir murders took place.

Mallory is a self-proclaimed expert on Count Bastien Saphir—otherwise known as Monsieur Le Bleu—who brutally killed three of his wives more than a century ago. But she never expected to meet Bastien’s great-great grandson and heir to the Saphir estate. Armand is handsome, wealthy, and convinced that the Fontaine Sisters are as talented as they claim. The perfect mark. When he offers Mallory a large sum of money to rid his ancestral home of Le Bleu’s ghost, she can’t resist. A paid vacation at Armand’s country manor? It’s practically a dream come true, never mind the ghosts of murdered wives and the monsters that are as common as household pests.

But when murder again comes to the House Saphir, Mallory finds herself at the center of the investigation—and she is almost certain the killer is mortal. If she has any hope of cashing in on the payment she was promised, she’ll have to solve the murder and banish the ghost, all while upholding the illusion of witchcraft.

But that all sounds relatively easy compared to her biggest learning to trust her heart. Especially when the person her heart wants the most might be a murderer himself.

Review: Well, this was a delight of a read! I’ve only read a few Bluebeard retellings, but I can say that this is easily my favorite! Per Meyer’s typical approach to fairytale fantasies, this one is quite removed from the original story, and I think that only strengthened it. Beyond allowing original characters and a whole new story room to shine, I loved the ways that the older story wove in and out of the current version. There were several twists and turns, particularly in the second half, that interwove both tales together in incredibly creative ways.

I also really loved the gothic vibes of this book. From start to finish, the book has a distinctive flavor: creepy, fantastical, and just verging on the horrific. Of course, it also has a cast of ghosts who are hilarious, often in a fairly macabre manner. But like any good gothic story, the house itself often feels like a character, full of creeping sounds and mysterious locked doors. And to balance all of this gloom, we have our con artist of a main character, vigorously doing absolute nonsense to “cleanse” the ghosts from this house. The combination of the true menace exuded by the house alongside the antics of Mallory and her sister perfectly balanced the overall tone of the book. The world-building also expanded out from the house itself toward the last third of the book, adding an entirely new level to the magic of this world.

I also loved Mallory as a main character. She was funny, brave, and gloriously unapologetic for her con artist ways. Of course, as the story continues, we learn more about her and her family’s unique history, thus adding greater depth to her motivations and reactions. There are dark secrets here, many of which were tied up in her relationship with her mother and sister. I’m, of course, a sucker for sister relationships in fantasy stories, so this was all right up my alley.

I also really enjoyed the romance in the story. This was definitely a subplot to the book, but it was sweet, funny, and endearing in every way. Bastien was a lovely character, full of an earnest desire to earn Mallory’s trust but hiding secrets of his own. There were some really good twists tied up in his character as well. I was able to guess a few of them, but that didn’t make it any less gratifying to see them play out. Between him and his creepy ancestor, the book did a great job exploring some tough themes, like domestic violence, while still maintaining an approachable tone.

My one complaint here, however, is that Mallory routinely refers to Bastien as a “boy.” This is an adult man who, while young, is running an estate and business and living an adult life. I get that the book is straddling a tough line, as it’s marketed as a young adult title, but it’s just ridiculous to listen to two characters who are considered to be and behave as adults in their world refer to each other in this way. More than anything, I think this book should just embrace the “new adult” genre, refer to Bastien as the man he is, and do away with silly YA nods of this sort, especially when they make zero sense within the context of the story. Kind of a silly nitpick, but it bothered me throughout.

Overall, however, I really loved this book! Meyer continues to hit it out of the park, and this one is another fairytale banger! All the better, it is a stand-alone novel—a truly rare beast in the fantasy world recently. I definitely recommend this to all fairytale fantasy fans!

Rating 9: Gothic fairytale fantasy at its best! Meyer deftly navigates tough themes of domestic violence and manipulation while crafting a sweet and funny romance to boot!

Reader’s Advisory:

“The House Saphir” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Bluebeard Retellings and November 2025 Romance & Fantasy Book Releases.

Kate’s Review: “The Creeping”

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Book: “The Creeping” by Alexandra Sirowy

Publishing Info: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, August 2015

Where Did I Get This Book: I received an ARC of the re-release from the publicist

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

Book Description: Eleven years ago, Stella and Jeanie disappeared. Only Stella came back.

Now all she wants is a summer full of cove days, friends, and her gorgeous crush – until a fresh corpse leads Stella down a path of ancient evil and secrets.

Stella believes remembering what happened to Jeanie will save her. It won’t.

She used to know better than to believe in what slinks through the shadows. Not anymore.

Review: Thank you to Wunderkind PR for sending me an ARC of this novel!

So I ran into an interesting situation when I started reading “The Creeping” by Alexandra Sirowy. As started reading, I started feeling like it was a bit familiar. Something in my mind was niggling at me. Savage, Minnesota? A girl who experienced something traumatizing and has no memory of that day? A mean best friend and a longing boy who used to be a friend?

Something feels familiar… (source)

I hadn’t gone to my Goodreads to update my reading status at this point, and so I went to my account and looked up “The Creeping”…. and realized that I read it when it originally came out ten years ago!! I had known it was a re-release, but clearly ten years meant that the title hadn’t rang any bells at first. I didn’t go back and read my thoughts as I wanted to go in without any influence on my thoughts. And I enjoyed it again, and found it to be fascinating to see how my views shifted in ten years.

As a small town with secrets and folklore perhaps treading towards a supernatural horror, “The Creeping” checks off a lot of boxes that I generally enjoy in the tropes that come with such tales. Savage, Minnesota (not too far from where we live, albeit a fictional version of this town!) has been haunted by the disappearance of a little girl named Jeanie, who disappeared in the woods with her best friend Stella when she was six and never came back, though Stella did, with no memory of what happened. Stella has tried to move on, leaning hard into her friend Zoey and becoming popular and generally revered in her school… Until a body of a little girl who looks a LOT like Jeanie is found in the woods around the anniversary, and stirs up memories and fears in Stella. I love a teenager trying to find out the dark secrets of her hometown, and in “The Creeping” it’s a bit unclear as to whether this is a human monster, or something a bit more supernatural. I found the clues to be well placed, the tension to be pretty well paced, and the folk lore and history of the town to be compelling and mysterious. There are also touches upon the way that a community can get thrown into a frenzy when unexplainable things happen, so desperate for answers they find targets to focus on. These feelings didn’t really change too much from my initial read to this one.

But this time around I had some shifting feelings about the teenage relationships in a way that kind of surprised me! When I initially read this ten years ago my review was especially scathing towards Zoey, Stella’s opinionated and sometimes manipulative best friend who tries to push Stella to be as carefree and popular as she strives to be. And reading it now ten years later was an interesting comparison, as I still found Zoey to be a pretty mean girl, but I was more willing to give her a little bite of grace this time around. I appreciated the way that Sirowy depicts a complicated friendship between two friends who genuinely adore each other, but one is incredibly insecure in herself and lashes out instead of unpacking that insecurity (and hey, as someone who was once a teenage girl I found this VERY realistic). It was also a well done examination of how trauma can still linger and haunt a person, and how people around them can say that they are supportive and understanding, but then get burned out on it and can say and do some cruel things out of not really getting the weight of it all. Heck, I enjoyed all of the teenage relationships at the forefront of this book, whether it’s the messy one between Stella and Zoey, or the renewed and intimate dynamic between Stella and Sam, the friend she left behind at Zoey’s behest. I really loved seeing Stella and Sam come back together and found their romance not overpowering to the narrative, while also being very sweet and tender.

It was a enjoyable time revisiting “The Creeping”! I liked seeing how my thoughts shifted while still staying pretty aligned, and in two weeks I will be following up with another of Sirowy’s re-releases, “The Tellilng”!

Rating 8: A surprise re-read that I enjoyed in another way ten years after my first read, “The Creeping” is small town secrets, folklore thrills, and complicated teenage relationships all rolled into a quick and interesting thriller.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Creeping” is included on the Goodreads lists “YA Books Set in Minnesota”, and “YA Murder Mysteries”.

Serena’s Review: “Murder Most Haunted”

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Book: “Murder Most Haunted” by Emma Mason

Publishing Info: William Morrow Paperbacks, October 2025

Where Did I Get this Book: from the publisher!

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

Book Description: A grand country estate.
On her last day as a Detective, Midge McGowan is given the retirement present from a ticket to take part in a haunted house tour. She’ll have to spend the weekend before Christmas ghost-hunting in an isolated mansion with a group of misfits, including a know-it-all paranormal investigator and a has-been pop star.

An impossible crime.
It isn’t long before the tour starts to spiral out of control. Midge and the guests see an unsettling figure walking the grounds late at night. Then the unthinkable happens – someone is murdered in a room that’s been locked from the inside.

A Christmas they might not survive.
Heavy snow cuts them off from help, the house’s own dark secrets begin to surface, and Midge can’t shake the creeping sense that they are walking into a nightmare. Could a ghost really be responsible, or is the culprit one of the guests?

Review: I’m always looking for another mystery book or series to pick up, and this one sounded like a great place to start, what with its Christmas vibes on top of the haunted house. In one fell swoop, I covered two holidays at once (and timed my review for the month that falls between them!)

Ultimately, this one was a bit hit-and-miss for me. But one thing I unquestionably enjoyed was the overall vibe of the story. Some of the haunted house portions were the best part of the book, and I enjoyed the juxtaposition of gothic creepiness with the inherent cozy factor found in the Christmas holiday. The setting itself was perfectly set up for a closed-door mystery, and I think the author did an excellent job setting the stage for this story.

I both did and did not enjoy the cast of characters. On one hand, there was a lot of variety to be found here, and I enjoyed the interactions between the many strong personalities making up this group. There were plenty of good red herrings and potential suspects for the murder as well, which will surely keep readers on their toes until the last minute. However, I also found almost everyone incredibly unlikable in some way or another, which made it tough for me to become too invested. I was perfectly fine with any of them being the murderer because I didn’t care about any of them enough to want them to be innocent!

I did enjoy Midge for the most part, though I think she may be hit-or-miss for some readers. Much of the story is seeing her slowly come out of her shell and push through her own insecurities. She’s familiar with murder, but her experience was working in the background, so finding herself in the middle of an active crime scene and needing to stand up for her own opinions is clearly a new experience. I thought she was a refreshing change from the typical detectives you find in this kind of book, though I will say that there were times I felt like her insecurities overwhelmed other portions of her characterization.

Overall, this was a quick, satisfying read. I didn’t come away from it blown away, but I also was able to get through it quickly and enjoyed it for what it was. Readers looking for a good holiday mystery should probably check this one out (though I will warn about the characters being a bit on the weaker side overall).

Rating 7: While the characters were all a bit too unlikable for my taste, the vibes were on point for the holiday season (Halloween or Christmas—take your pick!)

Reader’s Advisory:

“Murder Most Haunted” isn’t currently on any Goodreads lists, but it should be on Christmas Mysteries.

Kate’s Review: “The Place Where They Buried Your Heart”

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Book: “The Place Where They Buried Your Heart” by Christina Henry

Publishing Info: Berkley, November 2025

Where Did I Get This Book: I received an ARC and a finished copy from the publicist

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

Book Description: A woman must confront the evil that has been terrorizing her street since she was a child in this gripping haunted house novel, perfect for fans of The Last House on Needless Street and Tell Me I’m Worthless.

On an otherwise ordinary street in Chicago, there is a house. An abandoned house where, once upon a time, terrible things happened. The children who live on this block are told by their parents to stay away from that house. But of course, children don’t listen. Children think it’s fun to be scared, to dare each other to go inside.

Jessie Campanelli did what many older sisters do and dared her little brother Paul. But unlike all the other kids who went inside that abandoned house, Paul didn’t return. His two friends, Jake and Richie, said that the house ate Paul. Of course adults didn’t believe that. Adults never believe what kids say. They thought someone kidnapped Paul, or otherwise hurt him. They thought Paul had disappeared in a way that was ordinary, explainable.

The disappearance of her little brother broke Jessie’s family apart in ways that would never be repaired. Jessie grew up, had a child of her own, kept living on the same street where the house that ate her brother sat, crouched and waiting. And darkness seemed to spread out from that house, a darkness that was alive—alive and hungry.

Review: Thank you to Kaye Publicity for sending me an ARC and a finished copy of this book!

I am kind of embarrassed to say that even though she’s a bit of a maven in the horror writing community with MANY books under her belt, I’ve barely read anything by Christina Henry. The only book I had read of hers up until this point was “Horseman”, which was an interesting take on “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” that I didn’t really connect with too well. But when I was asked to take a look at her newest horror novel “The Place Where They Buried Your Heart” I couldn’t resist giving it a go, as the description of a woman haunted by a house that ate (yes ATE) her little brother was just so intriguing to me. And once I started I immediately kicked myself for not going and reading more Christina Henry before now because wow, it REALLY snagged me and pulled me in.

I can honestly say that there were so many horror beats in this book that really, really got under my skin. The first is the obvious theme of a child being eaten, and I mean EATEN, by a house. This isn’t your typical haunted house story, and Henry doesn’t really mince words when it comes to portraying the horrors of an elementary schooler being devoured, leaving a traumatized older sister behind to lose her father AND mother to the house as time goes on. We also have plot points about family annihilators, more missing (and presumably eaten) children, self immolation, and finally hints of a cosmic horror entity that builds up strength through the blood of its victims and hopes to spread out further and further. As Jessie has to grow up with this in her neighborhood, constantly having to see the house that has caused her so much pain and suffering (and has her worried about her own son E.J. after he is born), we have a fight of good and evil, and it goes beyond what I was expecting of the usual haunted house with a dark history trope. And like I said above, woof did it unsettle me.

The other aspect of this book that I really enjoyed was the way that Henry portrays a neighborhood that has been plagued by a horrible presence and a lurking danger that still manages to find community and support amongst each other in spite of it all. A constant theme in this story is that Jessie, in spite of the trauma of losing her entire family to this horrible and ravenous house, she stays in her neighborhood because of the connections she has made with the other people there, and doesn’t want to leave them in the shadow of the danger to make herself and her son safe. It’s a thought I’ve struggled with a bit this past year, sometimes feeling like me and my family should just pick up and flee this country as it seems to get closer and closer to a dark future. But this book did a really good job of showing the other side of that, that staying and fighting with and for the ones you love is so important, and that courage sometimes isn’t easy. I also just loved the portrayals of Jessie’s connections with her found family, whether it’s her friend Ted (who is the grandfather of E.J.), or the neighbors Sheila and Frances, or her friendship with one of the boys who was in the house when Paul was eaten (and who lost one of his arms to the house). There is always this beast of a house, but there are also Thanksgiving dinners, and hang outs in each other’s homes, and love and connections, and it’s a well written reminder that there is always room for joy and love and community even when there is a looming danger that needs to be fought against, and because it can take time to defeat the evil fostering connections is crucial. It was just a great representation of that ethos.

“The Place Where They Buried Your Heart” is a must read horror novel. I definitely need to go back and read more Christina Henry after this one.

Rating 9: A scary cosmic horror novel combines with a tale about the strength and importance of love and community under the dark clouds of long lingering danger.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Place Where They Buried Your Heart” is included on the Goodreads list “Best Haunted House Fiction That Isn’t “The Shining”.