Author: thelibraryladiesmn

Kate’s Review: “The Mean Ones”

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Book: “The Mean Ones” by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne

Publishing Info: Creature Publishing, September 2025

Where Did I Get This Book: I received an ARC from the publisher at ALAAC25

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

Book Description: So what if Sadie hears talking dead animals and a strange, comforting male voice in her head? The therapist insists these are just symptoms of PTSD. It makes sense considering that she hid under the bed and watched as her best friends were slaughtered.

But the murders were seventeen years ago, back when her name was Sabrina. Now, she’s Sadie: a perfectly normal 29-year-old. She works as a physical therapist assistant and lifts weights with her boyfriend, Lucas, who’s the sweetest, most considerate man—as long as he’s not angry. But when Lucas spontaneously agrees to join a couples trip to a cabin in the woods, the visions get worse, a strange figure stalks her during the night, and that male voice in Sadie’s head keeps calling, asking her to do things she’s never fathomed.

Sadie’s not sure if it’s her paranoia or something else entirely . . . But she is sure of one thing—this time, she’s not going to sit idly by as everything starts to unravel.

Review: Thank you to Creature Publishing for giving me an ARC of this novel at ALAAC25!

Back in June when Serena and I were in Philadelphia for the ALA Annual Conference I found myself circling and flagrantly stalking the Creature Publishing table, as they only had the table for a limited time, and I was DETERMINED to seek them out. Specifically for the book “The Mean Ones” by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne, as not only had it been getting some pretty solid hype, it also promised to have “Midsommar” and “Yellowjackets” vibes. True, I didn’t really like “Midsommar”, and I haven’t watched “Yellowjackets”, but the vibes of both? I’m INTO THOSE VIBES! It took a few awkward circles (as well as a few polite ‘no, I’m looking for this specific publisher, thanks’ to a few well meaning reps at tables surrounding the area) but I finally got my hands on a copy, and had high, HIGH hopes that it would be as awesome as I was hoping it would be. And whaddaya know? It was even MORE awesome!

Oh I just loved this. I’m appreciating folk horror more and more as time goes by, and weird entities in the woods and cult horror really tick off so many boxes for me. “The Mean Ones” definitely has both at hand, and I thought that Schlote-Bonne was great at building up a slow suspense both in the present with Sadie (though when she was a child her name was Sabrina) as an adult on a camping trip with her dodgy boyfriend Lucas and his friends, and also in the past with Sadie/Sabrina as a tween at camp with her best girl friends who are also not terribly kind to her. But both in the past and present she has been hearing things and seeing things, and while she tries to ignore it and just be normal it just keeps building up until something horrifying happens. Like friends Allie and Blakely being brutally murdered in front of Sadie/Sabrina by something sinister. The mysteriousness of what is going on in the woods, what Sadie/Sabrina is seeing and hearing, and what really happened to her friends and herself at camp is so well done and so well paced, and some of the moments of horror really unnerved me. There’s just something about a oh so wrong looking deer in the distant brush that just FREAKS me out in the best way. I’m trying to be vague because this is so good and it’s best to go in with as little info as possible, but at the end of the day if you like folk horror, this will surely be up your alley.

But it’s also the very real, relatable human aspects of Sadie/Sabrina and the way that she is pushed and mistreated by the people who are supposed to care about her that will probably resonate with readers. I really liked her as a protagonist, finding her to be relatable in a lot of ways as lord knows I’d been the odd girl out or picked on in my adolescent female friendships, and Sadie/Sabrina was REALLY familiar in her choices, anger, and pain. She has suffered from so much trauma that she has tried to mold herself into someone normal, but in doing so has become a people pleaser not unlike her time as a third wheel in her friendship with only friends Allie and Blakely, who treated her pretty poorly in ways that tween and teenage girls can sadly fall into when it comes to clique behavior. It makes for a protagonist you want to root for, and as we learn more about her and how she has been coping and twisting herself up, we also see a woman that could be so much more… though perhaps in a ‘good for her’ kind of way that we have seen in films like “The Witch” and “Midsommar”. Feminine rage has its moment along with the folk and cult horror aspects, and Schlote-Bonne pulls it off handily. I loved every bit of Sadie/Sabrina’s character arc.

“The Mean Ones” is one of the best horror novels I’ve read this year. I am so glad I stalked the publisher’s table at ALAAC, and I will absolutely be checking out Tatiana Schlote-Bonne’s other books.

Rating 10: Spectacular folk and cult horror with shades of feminine rage, “The Mean Ones” is a knock out.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Mean Ones” is included on the Goodreads list “God Forbid Women Do Anything”.

Joint Review: “What Stalks the Deep”

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Book: “What Stalks the Deep” by T. Kingfisher

Publishing Info: Tor Nightfire, September 2025

Where Did We Get This Book: Netgalley!

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

Book Description: Alex Easton does not want to visit America.

They particularly do not want to visit an abandoned coal mine in West Virginia with a reputation for being haunted.

But when their old friend Dr. Denton summons them to help find his lost cousin—who went missing in that very mine—well, sometimes a sworn soldier has to do what a sworn soldier has to do…

Previously Reviewed: “What Moves the Dead” and “What Feasts at Night”

Kate’s Thoughts

I have found myself repeatedly charmed by T. Kingfisher’s stories. I think that once I figured out that they’re less scary (though there are certainly some scary beats to some of them!) and more cozy in their horror-esque elements and just embraced it it clicked into place, and because of that I was interested to see what she was going to do with another “Sworn Soldier” novella. I like Alex Easton as a protagonist, I like the world that she has built that is of our own but with some tweaks and differences, and I was curious to see what kind of horror theme we were going to get this time. And she had me at caves, because MAN do caves freak me out.

It’s not the monsters in “The Descent” that scare me, it’s the caving stuff (source)

“What Stalks the Deep” is another kinder gentler horror tale from Kingfisher, and while I think it’s probably the weakest of the series for me thus far I still found it to be enjoyable and at times tense. Alex Easton has fought in wars and seen strange and dreadful things over the years while being a Sworn Soldier for Gallacia, but they still have their personal anxieties, and going to America to look for a missing person in a remote cave system in Appalachia is one of them. It was interesting seeing Easton in a wholly new environment and culture, as The U.S. and Europe are certainly filled with differences, and I thought it was a really cool choice to have Appalachia with its mysteries and general otherworldliness adding to it.

I don’t want to spoil much here, as I think Kingfisher deserves to have the build up and the reveals, so when talking about the horror bits I’m going to be as vague as I can be. In terms of the supernatural, this felt a bit like a spin on John Carpenter’s “The Thing” but maybe by way of “E.T.” as opposed to the body horror scares of that film. I liked Easton and their new compatriots trying to figure out where the missing man Oscar ended up, be it lost in a cave or perhaps something worse, and I liked that we had some pretty claustrophobic moments in the cave itself. Much like what I referenced above with “The Descent”, the true horrors in this book are more about the perils of mining and caves and the unpredictability of both.

I am very pleased that the “Sworn Soldier” series is continuing! T. Kingfisher continues to have really creative stories for a really charming protagonist.

Serena’s Thoughts

I completely agree with Kate’s assessment that much of the true horror to be found in this book comes from the cave itself. There is plenty of time and focus devoted to the many ways that a coal mine can kill you. And that’s not even getting into the sheer claustrophobia-induced terror that comes with vivid descriptions of crawling through tight spaces, not knowing what’s ahead and without the ability to turn around.

Beyond that, I continued to enjoy Alex as a main character. Endlessly practical with many believable foibles (such as the instinct to volunteer to do what we least want to do just to prove something to… someone…), Alex is a sympathetic and hilarious narrator. This one was all the funnier for the snide observations of American behavior. (Alex has strong feelings about our propensity to shake the hand of everyone around us.)

The monster in this one wasn’t quite as terrifying as the ones found in the first two books, perhaps. That said, it did follow a trend seen in many of Kingfisher’s horror novels—that is, the ability she has for creating creatures that are at once horrific and terrifying, but who, through some combination of childlike ignorance and sadness, are also bizarrely sympathetic. It creates this odd emotional state in the reader where you both want Alex to succeed in getting rid of this horrible thing, but are also slightly sad that it had to come to this in the first place. Without getting into spoilers, I was happy with the direction one aspect of this took in this book in particular!

Overall, I very much enjoyed this latest entry in the series! I think I enjoyed it a bit more than Kate, so I’ll bump this one up in my rating!

Serena’s Rating 8: It’s so weird to both be terrified by the monster but also kind of wanting to pat it on the back and tell it “it will be ok??” Another excellent entry!

Kate’s Rating 7 : With echoes of “The Thing” but without the dread (though the claustrophobia is scary on its own) and another strange mission for our charming protagonist, “What Stalks the Deep” is a fun entry in the “Sworn Soldier” series.

Reader’s Advisory

“What Stalks the Deep” is included on these Goodreads lists: Novella Length Fantasy & Sci-Fi and Perfect Reads for All Hallows’ Eve.

Serena’s Review: “Savage Blooms”

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Book: “Savage Blooms” by S.T. Gibson

Publishing Info: Orbit, October 2025

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

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

Book Description: Adam has been in love with his best friend Nicola since college, but the closest he can come to admitting his feelings is inviting her to travel with him to Scotland in search of a legendary cave from his grandfather’s bedtime stories. When a storm washes out the road, Adam and Nicola find themselves at the mercy of Eileen, an eccentric aristocrat, and Finley, her brooding groundskeeper. The Americans quickly get more than they bargained for as they become entangled in Eileen and Finley’s world of mind games, kink, and ancient enchantment.

Review: Oof, this book was not what I expected and not what I wanted. Yes, I did see the word “kink” snuck in there at the very end of the book description, and while kink isn’t really my thing, I’m not for writing off entire books based on one piece of it. Well, more fool me, as the percentage of this book summary that focused on plot versus erotica was WAY out of line with what the book actually had to offer.

I was led to believe that this was going to be a Gothic fantasy set in the Scottish countryside. I was promised mystery, I was promised enchantment, I was promised misty nights and shadowy doors. But no, what I got was page after page of spicy scenes with practically no plot to speak of. This book could have been set anywhere, at any time, about any random characters, and it hardly would have mattered.

Now look, there is nothing wrong with erotica in principle. That said, it needs to be incredibly clear right from the start (and this includes the book summary!!) that that is what readers are getting. When I say there was no plot here, I mean there was really no plot here. What little plot we got felt like it was there just to move characters from one sexy-times room to another sexy-times room. The erotic scenes were pages long and took up well over fifty percent of the book, I’d say.

Beyond that, when we did come up for air and have a moment to get to know these characters, I found them all to be incredibly unlikable. None of these people felt like they were in a healthy place in their own lives, let alone in various combinations of “relationships” (if we can even call what we’re seeing here “relationships”). It was incredibly toxic and messy, but not in a fun way. More in a frustrating, “get your shit together” way where I just wanted to smack everyone across the back of the head.

It’s hard to know how much to focus on editing when reviewing ARC books since they are early copies and still going through the publishing process. But this one was above average with its errors. And it was across the board: spelling errors, missing words, and inconsistencies in basic facts given in the plot. It was incredibly distracting. Of course, much of this could change in the finished book, but even for an ARC, this book was in a poor state.

I know that Gibson is a beloved author, so I’ll be curious to see how this is received. Frankly, it feels like one of those books that fans might gaslight themselves into thinking is good, just for the author’s sake. Because as it stands, this isn’t something I’d recommend to just about anyone.

Rating 5: Don’t sell me straight erotica under the guise of “Gothic fantasy” and expect it to go well.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Savage Blooms” can be found on these Goodreads lists: 2025 Gothic and Creepy Fruit.

Kate’s Review: “The October Film Haunt”

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Book: “The October Film Haunt” by Michael Wehunt

Publishing Info: St. Martin’s Press, September 2025

Where Did I Get This Book: I received an ARC from the publisher at ALAAC25

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

Book Description: Horror Movie meets the scope and emotion of Stephen King in this heart-pounding, magnetic tour de force about a woman pulled into a cult horror film that is determined to have a sequel, by critically acclaimed author Michael Wehunt.

Ten years ago, Jorie Stroud was the rising star of the October Film Haunt – a trio of horror enthusiasts who camped out at the filming locations of their favorite scary movies, sharing their love through their popular blog. But after a night in the graveyard from Proof of Demons – perhaps the most chilling cult film ever made, directed by the enigmatic Hélène Enriquez – everything unraveled.

Now, Jorie has built an isolated life with her young son in Vermont. In the devastating wake of her viral, truth-stretching Proof of Demons blog entry — hysteria, internet backlash, and the death of a young woman — Jorie has put it all, along with her intense love for the horror genre, behind her.

Until a videotape arrives in the mail. Jorie fears someone might be filming her. And the “Rickies” – Enriquez obsessives who would do anything for the reclusive director – begin to cross lines in shocking ways. It seems Hélène Enriquez is making a new kind of sequel…and Jorie is her final girl.

As the dangers grow even more unexpected and strange, Jorie must search for answers before the Proof of the movie’s title finds her and takes everything she loves.

This riveting and layered horror novel unleashes supernatural terror in a world where truth can be manipulated, and nothing is as it seems. Beautiful and horrifying, with an unforgettable cast of characters, The October Film Haunt will shock and delight readers all the way to its breathless final page.

Review: Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an ARC of this novel at ALAAC25!

Before I head out to the Annual American Library Association Conference every year I make a list of titles that I am going to keep an eye out for. Usually it’s from authors that I love, or hyped up titles that I keep seeing across my feeds, but there are also dark horse selections of books that may not be getting much attention, but I still keep stumbling upon. “The October Film Haunt” by Michael Wehunt was one such book, as it’s a debut and I hadn’t seen MUCH about it around the time I was plotting out my searches. But the premise of a horror film aficionado content creator getting too involved in a cursed film urban legend (that may actually be a REAL creature lurking in some woods) was tantalizing to say the least. It only sweetened the deal when the rest of the plot involved a zealous and potentially dangerous cult following radicalized by Internet lore and connection. Scary AND a bit timely? Oh yes, I was interested, and was stoked when I snagged a copy at the conference.

I love a cursed film urban legend, and the foundation of “The October Film Haunt” has a really well developed and creepy one to hold up the rest of the tale. It feels a little like “Slenderman” meets the original “Blair Witch Project” (at least with it’s wild ‘this may have actually happened’ marketing), with a cult horror film rumored to be real inspiring a tragedy with people who were too engrossed with the lore, as well as questions about culpability of content creators who feed into the mythos and hysteria for their own gains only for it to spin completely out of control. Our former horror content creators Jorie and Beth are brought back together after a falling out due Internet backlash in the wake of their content about the cult film “Proof of Demons” by mysterious director Hélène Enriquez, possibly contributing to a girl’s death, mostly because they feel like someone or someones are watching them, stalking them, and coming after them. The slow dread as they are stalked and harassed is effective and chilling, as is the slow build up of the “Rickies” who are after them. I also just loved the creep factor of the way that Wehunt explores the way that the Internet can stir up an almost shared psychosis and cult-like mentality that can make people do scary and murderous things (something that has felt all too relevant as of late). And hey, I really enjoyed the lore of the Pine Arch Creature. I was a Slenderman fan back during the Marble Hornets days so it’s kind of fun to see how much he has endured as a modern folk legend, even if he feels played out by many at this point.

This was more literary than I was anticipating. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, mind you, as I love it when horror stretches beyond the genre limits than is usually expected (hell, I absolutely loved the book “Reprieve” which was SUPER literary with a horror backdrop). And I do like that it kind of matched the surrealistic and disjointed paranoia that Jorie and Beth are experiencing as they are getting more and more engulfed in their past actions catching up to them and being possibly targeted by a group of zealous fans. But I will also acknowledge that sometimes it made for the story hard to follow, or could throw off the pacing, especially when we would jump to perspectives of other characters and get snippets of their actions and motivations within the same surrealistic and disjointed style. I think that had there been a faster pace with the story in general when we were in the Jorie and Beth sections (or even the interludes, which I almost always really enjoyed) it could have been easier to swallow, but as it was I found the book a bit trickier to get through because of the choppy pacing and weirdness as a whole. And for horror fans who aren’t as into a literary style when it comes to reading, I could see this being a very cumbersome read. It’s just good to have expectations managed going into it, I think.

“The October Film Haunt” is dark and strange, and it probably won’t be for everyone. I appreciated what it was trying to do, and if you like some experimental literary edge to your horror stories, it may be worth checking out.

Rating 6: A strong premise, well done lore building, and some great introspection about groupthink has the makings of a creepy literary horror tale, but be warned that sometimes it gets in the weeds a little bit. Overall, an interesting horror story that is sure to spark debate!

Reader’s Advisory:

“The October Film Haunt” is included on the Goodreads list “Lost Films & Cursed Movies”.

Serena’s Review: “Dealing with a Desperate Demon”

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Book: “Dealing with a Desperate Demon” by Charlotte Stein

Publishing Info: St. Martin’s Griffin, October 2025

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

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

Book Description: Nancy has just about given up on finding her special person when Jack Jackson—big, scary and the town loser—walks into her bookstore. He’s apparently even more desperate for help in the romance department than she is. And after a bit of gentle persuasion, he finally accepts her guidance in securing his dream girl. Practice dates, lessons in tenderness—you name it, she can teach it.

There’s just one his dream girl might have more than an issue with his dating skills. Because Jack isn’t just a little clueless; he’s actually the demonic son of Satan, from the deepest depths of hell. He’s spent his entire long underlife dragging evildoers to their fates, while really trying not to live up to his Dad’s expectations.

Now, it isn’t just about getting a date with his dream girl. He needs to become a better man to win over the woman he’s been cosmically bound to, in a Beauty and the Beast style pact. If he fails, everyone he cares for will face a terrible fate. Luckily for him, Nancy may well be the witch she’s always tried to pretend she wasn’t. She can save him, he knows it—and she’s starting to know it too. Even if every day spent with him is an agonising reminder that she isn’t the girl he’s fated for.

But as the deadline approaches she’s starting to wonder… Could it be that she’s finally found her Prince? Or is she about to lose her heart to hell?

Review: This book was a bit of a hit-and-miss experience for me, similar to the first book in this world that I read by this author. Like that book, the strengths lie in the cozy vibes that are strewn throughout. Indeed, the book routinely comments on the fact that this town is known as one of the coziest places on earth! That vibe carries through the descriptions of the town itself, from the characterization of our main couple, all the way down to the homey, approachable style of writing. If nothing else, this book was a fun read to simply sink into while holding a mug of steaming tea.

After reading the first book, it was easy enough to spot potential candidates for upcoming sequels, and Nancy was one whom I was particularly interested in! Who doesn’t want to read more about the lovely bookstore owner who has forgotten her own magic? Unfortunately, as a main character, Nancy was less charming than I found her to be in the first book. By no means was she unlikable, and I’d even say I enjoyed her personal arc of rediscovering her own magic. However, she also came across as incredibly obtuse and dense at times, particularly with regard to the romance. A fairly major plot point is her giving the romantic interest “dating tips” for the mysterious girl he’s interested in. “Mysterious”… right. But apparently, to poor, dull Nancy, it truly was a mystery—which boggled the mind.

This was a problem I had in the first book as well. In theory, we’re supposed to be reading about adult characters who have lived adult lives. But, perhaps in pursuit of “coziness,” the author seems prone to dumbing down her characters to a point where I struggle to find them believable as mature people. In both that book and this one, the leading ladies read too much like rather dimwitted teenagers with very little understanding of other people and romance in general.

I liked Jack better, for the most part. His shtick became a bit tiresome after a while, but I still liked his stumbling attempts to charm Nancy. That said, the curse of the nicknames struck again, and I inwardly cringed every time he called Nancy “kid.” Of course, this particular nickname didn’t help my ongoing struggles to envision Nancy as an adult woman.

The pacing was also fairly slow at the start of this book. Things did pick up toward the middle, but it was still a slight slog getting to that point. Fans of the first book will likely be happy to go along, as the pacing is helped by familiarity with the world and some of the side characters. But for new entrants, it takes a bit of time to fully feel invested in the story.

Overall, this was a sweet, cozy fall read. It didn’t blow me away, and I did struggle with the main character at times, but I think the romance itself was nice. I’m rather picky with my cozy reads, so I think more tried-and-true fans of this subgenre are going to gobble this one up!

Rating 7: Full of charm and coziness, this one will likely appeal to readers looking for a sweet, fall read. That said, I felt like the main character was unnecessarily childish at times and the pacing was slow to start.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Dealing with a Desperate Demon” can be found on these Goodreads lists:

Kate’s Review: “Play Nice”

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

Book: “Play Nice” by Rachel Harrison

Publishing Info: Berkley, 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: A woman must confront the demons of her past when she attempts to fix up her childhood home in this devilishly clever take on the haunted house.

Clio Louise Barnes leads a picture-perfect life as a stylist and influencer, but beneath the glossy veneer she harbors a not-so glamorous secret: she grew up in a haunted house. Well, not haunted. Possessed. After Clio’s parent’s messy divorce, her mother, Alex, moved Clio and her sisters into a house occupied by a demon. Or so Alex claimed. That’s not what Clio’s sisters remember or what the courts determined when they stripped Alex of custody after she went off the deep end. But Alex was insistent; she even wrote a book about her experience in the house.

After Alex’s sudden death, the supposedly possessed house passes to Clio and her sisters. Where her sisters see childhood trauma, Clio sees an opportunity for house flipping content. Only, as the home makeover process begins, Clio discovers there might be some truth to her mother’s claims. As memories resurface and Clio finally reads her mother’s book, the presence in the house becomes more real, and more sinister, revealing ugly truths that threaten to shake Clio’s beautiful life to its very foundation.

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

I remember being a teenager and reading about The Amityville Horror case, not the actual book itself (though I DID read that years later), but in some random haunted house book. For the unfamiliar, the run down is that a young family moved into a house on Long Island that had been the site of a mass murder years before (committed by the oldest son of the Defeo family, Ronny). The Lutzes started experiencing horrible things, then moved out after not even a month because it was SO HAUNTED. I also remember renting the original film with Margot Kidder and James Brolin and watching it on the tiny TV in the basement of my childhood home, eating take out tacos and banished away because I was the only horror fan in the family.

And I remember finding out as an adult that it was all bullshit, made up by the Lutz Family as well as the lawyers for Ronnie Defeo. It’s a fun story, but it’s built on lies. “Play Nice” by Rachel Harrison clearly has some influences from and shades of “Amityville”, and the description made me REALLY excited to read it, especially since I have genuinely enjoyed every horror novel that Harrison has written. And “Play Nice” is now my favorite of her books, because not only does it have shades of “Amityville”, it is also a very emotional story about unpacking family trauma and long festering family dysfunction.

This basically sums up a solid chunk of the problems this entire family has in this book (source)

Our main character is Clio, a free spirited influencer who has tried to build a carefree and adventurous life after a difficult childhood, where she and her sisters Lena and Daphne and mother Alex moved into a house after her parent’s divorce that Alex claimed to be haunted by a demon. She even wrote a book about it that became a cult hit. The problem is that Clio and her sisters remember it differently, with an abusive alcoholic mother terrorizing them until she lost custody, and they cut off contact. Until her death. Clio, being the youngest, remembers the least, and while her sisters refuse to attend the funeral, Clio does, and then inherits the house from her childhood. She thinks fixing it up would be a good content opportunity and moves in. And then it all starts to unravel. So this could very easily be solely a haunted house story, as Harrison gets back to her early horror roots with “Play Nice”. It has genuinely horrifying moments, descriptions, and a slow building up dread that makes the reader want to keep reading… while also being very, very unnerving and creepy. I loved having both Clio’s present day experiences as well as the excerpts from the book (with personalized annotations from Alex for Clio, exposing the untrue things with a bitter commentary). As a straight up horror story it works really well.

But Harrison has always been someone who likes to tap into the messiness of being a woman in modern society and the way they aren’t allowed to be imperfect without scrutiny, and in “Play Nice” we REALLY dive into imperfect women who are complicated, maddening, but so well rounded because of it. This is not only a haunted house story, it’s also a story about childhood trauma, unclear memories, deep familial dysfunction, and trying to parse out truth from lies that others tell and that we tell ourselves. Clio is such a fascinating main character because I genuinely had a difficult time with her, but wholly understood why she is the way she is. Harrison has created an honest and sometimes painful story about a woman trying to uncover darkness within her family, and there are few clear answers and a whole lot of nuance, which I really appreciated. Alex is monstrous in a lot of ways, but it’s also not as simple an explanation as, say, a demonic presence that would explain everything. I thought that at times it was a very raw story, and it packs a wallop because of it.

“Play Nice” is Rachel Harrison’s best horror novel yet. It’s scary and deeply emotional, and I highly recommend it for Halloween.

Rating 9: Harrison effortlessly creates a haunted house story that tackles family dysfunction, childhood trauma, and the demons that haunt us, not matter what kind that may be.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Play Nice” is included on the Goodreads lists “Ultimate Female Horror Authors”, and “Horror Books 2025”.

Highlights: October 2025

Kate’s favorite month of the year has arrived! As well as our kids’ favorite time of year, the period of months where candy seems to be springing out of the woodwork every direction you look, starting with Halloween and not ending until, what, Valentine’s Day?? Of course, this just means we have to try to restrain ourselves from sneaking it all when they’re off to bed. But with the cooler weather, of course, comes plenty of opportunities to cozy up with some new books, so here are a few we’re looking forward to this month!

Serena’s Picks

Book: “Dealing with a Desperate Demon” by Charlotte Stein

Publication Date: October 7, 2025

Why I’m Interested: I leave the true spooky stuff to Kate most of the time (though I’ll make exceptions for Gothic books). So in place of any real Halloween stories, let’s check out a cozy romcom featuring, you guessed it, a demon! I read the first standalone book in this series last fall and thought it was mostly a cute, fun time. It was easy enough to guess who a few of future characters would be, so I was pleased to see that this one was going to follow the local bookstore owner we met in the first book. Excited to see how this one goes!

Book: “Daughter of No Worlds” by Carissa Broadbent

Publication Date: October 14, 2025

Why I’m Interested: Given how popular Carissa Broadbent’s “Nyaxia” series has been, I knew that my patience would eventually be rewarded and her other backlisted titles would make their way through a traditional publishing house. And lo and behold, here we are! While I have greatly enjoyed her vampire tales, I’m especially intrigued to see what she has to offer in a completely fresh world with completely fresh characters. I’m not too worried about being disappointed with this one, which is always a relief going into a new trilogy!

Book: “The Everlasting” by Alix E. Harrow

Publication Date: October 28, 2025

Why I’m Interested: Here’s another title that I’m looking forward to with very few worries of disappointment! Harrow has never lead me wrong, and she’s definitely an author who has pushed the boundaries of the genres and subjects about which she has written. You never quite know what you’re going to get, but you know it’s going to be good. This one seems to be tackling time travel, a particularly tricky topic, as it’s very easy for readers to get too bogged down in the “how” of it all to truly enjoy the story. However, Harrow has a knack for writing incredibly compelling characters, and if that holds true here, I’m sure I’ll be too caught up in their story to bother overly much with the ins and outs of time travel rules.

Kate’s Pick

Book: “King Sorrow” by Joe Hill

Publication Date: October 21, 2025

Why I’m Interested: It has been SO LONG since Joe Hill has come out with a full length novel, and the wait is finally over. And it’s a HONKER of a book, clocking in at almost 900 pages! That doesn’t intimidate me, as not only do I love Joe Hill, but his new horror novel has a FREAKIN’ DRAGON at its core. Oh how I love dragons. A group of friends are bound over the years to a vengeful dragon that they pulled out of a mysterious and magical book bound in human skin, having to pick a sacrifice to King Sorrow every year lest their misdeeds bounce back against them. It’s a stunning bit of power, and as we all know, power corrupts. I love Hill’s books, I was AMPED to get a copy of this at ALAAC25 (as well as getting to have him sign it), and the time is finally here to tackle it.

Book: “Girl Dinner” by Olivie Blake

Publication Date: October 21, 2025

Why I’m Interested: This one has been on my radar for a few months now, the pastel-y cover splashed with blood really catching my eye back when I first stumbled across it. I am a huge fan of thrillers and horror novels about femininity and the expectations that come with it, and if you add in some potentially vicious sorority sisters and maybe some cannibalism (maybe? I think?) and I’m almost assuredly raring to go. Sophomore Nina is hoping to put a dismal freshman year behind her, and joining the most elite sorority on campus will surely be the thing to help her maneuver herself into better social standing. On the other side of the coin, adjunct professor Sloane is trying to adjust to being a new mother and working mom, with not as much support as she needs. Both women are hoping to live up to expectations set before them no matter the cost. Very intriguing stuff.

Book: “The Bone Thief” by Vanessa Lillie

Publication Date: October 28, 2025

Why I’m Interested: I really enjoyed the first Syd Walker book “Blood Sisters” and had hoped that Vanessa Lillie would continue the series, and lo and behold she did! This time Sid Walker is investigating not only a missing girl connected to an elite summer camp, but also bones that have been going missing. And to make matters more sinister, there has been a pattern of missing Native girls that has been going back generations, with connections to a colonial historical society that has been butting heads with the tribal community for decades. I am thrilled that we have a new Syd Walker mystery on our hands, and can’t wait to read it.

What books are you looking forward to this month? Let us know in the comments!

Serena’s Review: “Druid Cursed”

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Book: “Druid Cursed” by C. J. Burright

Publishing Info: Entangled: Amara, October 2025

Where Did I Get this Book: from the publisher!

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

Book Description: Every fifty years, Kellen Ravenwood escapes his magical prison for seven days. This Samhain is his last chance to break the curse, or he’ll be bound forever. All he needs is a sacrifice: the blood of Maggie O’Malley, the last living descendant of the witch who cursed him.

Maggie, desperate for cash after a brutal divorce, jumps at the chance to win a $500,000 prize at a mysterious Irish estate. She never expected ancient rituals, strange magic, or Kellen, the dangerously charming man who claims she’s the key to his freedom.

But Maggie won’t be anyone’s sacrifice. And if there’s another way to break the curse, she’ll find it.

Because some destinies are meant to be rewritten.

And some love stories are worth defying fate for.

Review: I was excited to check out this book when I was approached by the publicist. I think it always would have been interesting to me, but it just so happened that I was in the middle of a run of “Baldur’s Gate 3” where I was romancing the druid, Halsin, and bemoaning the fact that druids really aren’t seen in fantasy books all that much. And low and behold, here we get a book referencing druids right there in the title!

I really like the cover on this one, but I have to say, I do think it’s a bit misleading for the type of book you’re picking up. At some point I knew this was a paranormal romance, but by the time I picked it up, when I glanced at the cover, I was assuming we were back in good ole “second world” fantasy. Nope! Main character is a divorcée out to win big cash and get on her with her life. What she doesn’t expect, of course, is to find herself caught up in an ancient curse and drawn into another romantic entanglement right off the bat.

To that last point, while I ultimately really enjoyed this book for what it is (a fun paranormal romance!), I do think that the instalove straight after divorce thing was a bit much. The story was saved by its fun writing and solid characters, but from afar, the love story happened incredibly quickly and was all the more strange for the fact that she had just gotten divorced and would, rightly, probably need a bit of a break from love.

That said, the story was so fast paced and full of action and romance that I barely had time to really linger on the timing of it all. For one thing, there is a certain tone to paranormal romances that lends them a sort of propulsive energy. Thins happen quickly, and that’s all for the best!

The book also had a tough sell trying to straddle the worlds of dark, gothic fantasy and fun, cozy romance. I perhaps would have liked to lean in a bit more towards the gothic side of things at times, but overall, I was impressed the author was able to pull off this balancing act at all! This duality was best expressed in the dialogue, switching between the modern lingo that Maggie uses and the more old-fashioned and formal way of speaking that Kellen employs.

Overall, I thought this was a fun paranormal romance. I think the combination of gothic, Irish estate full of strange magic alongside a more lighthearted character and romance worked well. I also really enjoyed the side characters (perhaps more than the main characters??). If you’re looking for a fun, fast read, I think this is definitely one to check out this spooky season!

Rating 8: Curses, magic, and romance, oh my! Quite the balancing act to pull off combining dark, gothic vibes and cozy romantasy, but this book does it!

Reader’s Advisory:

“Druid Cursed” isn’t currently on any Goodreads lists, but it should be on Paranormal Romance Outside the Box.

Serena’s Review: “The Sleepless”

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Book: “The Sleepless” by Jen Williams

Publishing Info: Wednesday Books, September 2025

Where Did I Get this Book: Netgalley!

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

Book Description: Elver is the guardian of the wild and dangerous monster forest. Saved from the brink of death by a god, her skin will poison anyone she touches.

Artair is on a mission—one that takes him face-to-face with Elver at her most ruthless. But her defenses are useless when she discovers he’s the only human impervious to her deadly gift. For Artair isn’t human: he’s one of the Sleepless, cursed to share his body with an evil spirit.

Lucian inhabits their body while Artair sleeps, and he is hell-bent on manipulating Elver for his dark purposes. But Elver is harbouring secrets too, and she has her own reasons for feigning an alliance with these two souls.

Caught in the crossfire of gods, monsters, and a dangerous magic they can barely understand, it is only a matter of time before the paths the three of them choose to take will set alight the very foundations of their world.

Review: I’ve had to take some time to really sit and think about how I feel about this book due to one very important factor: I didn’t plan ahead and see that I was going to be reading two love triangle books in a row. As my least favorite romance trope, it was easy to anticipate this affecting my reading experience here.

So, to get it out of the way, I still didn’t love the love triangle, but it was much better done than in “Never Ever After.” The concept of both “romantic interests” being in one body, while not completely new (ahem..“Belladona”), was interesting enough and added some interesting dynamics to the love story. Secondly, the romance was definitely a subplot to the main story, so it didn’t feel like it was overtaking the plot. Indeed, readers who go in with a “romantasy” title in mind may find themselves disappointed, as the characters only begin to head in this direction towards the end of the book. And even there, several twists are thrown in that put a wrench in affairs.

All of that said, I really enjoyed the world that was set up here. Jen Williams doesn’t skimp on the fantasy elements; there are gods, monsters, curses, magical powers, etc. All that classic fantasy goodness. Because there was so much, I will say that none of these features were particularly deep, but I think they set an interesting stage upon which the story takes place. Throughout the book, the reader is constantly being fed new little pieces of lore and information.

As for the main character, she was fine. I appreciate that her POV was written in a way that read as true to her age (seventeen). As an adult, increasingly I’ve struggled to connect with younger characters, but I think Williams is a strong enough writer overall to pull it off. The male POV character felt a bit older in some ways, though I believe he is supposed to be around the same age. Of course, both characters have experienced life in very different ways, so these differences were important.

I enjoyed the plot overall, and I was definitely invested in the story throughout. In particular, I think the end opened up some really interesting doors for the second book. So, while I was blown away by anything here, I did enjoy myself (and I think YA fantasy readers will likely love it!) and I’m intrigued enough that I plan on checking out the next book in the series.

Rating 8: Luckily for me, the love triangle was understated and played out in a unique manner. Other than that, I enjoyed the world-building and am intrigued by the twists and turns introduced at the very end!

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Sleepless” can be found on this Goodreads list: Romantasy TBR 2025 (though I’m not sure it really belongs here…)

Kate’s Review: “Acquired Taste”

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Book: “Acquired Taste” by Clay McLeod Chapman

Publishing Info: Titan Books, September 2025

Where Did I Get This Book: I received an ARC from the publisher at ALAAC25

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

Book Description: They’re feeding on you too.

A father returns from serving in Vietnam with a strange and terrifying addiction; a man removes something horrifying from his fireplace, and becomes desperate to return it; and a right-wing news channel has its hooks in people in more ways than one. 

From department store Santas to ghost boyfriends and salamander-worshipping nuns; from the claustrophobia of the Covid-19 pandemic to small-town Chesapeake USA, Clay McLeod Chapman takes universal fears of parenthood, addiction and political divisions and makes them uniquely his own. 

Packed full of humanity, humour and above all, relentless creeping dread, Acquired Taste is a timely descent into the mind of one of modern horror’s finest authors.

Review: Thank you to Titan Books for giving me an ARC of this book and to Clay McLeod Chapman for signing it (and the delightful conversation)!

Happy October, readers!!! It’s my first post in the new month, and that month is October, and you all know what that means!! It’s time for Horrorpalooza 2025!!!

It’s the mooooost wonderfuuul tiiiiiiime of the yeaaaaaar! (source)

Horrorpalooza is my favorite time on the blog, when I devote all of my reviews to horror stories, sometimes delaying my reviews of books that came out earlier so that they can come out during this celebrated blogging time (celebrated by ME, anyway). And it made perfect sense to devote the first of those reviews to Clay McLeod Chapman’s new collection of short stories, “Acquired Taste”. I had the opportunity to attend a panel with Chapman during ALAAC25 where he talked about horror in general and this book, and had an even cooler opportunity to chat with him for awhile between panels, which only solidified how cool he is as a person in spite of the fact he concocts some of the most fucked up horror that I read these days. So I eagerly dove in recently, ready to be wholly disturbed. And I was.

As I am wont to do with short story collections, I will highlight the three stories that stood out the most, then talk about the collection as a whole.

“Stowaway”: Ah the horrors of being a teenage girl in a world where there could be predators at any turn. A girl and her family are on a family roadtrip, but whenever they stop at a motel, the same mysterious man is there, waiting for her to talk to him. While it’s implied that there is something supernatural potentially going on in this one, the way that it made me SO uncomfortable because of the very real implications of what this guy wants with her just had me on the edge of my seat.

“Psychic Santa”: I think this was POSSIBLY my favorite story in the collection (though the next one gives it a run for its money)? But there’s just something about a Christmas ghost story that really gets me. A department store Santa haunted by some parts of his past can see the ghosts of dead children, who come to ask him for what they really want for Christmas in hopes he can help them. So when I talk about Chapman being so good with the emotional beats of a grief horror story, this is the kind of story I’m talking about. I was so, so saddened by the thought of dead children, but then heartened at the idea of a man looking to repent being able to help them with their unfinished business so they can move on. Get the tissues for this one, it’s less scary and more bittersweet.

“Stay on the Line”: This is the one that may beat out “Psychic Santa”, and big surprise! It’s grief horror again! But with a little more dread. After her husband dies during a hurricane, a widow finds out that the old pay phone in her small town by the sea can actually make calls to dead loved ones. As she and the townsfolk try to make connections with those they lost, she starts to think that maybe it isn’t her husband she’s speaking with after all. The raw sadness of this story was palpable, and I wholly understood the reasoning as to why our protagonist with cling to the hope that she is actually speaking to her husband, even as terrible tragedies start to occur. This one is incredibly sad and also terrifying as the unease builds and builds.

And as a whole, it’s pretty much exactly what I would expect from Chapman, in that it’s outlandish, out there, supremely gross at times, incredibly upsetting, but also so incredibly emotional. And sometimes quite funny. The thing about his stories is that I almost can’t look away from how WILD they get, even when they make me supremely uncomfortable, as there is just something about this way with words, his imagination, and his uniqueness in the stories he tells. He’s definitely not for everyone and I can see how some people would be repulsed, but his stories almost always work for me. And the ones that don’t (there were a few here, but that can be said of basically any short story collection) would very easily work for others who like the more gross out and extreme stuff.

“Acquired Taste” is a fun and unhinged (in a good way) collection of short stories from Clay McLeod Chapman. I’m glad I saved it for the kick off of Horrorpalooza 2025!

Rating 8: A totally outlandish, nasty, and at times bittersweet collection of short stories from a horror author I have come to really appreciate.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Acquired Taste” is included on the Goodreads list “All the New Horror, Romantasy, and Other SFF Crossover Books Arriving in September 2025”.