Author: thelibraryladiesmn

Serena’s Review: “Realm of Thieves”

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Book: “Realm of Thieves” by Karina Halle

Publishing Info: Ace, June 2025

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

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

Book Description: For Brynla Aihr, crime and survival have always gone hand in hand. Ever since she escaped the fanatical dragon-worshipping cult that controls her homeland, she’s had to carve out a life doing the stealing dragon eggs. Egg theft is illegal and, in most cases, fatal. To breach a dragon’s nest means a harrowing journey through the ancient wards spelled to keep the monstrous beasts confined. Dragons can’t get out and only those with a death wish can get in.

Despite the risks, dragon eggs are highly coveted for their magic. A black market flourishes under competing criminal empires, and Brynla’s loyalty has always been to the highest bidder. Until she finds herself kidnapped and blackmailed by Lord Andor, a formidable lieutenant of House Kolbeck, and thrust into the dangerous political games of rivaling dynasties.

Brynla and Andor clash at every turn, sparking heat in ways Brynla’s never felt before. But in a world that’s prophesized to return to the dragons, and rife with betrayal and secrets at every turn…how close to the flames is she willing to stand?

Review: There are so, so many dragon books in romantasy. To be fair, dragons were always pretty popular in fantasy/romantasy, even before “Fourth Wing.” But now it seems out of control! I honestly sometimes lose track of them all, which one’s I’ve read, how many new ones are coming out and what differentiates them, etc. etc. So, yes, here’s another dragon romantasy review!

Unfortunately, I’m still thwarted in this area. I’m starting to think that I may just need to stick with my more traditional fantasy books for my dragon kick, at least until it dies down a bit in massive popularity. As it stands, too often it feels as if authors and publishers may just be trying to cash in on a popular trope instead of following an organic story-making process. Such is the case here. While there were aspects of the world-building here with its use of dragons that I thought were interesting, as the story continued, this book ultimately seemed to turn more into a gangster/mafia romance story. Which I don’t dislike as a romance subgenre on its own, but wasn’t why I was picking this book up.

Ultimately, from early in the story, everything felt rather flat. The author was telling me a lot of things, but I wasn’t seeing many reasons to become emotionally involved. The characters were just kind of there, following along in many of the standard FMC/MMC archetypes that we’ve come to expect from books like this. The pacing was fairly stilted, with the book dragging significantly in the middle of the story only to fall through the floor with the almost bait-and-switch with the genre change from fantasy to mafia romance in the end. And over and over again characters and plot points operated in ways that didn’t make sense other than as quick resolutions to any challenges that presented themselves. Things happened because a problem needed to be solved. And solved quickly with very little conflict being given any time to brew.

Much of this only came to play as I continued reading, but I was already started off on the wrong foot by the way the romance was handled. When I say “fast” I can’t emphasize enough just how fast I mean. The characters meet and that’s pretty much it. Their insta-attraction/lust/love was so extreme that it felt totally unbelievable and threw me out of the book. True, I prefer a slow burn (typically even across multiple books!) but there are numerous romantasy titles I can point to that have an established romance in book one that I enjoyed (see “Shield of Sparrows.”) This book totally missed the mark for me in this department. As a bit of a side note, I’m very over the cutesy nicknames that the MMCs give FMCs. They are getting more and more ridiculous and over-the -top. If someone talked like this in real life, the cringe would be off the charts.

Sadly, this was a miss for me. I know that this author is quite prolific, so I might need to dig around her back catalog and see if I connect better with one of her previous books. I’m sure fans of her work will enjoy this, but if you want a well-developed romance or a book that focuses strongly on the fantasy elements, you may want to pass on this one. That said, if you like mafia romance, this may be the unexpected hit you’re looking for!

Rating 6: With a flat-feeling plot, lack of complex characterization, and a romance that went from zero to one hundred in two seconds flat, this one sadly wasn’t for me.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Realm of Thieves” can be found on these Goodreads lists:Most Anticipated Romantasy releases of 2025

Kate’s Review: “Lady Or The Tiger”

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Book: “Lady Or The Tiger” by Heather M. Hermann

Publishing Info: Nancy Paulson Books, June 2025

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

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

Book Description: A twisty, darkly seductive murder mystery, starring a teenage killer whose trial in the Wild West is upended when her first victim, her husband, arrives alive with a story to tell.

When nineteen-year-old Belle King turns herself in for murder, the last thing she expects to see is her abusive husband standing outside her Dodge City jail cell. He was the first man she ever meant to kill (but certainly not the last!). Somehow, though, her husband is there, hale and hearty, and very much not dead. With his arrival her plans in jail are jeopardized, and she’ll be forced to resort to all the tricks in her arsenal to prevent him from ever being in control of her again. But as a girl in the 1880s Wild West, the last thing anyone will believe is a woman—even when she confesses to her own crimes.

This story—of how Alice Springer, a mountain girl from Kentucky, became the infamous Belle King, of how she found the tiger in her heart, becoming the wickedest woman in the Wild West—is a love story that cuts through time and patriarchal ties.

Review: Thank you to Books Forward for sending me an ARC of this novel!

As a rule, I don’t usually like the Western genre. I have a few exceptions, of course, but that is usually when the conventions of the genre are flipped on their head. I’ve encountered this in books like “Lone Women” by Victor LaValle and “The Buffalo Hunter Hunter” by Stephen Graham Jones, and it has happend once again with the new YA Western “Lady Or The Tiger” by Heather M. Hermann. When I read the description of this book I knew that I really needed to check it out, and I am so glad I did.

We are following the story of Belle King, previously known as Alice Springer, as she becomes a sought out desperado in the Wild West, murdering men and living life on her own terms. We meet her as she has been arrested, and learn about how she became the fearsome villainess through flashbacks and jumping around timelines, showing how she became the hardened woman we meet at the start. Hermann takes her time unwinding this complicated, bleak, and at times absolutely maddening story, revealing the cost of being a woman during this time in a place that was almost wholly lawless, while also contrasting how it was STILL dangerous for women even if they were doing everything ‘right’. We follow Belle go from being orphaned, to being institutionalized, to being forced into the role of child bride, and then get to see her find her freedom, even if maintaining it means committing murder. This is not a romanticized Western by any means, and I loved how frank and brutal it was, with so many moments of tension just twisting up as I was reading it. We see violent misogyny, we see racism, we see classism and colonialism, and the realities of this time and place is on display in all of its nastiness. I was a bit shocked that this book is YA, but I like that Hermann trusts her readers to be able to understand it and take it on.

I also really liked our main character, Alice/Belle, because I absolutely LOVE seeing a morally grey female protagonist. It isn’t too often that women in fiction are afforded the opportunity to be unlikable, difficult, and sometimes unapologetically cruel, but Alice/Belle does a lot of really morally questionable things and I still found myself rooting for her. Hermann takes great care to give her a backstory without making her sappy or cloying, while also making her choices, both gook and bad, completely believable and in general easy to understand. Even in the times that I was taken aback by some of the things she did, her actions always fell in line with what I expected, and her circumstances were such that I never really questioned it. It’s so often in the Western genre that we get morally grey men to follow, so seeing a woman, when women are mostly sidelined or made passive in Westerns, take on the role of the desperado while also making it unapologetically feminist, was deeply, deeply satisfying.

“Lady Or The Tiger” is a relentless and angry battle cry of feminine rage. I am absolutely going to check out whatever Heather M. Hermann takes on next, because this was a stellar take on a genre I don’t usually enjoy.

Rating 8: Gritty, unapologetic, and brutal in all the right way, “Lady Or The Tiger” is a Western filled with feminine rage and proud defiance.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Lady Or The Tiger” is included on the Goodreads list “2025 YA Historical Fiction”.

Serena’s Review: “The God and the Gwisin”

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Book: “The God and the Gwisin” by Sophie Kim

Publishing Info: Del Rey, June 2025

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

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

Book Description: Seokga the No-Longer-Fallen is looking for his love. Since he lost Hani and was reinstated as a god, nothing has felt right – and he’s been desperately searching for her reincarnated form ever since.

But when the red thread of fate leads Seokga to a cruise down the river of the dead, the woman he finds isn’t Hani . . . she’s Yoo Kisa, and she has no memory of him whatsoever – with seemingly no interest in regaining it either.

But when the Heavenly Emperor of Okhwang is murdered, Seokga and Kisa must solve the crime before the cruise ends. And as the mystery draws them closer, they will have to decide what they truly mean to each other.

There’s something bigger at play aboard the ship, something that holds the key to their fated connection – and the very fate of the world.

Previously Reviewed: “The God and the Gumiho”

Review: I mostly enjoyed “The God and the Gumiho” when I read it last year. Yes, I felt it was aggressively quirky at times, but even without connecting fully to the characters, the story was fast and engaging. It also ended in a unique way, with the author making a rather brave choice with her couple. That being the case, I wanted to see where she’d take the story from there! And I’m glad I checked it out, as I enjoyed this one more than the first.

As I mentioned in my review of the first books, one of my major struggling points came down to connecting to the the main characters. Here, however, both characters have changed in big ways. In the case of our FMC, she’s literally a different person now, having died and been reincarnated (then died again and is now a ghost in this book). This was all for the better for me, as I much preferred this more reserved, scholarly style character that we follow here. Kisa finds herself in a truly bizarre situation, learning she is the reincarnation of a woman that was the soulmate of a fallen god. I also enjoyed Seokga more in this book. His is a quieter but more determined journey in this story, with less of what I felt was fairly stilted “grumpiness” from the first book.

I also enjoyed the cast of characters for the most part. Yes, there were times where some of the humor still didn’t quite land for me. But at this point, I think that’s purely a “me thing” where this just isn’t quite my style of comedy, as I know it works for a lot of other readers. Granted, I know that in general I’m fairly picky about what comedy I enjoy.

I struggled the most with the mystery element of the story. I read a lot of mysteries, however, so to me, the culprit was incredibly obvious from the very start of this portion of the story. That said, it wasn’t poorly paced or anything, and even guessing the ultimate reveal early, I still was able to enjoy the story being told.

I also enjoyed the love story itself. I feel like there were a lot of potential pitfalls in trying to write a romance between characters in this situation (Is Kisa the same person as Hani? Is she “obligated” to feel the same way about Seokga? How much of her feelings are then her own?). But the book does a good job exploring the philosophy behind it all (again, this is an aspect of the story where the change in personality from Hani to Kisa really improved things for me!). There was also a refreshingly restrained hand at the “angst wheel” which prevented the book from falling into any pits of melodrama.

Overall, I thought this was a very fun sequel. In many ways, it surpassed my expectations and I definitely enjoyed it more than the first. That said, fans of the first book I’m sure will gobble this one up too!

Rating 8: With a new take on its main characters, this sequel improved on the first and was a fun read all around!

Reader’s Advisory:

“The God and the Gwisin” can be found on this Goodreads list: 2025 Adult Fantasy/Sci-fi/Speculative Releases by BIPOC Authors

Kate’s Review: “Bald-Faced Liar”

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Book: “Bald-Faced Liar” by Victoria Helen Stone

Publishing Info: Lake Union Publishing, June 2025

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

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

Book Description: Living a lie becomes a matter of life and death for a woman hiding from her past in a novel of mounting psychological suspense by the bestselling author of Jane Doe and The Hook.

Traveling nurse Elizabeth May has a promising new home in Santa Cruz. And another new identity. It’s a pattern of reinvention for a woman escaping her traumatic childhood—and hiding from the decades of notoriety and destruction that followed. Invisibility has kept Elizabeth safe. Until now. After all these years, someone sees her for who she is.

Threat by threat, a vengeful stalker is dismantling Elizabeth’s carefully constructed lifetime of lies. And no one in her temporary circle can be trusted—not her fleeting new love interest, not the supportive friend she knows only from online forums, and certainly not the police. They’ve never been there for her.

As fear sharpens to terror, Elizabeth soon discovers something about her past that even she didn’t know. The revelation could finally set her on a path of healing and redemption. Or, now alone in the dark, it could be Elizabeth’s worst nightmare.

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

Perhaps, if you have been following our blog for awhile now, you will see that I have picked up a thriller with a pretty significant Satanic Panic theme, and are now asking yourself ‘hey, doesn’t Kate get absolutely incandescent with rage when it comes to this topic?’ And you would be correct. The Satanic Panic really gets me steamed, so much so that I have been known to skip episodes of favorite podcasts if they are focusing on it. FAVORITE PODCASTS, GUYS. But when I was sent information about “Bald-Faced Liar” by Victoria Helen Stone, even though it was Satanic Panic themed, I had a feeling that I really wanted to give it a chance. The description of a traveling nurse named Elizabeth being stalked, possibly due to her long ago involvement in a false accusation of Satanism at her daycare, just tantalized me. I had to give it a go, even if it was going to set me off. And I’m happy to say that not only did it NOT set me off, I also really liked this book!

The mystery at hand about who is stalking Elizabeth is well crafted and well executed. Triggering for me or not, using The Satanic Panic as a backdrop means that there could be PLENTY of people with motives to get revenge on Elizabeth, and Stone has so many threads here that she pulls together. The clues are there but not too easily deciphered, and Stone takes her time to lay them out and build the suspense of Elizabeth’s past as well as the stalking incidents that start to plague her. I also liked the slow burn mystery of Elizabeth’s history of being a five year old ‘witness’ to Satanic Panic charges that she was coached to say, with a timeline being put forth in a measured way that filled me with frustration but NOT with blinding rage as I have experienced with other Satanic Panic themed thrillers. Some reveals I kind of predicted, but for the most part I was pretty well surprised, and was VERY surprised by an element of the climax that I don’t want to spoil here. But I will say that it went in a direction that I wasn’t expecting, and it added a new level of stakes, AND some genuine humor that didn’t feel out of place even though things were a bit, shall we say, hectic.

I also really liked our protagonist Elizabeth. I am always cagey when I read thrillers with hot mess female protagonists, but Elizabeth doesn’t really fall into any well worn traps or tropes of the genre. She has her problems, but her background with the Satanic Panic and the trauma involved with being a false whistleblower was unique enough made her very sympathetic and her actions completely believable. I also really appreciated the grace that was given to Elizabeth by other characters in spite of her notoriety, because at the end of the day she was a child when she did those monumental and damaging things. I’ve seen other Satanic Panic based stories that try to demonize this kind of character, but Stone makes it VERY clear that no, a five year old being manipulated and coerced by adults around her for their OWN motives should not be held accountable for her actions. I was rooting for her basically from the jump. Honestly, I thought that all of the characters were fun! Be it librarian Violet, who wants to help Elizabeth in any way she can, to landlord Grigore, who is a bit shady but who has a soft spot for Elizabeth, I thought that our cast was stellar.

I really enjoyed “Bald-Faced Liar”. The twists were good, the characters were enjoyable, and I think it will make a great read for thriller fans this summer!

Rating 8: A taut and suspenseful thriller about lies, trauma, and running from all of it, “Bald-Faced Liar” kept me on the edge of my seat.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Bald-Faced Liar” isn’t included on any super specific Goodreads lists as of yet, but similar titles include Clay McLeod Chapman’s “Whisper Down the Lane” and Gillian Flynn’s “Dark Places”.

Beach Reads: Summer 2025

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

Back for 2025, here is a list of some more favorite beach reads! “Beach read” is a very fast and loose term for books people read over the beautiful summer months when we really should be outside “doing things” but are instead reading…maybe outside. Some people see these months as an opportunity to slog through long classics (we’re looking at you “Moby Dick”) before the busy-ness of the fall starts up, but for the sake of this list, we’re limiting our choices to fast paced, mostly feel good books (though there’s some obvious leeway here for Kate’s horror tastes!) that could be easily brought along on vacations. So, still a very loose definition, but hey, we had to start somewhere! We will select one title for each of the genres we most read.

Serena’s Picks

Fantasy Title: “The Thirteenth Child” by Erin A. Craig

This book is criminally under-hyped, and I’m not sure why! There is so much to love here! It’s an original fairytale with a lovely romance at its heart, all things that are particularly popular at the moment. What’s more, the god of Death is the main character’s godfather, and we all know how much fantasy readers enjoy characters like that! Beyond this, the story does an incredible job of exploring the morality of “for the good of many” decisions. But for all of its heavy and heart-breaking themes, the swoon-worthy romance and solid fantasy world-building were what really stuck with me and what make it a great pick for a vacation read!

Science Fiction Title: “Full Speed to a Crash Landing” by Beth Revis

Humor! Romance! Tons of action! What more could you want? Oh, also something super quick that you can probably finish up over a solid plane ride? Well, not only is this novella perfect for you, but the entire trilogy of novellas are already out! That said, you by no means need to read them all back to back, and this first book was an incredibly exciting read all on its own. Ava has to be one of the most fun sci-fi leading ladies I’ve read in a long time. She was laugh-out-loud funny but also incredibly smart, never questioning herself in the face of others judgements or opinions. If you’re on the lookout for a sci-fi story that is full of fast-paced action, this is the book for you!

Mystery/Historical Fiction Title: “Murder in Highbury” by Vanessa Kelly

In a change from previous years, I’m combining the mystery and historical fiction categories. Honestly, in the past, it was kind of a coinflip which books ended up under which category, as I almost always read a combination of the both (mystery novels that take place in a historical settings.) And here’s another example of that! I also often feature Jane Austen mysteries/re-imaginings in some way or another, so I’m nothing if not predictable with this choice. The beginning of a new series, this story focuses on Emma Woodhouse (now Emma Knightley) as she works to solve the titular “Murder in Highbury.” The mystery itself was very enjoyable, but I particularly loved all the scenes between Emma and Mr. Knightley. Very swoon-worthy!

Romance Title: “Swordheart” by T. Kingfisher

And now, since I’ve combined my other two genres, I’m going to pivot to including a romance title on this list. Not only is romance a huge genre, but it’s also one that I’ve been reading more and more of over the last few years, so it makes sense to give it a placeholder here. That said, I’m a fantasy reader first and foremost, so in all likelihood, this will often be a romantasy title of some sort. This time, I’m going back to the always great well of T. Kingfisher’s books. She has so many excellent stand-alone fantasy romances that it’s hard to choose just one. But “Swordheart” was just re-released by Bramble this last summer, so it’s bound to be readily available. Familiarity with Kingfishere’s “World of the White Rat” will make this one all the more enjoyable, but it’s also excellent as an entry point. Yes, the romantic interest is the spirit of a sentient sword, but I promise it’s not as weird as it sounds!

Kate’s Picks

Horror Title: “So Thirsty” by Rachel Harrison

I am fully aware that this book actually takes place in a cooler climate, but hey, I figure that a beach read doesn’t have to have a specific setting, just a specific vibe. And the vibe of “So Thirsty” is very much the kind of vibe I want for a beach or vacation read. It’s a little bit soapy, a little bit cheeky, and it has two entertaining main characters who find themselves in a whole lot of trouble when they run afoul a group of eccentric vampires. I definitely devoured this one in a couple of sittings when I read it initially, and not only is it a hoot, it also has some pretty scary moments and a solid vampire mythos to boot. Harrison is such a fun horror author because I feel like she can hit many emotional beats, and this book is a really entertaining pick and will keep you completely hooked.

Thriller Title: “Heart-Shaped Lies” by Elizabeth Agyemang

Love squares! Influencers behaving badly! Girls banding together to clear their names after their shitheel boyfriend is dead and they are all suspects! A murder! “Heart-Shaped Lies” is a propulsive YA thriller that really kept me interested when I picked it up, and it definitely came to mind for this list because, like the pick above, it just feels like the perfect beach read with its breakneck plot, surprising twists, and salacious plot points. It also had a solid murder mystery at its heart, and every perspective character is a suspect and could have reason to want the victim dead. I also just enjoy influencer based stories because there is SO much room for drama, which is something I do enjoy in my stories.

Graphic Novel Title: “Lunar New Year Love Story” by Gene Luen Yang and LeUyen Pham (Ill.)

While I’m sure we all know that Lunar New Year tends to be in winter, I think that a nice charming romance can fit in any time of the year, and sometimes I like to have romance on my vacation book pile because it can read so easily. That isn’t to say that “Lunar New Year Love Story” doesn’t have some serious moments of pathos, as Gene Luen Yang is very good at bringing out all the emotions of his books, but it’s very sweet and hopeful even if it touches on some tough subjects of love, family, and fears of opening up one’s heart to someone else, no matter how wonderful they may seem. Maybe have some tissues for this one with your beach bag.

Non-Fiction Title: “Dinner For Vampires” by Bethany Joy Lenz

I LOVE CULT MEMOIRS! I have not made this a secret by any means on this blog, as we have shared our thoughts on many a cult documentary, most of which were picks by me. Sometimes cult memoirs can be heavy, and while “Dinner For Vampires” does have it’s moments where “One Tree Hill”‘s Lenz was in very difficult situations, it’s also a biting and sometimes humorous look into the experiences she had with a fundamentalist Christian cult that was manipulating her and trying to take over her life (and finances) under guise of piety. Lenz is pretty self aware and candid about her experience, and even though I missed out on the “One Tree Hill” phenomenon (that was more my sister’s thing), it was still a LITTLE nostalgic to boot.

What are some of your favorite beach reads? Let us know in the comments!

Serena’s Review: “Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil”

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

Book: “Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil” by V. E. Schwab

Publishing Info: Tor, June 2025

Where Did I Get this Book: Netgalley

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

Book Description: This is a story about hunger.
1532. Santo Domingo de la Calzada.
A young girl grows up wild and wily—her beauty is only outmatched by her dreams of escape. But María knows she can only ever be a prize, or a pawn, in the games played by men. When an alluring stranger offers an alternate path, María makes a desperate choice. She vows to have no regrets.

This is a story about love.
1827. London.
A young woman lives an idyllic but cloistered life on her family’s estate, until a moment of forbidden intimacy sees her shipped off to London. Charlotte’s tender heart and seemingly impossible wishes are swept away by an invitation from a beautiful widow—but the price of freedom is higher than she could have imagined.

This is a story about rage.
2019. Boston.
College was supposed to be her chance to be someone new. That’s why Alice moved halfway across the world, leaving her old life behind. But after an out-of-character one-night stand leaves her questioning her past, her present, and her future, Alice throws herself into the hunt for answers . . . and revenge.

Review: I’ve had an interesting reading journey with Schwab’s works. I started off with her “Shades of Magic” which is probably in my Top 10 favorite fantasy series of all time. So that’s a high bar right there! As I continued to read her books as they’ve come out, there are many that I’ve enjoyed but they’ve never quite reached this original high. Partly, I’m starting to see that the “Shades of Magic” series might have been the exception rather than the rule as far as her fantasy writing goes. Those books were fairly classic portal fantasy. More recently, her fantasy stories have become more abstract, often blending historical fiction and a high emphasis on lyricism and philosophy. All of this is good as well, but, from a pure enjoyment point of view, nothing tops the absolute blast of “Shades of Magic.” This is all a long way of saying that her most recent book is pretty much more of the same, which will either really work for you or remain a bit of a struggle, similar to the reception of “The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.”

There’s no denying Schwab’s talent as an author. The words flow from the page, beautifully depicting a variety of different settings and time periods. We travel around the world in this book, visiting places like Italy, France, London and Boston. The story also spans several centuries (as one would expect following leading characters who are immortal vampires). These lens’ gave Schwab ample time to flex her literary muscles. And while she didn’t necessarily seem to have much new to say regarding vampires and the plight of living forever (we cover many of the greatest hits re: vampires like the disconnect from their humanity, the sense of purposelessness, etc. etc.), all of what she did cover was gorgeously depicted. Even in some of the lulls in pacing I still found myself pausing over a beautiful turn of phrase.

So, in many ways, much of this felt very familiar to “Addie LaRue.” Other than the focus on vampires, we had a bit of a retread in format, with the book jumping from historical time periods to the present. There was also a bit of familiarity to be found in the themes I’ve mentioned above, in that some of these same topics (what makes a life worth living) were also covered in her previous book. I get when authors really feel called to write about certain topics, but, for me, much of this felt a bit too familiar. I will say that this is largely a subjective point. I don’t dislike this sort of literary fantasy story, but as I mentioned at the top, I’m still hankering for a return of Schwab’s epic fantasy books, so to read two books in a row that felt fairly similar…it was a bit of a let-down for me. Others who enjoy literary fantasy more will likely be thrilled by this book!

I do think the pacing was a bit off in this book. That or it needed an editor who could have paired the story down to a more manageable length. As a fantasy reader, I’m more than happy to pick up massive tomes. But this book comes in over 500 pages long, and it feels like it. There were long sections in the middle of the book where there simply wasn’t much happening. This is a slow book, intentionally so, but there were definitely portions of the story that felt unnecessary. It was a relief to get to the back half where things began to pick up more.

As for the characters, well…I struggled a bit here as well. Instead of following the three equally, there was definitely one character who read as the main character more than the others. However, I struggled to connect with all three, feeling oddly distanced from them. In some ways, they felt more like vehicles for Schwab to explore the themes she wanted to cover (very good, important themes, but themes none the less!) than as fully fleshed out characters themselves. I also really struggled to enjoy the ending and will be curious to see how it is received by other readers.

So, this was a bit of a mixed bag for me. This book definitely felt like a book that Schwab has been long wanting to write; it felt personal and important, and I’m always happy to see writers reach a point of popularity where they are more free to pursue the stories they are aching to tell rather than the ones the publishers think will sell. However, I have to come at it from the perspective of a reader, and as a reader, I didn’t love this book. I can appreciate its merits, but it wasn’t my favorite style of fantasy, and I struggled to connect fully to the story, all the worse by its lackluster ending. I do think that readers who enjoyed “Addie LaRue” will very much connect this one (I’m just one of those weirdos who liked “Addie LaRue” but didn’t necessarily want more of the same).

Rating 7: Beautifully written and covering important themes; however, as a story, I struggled to enjoy my time reading it.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Adult Queer Books and Most Anticipated New Releases of 2025.

Ripley’s Reviews: “The Boy Who Followed Ripley” (2009)

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

“Ripley’s Reviews” is an ongoing series where I will review every book in Patricia Highsmith’s “Ripley” Series, as well as multiple screen adaptations of the novels. I will post my reviews on the first Thursday of the month, and delve into the twisted mind of one Tom Ripley and all the various interpretations that he has come to life within. Up next is a BBC Radio 4 production based on “The Boy Who Followed Ripley”.

Radio Play: “The Boy Who Followed Ripley” (2009)

Given that the quality of the “Ripliad” had a considerable dip when we got to the final two books in the series, it’s not really surprising that they haven’t received any film adaptations. Because of this I wasn’t really expecting to do any more exploration of these books after my initial reviews, but then I found out that BBC Radio 4 did adaptations of ALL of the Tom Ripley books. And on top of that I found out that Nicholas Hoult played the role of Frank Pearson, the titular “Boy Who Followed Ripley”, and in that moment I knew I wanted to check it out.

I’ve listened to a few radio plays/adaptations in the past (my family had the entire NPR Radio “Star Wars” adaptation series, and we also had the BBC “Lord of the Rings”, both used on long car rides to Iowa), but it had been awhile, and “The Boy Who Followed Ripley” was an interesting reintroduction to the medium. It’s only an hour long, which seemed like it would be too short, but I actually found the compact timeframe to aid the story along. While the book felt a bit meandering and muddled to me, this play had a clear storyline that was straightforward and easy to follow. Sure, there are sometimes some clunky moments in the narration to set a very visual scene, but the play makes the solid choice to have Ripley (played by Ian Hart, more on him and Hoult in a bit) act as a first person narrator who can explain what is happening in addition to the dialogue. The BBC obviously knows what its doing, and it knew exactly which parts to pull from the book and how to present it into a condensed hour long play.

Ian Hart as Ripley and Nicholas Hoult as Frank are both very good in their roles, with Hart bringing in a sinister edge to go with his strange moments of affection towards his new friend, and Hoult sounding earnest and needy. I greatly enjoyed their chemistry, and thought that both of them really pulled out the strange undertones of the relationship the two characters have. I felt like the story leaned a bit into the queer subtext (we do, indeed, get our moment of Ripley getting in drag to stop Frank’s kidnapping, and I was overjoyed!), and Hart has some solid moments of vulnerability and bleak self awareness that I haven’t seen in a Ripley character since Matt Damon, without making him too sympathetic. That said, I didn’t listen to the other plays that cover the other books, so I’m not sure about how sympathetic they want him to be in the series as a whole. And Hoult was so subtle with Frank’s feelings and motivations, that his end hit harder for me than it did in the book. Man, Hoult is a treasure!

Overall, I’m happy I checked this out! It’s simple and yet more powerful that the source material. I probably won’t do any more of the BBC Radio 4 adaptations of the “Ripley” series, but this was well done. Up next is my final adaptation of a “Ripley” story, the Netflix series “Ripley” starring Andrew Scott as Ripley, Johnny Flynn as Dickie, and Dakota Fanning as Marge.

Serena’s Review: “Six Wild Crowns”

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Book: “Six Wild Crowns” by Holly Race

Publishing Info: Orbit, June 2025

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

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

Book Description: The king has been appointed by god to marry six queens. Those six queens are all that stand between the kingdom of Elben and ruin. Or so we have been told.

Each queen vies for attention. Clever, ambitious Boleyn is determined to be Henry’s favourite. And if she must incite a war to win Henry over? So be it.

Seymour acts as spy and assassin in a court teeming with dragons, backstabbing courtiers and strange magic. But when she and Boleyn become the unlikeliest of things – allies – the balance of power begins to shift. Together they will discover an ancient, rotting magic at Elben’s heart. A magic that their king will do anything to protect.

Review: There are a handful of periods of British history that I’m much more familiar with than others. Often, it comes down to my enjoyment of specific fictional books that took place during that time period. Obviously, as a lover of Jane Austen, Regency England is one of those time periods. But I also really loved Philippa Gregory’s “The Other Boleyn Girl” which set me on a course to learn quite a bit about the reign of Henry VIII. That being the case, I was incredibly excited to check out this new historical fantasy novel that is centered around many of the major players during that period of history.

Unfortunately, I’ll say that this may be one of those situations where the more informed you are about the place/people/period of time, the less you may enjoy this book. Even for those with only passing knowledge of this time period, there were so many questions raised or pieces that were changed as to leave me wondering whether there was any point in setting this book in a specific, real-world time period in the first place! I was much more often annoyed by the failures in its historical representations than I was enamored by the creativity of blending fantasy and history in this way. There are plenty of books that have pulled it off, but this wasn’t one of them.

Instead, I think it would have read much better as a straight fantasy novel. The fantasy elements were strong throughout (part of problem here was that these elements called into question many of the events pulled from history), and, had the character not been connected to real-life individuals, I could have gotten behind Boleyn and Seymour more as well.

But they are pulling from real life people! And the more you know about these two women, the less satisfying this portrayal is! Anne Boleyn is a pretty well-known historical figure, even by those with only a basic knowledge of this time period. And there are some assumptions that one makes about her: that she was incredibly savvy and politically dexterous, charming, and able to wrap a King around her finger, at least for a period of time. The character we had here did not line up at all with that! At times, she was incredibly naive and taken in by the very obviously nefarious King. I know less about Jane Seymour, other than the fact that she was said to be more quiet and reserved. Picturing her as an assassin is also a bit difficult. I also found her incredibly fickle, which was frustrating at times.

I also felt like the themes of feminism and patriarchy fell a bit flat. There was nothing overtly wrong here, but it all felt very surface level, having very little new to say on either topic. Had this book been written 20 years ago, perhaps it would have felt more revolutionary. But as it is, there are quite a few fantasy books out there covering these themes, and this one didn’t seem to have much new to offer.

Overall, this was a rather underwhelming book. I won’t say it’s bad, but it’s definitely one of those rare examples where the more you know about the history side of things, the less you’ll enjoy it. I think I used this word above as well, but “distracting” is the term that comes to mind when I think about the incorporation of the historical elements. Instead, it would have perhaps been more successful as a straight fantasy novel. Even there, though, it didn’t seem to have much to add with regards to its themes and characters.

Rating 7: The real-world historical elements hurt it much more than they helped, unfortunately.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Six Wild Crowns” can be found on this Goodreads list: queer releases june 2025.

Kate’s Review: “Now She’s Dead”

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Book: “Now She’s Dead” by Roselyn Clarke

Publishing Info: Sourcebooks Fire, June 2025

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

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

Book Description: Last summer, Sara Ellis was found dead by the lake, and only Mandy knows what really happened. This summer, she’s desperate to keep it a secret.

For a few weeks every summer, Sara was Mandy’s best friend. At Highmark, the lake resort where their families vacationed, the two were in a world of their own. Or at least Mandy got to be part of Sara’s world.

But now Sara’s dead. The police ruled her death an accident; a tragic mistake after a night of impaired judgment. For the past year, Mandy’s coped by escaping: leaving home and barely keeping it together at school. The last thing she wants to do is return to Highmark this summer—even if she does need “closure.” As soon as she’s back, though, she hears the whispers: someone killed Sara Ellis. And if she’s not careful, they’ll figure out it’s all her fault.

As evidence resurfaces and anonymous accusations are scrawled in angry red spray paint, Mandy must confront the truths she’s been avoiding about last summer. Because someone wants to make her pay for what happened to Sara that night.

Review: Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire for sending me an ARC of this novel!

Summer is basically here, and while it’s probably my least favorite of the seasons (it’s just so hot), I do really enjoy the vibes and ambiance of sitting by the pool with my book. It’s especially fun if the book is engaging, a little soapy, and filled with lots of drama, shocks, and surprises. Admittedly, I have a pretty picky standard when it comes to books like these, and if it even so much as VAGUELY drifts into no no territory (like last minute twists that don’t feel earned), I will feel sour about it, poolside or not. But I have great news! “Now She’s Dead” by Roselyn Clark is the kind of book that not only would make great poolside reading for the season, it also managed, for me, to not fall into any pitfalls I associate with the genre!

The structure of this thriller mystery is fairly straight forward. Our protagonist is Mandy, a teenage girl who is returning to the lakeside resort where her summer best friend Sara died in an assumed accident the previous year. Mandy off the bat has a lot of guilt, and since it’s first person POV she tells the reader that it is her fault that Sara is dead, and we get a story told through the present summer as a true crime content creator has started sniffing around the resort, and through flashbacks to the days leading up to Sara’s death. It’s a great device, and it’s the perfect kind to have an unreliable narrator drive the story as the audience has to piece together what really happened. When done well this is quite possibly a favorite structure of mine when it comes to thrillers, and Clarke manages to make it flow easily. It has a nice slight of hand, and while I was pretty convinced that Mandy didn’t have all the information and was probably missing something (and side note, her dialog DID sometimes veer to bashing the reader of the head with all the ‘BUT I KILLED HER’ quips), I was still curious to see how it was all going to unravel to what actually happened, and I was surprised a good deal of the time! The clues are there, but the sleight of hand keeps them hidden until Clarke is ready to reveal them for the most part.

And what really kept me going in this book was how it portrays a very complicated, close, but somewhat unbalanced friendship between two teenage girls. You can tell that Mandy and Sara see themselves as incredibly close, but that their closeness and their friendship is in many ways unhealthy, with resentment, jealousy, and insecurities nagging at them both during the lead up to Sara’s death. It’s a bit soapy as Mandy and Sara keep aggravating and baiting each other as disaster looms on the horizon, but what I really appreciated is that while it could solely have been a motive, it’s actually a rather emotional examination of this kind of toxic friendship between teenage girls that may hit close to home for some readers, be they the intended YA audience or not. I know that I can think of at least one close, but at times unhealthy, friendship I had when I was in high school, with my role being VERY similar to Mandy’s in the friendship of the sidekick who is overshadowed and resentful, but also unable to process my own contributions to the toxicity. It felt real and honest, even if most of us in these shoes weren’t dealing with a murder mystery we may or may not have been involved with. Minor details!

“Now She’s Dead” is a sudsy and twisty thriller that should definitely join you on your summer adventures. It’s a fun ride and I really enjoyed it.

Rating 8: A fast paced and well crafted thriller, absolutely perfect for summer reading season!

Reader’s Advisory:

“Now She’s Dead” is included on the Goodreads lists “2025 YA Thrillers and Mysteries”, and “Bisexual Books of 2025”.

Highlights: June 2025

We’re both getting excited for ALA 2025 in Philadelphia! And, while we’re there primarily for the convention itself, you know we both plan on getting in a good amount of personal reading time as well! Alone, in our separate hotel rooms, like true BFF introverts do! Here are a few titles we’re excited to check out this month!

Serena’s Picks

Book: “Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil” by V. E. Schwab

Publication Date: June 10, 2025

Why I’m Interested: V. E. Schwab is one of my favorite modern fantasy authors, so of course I’m looking forward to her new book! I’m particularly excited for this one to see how she tackles vampires. There are so many vampire books out there that I imagine it’s challenging to find a way to approach the topic from a new angle. On the other hand, I’m a bit concerned that this book might be a bit too similar to “The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue,” both focusing on long-lived beings and the challenges of staying “in the world” when you’re so disconnected from time and death. That said, I did enjoy “Addie LaRue,” so it may all work out in the end anyways!

Book: “The Rushworth Family Plot” by Claudia Gray

Publication Date: June 17, 2025

Why I’m Interested: This is another obvious pick for the month! Claudia Gray has been hitting every one of these books out of the park, and at this point, I’d be foolish to expect anything different. It’s always such a relief to be able to go into a book know that it will be good, and that’s what we have here. Plus, I’m excited to see how she handles a plot that is more closely tied to the characters from “Mansfield Park.” Not only is Edmund and Fanny’s relationship one of the more challenging ones to depict for modern audiences, but there are also several challenging topics, such as slavery and plantation wealth, that will likely be covered. Beyond that, I’m itching to see how Mr. Darcy and Miss Tilney’s fraught relationship progresses! The last book left off with their pesky fathers standing in the way of their happy union!

Book: “A Legionnaire’s Guide to Love and Peace” by Emily Strukskie

Publication Date: June 24, 2025

Why I’m Interested: I’ve heard next to no hype about this book up to this point, and even without having read it at this point, I feel like that’s a damn shame! The romantasy genre is desperately in need of fresh material and this book, with its focus on common soldiers with no special abilities (or dragons!) to speak of and their slow-burn friends-to-lovers romance, seems like the perfect fix! Of course, it also has to be good, but I have high hopes already! I, too, enjoy an enemies-to-lovers love story, but please, for the love of everything, can we have some variation in our fantasy romance stories??

Kate’s Picks

Book: “Bald-Faced Liar” by Victoria Helen Stone

Publication Date: June 17, 2025

Why I’m Interested: I don’t know why I insist on touching the hot stove of the huge triggering topic that is The Satanic Panic, but whenever a book about this ludicrous and highly maddening time comes out, I have to read it. So of course “Bald-Faced Liar” caught my eye! Elizabeth May is a traveling nurse who has been trying to run from her past as a witness to a high profile trial that involved the Satanic Panic, especially since she was revealed to be a liar who put innocent people in prison. Now she has settled down in Santa Cruz, still hiding, still planning to move on. But then someone starts stalking her, someone who may be eager to expose her identity, and to punish her for what she did. Sounds devilishly twisty.

Book: “Atmosphere” by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Publication Date: June 3, 2025

Why I’m Interested: I have loved every Taylor Jenkins Reid book that I have read, and while this may not end up being reviewed on the blog as it’s outside my genres (though if I love it enough I may make an exception), “Atmosphere” is high, high, HIGH on my anticipated titles for the year. Joan Goodwin is one of the women who has been selected to be a part of the NASA Shuttle Program of the 1980s, fulfilling a dream that seemed impossible until she was given the position. And when she meets Vanessa Ford, an aeronautical engineer who is a skilled pilot to boot, she realizes that not only could she potentially help make history, she could also perhaps find a kindred spirit. If Reid can do for space flight what she has done for 1970s rock bands, dysfunctional families, and tennis players, this will surely be a winner of a read.

Book: “With A Vengeance” by Riley Sager

Publication Date: June 10, 2025

Why I’m Interested: I haven’t missed a Riley Sager book yet and I don’t intend on doing it now! And besides, it wouldn’t be summer time if I didn’t have a Sager book at the ready. And this one sounds a little different. Anna has been plotting revenge against those who wronged her family for years, and her plan has all led to luring her targets onto a train in hopes of turning them all in after she makes them confess to their crimes. But then someone else commits a murder against one of her targets, and that just won’t do. Because SHE is the one who gets to get her revenge, not someone else! So now she has to figure out who wants them dead, and how she can save them… for now. Always nice to have Sager back in my reading rotation!