Author: thelibraryladiesmn

Not Just Books: November 2025

While we do love us some books, believe it not, we do have a life outside of reading. So to highlight our other pop culture interests, on the last Monday of each month, we each will highlight three other “happenings” from the last month. Big events on favorite TV shows, new movies we’ve watched, old movies we’ve “discovered,” etc. Pretty much whatever we found of particular interest outside of the book world during the last month. Share your own favorite things in the comments!

Serena’s Picks

TV Show: “Slow Horses”

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

Podcast: “Dungeons & Dragons & Dramas”

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

Video Game: “Persona 5”

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

Kate’s Picks

Film: “Frankenstein”

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

TV Show: “Only Murders in the Building”

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

TV Show: “Canada’s Drag Race”

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

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

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

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

Publishing Info: Blackstone Publishing Inc., September 2025

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

Where You Can Get This Book: Amazon | Indiebound

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Reader’s Advisory:

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

Serena’s Review: “The House Saphir”

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

Book: “The House Saphir” by Marissa Meyer

Publishing Info: Feiwel & Friends, November 2025

Where Did I Get this Book: Netgalley!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Reader’s Advisory:

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

Kate’s Review: “The Creeping”

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

Book: “The Creeping” by Alexandra Sirowy

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Something feels familiar… (source)

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

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

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

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

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

Reader’s Advisory:

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

Serena’s Review: “Murder Most Haunted”

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

Book: “Murder Most Haunted” by Emma Mason

Publishing Info: William Morrow Paperbacks, October 2025

Where Did I Get this Book: from the publisher!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Reader’s Advisory:

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

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

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

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

Publishing Info: Berkley, November 2025

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Reader’s Advisory:

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

Another Take: Fall 2025

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

Don’t just take it from us, other readers like these books, too! And we have decided that we would like to showcase other reviewers and bloggers that have their own thoughts and feelings about books that we have loved. Here are a few of the books we’ve enjoyed recently and what other bloggers have to say about them.

Book: “The Second Death of Locke” by V. L. Bovalino

Book Description: Grey Flynn has dedicated her life to her mage, Kier.

She will be his blade on the battlefield, his healer and protector. The deep well of raw power inside her is Kier’s to use. Grey would do anything for Kier – be anything for him – if he would only ask.

When a quest to protect the child of an enemy kingdom pulls them into the dangerous heart of their nation’s war, Grey and Kier will need to decide what they are willing to sacrifice to protect their secret.

For Grey is no ordinary magical well, but heir to the lost island of Locke – the root of all power. If she dies, all magic dies with her.

Serena’s Review (10 Rating)

The Quill to Live (8.5/10 Rating)

Before We Go Blog

Smexy Books (A Rating)

Book: “A Marriage of Undead Inconvenience” by Stephanie Burgis

Book Description: Margaret Dunhaven may have been forced into marriage with the sinister vampire lord of Shadowcroft Manor in order to fulfill a family obligation, but she’s not about to stay trapped there for long. The beastly man doesn’t even have any decent tea leaves in his kitchen!

However, when she realizes that she’s not the only one who’s been forced into this marital union, it’s time to join forces with her unwanted new husband. If they can combine her scholarly skills with his ancient history, then, working together, they might just manage to reclaim her inheritance, break his curse, and find their freedom.

…Just so long as they don’t fall in love along the way.

Serena’s Review (8 Rating)

Book Fever (4/5 Rating)

Books and Travelling with Lynn (4/5 Rating)

Twirling Book Princess (4.5/5 Rating)

Book: “The Everlasting” by Alix E. Harrow

Book Description: Sir Una Everlasting was Dominion’s greatest hero: the orphaned girl who became a knight, who died for queen and country. Her legend lives on in songs and stories, in children’s books and recruiting posters―but her life as it truly happened has been forgotten.

Centuries later, Owen Mallory―failed soldier, struggling scholar―falls in love with the tale of Una Everlasting. Her story takes him to war, to the archives―and then into the past itself. Una and Owen are tangled together in time, bound to retell the same story over and over again, no matter what it costs.

But that story always ends the same way. If they want to rewrite Una’s legend―if they want to tell a different story–they’ll have to rewrite history itself.

Serena’s Review (10 Rating)

Nerds of a Feather Flock Together (8 Rating)

Righter of Words

Barlin’s Books

Book: “Play Nice” by Rachel Harrison

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.

Kate’s Review (9 Rating)

Books, Bones, & Buffy (4.5 Stars)

Wildwood Reads (5 Stars)

Always With A Book

Book: “The Scammer” by Tiffany D. Jackson

Book Description: New York Times bestselling author Tiffany D. Jackson delivers another stunning, ripped-from-the-headlines thriller, following a freshman girl whose college life is turned upside down when her roommate’s ex-convict brother moves into their dorm and starts controlling their every move.

Out from under her overprotective parents, Jordyn is ready to kill it in prelaw at a prestigious, historically Black university in Washington DC. When her new roommate’s brother is released from prison, the last thing Jordyn expects is to come home and find the ex-convict on their dorm room sofa. But Devonte needs a place to stay while he gets back on his feet—and how could she say no to one of her new best friends?

Devonte is older, as charming as he is intelligent, pushing every student he meets to make better choices about their young lives. But Jordyn senses something sinister beneath his friendly advice and growing group of followers. When one of Jordyn’s roommates goes missing, she must enlist the help of the university’s lone white student to uncover the mystery—or become trapped at the center of a web of lies more tangled than she can imagine.

Kate’s Review (9 Rating)

Confessions of a YA Reader (5 Stars)

Past Midnights (4 Stars)

Take Me Away (Five Sunglasses)

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

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.

Kate’s Review (10 Rating)

Book EnJenn

BookStack

Little Village

Kate’s Review: “The Butcher and the Liar”

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

Book: “The Butcher and the Liar” by S.L. Woeppel

Publishing Info: Books Fluent, September 2025

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

Where You Can Get This Book: Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: Daisy Bellon thinks she may have buried her skeletons forever. At thirty-five, she runs a butcher shop in a forgotten corner of Chicago, keeping her past locked away. But when an anonymous letter arrives, she’s thrust back to the day her life split in two.

At nine years old, Daisy meets Caleb Garcia, a boy who makes her believe in the possibility of friendship and happiness. But that same night, she stumbles upon her father dismembering a woman in their basement and becomes his unwilling apprentice, sworn to keep his monstrous secrets. When the victim’s ghost appears in Daisy’s room, she’s bound to a haunting legacy. To endure, Daisy weaves a web of lies, clinging to the light of Caleb’s friendship while slipping deeper into the darkness of her father’s shadow.

More than two decades later, following the arrival of the mysterious letter, someone close to Daisy is brutally murdered in an all-too-familiar fashion. Forced to confront the truth about her family and herself, Daisy must decide whether to let the darkness consume her—or to fight for love and redemption, even if it means revealing everything she’s tried to bury.

A haunting psychological thriller perfect for fans of Gillian Flynn, The Butcher and the Liar has mystery lovers and literary fiction readers on the edge of their seats.

Review: Thank you to Books Forward for sending me a copy of this novel!

I know that she is a darling of the modern thriller genre these days (and I do feel like it’s a well earned reputation), I have to admit that I have had mixed feelings about Gillian Flynn’s books. Loved “Dark Places”. Hated “Gone Girl”. Was middle of the road on “Sharp Objects”. I do kind of wish she’d come back and write another book like so many others do, but I also respect her for doing her own thing. Ultimately, if a book is compared to Gillian Flynn I’m a bit hesitant, both because I have mixed feelings about her works, but also because her works are so influential and hard to replicate. I wanted to check out “The Butcher and the Liar” by S.L. Woeppel when it ended up in our inbox because the premise sounded interesting (a woman made into an accomplice to her serial killer father’s crimes when she was a child trying to piece her life back together, oh my GOSH yes), but the Gillian Flynn angle made me say ‘okay sure, whatever you say’ because we’ve heard it so much. But as I was reading it I realized that it’s actually not a bad comparison.

I enjoyed the way that Woeppel combines a few different genres here to create something gritty yet dreamy, with thriller, historical fiction, family saga, and coming of age mixing up with a dash of the supernatural. We follow Daisy Bellon, the daughter of a notorious serial killer who murdered women over many years, and made Daisy an unwilling accomplice after she found him trying to dispose of a body of one of his victims. As a child she has only one friend, the boy next door named Caleb, whose friendship she always holds at arm’s length even as she grows to adore him… Until a ghost named Marina, who she believes is a victim of her father, latches on, and they too form a bond. In the present Daisy is an anonymous butcher in Chicago, who only opens up to her dear friend Miles. But when a neighbor is murdered in a similar fashion to her now imprisoned father’s M.O. she starts to wonder if she can ever really escape her past. It’s a lot of different vibes, but Woeppel is pretty good and finding the highlights of all the genres at their best to create a mystery, a ghost story, and a coming of age tale that mixes well and never feels too overstuffed. Whenever I would find myself questioning if it was too much going on, there would be things that made it clear that no, Woeppel knows what she’s doing with the different genres and it almost always came together in a satisfying manner.

I also really liked the two timeline narratives, flipping between Daisy in 2015 as she is dealing with potentially coming into the spotlight again with an art installation a new love interest is throwing and the murder of her neighbor, and the late 1980s into the early to mid 1990s as her father is murdering women and making her a witness. Daisy is such a complicated and damaged person who is both figuratively AND literally haunted (as the ghost of Marina is always by her side), and I found the way that she pushes others away and turns inwards upon herself in the past timeline to be very realistic and hard to read. And I really liked that she never falls into an all too common trope of ‘messy woman main character is bogged down by her messiness’, as I found Daisy to be very complicated but rarely frustrating in her journey. She’s traumatized, and there is lots of grace and nuance given to her. As we find out the connecting threads between the past and the present and what her motivation to be better has been, it comes together in the most satisfying way that left me both filled with heartache for her as well as satisfaction for how her story turn out, perhaps still a little messy, but not without hope for those who have done things that they regret and perhaps can’t fully understand. It’s such a bittersweet coming of age tale that went in ways I didn’t expect and it was really enjoyable.

“The Butcher and the Liar” should be on peoples radars if they like thrillers, coming of age tales, and complicated main characters. Maybe bring tissues too.

Rating 8: A haunting coming of age novel about a girl grappling with her dark family history and the part she played, “The Butcher and the Liar” is an emotional story about trauma and redemption.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Butcher and the Liar” isn’t on any relevant Goodreads lists as of now, but it would fit in on “Best Coming of Age Thriller”.

Serena’s Review: “Fallen City”

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

Book: “Fallen City” by Adrienne Young

Publishing Info: Saturday Books, November 2025

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

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

Book Description: Luca Matius has one purpose—to carry on the family name, maintaining its presence in the Forum once his powerful and cruel uncle dies. But his noviceship with the city’s Philosopher places him in the middle of a catastrophe that will alter the destiny of his people.

Maris Casoeria was raised amidst the strategic maneuvers of the Citadel’s inner workings, and she knows what her future holds—a lifetime of service to a corrupt city. But her years of serving as a novice to the last Priestess who possesses the stolen magic of the Old War has made her envision a different kind of future for the city. When she meets Luca, a fated chain of events is set into motion that will divinely entangle their lives.

As a secret comes to light and throws the city into chaos, Luca and Maris hatch a plot to create a calculated alliance that could tip the scales of power. But when an execution forces Luca to become the symbol of rebellion, he and Maris are thrown onto opposite sides of a holy war. As their fates diverge, they learn they are at the center of a story the gods are writing. And even if they can find their way back to each other, there may be nothing left.

Review: I’m a big fan of Adrienne Young and have read most of her books by this point. And now, having read so many of her stories, I’ve noticed something particular about her approach to love stories and romance (all the books I’ve read by her have some form of romance): she seems to gravitate toward “second chance” style love stories where characters have an established history and relationship but have been separated or estranged for some reason and must now come together again within this story. And I think the strengths and weaknesses of this book directly parallel this specific preference of Young’s.

So, the story roughly alternates between both POV characters in the past and then them both now in the present. The strengths of Young’s approach to romance and the story as a whole are definitely seen best in the portions of the story that take place in the present. Our two characters are separated through much of this, but this makes all of the tension and yearning and slow hints as to the full extent of their past all the better. It was easy enough to guess at some of the twists that took place in the past, making all of these hints all the more enjoyable in the present. While the few scenes with the characters together are, of course, bangers, it’s always impressive how well some of the moments when they are separated and reflecting on the other are the most romantic. Young knows well how to write unfulfilled yearning and two characters whose relationship is deep but strained by external factors.

I also enjoyed the storyline of the present more than that of the past. Events take place over only a few days in the present timeline, but that was more than enough time to fully depict a city in the middle of tearing itself apart, full of fear of the future and dread of the past. There was a lot of politics explored in this story, and I appreciated the honest look at the harsh realities of revolution. Tolerating corruption is, of course, impossible, but the book doesn’t shy away from the fact that revolution doesn’t automatically guarantee something better—and can often be much, much worse in the meantime.

I also really liked the history and magic of this world. It took a bit for me to fully grasp how this was all linking together, but by the end, it was clear that Young had been carefully laying the groundwork for her ultimate twist. Readers may have to be patient to see it all come together, but come together it definitely does.

Now, the weaknesses of the story definitely come into play in the portions of the book that take place in the past. Here, we see our two main characters meet and fall in love. And this is where we see the weaker side of Young’s ability to write romances. She’s absolutely excellent at the “second chance” portion, but the initial development of the relationship left something to be desired. Indeed, this was very close to insta-love in a lot of ways. Because the author is such a strong writer, it was easier to read through this quick progression of a relationship (even more so because it was broken up with jumps back to the present), but things still evolved very quickly and with very little development given on the page. These two pretty much just meet each other’s eyes and fall deeply in love, fully trusting one another fairly quickly when they really have zero reason to and much personal history on both sides that should instead make them incredibly wary. The story is definitely a retelling, of sorts, of Romeo and Juliet, so I get how this depiction of the timeline and plot beats of their relationship lines up, but it was still a bit frustrating to get so little actual development of the early portions of their relationship.

However, the strengths of the present timeline, the lovely depictions of our main characters’ relationship at this point, and the increasing conflict that leads to an explosive twist at the end were still more than enough to leave me happy with this book. I’m all the more excited for the next one, which presumably will take place fully in the present time period, doing away with the weaker plotline of this book entirely. Fans of Adrienne Young and political, romantic fantasy should definitely give this one a shot!

Rating 8: Full of pining and romantic tension, this book nicely blends political fantasy with a heart-wrenching love story.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Fallen City” can be found on these Goodreads lists: 2025 Romance Duets and High/epic Fantasy by female authors.

Kate’s Review: “Let Me In Your Window”

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

Book: “Let Me In Your Window” by Adam Ellis

Publishing Info: Andrews McMeel Publishing, September 2025

Where Did I Get This Book: I own it

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

Book Description: This sequel to Adam Ellis’s New York Times bestselling Bad Dreams in the Night is packed with terrifying twists, haunted houses, urban legends, and delightfully horrifying stories—like your own personal campfire ghost stories packed into a graphic novel. Each story will make you scream for more!

This brand-new collection of delightful horror comics includes nine new thrilling and terrifying stories that will keep readers on the edge of their seats and peering out their windows in fright. Adam Ellis, one of the biggest stars in webcomics, brings his unique blend of humor and horror to life with stunning illustrations and gripping narratives. Stories include Sleepwalker, about a terrifying and unexplained incident at a youth hostel, Old Machines, about receiving instant messages from a friend who has been dead for years, and Sunken Express, which chronicles a paranormal journey on a phantom subway car. Whether it’s a ghostly encounter, a creepy urban legend, or a supernatural mystery, Let Me In Your Window is guaranteed to give you the creeps.

Review: This past summer I reviewed Adam Ellis’s horror graphic collection “Bad Dreams in the Night”, and had mentioned that he had a new collection coming out this Fall. It probably comes as no surprise that I decided that I wanted to pick this one up as well given that I enjoyed the first one so much, and now that “Let Me in Your Window” is here I once again devoured the entire thing in one sitting. I just couldn’t help myself! Ellis’s horror stories are so quick and fun!

Like I do with most short stories collections I will talk about my three favorite stories first, then look at the collection as a whole.

“Little Kingdom”: We once again have the first story in the collection roping me in from the jump, which is always a great way to start. Two documentarians travel to a remote island that has a community that wanted to stay away from modern society, but birthed strange children who don’t seem like they are of this world. Unable to find success after this first film, they decide to go back to recapture another hit, but find something horrific instead. I love a documentary gone wrong story, and enjoyed the references and inspiration points, from North Sentinel Island to “Grey Gardens” to “Cannibal Holocaust”. Also an interesting question is raised about the ethics of making documentaries that could tread towards exploitation.

“Sunken Express”: I’m kind of seeing a similar pattern in the stories that stood out to me in this collection, as I first talked about the first story that really set the scene, and now I’m talking about the least horror-oriented story that had a little more bittersweetness to it. A man has heard an urban legend about an old subway stop that could possibly get you a ticket on a mysterious train that can take you to wherever your heart most desires. If you mess up the ritual, you may be stuck forever. You are supposed to be alone on the train…. except when he boards, he isn’t. Again, this isn’t a super scary story, it’s more about isolation, loneliness, the hope for redemption, and connection when you least expect it. I love a little emotion with my spooky stories.

“ReBrand”: AGAIN, following the same pattern as the first collection, as this was the last story in the book and it ended on a SUPREMELY CREEPY note! An aspiring model is frustrated when a mysterious digital billboard goes up across from her apartment, as the lights are keeping her awake at night. But one of the advertisements catches her eye: a youtube channel for a woman named Maarja Verine, who doesn’t seem to have much of a presence…. But she just has to keep checking back on her…. This one genuinely caught me off guard by the ending, and I was so shocked I immediately felt a need to go back and see if the clues were there. And they sure were! I really liked this one. It may have been my favorite in the collection.

An as a whole, I think that the stories in this book were all pretty solid! There were a couple that didn’t really connect with me (“Apple Head” felt a bit hokey, honestly), but none of them were BAD, per se. Ellis also has a fun style for his stories, able to have a charming and cute aesthetic that can shift into the grotesque on a dime. He has a real talent for these kinds of collections.

“Let Me in Your Window” was another enjoyable bundle of horror comics from Adam Ellis! It’s two for two for me, and I am going to manifest that we get more as time goes on!

Rating 8: Another fun horror comic collection from Adam Ellis! So fun and twisted.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Let Me in Your Window” isn’t on any Goodreads lists as of now, but it would fit in on “Horror Comics Anthologies”.