Category: Joint Reviews

Joint Review: “Mate”

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Book: “Mate” by Ali Hazelwood

Publishing Info: Berkley, October 2025

Where Did We Get This Book: the library!

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

Book Description: Serena Paris is orphaned, pack-less, and one of a kind. Coming forward as the first Human-Were hybrid was supposed to heal a centuries-long rift between species. Instead, it made her a target, prey to the ruthless political machinations between Weres, Vampyres, and Humans. With her enemies closing in on her, she has only one option left—if he’ll have her.

As Alpha of the Northwest pack, Koen Alexander commands obedience. His authority is so absolute, only a fool would threaten his mate. It doesn’t matter if Serena doesn’t reciprocate his feelings, nothing will stop him from keeping her safe.

But power-hungry Vampyres and Weres are not the only threats chasing Serena. Sooner or later, her past is bound to catch up with her—and Koen might be the only thing standing between her and total annihilation…

Previously Reviewed: “Bride”

Serena’s Thoughts

I deeply disliked this book. Part of the reason comes down to the natural comparisons to its predecessor, but some of it also includes a spoiler for the book. I think it’s a pretty obvious part of the story (a big part of the problem actually is how obvious it is), but I wanted to give people a heads up before they read on!

Anyways, so yes, I really, really didn’t enjoy this one. For one thing, I don’t think either Serena or Koen hold up well in comparison to Misery and Lowe. For her part, Serena was almost too similar to Misery to come across well. She felt like a non-stop snark fest from the start to finish, but somehow missing the heart that Misery brought to her wit. What’s worse, much of Serena’s character arc involved exploring some of her very damaged perceptions of self. Indeed, these themes were so strongly touched on in the first half of the book, that I was confidently waiting for the scenes where she was forced to confront these toxic views of herself. And I waited, and I waited, and nothing really came of it, except for more snark, of course.

As for Koen, the very first scene with him set him up in a fairly poor light, and it just never recovered. Beyond this initial poor impression, the story also included a series of flashbacks that also painted him a very negative light. The conflict that was set up in Koen and Serena’s relationship was incredibly contrived (and equally conveniently hand-waved away at the end) and easily explained between adults. Of course, it wasn’t. But beyond failing basic communication, Koen was unnecessarily cruel to Serena again and again. For absolutely zero reason. He only started behaving better late in the book, and by that point, my dislike had hardened pretty solidly.

I also really, really hated the romance itself. I’m not into the whole breeding kink as it is, but even if I was, I don’t think I would have enjoyed this version of it. For one thing, it boggles the mind that readers are expected to buy that not only one but TWO werewolf doctors failed to recognize the incredibly common condition of heat in a female werewolf and instead proclaimed her as dying of a super rare and unlikely condition. Perhaps there was meant to be some commentary on healthcare services and women, but if there was, it didn’t land.

Beyond this, from a love story perspective, the heat thing combined with the fated mates trope sucked the romance entirely out of the story for me. At no point did I feel any true connection between Koen and Serena. Instead, we had two characters who were biologically drawn to and tied to one another, and the story never did much to advance their relationship beyond this. Indeed, even by the time we got to the steamy bits (and there was much of this, though all crammed into the last quarter of the book, which hurt the pacing), it never felt like there was much of an impetus behind their coming together beyond these biological factors. As such, it felt like lots of steamy sex scenes, but no actual romance.

So yeah, I didn’t like this one. Perhaps if readers are fans of the fated mates trope and heat/breeding kinks, they might enjoy it more than me. But even those aspects aside, I think Koen and Serena were weak characters and the plot, for what there was, was all over the place and solidly an afterthought to the spice. This was a stark contrast to the first book, where we not only had solid leading characters, but a developed love story and a plot worth caring about.

Kate’s Thoughts

Okay, so…… I didn’t hate this book as much as Serena did. There were definitely things about it that I liked, and I will start with those because a few of said things I found to be pretty interesting. The biggest thing that I DID like was the way that Hazelwood brings in pack politics and dynamics, and the offshoot fringe group (led by a megalomaniac named Constantine) that had a huge run on power in the past that shook the Northwest Pack (the group that Koen leads) to its core, involving lots of violence, death, enslavement, and bad tensions between Weres and humans. Which has left a huge mark on the group as time has gone on. This kind of thing is always interesting to me, with cult stuff and fringe extremists catching my eye in basically anything I’m reading, watching, consuming. I enjoyed that aspect of the book (incredibly predictable plot reveals about it aside). And Serena’s (character) characterization didn’t bother me as much as it did Serena (blogger), as I’ve just kind of come to expect this from Hazelwood in many of her female main characters: they’re going to be quippy, they’re going to be cute, and they’re going to be hand wringing about their attraction to the guy they can’t believe they feel attracted to.

But generally, I do agree with a fair amount of the other stuff that she said at least a little bit (I do think that the misogyny in medicine leading to a crap diagnosis landed more than she did, but I also think that it was kind of ludicrous just as a plot device to lead to Koen’s magic dick banging it all out for our characters). I also really didn’t enjoy Koen as a male main character, as he is hostile and he is a huge jerk to her throughout a lot of the narrative. I get why it was happening within the narrative, but it was still just kind of a rough character to have to follow and root for romantically, especially since Hazelwood CAN write standoffish and conflicted male main characters that don’t feel like flat out assholes. I’m guessing that there is an audience for this kind of character in a exploring this type of dynamic through fantasy, and I’m not going to yuck anyone else’s yum in that regard because explore away! But it rarely clicks with me.

I also think that overall I just wasn’t as entertained by the story as other books that Hazelwood has written. And I do think that it’s because 1) I’m not really an Omegaverse reader (though I’m not against it, don’t misunderstand me), and 2) the characters just didn’t hit because of the lack of chemistry and the way I just couldn’t gel with Koen. Not to mention some predictability in the plot points. There is almost assuredly an audience for this book, but I was just kind of bored. I still appreciate Hazelwood exploring all sorts of sub-genres, but with the huge swath of story types they will almost certainly not all be winners for me. “Mate” fits into that category.

Serena’s Rating 4: I have a clear memory of coming up for air about halfway through and realizing that I was actively hate reading the book. As I continued, nothing swayed me from this perspective.

Kate’s Rating 5: I liked some of the lore, but the main plot at hand was just kinda middling for me.

Reader’s Advisory

“Mate” is included on these Goodreads lists: Gimme a Beast and (because I can) “Serena”.

Joint Review: “What Stalks the Deep”

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

Publishing Info: Tor Nightfire, September 2025

Where Did We Get This Book: Netgalley!

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

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

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

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

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

Kate’s Thoughts

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

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

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

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

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

Serena’s Thoughts

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

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

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

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

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

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

Reader’s Advisory

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

Joint Review: “The House of Quiet”

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Book: “The House of Quiet” by Kiersten White

Publishing Info: Delacorte Press, September 2025

Where Did We Get This Book: ARC from ALA!

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

Book Description: To save her sister, she must enter the House.

In the middle of a deadly bog sits the House of Quiet. It’s a place for children whose Procedure triggered powers too terrible to be lived with—their last hope for treatment. No one knows how they’re healed or where they go afterward.

Birdie has begged, bargained, and blackmailed her way inside as a maid, determined to find her missing sister, Magpie. But what she discovers is more mysteries. Instead of the destitute children who undergo the Procedure in hopes of social advancement, the house brims with aristocratic teens wielding strange powers they never should have been burdened with.

Though Birdie wants to ignore them, she can’t help being drawn to stoic and silent Forest, charmed by clever River, and concerned for the youngest residents. And with fellow maid Minnow keeping tabs on everything Birdie does, danger is everywhere.

In her desperate search for Magpie, Birdie unearths terrifying threats and devastating truths, forcing her to confront just how much she’s willing to sacrifice to save her own sister. Because in the House of Quiet, if you find what’s lurking beneath . . . you lose everything.

Unravel the mystery. Ignite the rebellion.

Serena’s Thoughts

Long time readers of the blog may remember the last joint review Kate and I posted of a Kiersten White book….Suffice it to say, we didn’t love it. So I went into this one with trepidation. However, I’m happy to report that this one worked much better for me!

For one thing, it had a lot going for it with themes and tropes that play well into my preferences. I’m curious to see how Kate felt, because unlike another recent joint review (“The Library at Hellebore”), this one felt like it more closely aligned with the fantasy genre than with horror. Though it definitely still had its creepy moments, particularly in some of the other POV chapters highlighting the kids’ powers. Most strongly, however, this read as a gothic mystery, which I gobbled up. I think this sort of slow-burn, highly atmospheric story plays well to White’s strengths as an author which left me much more satisfied with it than with her last.

I will say that while I enjoyed the sibling relationship at the heart of the story, it took me a while to become too invested in our main character, Birdie. There was nothing wrong with her, per see, (other than the fact that she missed what were some fairly obvious clues), but I never felt strongly connected to her as a character. The story is also on the slower side, so readers looking for a more fast-paced read may struggle a bit here.

Overall, however, I was happy to see return to form for White. While this wasn’t my favorite book of hers, I think it was successful for what it set out to do, especially for readers looking for gothic YA fiction.

Kate’s Thoughts

Hooray! After not enjoying the previous Kiersten White book that we joint reviewed on the blog I’m happy to report that “The House of Quiet” was a return to form! This was an anticipated read for me this year, though I was feeling a bit nervous after the last of her novels, but overall I found this one to be much more enjoyable.

I do agree with Serena that this is more of a Gothic Fantasy, or perhaps Dark Fantasy, tale as opposed to the horror-esque cover, but that was fine for me! I enjoyed the world building that White did, with different regions having different cultural touchstones, and different characters from different areas having different motivations depending on what their life experience was like. I enjoyed Birdie enough as one of our main characters, as her trying to find her sister Magpie in The House of Quiet by pretending to be there strictly as a maid, but actually looking for information.

But I think that the character I enjoyed even more was the mysterious and acerbic Minnow, who was also hired on as a maid, but who is clearly hiding her cards and has other motivations that she is trying to fulfill. White is always quite skilled when it comes to creating characters that you can’t quite suss out at first, peeling back layers to reveal interesting truths, and Minnow was a good example of that. I also enjoyed the mystery at hand as Birdie finds herself in a dangerous web with more questions popping up as she gets deeper and deeper into her investigations.

“The House of Quiet” was a fun Gothic tale from Kiersten White! Set this one aside for the upcoming spooky season, I’d say!

Serena’s Rating 8: Perhaps a bit slow at times, but a nice option to scratch that gothic YA fantasy itch!

Kate’s Rating 8: I’m so glad that I’m back on the Kiersten White bandwagon! “The House of Quiet” is strange, layered, and a well pieced together Gothic mystery!

Reader’s Advisory

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

Joint Review: “The Library at Hellebore”

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

Book: “The Library at Hellebore” by Cassandra Khaw

Publishing Info: Tor Nightfire, July 2025

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

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

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

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

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

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

Serena’s Thoughts

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

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

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

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

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

Kate’s Thoughts

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

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

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

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

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

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

Reader’s Advisory

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

Joint Review: “The Bewitching”

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

Book: “The Bewitching” by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Publishing Info: Del Rey, July 2025

Where Did We Get This Book: eARC from Netgalley!

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

Book Description: “Back then, when I was a young woman, there were still witches”: That was how Nana Alba always began the stories she told her great-granddaughter Minerva—stories that have stayed with Minerva all her life. Perhaps that’s why Minerva has become a graduate student focused on the history of horror literature and is researching the life of Beatrice Tremblay, an obscure author of macabre tales.

In the course of assembling her thesis, Minerva uncovers information that reveals that Tremblay’s most famous novel, The Vanishing, was inspired by a true story: Decades earlier, during the Great Depression, Tremblay attended the same university where Minerva is now studying and became obsessed with her beautiful and otherworldly roommate, who then disappeared under mysterious circumstances.

As Minerva descends ever deeper into Tremblay’s manuscript, she begins to sense that the malign force that stalked Tremblay and the missing girl might still walk the halls of the campus. These disturbing events also echo the stories Nana Alba told about her girlhood in 1900s Mexico, where she had a terrifying encounter with a witch.

Minerva suspects that the same shadow that darkened the lives of her great-grandmother and Beatrice Tremblay is now threatening her own in 1990s Massachusetts. An academic career can be a punishing pursuit, but it might turn outright deadly when witchcraft is involved.

Kate’s Thoughts

I was very pleased to see that Silvia Moreno-Garcia was finally taking on a witch story. She has done so many other kinds of genres and sub-genres, sometimes in fantasy and horror, and now she has taken her genre hopping to a witchy tale with “The Bewitching”. I love witch stories as we all know, and I was very excited to see what Silvia Moreno-Garcia would do with it.

Overall, I enjoyed this fantasy tale and the three narratives that we followed. In the early 1900s in Mexico we have Alba, a young woman in the countryside whose home seems to be cursed and bewitched, and who is trying to figure out who is doing it, all while contending with her mysterious uncle and a local man that is infatuated with her. After that we go to 1930s New England, where a University student named Beatrice has a deep connection with her roommate who vanishes. And in the 1990s, University student Minerva is researching Beatrice’s writings, and starts to realize that there are similarities between Beatrice’s experiences and the experiences of Minerva’s grandmother Alba. It’s a LOT, but I felt like Moreno-Garcia balanced it well and wove it all together perfectly. She takes her time parsing out how all of these things fit together, but I never felt like it was poorly paced or glossed over as I was reading.

I also enjoyed the magical and witchcrafty elements, combining elements from New England lore along with lore from Mexico, and blending them in ways that show their similarities as well as their differences. This definitely leaves behind any romanticism of witches and witchcraft, with a focus on the scarier elements from a story like this, and I liked that there were some genuinely scary beats. While it’s true that I like romanticized witch stories, this one was a well executed thoroughly creepy take. I’m always up for that.

“The Bewitching” is another great tale from Silvia Moreno-Garcia! If you can’t wait for the Fall for a witch story, definitely seek this one out!

Serena’s Thoughts

It’s probably no surprise at this point, but I really enjoyed this book! Witches are one of those paranormal themes that easily crosses genres between fantasy and horror, so between the subject matter and the author in question, this was a match made in heaven for Kate and I to jointly review!

Sometimes I struggle to fully become invested in stories that follow different characters in different time lines. Too often, one or more feels less fleshed out than another and I feel the urge to speed read sections. While I did have favorites here, however, all three timelines and stories were interesting in their own ways. You know the tragedy that is written on the wall for some of them, but even knowing this, I was drawn in to the details of their individual stories. It’s the kind of horror that hides in plain sight: you know what’s coming, and that makes the building dread all the worse.

Like many of this author’s novels, the story is a slow-burn affair. She takes her time fully setting the stage, between the various time periods, locations, and women involved. That being the case, the pacing is definitely on the slow side. However, the payout for all three times lines all pulls together in the end in a fantastic manner, so it is well worth the wait. And, as I mentioned earlier this slower pacing works well to increased the suspense (another factor that is easy to identify as quintessentially Moreno-Garcia’s style).

Overall, I really enjoyed this read. It was creepy but mostly in a way that I could handle (though one scene was a bit much for me), and I was fully invested in the story by the time we got to the end. Definitely check this one out if you’re looking for an interesting take on witches!

Kate’s Rating 8 : Witchy, suspenseful, and very unnerving, “The Bewitching” is yet another great read from a true master of many trades within the writing craft.

Serena’s Rating 8: As always, Moreno-Garcia delivers with fantastic, multi-generational story of witches and brewing dread.

Reader’s Advisory

“The Bewitching” is included on the Goodreads list 2025 Dark Academia Releases.

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!

Joint Review: “Overgrowth”

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

Book: “Overgrowth” by Mira Grant

Publishing Info: Tor Nightfire, May 2025

Where Did We Get This Book: Kate received an eARC from NetGalley,

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

Book Description: Annihilation meets Day of the Triffids in this full-on body horror/alien invasion apocalypse.

This is just a story. It can’t hurt you anymore.

Since she was three years old, Anastasia Miller has been telling anyone who would listen that she’s an alien disguised as a human being, and that the armada that left her on Earth is coming for her. Since she was three years old, no one has been willing to listen.

Now, with an alien signal from the stars being broadcast around the world, humanity is finally starting to realize that it’s already been warned, and it may be too late. The invasion is coming, Stasia’s biological family is on the way to bring her home, and very few family reunions are willing to cross the gulf of space for just one misplaced child.

What happens when you know what’s coming, and just refuse to listen?

Kate’s Thoughts

I have read a fair amount of Mira Grant, and have mostly enjoyed basically all of the stories I have read! I really enjoyed the “Feed” Series, and also liked “Into the Drowning Deep”, and I always find her horror stories fun and incredibly readable. So when Serena approached me asking if I wanted to do a joint review of her newest book “Overgrowth”, I immediately jumped on board. Sure it sounded a bit more Science-Fiction-y, but at the same time the idea of plant aliens invading Earth sounded a lot like “Little Shop of Horrors”! And plus, it was Mira Grant! I had high hopes!

Me picking up this book, before disaster inevitably struck (source).

But. I did not like this book. What did I like? Well, I did like the little nods to “Little Shop”, including Stasia having a cat named Seymour, which REALLY tickled me. And I liked that Grant continues to do a bang up job of having great rep for LGBTQIA+ characters in her books, this time having Graham, Stasia’s trans boyfriend, being a well rounded and compelling player in the story. I even liked the way that Grant draws comparisons between the treatment of marginalized groups being Othered with Stasia and her own Othering as an alien who never hides who she is, and is seen as weird and treated as such by others.

But the not so good. The first thing is that the pacing is a bit stilted. It can go from feeling like it’s lagging and slow, to going WAY too fast by the end (once we got to the invasion itself, VERY close to the end of the book, it was warp speed, and that was jarring). The second thing is that this is definitely more heavy on the Sci-Fi than it is horror, and that genre just isn’t for me outside of some very VERY specific parameters. But the biggest issue for me includes a spoiler, even if it’s very early in the story and will be clear pretty quickly, but still, be warned: SPOILER ALERT. We have a very gruesome scene almost right away in which a three year old little girl gets consumed by an alien plant, in lots of really unsettling and upsetting detail. With little to no warning. This is just the kind of stuff that I really can’t abide anymore in books that I read, and had I known that it was going to include that, I wouldn’t have read it. Is this probably more of a ‘me’ problem than a problem with the book? Yeah, almost assuredly. But it really turned me off, and there wasn’t really any recovery in regards to my reading experience, so my review stands as such.

Will “Overgrowth” work for others? Yeah, probably! But for me, I didn’t enjoy it.

Serena’s Thoughts

I largely agree with Kate. While I have read Mira Grant’s “Feed” series, I’m more familiar with Seanan McGuire (Mira Grant is her pen name for most of her horror and horror adjacent titles) and her fantasy works, all of which I’ve enjoyed to some extent or another. But yeah, this one was a struggle.

Kate already touched on the pacing, and I completely agree with her assessment there. I’ll also add that tonally the book felt equally out of sync as it did with its pacing. It starts out in an incredibly dark and gruesome manner (I’ll also talk a bit of spoilers in my last paragraph and will warn you ahead of time!) and then ends in a way that, I felt, was also pretty dark. But in between it seemed to be almost going for a romcom-like tone? There were a bunch of quirky characters and found family moments and much more emphasis on the love story than I had been expecting. Of course, I’m never one to complain about a love story, but, again, the romcom-like tone of the love story sat uncomfortably alongside the more serious aspects of, you know, the world being invaded by plant aliens.

I didn’t mind the science fiction elements nearly as much as Kate (obviously, since this is a preferred genre of mine). But at the same time, there’s a reason I don’t read horror, and for me, this book highlighted my struggles with that genre. So, it’s kind of funny in how predictably Kate and I reacted, with regards to our priors of genre preference! Mostly, this came down to the darker aspects of the horror elements. By no means do I need every book to wrap up with flowers and rainbows, but I also tend to struggle with the horror genre with the morally grey/questionable/is it really over?? type endings that you sometimes find. And this one…yeah, I couldn’t feel great about any of it. However, I do want to applaud the author for following through on her concept.

Likewise, and here come the spoilers, I had similar feelings about the beginning. Right away, you know it’s going to a dark place in that first chapter. And she GOES THERE. So, on one hand, I can appreciate that she didn’t shy away from the horrific nature of what she was writing. But on the other hand, yeah…I, too, could have lived without reading this scene. I don’t think I’m overly sentimental as a mother, but there are definitely new lines that I really try to avoid crossing in my media consumption, and this was a perfect illustration of that exact line. Beyond the scene itself being hard to read, I never really recovered. I know it’s not the main character’s “fault” that this happened, but I couldn’t ever really invest in her either, with this horrible image constantly in my mind. Like Kate said, this was definitely a personal reaction to this scene, and other readers may not struggle with it as much.

So, there ya go. Unfortunately, this one didn’t really work for either of us. But I also think it’s one of those reads that others may enjoy much more!

Kate’s Rating 4: This just didn’t work for me, in spite of the “Little Shop of Horrors” nods and the well done representation of queer and trans characters. I had high hopes that weren’t met.

Serena’s Rating 5: I think that trigger warnings can definitely go too far and get into spoiler territory sometimes, but one definitely could have been used here! Other than that, some mismatches in tone and pacing also let this read down for me.

Reader’s Advisory

“Overgrowth” is included on the Goodreads list “2025 Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction”.

May The Books Be Ever In Your Favor: A “Hunger Games” Book List

It has been a very long while indeed since we have done a book list based on what we think characters from a beloved franchise would like to read. But with the new Suzanne Collins “Hunger Games” book “Sunrise on the Reaping” finally out, we were inspired to bring this back once again! Here are some books that we think would pair well with some of our favorite characters in Panem!

Katniss Everdeen: “The Lord of the Rings” by J. R. R. Tolkien

We’re pretty sure that we’ve recommended this classic fantasy to other fictional characters before, but it was just too on point to not pick it for our reluctant hero Katniss Everdeen, who ends up being the symbol of a revolution in a brutal dystopian world. Katniss and Frodo Baggins, after all, have a fair amount in common, at least in terms of how their journey progresses. Both find themselves with a huge amount of responsibility that they never wanted or anticipated, with Katniss becoming the Mockingjay and Frodo becoming the Ringbearer. Both are devoted to their loved ones, whether it’s Katniss’s fierce protectiveness over sister Prim, or Frodo’s love for his community in The Shire. And both find themselves deeply traumatized and carrying a heavy burden as their journey gets harder and harder, and more and more loss and despair is heaped upon them. But like Frodo, Katniss knows that she can’t give up, and after all is said and done, while she is still haunted by her ordeal, much like Frodo she does, ultimately, find peace.

Haymitch Abernathy: “The Simple Sabotage Field Manual” by the OSS

Haymitch Abernathy was Katniss’s mentor during her first Hunger Games, and was a winner of his own (and is the protagonist in “Sunrise on the Reaping”), and while he was helping train Katniss and Peeta, he was also working within the system to start the rebellion against Panem during “Catching Fire”. And because of his inner workings before the full on rebellion, I think that he would have found value in “The Simple Sabotage Field Manual”, a guide written by the United States OSS to resist against Nazi/authoritarian rule in Nazi occupied/ wartime Europe. It’s a quick read, with lots of practical and easy information on how to gum up the works and resist against authoritarian oppression, and it was declassified in 2008 for anyone to read. As a rebel working inside as a mentor who ends up playing a huge part in overthrowing Snow’s regime, we think this would be a good choice for him.

Johanna Mason: “Rage Becomes Her: The Power of Women’s Anger” by Soraya Chemaly

Johanna is one of Kate’s very favorite “Hunger Games” characters, and one of those reasons is how angry she is from the moment we meet her until the moment we say goodbye. And rightfully so! Like so many victors, she was subjected to a horrific Games, and even as victor she still lost everything and everyone important to her thanks to Snow and the Capitol. Only to be thrown into the Quarter Quell, into a rebellion, and into a hostage situation thereafter. Of COURSE she was angry. And because of that, she would probably really enjoy, or at least relate to, “Rage Becomes Her: The Power of Women’s Anger” by Soraya Chemaly. In this non-fiction book, Chemaly examines the reasons a woman may be enraged, from microaggressions and mild sexism that she is subjected to every day, to outright violent misogyny that leads to pain and harm. It also encourages women to turn that anger into a tool against their oppressors. And man, would Johanna REALLY love that.

Peeta Mallark: “Legends and Lattes” by Travis Baldree

Peeta is the OG soft boy king. And as such, he deserves all the nicest things, including one of the most wholesome cozy fantasies currently published! Really, I think the entire cozy fantasy genre was made for this character. And while there are plenty of books in this subgenre featuring bakeries, I thought that the coffee shop found in this one would fit just as well. Beyond the coffee/pastries of it all, I think the strong focus on re-creating a life for oneself after many previous years of violence would appeal to a character like Peeta. The found family aspect, I think, would also appeal, for a character who naturally inspired trust and friendship from others.

Coriolanus Snow: “Vicious” by V.E. Schwab

This is a quote from the book: “Plenty of humans were monstrous, and plenty of monsters knew how to play at being human.” I mean, can that be more perfect for a character like Snow? While Snow definitely goes the straight villain route, most of the characters in this book take the anti-hero route. But as the prequel shows us, characters who turn down dark paths often have many moments when they could have chosen a different direction. The book also has a strong emphasis on themes of ambition and the risks we are willing to take in the pursuit of power. What’s more, we see what happens when these risks go wrong, and the lessons that are (and are not) learned. Themes that definitely hold true for Snow, though we know where it all leads for him, and it’s not great.

Effie Trinket: “The Selection” by Kiera Cass

Effie is an interesting character, in that she clearly cares for Katnis and Peeta in her own way and has brief heroic moments. But she’s also fully bought in to the Hunger Games system and revels in all the benefits that she reaps from her involvement in it. And, of course, she is something of a trend setter in the fashion world! That being the case, the blending of ruthless competition and glittering ballgowns found in “The Selection” would be a perfect fit for Effie! If given the choice, I’m sure she would have preferred a competition that focused on jewels and gowns all in the pursuit of a handsome prince, rather than the brutality of the Hunger Games. Rather than perhaps empathizing with the heroic main character of this trilogy, however, Effie would likely have preferred the role of the party master behind it all!

Joint Review: “The Bane Witch”

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

Book: “The Bane Witch” by Ava Morgyn

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

Where Did We Get This Book: ARC from the publisher/Netgalley

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

Book Description: Piers Corbin has always had an affinity for poisonous things – plants and men. From the pokeweed berries she consumed at age five that led to the accidental death of a stranger, to the husband whose dark proclivities have become… concerning, poison has been at the heart of her story. But when she fakes her own death in an attempt to escape her volatile marriage and goes to stay with her estranged great aunt in the mountains, she realizes her predilection is more than a hunger – it’s a birthright. Piers comes from a long line of poison eaters – Bane Witches – women who ingest deadly plants and use their magic to rid the world of evil men. Piers sets out to earn her place in her family’s gritty but distinguished legacy, all while working at her Aunt Myrtle’s cafe and perpetuating a flirtation with the local, well-meaning sheriff to allay his suspicions on the body count she’s been leaving in her wake. But soon she catches the attention of someone else, a serial killer operating in the area. And that only means one thing – it’s time to feed. In Ava Morgyn’s dark, thrilling novel, The Bane Witch, a very little poison can do a world of good.

Serena’s Thoughts

There are a few go-to authors that Kate and I like to joint review, as we’ve both reliably enjoyed their books in the past. This author, I believe, is new to both of us! But we’ve both enjoyed “Practical Magic,” so with a comparable like that, plus the promise of a thriller-like mystery at its heart, we both thought this would be a good candidate to check out!

Unfortunately, for me, this was just ok. And part of that is the simple fact that it skewed further into the thriller genre and away from the fantasy genre than I typically prefer. So that’s nothing against the actual quality of that portion of the story (see Kate’s opinions there for a more reliable source on this genre!), but it does speak to the balance of this book. And I think for fantasy readers, specifically those looking for a read-alike for “Practical Magic,” this might feel like a bit of a let down. Instead, I think the “Gone Girl” reference made a lot more sense, and better fit, tonally, with what this book had to offer. Sure, the witchy stuff was definitely there, but the general plotting and themes fell much more in line, I think, with a thriller than with a typical fantasy story.

I also struggled to really enjoy Piers herself. In the beginning, she comes across as incredibly competent and thoughtful, as one would need to be to successfully pull of faking one’s own death. However, as the book continued, and especially towards the end, she began to make an increasing number of ridiculous decisions that just didn’t vibe with the sort of person we had first been introduced to. Her actions and various plot points felt jammed together in unnatural ways that served to push the story forwards in the direction the author wanted to go, but didn’t necessarily make sense on their own.

For me, this was just an ok read. I didn’t think the magical elements really lived up to my hopes, and I didn’t really connect with its thriller roots. I also struggled to enjoy Piers as a main character. However, readers how are more interested in the mystery and the serial killer angle might enjoy this more than I did!

Kate’s Review

Well, Serena knows me very well, because this one worked for me on many levels! Part of that was the mystery and thriller elements, to be sure, as I love a story with a serial killer and a woman who has to play a cat and mouse game with him. I also liked the suspense that builds up within the book as the story goes on, whether it’s due to the aforementioned killer that Piers is trying to track, albeit against her will, or the stress involving her abusive ex husband Henry and the cops on her tail after her faked death. Heck, I even liked the suspense regarding whether or not the other bane witches are going to accept Piers into their circle. I will say that as we got closer to the end, things went a little bit off the rails, which put a bit of a wrench in the pacing and how I connected to the story, but I thought that the plot itself was strong enough that I wasn’t too put off by it.

But what worked the most for me were the magical systems that Morgyn created for this book, as the idea of a witch being able to consume poison and transfer it to dangerous and deadly men to take them out is SO appealing to me as a horror reader who also loves witchy books. And I actually disagree with Serena a little bit, because I did get “Practical Magic” vibes from this, specifically the darker themes of that movie (I may not be speaking for the book, it’s been awhile since I’ve read it so lets just stick to the film) like violence against women, women taking their power into their own hands in dire circumstances, and the complicated relationships between families where estrangement and trauma is a very real wedge between people. So many of these things really click for me in my witch fiction, and I thought that Piers coming into her own as a dangerous but righteous bane witch was a fun and engaging arc (though I definitely agree that she does make some REALLY dumb decisions in the later third of the novel, no arguments there). And I always like witch stories that work outside the expected box, or outside of what we usually see in the sub-genre, and a bunch of mountain witches using poison magic was VERY fun and not something that I see as much.

Overall I found “The Bane Witch” to be a really entertaining witch tale, hitting all of the notes I had hoped it would.

Serena’s Rating 7: An interesting concept with the poison magic, but I struggled to connect to Piers and wanted more from the fantasy elements in the story.

Kate’s Rating 8: A fun and deliciously wicked witch tale with poison, empowerment, and a unique magical system. Add in a solid suspense vibe and it’s overall a winner.

Reader’s Advisory

“The Bane Witch” is included on the Goodreads lists Vampires and Werewolves and Witches…Oh My! and Poisonous Plant Fiction Titles.

Joint Review: “Lucy Undying”

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

Book: “Lucy Undying” by Kiersten White

Publishing Info: Del Rey, September 2024

Where Did We Get This Book: We received ARCs at ALAAC24.

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

Book Description: In this epic and seductive gothic fantasy, a vampire escapes the thrall of Dracula and embarks on her own search for self-discovery and true love.

Her name was written in the pages of someone else’s story: Lucy Westenra was one of Dracula’s first victims. But her death was only the beginning. Lucy rose from the grave a vampire, and has spent her immortal life trying to escape from Dracula’s clutches–and trying to discover who she really is and what she truly wants.

Her undead life takes an unexpected turn when, in twenty-first-century London, she meets another woman who is also yearning to break free from her past. Iris’s family has built a health empire based on a sinister secret, and they’ll do anything to stay in power.

Lucy has long believed she would never love again. But she finds herself compelled by the charming Iris, while Iris is mesmerized by the confident and glamorous Lucy. But their intense connection and blossoming love is threatened by forces from without. Iris’s mother won’t let go of her without a fight, and Lucy’s past still has fangs: Dracula is on the prowl again.

Lucy Westenra has been a tragically murdered teen, a lonesome adventurer, and a fearsome hunter, but happiness always eluded her. Can she find the strength to destroy Dracula once and for all, or will her heart once again be her undoing?

Kate’s Thoughts

I am going to preface my review with some caveats. The first is that I have genuinely enjoyed all of the books that I have read by Kiersten White. Like, not a clunker in the bunch in my experience. The next is that I have a very, very personal connection to the original story of “Dracula”, as I read it in my all time favorite college class which was taught by my very favorite professor turned friend Andy, who tragically passed away due to a brain tumor far too young, and his analysis and contextualization of the novel made for very rewarding reading. And I really liked the idea of approaching Lucy Westenra, who was basically a character to be a tragic woman victim to drive the men in her life towards justice, to get some more complexity and time to shine. After all, we know that women don’t have to just be victims there for man pain. With these things in mind, I was so, SO anticipating “Lucy Undying”, White’s newest retelling and reimagining of a classical piece of Western literature. My hopes were so high.

And man. I really didn’t like this book.

There are many things that I didn’t like about this book and I don’t want to turn this into a long rant, so I will do my best to keep this brief. What I will say is that I started out liking it for a bit. Some of the set up was promising. But then it fell apart once we got into the nitty gritty. This book is told in multiple perspectives. The first is Iris, a woman living in the modern day who is trying to escape the clutches of the toxic MLM that her family, particularly her now dead mother, has been running and has made them powerful and dangerous. When she arrives in London to try and sort out some property that her family has, she finds the diary of Lucy Westenra, the tragic victim of vampire Dracula (but also almost everyone around her) centuries before. Iris has also met the mysterious ‘Elle’, who is quite obviously vampire Lucy. Along with the present day, we have TWO perspectives from Lucy. The first is her diary from her time shortly before becoming a vampire (which Iris has found), as well as transcripts from therapy sessions that let us know what Lucy was up to AFTER her turning and before now. It’s a hefty amount to juggle, and unfortunately it isn’t juggled very well, feeling meandering and bloated. It’s a lot of telling instead of showing when it comes to Lucy and her exploits, and it makes the pacing lag as we jump between the three. I wish that one had been cut completely to be frank. And then to make matters more convoluted, the tone does a sudden shift later in the book, and it feels like two different novels being combined into one, but shoehorned in in an awkward fashion.

But the most egregious thing to me was how in an effort to bolster Lucy up beyond the admitted victimized waif that she was in the original text BASICALLY EVERY OTHER CHARACTER FROM “DRACULA” has been turned into a devious villain who meant to do her harm. And look, I get the drive to do so. I wholly understand the way that many women were treated during the Victorian era by the men in their lives. I can understand wanting to make The Five Heroes perhaps not as gallant as the original text did, that maybe they were men of their time with all the baggage that comes with it. Hell, I can even perhaps get into the debate of trying to treat a dying Lucy with blood transfusions when she wasn’t REALLY consenting to it (though it sure wasn’t unheard of, and I know this because I once worked in a historic upper class Victorian house in St. Paul that has SO MANY medical horror stories, especially for the women). But making Dr. Seward a psychopath? Making Quincy a total dumb dumb? Making Arthur scheming for more wealth? MAKING VAN HELSING AN ‘OLD PERVERT’?! Hated it. And the biggest sin? Mina is not exempt from this. So what is supposed to be a feminist re-envisioning makes the choice to throw the only other woman from the original text under the bus to make Lucy look better and wronged and scorned and etcetera etcetera. It’s the same lazy trap that that vanity project “Maleficent” fell into, and I HATED that movie and I really disliked this book because of this. I admit that I may be too personally fond of the original story to really give this the fairest of shakes, but this kind of approach almost always sticks in my craw, beloved text or not.

I do have a positive I will share because it’s only fair to do so after this long rant of a review: I absolutely loved the predatory Utah based MLM storyline, Goldaming Life and how Iris and Lucy connect to it. In the author’s note White mentions that she’s writing a book that does more Utah MLM culture deconstruction and oh my GOD I am SO here for that. Though in another moment of ranting, Arthur’s title in “Dracula” was spelled “Godalming”, not “Goldaming”. I think this was just a misspelling as there was no indication that misspelling was intentional. I’m hoping this will be corrected in the final product.

I still intend to keep reading Kiersten White’s books, as overall I still really like her as an author. But I really disliked this book, which was such a disappointment because I had such high hopes for it.

Serena’s Thoughts

If I just type “same” and call it good, would that count for my half of this joint review? But honestly, much of what Kate expressed was my own experience as well. I want to re-emphasize truly how much of a shock this was. Like Kate, I’ve loved every book I’ve read by this author. Sure, I’ve had favorites (I particularly enjoyed her “Vlad the Impaler” trilogy), but none of them have whiffed nearly as badly as this one did. I’m honestly not sure what happened. It could be simply a case of the author having too much tied up in her own head canon regarding Lucy (as she admits in the author’s note in the end), and then the story itself was lost in the shuffle.

I’ve only read “Dracula” once, so I don’t have the same deep ties to the story as Kate does. That being the case, I was happy enough to go along with the reinterpretation of some of these characters. But very quickly, I ran into the exact problem that Kate expressed: the “reinterpretation” was the same for every single character, namely, they were all terrible people in comparison to Lucy. I really lost it, however, when this carried over to Mina. I truly dislike it when authors attempt to write “feminist” re-tellings of classic characters and the way they end up showing this is by demonizing the other women surrounding them. It’s just icky. This was made all the worse for Lucy then being written as your tried-and-true special snowflake who literally inspires every other woman around her and, yes, essentially ends WWI all on her own.

Beyond that, while I think the modern day story was better written, I don’t feel that it fit comfortably alongside Lucy’s own history that was slowly unfurled through diary entries and therapist notes. It also wasn’t helped that, personally, this storyline was simply of less interest to me. I can see that it was better done, but my original draw to this story was in the original “Dracula” time period and characters (I’ll also say that I think the cover is a bit misleading, as it definitely leans towards a more historical/gothic vibe than the large chunks of contemporary horror/thriller storylines that we got here).

Overall, I have to agree with Kate in pretty much every way. This was a disappointing read, all the more so for it coming from an author who has been such a sure thing in the past.

Kate’s Rating 3: A huge misstep from an author I usually quite enjoy, “Lucy Undying” is bloated, convoluted, and relies too much on demonizing other characters in order to bolster Lucy up. Very disappointing.

Serena’s Rating 3: A bizarre missing of the mark from an author who has had great success tackling similar re-tellings in the past.

Reader’s Advisory

“Lucy Undying” is included on the Goodreads lists “Queer Vampire Books” and “The Vampire Renaissance”.