Kate’s Review: “Lucky Day”

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Book: “Lucky Day” by Chuck Tingle

Publishing Info: Tor Nightfire, August 2025

Where Did I Get This Book: I received an eARC from NetGalley.

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

Book Description: Lucky Day is the newest novel of terror from Chuck Tingle, USA Today bestselling author of Bury Your Gays, where one woman must go up against the most horrifying concept of all: nothing.

Vera is a survivor of a global catastrophe known as the Low Probability Event, but she definitely isn’t thriving. Once a passionate professor of statistics, she no longer finds meaning in anything at all.

But when problematic government agent Layne knocks on her door, she’s the only one who can help him uncover the connection between deadly spates of absurdity and an improbably lucky casino. What’s happening in Vegas isn’t staying there, and the world is at risk of another disaster.

When it comes to Chuck Tingle, the only thing more terrifying than a serious horror novel is an absurd one…

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

This may be a bit of a strange revelation, but I take three annual trips a year, in general. The first is to the North Shore on Lake Superior, and my husband, kid, and I like being on the lake and just having chill family time. The second, of course, is ALA, no matter where that may lead. The third, and more out of character one, is going to Las Vegas every year for my husband’s birthday celebration. Las Vegas is a weird town to me. It’s overwhelming and very self indulgent, and I’ve seen things there that remind me while Randall Flagg in Stephen King’s “The Stand” chose it for his home base. But I generally have a good time because I can make it into whatever I want it to be (aka poolside in the shade, a fun couple of nights out with friends, and in bed by ten with my stack of books). But I was cackling a bit as I was reading “Lucky Day” by Chuck Tingle, as a good deal of the action takes place in Las Vegas, and Tingle doesn’t hold back on the absurdity and arrogance of this city. Oh, and there are also existential ruminations and some “Final Destination”-esque deaths, making for a strange and entertaining read!

Chuck Tingle continues to surprise me as an author. I had been expecting another horror novel, and while there are certainly horror-esque moments in this book (with lots of gore and outlandish slasher-y deaths), this to me seems more like a Science Fiction story than an outright horror tale. Usually when this kind of thing happens I find myself unable to connect with the book (Science Fiction, man, it’s not really my bag, baby), but in the case of “Lucky Day” Tingle mostly kept me interested and I felt like I was reading a story that could have been in “The X-Files”, and I meant that in the most complimentary way. I love the concept of messing and tweaking with luck and fate and having to have an offset in some way, with a huge and absolutely devastating “Low Probability Event” (LPE) leading to millions of deaths in the most improbable ways (fish falling from the sky causing accidents, a chimp running loose through a diner in Chicago and mauling people, spontaneous combustion, and more!) and a survivor and a shady Government agent teaming up to investigate. I love how Tingle tweaks and twists with the idea of manipulating luck through various inter-dimensional means, but then showing an offset and a cost that is INCREDIBLY high.

And I enjoyed the time spent in Vegas as our survivor Vera and Agent Layne start to investigate the head honchos of a casino that promises their gamblers the best luck on the Strip. It is such a nailing of Vegas and the glitz, the gilded glamour, and the way that people can convince themselves that they, too, can be lucky and everything will work out, without seeing or dealing with any consequences of it (what happens in Vegas, after all). Until you have to deal with it because disaster after disaster is happening. The portrayal of Denver, the head of the incredibly lucky casino, is spot on to what I would expect from a powerful player in a Vegas casino in the modern age, and her disingenuous nature and plastered on smile and charm made her easy to root against but was a fun characterization all the same. I also really liked Vera, our traumatized but still quite logic based statistician who lost so much in the LPE as she has to force herself to care again, and gets sucked more and more into probabilities, dimension rifts, and Nothingness versus Everything. Layne was a little more of a mixed bag for me character wise, and I felt like we got some reveals that didn’t make as much sense as they could have, but that’s a quibble when other parts of this were so strong.

So perhaps it was more Sci-Fi than I was anticipating, but I still found “Lucky Day” to be creative and enjoyable. I’m trying to get my husband to listen to the audiobook on the way to Vegas for his birthday in a few weeks.

Rating 8: Incredibly existential, out there, and creative, “Lucky Day” is the boldest story from Chuck Tingle yet!

Reader’s Advisory:

“Lucky Day” is included on the Goodreads lists “Bisexual Books of 2025”, and “2025 Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction”.

Book Club Review: “Starling House”

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We are part of a group of librarian friends who have had an ongoing book club running for the last several years. Each “season” (we’re nerds) we pick a theme and each of us chooses a book within that theme for us all to read. Re-visiting some of our past themes, we’re once again pulling genres from a hatch and matching them together in one book. For this blog, we will post a joint review of each book we read for book club. We’ll also post the next book coming up in book club. So feel free to read along with us or use our book selections and questions in your own book club!

Book: “Starling House” by Alix E. Harrow

Publishing Info: Tor Books, October 2023

Where Did I Get This Book: We own it!

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

Mix-and-Match Genres: Dark Fantasy and Contemporary Romance

Book Description: Eden, Kentucky, is just another dying, bad-luck town, known only for the legend of E. Starling, the reclusive nineteenth-century author and illustrator who wrote The Underland–and disappeared. Before she vanished, Starling House appeared. But everyone agrees that it’s best to let the uncanny house―and its last lonely heir, Arthur Starling―go to rot.

Opal knows better than to mess with haunted houses or brooding men, but an unexpected job offer might be a chance to get her brother out of Eden. Too quickly, though, Starling House starts to feel dangerously like something she’s never had: a home.

As sinister forces converge on Starling House, Opal and Arthur are going to have to make a dire choice to dig up the buried secrets of the past and confront their own fears, or let Eden be taken over by literal nightmares.

If Opal wants a home, she’ll have to fight for it.

Kate’s Thoughts

Alix E. Harrow has been hit or miss for me in the past. I absolutely adored “The Once and Future Witches”, but didn’t really connect with “The Ten Thousand Doors of January”. But “Starling House” caught my eye back at ALA in 2023, and then I just neglected to actually read it until Serena picked it for book club! So that worked out!

Overall this was a pretty enjoyable read for me! True, it was a bit more on the fantasy side when it comes to what I expect from a Gothic tale with a strange/notorious house, but I greatly enjoyed the way that Harrow created a history of a place, gave it some mystery and tragedy, and built it up into more of a found family and Gothic fantasy with a lot of heart and emotional beats. I really loved Opal and Arthur’s relationship an seeing it grow and change, and I found it very easy to root for them as they come closer together as they try to unlock the secrets of Starling House and how that connects to them both. Opal was an enjoyable narrator and I really liked Arthur as well, so yeah, of course the romance was going to work for me. I just love an intrepid interloper and the brooding/strange caretaker of a creepy old house!

But what I also really liked was the way that Harrow ties in the sadness and darkness of the community in small town Kentucky that has been ravaged by economic hardship and a collapsing job economy. The discussion of small rural towns, especially in the Rust Belt, being left behind has been a topic of conversation for more than a decade now, and as we see the fallout from these sad truths and the way that communities dig in and cling to a past only to be forgotten or tossed aside is a HUGE theme in this book, and I found that to be very emotional and deeply engaging. It added a whole other layer to the story that brought in some more bittersweet undercurrents. Throw in some ruminations on the destruction these practices also bring to the Earth and the way that rot can keep cycling through both literally and metaphorically and you have some heavy topics that Harrow treats with respect and empathy.

I am so glad that I finally read “Starling House”! Add another winning read to my Harrow experience!

Serena’s Thoughts

Shocking no one, I still enjoyed this a second time around! I always feel a bit guilty picking a book I’ve read before for my own bookclub choice, but in this case, my prompt of genres to mix was a bit challenging. Without going straight to urban fantasy (the typical crossover you might see, though “dark” perhaps is questionable as far as the fantasy elements go), it was tough to find a book that fit the prompt. But here we have a contemporary story (check), a gothic house with a creepy past (check), and a romance (check!).

On that last point, I had forgotten just how strongly the book focused on the romance. I remembered there being a nice love story, but I had forgotten how central it really was, making up a majority of the “action” in the middle portion of the book. Yes, these two could have communicated more and solved most of their problems. But unlike the books where I often have this complaint, both Opal and Arthur had character-based reasons for not opening up quickly, which, to me, made their slow-burn romance all the more effective when it finally game together at the end.

Like before, the house itself was probably one of my favorite characters. I’ll be curious to see how the “dark” thing lands for the other members of bookclub; this is a gothic fantasy story with a haunted house that reads more like a neglected puppy dog just wanting to be loved! I though there were some really nice reflections on what makes up family and home to be found here, especially Opal’s growing understanding of the love/hate relationship she has to the town itself.

As I’ve done an entire review of this book before (check out that if you want more of my detailed thoughts), I’ll wrap my portion up here. I think this book crosses over a ton of genres, even beyond the ones asked for by the prompt, making it a great book for a large variety of readers. Once again, I highly recommend it, especially to gothic fantasy fans!

Kate’s Rating 9 : A truly unique take on a Gothic strange house with a lot of heart and emotion!

Serena’s Rating 10: Still love this one just as much as before! I will say that if I was rating it purely as an audiobook this time, I’d drop it down to a 9, since I didn’t love this narrator’s reading of Opal’s personality/voice.

Book Club Questions

  1. The story is split between Opal and Arthur. What interested you most about each character’s arc in this book?
  2. Wanting vs. needing is a major theme of this book. How does this drive Opal and Arthur throughout the book? Did any particular insights on this theme stand out to you?
  3. Another theme explored in the book is that of story itself, both in how we remember history and how we remember own own stories. How did these themes come into play with some of the twists at the end of the book?
  4. There are a lot of interesting side characters throughout this book, including Starling House itself. Did any of these stand out to you and why? Would you like to know more about any of them?
  5. The mixed genres for this pick were dark fantasy and contemporary romance. Were these genres well-represented? Was one stronger than the other? Were there aspects of either that you enjoyed or didn’t like?

Reader’s Advisory

“Starling House” is included on these Goodreads lists: Gothic Fantasy and Sentient Houses.

Next Book Club Pick: “Red Shirts” by Jon Scalzi

Serena’s Review: “Hemlock and Silver”

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Book: “Hemlock and Silver” by T. Kingfisher

Publishing Info: Tor Books, August 2025

Where Did I Get this Book: Netgalley!

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

Book Description: Healer Anja regularly drinks poison.

Not to die, but to save—seeking cures for those everyone else has given up on.

But a summons from the King interrupts her quiet, herb-obsessed life. His daughter, Snow, is dying, and he hopes Anja’s unorthodox methods can save her.

Aided by a taciturn guard, a narcissistic cat, and a passion for the scientific method, Anja rushes to treat Snow, but nothing seems to work. That is, until she finds a secret world, hidden inside a magic mirror. This dark realm may hold the key to what is making Snow sick.

Or it might be the thing that kills them all.

Review: T. Kingfisher always has such a creative (and often dark!) approach to fairytale re-tellings, and this one, a re-imaging of “Snow White,” was no different! I think a lot of authors shy away from this fairytale due to the inherent passive nature of the heroine. I mean, you can’t do a lot with a girl who ends up in a magical slumber during all the action at the end! Wisely, Kingfisher refocuses the story on her classic prototype of a main character: a mature woman who’s hyper focused in one area of expertise, has not time for anyone’s shit, and really, really doesn’t want to get dragged into things. And so we meet Anja, a woman with a boundless knowledge of poisons who is pulled in to solve a mysterious wasting disease affecting the king’s daughter.

In many ways, you have to squint a bit at this one to see the parallels to “Snow White.” The story itself is completely different, with only names, important magical elements (mirrors and apples) and villains being similar. And with the latter, even this was wildly different than the classic version of the story you may be familiar with. And I really liked this! In some ways, the villain of the story can come across as a bit mustache-twirling, but it was such a unique take on the Queen character, with many twists and turns along the way that I enjoyed the heck out of it.

I also really enjoyed Snow herself. This is now two fairytale books in a row from Kingfisher where she has tackled young teenage/children characters. It’s tricky to write kids in a way that is believable and natural, but here, Snow has all of the spunk of a pre-teen paired with all of the foolish self-confidence of the young. She’s at times incredibly unlikable, but also so sympathetic. Ah, the teenage years.

The magic of this world and its interplay with the poisoned apple and mirrors from “Snow White” was so original and unique. Perhaps too unique at times. Large portions of the middle of the book had to be devoted to explaining just how this magic worked, necessary information to fully understand what had happened in the past and how events unfolded at the conclusion of this book. Even now, while I was able to stick with the major plot points, I might struggle to explain exactly how some of this worked. It was definitely interesting, and I think Kingfisher did a good job trying to explain the ins and outs of it. But the necessary detailed descriptions of Anja testing this out did slow the pacing down quite a bit.

I also liked Anja and the subplot of her romance, but I will say that both of these elements were a bit reduced from this author’s usual highs. That’s to say, Kingfisher usually knocks it out of the park, and here, they were just ok. Anja read as a very familiar leading lady, and while I enjoyed her immensely, I did feel like I had read variations of this same character from this author before. The love story was also very much on peripheral of the story. Which, again, that is typical of this author’s approach to her romances in these fairytale fantasies. But here, there perhaps just wasn’t quite enough built up between these two to really hone in on their love story.

Overall, however, I thought this was an incredibly unique version of “Snow White.” There were so many creative twists and turns that I thoroughly enjoyed. Perhaps the pacing lagged a bit in the middle and the main character read as a bit too familiar, but Kingfisher’s strengths as a writer carried me through it all. This perhaps wasn’t my favorite of her books, but I still really enjoyed it and definitely recommend it for readers looking for a unique fairytale re-telling!

Rating 8: A wholly unique version of “Snow White,” if perhaps not a wholly unique feeling heroine.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Hemlock and Silver” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Epic High Fantasy/Romance/Mythology in 2025 and Snow White Retellings.

Ripley’s Reviews: A Ripley Wrap Up

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

It’s kind of crazy to think that a little more than a year ago I started my “Ripley’s Reviews” series, and now I am coming to an end with it. I have to say I really had a fun time doing this specialized series on the blog, as Tom Ripley is such an important character for Thriller fiction and creating protagonists out of monsters. Admittedly overall the “Ripliad” was a bit of a hit or miss series for me, as were the film and media adaptations, but it was fun to see where the character has gone and how he has been interpreted. And for my write up to wrap up the review series, I thought I would talk about my favorite book of the series and my favorite adaptation.

Favorite Book: “The Talented Mr. Ripley”

This one was just the blueprint for so much and it was the introduction to the beloved character, and it never got better than this. “The Talented Mr. Ripley” is uneasy and chilling, but we also get to know Tom Ripley so well as the story goes on and he does more and more heinous things in his quest to absorb Dickie Greenleaf’s life and prestige. Highsmith really captured something special with this book, and it has been adapted, retooled, and reimagined in various ways in the decades after its release. I still think fondly of my bunk bed in Capitola, California as I read the book for the first time in high school, and how much it almost assuredly shaped my taste in thrillers for years to come.

Favorite Adaptation: “The American Friend”

It’s so funny. Even when I reviewed this movie in my review series I said that I thought Matt Damon’s “The Talented Mr. Ripley” was my favorite of the film adaptations thus far. But as time went on, and it came time to write up this final thoughts post, I realized that I THINK “The American Friend” actually ended up being my favorite, just barely eeking out the 1999 film. I don’t know if it’s the tragic portrayal of Johnathan by Bruno Ganz, or the gorgeous cinematography that both evokes beauty and tension, or if it’s Dennis Hopper’s unexpected but effective turn as Ripley, but my heart keeps coming back to this film. I am planning on watching it again in the near future, seeing what I can catch and what will stand out on a second round when I’m not thinking of comparing and contrasting the source material with what ends up on the screen.

Best Ripley Overall: Matt Damon

I mean, I feel like Damon really, really captured the heart of the character, so while I was frustrated with some aspects of the 1999 film (justice for Dickie Greenleaf’s characterization!), I think that on the whole and comparing them all, this Ripley was the best one. He’s both horrifying in action but also relatable in his insecurities, and while I don’t want to call him ‘likable’, per se, he’s definitely an anti-hero in that I wanted to keep watching him weasel his way out of everything. At least until the end when he heel turn is fully complete. But Damon really portrays all of the facets that we have come to expect from Tom Ripley, humanizing him in ways without making him a hero or excusing his actions.

And with that, my “Ripley’s Reviews” series come to a close. I’m brainstorming other review series I can tackle in the future, but this one was a treat to take on. So long, Tom Ripley. It was a pleasure.

Serena’s Review: “The Deathless One”

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Book: “The Deathless One” by Emma Hamm

Publishing Info: Gallery Books, August 2025

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

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

Book Description: Jessamine was raised to be a leader for her people, but when the land is overrun by an incurable plague, she must enter a political marriage to save them all. A union that should have brought hope only brings death as her new husband murders her at the wedding altar and seizes the throne.

But her death is just the beginning. Her spirit is met by the Deathless One, a god of death yearning to return to the mortal plane, and he needs her help. The two of them make a deal—her life and the return of her kingdom in exchange for his resurrection. But the Deathless One is a known trickster, and a deal with him is one made in blood.

Jessamine knows the Deathless One is a dangerous ally, but the longer they work together, the more she wants him and the less she can stay away. As their connection deepens, soon she wonders if she even wants this contract to end. Perhaps the more appealing throne is the one by his side, but she’d have to turn her back on her people to get it.

Review: My main take away after finishing this book was a reflection on the importance of pacing. Most of the time, complaints about pacing present in the form of things moving too slowly or dragging. But pacing that moves too quickly can be just as disconcerting! And that’s what I found right when I picked up this book. Yes, action was happening, sometimes at a nonstop rate! But I spent most of that time wondering what was going and, more importantly, why I should care.

This could be seen in both smaller and greater examples. Here is a kind of throwaway scene/example, but it came right in the first few chapters. A character is described as entering a room, and then there is a description of a crunching sound and gore on this character’s shoe. So, what happened here? What did he step on? Well, believe it or not, I had to go several pages further to find a passing reference to the fact that it was a rat (as opposed to a cute kitten, fluffy bunny, who knows what!) that he had stepped on. So yes, action was happening, but it was so poorly described that I literally didn’t know what was happening for a decent chunk of time, until the actual descriptive word “rat” was finally thrown in.

So, too, I struggled to connect to the main characters. The action was galloping along, but I never felt like I was given any time to get to know them, to understand why I should feel invested in what is happening to them, and to be excited to see where the story was going. Bam! Meet the main character. Bam! She’s murdered horribly. Bam! Enter shadow daddy love interest.

On the other end, once I got to the middle of the book, the author slammed the brakes on the pacing and the story lulled almost to a stop. Much of the action here came in the building of romantic tension between the love interests. Many pages were devoted to these two fighting their attraction for one another. Some of this was well done and compelling, but it did feel as if the primary revenge plot that was set up at the beginning of the book was lost in the romantic angst.

I did like the general premise of the story and the world-building, especially what we got about the deathless one himself. I was incredibly interested in hearing more about his backstory, and gobbled up the tidbits we received throughout. He did get a lost a bit to the general “brooding” romantic interest role after a while. But I think the second book has a lot of potential now to explore some of these world-building/magical elements to a greater degree.

Overall, this was just an ok read. I could enjoy the basic story that was being told, but I struggled with the pacing, having a hard time connecting to the characters early in the story and then getting lost in the doldrums a bit towards the middle. Things picked up towards the end again, and I’m definitely curious to see where the story goes from here. Readers looking for a unique romantasy read will likely enjoy this one, especially those who enjoy spending a decent amount of time in the dramatics of relationship tension that makes up the majority of the middle of this book.

Rating 7: Too fast at the start and too slow in the middle. The ending was just about right, though!

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Deathless One” can be found on this Goodreads list: Can’t Wait Sci-Fi/Fantasy of 2025

Kate’s Review: “What’s Yours Is Mine”

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Book: “What’s Yours Is Mine” by Jennifer Jabaley

Publishing Info: Lake Union Publishing, August 2025

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

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

Book Description: Determined daughters. Controlling mothers. There’s no such thing as friendly competition in a twisty novel of suspense about ambition, revenge, and unrealized dreams.

Valerie Yarnell is a hardworking single mother who’d do anything for her daughter, Kate. Kate is a dancer with dreams of stardom, just like her talented best friend, Colette. Despite Valerie’s sacrifices, it’s Colette’s mother, former prima ballerina Elise, whom Kate adores. And Colette has become like the practically perfect sister Kate never had. How can Valerie not feel frustrated, ineffectual, and a little jealous of the queen bee of dance moms? Not only has she hijacked her daughter, but Elise is married to the man Valerie pines for.

Rivalries are forming. Tension is mounting. In preparation for an elite dance competition, Kate outshines the more promising Colette onstage, and the pressure is on for Colette to keep her position in the spotlight—and especially to keep her demanding mother happy. Who could have foreseen the violent attack that sabotages everything? Anyone who’s been watching closely.

As ruthless and sinister ambitions are exposed, a media firestorm and an explosive town scandal erupt. Before it’s over, two mothers and two daughters will learn just how fierce and dangerous a rivalry can still get.

Review: Thank you to Sparkpoint Studio for sending me an ARC of this novel!

My kid is five years old and my husband signed her up for soccer this past Spring into Summer. I was talking to book club about this during our cabin weekend and how I’ve somehow been wrangled into the role of ‘soccer mom’ since his work schedule means that more often than not I was the one taking her, and probably will be in the future (as the kid LOVED it), and it was pointed out that at least soccer, comparatively, is cheaper than other popular sports and pastimes (we’re in the land of hockey, after all). One that came up was dance, and I kept thinking about that as I read “What’s Yours Is Mine” by Jennifer Jabaley, a new soapy thriller about teenage dance rivalries spilling into mother’s circles and running amok. It was either a stark reminder that it could always be worse, or a scrying glass into my future (hopefully without the extra drama and bodily harm).

As a thriller, it worked fairly well for me. The set up is simple: Kate and Colette are teenage dancers and best friends, Kate’s mother Valerie being a single mom who works a difficult and time consuming job, and Colette’s mother Elise being a former prima dancer turned powerful and put together housewife. Kate has ambition to be the best, while Elise has that same ambition for her daughter. When it becomes clear that Kate may be outshining Colette, and Kate starts to REALLY want to become the best, tensions rise between friends, and mothers and daughters, until Colette is injured in a suspicious accident. The crux of it is who wants to hurt Colette, and how far are some of these characters willing to go to get what they want? It’s simple, it’s straightforward, but it has a good amount of suspense with lots of suspects, clues, and misdirections to keep me guessing in general. Were all of the reveals surprising? It was a bit of a mixed bag. But the pacing was well done and the suspense was there.

And I mean it’s just so dramatic and soapy, and that is truly my catnip when it comes to domestic thrillers. We have best friends who are now fully competing with each other! We have class wars! We have a former dancer who wants her daughter to be a star no matter what! We have potential affairs! It has so many suds just spilling out of it that I was eating it up and reveling in the histrionics of it all, and I fully mean that in a complimentary kind of way. I liked jumping perspectives between characters so we could get an idea of what they were all thinking, but Jabaley was successful in keeping clues hidden away for the most part even when we were getting into each character’s head. A nice soapy vibe is usually going to be something I like and this book had it and then some.

As a whole I enjoyed “What’s Yours Is Mine”. It has some twists and turns and a lot of dramatics, and if you are still looking for easy poolside reading this summer, this is a good choice.

Rating 8: A tension filled domestic thriller about ambition, rivalry, and passion that kept me guessing and kept me invested. Also, VERY sudsy, which is always a plus.

Reader’s Advisory:

“What’s Yours Is Mine” isn’t on any Goodreads lists as of now, but if you like Megan Abbott this will surely be a good fit.

Highlights: August 2025

The mugginess continues! Serena luckily escaped back home to the West over much of July, and Kate performed her usual trick of avoiding the outdoors altogether, unless she’s poolside of course! And with the craziness of school schedules and busyness staring us down, we’re eager to bury our heads in some good books instead. Here are some titles we’re both looking forward to this month.

Serena’s Picks

Book: “Hemlock and Silver” by T. Kingfisher

Publication Date: August 19, 2025

Why I’m Interested: I love how prolific Kingfisher is! It’s always great to find another must-read author. It’s absolutely the best when that same author puts out not only one but often two or three books a year! You get so spoiled! And, while I always enjoy the horror novels that Kate and I co-review, my favorites remain her standalone fairytale stories. And here we have a re-telling of “Snow White!” The great thing about this author is that her re-tellings are often true re-tellings, with only limited call backs or the original story. Often featuring wholly new characters and an entirely new main plot. So excited to see what she does with this one!

Book: “The Fallen and the Kiss of Dusk” by Carissa Broadbent

Publication Date: August 5, 2025

Why I’m Interested: Another favorite author, another highlighted title! Not only that, but this is the second book in the Shadowborn duet, and after that massive cliffhanger at the end of the first book, I’ve been on pins and needles waiting for this one. As it’s a romantasy, it’s pretty clear that some of the events at the end of that first book won’t stick, at least not in the way they usually do. But I’m incredibly curious to see how Broadbent resolves the very high stakes situation that has been set up! Not only for our two main characters, but for this world as a whole!

Book: “Katabasis” by R. F. Kuang

Publication Date: August 26, 2025

Why I’m Interested: Third time’s the charm! August is just a banger of a month with all of my favorite authors coming to play! But I’d also be interested in this one on its own. There have been a ton of dark academia titles recently, and even while they haven’t all been a hit, I find I still can’t resist a new entry into the subgenre. Still living off the high that was the “Scholomance” trilogy probably. Whatever it is, I’m incredibly excited to see what Kuang has to offer here. Plus, you know, the cover is incredibly cool.

Kate’s Pick

Book: “Lucky Day” by Chuck Tingle

Publication Date: August 12, 2025

Why I’m Interested: I just love Chuck Tingle, his previous two horror novels being hits for me, and therefore I was of course eager to see what he was going to come up with next! And it sounds really out there and like his most experimental novel yet! It sounds like it’s somewhat post-apocalyptic or dystopian, but mixed in with a Vegas based mystery and some kind of casino that may be leading up to ANOTHER apocalyptic event? It sounds weird, but that hasn’t ever stopped me in the past so why should it stop me now? Also I just love Tingle as an author and a person, so this one was clearly going to make my list!

Book: “What Hunger” by Catherine Dang

Publication Date: August 12, 2025

Why I’m Interested: This one caught my eye at ALA, because look at that cover!! So weird! So pretty but also unsettling! This is the second time that a book by Catherine Dang has caught my attention with a cover, and this one sounds like not only are we getting a coming of age tale with a Vietnamese American protagonist, but also perhaps something a little cannibalistic! After a horrible tragedy has thrown her family into turmoil, Ronny Nguyen now has to enter her Freshman year of high school with little guidance and lots of angst. After she is assaulted at a party and she fights back in a, shall we say ‘different’ way, she suddenly finds herself craving raw meat. And her hunger is becoming insatiable. It sounds creepy and also perhaps tinged with sadness. I’m into it.

Book: “A Game in Yellow” by Hailey Piper

Publication Date: August 12, 2025

Why I’m Interested: I discovered Hailey Piper last autumn and then I got to hear her speak at ALAAC25, and now I have her newest horror novel on my Highlights for this month because it sounds SO gripping and interesting and unique. Carmen and Blanca are in a relationship, but the passion has stalled out a bit, their usual kink filled love life feeling a bit stagnant. But when Blanca finds herself with access to the pages of a mysterious play that COULD drive the person reading it insane should they read its electrifying words for too long, the two begin to read it as ploy to spice up their love life with the danger of it. But things get strange as reality and fantasy starts to become interchangeable. Intriguing to be sure.

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

Serena’s Review: “The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy”

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Book: “The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy” by Brigitte Knightley

Publishing Info: Ace, July 2o25

Where Did I Get this Book: Netgalley!

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

Book Description: Osric Mordaunt, member of the Fyren Order of assassins, finds himself in dire need of an expert healer. As fate would have it, that very healer is Aurienne Fairhrim, a member of his enemy Order, the Haelen.

Aurienne is desperate for funding to heal the sick, so desperate that when Osric breaks into her office to offer her a bribe for her healing services, she must accept. Even if she loathes him.

A forced collaboration ensues: the brilliant Woman in STEM is coerced into working with the PhD in Murders – much to Aurienne’s disgust. Despite being enemies thrown together, as Osric and Aurienne work together to solve not only his illness, but the mysterious reoccurrence of a deadly Pox, they find themselves ardently denying their attraction which seems to only fuel the heat between them.

Review: This is one of those odd reviews to write where, largely, my experience while reading it was positive. But at the same time, there were some glaring hiccups along the way. This made for a very confusing reading experience, as I was having fun, but was also constantly pulled back from full immersion by one thing or another.

Now, I haven’t read the original fanfic (and there are mixed messages going around about whether this is a straight adaptation of that story or a more original tale), but I will say that had I not known this was based on a Draco/Hermione fanfiction tale (and the marketing and cover image hadn’t telegraphed that point so heavily), I wouldn’t have guessed. This speaks well to the author’s ability to remove it from any original points of inspiration, leaving characters and a world that felt wholly unique. If I squinted I could maybe identify pieces that were pulled from Harry Potter; but truly, had I not known, it never would have entered my mind that there was any connection to another story/world in this book.

The story is also a fast, fun, romantic comedy. This last point I think is crucial. While it is marketed as “romantasy” and would fit that criteria, being both a romance and set in a fantasy world, it more strictly aligns with the sort of story you’d likely find in a romantic comedy. There are very few serious moments to be found and the fantasy world-building is mostly just there as window-dressing for this love story to play out. Instead, the story is largely light-hearted (even its darker moments are largely tempered by jokes).

I also very much appreciated the slow-burn nature of the story. It is here that I think some romantasy fans may find disappointment. These two barely make any progress until the very end of the book, and even there, it’s the most minimal of steps. Now, I love slow burn, so I was all about this approach. But for romantasy readers looking for more spice or clearly romantic interactions, this may be a disappointment.

However, I did struggle with this book throughout. As I mentioned above, the world-building and magic system is incredibly sparce. There is a glossary at the end of the book that describes the various magical groups and their beliefs/powers. But if the reader doesn’t discover this bit for themselves, the book does very little to explain any of this within the story itself. We get enough about the main characters’ respective groups, but the groups who aren’t represented on the page are incredibly unclear. Like I said, if I hadn’t scanned the back of the book to start, I’d have no clue about how any of these worked.

The world itself is also fairly confusing. It’s clearly based on the UK, but this version is also split into various smaller nations, many of whom are verging on war with one another. It’s never clear how these places differ from one another, why they are fighting, what goals they are trying to achieve…really, just nothing was given here. I was usually having enough fun just following the interactions between the main couple to forget these niggling details, but the second I stepped back from the book, all of these questions came charging back in. And frankly, there just aren’t any answers to be found.

There is also a strong emphasis on humor in this book. This was also a tough spot, because while I found some of it genuinely funny, there was also a lot of cringy moments. In particular, there was so, so much crass body humor throughout the entire affair. Just ball/dick jokes galore. And that’s just not my thing. It was especially frustrating because there were other moments where I actually chuckled out loud! Mostly, I feel like the author has the skill to write a funny, romantic comedy-style story, but that this one was a bit too stuck in some of the stylized humor that you do find in fanfiction still.

The story itself was also interesting, and, like I said, the pacing was fast. That said, the ending was incredibly abrupt and left me turning pages and looking for the real ending. It’s not even really a cliff-hanger (though everything is still completely unresolved at the end), but more that it felt like the author finished a chapter….and then they just cut the book off there. Presumably to pick up with the very next chapter at the start of the next book! It was just odd.

So, there you go. A very mixed bag read. I’d say that for my actual reading experience, this was fun enough to earn an 8 rating. However, due to the issues with the limited world-building, the sometimes cringy humor, and the odd pacing at the end, I have to lower it down to a 7. I think that readers looking for a fun, lighthearted romantasy (especially those who enjoy a true slow burn) may still have fun with this one though. And I’ll definitely be checking out book two when it comes out!

Rating 7: While I had a lot of fun reading this book, the world-building and pacing were rough at times, and the humor came on a bit too hard at times.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy” can be found on this Goodreads list: July 2025 Most Anticipated Romance Releases.

Kate’s Review: “Influencer”

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Book: “Influencer” by Adam Cesare

Publishing Info: Union Square & Co, October 2024

Where Did I Get This Book: I received a finished copy at a panel at ALAAC25

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

Book Description: Aaron Fortin is new in town. He drives a brand-new Acura—a gift from his parents for uprooting him in the middle of senior year. Showing up on his first day at the local public school in that nice of a car? He knows he’ll never blend in, and he doesn’t care to try. The car, the new kid mystique, he can use all that…

Crystal Giordano carpools to the same school in her friend Trevor’s beat-up van. In the van along with Crystal and Trevor are Paul, Harmony, and Gayle. Crystal’s technically part of their misfit group, but most of the time, she feels like she’s the only one who doesn’t fit.

When Aaron Fortin sits at their lunch table, Crystal can see he’s not who he says he is. But how big of a fraud is Aaron Fortin? Crystal clumsily exposes Aaron and becomes his target, falling victim to his insidious campaign to erase her. Only then does she discover who he truly is—and it’s so much worse than she thought.

As her friends begin to follow him one by one, Crystal wonders if she can protect them or if his influence is just too strong.

Review: Thank you to Union Square & Co for giving me a finished copy of this novel at ALAAC25!

So here is a story that perfectly reflects the fates of some of my ARCs. During the ALA Annual Conference in 2024, I picked up an ARC of the book “Influencer” by Adam Cesare. I grabbed it because 1) I have enjoyed other books by Adam Cesare and was happy to see he had a new one, and 2) I just love a thriller or horror story that uses social media influencers as a sticking point in their plots. Fast forward to the ALA Annual Conference in 2025, where I find myself attending a panel that has Adam Cesare, and he is talking about his 2024 “Influencer”…. A book that I wholly left by the wayside the year before. As I listened to him talk I thought to myself ‘ah shit, I really should have read “Influencer” by now, it sounds great’. Well good news! I got a new copy at ALAAC25, and I DID READ IT THIS TIME!

Hooray! (source)

I had a lot of fun with this book! Once it hooked me in the very first chapter (which was a start that had QUITE a shocking bang I must say!), I had a really hard time putting it down. It’s a very readable thriller with a well done narrative structure of two narrators, one being our psychopathic ‘influencer’ Aaron and the other being awkward but observant Crystal. Through both of their perspectives we see the making of a cat and mouse game as Aaron slowly dismantles Crystal’s life and isolates her from her friends, and as Crystal tries to figure out a way to expose him for the dangerous villain he is. We can slowly start to tell what Aaron is plotting on one hand, but on the other we can see Crystal coming up with her own counter moves, and the tension of seeing who ends up on top propels the story. And as someone who used to have an unfortunate hyperfocus on serial killers, I definitely picked up on a lot of what Cesare was referencing. It’s also just a wicked take on how social media stars and influencers build upon parasocial relationships to create a profit, whether that’s money in our world or Manson-like control and violence mongering to make oneself feel powerful in the story at hand. Cesare isn’t afraid to really go balls to the wall in disturbing content in this book, but it makes his point (also, note that this book has instances of animal abuse, sexual assault, and many murders including that of a pregnant person, just to put some content warnings out there. Also, the book has a page of content warnings to refer to). It’s just a thriller that really worked for me.

But my favorite part of this book was the character of Crystal, our protagonist who can see right through Aaron due to her incredible intuition and pattern recognition. Crystal is very observant and perceptive, but she is also riddled with anxiety and awkwardness and constant worries about the status of her friendships and how her friends perceive her. If we’re being honest, Crystal was a LOT like me in high school, never quite feeling like she totally fit in with her peers and even her friends outside of perhaps one or two exceptions, and I thought that she was very, very endearing because of it. In fact, I also really enjoyed (as much as one can, I suppose as a villain’s perspective!) Aaron’s POV chapters as we see his manipulations, his deviousness, and his absolute sociopathy. It’s a shocking contrast between the two main POVs, and I thought that Cesare nailed both of them pretty well. Some of our supporting characters could have used a bit more oomph, specifically Harmony and Paul, as I felt like I didn’t know them well enough to know if I believed their quite heel turns as happy lapdogs to Aaron’s plots and plans no matter how crazed and violent, but I’m willing to suspend my disbelief a bit just because I enjoyed so many other things about the book.

Me finally getting to “Influencer” took some time, but I’m thrilled I finally got the kick in the pants I needed to pick it up. If you are looking for some more fast and fun reads as the summer winds down, check this one out for sure!

Rating 8: Fast paced, twisted as hell, and suspenseful until the end, “Influencer” is a darker tale from star on the rise author Adam Cesare!

Reader’s Advisory:

“Influencer” is included on the Goodreads list “Fiction About Influencers”.

Serena’s Review: “A Theory in Dreaming”

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

Book: “A Theory in Dreaming” by Ava Reid

Publishing Info: HarperTeen, July 2025

Where Did I Get this Book: Edelweiss+

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

Book Description: All stories come to an end.

Effy learned that when she defeated the Fairy King. Even though she may never know exactly what happened at Hiraeth, she is free of her nightmares and is able to pen a thesis with Preston on the beloved national fairy tale Angharad. She has finally earned a spot at the literature college, making her the first woman in history to enroll.

But some dreams are dangerous, especially when they come true. The entire university—and soon the entire nation—is waiting for her to fail. With the Fairy King defeated and Myrddin’s legacy exposed, Effy can no longer escape into fantasy. Who is she without her stories?

With Effy under threat, Preston is surprised to discover a rage simmering inside him, ringing in his ears like bells. He begins to dream of a palace under the sea, a world where he is king—visions that start to follow him even in waking.

As the war between Llyr and Argant explodes, Effy and Preston find themselves caught in the crossfire: Effy losing her dreams and Preston losing himself in his.

Are dreams ever truly just dreams?

Previously Reviewed: “A Study in Drowning”

Review: I loved “A Study in Drowning.” It felt like such a tightly plotted YA title that incorporated a strong personal arc for the main character, Effy, as well as a tension-filled gothic mystery that built to an incredible climax at the end. As you can expect from this, it was a fantastic stand-alone read. That said, while I was satisfied with its ending, I was more than happy to return to this world and these characters. Especially to see more of the burgeoning love story between Effy and Preston.

Unfortunately, this one didn’t live up to the highs of the first book, mostly because of how perfectly insulated that story felt. But there was still much to enjoy here, so let’s start with that first. Per Reid’s typical style, many of the themes explored within this story are dark but important. Through careful crafting, the author explores the slow descent into isolation and withdrawal that can come with serious depression. Both Effy and Preston also constantly struggle to find a place for themselves in an institution and society that is built for others, Effy as a woman in the man’s world of academia, and Preston as a man of two heritages, both of which are at war with one another. These themes were richly detailed, and while it didn’t necessarily make for a “fun” reading experience, I definitely felt like I was getting a stark window into the struggles of these two characters and others like them.

That last point speaks to one of my struggles with this book, however. While well-represented and thoroughly explored, the reading experience itself quickly began to feel heavy and almost tiring; I found myself needing to put the book down after only short reading sessions. Part of this, I think, comes down to the fact that both Effy and Preston’s inner arcs are fairly similar. They are each dealing with similar feelings of isolation and like they are outsiders intruding where they are not welcome. This then leads to a lot of inner dynamics centered around feelings of weariness and fear. So, while the book does alternate between their perspectives, much of the story felt the same between the two, and it began to feel a bit draining.

The romance itself also suffered a bit from this as well. Both Preston and Effy spend much of the book hiding things from one another, both preoccupied with not wanting to place a burden on the other. And, again, the fact that both characters had such similar experiences with in the romantic plotline, it began to feels as if their relationship was spinning its wheels, with a lot of words spent saying the same or similar things over and over again.

I did enjoy some of the deeper looks into the magic of this world. Most of this came through Preston’s side of the story, and I would argue that this is largely his story. But even here, while I enjoyed getting a better understanding of this history and magic, there didn’t feel as if there was enough of a plot to serve as a structure upon which to hang these descriptive elements.

Overall, this book felt like what it was: an unplanned sequel to a stand-alone fantasy story that had been complete on its own. The writing was luscious, as always, and I did enjoy elements of the love story. But ultimately, I came away from this one feeling as if it didn’t really add anything. I felt like Preston and Effy had ended the previous book with challenges ahead but with a new will to overcome, comfortable in themselves and their new relationship. And perhaps this book was honest about the reality of the hardships they would face and that that same will to move forward could begin to crumble in the face of these struggles. I just…am not sure those realities really make up a story, all on their own?

Fans of Reid’s will likely still want to check this one out. Quality wise, it’s still a well-written book with an interesting world. Effy and Preston also remained characters whom I loved and rooted for. I simply couldn’t get into the limited amount of actual “story” to be found here.

Rating 7: I still enjoyed the world, the characters, and the love story. But it felt clear that with the first book being planned as a stand-alone, this one didn’t really have anywhere to take the story.

Reader’s Advisory:

“A Theory in Dreaming” can be found on this Goodreads list: omg i love this cover.