Kate’s Review: “The Undoing of Violet Claybourne”

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Book: “The Undoing of Violet Claybourne” by Emily Critchley

Publishing Info: Sourcebooks Landmark, March 2025

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

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

Book Description: 1938. Gillian Larkin is used to going unnoticed, until she is sent away to school and befriended by her roommate, the vibrant and spirited Violet Claybourne. As the Christmas holidays approach, Gilly can’t believe her luck when Violet invites her to spend them at her home, the crumbling Thornleigh Hall.

At Thornleigh, Gilly is dazzled by the family’s faded grandeur, and above all by Violet’s beguiling older sisters who seem to accept her as one of their own. But following a terrible accident in the house’s grounds, Gilly begins to realise the Claybourne sisters aren’t quite what she thought they were. And if she’s to survive in their world, she may have to become just like them . . .

A captivating novel of family secrets, desperate ambition and deepest betrayal, set against the winter of 1938, The Undoing of Violet Claybourne is the irresistible new mystery from the acclaimed author of One Puzzling Afternoon.

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

Back when “Downton Abbey” was all the rage I would text with my Mom about the goings on, and would occasionally go to my parents house to watch with her. We both really enjoyed it for the most part (I will admit I found later seasons to be less compelling), but my father ALWAYS hated it and would let us know how much he hated it if I was over for an episode. There was one night Dad LOST IT about the romanticization of the crumbling aristocracy blinded by privilege tramping all over the common people with no remorse after one of the Crawleys did something really callous and pretty wretched to people who worked for them, only for it to be glossed over by the show.

You’d had thought this farm boy from Iowa was a regular Enjolras from LES MIS. (source)

So that leads me to “The Undoing of Violet Claybourne” by Emily Critchley. Which pretty much puts these kinds of themes front and center as an aristocratic family clinging to power in the years leading up to WWII brings a newcomer into the fold and corrupts her with their privileged and damaging ways. I just kept thinking about my Dad’s rants as I read this book. Though admittedly, the Crawleys, for all their flaws, didn’t commit and cover up a murder…

As a historical fiction story with some thriller elements, I found “The Undoing of Violet Claybourne” to be rather tense, even if it was less about a ‘whodunnit’ and more about ‘are these spoiled rich brats going to get away with this?!’. I won’t say what ‘this’ is, as you will appreciate it more if it’s a shock, but I was definitely on pins and needles to see if the Claybourne sisters Emmeline and Laura were going to keep up their lies, with unwitting but ultimately complicit Gillian, our narrator, being slowly eaten by guilt. Especially when her complicity not only brings pain to the people at the heart of the tragedy, but also ropes Violet, her friend and the reason she was brought to this upper class home in the first place, into the web. I could see various puzzle pieces falling into place, but the absolute horror of it, knowing it was coming like a speeding train about to derail, made me SO ANXIOUS. Critchley brings in some solid shocks and twists with these various unravellings, and it was quite the ride that had me tied up in knots.

But what I really enjoyed about this book was the way that Critchley portrays her characters. You have Gillian, who was so eager to be accepted by posh and charismatic Laura and Emmeline that she threw her actual friend Violet to the side, only to end up in a murder cover up. You have Laura and Emmeline, scheming sisters that flaunt their privilege but are also in different ways constrained by it, and therefore make reckless and cruel decisions. And you have Violet, the most tragic of the characters, who is thrown to the side by her family due to her ‘peculiarities’ (it’s highly implied that she is OCD and perhaps neurodivergent in other ways), and then thrown aside by Gillian in favor of her callous and careless older sisters. The Claybournes are cold and callous, and they are exactly the bleak reality that “Downton Abbey” never really allowed their beloved Crowleys to transform into: the dying aristocracy in England before WWII that was gilded, nasty, and unfeeling. It adds to the overall unease.

“The Undoing of Violet Claybourne” is tense and upsetting, a well done historical thriller with some truly deplorable characters who have some interesting baggage. Prepare to be unnerved!

Rating 7: A tense mystery with some misbehaving elites at the helm, “The Undoing of Violet Claybourne” is a twisty ride with some good surprises against a historical backdrop of the unfeeling aristocracy in pre-WWII England.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Undoing of Violet Claybourne” is included on the Goodreads list “The [descriptive word] of [first-name] [last-name]”.

Highlights: March 2025

March is always a bit of a mixed bag here in Minnesota. We get the teasing of a faux Spring that makes us think that Spring is here, only to dump more snow and cold on us. But hey, lambs and lions aside, we both have some book titles we are quite looking forward to this month!

Serena’s Picks

Book: “The Trouble with Anna” by Rachel Griffiths

Publication Date: March 4, 2025

Why I’m Interested: It’s been a while since I’ve reviewed a historical romance novel! I’ve read a few here and there, but for whatever reason, haven’t gotten around to posting full reviews. Well, I received an ARC of this one, so I’m excited to dive back into this genre! Plus, the hook of the story revolves around Anna, a young woman with a distinct knowledge of horses who sets out to save her estate and stables after her grandfather passes away. And, of course, may find love along the way!

Book: “Slaying the Vampire Conqueror” by Carissa Broadbent

Publication Date: March 25, 2025

Why I’m Interested: Bramble is really messing up my plans to draw out the process of reading Carissa Broadbent’s back catalog! They keep releasing her books one after another! So, obviously, here I am again. While I’ve enjoyed all of books, I will say I’m especially looking forward to this one as its the first stand-alone I’ve read by her (not including the novella). It’s always nice to have a contained story, and after the cliffhanger at the end of her most recent book, I feel like she owes me an HEA right now, in the meantime! This one also introduces a new god/religious order to this word. Who wants to bet that it’s extremely messed up??

Book: “Faithbreaker” by Hannah Kaner

Publication Date: March 13, 2025

Why I’m Interested: While the second book was a bit of a let down from the highs of the first, I have endless hope for this one, especially because our main trio have been reunited at last! There were a few side plots that seemed to wander a bit astray as well in the previous book, but it also ended with a bang, setting up the greater conflict to be tackled here. Beyond that, I’m simple excited to get to spend more time with Kissen; she’s such an excellent main character!

Kate’s Picks

Book: “Vanishing Daughters” by Cynthia Pelayo

Publication Date: March 11, 2025

Why I’m Interested: I really love Cynthia Pelayo and have loved her for a long while, so obviously I am excited for her newest horror story with a Chicago based flair. A woman named Briar has been haunted in multiple ways since the death of her mother, whether it’s bad dreams, strange happenings in her home, or the heavy weight of grief. While Briar tries to cope, a serial killer is murdering women all over Chicago. When a mysterious person reaches out to Briar as she does her own investigating, she starts to realize that maybe there’s a connection between her personal demons and a very real monster lurking in the shadows. Pelayo always has creepy but absolutely gorgeous horror stories, so this has been a highly anticipated read for me this year.

Book: “The Haunting of Room 904” by Erika T. Wurth

Publication Date: March 18, 2025

Why I’m Interested: This was one of my overall picks for 2025 on our Highlights for the Year list, and we are now in the publication month for this new ghost story from Erika T. Wurth. Olivia is a reluctant medium who never even had the gift until her sister Naiche, who was a medium herself, passed away. Now Olivia is seeing ghosts wherever she goes, and has managed to turn this into a successful ghost hunting business. Her most recent case brings her to a hotel with a notorious room where multiple people have died. As Olivia investigates she finds unexpected connections to her own life. I loved Wurth’s previous novel “White Horse” so this has been on my radar for awhile.

Book: “The Buffalo Hunter Hunter” by Stephen Graham Jones

Publication Date: March 18, 2025

Why I’m Interested: HOORAY, a new Stephen Graham Jones horror story! And this time he’s taking on VAMPIRES!!! In this epistolary horror novel we find the diary of a Lutheran pastor who, during the early 20th Century, interviews and records the life, experiences, and confession of a man named Good Stab, who has been living in and around the Black Foot reservation in the area. The confession is strange and otherworldly, and tells of many horrors, supernatural and human alike. Another most anticipated read of 2025 for me!

Serena’s Review: “The Blood Orchid”

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Book: “The Blood Orchid” by Kylie Lee Baker

Publishing Info: HarperCollins, October 2024

Where Did I Get this Book: from the library!

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

Book Description: Since Zilan entered the world of royal alchemists, she has learned that alchemy comes at a price. She has lost loved ones in her search for broader justice against the evil Empress and all she wants now is to find some way to bring them back. Resurrection is her specialty, after all.

In search of the myth of Penglai Island, where it’s rumored life can be fully restored, Zilan starts a new adventure. But when old threats come back to haunt her and the path to Penglai Island means facing down unpredictable, sometimes dangerous, alchemists, she wonders just how high of a price she may be willing to pay.

Previously Reviewed: “The Blood Alchemist”

Review: It’s always nice to jump quickly from a first book in a duology straight into the second. And it was especially useful here, as “The Blood Alchemist” set up a fairly intricate world and complex magical system. Further, this book picks up directly after the events of the first, so I benefited from having those plot lines firmly in my head when I started up this one.

This book is largely made of up a quest by our main characters in search of the mythical Penglai Island, a place so powerful they hope it will solve the ongoing threat of the Empress. Through these explorations, the lore of this world was greatly expanded upon, introducing powerful new uses for alchemy, some to detrimental effect. We also got to spend more time in the limbo-esque afterlife, with Zilan desperately trying to cling to those she loves, both in the land of the living and the dead.

The pacing was quite action-packed, moving quickly from one dangerous alchemist to another. I really enjoyed these little side quests that were sprinkled throughout to tie together the larger quest. However, from a broader view, there were a few of these that felt rather convenient. Penglai Island has been lost (or rumored to not exist at all) for ages, and yet Zilan and co. seem to almost stumble into the answers they need by chance. As I was having so much fun with the story, this didn’t bother me overly much. But the convenience of some of these plotlines was a bit too obvious to completely ignore.

I also really enjoyed the characters, once again. Zilan, of course, was as excellent as always. However, if you had asked which characters I had least interest in spending prolonged time with in this book, I would have answered with her brother and her bully rival from alchemy classes. And well, what do you know? Those two end up being her primary travelling companions and each brought excellent flavor to the story! Through Wenshu, the author continued her excellent exploration of the complicated nature between siblings. Here, Wenshu and Zilan must deal with the repercussions of her choice at the end of the last book; that is, her decision to save Wenshu instead of Hong. A simple choice that reveals numerous insecurities and challenges on both sides. We also see a redemption arc for Zheng, the character I never knew I needed more of! In a surprising turn, this is the character that added the necessary comic relief to a book that, at times, could have been too tragic and dark.

Unfortunately, while the focus on Wenshu and Sheng was an unexpected high point, we didn’t see much of Hong in this book. On one hand, that makes sense. The guy is dead, after all. We get a few scenes sprinkled throughout as Zilan works to keep her hold on his spirit until she can revive him, but I still ended up missing the lovely dynamic we had between these two in the first book. By the end, I was happy with the way things resolved, but I do wish we had gotten a bit more here.

Overall, this was an excellent conclusion to the duology. The overall conflict was wrapped up in a truly creative and unique way, and one that felt earned with various pieces of the foundation being carefully laid here and in the previous book. If you’re looking for a well-written, well-rounded, unique YA fantasy duology, I highly recommend this one!

Rating 8: Expanded world-building, excellent side characters, and a satisfying conclusion! My romance-loving heart felt a bit deprived on the Hong front, but otherwise, this was a great read!

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Blood Orchid” can be found on this Goodreads list: Best books of October, 2024

Serena’s Review: “Swordheart

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

Note: Some long-time readers may remember that I reviewed this book 2-3 years ago. Well, T. Kingfisher has seen a surge in popularity since and, as such, many of her back catalog titles are being re-published by Tor/Bramble with new covers and marketing. (I definitely now have to versions of this book, I loved it that much!) As Kingfisher is one of my favorite authors writing today, I wanted to re-surface this review with the updated cover for those who may not be in the know!

Book: “Swordheart” by T. Kingfisher

Publishing Info: Bramble, Feb. 2025

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

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

Book Description: Halla is a housekeeper who has suddenly inherited her great-uncle’s estate… and, unfortunately, his relatives. Sarkis is an immortal swordsman trapped in a prison of enchanted steel. When Halla draws the sword that imprisons him, Sarkis finds himself attempting to defend his new wielder against everything from bandits and roving inquisitors to her own in-laws… and the sword itself may prove to be the greatest threat of all.

Review: Once I discover a favorite author, it can only be expected that you’ll probably see a lot of reviews for them going forward. So as not to just run through them one after another, I’ve been trying to hold off on picking up a new Kingfisher novel until I feel like I’ve been in a bit of a slump. And, for whatever reason, many of my October books were a bit underwhelming. While this was a bummer, it gave me the only excuse I needed, so I immediately jumped back into the world of the Clockwork Boys with this standalone book.

You would think being left a grand estate and all the wealth and prestige that comes with that would be a blessing. But for Halla, the housekeeper turned unexpected heiress, it has lead to nothing but trouble. Hounded by the relatives of the deceased, Halla has all but given up hope of collecting on her inheritance. That is until, when trapped in a cluttered room in a mansion that should by rights belong to her, Halla draws a dusty old sword and finds…a swordsman as well? One who is enchanted to the sword and sworn to protect its wielder for the remainder of their life. But while Halla seems like an easy enough individual to protect, Sarkis, the swordsman, is in for a surprise.

I think it would be a bigger shock than anything if I read a book by this author that I didn’t enjoy. There are enough strengths in her general storytelling ability, her solid characters, and her witty dialogue that it’s hard to imagine a book that felt like a flop. There have been stories I’ve enjoyed more than others, however. So where does this one fit on that scale?

While much of the appeal of this book lay in the strength of the qualities I listed above, there were a few aspects of this story that I found particularly charming. For one thing, Halla is an “older” heroine, coming in with an age somewhere in her 30s. Kingfisher has used several older heroines like this to helm her books, and it’s something I always appreciate. Life and adventure doesn’t only come for twenty-somethings! And, indeed, we get more variety and life experience with an older lead who brings more baggage (both good and bad) to the story. Halla is an unlikely leading lady in that she starts the book out as a bewildered heiress who seems as if she may have been happier remaining a housekeeper for the rest of her life. What’s more, as the story progresses, her romance with Sarkis comes from the perspective of a woman who has already been married once and knows what’s what.

I also appreciated that this was one of the longer books I’ve read by this author. She tends to write books that come in between the 200-250 page count, just enough to be considered full novels instead of novellas, but noticeably shorter than the average fantasy novel out there. On one hands, this is a quality I love as there are so many massive fantasy tomes out there that not only don’t need to be the length they are (and are often worse for it) but the sheer amount of time it takes to read one lengthy novel necessarily limits how many one can get through. That said, I loved being able to settle in to this story a bit more than I have with past, shorter books by this author. I became highly invested in Halla’s journey towards self-worth and Sarkis’s work to restore the humanity he gave up when he became attached to the sword. We learn a lot about their personal histories, so it’s truly gratifying to see them come up against similar challenges here and make different choices.

That said, there came a point around the three quarters mark where I began to feel like the book was quite literally tracing the same road back and forth. This is played for good humorous affect, but the final go around did begin to feel a bit tedious as I began to wish that our characters could finally have something go right for them.

Overall, however, I really enjoyed this book. It was enjoyable and solid in all of the ways I’ve come to expect by this author, and I appreciated the increased page length to really soak in this particular world and these characters and their romance. Fans of this author or for those looking for a cozy fantasy novel, this is definitely a book for you!

Rating 8: Everything you could want from cozy fantasy fiction!

Reader’s Advisory:

“Swordheart” can be found on these Goodreads lists: CozySFF and Above 30 Romance Heroines.

Kate’s Review: “They Bloom At Night”

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

Book: “They Bloom At Night” by Trang Thahn Tran

Publishing Info: Bloomsbury YA, March 2025

Where Did I Get This Book: I received an ARC from the publisher at ALAAC24.

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

Book Description: A red algae bloom has taken over Mercy, Louisiana. Ever since a devastating hurricane, mutated wildlife lurks in the water that rises by the day. But Mercy has always been a place where monsters walk in plain sight. Especially at its heart: The Cove, where Noon’s life was upended long before the storm at a party her older boyfriend insisted on.

Now, Noon is stuck navigating the submerged town with her mom, who believes their dead family has reincarnated as sea creatures. Alone with the pain of what happened that night at the cove, Noon buries the truth: she is not the right shape.

When Mercy’s predatory leader demands Noon and her mom capture the creature drowning residents, she reluctantly finds an ally in his deadly hunter of a daughter and friends old and new. As the next storm approaches, Noon must confront the past and decide if it’s time to answer the monster itching at her skin.

Review: Thank you to Bloomsbury YA for providing me with an ARC of this novel at ALAAC24!

It’s almost March, and yet I am here once again with an ARC I got at ALAAC last summer. I always find it funny when I still have a few lingering finds from the conference, especially since the next one is only four months away, but let me tell you this find was one I was really excited about. “They Bloom At Night” is the new YA horror novel by Trang Thahn Tran, and it was well worth the wait. Because like any good horror novel, it’s not the just horror stuff that brings the goods, it’s also the commentary about the world in which we are living.

Let’s look at the horror stuff first. Like in their previous novel “She Is A Haunting”, Tran brings rich perspectives to well loved horror sub-genres. This time it’s a combination of body horror as well as eco horror. The eco horror is the settling, as we are in a small town in Louisiana after a hurricane has ravaged it, with a toxic and mysterious algae bloom basically engulfing the waters that the town has depended on to survive. This kind of setting is unfortunately feeling more and more timely, and I thought it was a great place to make comment on the climate crisis and how it can have so many effects that some may not think of. After all, it’s not just mutated sea life and mysterious monsters that are a threat in this book, but a community teetering towards financial ruin and a corrupt self proclaimed leadership that has taken over as well. You feel the desperation in Mercy and the people who live there, and the added horrors of rumors of mutated sea creatures can only make it worse.

And as someone who has a hard time with body horror (I still haven’t seen “The Substance” even though it has so many accolades!), it was very well done, balancing out the nasty with the more fantastical. The descriptions of the mutations caused by the bloom had their moments of me thinking ‘oh YUCK’, which is exactly what I’d expect from body horror, and they could vary from being generally creepy to outright nasty. And hey, I’m never big on the nasty, but the creepy? I really loved the creepy here. Especially the caution about ignoring ‘the knocks’ at the door after dark. Good gracious. But if you like the nasty, never fear, because yeah, some really disgusting transformations happen in this book, especially for those who have been a little too exposed to the bloom, as body parts rot away, skins get sloughed off, or mutilations are put to the forefront. For our protagonist Noon, the body horror bits are slow and meticulous, starting with her hair turning white, but then becoming more and more alarming.

I also really enjoyed the dichotomy between the physical transformation that Noon is experiencing and the way that she is starting to realize that she is starting to shift her own ideas about who she is, whether it’s due to having to confront the trauma of being sexually assaulted, losing her father and brother, or realizing that she is still trying to suss out her own gender identity. It’s not like using the ideas of body horror as a metaphor for transformation of multiple kinds is new, but I thought that Tran really differentiated between some of the more disgusting elements (see above) and the more ethereal and liberating ones, even as Noon was turning into something else than she had been before, whether it’s because of her exposure to the bloom or her confronting the trauma and loss. It’s gratifying to see that this transformation, at least for Noon, could be depicted as a positive, and her journey to finally finding peace with herself in spite of the horrors that surround her. It made for a very emotional read, and I was very invested in her as a character, as well as the other ‘othered’ characters around her.

I really enjoyed “They Bloom At Night”.

Rating 8: A creepy and sometimes nasty combination of eco and body horror, “They Bloom At Night” is also an examination of trauma and gender identity against the backdrop of a ravaged climate.

Reader’s Advisory:

“They Bloom At Night” is included on the Goodreads lists “Trans and Nonbinary Fiction 2025”, and “Horror To Look Forward To in 2025”.

Serena’s Review: “But Not Too Bold”

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

Book: “But Not Too Bold” by Hache Pueyo

Publishing Info: Tor, Feb. 2022

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

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

Book Description: The old keeper of the keys is dead, and the creature who ate her is the volatile Lady of the Capricious House⁠―Anatema, an enormous humanoid spider with a taste for laudanum and human brides.

Dália, the old keeper’s protégée, must take up her duties, locking and unlocking the little drawers in which Anatema keeps her memories. And if she can unravel the crime that led to her predecessor’s death, Dália might just be able to survive long enough to grow into her new role.

But there’s a gaping hole in Dália’s plan that she refuses to see: Anatema cannot resist a beautiful woman, and she eventually devours every single bride that crosses her path.

Review: At this point, I think it’s well-established that I am more than happy to explore some of the weirder corners of fantasy/horror stories. I mean, I loved “Asunder” and that was such a wild ride of world-building! Well, this one starts off weird, gets a bit weirder, and then ends in full weirdness. Starting with the premise, which is the idea that anyone would be willing to work in a house run by a giant spider who is more likely than not going to eat you some day. I’ll just get it out of the way now: if you focus too much on the realities behind whether or not anyone would sign on for the basic premise of this book, you’re probably not going to have a great time. But if you’re willing to go with it, there’s some very interesting storytelling to be had.

I’ll also say, if you have trouble with bugs or spiders, this isn’t the book for you. There is spider stuff everywhere, from people handling and eating tarantulas at any given moment, to the very detailed descriptions of Anatema and just how her human/spider bits meld together. I don’t particularly have a problem with bugs or spiders, so I found all of this to be on the pleasantly creepy side, rather than outright horror. That said, there was a particular erotic dream sequence that was…a lot. More, I found the general concept to be interesting: the ways that the human characters dealt with their day-to-day existence and the almost guaranteed gruesome end that was coming to them.

I also enjoyed the writing style and was impressed with the emotional punch that was packed into a story with such a short word-count, under 100 pages. I was a bit surprised by how central the romance was to the story. I went in with the impression that while there was a romantic subplot, the story itself would be more focused on the mystery. Well, it was the opposite, with the mystery taking up very little page time and the romance making up the rest. I didn’t quite buy into Dalia’s feelings for Anatema, but I do think that this book will find an audience with the monster romance lovers out there!

Overall, this was truly unique read. I’m not sure I can think of anything like it. The writing was incredibly strong throughout, and really, it’s going to come down to your tolerance/interest in spiders whether or not you have a good time with this one!

Rating 8: One of the more unique novellas I’ve read in a long time, deftly mixing horror, fantasy, and, somehow, romance, all into one small package!

Reader’s Advisory:

“But Not Too Bold” can be found on this Goodreads list: All the New Horror, Romantasy, and Other SFF Crossover Books Arriving in February 2025

Kate’s Review: “Fence, Vol. 5: Rise”

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

Book: “Fence, Vol. 5: Rise” by C.S. Pacat & Johanna the Mad (Ill.)

Publishing Info: BOOM! Box, August 2022

Where Did I Get This Book: The library!

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

Book Description: USA Today best-selling author C. S. Pacat (Captive Prince) and popular web cartoonist Johanna the Mad along with colorist Joana LaFuente (Transformers) and letterer Jim Campbell (Giant Days) reunite for the highly-anticipated next chapter in this fierce and heartfelt GLAAD Media Award-nominated series. Excitement is in the air as Nicholas and his friends celebrate their prestigious invitation to the Halverton Training Camp. They immediately come face-to-face with the best teams in the country, and Nicholas struggles as he suffers defeat after defeat by an old enemy. Will a new addition to the team bring Nicholas closer to the rest of the team and awaken the resilience within he needs to prevail? But Seiji, in contrast to Nicholas, remains unchallenged and let down by the camp. With Seiji’s goal to learn (instead of win) stuck in his head, will Nicholas step up to pose a real challenge to Seiji, even growing their friendship as a result?. Get ready to say “En Garde” to the next installment of Fence!

Review: It has been so long since I’ve revisited the fencers at King’s Row Boys School! Once I realized I hadn’t read the next installment in the “Fence” Series, I hastily requested “Fence, Vol. 5: Rise” from the library, more than ready to jump back into the world of high school fencing and all the slow burn drama that comes with it. Normally I like a slow burn, as well all know. But I will say that when it comes to “Fence”, I’m starting to get a little impatient…

But first I’ll start with that I enjoyed. I do like how Pacat is still really devoting time and explanation to fencing as a sport, and how we are seeing the ins and outs of the fencers and the kinds of competitions they engage within. In this volume we see Nicholas, Seiji, and all the rest of the team (as well as new team manager Bobby!) go to a prestigious training camp to hone their skills, alongside other top tier fencers in their competitive circles. It’s an interesting way to keep things going while also showing the kind of work and dedication elite athletes have to tend to even if they aren’t doing high stakes tournaments. We also get introduced to a few new characters, and while we don’t get to know them terribly well (And how could we? We already have so many characters to keep track of), we see enough of them that I got a feel for the different teams and how they gel with each other. And finally, I REALLY loved how Pacat found a way to bring in Bobby further into the story, as I think that Bobby is just the sweetest. I had been worried when he hadn’t made the team, as I was thinking that meant we wouldn’t be seeing as much of him anymore, but here he is in all his adorableness being able to be a part of the team while using his skills at being the best booster ever for his friends. Perfection!

But there are a couple of things that didn’t work as well, and I think that at this point I am just about done with the very slow pacing of this series. I know that for some people that means that they are waiting for Nicholas and Seiji to finally figure out their feelings for each other (or Aiden and Harvard, who are also lollygagging a bit in their will they or won’t they), but for me it’s about an actual confrontation between Nicholas and his half brother Jesse, who as far as we know doesn’t know that Nicholas exists. That has been a huge driving force for Nicholas in this series, to prove himself as a good athlete as a way to work out his abandonment issues regarding his father, with Jesse being the personification of that (as well as an arrogant prick, as far as this reader can tell). But I feel like it just keeps getting drawn out, and I’m starting to lose my patience. I like the technical aspects of this book when it comes to fencing as a sport and a skill, but I also want to get to some of the emotional pay offs that have been teased for quite awhile now.

ANY DAY NOW. (source)

At the end of the day I’m still invested in “Fence” and am interested to see where we are going next. But I would love it if we could move it along.

Rating 7: Another cute installment to this sports series, though I am getting a bit impatient waiting for some interaction between Nicholas and his half brother…

Reader’s Advisory:

“Fence, Vol. 5: Rise” is included on the Goodreads list “Books About Queer People In Sports”.

Not Just Books: February 2025

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

Serena’s Picks

TV Show: “Severance”

I started watching this one with my husband in January actually when he promised that “the second season was already out!” Lies! Apple is doing that super fun thing where they release episodes weekly and make us all question why we bother with this whole streaming thing anyways! All of that aside, this is such a weird, weird show. On one hand, it explores a lot of deep questions about morality and what makes life worth living. And on the other hand, all the people in this world, other than maybe one or two exceptions, are just big weirdos! Sometimes it’s hard to know where the show is drawing the line between social commentary and humor, but ah well. The cast is excellent, and I’m excited to see where the next season takes things!

TV Show: “The Recruit”

The second season of this show released in proper fashion: all at once! The first season of took me by surprise with how well it balanced the action alongside the humor. And this second season was much the same! A lot of that success comes down to the great performance by Noah Centineo. He manages to both convey extreme competence but then, on the very next beat, an extreme level of naivety that plays for laughs. It is also nice to find a show that is willing to just let its heroes try and be heroes, doing the right thing just because it’s right. Of course, the show still doesn’t shy away from exploring the corruption and “good of the many” quandaries that so often plague larger organizations or those in roles of power either.

TV Show: “Strike”

The sixth season of “Strike” tackles the story from “The Ink Black Heart.” It’s hard to say whether I have favorites in this mystery series, but I’d say this one is definitely towards the top, so I was excited to see how the show would handle it. At this point, the show has managed to never step wrong, so it was less a concern that they would bungle it, but more, how would they go about adapting one of the books that seemed to have one of the biggest casts of the lot? Well, by golly, they did it again! Beyond managing to squeeze a fairly complicated mystery into a short season, the show continued to hit it out of the park with the casting. Seriously, everyone is pitch perfect. And, at this point, Tom Burke and Holliday Grainger simply ARE Strike and Robin.

Kate’s Picks

TV Show: “RuPaul’s Drag Race”

So I held off last month of listing the newest season of “Drag Race” in case the season kind of fizzled out. There have been a few seasons where I’ve listed it and then ended up not finishing or being generally underwhelmed, and after such an amazing 16th season I was thinking it would be hard to live up to it. And when it started I was a bit nervous. But it became clear for me (and David, of course, who comes over every Sunday to watch) that this season is not only filled with talented queens, but also MEAN AND THEREFORE ENTERTAINING ONES. My favorites this season are generally NOT mean, with my front runners Suzie Toot and Onya Nerve bringing not only fun drag, but fun personalities (with Jewels Sparkles as a close third, as she is also very fun). We will see how this season progresses, but as of now I am VERY happy with it.

Netflix Show: “Cobra Kai”

The time has come. It is now time to say goodbye to Johnny Lawrence, and let me tell you I am not ready to say goodbye to my beloved sadboi himbo karate master and all his growth, cattiness, heart, and hotness. OH GOD I DON’T WANT TO SAY GOODBYE TO “COBRA KAI”! But I must, as the last seasons final episodes have dropped. As Miyagi-D0 returns to the States after the traumatic death of Cobra Kai member Kwon during the Sekai Taikai, everyone is shaken. But their karate showdown isn’t over yet, as a final showdown between Miyagi-D0/Eagle Fang and Terry Silver’s new team the Iron Dragons comes to the Valley. Because of course is has to come back to the Valley. Okay one last thing about Johnny. This was ultimately his show, and his growth, his depth, his COMPLEXITY was well met here. As someone who has had a thing for him since I first saw “The Karate Kid” back when I was a tween and he was the villain, I feel so, so vindicated. This is how you do a redemption arc in all its messiness, joy, heartache, and triumph. I am going to miss this show. But I’m so happy with how it all ended up.

Film: “Companion”

I took Valentine’s Weekend to do a lot of calming and self-care centered activities, and one of those activities was going to the movies with my Terror Tuesday pals to see “Companion”. Even though I didn’t like the previous movie by the creators (“Barbarian”, I really didn’t like you!), I thought that “Companion” looked intriguing. And MAN was it not only a lot of fun, it had a LOT to say about tech ethics, misogyny, and ‘nice guys’. Iris is going on a weekend away with her boyfriend Josh, who she see as the love of her life. But what Iris doesn’t realize is that not only is Josh hiding the fact that she is a ‘companion’ robot (aka a sex bot), but he and his friends have a nefarious plan that place her right in the middle of a deadly scheme. I absolutely adored Sophie Thatcher as Iris, and I really, REALLY loved the way this movie takes on sexism and questions about AI and whether or not a robot can have true feelings, consent, and humanity. I loved every minute of it. Sophie Thatcher nailed it as Iris, but I also really loved Lukas Gage as himbo Patrick, who is also a bit of an outsider as another ‘significant other of a friend group member’.

Serena’s Review: “Greenteeth”

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Book: “Greenteeth” by Molly O’Neill

Publishing Info: Orbit, February 2025

Where Did I Get this Book: from the publisher!

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

Book Description: Beneath the still surface of a lake lurks a monster with needle sharp teeth. Hungry and ready to pounce.

Jenny Greenteeth has never spoken to a human before, but when a witch is thrown into her lake, something makes Jenny decide she’s worth saving. Temperance doesn’t know why her village has suddenly turned against her, only that it has something to do with the malevolent new pastor.

Though they have nothing in common, these two must band together on a magical quest to defeat the evil that threatens Jenny’s lake and Temperance’s family, as well as the very soul of Britain.

Review: This book was a bit of a roller-coaster ride as far as my experience reading it goes. It started off great, with one of my favorite aspects of the book coming to the forefront right away. That being the unique voice of Jenny Greenteeth. The first quarter of the story is fairly closely tied to Jenny’s own narration of what her life has been, what her unique perspective on morality entails, and various other points of interest. While not a lot of action is necessarily taking place, the strength of her narrative voice and unique perspective easily held my interest.

Unfortunately, things became a bit more complicated when our second main character was introduced, Temperance, a witch who had been condemned to death by drowning and tossed into Jenny’s lake. While Jenny’s own story had been unspooled through her interesting narration, Temperance seems to simply word-vomit her entire history in a few pages’ time. It was frankly a bit baffling, as the author had demonstrated a more subtle approach to storytelling before. But here, not only was all of Temperance’s story presented in the most info-dumping-manner possible, but it also threw me out of the story due to the simple fact that no one could possibly talk like this!

From there, it was a bit more of a struggle to become fully invested in the story once again. As I mentioned, the pacing itself is quite slow throughout. In the beginning, with the focus tightly drawn in on Jenny, this worked fine. But as the story continued, I began to struggle. This became especially difficult when the plot seemed to devolve into a string of fetch quests, each as predictable as the last. And to top it off, the story resolved in a way that was a bit predictable in the most disappointing way. I don’t want to spoil it, and there isn’t anything inherently wrong with the story going the way that it did. But I had been hopeful initially that the author was telling a more wholly unique tale, rather than tying it back into familiar source material.

Overall, this was an ok read. There was a lot of potential, especially with the strength of the narrator, but the pacing and plotting became muddled with a string of mundane side quests and resolved in a disappointingly predictable manner. This last point, especially, is particularly subjective, so other readers may appreciate what this book has to offer in this regard more than I did! I do think it’s worth checking out, however, based on Jenny herself.

Rating 7: Jenny herself was a fantastic narrator, but she was let down by lackluster side characters and side quests.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Greenteeth” can be found on this Goodreads list: Botanical and Horticultural Horror

Serena’s Review: “Upon a Starlit Tide”

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

Book: “Upon a Starlit Tide” by Kell Woods

Publishing Info: Tor Books, Feb. 2025

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

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

Book Description: For Lucinde Leon, the youngest daughter of one of Saint-Malo’s wealthiest ship-owners, the high walls of the city are more hindrance than haven. While her sisters are interested in securing advantageous marriages, Luce dreams of escaping her elegant but stifling home and joining a ship’s crew. Only Samuel—Luce’s best friend and an English smuggler—understands her longing for the sea, secretly teaching her to sail whenever she can sneak away. For Luce, the stolen time on the water with Samuel is precious.

One stormy morning, Luce’s plans are blown off course when she rescues Morgan de Chatelaine, the youngest son of the most powerful ship-owner in Saint-Malo, from the sea. Immediately drawn to his charm and sense of adventure, she longs to attend the glittering ball held in honor of his safe return and begins to contemplate a different kind of future for herself.

But it is not only Luce’s hopes at stake—the local fae are leaving Brittany and taking their magic with them, while the long-standing war with the English means Saint-Malo is always at risk of attack. As Luce is plunged into a world of magic, brutality, and seduction, secrets that have long been lost in the shadowy depths of the ocean begin to rise to the surface. The truth of her own power is growing brighter and brighter, shining like a sea-glass slipper.

Or the scales of a sea-maid’s tail.

Review: I didn’t love the first book I read by this author. I don’t often talk about transitions in my reviews, but “After the Woods” really highlighted how important a basic technique like this is to good storytelling. I often found myself confused by sudden shifts in focus and disjointed pacing. The characters were also fairly inconsistent. That said, between these struggle points, if you squinted, it was possible to see some true lyricism and style to the writing. With that being the case (and the fact that I’ve yet to come across a truly great re-telling of “The Little Mermaid”) I picked this one up with a hefty dose of wariness but also my usual hope. And wow, am I glad I did!

There are so many places to start with this one! But first and foremost, this is an excellent fairytale fantasy story. It perfectly captures the magical tone found in that sort of story, but also includes the necessary balance points of mild horror and, of course, swoon-worthy romance. I will say, this is rather loosely connected to “The Little Mermaid.” Other than the fact that she’s, you know, a mermaid, there’s not a whole lot of the original tale to be found here, other than a few familiar scenes that, even then, play out in a very different context than they do in the original. On top of that, the story also includes a nod to the “Cinderella” story, leaving the book as an interesting mash up of the two.

But first and foremost, I think this story much more closely lines up with selkie/seal wife fairytales. Like those stories, this one focus heavily on longing, wildness, and freedom. And it is here that the romanticism and lyricism of the writing really shines. The beauty and horror of the sea neatly aligned against the beauty and horror of humanity. And with Luce in the middle, a child of both worlds who struggles to understand herself and where she fits, torn between the great loves of the sea and her family and the man she grows to love. This could be a simplistic story, but there was such a depth of heart to Luce that the entire affair felt poignant and wondrous throughout.

As I mentioned, there were also some horror moments included, perhaps more than I had expected. Again, we were exposed to horror in the more fantastical sense, but it was the actions of the people that were truly despicable. The story’s strong foundation in a historical time and place truly reinforced these human-made horror moments, as some of the more powerful scenes drew from events/actions that were truly carried out.

I also want to heap immense praise on the author for her handling of the love triangle. I don’t want to spoil the way that this plot line plays out, but Woods is clearly winking at readers as she twists her way through some of the common romantasy tropes found in these sorts of stories and with these sorts of characters. And, best of all, she correctly identified when to give up the triangle altogether and allow the true romance to move forward. This is a stand-alone book, after all, so it was great that we were given what felt like a good chunk of time with the primary couple, initial love triangle bedamned.

One small criticms here would be that as these two “romances” were getting started, it felt like Luce’s feelings came a bit out of nowhere, especially for one of them. As the story continued, we were given more of a foundation to build upon. But those initial points of interest felt a bit instalust-y. However, they were saved by the lovely story that followed that delved into the tragedy and beauty of Luce’s position as a child of the sea who loves a man of the land.

I loved this book, if you can’t tell! As much as I love gobbling up books from authors who have a long list of solid titles, there’s something special about finding a great one from an author you didn’t connect with the first go-around. I can pretty much confirm now that this one will end up on my “Top 10” list for the year!

Rating 9: Like the exploring the sea itself, plumbing the dark depth of this book’s mysteries is an adventure into a world of beauty and romance! Perfect for all fairytale fans!

“Upon a Starlit Tide” can be found on these Goodreads lists: The Little Mermaid Retellings and My favorite Fairytale Fantasy novels.