Serena’s Review: “Brittle”

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Book: “Brittle” by Beth Overmyer

Publishing Info: Flame Tree Press, August 2023

Where Did I Get this Book: NetGalley, copy from the publisher

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

Book Description: After the murder of her father – which no one but her believes happened – Verve just wants to hold her family together and take on the role of provider. Unfortunately, a cruel fae lord believes she knows the location of an ancient magical weapon and steals her away to Letorheas, realm of the fairies. The fae lord seems to want something from Verve that goes beyond the weapon, something that many doubt she can provide. Verve must find a way to navigate the strangeness of Letorheas and embrace a destiny more intertwined with the fae than she would like to believe.

Review: This was definitely a “cover lust” situation. I just adore everything about this cover, and it was guaranteed that I would read it the moment I saw it. I’m also still always interested in Fae-focused fantasy novels, for my sins. Have I been burned by this particular trope in the past? Yes, I have. But I also can’t quite get “An Enchantment of Ravens” out of my head, which I read many years ago now, but absolutely adored. And, as I discussed recently about authors who improved on a second go-around, I’m always hoping to stumble upon another unexpected hit! Unfortunately, this was not that.

Right off the bat the story started with some very strong ACOTAR vibes. Now, for some, that is an incredible compliment and surely will draw in certain readers right away. For me, however, red flags were going up in every direction. But before I dive into the parts of the book with which I struggled, I do, as always, want to focus on some positives first. As I said, there is definitely an audience out there for this book (however, even this audience I think will feel that they’ve read many similar, better versions of this same story). The writing is also quite approachable and the action starts out right away. This is a fairly short book by fantasy standards, coming in at just over 300 pages. And it’s clear that the author is wasting no time getting to the point.

However, for me, that was where the problems started. I barely felt like I knew, let alone cared, about the main character between the story was immediately barreling into main plot points. What’s more, what I did know about the character had largely come from Verve herself simply informing me of her own traits and how she compared to the other members of her family. Of course, she is the brave, provider type who is too stubborn for her own good. It is this last point that really drew my ire as the book continues.

Per the ACOTAR standard, she is, of course, captured by a Fae lord and caught up in a bunch of Fae drama. In most fantasy novels, this should be the point where things really get good. Here are the opportunities for the heroine to rise to the occasion, to put her oft-declared strengths to the test. But instead, she comes across as foolish, stubborn to the point of stupidity, and petulant in the manner of a toddler. As someone who is currently raising toddlers, in no way do I want to read a novel where the heroine chooses to not listen to good advice and bizarrely ignore blatant realities around her all because she’s “sticking it to the power,” essentially.

Not only did this lead me to actively disliking the main character through much of it (honestly, I was starting to feel sympathy for her captors who were just trying to keep her from self-destructing), but many of her ridiculous decisions were necessary to drive the plot forward. I’ve ranted about this many times, but it’s almost guaranteed for me to low rate a book when I discover a plot that hinges on a character needing to be ridiculous, foolish, or just plain stupid. Yes, there are characters who experience growth through these traits, but even then, the traits themselves shouldn’t be necessary for the plot to move forward, except in the most rare of instances and part of a larger character arc.

I really struggled to like anything about this book, which was really too bad. I do like the overall premise, even if it is fairly familiar. And, again, that cover is a banger. There was also clearly a lot of ideas that were hinted at in this story, a unique religion, a magic system, some world0building. But none of it was fully fleshed out or enough to compensate for the frustrations I felt with regards to the plot and main character. Fans who are very devoted to Fae fantasy may want to check this out, but if you’re wary of the subgenre currently, this one won’t redeem your faith.

Rating 6: Not my cup of tea with a heroine who was annoying at best and actively unlikable much of the time.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Brittle” isn’t on any Goodreads lists yet, but it should be on Books about Faery.

Kate’s Review: “The Hurricane Blonde”


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Book: “The Hurricane Blonde” by Halley Sutton

Publishing Info: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, August 2023

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

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

Book Description: A former child starlet is plunged back into the dangerous glitter of Hollywood after discovering a young actress’s body in this scorching thriller about the deadly sides of both fame and family.

Hollywood is a sickness. Few people understand this better than Salma Lowe, progeny of Hollywood royalty and a former child-star turned guide of the Stars Six Feet Under tour bus. Salma spends her days leading tourists around the star-studded avenues of Hollywood, pointing out where actresses have met spectacular or untimely ends. Salma knows better than anyone that a tragic death is the surest path to stardom. Her own sister, Tawney, dubbed the “Hurricane Blonde” for her off-camera antics, was murdered in the mid-’90s, and the case remains unsolved. Salma herself has sworn off acting and just hopes to stay out of trouble…until a real dead body is discovered on her tour, on the property where her sister once lived.

Salma soon realizes something uncanny: it’s not just that this woman is dead at her sister’s address–she also looks just like her, and is wearing Tawney’s distinctive hair clip. When the police investigation goes nowhere, Salma has no choice but to plunge herself back into the world she left behind to search for her sister’s killer…who may have just struck again. But the search for the truth will take her deep into the rot of Hollywood past and present, into her family’s own long-buried and terrible secrets.

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

I can honestly say that the first thing about “The Hurricane Blonde” by Halley Sutton that really caught my attention was the cover. I mean, look at that cover! The unsettling neon pastiche framing an anonymous woman alone is very eye catching, but then reading about the plot of this book it just really clinched it. What says the flashy and attention seeking Hollywood culture more than bright colors and a gauche veneer and an unsettling undercurrent? I didn’t really know what to expect from “The Hurricane Blonde”, and while there were some things that didn’t necessarily reinvent the wheel, there were other things that really impressed me. And unsettled me.

In terms of the mystery side to this story, it’s fairly straight forward with some pretty familiar beats. Our protagonist Salma is trying to distance herself from the past traumas of her murdered up and coming starlet sister Tawney, as well as her addictions, her mental health spiral, and the way that all of that was so very public because of her status of being the daughter of Hollywood icons. When a woman is found dead on Tawney’s old property, and she looks just like Tawney did, Salma is suddenly determined to try and figure out how to prove that Tawney was murdered by her ex-fiancé, who is now a powerful director. The story is told in both the present as well as in flashbacks to the time right before and right after Tawney died, presenting clues and puzzle pieces as Salma pushes herself further and further into the dark truths of show business and the way it makes victims of ambitious young women and girls. I kind of figured out a few of the reveals pretty quickly, and Salma’s investigation was pretty much everything I expected it to be.

BUT, for the kind of easy to figure out solutions this mystery thriller has, its greatest strength is the way that it absolutely calls out the toxicity of Hollywood culture in regards to the way it treats the young women who aspire to rise to stardom. And how even in death they can continue to be exploited and dehumanized. We not only have the disturbing and tragedy filled lives of Tawney and Salma, the daughters of Hollywood royalty who ended up dead or in a severely damaging addiction spiral (respectively), but we also see the ways that other women in the story within the industry have had to contend with misogyny, abuse, racism, and how the public makes a spectacle out of very real pain. This books pulls no punches whatsoever, going to dark places with some very disturbing moments and reveals. It really pulls apart Hollywood not only within the story, but also in real life, making mention of other young women whose pain and tragedies are either still spoken of as lore (like Dorothy Stratten, or Dominique Dunne, or the Black Dahlia) or have been revealed many years after the fact (like Loretta Young being raped by Clark Gable and ‘adopting’ her own daughter to avoid the scandal of an out of wedlock child). Certain beats of this book take inspiration from all of this, and that is what makes it stand out.

“The Hurricane Blonde” is a relentless critique of Hollywood abuse and violence towards women who want to find success there. Be prepared for the darkness and the triggers that come with it, but it sets itself apart from other thrillers because of it.

Rating 7: A dark and bleak critique of Hollywood culture and the way it chews up women and spits them out, “The Hurricane Blonde” is a twisted thriller with lots of simmering anger.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Hurricane Blonde” isn’t included on any Goodreads lists as of yet, but similar titles include “Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine, and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood”, and “The Lady from the Black Lagoon: Hollywood Monsters and the Lost Legacy of Milicent Patrick”.

Serena’s Review: “Forged by Blood”

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Book: “Forged by Blood” by Ehigbor Okosun

Publishing Info: Harper Voyager, August 2023

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

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

Book Description: A brilliant new voice brings a brilliant new novel: debut author Ehigbor Okosun’s first book in an action-packed, poignant duology inspired by Nigerian mythology–full of magic and emotion and set in a highly atmospheric, complex world in which a young woman fights to survive a tyrannical society, having everything stripped away from her, and seeks vengeance for her mother’s murder and the spilled blood of her people.

In the midst of a tyrannical regime and political invasion, Dèmi just wants to survive: to avoid the suspicion of the nonmagical Ajes who occupy her ancestral homeland of Ife; to escape the King’s brutal genocide of her people—the darker skinned, magic wielding Oluso; and to live peacefully with her secretive mother while learning to control the terrifying blood magic that is her birthright.

But when Dèmi’s misplaced trust costs her mother’s life, survival gives way to vengeance. She bides her time until the devious Lord Ekwensi grants her the perfect opportunity—kidnap the Aje prince, Jonas, and bargain with his life to save the remaining Oluso. With the help of her reckless childhood friend Colin, Dèmi succeeds, but discovers that she and Jonas share more than deadly secrets; every moment tangles them further into a forbidden, unmistakable attraction, much to Colin’s—and Dèmi’s—distress.

The kidnapping is now a joint mission: to return to the King, help get Lord Ekwensi on the council, and bolster the voice of the Oluso in a system designed to silence them. But the way is dangerous, Dèmi’s magic is growing yet uncertain, and it’s not clear if she can trust the two men at her side.

Review: I was really excited when I saw this book scheduled for release this summer. I’ve read some great fantasy novels based on various African cultures’ myths, and I was intrigued to see what Nigerian myths and stories had to offer. I also think the cover on this one is really neat. Though it does read as very YA to me, which I find to be a really strange choice for an adult fantasy novel. And, unfortunately, this confusion of reading group is really something that brought this read down for me.

But first, let’s start with the good things. Fantasy novels really live and die by their magic systems and their world-building. I think there were some unique ideas for each offered up in this book. Early on, I was definitely intrigued by the nature of this world and how exactly the magical elements wove throughout the way this society operated. Unfortunately, things began to go off the rails fairly quickly.

While I was interested in the magic elements, as the story went on, I struggled to really put together how all of this was meant to work. Further, some of this explanation and continued world-building would be plopped down right in the middle of action scenes, really halting any momentum that had been building. There were also a lot of new terms and language, and these, too, were simply thrown at readers with very little introduction. Perhaps an index or glossary could have helped ease readers in (something that I think most fantasy novels could benefit from, regardless of where they’re pulling their inspiration). These kinds of challenges with pacing and how to properly introduce your reader to a new world are often found with debut authors, and, when given time to grow their craft, can be greatly improved upon in future books. Such is the hope here.

Also, as I said regarding the cover, there felt like there was some disconnect in whom the target audience is meant to be for this book. The overall tone and style of the writing read as very young to me, and many of the choices with the main character also fell into common YA tropes. For example, the main character repeatedly had to not learn from her mistakes and make obvious errors in judgement to simply move the plot in the direction it was meant to go. There was also a very unfortunate love triangle with basically zero chemistry between any of the members. Honestly, if I hadn’t known that this was marketed as an adult fantasy novel, I would never have guessed that it hadn’t been meant as YA.

And that’s not to say that YA has to have simplistic writing or fall into trope-y traps; I’ve read a number of fantastic ones this year. But I do think that adult readers will have a lower tolerance for some of these things, and that this book would have been better suited for a younger audience. Even there, however, there were a number of weaknesses in the writing (there were times where the writing simply failed to properly describe what and how things were happening) and characterization (I think the interactions between almost all of the characters were fairly simplistic and predictable) that would have prevented this one from being a hit for me.

Rating 6: There were hints of what could have been a good story, but the weaker aspects of the writing really prevented me from enjoying this one.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Forged by Blood” isn’t on any Goodreads lists yet, but it should be on Africa-Influenced Epic Fantasy.

Kate’s Review: “Missed Cue”

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Book: “Missed Cue” by Lynn Slaughter

Publishing Info: Melange Books, August 2023

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

Where You Can Get This Book: Amazon

Book Description: When ballerina Lydia Miseau dies onstage in the final dress rehearsal of Romeo and Juliet, homicide detective Caitlin O’Connor is faced with the most complicated case of her career. She strongly suspects that someone murdered the ballerina, and her investigation uncovers several people close to the star who had reasons to kill her. But the autopsy reveals no apparent cause of death. If Lydia Miseau was murdered, who did it, and how?

Meantime, there’s Caitlin’s hot mess of a personal life. She has a bad habit of getting involved with married men. She knows it’s wrong, so why does she keep entangling herself in unhealthy relationships? She’s finally decided to go into therapy to find out.

Review: Thank you to Melange Press for sending me an ARC of this novel!

This is going to sound really sick, but if I am being honest and vulnerable, I am almost always going to be totally interested in a mystery or thriller or what have you if it involves a dead ballerina. As someone who has always been clumsy and on the, shall we say, more ample side, ballet was NEVER going to be in the cards for me. But I have always been SO interested in ballet as a medium and as a culture that could be rife with drama due to competitive and cutthroat undertones. So when I was offered “Missed Cue” by Lynn Slaughter, I was pretty intrigued. I had read another book by Slaughter (“Deadly Setup”) and had enjoyed it for the most part, so I was more than happy to give her another go, especially since this time it involved a dead ballerina and a complicated female detective.

As a concept I thought that “Missed Cue” was compelling. We all know that I do have a soft spot for crime procedurals, and I did enjoy the character of Detective Caitlin O’Connor with her skills as a competent detective as well as a bit of a mess in her personal life. It may be a bit of an old reliable character trope in many a detective procedural of someone who is great at their job but a bit bad at recognizing their own emotional pitfalls, but it works for the character and I’m not sick of it yet! Caitlin is not only having to deal with a strange and complicated new case, she is also dealing with some fallout from an affair she had with a married colleague, and ALSO dealing with her partner dealing with his own messed up personal life that is leaking into their partnership, and it makes for some interesting beats that can tie into the mystery at hand. I do think that it felt like at times that were were jumping into a characterization that was already halfway through its journey, as at times I was thinking ‘are there previous books that set up these dynamics and plot points and relationships?’ when, in fact, there are not. And this made it feel like some of the things presented weren’t as realized as they could have been.

I thought the mystery was pretty well developed, with some good suspects with understandable motives, and some fairly well done misdirections to boot. While it was mostly from a third person POV involving Caitlin, there were occasional insights into other characters where we would get their perspectives in certain moments that served to either give more clues that Caitlin wouldn’t have, or to muddy the waters a bit. I think that, like with the characterizations mentioned above, there could have been some expansion on the mystery and the details of everything, as as it was it was very straightforward and linear in how it all unfolded. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it does leave me wanting more.

The most interesting and effective part of the story for was actually the moments that we got to see Caitlin in therapy. It is so rare, at least in my experience, in procedurals to see characters, protagonists or not, getting mental health help, even if they desperately need it. And seeing Caitlin in her sessions as she works through some of her issues, whether it’s bad choices she’s made or anxieties about her partner and her love life, was a refreshing addition to the story. It added another dynamic to the story, and it felt pretty original and interesting.

So overall, “Missed Cue” is pretty solid. A thriller with some curveballs and some unexpected upending of tropes thanks to the hard boiled detective actually trying to better herself. It’s nice seeing that kind of thing in a genre where damaged characters are the norm.

Rating 7: A solid thriller with a compelling plot, but I would have loved for the mystery to have more drawn out complexities.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Missed Cue” isn’t on any Goodreads lists as of now, but it would fit in on “Women Who Solve Crimes”.

Highlights: August 2023

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Whelp, it’s still quite hot. Hot and humid! We’ve taken our kids out for a few playdates at the park early in the morning, but that’s about all we can manage in this heat! Serena has retreated back to her hometown out West where at least the hot is a dry heat and Kate has found herself sitting by a pool in any capacity she can SO LONG AS THERE IS A HUGE UMBRELLA TO KEEP HER IN THE SHADE. As we survive the heat, there are a bunch of great books coming out this month to get us through until fall!

Serena’s Picks

Book:“Cassiel’s Servant” by Jacqueline Carey

Publication Date: August 1, 2023

Why I’m Interested: So, I have to say, I’m not really a big fan of this trend of re-telling certain stories, often romances, from the POV of the other character, often the male hero. It’s hard not to feel like it’s a redundant money grab, since the story is the same, any tension with regards to plot has been neutered, and the characters are already established. But if there was going to be a book with this approach that I’d be interested in, it would be this one! For one thing, the original book, “Kushiel’s Dart” was published over 20 years ago, so for many readers, this can feel like a fresh return to a barely remembered story. And beyond that, much of the story is built around the very real conflict in world-views between Phedre and Joscelin. That being the case, there is some legitimately interesting and new ground to be covered in reading his experiences of that story.

Book: “Thornhedge” by T. Kingfisher

Publication Date: August 15, 2023

Why I’m Interested: Obviously! Beyond all the usual reasons that I would, of course, be looking forward to a new book by T. Kingfisher, I’m particularly excited about this one because it’s a return to her twisted fairytales. This one takes on “Sleeping Beauty” and “The Princess and the Toad,” I believe. We’ve seen a few different attempts in the past to re-tell fairytales from the villains’ perspectives, but none of them have really stood out to me. But if there was an author who could do it right, I’d bet on Kingfisher any day of the week. Can’t wait for this one!

Book: “Forged by Blood” by Ehigbor Okosun

Publication Date: August 8, 2023

Why I’m Interested: For one thing, the cover on this one is phenomenal. For another thing, I met the author at ALA in June, and she was delightful. For a third thing, well, it’s a fantasy novel with a focus on Nigerian mythology, which just sounds super cool. I’m also very intrigued by the fact that this one is billed as an adult fantasy rather than YA. As much as I love the cover, it is definitely giving YA vibes, so I’m curious to see what balance is actually struck in the story itself.

Kate’s Picks

Book: “I Feed Her To The Beast and The Beast Is Me” by Jamison Shea

Publication Date: August 29, 2023

Why I’m Interested: I was lucky enough to see Jamison Shea at a panel at ALA that was talking about new voices in YA literature, and they were promoting their debut horror novel. It caught my eye because I was surprised to see a horror novel as part of the books, but when they described the premise I knew I needed to seek it out. I snagged an ARC shortly thereafter, and it became a highly anticipated read. Laure is a Black ballerina in Paris, whose talent is immense but constantly shoved to the side. When she ventures into the catacombs and encounters an ominous river of blood, she makes a deal to get the admiration and acknowledgement she deserves. With her new powers and axe to grind, she starts to cut her way through the competition. But her new self comes with a price, and she finds herself with a target on her back with her new monstrous form. I love a villain story, especially when you can see where the villain is coming from.

Book: “Vampires of El Norte” by Isabel Cañas

Publication Date: August 15, 2023

Why I’m Interested: I so loved “The Hacienda” and I told myself that whatever Isabel Cañas came up with next, I was going to jump all over. So imagine my elation when I saw that her newest historical horror novel was going to be about vampires! Nena is a woman living on a ranch in 1840s Mexico, trying to honor her father’s wishes while making a life for herself. With threats of war from white settlers North, tension is high. But there is also whispers of a monster in the wilderness that comes out at night to drink blood from unsuspecting victims. When she is reunited with her childhood sweetheart Nestor in the face of a war, they must come together to protect their home, not only from other countries, but also from a blood drinking creature that feeds relentlessly. Cannot wait to see what Cañas does with this one.

Book: “Whalefall” by Daniel Kraus

Publication Date: August 8, 2023

Why I’m Interested: I’m not a religious person but have a passing familiarity with various Biblical tales, and when I saw this book, a book about a guy swallowed by a whale, my immediate thought was “LIKE JONAH?!” What a hook! I also have been meaning to give Daniel Kraus another go after reading “Scowler” and enjoying it but being super disturbed by it, so “Whalefall” seemed like a good place to start! A diver is searching for the remains of his father in the waters off the coast of California, but in a freak of nature twist finds himself swallowed whole by a sperm whale. When he realizes he’s in the first of four stomachs, he thinks that he can MAYBE escape. But how is he going to do it, especially with his oxygen running out. THIS SOUNDS WILD!

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

Serena’s Review: “The Embroidered Book”

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Book: “The Embroidered Book” by Kate Heartfield

Publishing Info: Harper Voyager, August 2023

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

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

Book Description: 1768. Charlotte, daughter of the Habsburg Empress, arrives in Naples to marry a man she has never met. Her sister Antoine is sent to France, and in the mirrored corridors of Versailles they rename her Marie Antoinette.

The sisters are alone, but they are not powerless. When they were only children, they discovered a book of spells – spells that work, with dark and unpredictable consequences.

In a time of vicious court politics, of discovery and dizzying change, they use the book to take control of their lives.

But every spell requires a sacrifice. And as love between the sisters turns to rivalry, they will send Europe spiralling into revolution.

Review: I was really excited to check this one out when the publisher reached out with an ARC. It’s a perfect cross-section of two of my favorite genres, fantasy and historical fiction. On top of that, while, like many, I know a decent amount about Marie Antoinette, I knew next to nothing about her older sister. Honestly, if you’d quizzed me on whether she even had and older sister, there’s a 50/50 chance I’d have gotten it wrong altogether!

This book really fell into two categories for me, when organizing my thoughts for this review: the impact of it as a piece of historical fiction, and the impact as a fantasy novel. Overall, this was a positive reading experience for me, but by and large this came down to my enjoyment of the book as a work of historical fiction. As I said, I came at this book with only the basic understanding of Marie Antoinette during her life as Queen of France, and knew next to nothing about her childhood or the life of her sister. Immediately, it was quite clear that the author had done her due diligence with the research that went into re-creating the lives of these two women. I enjoyed witnessing their childhood, and then, through their separation, the similarities and differences they each faced in their roles as rulers. There was a deep exploration of the limited preparedness that women brought to these roles, by the nature of their cloistered upbringing and education, as well as the strict boundaries of their power. Yes, in name, they are rulers of countries. In reality, their roles as women are equally defined and bound by the men in their lives as the “common” women.

As characters, I thought they were each well-drawn and compelling, both coming across at times as sympathetic and at others as incredibly foolish and short-sited. However, due to the historical boundaries placed on the story, their relationship as sisters was hindered by the fact that they are separated fairly early in their lives and then spend the next several decades only communicating via letters and through magical means. I understand why this had to be the case, but it did make the relationship between the two feel fairly watered down.

Lastly, the fantasy elements. There were a lot of unique magical elements introduced early in the book, as well as the brewing conflict that plays out throughout the story about who all should have access to magic. There were some interesting developments here, but in the end, I do feel like this was the weakest aspect of the book. Not only did the climax of this particular arc fail to land with any weight, but, in the end, the story concludes exactly as history has seen in, as if magic was never even a factor. I understand not wanting to re-write history, but you’re also introducing literal magic to this world, so it’s not as if this is ever a “realistic” presentation of the story. Indeed, it felt as if you could lift the fantasy elements out of this story whole cloth and really not feel the change. And that’s not really a criticism, as I think the strength of the story as a piece of historical fiction alone would have been enough to make it a worth-while read. In the end, that’s who I would most recommend this book to, those who enjoy historical fiction and who won’t mind the sprinkled fantasy elements that are included.

Rating 8: Perhaps not making the best use of its fantasy elements, this book is still an intriguing piece of historical fiction that explores the lives and limits of two sisters.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Embroidered Book” isn’t on any Goodreads lists, but it should be on Historical Fantasy Genre Books.

Kate’s Review: “What Never Happened”


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

Book: “What Never Happened” by Rachel Howzell Hall

Publishing Info: Thomas & Mercer, August 2023

Where Did I Get This Book: I received an ARC from the publisher via Spark Point Studio.

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

Book Description: Colette “Coco” Weber has relocated to her Catalina Island home, where, twenty years before, she was the sole survivor of a deadly home invasion. All Coco wants is to see her aunt Gwen, get as far away from her ex as possible, and get back to her craft—writing obituaries. Thankfully, her college best friend, Maddy, owns the local paper and has a job sure to keep Coco busy, considering the number of elderly folks who are dying on the island.

But as Coco learns more about these deaths, she quickly realizes that the circumstances surrounding them are remarkably similar…and not natural. Then Coco receives a sinister threat in the mail: her own obituary.

As Coco begins to draw connections between a serial killer’s crimes and her own family tragedy, she fears that the secrets on Catalina Island might be too deep to survive. Because whoever is watching her is hell-bent on finally putting her past to rest.

Review: Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and Spark Point Studio for sending me an ARC of this novel!

We are once again in a situation where a new to me author’s new book showed up in my inbox, this time in the form of “What Never Happened” by Rachel Howzell Hall. I am pretty sure that I hadn’t heard of Hall until I read about this book, and the description was enough to catch my eye and reel me in. I mean, the very idea of an obituary writer having to deal with a sinister mystery in her day to day life is just eye grabbing, right? I didn’t really know what to expect, but dove on in, and for the most part was pretty happy with what I found!

As a thriller it has a lot of good to great elements. I liked the character of Coco for the most part, with her return to Catalina Island in the midst of a divorce a good plot device that lends room to explore the many things that have made her a complex and damaged person. I found her to be pretty believable in her caginess, and I found the small town hiding darkness under a veneer of community to be well done. There are a few different mysteries at hand, whether it’s who is sending Coco threatening messages in the mail, to what is happening to a number of elderly women on the island whose deaths are ruled accidents or natural (when they are very potentially NOT), to who killed Coco’s family when she was younger and living on Catalina in the house she has returned to. It’s a lot of balls to juggle, but I did feel like Hall juggles them pretty well and manages to make decent connections as the story goes on. There is also the very real aspect of Coco being one of the few Black people in the community, and the way that her race others her, and in other ways puts a target on her back. Whether it’s microaggressions, general ignorance, or outright hostility, it adds another dimension to the thriller elements at hand.

But here is what worked best for me in this book: Hall uses the COVID 19 pandemic, specifically the early days of complete disarray, confusion, fear, and lockdowns, to create a very unique locked room mystery as Coco is not only on an isolated island that is hiding sinister secrets, but is now potentially going to be cut off because of spreading illness. Now that we are in a less acute phase of this pandemic I’m more able to tackle books and media that uses it as a theme, and what I liked about this is that while it certainly isn’t centered (like in the fun thriller “56 Days”), it makes for a plausible and familiar tension that makes Coco all the more isolated and closed off in a potentially dangerous place, whether it’s because of her history, her investigation, or her race. It also really captured those first weeks of the pandemic, and how disbelief feels like it completely shifted seemingly overnight into ‘oh shit this is really happening’. It’s never heavy handed and doesn’t feel overdone, but it’s present enough that it really gave me the willies because man. THAT was a trip.

I do think, however, that the pacing was a little off. Mostly because I found it sometimes felt a bit draggy in the middle. I’m not sure if it was that there were a lot of working parts that had to be addressed or that some of the investigations and inner thoughts of Coco were a little circular, but I do think that the middle could have been tightened up just a bit. Once we got towards the climax it really picked up, though, and a fair number of the reveals made it feel like it was worth the wait.

“What Never Happened” is a solid thriller with some creative locked room elements and always (sadly) relevant notes about racism, small town facades, and who gets to be seen as a victim by greater society.

Rating 7: An enticing thriller that tackles trauma, small town secrets, and the ever present spectre of racism in America, “What Never Happened” is a claustrophobic read.

Reader’s Advisory:

“What Never Happened” is included on the Goodreads list “Mystery/Thriller/Detective Books Featuring and Written by Black Women: Part 6”.

Serena’s Review: “Cassiel’s Servant”

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Book: “Cassiel’s Servant” by Jacqueline Carey

Publishing Info: Tor, August 2023

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

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

Book Description: The lush epic fantasy that inspired a generation with a single “Love As Thou Wilt.”

Returning to the realm of Terre d’Ange which captured an entire generation of fantasy readers, New York Times bestselling author Jacqueline Carey brings us a hero’s journey for a new era.

In Kushiel’s Dart , a daring young courtesan uncovered a plot to destroy her beloved homeland. But hers is only half the tale. Now see the other half of the heart that lived it.

Cassiel’s Servant is a retelling of cult favorite Kushiel’s Dar t from the point of view of Joscelin, Cassiline warrior-priest and protector of Phèdre nó Delaunay. He’s sworn to celibacy and the blade as surely as she’s pledged to pleasure, but the gods they serve have bound them together. When both are betrayed, they must rely on each other to survive.

From his earliest training to captivity amongst their enemies, his journey with Phèdre to avert the conquest of Terre D’Ange shatters body and mind… and brings him an impossible love that he will do anything to keep.

Even if it means breaking all vows and losing his soul.

Review: Words cannot describe how excited I was when I first saw that this book was coming out. I absolutely adored Jacqueline Carey’s “Kushiel’s Dart” trilogy when I first read it (one of my earlier memories of very adult fantasy that I read outside of the classics like Tolkien). I went on to re-read the original trilogy several times and read all of the other books that are set in this world. So, yes, I’m a fan. And, if nothing else, this is definitely a book for the fans!

While I do have some questions about what place this book really holds in the general readership, overall, I think it stands on its own feet as a stellar work of fiction. There’s simply no understating the mastery of language and philosophy that Carey is able to weave throughout her works. This latter point, especially, stood out as an important aspect of this work. As a re-telling, a lot of the second half of the book is a re-tread of the plot from the first book in the original trilogy. But woven throughout the entire book is the ongoing arc of Joscelin’s understanding of the order that he has devoted himself to and how that fits into the greater world that he is exposed to throughout this story. From the original, Joscelin very much came across as one of those “still waters run deep” type of characters, so he is an ideal character for a work like this that can really dive into what was going on within him throughout these events.

I will say, as far as the actual plotting and story goes, I did enjoy the first half of this book more than the second. I loved getting to see a bit of Joscelin’s childhood with his family (making his later interactions with them that we saw in the original work hit that much stronger when we come across those plot points again here), but I really enjoyed the portion that was dedicated to his training as a servant of Cassiel. In the original, it was easy to dismiss his upbringing in this group as slightly naïve, rigid, and lacking in the flexibility of thought necessary to exist within “modern” society. So I found it incredibly refreshing to see the positive impacts and positive relationships that Joscelin formed in his early years. Of course, this made the heart-rending nature of his choices later in the book, again, hit that much harder.

However, I will say that meeting Phedre (something every fan I’m sure goes into this book greatly anticipating) and picking up with the plot from “Kushiel’s Dart” is where I did start to question the role of this book. There’s simply no denying that even when reduced to the non-POV character, Phedre is still the driver of all of the action in this story, with Joscelin reduced to a very passive character. And, of course, there’s really no way around this, as that’s the nature of the original story. But it does position this one awkwardly as its own work of fiction. While the world is introduced in a manner that is approachable to new readers, I’m not sure the story itself, especially this second half, would hold up as well. Instead, the joy is largely found for fans of the series who are already “bought in” to this story and have the background knowledge of the original to add context and intrigue to a plot that, for Joscelin himself, becomes quite passive and reactive.

Overall, I think this is the sort of book that will give a huge pay off to the original fans of this world and this series. Those of us who would do almost anything to simply get more, more, more. As a huge fan of this couple, I was more than happy to retread a familiar story if only to get the glimpses into Joscel’s head regarding when and how he fell in love and experienced this relationship. However, I don’t think it stands as well on its own. Readers should really check out the original trilogy before reading this one to truly appreciate these characters and story.

Rating 8: For fans of the original trilogy, this is a must! For new readers, the original story still needs to come first.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Cassiel’s Servant” isn’t on any Goodreads lists yet, but it should be on Medieval Fantasy Books.

Kate’s Review: “Delicate Condition”


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Book: “Delicate Condition” by Danielle Valentine

Publishing Info: Sourcebooks Landmark, August 2023

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

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

Book Description: Anna Alcott is desperate to be pregnant. But as she tries to balance her increasingly public life with a grueling IVF journey, she starts to suspect that someone is going to great lengths to make sure her pregnancy never happens. Crucial medicines are lost. Appointments get swapped without her knowledge. And even when she finally manages to get pregnant, not even her husband is willing to believe that someone’s playing a twisted game with her.

When the increasingly cryptic threats drive her out of her Brooklyn brownstone and into hiding in the cold, gray ghost town that is the Hamptons in the depths of winter, Anna is almost at the end of her rope.

Then her doctor tells her she’s had a miscarriage—except Anna’s convinced she’s still pregnant, despite everything the grave-faced men around her claim. Could it be that her mind is playing tricks on her? Or is something more sinister at play? As her symptoms become ever more horrifying and the sense of danger ever more present, Anna can’t help but wonder what exactly she’s carrying inside of her…and why no one will listen when she says something is horribly, painfully wrong.

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

Perhaps you have noticed, readers, that we are getting a fair amount of horror books centered around pregnancy and motherhood as of late. Which shouldn’t come as a shock to any well versed and in touch horror reader, given that horror trends tend to like to tap into social anxieties that are going on at the time. And seeing as reproductive rights have been getting struck down and attacked in the United States ever since Roe v Wade fell, it’s just par for the course, anxiety wise. “Delicate Condition” by Danielle Valentine is the newest entry to this sub genre, and it already has a bit of hype going in because it is going to be the inspiration for the new “American Horror Story” season coming out later this year. With all these things swirling around in my mind, I dove into this book, eager to see the directions it went. And I really, really loved it.

“Delicate Condition” has gotten a lot of comparisons to “Rosemary’s Baby”, one of the earliest pregnancy horror tales that really captured the mainstream consciousness, but it tweaks and twists it into something far more powerful. There are so many themes that Valentine addresses when it comes to pregnancy, reproduction, motherhood, and misogyny that on paper it would seem like too much to have to juggle. But it is all done so well. We have Anna, an actress in her late thirties whose career has just had a massive windfall right when she is trying to start a family with her husband Dex, and who has been unable to get pregnant thus far and has started IVF treatments. Already we have so much to work with. For one, we have the woman who wants to have a career and is proud of it but now wants to have a family as well, and feels torn between two desires that seem to compete with each other. We also have the frustrations and heartbreak of infertility that has no explanation, and pregnancy loss, and the stresses and trauma around that. We ALSO have the themes of how the medical field can feel somewhat dismissive and callous when it comes to Anna and her infertility (with notes and acknowledgements that it is even worse for BIPOC women and non gender conforming people), and then her actual pregnancy struggles (more on that in a bit), with her doctors being condescending at times and at other times straight up rude or hostile. On top of all of THAT, Anna is also possibly contending with a stalker, and as that starts to ramp up and even seemingly focus on her pregnancy, her fear is written off as stress or paranoia or hormones by most everyone around her. It captures the real life horrors of the way that people treat and view women, be they pregnant or trying to become pregnant or already mothers, and it made my blood boil.

And then there are the more, shall we say, supernatural horrors of Anna’s pregnancy in this story. Early in her pregnancy Anna seems to have a miscarriage, but as time goes on something is still growing inside of her. Her doctors are unwilling to believe that this is anything outside of a hysterical pregnancy at first, but as time goes on she is clearly pregnant, though her symptoms go from run of the mill to extreme nightmare fuel. I loved how Valentine tackled this, as all of the things that Anna experiences, like hair loss, and skin issues, and pain, these are all things that do actually happen to pregnant women, just to the nth degree. And as these things happen, once again they are dismissed as just normal things an she is basically told to take a Tylenol and drink some water. Even as someone is clearly following her. Even as she is having visions of talons trying to cut through her body. It’s exaggerated, but again, boy does it reflect the actual horrors of pregnancy. I was especially sympathetic to all of the ‘just take Tylenol and rest’ bits, given that early in my own pregnancy (which was generally pretty uncomplicated and easy) I had such bad cramping that I called the generic nurses line and was just told to take a Tylenol and drink more water. I ended up fainting from the pain. It all turned out fine, but in that moment being told to just drink more water and take a painkiller that did NOTHING was stressful and confusing. So as I was reading all of these things that are depicted as a body horror tale, knowing FULL WELL that a lot of it is really something that pregnant people deal with, even if it’s to a less degree, I was just super, super impressed.

And finally, there is also the way that Valentine brings together a broader story of other women throughout the centuries who are dealing with a similar thing that Anna is dealing with. We get cut scenes and vignettes of women who are pregnant, or have just given birth, or are trying to become pregnant, who are having the same weird encounters, visions, experiences, and horrors that Anna is encountering. It’s all pretty vague and mysterious, but it is done in a way that when Valentine does eventually weave it all together, it fits so well that I just blew my mind. I’m not going to spoil anything here because I just loved the execution and I loved the ultimate reveal as to what exactly is happening. What I will say is while “Rosemary’s Baby” is an obvious comparison that people will know, there is so much more going on, and not everything is as obvious as it seems.

I really loved “Delicate Condition”. It’s another great pregnancy and motherhood related horror tale that cuts to the bone.

Rating 10: A feminist reimagining of “Rosemary’s Baby” themes with a lot of bones to pick with those who discount the experiences of pregnant people, “Delicate Condition” is a perfect read to reflect the horrors of pregnancy, and the culture that touts it as uncomplicated while ignoring its darkness.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Delicate Condition” is new and isn’t included on any Goodreads lists of of now. But if you liked “Graveyard of Lost Children” or “Rosemary’s Baby” this would probably be a good book for you.

Not Just Books: July 2023

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

Netflix Movie: “Extraction 2”

My husband and I both enjoy action movies and, over the past few years, we have fairly diligently made out way through the Netflix original action movies that they’ve been releasing. Most of them we’ve enjoyed. Other, like the more recent “Luther” movie…less so. But Chris Hemsworth always promises a good time, and we enjoyed the first “Extraction” quite a bit and it was a no brainer to check this one out. And I think I might have liked this one even more than the first! It even had a last minute reveal that was a bunch of fun for fans of these Netflix movies.

Apple TV Show: “Ted Lasso”

Per the usual, I’m several years behind the major trends in popular TV. But also per the usual, I will justify this choice by saying that it allows me to binge entire series of shows and be caught up right around when the last season is finishing up. Such was the case with “Succession,” and so we have here, too. I can definitely understand why this very optimistic, very hopeful show was so popular when it first came out. And I think it’s a lovely exception to the general rule we’ve seen lately in TVs and movies where stories have to be aggressively grim and depressing all in the name of supposed “realism.” It’s nice to watch a show about good people just being good to one another.

TV Show: “Alone”

It’s summer, so it’s time for another season of “Alone!” This and “The Great British Baking Show” have quickly become my all-time favorite reality TV shows. Yes, I can still enjoy of season of “Survivor” or “The Amazing Race,” but it really comes down to the cast, and if it’s a miss there, well. But so far, “Alone” has yet to let me down! It’s always interesting to see what choices the various survivalists will make, and it’s fun to couch coach. “No! Never make a log cabin!” “What are you doing fishing without a net??” “What? You really think you’re going to survive off deadfalls for mice?!” So easy to judge, so hard to actually do. The best kind of reality TV!

Kate’s Picks

Video Game: “Stardew Valley”

This isn’t the first time I’ve highlighted “Stardew Valley”, the gentle and calming open world farm simulator game. I initially started playing it a few years ago on my computer, but it tapered off like many games do. But a combination of things got me back into it. For starters, one of our book club friends had just gotten into it on her new Switch, and I was feeling nostalgic. And also, ALA took a lot of emotional energy out of me and I needed a low stakes burnout outlet. So back into it, now on the Switch, I went! I still love this game where you can grow crops, raise animals, make artisan goods, and build relationships with the townspeople, and having played it before I was able to strategize a bit more going in so that I was pretty well set up for a successful farm earlier, which meant I could focus on schmoozing with the townspeople and rebuilding the community a bit more instead of worrying if my crops were going to sustain me. And I’m romancing the same character because I just can’t quit you, Sebastian!

Film: “Barbie”

While my Terror Tuesday friends opted to go for the full “OppenBarbie” double feature, I myself decided to opt out of their afternoon screening of “Oppenheimer” and join them for drinks before seeing an evening screening of “Barbie”. As someone who played with her Barbies far longer than most children do, I knew that I really wanted to see this movie. And oh man did it NOT disappoint. I loved the way that Greta Gerwig captured the pastel and feminine but aspirational aesthetic of Barbie, while also doing a pretty solid critique of misogyny, capitalism, and how the can do spirit of Barbie showing girls that they can be anything is a good start but also a bit naive in a sexist society filled with oppressive power structures. Margot Robbie brought a lot of cuteness and pathos to Barbie, Ryan Gosling was a HILARIOUS Ken, and I actually found myself weeping deeply a lot more than I anticipated? Highly enjoyable!

Netflix Show: “Glamorous”

If you are looking for a feel good, witty, queer centered and joyful series to sink into, look no further than “Glamorous”! It’s a little “Ugly Betty” and a little “Devil Wears Prada”, but it definitely stands on its own as a kind of soapy but really delightful story. It follows Marco, a gender nonconforming wannabe influencer who is a bit aimless in pursuit of fashion and make up fame. When the legendary model turned make-up mogul Madolyn Addison ends up at Marco’s mall fashion counter and offers him a job as a second assistant, Marco accepts and is thrown into the corporate make up and glamor world, and finds a cutthroat work place that puts him to the test. It’s always fun seeing Kim Cattrall and she’s a delightful Madolyn, but it’s Miss Benny as Marco who really shines in the lead role. It’s also always great to see so many queer characters and actors in a mainstream show, and a show that has lots of queer joy. What a perfect summer watch!