Tag: 7 Rating

Serena’s Review: “Silver & Bloood”

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Book: “Silver & Blood” by Jessie Mihalik

Publishing Info: Avon, January 2026

Where Did I Get this Book: Netgalley!

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

Book Description: There’s something in the woods…

Untrained and barely armed, Riela reluctantly agrees to enter the forest and kill the deadly beast that has been attacking her fellow villagers as she’s the only mage available—or so she thought. When one beast turns into two, she fears her death is at hand, but unexpected aid from a scarred, strikingly handsome man with dangerous moonlit magic means a second chance at life—and an opportunity to learn more about her own fickle power.

After being rescued and healed from her fight in the forest, Riela awakens in a magical castle complete with a gorgeous library, a strange wolf, and the surly man who saved her life. Riela soon learns Garrick is not a mortal mage at all—he’s a powerful Etheri sovereign who has been locked out of his kingdom in Lohka for nearly a century, and his powers are weakening.

Trapped in his castle and surrounded by the treacherous woods, the spark of attraction between Riela and Garrick slowly ignites into fiery desire. But the more they discover about Riela’s magic, the more suspicious Garrick grows of her identity. As they unravel the secrets connecting Riela’s past to Lohka, the tenuous threads of trust between them begin to fray because Riela’s life—or her death—might be the key to regaining everything Garrick has lost.

Review: I’ll be honest, I was sucked in on this one by the cover art. I don’t often love character art on covers, but something about this one was working for me! The book itself, while not terrible, didn’t hit quite as strongly.

I will say, it started off well. The plot takes off as if its life depends upon it, leaving the reader feeling swept along in a story that has already begun. There were numerous action scenes in the first few pages, and Riela’s POV added an intriguing element. She came across as competent, while also not slotting into the played-out “snarky badass” category. Indeed, I was pleased to see that she recognized that she was out of her depth several times early on.

Unfortunately, after the blistering pace of the first few chapters, once Riela reaches the enchanted castle and meets the MMC, the book seems to run smack-dab into a brick wall. Any pacing or tension that was built up immediately drained away, and the plot began circling the same few beats, chapter after chapter. Riela would explore the castle, look for food, have a brief interaction with the overly mysterious and withdrawn MMC, and then rinse and repeat. This took up the majority of the book, ultimately, with things only picking up again towards the final quarter of the story.

Further, once the pace slowed down and the plot became repetitive, I was left with too much time to think through the ins and outs of this world. And very quickly, much of it began to feel slightly derivative and unimaginative. I enjoyed the “Beauty and the Beast” vibes that made up the basic premise, but I was left wanting a bit more from almost every part of the book by the time we got to the end.

That said, I think the writing itself was fairly strong. Like I said, the book starts off strong, and the main character was written in a compelling manner. I didn’t hate my reading experience by any means, and I’ll definitely check out another book by this author. This just missed the mark a bit, unfortunately. That said, if you’re looking for a romantasy book that checks some familiar fairytale boxes and includes solid writing, this one might be for you!

Rating 7: While the writing and characterization were strong, there simply wasn’t enough plot or pacing to hold the story together through the lagging middle portion.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Silver & Blood” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Romantasy TBR 2026 and 2026 Fantasy Romance Releases.

Kate’s Review: “The Hostess”

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Book: “The Hostess” by Courtney Psak

Publishing Info: Hodder & Stoughton, January 2026

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

Where You Can Get This Book: Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: Natalie and her husband decide to escape the city for a much-needed break. After suffering from a terrible accident, Natalie needs some time and space to recover. So when they find a gorgeous rental home on an estate in the Hamptons available at the last minute, it seems too good to be true.

The owner of the estate, Sadie, is beautiful, elegant and wealthy, and Natalie is immediately drawn to her.

But as the women begin to bond, Natalie can’t shake the feeling that Sadie is hiding something beneath her polished exterior.

When Natalie discovers that the previous guest disappeared without a trace, dark questions Who exactly is the hostess? What are her secrets? And can Natalie uncover the truth, before it’s too late?

Review: Thank you to Kaye Publicity for sending me an ARC of this novel!

It’s the dead of winter here in Minnesota, with temps dropping well below zero this weekend. In the dead of winter it’s always kind of fun to read books that have a less frigid setting, and “The Hostess” by Courtney Psak is a twisty thriller that also happens to take place in The Hamptons, a beach setting if there ever was one (though to be fair, apparently New York is also getting rocked by cold and snow this weekend, so even The Hamptons get frigid). I hadn’t ready anything by Courtney Psak before, but when this ended up in my mailbox I thought I’d give it a go. I like a suspenseful thriller with unreliable narrators, after all, and this one sounded like it would deliver on that.

We have two narrative voices in “The Hostess”. The first is that of Natalie, a woman who needs to get away from her everyday life after being in an accident that has given her mental health woes and hallucinations (though her past traumas are also causing issues). She and husband Luke luck out in renting a house in the Hamptons, with their hostess being Sadie, a wealthy and charismatic woman, who also happens to be our second narrative POV, and who has some secrets of her own. We alternate between Natalie and Sadie, slowly learning about both of them through flashbacks and the slow reveal of secrets that they are keeping. Natalie and Sadie both have interesting layers, with my opinions starting in one place for each of them and then evolving in ways that I didn’t expect.

I will say that it took a bit for me to get fully invested in this, as for whatever reason the first half it dragged a little bit as the exposition and clues were starting to be set out. There were a few red herrings that I could spot from the jump, and while I was interested to see what surprises were laying in wait, I was also kind of getting anxious to get further into the action and suspense. But that said, once things did click into place, I was pretty well pulled into the story and the mystery at hand. By the time I was getting to the final chapters I was racing through the pages to see what was going to happen, and that, to me, is what ultimately made this story worth the read, and one that would be a solid choice if you are looking for a thriller with some interesting twists and turns.

“The Hostess” is ultimately an enjoyable thriller with some interesting narrative characters. Think about picking it up if you want a mystery on a cold winter night.

Rating 7: Once the pace picked up in the last half I was pretty into it!

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Hostess” isn’t on any Goodreads lists as of now, but this is probably a read for Frieda McFadden fans.

Serena’s Review: “The Elsewhere Express”

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Book: “The Elsewhere Express” by Samantha Sotto Yambao

Publishing Info: Del Rey, January 2026

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

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

Book Description: You can’t buy a ticket for the Elsewhere Express. Appearing only to those whose lives are adrift, it’s a magical train carrying very rare and special cargo: a sense of purpose, peace, and belonging.

Raya is one of those lost souls. She had dreamed of being a songwriter, but when her brother died, she gave up on her dream and started living his instead. One day on the subway, as her thoughts wander, she’s swept off to the Elsewhere Express. There she meets Q, a charming, handsome artist who, like her, has lost his place in the world.

Together they find a train full of wonders, from a boarding car that’s also a meadow to a dining car where passengers can picnic on lily pads to a bar where jellyfish and whales swim through pink clouds. But they also discover that the train harbors secrets—and danger: A mysterious stranger has stowed away and brought with him a dark, malignant magic that threatens to destroy the train.

But in investigating the stowaway’s identity, Raya also finds herself drawing closer to the ultimate question: What is her life’s true purpose—and might Q be connected to it?

Review: For the most part, I enjoyed this author’s debut book, Water Moon. It was written in a gorgeous, lyrical style, and the sheer scope of creativity on display was truly impressive. The characters were also largely enjoyable. What held me back was the very loose trappings of a plot that held together the inventive scenes that took place throughout the book. All of this being the case, I was excited to see another book coming out from this author, as I thought she had a lot of potential. I will admit, however, that I was a bit concerned by the synopsis: in many ways, it sounded like it was leaning into the exact problem points that I had with the first book. And now, having completed it, I have to say that that impression was correct.

That’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy this read! Like the first book, there was a lot to enjoy here, and many of the author’s strengths were once again on display. There’s no overstating how impressive the author’s range for creativity truly is. The book moves from train car to train car, each more fantastical and whimsical than the last. These descriptive elements also continue to be written using a lovely, flowing style that perfectly aligns with the dream-like quality of these worlds. The author also made an attempt to tie some of these fantastical scenes into deeper themes of loss and life. There were a few moments here that really stood out. However, others felt like they were either too on the nose or too obscure to be fully realized.

However, once again, the story fell apart a bit with the plot itself. Our main characters were interesting enough (though I will say that the friendship between them developed quite quickly, all things considered). But the premise of the train itself did start to feel very tired very quickly, with our characters simply moving from one section to another, again and again. Our primary main character, Raya, seems to early on realize that this is more than it seems and wishes to leave the confines of the train, and, unfortunately, this sentiment transfers to the reader all too easily.

Beyond that, I was a bit disappointed with the whole “train” thing of it all. I love trains. I grew up traveling across the country on them every summer, and there is truly an old-fashioned sort of “romanticism” to be found there. However, as far as the structure of this story is concerned, our characters could have been traveling through any series of interconnected places. They could be in a hotel just as easily as a train, for all that it mattered. The train itself was just a vehicle (no pun intended) for these fantasy scenes to be strung along, rather than a feature itself.

Ultimately, my experience was very similar to that of Water Moon. I was initially pulled in by the beautiful whimsy of it all. But as the book continued, the formula quickly became tired, and I needed more depth from our characters and more “plot” from the plot to really become invested in what was going on. I’m starting to think that this author might do better going the novella route, similar to Seanan McGuire and her Wayward Children series. In a shorter format, I think the author’s true genius for wildly creative fantasy worlds could be better highlighted while not getting tangled up in weaker plotting. Overall, I’ll say that your experience with this book will likely be similar to your experience with Water Moon. If you loved that book, I highly recommend this one. If you’re a bit on the fence, just make sure to expect a similar experience here.

Rating 7: High marks for imagination and whimsy, but sadly lackluster as far as plot and characterization.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Elsewhere Express” can be found on these Goodreads lists: The Most Beautiful Covers of 2026 and All the New Fantasy Books Arriving in January 2026.

Serena’s Review: “The Book of Blood and Roses”

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Book: “The Book of Blood and Roses” by Annie Summerlee

Publishing Info: Del Rey, January 2026

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

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

Book Description: In the mists of the Scottish Highlands is a university where vampire students study alongside humans.

Rebecca Charity is a vampire hunter undercover at the university, searching for the mysterious Book of Blood and Roses, a lost compendium of ways to kill vampires. If she finds it, she’ll be one step closer to avenging her parents, who were slain by those creatures of the night.

But when Rebecca arrives, she finds something unexpected: a coffin. Her new roommate is Aliz Astra, scion of one of the most powerful vampire families… and the most beautiful woman Rebecca has ever met.

The maddeningly gorgeous Aliz is everything that Rebecca has always hated, but also everything she ever wanted, and now Rebecca doesn’t know if she wants to kiss or kill her.

When Aliz rescues her from a vampire attack one moonlit night, she accidentally makes Rebecca her familiar. Now, they must work together to break the curse, but as they get closer to solving the mystery, Rebecca and Aliz get closer, too.

But can a vampire hunter ever fall in love with a vampire?

Review: A reader’s reception of this book will largely, I believe, have to do with their feelings toward vampires. If you’re happy with the general boundaries laid out in other stories like Buffy and True Blood, then you might enjoy this. But if you’re looking for anything deeper to be added to vampire lore, or for any of your expectations for a vampire romance novel to be subverted, well…you’ll probably be a bit underwhelmed, like I was.

That’s not to say that this was a bad book. It sets out with a goal: to tell a sapphic “enemies to lovers” (hold the “enemies”) vampire story that takes place in a school setting. And it proceeds to do just that, but never much more than that. At times it felt like the author was on a personal mission to include every single piece of vampire lore in the book, with not a change made to any of them in sight. I kept waiting for what would make these vampires different from the rest, and there just wasn’t anything. Plus, if you think about it, most vampire stories only include a few of the common vampire tropes. Because, like you see when you step back and evaluate this book’s version of monsters, when you include them all (garlic, silver, sleeping in coffins, etc.), it all starts to feel a bit silly.

The romance itself was fine, though it definitely fell closer to the “instalove” side of the spectrum than not. I also think the whole “enemies” thing was fairly overblown. Not all romances need this element; indeed, the vast majority would be better to avoid it altogether unless the actual story calls for it. And even here, with the concept of a vampire and vampire hunter put together as roommates and falling in love, the “enemies” portion felt rather silly right from the start.

This wasn’t helped by the fact that I didn’t enjoy the main character. For an individual with a covert mission, she was wildly obvious at every moment in both her thoughts and actions. She was also incredibly judgmental of everyone around her. While this could have led to an interesting arc of growth and understanding, I don’t feel like this was ever accomplished. The writing was also incredibly simplistic, often relying on telling the reader exactly how our main character or those around her are feeling, rather than showing any development.

All of this comes across as rather harsh, but I think my strongest feeling when closing the book was apathy. Like I said, it’s not a bad book by any means. The story, while simple, was paced well, and I think many readers will connect with the romance more than I did. Unfortunately for me, I just wanted a bit more from a vampire romantasy.

Rating 7: Inoffensive but also not inspiring, this book included pretty much every vampire trope you can imagine while changing none of them.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Book of Blood and Roses” can be found on these Goodreads lists: 2026 Debuts and 2026 Queer SFF.

Serena’s Review: “Anathema”

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Book: “Anathema” by Keri Lake

Publishing Info: Bloom Books, September 2025

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

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

Book Description: Only the banished know what lies beyond the woods …

There are whispers about what lurks in Witch Knell—the forest where sinners go to die. The villagers call it The Eating Woods because what’s taken is never given back. Only those who’ve lost their senses would dare to go near it.

Or the banished.

Maevyth Bronwick knows better than to breach the misty labyrinth of trees, but a tragic turn of events compels her beyond the archway of bones, to a boundary no mortal has crossed before. One that cloaks a dark and fantastical world that’s as dangerous as it is alluring.

It’s there that he dwells, the cursed lord of Eidolon. The one tasked to keep her hidden from the magehood that seeks to crucify her in the name of an arcane prophesy. Zevander Rydainn, known to his prey as The Scorpion, is the coldest, most calculated assassin in all of Aethyria and he’d sooner toss his feisty ward to a pack of vicious fyredrakes than keep her safe.

If only he could.

Maevyth’s blood is the key to breaking his despised curse and vanquishing the slumbering evil in Witch Knell. Unfortunately for Lord Rydainn, fate has other plans for the irresistible little enchantress. And his growing obsession with her threatens to destroy everything.

Including himself.

Review: This was one of those frustrating reads where I could see so much potential and, at times, was truly enjoying my reading experience! However, it was also one of those odd experiences where the phrase “less is more” comes strongly to mind.

To start with the good things, to say that this book has a vibe is an understatement. Gloom, dread, and gothic darkness permeate every scene, leaving readers with no escape from the heavy atmosphere of the book. On one hand, this can feel as heavy as it sounds, making the reading experience one that may require breaks instead of long reading sessions. But on the other hand, this strong sense of atmosphere fully drew me in, with truly lovely turns of phrase and descriptions sprinkled throughout (even if the topics of said descriptions were in themselves still quite dark).

I also liked the two main characters. With romances and romantasy novels, I often struggle to fully enjoy stories where the POV is split between the hero and the heroine. All told, I often find that I’d rather imagine the MMC’s perspective than hear it myself (too often authors make the mistake of writing men who simply lust after the heroine throughout their entire chapter, and I find this more off-putting than anything else). But in many ways, I think this book more closely aligns with a dark fantasy novel than with dark romantasy, as the romance is almost an afterthought throughout much of the story. This being the case, much of the focus of both characters’ POVs was more centered around their own arcs and story progression. They each had clear motivations of their own, focused on their various loved ones and goals. Of the two, I think I even preferred Zevander’s (hate the name though) story more, as much of his narrative was the driver behind the larger plot.

However, for all of these positives, this was one of those books where you truly felt its length. It’s a long novel, and at no point was I convinced that that page length was justified for the story we are given. From a pacing standpoint, the two main characters don’t even truly interact until nearly the middle point of the entire book, several hundred pages into the story! While they were both strong on their own, it did leave the book feeling as if it has a massive prologue tacked on before the true action picked up.

Further, while I liked the dark atmosphere, I also felt like this book was falling into what I call the “Ava Reid problem.” That is, there were many points, particularly in the first third of the book, where I felt like the author was including dark themes and scenes purely for shock value. Sure, these scenes were written in a compelling manner and were, indeed, shocking. But then the story would continue, and I would realize that that dark element was never really going to be touched on again or didn’t actually progress the story in any way. It was just darkness for darkness’ sake.

The combination of these two problems, an overly long page count and the inclusion of darker elements seemingly only in pursuit of shocking the readers, ultimately overcame my enjoyment in other areas. Frustratingly, both problems could be solved at once with some careful editing and paring down of some of these unnecessary scenes. In this way, the pacing would be fixed, the page length would feel appropriate for the story we have in the end, and the dark scenes would hit more forcibly, since they would be reduced to the ones that actually progress the story forward.

I’m curious to see what happens in the series going forward, but I will be cautious picking up the next book. A tome of this length is a commitment, and I’ll now be a bit wary going into the next that any exorbitant page length is truly deserved. That said, if you’ve enjoyed this author in the past or love dark fantasy stories, this might still be worth checking out! The writing is strong and the characters interesting. Just set aside plenty of time for it, I guess!

Rating 7: While there was a lot of promise here, I felt like the interesting story and good characters were buried under unnecessary shock content and slow pacing.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Anathema” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Original Stories . . . a Breath of Fresh Air and Magic, Adventure, Romance

Serena’s Review: “An Arcane Inheritance”

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Book: “An Arcane Inheritance” by Kamilah Cole

Publishing Info:  Sourcebooks, December 2025

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

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

Book Description: Warren University has stood amongst the ivy elite for centuries, built on the bones―and forbidden magic―of its most prized BIPOC students…hiding the rot of a secret society that will do anything to keep their own powers burning bright. No matter who they must sacrifice along the way.

Ellory Morgan is determined to prove that she belongs at Warren University, an ivy league school whose history is deeply linked to occult rumors and dark secrets. But as she settles into her Freshman year, something about the ornate buildings and shadowy paths feels strangely…familiar. And, with every passing day, that sense of déjà vu grows increasingly sinister.

Despite all logic, despite all reason, despite all the rules of reality, Ellory knows one thing to be true: she has been here before. And if she can’t convince brooding legacy student Hudson Graves to help her remember a past that seems determined to slip through her fingers as if by some insidious magic…this time, she may lose herself for good.

Review: There are a few subgenres of fantasy that I doubt I’ll ever get entirely sick of, and dark academia is one of those! While cozy fantasy is a struggle more often than not, the dark, gloomy, slightly mysterious vibe of dark academia and gothic fantasies is always up my alley.

To start with the positives, this one definitely struck the right chords on that note. The entire tone of this book was perfect, with a lovely balance of darkness, mystery, and the elevated language that one expects to find from any book that rubs elbows with a term like “academia.” It definitely delivers on all the expectations readers will have for it, based on the book summary above. That said, the book doesn’t deliver anything more than you would expect, and that’s where it began to fall flat.

From the progression of the plot, to the character archetypes of our two main leads, to their romance, to the final twists and turns toward the end of the book, nothing really struck me by surprise or asked me to stop and think more deeply about any of it. I pretty much just read the book, and then…was done. One of the things I often enjoy about dark academia is the treatment of fantastical themes or abilities through a more serious lens, often combining philosophy and critique with these more magical elements. But here, any of the themes explored were done in ways that felt overly familiar and almost derivative at times. Nothing new was added to any of these conversations, and I found myself with the urge to skim more often than I had hoped.

As for the characters, they, too, were just fine. Readers should be aware that the romance plays a more central role in the story than, perhaps, the blurb suggests. This can be a positive or a negative, of course. I enjoy romantic subplots, so by and large I was fine with the scales tipping more towards the love story than towards the plot. However, the romance itself also felt very expected, following all of the story beats I have come to expect from the enemies-to-lovers, academic rivals love story. Again, it wasn’t bad, but it also didn’t draw me in particularly. By the end, when the action picks up and the romance comes to a head, I found myself not caring as much as I imagine I should have about the future for these two characters.

I feel like I’ve written an entire review and said very little. But ultimately, that’s kind of how I felt about this book. It’s a full-length novel that seemed to have very little new to say or contribute to an already packed subgenre. I do think that the writing itself was strong, so I’ll definitely be checking out whatever this author has next in store, but this one, sadly, won’t stick with me for long.

Rating 7: I enjoyed the overall writing style and the dark academia vibes; however, the stories and characters felt overly familiar, leaving me a bit cold in the end.

Reader’s Advisory:

“An Arcane Inheritance” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Black Fantasy and 2026 Debuts.

Kate’s Review: “Hark the Herald Angels Scream”

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Book: “Hark the Herald Angels Scream” by Christopher Golden (Ed.)

Publishing Info: Anchor, October 2018

Where Did I Get This Book: The library!

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

Book Description: That there is darkness at the heart of the Yuletide season should not surprise. Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is filled with scenes that are unsettling. Marley untying the bandage that holds his jaws together. The hideous children–Want and Ignorance–beneath the robe of the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. The heavy ledgers Marley drags by his chains. In the finest versions of this story, the best parts are the terrifying parts.
Bestselling author and editor Christopher Golden shares his love for Christmas horror stories with this anthology of all-new short fiction from some of the most talented and original writers of horror today.

Review: I have sort of made it a tradition to try and read and review some kind of holiday horror in the days leading up to the Solstice/Christmas here on the blog, and I actually had a harder time finding something this year. Unlike the previous two years we didn’t have a brand new collection of holiday horror tales (at least none I could find), so I went back to 2018 with the anthology “Hark the Herald Angels Scream”, edited by Christopher Golden. I do like Golden’s books for the most part, and the collection does boast a good deal of pretty fun horror authors. I settled into it, getting into the Christmas spirit in a spooky kind of way! And it was a pretty okay read, all things considered. One that definitely got me in the spirit.

Footage of me getting into said spirit. (source)

You guys no doubt know the drill, but here it is again. I will review in detail my three favorite stories in the collection, and then review the collection as a whole.

“Absinthe and Angels” by Kelley Armstrong: I love it when a short stories collection starts off with a bang, and did it ever with this first tale in the anthology. Michael and Ava are spending a solitary Christmas Eve in an isolated cabin, miles from any other person, hoping to have peace and quiet and to read Dickens over drinks. But then a group of mummers knock on the door, singing carols and demanding food and wine. And they aren’t so willing to leave without getting what they want. The building dread and uncanny weirdness of the Christmas Eve visitors was deeply unsettling, feeling like we were on the brink of an home invasion or something worse, and I really liked the creepiness. It’s a great way to start us off!

“It’s A Wonderful Knife” by Christopher Golden: Christopher Golden contributed a story to the collection and it was definitely a fun one that didn’t HAVE to be Christmas-y, but benefited from it because of a puntastic title. A young woman named Cassie has the opportunity to not only attend an elite Hollywood Christmas party, she also has the chance to tour a strange collection of Hollywood artifacts owned by a powerful (and predatory) producer. In this collection is a strange knife… This was a cathartic and satisfying read, with scummy Hollywood predators getting some comeuppance along with some nostalgic Hollywood factoids. Not super scary, but definitely very wicked and gratifying.

“Hiking Through” by Michael Koryta: This was probably my favorite story of the lot, because man oh man does it hit so many sub-genres and tropes that I love. A young man hiking the Appalachian trail in Maine during the winter hears story around the campfire with fellow hikers of a strange woman who may be a witch. I mean come on. I love a witch story, I really like wilderness horror, and the winter setting in Appalachia made it all the more weird and eerie. I also loved the way that it flowed, feeling both incredibly tense but also somewhat lackadaisical. And the final line? WOW.

There were a couple other stand outs (I was laughing out loud repeatedly at the story “Good Deeds” by Jeff Strand because it just EVISCERATES that stupid “Christmas Shoes” song, which I have hated forever), but there were also a few that really didn’t work for me. I also kind of found a repetitive theme of children coming to harm, which just felt a bit repetitive as time went on. This whole ‘it’s the most wonderful time of year that children look forward to, so let’s make children suffer’ vibe just kind of felt unoriginal every time it happened, and I feel like you can do more to subvert a favorite children’s holiday than by just doing child death and injury.

But that said, if you are looking for some Christmas horror tales as we inch closer and closer to the big day, “Hark the Herald Angels Scream” is a pretty good place to start! The ones I liked I really liked.

Rating 7: There are some really fun holiday horror tales here, as well as some middling ones, but there is almost certainly something for every kind of horror fan in these pages.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Hark the Herald Angels Scream” is included on the Goodreads lists “Creepy Christmas”, and “Holiday Horror Books”.

Kate’s Review: “Carried Away”

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

Book: “Carried Away: Surviving the Unimaginable” by T.J. Derry

Publishing Info: Dead Icon Collective, November 2025

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

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

Book Description: A tropical surf escape turns catastrophic when a tsunami hits, stranding four best friends in a fight for survival. Injured, disoriented, and cut off from the world, they face a brutal test no one could have prepared for.

For Cole, the trip was meant to be a reset—surf, sun, and nothing serious. But an unexpected connection with Kendal, a grounded, perceptive traveler, changes everything. Just as their romance begins to take root, disaster sweeps it all away.

Days stretch into an ordeal of dehydration, exposure, predators—and unraveling minds. The paradise they came to enjoy becomes a crucible that tests every instinct, bond, and belief.

Told with visceral realism and poetic restraint, Carried Away explores the thin lines between fear and love, chaos and clarity, life and loss. For fans of The Beach, Into the Wild, and Unbroken, it’s a gripping debut about friendship, survival, and the beautiful brutality of waking up to your own life.

A portion of the proceeds from book sales will be donated to Sungai Watch, an organization dedicated to reducing ocean pollution by cleaning up Indonesia’s rivers.

Review: Thank you to Dead Icon Collective for sending me an ARC of this novel!

It’s going to be incredibly cold in Minnesota this weekend. Like, -25 degrees below cold. This is how it can be here in L’Etoile du Nord, so perhaps spending some time leading up to it reading a book about a surfing trip gone horribly wrong made the impending frigid temps not feel so bad…. Maybe. But I will say that as I read “Carried Away” by T.J. Derry, I found myself thinking I was grateful this ice box of a state doesn’t have to worry about tsunamis. I do love this kind of survival story, so I wanted to read it when it came across the inbox.

I will say that this book moved a little slow for me at first. I wholly understand the need for laying the groundwork as Cole and his friends Kavi, Logan, and Fern settle in for an ambitious surfing trip in Indonesia, setting up the beautiful backdrop, the charming people they meet on their journey (including the effervescent Kendal, with whom Cole shares a deep connection). But for me, I was really excited to get to the survival thriller aspect of the book, and I’m wholly impatient which is probably on me.

But once we got to the tsunami and the aftermath of it, I was basically locked in. I LOVE wilderness survival tales, as someone who doesn’t do much ‘wilderness’-ing, and this one felt like a mix of “The Shallows” and the old TV movie “Two Came Back” (which is based on the actual survival story of Deborah Scaling Kiley). As Cole and his friends have to survive on a makeshift raft with no food or water, and then on an isolated and decimated small island, the deteriorating conditions of him and his friends and their situation is tense and gripping. I enjoyed how the danger didn’t really go away once they were on land, but just shifted due to the presence of a giant salt water crocodile and one of their friends being gravely injured and becoming weaker and weaker. I love crocodilians, and it’s not often that I’ve seen one being used in a survival story like this.

So while the start was a bit slower, once the meat of the survival tale began I was locked in. “Carried Away” had solid suspense and some interesting introspection the things you may miss out on if you chase adventure to situations that may not let you go.

Rating 7: Once we got to the wilderness survival aspects of the book I was fully invested! Its hard to say no to sharks and a giant crocodile!

Reader’s Advisory:

“Carried Away” isn’t on any Goodreads lists as of now, but it would fit in on “Wilderness Thrillers”.

Serena’s Review: “Tender Cruelty”

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Book: “Tender Cruelty” by Katee Robert

Publishing Info: Sourcebooks Casablanca, December 2025

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

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

Book Description: The barrier that’s protected Olympus for generations has fallen. The enemy’s breached the gates and the Thirteen are scrambling to protect themselves, their loved ones, and the city they’ve sworn to protect. At least they would be if they weren’t at each others’ throats instead.

Hera has no intention of letting her husband, Zeus, survive the oncoming storm. But despite the white-hot hatred burning between them, when Hera and Zeus are forced to work together, enmity crystalizes into something brighter. Hotter. Too powerful to deny or destroy.

Hera never bartered on falling in love with the man she married―the man she once swore to kill. But now, standing back-to-back in the ruins of Olympus, she may be forced to admit that she’s been wrong about Zeus all these years…and there may be something about their marriage worth saving if they can survive long enough to turn sworn enemies into something more.

Review: As I mentioned in a fairly recent “Not Just Books” post, I’ve been obsessively playing Hades recently. As such, I’m in deep on tons of Greek mythology and am on a constant lookout for more of the same! That being the case, I was excited to check out the most recent book in the Dark Olympus series. I’m obviously not up to date on the entire series, but as this entry is dealing with Hera, a favorite Olympian of mine, I still wanted to check it out!

So, I’ll admit that this was perhaps not the best one to jump into the series with. For one thing, I didn’t realize it was the second to the last in the series. But as such, a lot of the focus was on the greater political maneuverings of all the various characters as the book set up the conclusion of the series that will come next. I probably wasn’t able to appreciate all of these various plotlines to the same extent that fans of the series will, but I was definitely intrigued by what I did see. I’ll probably go back and read earlier books to get some of the individual stories for characters we see here.

One thing that I can say, even without being current with the greater plot points, was the necessary emphasis on these greater story beats did leave the romance and story between Zeus and Hera feeling distinctly second fiddle at times. There simply wasn’t enough time in the book to feel as if their story was given the proper page length to feel truly fleshed out and resolved by the end.

As for Hera and Zeus, I did enjoy these characters. Again, not having read the earlier books, I can only guess that I might have largely hated Zeus in other books. But having his perspective here did make him a fairly compelling character. And Hera, as expected, was great. As one of the goddesses who I think gets done worst in many stories of Olympians, I was happy to see an intriguing take on the character here.

As for the romance, this wasn’t my favorite. I’ve become increasingly agnostic towards the “enemies to lovers” trope, as I think the romance/romantasy market has been truly saturated by the full takeover of this one style of love story. Like I said earlier, the balance between greater plot and romance felt off, and I think more focus on the emotional transition from enemies to lovers would have improved this for me. Also, subjectively, I just don’t really enjoy smut scenes between characters who are still fully in the “hate” portion of the romance. Truly, the book starts out and the characters are already down and dirty in the first chapter. I’m not sure how consistent this is in the other books, but this veered too close to erotica for my own taste.

Overall, I think that this book will be a hit for fans of the series, but is probably not the best place to jump in (fully my bad!). However, I think the worldbuilding and politics of this world were definitely interesting, and I think I’ll plan on checking out earlier entries in the series to see the buildup to this point!

Rating 7: I’m never going to love a romance that has the “enemies” fully engaged in the smut scenes within the first few pages, well before any sort of “lovers” has been earned, but I think the greater worldbuilding is very intriguing!

Reader’s Advisory:

“Tender Cruelty” can be found on this Goodreads list: [ATY 2026] Part of a Series,

Kate’s Review: “Watch Us Fall”

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Book: “Watch Us Fall” by Christina Kovac

Publishing Info: Simon & Schuster, December 2025

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

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

Book Description: Lucy and her three best friends share a glamorous but decaying house in the heart of Georgetown. They call themselves “the Sweeties” and live an idyllic post-grad lifestyle complete with exciting jobs, dramatic love lives, and, most importantly, each other.

But when Addie, the group’s queen bee, discovers that her ex-boyfriend Josh has gone missing, the Sweeties’ worlds are turned upside down. In the days leading up to his disappearance, Josh, a star investigative journalist from a prominent political family, was behaving erratically—and Lucy is determined to find out why. All four friends upend their lives to search for him, but detectives begin to suspect that the Sweeties might know more than they’re letting on.

As the investigation unfolds, Lucy’s obsession with the case reaches a boiling point, and with it, her own troubling secrets begin bubbling to the surface of her carefully curated life. A thrilling account of the lies and delusions that lurk beneath cloistered groups of female friends and the sinister realities of celebrity, Watch Us Fall is a gripping mystery and an examination of the things we tell ourselves when we can’t face the truth.

Review: Thank you to Kaye Publicity for sending me an ARC of this novel!

After a couple years of slow starts to Minnesota winters, we FINALLY got a solid amount of snowfall just in time for Thanksgiving! And it looks like it’s going to be a cold and snowy winter for the foreseeable future. I, for one, am stoked, because I LOVE having snow on the ground for the holiday season. I also love having books to read that match the feel of the winter wonderland that we get for winters in Minnesota, and “Watch Us Fall” by Christina Kovac is a perfect pairing for the weather. Does it have a snowy setting? Yes. Does it have a strange mystery at its heart involving a missing person, a political dynasty, and close roommates who also have secrets? Yes. Does that make something I definitely want to read? Oh yes.

We have two narratives at hand with this mystery: the first is that of Lucy, our first person narrator who is connected to missing person Josh through her roommate/dear friend Addie, and who is trying to piece together what happened after the fact. The second is that of Josh himself, told in a third person narrative in the time leading up to his disappearance, generally starting around the time he began seeing Addie. Sometimes I am a bit hesitant when a story switches between POV styles, but I thought that it worked for the most part in this book, mostly because it helped peel back some layers of the mystery in ways that we couldn’t have if it was just one or the other. Along with that, it is an interesting way to throw in some misdirections and red herrings in ways that kept me on my toes, as I found myself thinking ‘ah, okay, I think I have this figured out’, only to then say ‘no, wait, that’s not it, maybe it’s THIS’. As we make our way to the point where both narratives converge, we have learned a fair amount about both Lucy and Josh that then made for the final push to be suspenseful and gripping.

I think that one criticism I had was that when I read the description it sounded like we were going to have a lot of focus on all of the Sweeties and their friendships as they connected to each other in different ways. But instead of having a number of interesting female friends with differing dynamics, we didn’t really get to see much of Estella and Penelope. Lucy as a character was fine, but at times I found her to be a bit grating, and if we had a bit more from Estella and Penelope to balance it out a bit I think that it would have worked better for me. On top of that, I’m not sure if I felt that some of the final twists and reveals were earned. I found myself a little underwhelmed by aspects of the solution to the mystery as a whole, but that is very possibly a very subjective thing and it may not apply to everyone.

BUT! The winter setting is basically perfect for this time of year. Like I stated above, I love it when winter settles in and the books I pick up match the vibe, and “Watch Us Fall” definitely has that winter mystery vibe! If you have the snow like we do and you like thrillers, consider picking it up!

Rating 7: A suspenseful mystery with generally successful dual narratives (though I wanted more from other characters), “Watch Us Fall” is a perfect winter read for thriller fans.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Watch Us Fall” is included on the Goodreads lists “I Support Women’s Wrongs”, and “Books With Unreliable Narrators”.