Tag: 7 Rating

Serena’s Review: “West of Wicked”

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Book: “West of Wicked” by Nikki St. Crowe

Publishing Info: Bramble, April 2026

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

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

Book Description: Dorothy Gale doesn’t know where she came from. She has only the vaguest memory of her life before landing in the dull, gray world of the vast Kansas prairie.

Then a cyclone rips through the night and carries her, her dog, and the farmhouse somewhere a lot farther than Dorothy imagined. She’s in a strange land that’s apparently cursed, shrouded in shadow. And to get home, Dorothy needs to seek out a wizard, following a treacherous path and watch out for a never-ending list of forest beasts, witches, a cursed mercenary, and perhaps most dangerous of all, the wizard himself.

Nikki St. Crowe vividly reimagines the world of the Wizard of Oz, where the villain gets the girl…and the girl gets the power.

Review: I had heard of this author before because I looked into a “Peter Pan” retelling that she wrote at one point. That one seemed like it was a “reverse harem” romance, so I gave it a pass. But this one sounded like the more straightforward “enemies to lovers” trope, and, combined with my nostalgic love of “Wizard of Oz,” I thought this might be a good entry point to this author.

And, while I didn’t outright love it, I can also see the appeal of this author for sure. Right from the start, she has a very compelling style of storytelling. The pacing is quick, but I never felt like the author was skimping on the characterization or world-building. I had a decent understanding of just who Dorothy was and what was important to her fairly early in the story. As her arc continues, there were added layers given to her motivations and changes in perspective, so I appreciated that growth was there.

I also enjoyed the twists and turns taken with the world of Oz and the original characters. Frankly, this carried much of the book for me, as I was always eager to meet new characters or see new locations and explore the unique take the author was bringing to these classic elements. That said, if you feel at all “precious” about these originals, this book might not be for you. The author plays fast and loose with any original characteristics; I found this fun, but it could also be jarring if you were hoping to find characters that were more in line with their original versions.

Probably not surprising anyone, I mostly had gripes with the romance and the spice. On the spice side, the story starts out with a completely unnecessary erotic scene between the main character and a throwaway character. Now, I know that some readers enjoy spice for spice’s sake. But for me, these kinds of unnecessary spice scenes so early in a book make me feel as if the author thinks that readers are just hornballs who will put down a book if they don’t get a sex scene in the first 25 pages. This scene literally had zero impact on the story and could have been removed with no one the wiser. I wish it had been.

The romance itself was more interesting and developed at a slower pace (this made the initial jump right into a sex scene with the soon-to-be ex all the more weird!). There were also some big twists that came toward the end that I enjoyed. However, as always it seems, the book definitely sets up a secondary romance in the end as well. This is purely a subjective thing, and readers who enjoy love triangles and bait-and-switch romances may enjoy this aspect more.

As it stands, I think I’ll wait and spoil myself on how the entire trilogy ends before committing to reading more of the series, largely due to my feelings regarding the romance. I enjoyed the overall writing and Dorothy as a character, but the romance is a big question mark, and I’ve been burned too many times in the past to blindly keep going.

Rating 7: I liked this interpretation of “The Wizard of Oz” and its classic characters, but the spice and romance raised some big question marks for me personally. Other romance readers who enjoy certain tropes, however, may enjoy it more!

Readers Advisory:

“West of Wicked” can be found on this Goodreads list: April 2026 Most Anticipated Romance Releases.

Serena’s Review: “An Arcane Study of Stars”

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Book: “An Arcane Study of Stars” by Sydney J. Shields

Publishing Info: Orbit, April 2026

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

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

Book Description: When Claudia Jolicoeur is rejected from Cygnus University, a devilish stranger named Dorian appears in her nightmares and offers her a bargain: he will get her into Cygnus if she learns how to free him from a prison of stars. He takes a bite of her soul to seal the deal, and Claudia wakes to a letter from the High Sage of Cygnus stating she will take the place of Odette Dufort, a Rhetoric student who passed away.

Her arrival raises suspicions, rumors that she had a hand in Odette’s death spread like wildfire, and Cassius MacLeod, the High Sage’s apprentice and Claudia’s fellow Rhetoric student, seems hellbent on humiliating her. Determined to clear her name, she searches for any evidence that could prove her innocence. When someone—or something—starts slipping her pieces of Odette’s diary, Claudia uncovers a horrifying truth: over the last century, celestial witches at Cygnus have been murdered. Odette was one of them, and Claudia could be next. For her own protection, Claudia needs to free Dorian—and fast.

By night, she studies the stars, slowly unraveling the mystery of Dorian’s prison. By day, she and Cassius wage rhetorical war as debate partners in class. What begins as a fierce rivalry devolves into something deeper, darker, and dangerously sensual. As Claudia inches closer to the truth, she must decide: would trusting Cassius be the last mistake she ever makes?

Review: Well, here we go again. Every once in a while I seem to hit a reading slump where I pick up one book after another and keep bouncing off of them. I should have perhaps been a bit more wary of this one, as I didn’t love the author’s first book, “The Honey Witch.” But I keep looking for a book to scratch that dark academia itch, so here we are.

Let’s start with some positives, though. The book starts off with an incredibly strong opening chapter, setting the stage of a trapped god who is awoken by a woman’s scream. And as the story continued, I kept wanting to get back to this energy! Not only did the writing of this opening chapter feel superior to much of what was on offer in the rest of the book (I’m not sure if this was due to a tone change, veering away from the more serious “high fantasy” tone used in this prologue or what), but the world-building and history explored in this subplot were by far the most interesting parts of the book. It was only here that the story came near to anything resembling the “dark” portion of “dark academia,” and it was also the only portion of the book that felt like it had any true stakes involved.

That said, even here, I felt like most of the twists and turns were projected so far in advance that the impact was completely lost when these reveals actually landed. We get to the end, and there’s supposed to be this major twist, and I just found myself raising my eyebrows at it all. Wasn’t this obvious from practically the start? Beyond that, there were some late-game twists in the romance that I really hated. I’m not going on another rant about this; I can’t. But I’m so sick of these romance twists.

But unfortunately, the romance and the characters were the biggest letdown. We had another example of “enemies to lovers” turning into “instalove” almost immediately. There wasn’t enough time to build up any sort of real antagonism between these two. And, likewise, there wasn’t enough time for me to buy into the extreme levels of devotion being proclaimed on the page shortly after this shift in their relationship occurs.

Beyond that, the romance took a distinct turn into the BDSM realm that I wasn’t expecting at all. I usually look for the label “dark romance” when making my selections, as I know that BDSM love stories aren’t for me. But, again, this one didn’t give any hints that this was the sort of spice content that would be on offer. I don’t think it was particularly extreme by any means, but again, this is a romance topic that is never going to work for me, and I wish I could more easily discover it going in so that it wouldn’t hit as a surprise halfway through a book I’m now committed to reading/reviewing.

Overall, this book might work better for dark romance readers. I think many of the tropes that the romance plotlines follow will work much better for these readers. I also know that I was an outlier in my opinions of “The Honey Witch,” so there are definitely fans of this author who will enjoy this. Indeed, based on the strength of the captured god subplot, even I could find the appeal in parts of what this author has to offer. Unfortunately, the romance was really not for me.

Rating 7: While I liked some aspects of the fantasy world and there is potential in the overall world-building, I didn’t enjoy the love story at all.

Reader’s Advisory:

“An Arcane Study of Stars” can be found on these Goodreads lists: 2026 Fantasy Romance/Romantasy books to look forward to and 2026 Fantasy (All sub genres w. romance).

Kate’s Review: “The Drop”

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Book: “The Drop” by S.R. Masters

Publishing Info: Sourcebooks Landmark, April 2026

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

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

Book Description: A terrifyingly twisty, wholly original thriller following a group of amusement park visitors who get stuck on a roller coaster high above the ground—with no way down.

Six hundred and fifty feet in the air, no one can hear you scream.

Some might say that thirtysomething Cady Ellison landed herself a strange creative career, but Cady finally feels like she’s found her footing. Now an online theme park influencer, she is invited to the opening of a brand-new park by her old friend, Danny, who wants to use her online profile to help build buzz for its flagship ride, Hysteria, a record-breaking 650 foot-tall roller coaster.

When she arrives at the half-complete theme park site in the middle of the desert, Cady is unexpectedly met with her old college friend Femi, an award-winning actor, Naseem, a decorated novelist, and Winston, a member of a popular rock group. Wanting them all to sing the praises of Hysteria online, Danny has arranged an exclusive private ride for them, capped off with the stunning desert sunset. But when their coaster cars get to the top of the first hill, the ride stalls 650 feet above ground. With no one due on site for days and over 100-degree heat awaiting them once the sun rises, the four friends soon realize that they must unravel the secrets from their complicated past if they are to find their way to safety.

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

While I can still do some mid level rollercoasters whilst visiting a theme park here or there, it’s been a long time since I could do something really intense. While at Disney World a couple years ago I was fine on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Snow White’s Mine Cart Ride, but I steered clear of the likes of Tron, Space Mountain, and Guardians of the Galaxy. I definitely envy people who can do the big scary coasters (this will be my kid in the future almost assuredly), but I imagine even they would have a problem with being stranded on a rollercoaster ride with no ride operators to be found. That’s basically the premise of “The Drop” by S.R. Masters, a new thriller where a group of friends from university have a reunion at a not yet opened theme park in an unnamed Middle Eastern country, only to be trapped by themselves at the top of the highest coaster in the world. I love creative thriller premises like this, and “The Drop” really leans into the hook with pretty solid results.

Cady is a youtube influencer who reviews and livestreams amusement park rides, and is thrilled when she is contacted by her university friend Danny, who is working for a company that has a theme park being built to be the best in the world. She arrives, sees that hers and Danny’s friends from college Femi, Naz, and Winston, are also there, and Danny puts them in the cars of Hysteria, the tallest rollercoaster in the world, and promises them a good time… Only for the car to stall hundreds of feet above the ground, and Danny to basically ghost them. It’s a good device, and it has a growing dread as the friends go from amused, to irritated, to absolutely horrified that they may be stuck with no help coming, no water, and no shade as the hot sun is set to rise in hours. These kinds of thrillers can be hard to pull off, but when you do pull it off it makes for such an unsettling experience for the reader/viewer. I mean the very idea of being trapped in this way is SO scary to me, especially since it is drawn out and mentally torturous as well as physically. We have reasons as to why this is all happening, and while it’s not super creative or reinventing anything in terms of motivations the setting of being trapped on a coaster more than makes up for it.

But I will admit, I also loved all of the over the top soapiness that came with this book. All of our characters, be they be the ones trapped on the rollercoaster as the night goes on and the threat of desert temps has them terrified, or the ones who have a beef with others, are dramatic and have things they are hiding and stewing over. I found twist after twist and reveal after reveal to be enjoyable and very sudsy, and while some characters felt more caricatures than others, I was definitely turning the pages to see who had backstabbed whom, and how it was all going to shake out after their revelations were out in the open. We get insights not only through their confessions in the moment, but also in flashback sequences for the various players to show where they were coming from when they were making the choices they were making.

If you are looking for a fun read, especially with summer approaching sooner rather than later, “The Drop” is one to add to your to be read pile. And it may put you off rollercoasters for a bit.

Rating 7: A creative thriller with a suspenseful main storyline (and some soapy asides to build the suspense even more) kept me reading and invested.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Drop” isn’t on any Goodreads lists as of now, but it would fit in on “Theme Parks”.

Serena’s Review: “We Become Darkness”

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Book: “We Become Darkness” by Grace Morrow

Publishing Info: Alcove Press, April 2026

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

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

Book Description: Thalia, Princess of Agripa, has spent the last four years hunting her ex-lover, Cassius—the man who shattered her heart and betrayed her kingdom by becoming a Vampyr. Vampyrs and humans have had a tenuous past since Thalia’s father and sister were murdered thirteen years ago. But with Agripa’s ore supply—the lifeblood of human cities—running out, Thalia’s mother strikes a desperate and dangerous deal: Thalia will marry a Vampyr prince in exchange for their ore.

Thalia is blindsided by the arrangement—and horrified to find Cassius, now serving as the prince’s Hand, is the man tasked with bringing her to the Vampyr kingdom safely. To save her people, she agrees to the marriage: but plans to dismantle the Vampyr kingdom from within by killing the prince.

The Vampyr court is rife with danger and secrets, and Cassius is always watching. When a monstrous new threat emerges, Thalia realizes the safety and security of their world is far more fragile than she ever believed.

Caught between duty and desire, Thalia must grapple with her feelings for Cassius and decide if she will fulfill her duty to the human crown or embrace the darkness within herself to protect both realms.

Review: This one had a lot of potential, but unfortunately, the romance fell into a few early pitfalls that are always struggle points for me. But to talk about the positives first, I think the world-building here was one of the strongest parts of this book. The author had clearly put a lot of thought into this world and the various components that make it up, from the political landscape to the geographic layout that influences the relations between the humans and the Vampyrs.

Speaking of Vampyrs, I also think that the version we have here is fairly interesting. Much of it was familiar, but with just enough twists and turns to make this version feel unique from the standard fare. There were some interesting factors making up their own politics as well as elements of their culture, like the value placed on the forest that surrounds their mountain.

However, the book really fell apart with the characters. At first, I went in with high hopes. Thalia felt like your rather standard stabby, feisty heroine, but her inner voice and backstory gave her enough weight to feel slightly different than all of the other characters like this we have seen. However, as the book went on, this tragic backstory was repeated so many times that it began to lose any emotional weight. And further, Thalia’s decision-making began to become so ridiculous that no amount of tragic history could justify it.

And, of course, the romance. This went off the cliff almost immediately. I was initially intrigued by the “second chance” romance that was being set up, since, if done well, that can be one of my favorite tropes. However, things took a downturn almost at once. Practically from the very first scene in which he appears, it’s glaringly obvious to the reader what happened the night he became a Vampyr. And then, a few short scenes later, he even offers to clarify to Thalia what really happened. Is she curious to hear what he says? Has she ever wondered before why a man she loved and knew deeply would suddenly make such a traitorous decision? NOPE! Instead, she just stomps her foot like a petulant child, and thus the “angst” continues. It was so, so stupid. I couldn’t take her seriously as an adult woman after this fact. Honestly, it was one of the worst “miscommunication” tropes that I’ve seen in a long while, and it really tanked the entire experience for me.

I didn’t enjoy this one. That said, I think the author has potential, and readers who are less turned off by the miscommunication trope might find themselves enjoying it more. So, on a personal basis, I would rate this a “6,” but objectively, it’s probably closer to a “7” if you’re interested in these sorts of romance tropes.

Rating 7: The miscommunication trope reared its ugly head and damaged my ability to appreciate this one, but the bones of an interesting fantasy world were definitely there!

Reader’s Advisory:

“We Become Darkness” can be found on this Goodreads list: April 2026 Most Anticipated Romance Releases

Book Club Review: “The Space Cat”


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

Book: “The Space Cat” by Nnedi Okorafor

Publishing Info: First Second, August 2025

Where Did We Get This Book: The library!

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

Prompt Word: Cat

Book Description: Invaders from outer space have descended on Nigeria. They have no idea whose home they’re messing with.

Ah, yes, the luxurious life of a well-loved cat. It’s the best. And Periwinkle has it the cushiest. But there’s more to this pampered pet than meets the eye. He’s not just a house cat. He’s a space cat. By day, he’s showered with scritches, cuddles, and delicious chicken fillets. By night, he races through the cosmos in his custom-built spaceship.

Between epic battles with squeaky toys and working on ways to improve his ship, Periwinkle is never bored. And when his humans decide to leave the United States and move to the small but bustling town of Kaleria, Nigeria, he’s excited to explore his new home—even after he learns that many Nigerians hate cats. After all, a born adventurer like Periwinkle doesn’t shy away from new experiences. But not everything in Kaleria is as it seems. Soon enough, Periwinkle finds himself on his most out-of-this-world adventure yet, right here on Earth.

Kate’s Thoughts

I have almost never been without a cat in my life (outside of a few years in college where I had moved out of the family home and had roommates who couldn’t have a cat), and cats have always been a huge part of my existence. I’ve had wonderful cats, snotty cats, sweet cats, grumpy cats, the whole experience. I LOVE cats. So when our book club picked “The Space Cat” by Nnedi Okorafor, I knew that even if the Science Fiction elements didnt align with me, the cat would certainly make up for it. And I was mostly right.

This book is basically Nnedi Okorafor wanting to write a Sci-Fi tale about her in real life cat Periwinkle, and it is a great premise for a book for middle grade readers. While the Science Fiction themes were kind of not my thing as the genre itself just isn’t really my jam, EVERYTHING with Periwinkle was great. I say this as someone who has spent the past nine months with three unruly kittens/almost adult cats who have been completely joyful as well as being complete menaces, so all of the shenanigans that Periwinkle got into were a hoot for this harried cat mom. I also liked how Okorafor brought Periwinkle and the fictionalized version of his family (including Okorafor and her kid) to Lagos, bringing in a story about finding a new home in an unfamiliar place and the culture shock that can go with it (specifically how cats aren’t super well loved by many people in Lagos due to superstitions).

I can see middle grader readers, especially those who love cats, really enjoying this one. It’s just a fun kinda meta read.

Serena’s Thoughts

Like Kate, I too have had cats pretty much throughout my life. It is also my mission in life to indoctrinate my two boys into being cat lovers (so far, so good: one’s favorite stuffed animal is a toy cat, and the other is always hugging our ginger cat, much to the poor cat’s dismay). Between that and my enjoyment of science fiction, this one was definitely a fun read.

While middle grade fiction is my favorite, the funny cat quirks really carried this one. For anyone who has had cats, so many of the little nods to their eccentricities were spot on. What’s more, we’ve all looked at our cat and felt like there was something more going on, so the idea that they may be from space just checks out, really.

Beyond the cat-specific aspects, I liked the way the story explored themes of family, identity, and culture shock. Sometimes it’s uncomfortable to truly confront the vast divides between cultures, but I appreciated the way the author dealt with these realities rather than trying to brush anything under the rug or avoid the issue altogether. And, of course, it was all done with a light touch, as is appropriate for the reading group.

Overall, this felt like a love letter from the author to her cat, and it’s the kind of thing that, I imagine, only authors who have truly proved their worth can pull off pitching to their agents! While I wasn’t perhaps as in love with it, simply because of the middle grade genre, this is sure to be a hit for readers in that group!

Kate’s Rating 7: A cute Sci-Fi action story centering a clearly beloved actual house cat, “The Space Cat” has some humorous moments and lots of relatable ones for cat owners young and old.

Serena’s Rating 7: Full of adventure and humor, this is a sure fire hit for middle grade readers, though perhaps not quite as strongly for adult readers.

Book Club Questions

  1. This book has three parts in the story: Periwinkle getting a new home, the move to Lagos, and the space war. Which part was your favorite part?
  2. If you have a cat, did you feel like Periwinkle’s behavior was spot on? Why or why not?
  3. What were your thoughts about the portrayals of the people of Lagos and how some of them seemed to view cats and other animals?
  4. What did you think of the space/Sci-Fi parts of the story?
  5. What were your throughts on the artwork of this book? Did it work in the story or not?
  6. If there were going to be more adventures of Periwinkle do you think you would read them?

Readers Advisory

“The Space Cat” is included on the Goodreads lists “Cat Lovers List”, and “Middle Grade Graphic Novels of 2025”.

Next Book Club Pick: “When the Tides Held the Moon” by Venessa Vida Kelley

Serena’s Review: “Bloodsinger”

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

Book: “Bloodsinger” by Juliette Cross

Publishing Info: Bramble, April 2026

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

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

Book Description: Lela Bihari’s village was invaded on her wedding night, her betrothed murdered right in front of her. While her sisters were either dragged away or escaped, Lela was sold to Valerius, a consul of Rome.

When she tried to kill Valerius her first night as his slave, her bloodsinger gift manifested… and she was punished for it. Now she’s paraded in front of the other senators for their amusement.

But Trajan Tiberius, the newly elected tribune to the senate, is different. He has no love for the brutality around him. When he frees Lela from enslavement and hides her, Lela is set on a path of vengeance, and using her gift puts her in more danger than ever before.

Now trapped inside the walls of Rome while deathriders circle the skies, how can she possibly trust a Roman dragon? Especially when it is clear Trajan has ulterior schemes of his own? As her powers grow stronger, danger draws closer, and Lela realizes it isn’t just her life at stake, but also her heart.

Review: I didn’t love the first book in this series, but when I realized that this second book would follow a new couple, I was definitely excited to check it out. While I struggled some with the writing itself, one of my biggest complaints about the first book was the dynamic set up between the couple, with the power differential being decidedly skewed and giving it a bit of a questionable foundation. Here, while there is the potential for a similar thing happening, the way the romance actually plays out quickly puts a stop to recreating the same problems the first book had.

Speaking to the relationship dynamic, I think this book did a much better job tackling the difficult topic of slavery, freedom, and the power dynamics involved. Here, not only is the love interest, Trajan (like “Trojan”…cuz it’s Rome…get it??), not involved in Lela’s enslavement, instead taking part in freeing her, but Lela herself is given the opportunity to reclaim much of her own power early in the book. Much of this has to do with her own bloodsinger gift, an ability that can give her control of the men around her. Yes, this was a bit simplistic, all things considered, and there wasn’t much subtlety in the way it was used to highlight how “not like other men” Trajan was, but still, all things considered, it was an improvement on the first book.

That said, much of the rest of the book is very surface level. There were some expansions on the worldbuilding here and there, but it’s clear that much of the design is simply there to prop up the characters’ stories and their romance. And this isn’t a criticism! Romantasy is a romance novel first, with only the trappings of fantasy set around it, so it’s correct that the love story comes first. But I did find myself wishing for a little bit more from the Roman setting, even with that being the case. Perhaps because I wasn’t as enraged by the couple’s dynamic here, I found myself more interested in the world surrounding them and wishing for more.

The pacing was a lot a bit uneven, with the first half taking a while to really warm up. Once the story picks up towards the middle, the pacing settles in a bit more, and I found myself having a better time with it all. That said, the writing is fairly straightforward, often relying on either one of the dual protagonists simply telling us how they feel about everything around them. Again, I wish romantasy editors would try to push these authors a bit more in the writing department; romance readers deserve well-crafted prose just as much as readers in other genres!

Overall, I definitely enjoyed this one more than the first. I found both main characters much more enjoyable and was better able to appreciate the love story unfolding between them. That said, the writing and world-building were still nothing to write home about, and the slow start could challenge readers to remain with it before things truly pick up at the halfway mark. Fans of the first book are definitely the best-suited readers for this one. However, if you were intrigued by the first book but put off by the couple, this one might be a better fit for you as well!

Rating 7: A much more sympathetic couple improved my experience with this second book. However, the lackluster writing and world-building were still a disappointment.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Bloodsinger” can be found on these Goodreads lists: 2026 Highly Anticipated ADULT Romantasy Releases and Greco – Roman Fantasy.

Kate’s Review: “We Call Them Witches”

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

Book: “We Call Them Witches” by India-Rose Bower

Publishing Info: Poisoned Pen Press, April 2026

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

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

Book Description: Most people have been devoured by the eldritch creatures, but Sara and her family have been fighting for survival, armed with their knowledge of folklore and pagan rituals – the only weapon that seems to work against these monsters.

And then a young woman, Parsley, comes out of nowhere into Sara’s life. Found in their garden, they have no idea where she is from.

Sara and Parsley begin to fall in love, but disaster strikes when Sara’s brother Noah is taken by the creatures. They set out to find him, across a landscape of merciless terror, haunted by death.

But can Parsley truly be trusted in a world where humanity is as scarse as humans themselves?

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

It’s been a bit since I read a post-apocalyptic horror tale. It wasn’t really a purposeful decision to do that, and it’s not like I’ve been having the same anxieties about it as I did during COVID (though I will say this war in Iran hasn’t exactly been giving me confidence about global stability at the moment). It just hasn’t been on my radar as much. But when “We Call Them Witches” by India -Rose Bower ended up in my mailbox I realized it had been some time, and that this one sounded like it was going to tell an end of the world story that felt different from previous ones I’ve read as of late.

It’s such a unique take on the end of the world and a post-apocalyptic life, and some of the ways that it is presented felt like “28 Days Later” just in how the environment and the survivors are coping and living a more unstable life by necessity. Our family at the heart of the story is close knit but stressed to the bone, with Sara feeling connected but the constant worry bearing down on all of them. We are seeing the tensions by the time the mysterious Parsley arrives, and while Sara gets closer to her, it causes strife between her and some family members, especially oldest sibling Danny. Sara is a pretty straight forward protagonist, and while in some ways her characterization read a bit more ‘young adult’ to me I liked the hints of tension of a family that has been pushed to the brink, and how that pushes her more towards a new and seemingly open person like Parsley. I don’t know if I bought the insta-love that Sara and Parsley fell into, but I do believe the way that Sara could be looking for that connection given how dangerous the world is and how her family has been buckling under the pressure.

It was the mystery and body horror/folk horror elements of the ‘witches’ that worked best for me in this book. We aren’t given a full on explanation as to what exactly happened to bring these creatures forth, but their menace is intense from the jump, opening with their arrival and a particularly brutal massacre that sends Sara and her family on the run to try and stay alive in a new dangerous world. Some of the descriptions were really nasty, and I really enjoyed the differences between some of the creatures and how we never really get big answers about why they function the way they do. I also liked the use of folklore and mythologies and how it does tend to work as a weapon against them to some degree. As mentioned above, it’s a fun way to explore an end of the world scenario that we haven’t seen as much before in the sub-genre.

“We Call Them Witches” was entertaining and strange. I liked the unique take on the end of the world and the monsters that lurk within.

Rating 7: A creative take on a post apocalyptic world with some interesting folk horror elements.

Reader’s Advisory:

“We Call Them Witches” is included on the Goodreads list “Folk Horror” .

Serena’s Review: “The Geomagician”

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Book: “The Geomagician” by Jennifer Mandula

Publishing Info: Del Rey, March 2026

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

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

Book Description: Mary Anning wants to be a geomagician—a paleontologist who uses fossils to wield magic—but since the Geomagical Society of London refuses to admit women, she’s stuck selling her discoveries to tourists instead. When an ancient egg hatches in her hands, revealing a loveable baby pterodactyl Mary names Ajax, she knows this is the kind of scientific find that could make her career—if she’s strategic.

Mary contacts the Society about her discovery, and they demand to take possession of Ajax. Their emissary is none other than Henry Stanton, a distinguished (and infuriatingly handsome) scholar… and the man who once broke Mary’s heart.

Henry claims he believes in the brilliant Mary, and that he only wants to help her obtain the respect she deserves. She knows she can’t trust her fellow scholars, who want to discredit her and claim Ajax for their own—but can she even trust Henry, who seems intent on winning Mary back?

Now Mary has a new mystery to solve that’s buried deeper than any dinosaur She must uncover the secrets behind the Society and the truth about Henry. As her conscience begins to chafe against her ambition, Mary must decide what lengths she’s willing to go to finally belong—and what her heart really wants.

Review: This book wasn’t quite what I expected. That didn’t necessarily make it bad, but I definitely had to realign myself to the sort of book that I was reading. Once I did that, I was better able to enjoy what this book had to offer.

For one thing, it’s clear that the author had a lot to say about faith, religion, and the marriage between them and science. It’s a worthwhile theme for sure, as so many people in either camp are resistant to the idea of merging these two sides in any way. So I applaud what the author was trying to do with this theme. That said, because of this focus, there’s a lot of emphasis on religion and faith throughout. I found these discussions interesting and could appreciate the aspirations here, but it may not be for everyone.

What I enjoyed the most, however, was the world itself. I always love books like this that marry a historical period of time with some sort of fantasy element. The “Emily Wilde” books come to mind as the most recent examples of this. And it felt like that trilogy was a bit of an influence here as well. However, instead of faeries, we have dinosaurs. I enjoyed exploring how the existence of magic in this world affected its history, economics, and political landscape. While, at the same time, some things remain the same, like Mary’s struggles to be taken seriously for her achievements in a male-dominated field.

I did enjoy the characters for the most part, particularly Mary’s internal reflections throughout. That said, readers who are expecting any serious amount of romance here will likely be disappointed. While there are tiny hints of a love story, it’s the barest of subplots, and even by the end, there wasn’t necessarily the grand conclusion that readers often expect from romances.

This was also a fairly long book, all things considered. I feel like it was fairly readable and easily approachable, but it also did start to drag a bit toward the middle and the end. I think it accomplishes what it sets out to do, and if it gets in the hands of the right readers, it will do well. However, for general fantasy romance fans who go in with an expectation of the second coming of “Emily Wilde,” I think they may end up disappointed.

Rating 7: I enjoyed the exploration of themes regarding science and faith, but the story itself felt a bit plodding and the romance was decidedly in the background.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Geomagician” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Light Academia Fantasy Books and Adventure academia.

Serena’s Review: “The Library of Amorlin”

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Book: “The Library of Amorlin” by Kalyn Josephson

Publishing Info: Erewhon Books, March 2026

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

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

Book Description: Former con artist Kasira expected to spend her life as a soldier, miserably working off her prison sentence by hunting down magical creatures for the fanatical kingdom of Kalthos. But when the Kalish ambassador arrives with a non-negotiable assignment, Kasira finds herself swept into the biggest con of her life: infiltrating the Library of Amorlin. 

As the heart of all magic and the protector of magical creatures throughout the six kingdoms, the Library is historically politically neutral. Kasira is meant to pose as the new Assistant to spy for the ambassador and destabilize the Library from the inside, clearing the way to dethrone its Librarian. 

But when she arrives, Kasira learns that the Library is not all she was told it would be. Neither is the prickly, handsome Librarian, Allaster, whose own monstrous secrets are about to catch up with him. 

Swept into the enchanting world of the Library, Kasira’s reluctant con is jeopardized by her growing affection for the wondrous life the Library promises…and by her complicated, burgeoning attraction to Allaster. As the ambassador’s game closes in, Kasira must decide where her loyalties lie: to her newfound home, or to her own survival? 

Review: This book started off strong, introducing a dynamic world, an action-oriented main character, and a compelling plot centered around a long con at which Kasira must succeed if she has any hopes of retaining her freedom. As the book continued, I did run into a few struggles, but let’s start with some of those pros first.

As I said, the beginning of this book was fantastic, especially as an introduction to this world. I loved much of the world-building going on here, especially with regard to the magical creatures/monsters and the various ways they are regarded by the nations of this world. In particular, there are the Kalish, who fanatically view the monsters as the source of all evil in the world. When we meet our main character, she has been strong-armed into a sort of mercenary crew that spends its time combing the forests with the sole purpose of locating and killing monsters. Enter the heartbreaking scene of brutality that the book opens on. But as sad as some of this was, it was also a great way to establish the stakes of the situation. On the other hand, there is the Library, located at the center of this land and the one place dedicated to the protection of monsters and the keepers of magic. The Kalish, of course, hate this, and this then sets up the stakes of the undercover mission to take it down from the inside.

There was a lot to like about this set-up, and the book moved quickly to get Kasira in place to move this plot forward. But, sadly, it was here where the book began to run into problems. There were a couple of things that stood out. Here, once the action begins to settle down a bit more, I quickly realized that regardless of the information I had been given about Kasira and her backstory, I wasn’t connecting with her as a character. Instead, she felt like she was pieced together by these facts from her past but was here, in the present, completely devoid of any personality or actual characterization. In a word, she lacked voice.

Further, I quickly became frustrated with the actual premise of the story. We were given the reasons for Kasira agreeing to pull off this con, but the story wastes no time laying down tons of groundwork proving how utterly disastrous it would be if she succeeded. If I had to give Kasira a character trait, it would be something like “goal-oriented to the point of blindness,” which isn’t exactly a stellar point in her favor. Her focus and motivation were so internal that it began to feel disingenuous when put up against the stakes that began piling up.

I also felt like the MMC was very underutilized. We are given just enough to pique the interest, but, again, never enough for him to fully feel like a character in his own right. It felt like his scenes were sprinkled only sparsely throughout the book, and I was always left wishing we could get just a bit more from him.

All of this said, I think the writing itself was strong, and there were a lot of great ideas here. I think the weaknesses really come down to the characterization of the main character and, to a lesser extent, the MMC. However, if you’re looking for a new fantasy con artist book, this might be one to check out!

Rating 7: Lots of creative world-building to be found here, but the main character suffered from a critical lack of personality.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Library of Amorlin” can be found on these Goodreads lists: 2026 Fantasy Romance/Romantasy books to look forward to and Epic High Fantasy/Romance/Mythology in 2026

Book Club Review: “Girls Made of Snow and Glass”


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

Book: “Girls Made of Snow and Glass” by Melissa Bashardoust

Publishing Info: Flatiron Books, September 2017

Where Did We Get This Book: The library!

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

Prompt Words: Snow, Spell

Book Description: Sixteen-year-old Mina is motherless, her magician father is vicious, and her silent heart has never beat with love for anyone—has never beat at all, in fact, but she’d always thought that fact normal. She never guessed that her father cut out her heart and replaced it with one of glass. When she moves to Whitespring Castle and sees its king for the first time, Mina forms a plan: win the king’s heart with her beauty, become queen, and finally know love. The only catch is that she’ll have to become a stepmother.

Fifteen-year-old Lynet looks just like her late mother, and one day she discovers why: a magician created her out of snow in the dead queen’s image, at her father’s order. But despite being the dead queen made flesh, Lynet would rather be like her fierce and regal stepmother, Mina. She gets her wish when her father makes Lynet queen of the southern territories, displacing Mina. Now Mina is starting to look at Lynet with something like hatred, and Lynet must decide what to do—and who to be—to win back the only mother she’s ever known…or else defeat her once and for all.

Entwining the stories of both Lynet and Mina in the past and present, “Girls Made of Snow and Glass” traces the relationship of two young women doomed to be rivals from the start. Only one can win all, while the other must lose everything—unless both can find a way to reshape themselves and their story.

Kate’s Thoughts

I remember this book crossing my path back when it came out, and while the idea of a “Snow White” reimagining definitely piqued my interest I ultimately never picked it up. Because of this I cackled a bit when it was picked for book club because apparently it was my fate to eventually read this book. I have enjoyed a fair amount of “Snow White” retellings if done well, and I liked the sound of this one because it sounded like it was going to have a bit more insight into the Queen’s motivations. Unfortunately it didn’t quite live up to the expectations I had for it.

I did enjoy the way that Bashardoust approached the relationship between Lynet (our Snow White) and Mina (our evil queen/stepmother). It’s not so often that a reimagining of this story actually tries to create a somewhat positive relationship, or at least the potential for one, between these two characters, and by doing so and making Lynet and Mina more victims of their circumstances (put in place by their fathers) and less mortal enemies, though there is certainly conflict there. It was a unique way to tackle a reimagining, and this was the strongest aspect of the book for me.

But on the other hand, there was a lot of not so complex and somewhat fraught storytelling as we saw Lynet and Mina go on their paths in the narrative. I felt like we didn’t really get a good sense of their relationships with the other characters, even those that would be pretty important, and I felt like the magical systems and their magical afflictions (Mina being made of glass and Lynet being made of snow) were very surface level without much substance. Are they metaphors that could be interesting, sure, but when they are just there to be obvious metaphors it isn’t as compelling as it could be.

So there was a lot of potential and some solid character beats, but overall “Girls Made of Snow and Glass” was pretty middle of the road.

Serena’s Thoughts

On paper, this book should have been right up my alley. And it did work in some ways, just not in all the ways that I wanted. Its biggest positive is the creative take it offers on the “Snow White” tale. This included an elaborate (if a bit confused and badly defined) magic system, a dual perspective shared between the Queen and the Snow White character, and a refocus of the primary relationship away from the romances and more fully on this mother/daughter relationship.

This last part, especially, was particularly well done. It’s rare that you see the major emotional stakes of a YA fantasy story focused on the relationship between two women, especially when one is in a mother/stepmother role. On the other hand, this left the romances feeling very underwhelming. It also felt weighted toward Mina’s relationship, leaving the sapphic love story between Lynet and her love interest feeling fairly weak.

My major problem came down to the writing. It wasn’t bad, by any means. But it was also incredibly dry and simple. There wasn’t much of a voice given to either character, and the author was quick to fall into the trap of telling the readers exactly how they should interpret any given scene. While the themes of beauty, independence, and feminine rage were interesting, none of them were presented or surfaced in anything resembling a subtle way.

So, ultimately, I didn’t dislike this book, but I also had hoped to enjoy it much more than I did. I really love fairytale retellings, but this felt very much “of its time,” a time when YA fantasy especially was given to underestimating its readers and relying on overly simplistic storytelling techniques.

Kate’s Rating 6 : I definitely appreciated the deconstruction of the Snow White and Evil Queen relationship in this book, but I felt like the storytelling wasn’t as focused as I would have liked it to be.

Serena’s Rating 7: While I appreciated the focus on the relationship between Mina and Lynet, the storytelling itself left much to be desired.

Book Club Questions

  1. This is a Snow White retelling that jumps through timelines and through perspectives of both the Snow White character and the Evil Queen character. Were you able to follow it as it jumped between times and perspectives?
  2. What did you think of the father/daughter relationships in this story?
  3. What were your thoughts on the relationship between Lynet and Mina? Was it surprising you to you that Bashardoust went in this direction?
  4. What were your thoughts on Felix? How did he compare to other Huntsmen portrayals?
  5. What did you think of the way the concepts of snow and glass were used as metaphors in this novel? Did it work for you? Why or why not?
  6. Did you have any opinions on the magical systems in this book? Did they seem consistent, and did they make sense?
  7. How did you feel about the ending? Was it satisfying?

Reader’s Advisory

“Girls Made of Snow and Glass” is included on the Goodreads lists 2017 YA Fairy Tale Retellings and YA Fantasy with Major Sapphic Girls.

Next Book Club Pick: “Space Cat” by Nnedi Okorafor