Tag: 7 Rating

Serena’s Review: “The Bookshop Below”

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Book: “The Bookshop Below” by Georgia Summers

Publishing Info: Redhook, November 2025

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

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

Book Description: If you want a story that will change your life, Chiron’s bookshop is where you go. For those lucky enough to grace its doors, it’s a glimpse into a world of powerful bargains and deadly ink magic.

For Cassandra Fairfax, it’s a reminder of everything she lost, when Chiron kicked her out and all but shuttered the shop. Since then, she’s used her skills in less ethical ways, trading stolen books and magical readings to wealthy playboys and unscrupulous collectors.

Then Chiron dies under mysterious circumstances. And if Cassandra knows anything, it’s this: the bookshop must always have an owner.

But she’s not the only one interested. There’s Lowell Sharpe, a dark-eyed, regrettably handsome bookseller she can’t seem to stop bumping into; rival owners who threaten Cassandra from the shadows; and, of course, Chiron’s murderer, who is still on the loose.

As Cassandra tries to uncover the secrets her mentor left behind, a sinister force threatens to unravel the world of the magical bookshops entirely…

Review: I really enjoyed The City of Stardust when I read it last year. Though, admittedly, as I was reading and now afterwards looking back at it, it was a very strange book compiled of many unique and interesting pieces that may have been excellent on their own, but never quite lined up the way I hoped. However, like I said, overall, I had a positive experience reading it, so I was excited to see the author was coming out with a new book.

Now, looking at this book description, I think I’d generally be really excited. Who doesn’t like magical bookshops? Add some dashes of sinister secrets and powerful hidden figures, and you have a banger on your hands! However, I was also uniquely concerned because much of this sounded like it could fall into the same trap as the first one. Namely, tons of excellent ideas and pieces of a puzzle, but perhaps a rather middling story when put all together. And ultimately, that’s kind of what we got.

Let’s start with what I did enjoy, and that was everything to do with the magical system and world at the heart of the story. While I have quibbles with the way in which much of this information was conveyed (our main character already knew much of it, so the story was always stumbling over itself with what she would know but the audience might not and how to bridge that gap), the magic itself was whimsical and intriguing. The idea that one could buy books to solve problems in life, and the exorbitant prices that those books would cost (many in the unusual, often unnerving, style of bargains found in fairytales, like firstborn children) was incredibly compelling.

However, much of this worldbuilding and magic system was held together with scotch tape and the fairy dust of magical ideas. Sure, much of it sounded good on paper, but put all together, I had a hard time picturing how any of this worked, from the details regarding the actual process of reading a book and having a wish granted (except when it didn’t) to the various players involved and how anyone was fooled by a main character named Cassandra who had a secret identity as a person named…Cass.

Speaking of Cassandra/Cass, I really struggled to connect to her as a main character. At best, I found her very bland. And at worst, I was often frustrated with her decisions and overall level of incompetence. Of course, some of that is built into the premise of the story, with her taking over a run-down bookshop. But it also felt like a bit too much incompetence for my taste. Even the love interest had something to say about her management (or lack thereof!) of all of this. The love story hit in a similar way: I wasn’t actively offended by any of it, but I also really didn’t care that much about anything that was going on between these two.

So, yes, this was a fairly middling experience. I think the author has a vast wealth of creativity and whimsy. However, after two books, there does seem to be a struggle fitting those aspects into what feels like a fully realized world and story. Instead, both books feel peppered with interesting concepts, but left teetering on a structure that barely holds together. Readers who enjoy cozy fantasy are probably the best audience for this book, so if you enjoy whimsy and are happy to go along with fairly loose worldbuilding, this may still be a book worth checking out for you! However, if you didn’t fully connect with this author’s first book, this one had similar weaknesses as that.

Rating 7: Chock full of creativity, however the worldbuilding is severely lacking, leaving me feeling disconnected from much of the story.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Bookshop Below” can be found on this Goodreads list: All the New Fantasy Books Arriving in November 2025

Kate’s Review: “The Telling”

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Book: “The Telling” by Alexandra Sirowy

Publishing Info: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, August 2016

Where Did I Get This Book: I received an ARC of the re-release from the publicst

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

Book Description: Lana used to know what was real. That was before, when her life was small and quiet. Her golden stepbrother, Ben was alive. She could only dream about bonfiring with the populars. Their wooded island home was idyllic, she could tell truth from lies, and Ben’s childhood stories were firmly in her imagination.

Then came after.

After has Lana boldly kissing her crush, jumping into the water from too high up, living with nerve and mischief. But after also has horrors, deaths that only make sense in fairy tales, and terrors from a past Lana thought long forgotten: love, blood, and murder.

Review: Thank you to Wunderkind PR for sending me an ARC of this novel!

I’m back with another re-release of an Alexandra Sirowy YA thriller/mystery! I reviewed “The Creeping” a couple weeks ago, and found it to be a gritty and interesting read (one that I had actually already read, but the re-read wasn’t hindered by that!). So I couldn’t wait to see what “The Telling” would be like. I knew that it wasn’t a sequel and took place somewhere else that wasn’t Minnesota (this time in Gant, a small island community in Washington State), and was interested to see where the story would take us this time.

As a mystery, it has a solid hook: Lana is still mourning the death of her stepbrother Ben, whose murder was very likely in part due to his ex-girlfriend Maggie. But one summer day while swimming, Lana and her friends discover Maggie’s body at the bottom of a pond, and suddenly everyone, especially Lana, are seen as suspects. This is the kind of thriller trope that I greatly enjoy, and it was fun seeing Lana try to figure out who was behind the murder not only to clear her own name, but also because it could lead her to more answers about Ben’s death, with twists, turns, red herrings, and some reveals that were pretty well done. I will say that one of the biggest reveals I kind of caught onto quickly, but I enjoyed Lana’s journey getting there enough that it wasn’t disappointing or frustrating. I will also say that sometimes this book felt like it could have been parsed down at least a little bit, as at times I did feel like it was dragging and meandering a little. It just could have been tightened a bit.

I mostly liked Lana as a narrator, as she had a pretty good amount of unreliability to her that I always enjoy in a thriller that is trying to keep some things close to the vest. Her despair of losing Ben was believable, though I will admit that sometimes I was wondering what exactly the nature of her despair was, but as more of her past, motivations, and attachments came through it made that much more sense. Slowly learning about her and Ben and the evolution of their connection was a bit of a slow burn, but it definitely kept me interested even when I felt like things could have been sped up a bit. It was actually this aspect of the book that had the most surprises for me, and kept me the most invested.

“The Telling” wasn’t as strong as “The Creeping”, but it’s another pretty solid YA thriller. I’m hoping that with these new editions of both these books we’ll be seeing more from Sirowy, as she tends to delve into darker themes that I have enjoyed.

Rating 7: It was an entertaining mystery and another well plotted thriller from Alexandra Sirowy, though this time I kind of figured out the bit twist prematurely.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Telling” isn’t on any Goodreads lists as of now, but it would fit in on “Teen Screams”.

Serena’s Review: “The Wolf King”

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Book: “The Wolf King” by Lauren Palphreyman

Publishing Info: Bloom Books, November 2025

Where Did I Get this Book: Netgalley!

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

Book Description: When a princess is kidnapped by an alpha , war rages between the humans and the wolves. But soon, forbidden attraction starts to grow. . .

Princess Aurora longs to escape the castle and the marriage that has been arranged for her.

But on the night before her wedding, at a dog fight where captured werewolves are made to fight for sport, she spares the life of a young wolf. It puts her on the radar of the powerful alpha who was going to kill him. And it changes everything.

That night, when the alpha escapes, he kidnaps her and takes her to the rugged lands north of the border — where the once warring werewolf clans are beginning to unite. He thinks that she is the key to winning the war against the humans.

Only, as they spend time around one another, forbidden attraction starts to grow. And as Aurora learns that not all wolves are bad, the alpha discovers that she is in danger from both his enemies, and those he once considered friends.

With monsters on both sides, a bloodthirsty war between humans and wolves raging, and undeniable passion growing between them — will their story end in love? Or tragedy?

And will Aurora ever get home?

Does she even want to?

Review: I’m going to be honest, this was a really tough one to think about reviewing. To sum up my experience, for the first third of the book, I was absolutely loving it. The main character was interesting enough, if a bit generic and predictable. But the romantic interest was a breath of fresh air! Funny, friendly, considerate, gasp blonde… I have a very clear memory of thinking, “Finally! A breath of fresh air to the standard romantasy fare, proof that there is more to the world than dark, secretive, shadow daddies!” And then… the shadow daddy entered the scene, and I actually slammed my Kindle down in immediate frustration. Honestly, I would have DNF’d it on the spot if it wasn’t for the fact that this was a NetGalley request, and I wanted to follow through on a review.

Now, to be fair, this is an incredibly subjective reaction per my own preferences—so much so that I’m going to go on a rant about this later in the review. But it’s not fair to review the book purely on the rage this “twist” induced in me as one unique reader. For those who enjoy ACOTAR and the sort of romance that has (unfortunately) taken over the romantasy genre ever since, I think this book will be a great fit. Indeed, I was having enough fun with the readability of the prose itself that even I, hating everything about what’s happening with the love story itself, am considering checking out the next book. So, yes. It’s incredibly readable. The main character is not insufferable. And the primary love interest of this book was a character I enjoyed.

So that’s my fair review of the book. Now on to the rant! There will be spoilers for this book and predictions for the next included, so be warned!

I’ve mentioned this point before, but I think romance is one of the few genres that not only benefits from but should almost require some sort of tags for tropes. It’s just such a subjective thing, and it’s all the more infuriating when a book summary sets the reader up to expect one thing and then delivers something completely different. In this case, we have the Tamlin/Rhysand situation where an entire first book is devoted to one love interest, but a secondary (the true!!!) love interest is introduced toward the middle/end. The expectation is then that something will occur in the second book to either make the original love interest intolerable, dead, or otherwise unavailable so that the true romantic lead can slot in.

And boy, do I hate this! I have a long TBR list—so long that I’m never going to get through it. And what this horrible trope has essentially normalized is taking what should be a passing comment found in many romance novels—“My ex was a jerk”—and turning that line into an entire, freaking, hundreds-of-pages-long book! I’m reading romance, for heaven’s sake! One of the primary conventions is a “happily ever after.” And when I start a book and am given two romantic leads, I think it is fair that I then expect those characters to have that happy ending. But no. Instead, I get an entire book devoted to a character who is going to be, essentially, a throwaway line in the main character’s toxic relationship history. That’s not romance! That’s… I don’t even know what!

And the author herself has pointed out the reason that she—and I imagine other romance authors—does this: it’s to get to the smut scenes sooner. And frankly, I find that kind of demeaning as a romance reader. Look, it’s fair to want to read erotica for the, well, erotica of it all. But that is a genre in itself, and there are plenty of options to be had there. Romance is a love story. Yes, there are steamy sections often, but the love story between two people is the heart of it. That being the case, why am I being given an entire book of smut scenes between the main character and her soon-to-be ex? Just because I, the reader, can’t go twenty pages without a smut scene, according to authors and publishers in romantasy? It’s belittling, is what it is.

Of course, this entire rant is very much just my opinion on this matter. And, of course, it’s completely fine to disagree with me, as I imagine many romantasy readers do. But this gets to my final point about tags. I had to read over a hundred and fifty pages of this book to even get an inkling of the fact that this book was taking on this trope. And I’ve looked ahead at reviews for the next book, and it looks like I’d have to go AN ENTIRE BOOK MORE only to find this all completely confirmed. At that point, as a romance reader, I’d have read two entire books about two characters who aren’t going to have a happily-ever-after. And I just think that’s the sort of thing I should know before opening book one. Heaven forbid I had actually paid money for this, having been given zero reason to expect a bait-and-switch like this.

So, yes. Ultimately, I think this author has a compelling style, and I was completely on board for the situation that I was originally sold: Outlander but with werewolves. Unfortunately, that is not at all what we got (Jamie Fraser would never end up being the probably toxic ex). All of this said, if you enjoy the old Tamlin/Rhysand switcheroo, this book is definitely for you! However, if you don’t enjoy this trope, definitely steer away.

Rating 7/4: On its own merits, this is the score I’d give it. Based on my own preferences, this is probably around a 4 due to the sheer gall of writing an entire book about an FMC and her soon-to-be ex-boyfriend and calling it romance.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Wolf King” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Only one horse scenes in romantasy and Historical Fiction/Fantasy with Werewolves.

Serena’s Review: “Murder Most Haunted”

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Book: “Murder Most Haunted” by Emma Mason

Publishing Info: William Morrow Paperbacks, October 2025

Where Did I Get this Book: from the publisher!

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

Book Description: A grand country estate.
On her last day as a Detective, Midge McGowan is given the retirement present from a ticket to take part in a haunted house tour. She’ll have to spend the weekend before Christmas ghost-hunting in an isolated mansion with a group of misfits, including a know-it-all paranormal investigator and a has-been pop star.

An impossible crime.
It isn’t long before the tour starts to spiral out of control. Midge and the guests see an unsettling figure walking the grounds late at night. Then the unthinkable happens – someone is murdered in a room that’s been locked from the inside.

A Christmas they might not survive.
Heavy snow cuts them off from help, the house’s own dark secrets begin to surface, and Midge can’t shake the creeping sense that they are walking into a nightmare. Could a ghost really be responsible, or is the culprit one of the guests?

Review: I’m always looking for another mystery book or series to pick up, and this one sounded like a great place to start, what with its Christmas vibes on top of the haunted house. In one fell swoop, I covered two holidays at once (and timed my review for the month that falls between them!)

Ultimately, this one was a bit hit-and-miss for me. But one thing I unquestionably enjoyed was the overall vibe of the story. Some of the haunted house portions were the best part of the book, and I enjoyed the juxtaposition of gothic creepiness with the inherent cozy factor found in the Christmas holiday. The setting itself was perfectly set up for a closed-door mystery, and I think the author did an excellent job setting the stage for this story.

I both did and did not enjoy the cast of characters. On one hand, there was a lot of variety to be found here, and I enjoyed the interactions between the many strong personalities making up this group. There were plenty of good red herrings and potential suspects for the murder as well, which will surely keep readers on their toes until the last minute. However, I also found almost everyone incredibly unlikable in some way or another, which made it tough for me to become too invested. I was perfectly fine with any of them being the murderer because I didn’t care about any of them enough to want them to be innocent!

I did enjoy Midge for the most part, though I think she may be hit-or-miss for some readers. Much of the story is seeing her slowly come out of her shell and push through her own insecurities. She’s familiar with murder, but her experience was working in the background, so finding herself in the middle of an active crime scene and needing to stand up for her own opinions is clearly a new experience. I thought she was a refreshing change from the typical detectives you find in this kind of book, though I will say that there were times I felt like her insecurities overwhelmed other portions of her characterization.

Overall, this was a quick, satisfying read. I didn’t come away from it blown away, but I also was able to get through it quickly and enjoyed it for what it was. Readers looking for a good holiday mystery should probably check this one out (though I will warn about the characters being a bit on the weaker side overall).

Rating 7: While the characters were all a bit too unlikable for my taste, the vibes were on point for the holiday season (Halloween or Christmas—take your pick!)

Reader’s Advisory:

“Murder Most Haunted” isn’t currently on any Goodreads lists, but it should be on Christmas Mysteries.

Kate’s Review: “Girl Dinner”

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Book: “Girl Dinner” by Olivie Blake

Publishing Info: Tor Books, October 2025

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

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

Book Description: Every member of The House, the most exclusive sorority on campus, and all its alumni, are beautiful, high-achieving, and universally respected.

After a freshman year she would rather forget, sophomore Nina Kaur knows being one of the chosen few accepted into The House is the first step in her path to the brightest possible future. Once she’s taken into their fold, the House will surely ease her fears of failure and protect her from those who see a young woman on her own as easy prey.

Meanwhile, adjunct professor Dr. Sloane Hartley is struggling to return to work after accepting a demotion to support her partner’s new position at the cutthroat University. After 18 months at home with her newborn daughter, Sloane’s clothes don’t fit right, her girl-dad husband isn’t as present as he thinks he is, and even the few hours a day she’s apart from her child fill her psyche with paralyzing ennui. When invited to be The House’s academic liaison, Sloane enviously drinks in the way the alumnae seem to have it all, achieving a level of collective perfection that Sloane so desperately craves.

As Nina and Sloane each get drawn deeper into the arcane rituals of the sisterhood, they learn that living well comes with bloody costs. And when they are finally invited to the table, they will have to decide just how much they can stomach in the name of solidarity and power.

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

I didn’t join a sorority when I was at the U of MN. I absolutely knew that wasn’t going to be my scene. I also didn’t know anyone in any sororities, and I think that the only Greek Life gossip I was up to date on while in school was when one of the frats lost their charter and the rumor was that it had to do with bad behavior involving farm animals (I’m sure this wasn’t true, but man was that rumor all OVER campus for a bit). But while this kind of sisterhood wasn’t for me, I don’t really have any super deep thoughts about it, except that it can be a GREAT theme for a thriller or horror about enmeshed sorority sisters doing nefarious things. So of course I was interested in “Girl Dinner” by Olivie Blake. It sounded like feminist rage meets cults meets… UNIQUE culinary tastes.

I bet not! (source)

This is a book that is a combination of horror and satire, and it mostly blends the two genres pretty well in ways that you might expect. We have two women, one college sophomore Nina who wants to become a member of the most coveted sorority on campus, The House, in hopes that the connections will set her up for life. The other is Sloane, an adjunct professor at the same college who is just getting back to work after having her daughter Isla and taking a break (as is expected of a mother), and whose husband Max seems to mean well but is pretty useless when it comes to being a helpful partner. As they both start making connections with The House, they start to really examine the ways that being a woman in society comes with lots of expectations and scrutiny, and feminist rage starts to simmer a bit as they make moves, covet power, and perhaps start finding nourishment from companionship with like minded women… as well as some interesting meals. I really liked the concept of this book, and I always love a weird cannibal horror story that has some metaphors about the cultural zeitgeist. And I mostly liked what this book was doing with its metaphors and waxings about womanhood, the faux feminism of girlbossing, and the paradox of having it all as a woman when men are just assumed that they have it all with less hoops to jump through. Sometimes, however, the metaphor and satire were laid on PRETTY thick. I find that for me less is more when it comes to the satire, as a little less spoon feeding can go a long way for effectiveness in conveying the point.

But for all the moments that I felt like I was having a lot of metaphors explained to me more than they needed to be, everything was more than made up for when things really kicked into gear in the last third of the book. Twists that are out in the open are revealed! We get weird cult like behaviors and ritualistic creepiness! CANNIBALISM! Things are happening at breakneck speed and I was practically swiping at the speed of light to find out what was going on and what was going to happen! I will not spoil anything here, but I can even say that this book had a twist that actually shocked me, came out of nowhere but had a solid foundation, and felt SO earned that I was absolutely thrilled and went back to re-read it all to make sure that it had, indeed, all fallen into place so seamlessly. As you all may know I usually can’t stand a last second twist, but this one? It was great.

“Girl Dinner” is gruesome in your face satire. I found it to be a fun read with a crazy conclusion. Check it out as this Halloween season starts to wane!

Rating 7: At times it feels a bit over-rought in its metaphors, but the ending is so wild but so well earned that it made up for all of it.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Girl Dinner” isn’t on any super specific Goodreads lists, but it would fit in on “Cannibalism Books”.

Kate’s Review: “The Hunger We Pass Down”

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Book: “The Hunger We Pass Down” by Jen Soofong Lee

Publishing Info: Erewhon Books, September 2025

Where Did I Get This Book: I received an ARC from the publisher at ALAAC25

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

Book Description: Single mother Alice Chow is drowning. With a booming online cloth diaper shop, her resentful teenage daughter Luna, and her screen-obsessed son Luca, Alice can never get everything done in a day. It’s all she can do to just collapse on the couch with a bottle of wine every night.

It’s a relief when Alice wakes up one morning and everything has been done. The counters are clear, the kids’ rooms are tidy, orders are neatly packed and labeled. But no one confesses they’ve helped, and Alice doesn’t remember staying up late. Someone–or something–has been doing her chores for her.

Alice should be uneasy, but the extra time lets her connect with her children and with her hard-edged mother, who begins to share their haunted family history from Alice’s great-grandmother, a comfort woman during WWII, through to Alice herself. But the family demons, both real and subconscious, are about to become impossible to ignore.

Sharp and incisive, The Hunger We Pass Down traces the ways intergenerational trauma transforms from mother to daughter, and asks what it might take to break that cycle.

Review: Thank you to Erewhon Books for providing an ARC of this novel at ALAAC25!

I know that there are probably a fair number of people who are getting a bit tired of horror that acts as metaphors for trauma and grief, but I do not share their concerns. I’m still all about horror being used to tell stories about the human experience in creative ways, and I don’t see myself getting bored of it any time soon. This is one of the reasons I was definitely interested in reading “The Hunger We Pass Down” by Jen Soofong Lee, a new ghost story that examines a couple generation of Chinese-Canadian women who have been dealing with a lot of tragedy and loss, possibly because of a family curse that has been passing down since World War II. I was excited to read it, but I can also tell you that I wasn’t prepared for the emotional wallop it was going to bring.

The idea of a cursed family standing in for generational trauma is always going to be catnip for me, and “The Hunger We Pass Down” is a solid example of that. We have the Chow Family, with mother Alice still dealing with the fallout of her divorce as she tries to care for her kids Luna and Luca while also running a successful online business. She feels stretched thin, but starts to find the house tidied up and her online orders ready to go though she has no memory of doing any kind of work towards any of it. We also follow up the family line, going all the way back to World War II Hong Kong where her great grandmother Gigi was being used as a comfort woman for Japanese soldiers, abused, held against her will, and raped. Which is where the family curse starts. As a horror story we have ghosts, we have doppelgangers, and we have lots of loss, violence, and tension. Lee handles the dread well, and the descriptions of the various spirits and spectres were pretty unsettling, even terrifying at times. I kept thinking of myths of vengeful spirits who take out rage on anyone in their way, and Lee really creates something truly scary here.

And as mentioned above, I do like the metaphor we have at hand, and I found that to be a strong element of this book as well. The trauma of captivity and sexual abuse and rape is something that Gigi has to endure as a ‘comfort woman’ in Hong Kong, and the generational trauma passes down throughout the generations from mother to daughter. What really struck me is that this is also a very heavy family saga, and the bleakness of the way that violence can rewire a persona and keep cycles going just oozes off the page. It’s deeply emotional and it just works, even if I found it a very hard read at times. It’s a well done story to be sure, but man you really need to steel yourself for it. I also found the ending a little bit abrupt, and while it absolutely made sense for what the overall theme was, it still kind of felt like there could have and maybe should have been more. These aren’t bad things, but I was a LITTLE unsatisfied, and had I realized this was more literary I probably could have better prepared myself for it, emotionally.

“The Hunger We Pass Down” is emotional and creepy, and it’s filled with lots of real world terrors to round out the ghostly ones. I found it to be well done, and very, very sad.

Rating 7: A bleak and emotional family saga about multiple generations of women and curse passing from mothers to daughters, “The Hunger We Pass Down” is scary, but more sad than anything else.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Hunger We Pass Down” is included on the Goodreads list “She’s Not Feeling Good at All: Sad Female Characters”.

Serena’s Review: “Dealing with a Desperate Demon”

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

Book: “Dealing with a Desperate Demon” by Charlotte Stein

Publishing Info: St. Martin’s Griffin, October 2025

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

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

Book Description: Nancy has just about given up on finding her special person when Jack Jackson—big, scary and the town loser—walks into her bookstore. He’s apparently even more desperate for help in the romance department than she is. And after a bit of gentle persuasion, he finally accepts her guidance in securing his dream girl. Practice dates, lessons in tenderness—you name it, she can teach it.

There’s just one his dream girl might have more than an issue with his dating skills. Because Jack isn’t just a little clueless; he’s actually the demonic son of Satan, from the deepest depths of hell. He’s spent his entire long underlife dragging evildoers to their fates, while really trying not to live up to his Dad’s expectations.

Now, it isn’t just about getting a date with his dream girl. He needs to become a better man to win over the woman he’s been cosmically bound to, in a Beauty and the Beast style pact. If he fails, everyone he cares for will face a terrible fate. Luckily for him, Nancy may well be the witch she’s always tried to pretend she wasn’t. She can save him, he knows it—and she’s starting to know it too. Even if every day spent with him is an agonising reminder that she isn’t the girl he’s fated for.

But as the deadline approaches she’s starting to wonder… Could it be that she’s finally found her Prince? Or is she about to lose her heart to hell?

Review: This book was a bit of a hit-and-miss experience for me, similar to the first book in this world that I read by this author. Like that book, the strengths lie in the cozy vibes that are strewn throughout. Indeed, the book routinely comments on the fact that this town is known as one of the coziest places on earth! That vibe carries through the descriptions of the town itself, from the characterization of our main couple, all the way down to the homey, approachable style of writing. If nothing else, this book was a fun read to simply sink into while holding a mug of steaming tea.

After reading the first book, it was easy enough to spot potential candidates for upcoming sequels, and Nancy was one whom I was particularly interested in! Who doesn’t want to read more about the lovely bookstore owner who has forgotten her own magic? Unfortunately, as a main character, Nancy was less charming than I found her to be in the first book. By no means was she unlikable, and I’d even say I enjoyed her personal arc of rediscovering her own magic. However, she also came across as incredibly obtuse and dense at times, particularly with regard to the romance. A fairly major plot point is her giving the romantic interest “dating tips” for the mysterious girl he’s interested in. “Mysterious”… right. But apparently, to poor, dull Nancy, it truly was a mystery—which boggled the mind.

This was a problem I had in the first book as well. In theory, we’re supposed to be reading about adult characters who have lived adult lives. But, perhaps in pursuit of “coziness,” the author seems prone to dumbing down her characters to a point where I struggle to find them believable as mature people. In both that book and this one, the leading ladies read too much like rather dimwitted teenagers with very little understanding of other people and romance in general.

I liked Jack better, for the most part. His shtick became a bit tiresome after a while, but I still liked his stumbling attempts to charm Nancy. That said, the curse of the nicknames struck again, and I inwardly cringed every time he called Nancy “kid.” Of course, this particular nickname didn’t help my ongoing struggles to envision Nancy as an adult woman.

The pacing was also fairly slow at the start of this book. Things did pick up toward the middle, but it was still a slight slog getting to that point. Fans of the first book will likely be happy to go along, as the pacing is helped by familiarity with the world and some of the side characters. But for new entrants, it takes a bit of time to fully feel invested in the story.

Overall, this was a sweet, cozy fall read. It didn’t blow me away, and I did struggle with the main character at times, but I think the romance itself was nice. I’m rather picky with my cozy reads, so I think more tried-and-true fans of this subgenre are going to gobble this one up!

Rating 7: Full of charm and coziness, this one will likely appeal to readers looking for a sweet, fall read. That said, I felt like the main character was unnecessarily childish at times and the pacing was slow to start.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Dealing with a Desperate Demon” can be found on these Goodreads lists:

Serena’s Review: “Never Ever After”

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Book: “Never Ever After” by Sue Lynn Tan

Publishing Info: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, October 2025

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

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

Book Description: Life in the Iron Mountains is harsh and unforgiving. After the death of her beloved uncle, Yining has survived by becoming a skilled thief and an even better liar. When she acquires an enchanted ring that holds the key to a brighter future, it is stolen by her step-aunt, and Yining must venture into the imperial heart of the kingdom to seize it back.

Amid the grandeur of the palace, Yining catches the eye of the ruthless and ambitious prince, who tempts her with a world she’s never imagined. But nothing is as it seems, for she’s soon trapped in a tangle of power, treachery, and greed—her only ally the cunning advisor from a rival court who keeps dangerous secrets of his own. To break free, she must unravel the mystery of her past and fight for a future that both frightens and calls to her.

Review: Unfortunately, I’m starting to think that this author just isn’t for me. This is incredibly disappointing since so many other fantasy readers absolutely love her work, and, on paper, I should, too! I mean, the book summary alone on this one (love triangle aside) definitely sounds up my alley! A fairytale re-telling but mixed and reimagined with Chinese folklore? Sign me up! But somewhere within the actual reading experience, I’m missing what others love so much about these books.

To start with the positives, objectively I can see the appeal of the storytelling and writing. There’s no denying Sue Lynn Tan has a way with words, and when the writing is focused on the worldbuilding, lore, or the action of the plot itself, I was easily drawn in to the story. While I think the mixing of the “Cinderella” story with some of the Chinese folklore bits were a bit clunky at times, not naturally aligning as well as they could have, I also think the ambition was well served in the end with a story that was compelling and interesting. Readers who are looking for a new take on a very well-trod fairytale are sure to appreciate the twists and turns offered up in this one.

However, I’m a character reader first and foremost, and I think that’s always where I bounce of Tan’s stories. There’s nothing wrong with her FMCs, but I also never feel particularly invested in their stories either. Like my previous experiences with these leads, Yining is just kind of…there. The story happens, she participates, but I just couldn’t seem to care to strongly one way or the other. I turned the page because the plot was interesting enough, but not because I was particularly excited about what came next for Yining.

Predictably, I also had low tolerance for the indecision regarding the love interests. The romance in this one is definitely low key, which is probably one of the better points in its favor for me, considering how I feel about love triangles. But even with that being the case, I still struggled to not zone out whenever Yining began to reflect on either of these two characters. I also feel like the ending is set up in a way that is incredibly overplayed at this point. Perhaps the author will surprise me and change things up in the sequel, but as it stands, it feels like the entire dynamic of this love triangle has been done before and often. I don’t think I’ll read it to find out, but I may scroll through some other reviews to see how it plays out.

Ultimately, I think much of this was a “me” problem. I don’t connect with this author’s characters for whatever reason, and love triangles are almost always a huge turn off. That said, I appreciated the mixing of “Cinderella” with Chinese folklore, and I think fans of this author in general will probably really enjoy this one.

Rating 7: The highlights include the mixing of Chinese folklore and the classic fairytale “Cinderella.” The lowlights were the love triangle and my general “meh” towards the main character herself.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Never Ever After” can be found on this Goodreads list: Epic High Fantasy/Romance/Mythology in 2025

Serena’s Review: “Bitten”

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Book: “Bitten” by Jordan Stephanie Gray

Publishing Info: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, September 2025

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

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

Book Description: After a vicious werewolf attack on the night of her seventeenth birthday party, Vanessa Hart loses everything she loves in a split second. Her best friend, her father, and even her home.

Bitten and imprisoned without explanation, Vanessa endures an agonizing transformation into the very beast that maimed her, and her captors make it clear she cannot escape: she will either swear her life to the Wolf Queen’s Court, or she will die.

With no other choice, Vanessa joins their enchanted Castle Severi—where flowering vines grow through the walls, gifts are bestowed by the stars, and a claw can break through skin as easily as silk—but she hasn’t forgotten what they stole from her.

Vanessa still seeks vengeance, scheming in the shadows even as she finds herself mesmerized by the golden prince Sinclair Severi, who threatens to steal her heart though he is promised to her nemesis. And by his brooding, disgraced cousin, Calix, whose smoldering gaze hides even darker secrets. Immersed in the magic of their whimsical yet cruel society, Vanessa soon learns not all is as it seems.

The Court is at war, and she may simply be a pawn in its lethal game.

Review: This was one of those frustrating reads where I wanted to like it a lot more than I actually did. Part of this could be on me, as I’m an adult reading a YA fantasy book. But I also don’t think it’s only that, as there are plenty of YA stories that I still enjoy. However, this one frustrated me more often than it did anything else.

Part of that frustration stems from the fact that I did enjoy the overall world-building and setup for the plot that we got in the early parts of the book. True, much of this world felt familiar, especially if you’ve read many paranormal books. But I don’t think familiarity is an automatic mark against it, and I think it’s use of the werewolves combined a healthy balance of trademark plot points and new political/cultural flourishes. To that last point, I do wish there had been a bit more fleshing out to be had with regards to just why this society operates the way it does. I don’t need a straight, blow-by-blow explanation or anything, but as it stands, much of it felt too close to “that’s just how it is” rather than tied to any lore-centric reason for why things have come to be done in certain ways.

However, what started out as an interesting plot fueled by revenge and anger quickly devolved towards the middle part of the book. And it was here that I had the most problems. I don’t think even as a teen reader myself I would have enjoyed the sheer avalanche of mean girl drama that overtook this portion of the story. At best it was tedious and at worst it was stereotypical. This could have been saved, perhaps, had Vanessa had a stronger POV. But while I didn’t actively dislike her, she didn’t have enough going for her to counterbalance some of the silliness of the high school drama going on around her. At times, her inner monologue became incredibly repetitive even.

I’ll also note that this book rates high on the gore factor and the explicitness of its romantic interactions. And my discomfort with that comes down fully to the fact that I’m now an adult reading this. I’m by no means saying that teens should only read closed-door romances or anything like that! But, as an adult myself, it does feel a bit voyeuristic and icky to be reading fairly explicit romance scenes between teen characters. This is especially true in books that are set in a high school setting. It’s easy enough to turn my brain off in a more general fantasy novel where the teenage protagonist is taking care of her family in a cabin and fighting dragons and what have you; in every way that matters, that kind of character is an adult in that world. But when the main character is literally in school and then I get whacked down into a pretty graphic romance scene…yeah, it just feels icky. But again, this would be a very different experience if I was an actual teen reader picking this one up, so take this all with a huge grain of salt! More so, this is just a note of forewarning for other adult fantasy readers who may struggle in a similar way.

Overall, this was only an ok read. I think the author has potential, and I did enjoy the paranormal werewolf aspects of the story, even if they felt fairly familiar at times. That said, Vanessa herself wasn’t a very strong main character and the teenage drama of it all was a big “no” for me. I think this is one that may appeal greatly to its target audience, but I don’t think I’d recommend it to adult fantasy fans.

Rating 7: I’m not the audience for this book, and that was clear throughout. However, there were some interesting world-building moments and werewolves are always a good time!

Reader’s Advisory:

“Never Ever After” can be found on this Goodreads list: Epic High Fantasy/Romance/Mythology in 2025

Kate’s Review: “The Captive”

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

Book: “The Captive” by Kit Burgoyne

Publishing Info: Hell’s Hundred, September 2025

Where Did I Get This Book: I received an ARC and a finished copy from the publisher.

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

Book Description: A darkly comedic, cinematic horror about a revolutionary group who kidnap an heiress, only to discover she’s pregnant with the antichrist, and she’s about to give birth.

From Ned Beauman, the Man Booker Prize longlisted author of The Teleportation Accident and Clarke Award winning author of Venomous Lumpsucker. Perfect for fans of Grady Hendrix and Joe Hill.

Underground revolutionary group, The Nail, and their newest member, Luke have kidnapped 23-year-old heiress Adeline Woolsaw, whose wealthy parents run the Woolsaw Group, a vast outsourcing company. They run everything from prisons and hospitals to military bases – quietly suffocating the country with the help of powerful friends in government.

The Nail’s to use the kidnapping to draw attention to the Woolsaw Group and their terrible practices. But with Adeline bundled into their van, The Nail discover two things. The first is that she’s just about to give birth. And the second is that this isn’t a normal baby. In fact, it has devastating supernatural powers. Because the father of this baby wasn’t a man, it was… something else. Something that her parents make human sacrifices to on an altar in the basement of their Highgate mansion. And all this time the Woolsaw Group has been preparing the ground for the Woolsaws’ real an infernal new kingdom that will rise with Adeline’s son sitting on its throne.

Review: Than you to Hell’s Hundred for sending me an ARC and a finished copy of this novel!

When I was in tenth grade, one of my friends and I watched “The Omen” during a sleepover the night of the Halloween Dance. Ever since it’s been a horror movie I enjoy, and it along with “Rosemary’s Baby” and “The Exorcist” brought the idea of the antiChrist and demonic children to the forefront of horror storytelling (there is a whole argument to be made about these sorts of stories being told at this time due to people freaking out about Vatican II, as there is an argument to be made about movies like “The First Omen” being made in response to reproductive rights being under attack and more awareness of religious institution corruption, but that’s a different TED talk for a different time). It’s not a sub- genre I really seek out, but I do like checking it out every once in awhile if the opportunity presents itself. Fast forward to receiving “The Captive” by Kit Burgoyne as book mail! Looking it over it sounded like it could be a lot of fun, so I added it to the TBR pile!

I feel like this is less of a straight up ‘horror’ novel and more of a dark fantasy thriller, as I don’t think there were any moments of true dread or terror. But that didn’t make it any less fun to read for me, as I do love dark fantasy, and this one had not only fun world building, but also interesting satirical elements. We follow a leftist/anti-Capitalist group called The Nail, that is trying to expose the abuses and corruption of a sleek billionaire family with its fingers in many damaging pies, whether it’s poorly run mental facilities, detainment centers, or other places that cause harm (that can be easily ignored by the greater public all in the name of lining their pockets but under the radar). Their big plan is to do a Patty Hearst-esque sting in which they kidnap the heiress, Adeline, hoping to use her to get people to look into the Woolsaw Family and start asking questions. But two things catch them by surprise: 1) she is more than happy to go with them, and 2) she gives birth to a baby they had no clue existed, and who seems to have strange powers. It’s been a bit of a pattern when it comes to ‘antiChrist’-esque stories that it’s a religious or political group or cult or what have you behind it. So what fun to see it being a billionaire family that just keeps wanting more, more, MORE for themselves. Not that it shocks me that we’re seeing this kind of shift, given that we’re living in a new Gilded Age with billionaires getting richer and more powerful and influential as others struggle more and more. I enjoyed how Burgoyne developed that narrative with that context. I also liked that The Nail was in WAY over its head, specifically idealistic Luke to has his own reasons for wanting to take the Woolsaw Family down, but then starts questioning his compatriots actions when a postpartum woman and her child, dangerous as he may be, are being used as pawns not just by her family, but by his group as well.

But I think that what connected most with me (and I’m such a sap for this, but eh, this is me now!) was the way that Burgoyne portrayed Adeline’s relationship with her children, specifically her six year old daughter Mia…. who was a first attempt at a magical/demonic heir but then cast aside because she was a girl. While Adeline was forced to be a vessel for these children against her will due to her parents ambitions, I thought that her conflicted but also protective feelings towards her kids was very interesting, as it would have been easier for her to be portrayed as either ‘a mother’s love conquers all’ or ‘I have no connection at all to these things!’ With Mia especially I found myself teary as she wants to save her daughter at all costs.

I enjoyed “The Captive”. It wasn’t as scary as I had hoped, but it was a fun dark fantasy nevertheless. And timely in its own way!

Rating 7: Fast paced and, interestingly enough, topical in a way! “The Captive” is a pretty fun dark fantasy story that plucked at my heartstrings more than I anticipated.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Captive” is included on the Goodreads list “Horror to Look Forward to in 2025”.