Tag: 7 Rating

Serena’s Review: “The Trouble with Anna”

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Book: “The Trouble with Anna” by Rachel Griffiths

Publishing Info: Gallery Books, March 2025

Where Did I Get this Book:

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

Book Description: A tart young woman and an arrogant lord collide in this flirty, sexy, and remarkably modern historical romance, perfect for fans of Bridgerton.

Anna didn’t intend to ride in a high-stakes horse race or start up a betting ring. She certainly didn’t mean to find herself in so many darkened corners with Lord Julian Ramsay, quarreling and kissing. But when her grandfather’s strange will stipulates that Anna must marry or she’ll be left broke, there’s nothing she won’t do to win her fight for independence. Even go head-to-head with Lord Ramsay, with her own heart as the prize.

Review: It’s been awhile since I’ve delved back into the historical romance subgenre. It’s one that I have really loved at times and really struggled with at others. But this one also peaked my inner “horse girl” heart, so I thought it would be a great one to check out!

While it didn’t quite hit the way I wanted it to, there were still several strengths to be found. The author’s writing style was very approachable while also (mostly) reading as appropriate to the time period it was describing. While some of the dialogue walked right up to the line of modernity, the story was written in such a way that this sort of casual style of speaking between characters seemed to fit. It was very “Bridgerton” in this way. I often prefer books that adhere a bit more strictly to the language styles of the time, but I felt that this more casual approach worked here.

I also really enjoyed the parts of the book that focused on Anna’s love and deep knowledge of horses. Her character had a few other weak points, but she was at her best in all the scenes that had to do with her management of the horses and stables she’s hoping to protect. One of my favorite scenes was a small moment where Anna correctly comes down hard on Lord Ramsay when he undermines her authority in front of her employees. Again and again, we see that Anna knows what she’s talking about in this area, and Ramsay quickly comes to respect this about her. If things do go a bit in a wild direction as the story continued with this horse plot line, it was still fun enough to keep me reading.

I also liked the original set up between Anna and Lord Ramsay, with the use of the inheritance being tied to their marriage for reasons that neither of them understand. Unfortunately, the way that this romance played out was one of my primary struggle points (not a great thing for a romance novel!). Here, we had a good example of how hot/cold romances can go wrong. First, these two are written as uninterested in or intimidated by one another. Than they quickly fall into lust and spend several on and off page moments making out about it. Then of course there are troubles. Then more making out. Than a big rift. And of course, ultimately, the happily ever after.

Some of this is to be expected from romance (the equation with the 75% of the way through conflict before the happily every after is almost a given at this point). But I was particularly not sold on how quickly they went from strangers to making out early in the book. And, strangely, it was mostly make out scenes all around, many simply being referenced as having happened off page. Now, I don’t love books that are taken over by spice scenes typically and I definitely don’t need an incredible amount of focus on this. But this read as strangely PG, almost? Something just felt off here.

Overall, I thought this was a fun enough read, though it seemed to struggle the most in its depiction of the central couple’s romantic arc. The writing was compelling and fun, so I was able to whip through it quickly, so I think it will appeal to many readers. Especially those who are looking for less spicy options!

Rating 7: I enjoyed Anna herself quite a bit and her commitment to her horses and estate, however I struggled more with the romance, which is never great in, you know, a romance novel.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Trouble with Anna” isn’t currently on any Goodreads lists, but it should be on Must Love Horses.

Kate’s Review: “Fence, Vol. 5: Rise”

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

Publishing Info: BOOM! Box, August 2022

Where Did I Get This Book: The library!

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

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

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

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

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

ANY DAY NOW. (source)

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

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

Reader’s Advisory:

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

Serena’s Review: “Greenteeth”

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Book: “Greenteeth” by Molly O’Neill

Publishing Info: Orbit, February 2025

Where Did I Get this Book: from the publisher!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Reader’s Advisory:

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

Serena’s Review: “The Outcast Mage”

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Book: “The Outcast Mage” by Annabel Campbell

Publishing Info: Orbit, January 2025

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

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

Book Description: In the glass city of Amoria, magic is everything. And Naila, student at the city’s legendary academy, is running out of time to prove she can control hers. If she fails, she’ll be forced into exile, relegated to a life of persecution with the other magicless hollows. Or worse, be consumed by her own power.

When a tragic incident further threatens her place at the Academy, Naila is saved by Haelius Akana, the most powerful living mage. Finding Naila a kindred spirit, Haelius stakes his position at the Academy on teaching her to harness her abilities. But Haelius has many enemies, and they would love nothing more than to see Naila fail. Trapped in the deadly schemes of Amoria’s elite, Naila must dig deep to discover the truth of her powers or watch the city she loves descend into civil war.

For there is violence brewing on the wind, and greater powers at work. Ones who could use her powers for good… or destroy everything she’s ever known.

Review: I think this book will be one of those odd reads that really works for certain fantasy readers, but then fails to connects to a bunch of others. To start with, the book throws readers into the deep end of an entirely new fantasy world. I’m on the record as very much enjoying this approach to world-building in fantasy, but it’s also a big ask of many more casual readers. For the most part, this approach worked for me here as well. I was more than happy to go along with the story and characters slowly piecing things together as they came.

What didn’t work, however, was that further into the book we did start getting more overt details into these world-building portions. Unfortunately, they often came in long chunks of straight exposition and info-dumping. These larger bits of explanation also came fairly far into the story, meaning that for the readers who would appreciate the straight presentation of facts rather than the immersive nature of the beginning, there’s a decent chance they might have already put the book down by the point they show up.

I also ended up struggling to enjoy many of the characters in this book. For the pros, I very much enjoy mentor/mentee relationships, so I really liked the portions of the book that focused on these two characters. I will also say that there is very little to no romance in this book, so it’s a great option for readers who perhaps feel overwhelmed by the amount of romance in fantasy recently (not me, but I know these readers exist, haha!).

That said, there were simply too many POV characters in this book. I know that I personally have a fairly low bar for the number of characters I want to follow during a book. It typically tops out at around 3, and by far I prefer a single POV altogether. But here there were, I think, 5 or 6 different characters we followed. By necessity, some of those got more page time than others, which often directly influenced my interest in their various stories. However, the sheer overwhelming number of them ultimately decreased my ability to connect to any of them. Beyond that, as I read, it began to be hard to differentiate between them, leaving me unsure of whose story I was finding halfway through a chapter. Again, this is a very subjective take, and I know a lot of fantasy readers enjoy large casts of characters. But it didn’t work for me here.

So this was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I enjoyed the world that was introduced, but there were too many info dumps to make it smooth sailing. And I really like the focus on the mentor/mentee relationship, but there were too many other characters distracting from these two’s stories that I watered down the entire affair. I’ll likely stick around for the next book, as I’m definitely curious to see where the story goes from here.

Rating 7: A lot of potential and a strong central relationship was a bit hampered by shaky world-building and too many POVs to keep up with.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Outcast Mage” can be found on this Goodreads list: All the New Fantasy Books Arriving in January 2025.

Kate’s Review: “The Widow’s Web”

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Book: “The Widow’s Web” by Susan Moore

Publication Info: Bloodhound Books, January 2025

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

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

Book Description: When her tycoon husband suddenly dies, a woman discovers the sinister secrets of Silicon Valley, in this psychological thriller debut.

When tech mogul Brad Jones is found drowned off the Marin coast, his death is quickly ruled a suicide. But his wife, Dr. Anna Jones, a renowned cyberpsychologist, isn’t convinced. Driven by grief and suspicion, Anna begins to dig into Brad’s past, uncovering some dark details behind Silicon Valley’s elite.

Anna soon crosses paths with Scott and Kristy Lyle, influential figures with connections reaching the highest echelons of the tech industry. The deeper she goes, the more she realizes Brad’s death is tied to a long-buried secret—one that powerful people would kill to protect. Caught between the truth and some dangerous enemies, will Anna risk everything to expose the sinister forces at play?

The Widow’s Web is a gripping psychological thriller that explores ambition, betrayal, and the terrifying reality that our worst enemies may be those we trust the most.

Review: Thank you to SparkPoint Studio for sending me an ARC of this novel!

Well it just so happens that this week the books I’m reviewing are ALL about rich people behaving badly! Just like “A Girl Like Us” on Tuesday, we are now tackling a story that feels way too relevant, and in this case it’s even more so as it is about villainous tech bros in Silicon Valley doing shady things and destroying lives to maintain their power. I miss the days that my associations with that part of Northern California were more about my childhood memories of family trips and beautiful oceans and less about the aforementioned monsters in tech. Yep, “The Widow’s Web” by Susan Moore is a rich behaving badly thriller, but it has less melodrama and more actual nasty and disturbing plot points. Which surprised me in a good way.

As a thriller, “The Widow’s Web” is pretty straight forward on the surface. We have Anna, a psychologist who has been married to her tech mogul husband Brad for years and living a lavish life in Silicon Valley. But when Brad suddenly dies by drowning, she is suddenly plunged into a viper’s nest of lies and secrets involving her husband and fellow tech bro Scott Lyle, and realizes that Brad was hiding horrible secrets from her. We get the clues to the big reveals through modern day investigation from Anna herself, to flashbacks involving Brad and his business dealings, to journalistic digging from a reporter who has ties to Scott Lyle through his wife Kristy, and it all makes for a mystery that is fairly well put together, though well tread territory when it comes to the puzzle pieces and the way they fit together. I did wholly enjoy Anna as a character, as a grieving wife as well as a woman who is trying to protect her son from dark truths as she is finding them out.

But what struck me the most about this book is that, unlike other wealthy people behaving badly books I’ve read recently, Moore decides to take the bad behavior to incredibly dark and sociopathic places. I don’t want to spoil too much, but this book and its reveals don’t feel soapy or fun, and while I love soapy and fun, I appreciate the candor that Moore has put into place in her characters and the absolute depravity that she is calling out, as these tech bros are so rich and powerful that they don’t feel any fear of consequences. Was it a mind fuck to read this kind of story as tech bros are trying to dismantle society as we know it and turn in their techno-dystopic ideals? It sure was! Does it make this book feel all the more relevant and horrifying? YUP, IT SURE DOES. That is what stood out to me about this book. I didn’t expect it to continue fueling my existential dread about everything.

“The Widow’s Web” has familiar beats, but dares to push the envelope in its themes. Because of that, I found it to be compelling and effective.

Rating 7: A twisty conspiratorial thriller that has a sympathetic main character and the gall to go to the darkest places when calling out the sociopaths of the tech industry.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Widow’s Web” isn’t on any Goodreads lists yet, but it would fit in on “Mysteries Set in Silicon Valley (Fiction)”.

Book Club Review: “Delicious in Dungeon (Vol. 1 & 2)”

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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 reading books that have had film/TV adaptations and then comparing the two mediums. 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!

Books: “Delicious in Dungeon (Vols. 1 &2)” by Ryoko Kui

Publishing Info: Yen Press, May 2017 & August 2017

Where Did I Get These Books: The library!

Where You Can Get These Books: WorldCat.org (Vol.1) (Vol.2) | Amazon (Vol.1) (Vol.2) | Indiebound (Vol.1) (Vol.2)

What We Watched: “Delicious in Dungeon” Episodes 1 & 2

Book Descriptions: Vol. 1: When young adventurer Laios and his company are attacked and soundly thrashed by a dragon deep in a dungeon, the party loses all its money and provisions…and a member! They’re eager to go back and save her, but there is just one problem: If they set out with no food or coin to speak of, they’re sure to starve on the way! But Laios comes up with a brilliant idea: “Let’s eat the monsters!” Slimes, basilisks, and even dragons…none are safe from the appetites of these dungeon-crawling gourmands!

Vol. 2: With the possibility of starvation as a constant companion, Laios’ party continues advancing deeper into the Dungeon. The adventurers have made it to the third floor but only rotting zombies, ghastly spirits, living paintings, and golems await them–all of them absolutely inedible. After coming this far by adapting and learning how to live off the dubious bounties of the Dungeon, how will they manage when even the meanest monster won’t make a decent meal?

Kate’s Thoughts

It had been a long time since I read any manga before our book club picked “Delicious in Dungeon” Volumes 1 and 2. Like, probably since we read “Sailor Moon” Volumes 1 and 2 a few years ago! I used to read more manga back in the day, but it has admittedly fallen away a bit, so I was eager to pick some up again. Especially since I’ve been doing an online Dungeons and Dragons campaign for the past year or so and this just SCREAMED D & D to me!

And it really did feel like I was reading a D & D campaign as our heroes go into the dungeon to find Laios’s captured sister and find the depths, the creatures, and other adventurers along the way. Not only is the lore of the dungeon expansive and super creative (different levels, different resting spots that have turned into markets and communities), I really enjoyed the many different creatures and how they are broken down and used for food, with thought out recipes and oddly mouthwatering pictures to boot! I also enjoyed seeing the party of varying characters try and maneuver through the monsters and the recipes, whether it’s determined leader Laios who wants to save his sister (and has always been curious about monsters as food for some reason), or anxious spellcaster Marcille, or steady locksmith Chilchuck, or fine dining chef dwarf Senshi (my favorite to be sure). And man, did that food look good even though it was made of slimes, scorpions, chimeras, and other dungeon dwelling beasts.

Will I go on in the series? Probably not. But it was a fun ride to be sure!

Kate’s Rating 7: Creative world building, fun characters, and some delicious looking food make for a fun adventure tale!

Book Club Questions

  1. Have you read manga before? If so, how did this manga compare with the other ones you’ve read in the past?
  2. Did you think that the art style and the structure of it fit the story? Do you think you may have liked this more if it were in a different format, like a long form fantasy novel?
  3. Which character did you connect with the most?
  4. If you watched the adaptation or parts of the adaptation, how did it compare to the source material? Do you think you liked watching it better or reading it better?
  5. Have you played any games that have dungeon quests or themes (like D&D, or any video or board game with dungeons and monsters)? How did those compare to this story?

Reader’s Advisory

“Delicious in Dungeon (Vols. 1 & 2)” are included on the Goodreads lists “Comics About Food”, and “RPG Board Games”.

Next Book Club Pick: “The Princess Bride” by William Goldman

Serena’s Review: “A Circle of Uncommon Witches”

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Book: “A Circle of Uncommon Witches” by Paige Crutcher

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

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

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

Book Description: Doreen MacKinnon is doomed to die of a broken heart – if she can’t break the centuries old curse placed on her family.

Three hundred years ago, Ambrose MacDonald, a powerful male witch, fell in love with a MacKinnon. And when the MacKinnon witches forbade him from seeing his love, by secretly hiding her away, he retaliated by cursing the family and its future generations to never find love. But it wasn’t without a cost. Now, Ambrose is imprisoned by those same witches, trapped in a tempest and doomed to outlive everyone he has ever loved.

But Doreen isn’t like the other MacKinnon witches. As the 13th generation of the MacKinnon line, Doreen is one of the most powerful witches in centuries… and one of the loneliest. So when she discovers where Ambrose has been trapped, she releases him to help her break the curse, once and for all. Ambrose agrees to help, but with his own motive: vengeance. He plans to use her as bait to enact his revenge on her family.

Together, they enter a series of trials, which take them to a castle in Scotland, off a cliff, and into a world beyond their wildest dreams. As they work together, sparks start to fly, but soon Doreen must choose how far she is willing to go to break the curse, and what she’s willing to sacrifice.

Review: Ever since falling in love with “Practical Magic” (both the book and the movie) as a teenager, I’ve always been chasing that high with regards to romantic witch stories. Alas, I’ve never quite found the same, well, magic, for lack of a better word! But, ever hopeful, I requested this one right away when I saw it slated for publication this spring!

To start with what I did like, if you step back from the book and look at the overall plot and the grander design of the world and romance, there was a lot to like. The curse itself was interesting, especially its exploration of the morality of the choice the MacKinnons face: do they ensnare a man to love them through magic or do they choose to die young? Both of these have obvious downsides, and the added factor of manipulated feelings and the guilt that this would cause with regards to the former choice were compelling.

That said, the way this curse, these characters, and this world were first introduced was incredibly disjointed and sloppy. Instead of building up a story and a character who, over the course of the plot, would feed us the necessary information with regards to the curse, we are simply spoon-fed an explanation of the history and curse in several exposition-heaving dialogue scenes early in the book. The best word to describe it is clunky. Beyond that, because some of these greater facts are being presented so early, before I had any time to center myself in this world or care about these characters, I couldn’t truly appreciate the stakes of the curse, which should be dramatic.

Beyond that, I think the romance played out rather poorly. It walks right up to the line of instalove and then seems to tap a toe over it. Nothing is egregious, but it also wasn’t built up in a natural manner. Again, I struggled to become invested in these characters, both alone or together. At the same time, given how quickly they seemed to fall for one another, the actual progression of the romance felt very drawn out. I prefer slow-burns, but if you’re going to write characters who instantly fall for one another, I’d rather they act on that sooner rather than later. Instead, we got a rather frustrating game of hot and cold as the story continued.

There was a lot of potential to be found here, and I’d definitely check out another book by this author. I think there was a lot of potential in this world and concept, but some weakness with regards to pacing and characterization. However, if you’re looking for a fun, fast, witchy romance, this may be one to check out!

Rating 7: An intriguing concept with the magical curse, however the pacing and introduction of the world-building was clunky at times.

Reader’s Advisory:

“A Circle of Uncommon Witches” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Blessing and Cursing and Witchy Women.

Kate’s Review: “Old Soul”

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

Book: “Old Soul” by Susan Barker

Publishing Info: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, January 2025

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

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

Book Description: The woman never goes by the same name. She never stays in the same place too long. She never ages. She never dies. But those around her do.

When two grieving strangers meet by chance in Osaka airport they uncover a disturbing connection. Jake’s best friend and Mariko’s twin brother each died, 6,000 miles apart, in brutal and unfathomable circumstances. Each encountered a mesmerising, dark-haired woman in the days before their deaths. A woman who came looking for Mariko – and then disappeared.

Jake, who has carried his loss and guilt for a decade, finds himself compelled to follow the trail set by Mariko’s revelations. It’s a trail that weaves across continents and centuries, leading back to the many who have died – in strange and terrifying and eerily similar ways – and those they left behind: bewildered, disbelieved, yet resolutely sure of what they saw.

And, at the centre of it all, there is the same beguiling woman. Her name may have changed, but her purpose has never wavered, and as Jake races to discover who, or what she is, she has already made her next choice.

But will knowing her secret be enough to stop her?

Review: Thank you to G.P. Putnam’s Sons for providing me with an ARC at ALAAC24!

I don’t really read too much literary horror, but I always try to be open minded about the titles that I pick up even if they are not in my usual wheelhouse. When Serena and I went to ALAAC24 last summer I found myself with the book “Old Soul” by Susan Barker, and if I’m being honest it initially ended up in my ‘I could probably give this book away’ bag that I always find myself with at the end of the conference. After I had sorted things out and figured out what books I was going to read and which ones I was going to give to other librarians et al, “Old Soul” sat in a bag that was books that were just left over at the end of it. But then I kept seeing it on various horror lists, and my interest grew and grew. And I thought to myself ‘you know what, it’s not your usual go to sub-genre, but go for it!’ So I grabbed it from the bag it had been sitting within, and I dove on in. And in general I’m glad that I did!

“Old Soul” is a multi perspective tale about a mysterious woman who has existed through the decades, never aging but always preying on various people she encounters, who become unhinged and die horrible deaths shortly after meeting her. A chance meeting between a man named Jake and a woman named Mariko makes them realize his best friend and her brother were both victims of this woman, and we go backwards seeing the Woman pull people in and destroy them, sometimes through her perspectives, sometimes through the perspectives of loved ones of her victims. It’s such an interesting story structure that made the reading experience unnerving and dreamlike, with the strange outcomes and horrors building and twisting up super tense until it all snaps. The Woman is such a mysterious antagonist, and as we follow her both from her perspective at times but also through the eyes of others we get an eerie and almost Lynchian (rest in peace, sir) feeling that is both uncanny and cosmic, horror wise. It’s incredibly unique and I really appreciated that, and I do love seeing the bounds that literary horror will push and the ways that it will interpret the genre.

On the flip side, however, this book does move a little slower than I would have liked at times. I wholly understand why Barker wanted to give us all of the context of the mysterious Woman, and to show the ways that she has manipulated and preyed upon multiple people over the decades as she goes forward with her cosmic horror-y purpose, but it was getting to the point where I was feeling like it was a bit repetitive. I didn’t need to follow basically all of her victims for the point to come across, so by the time we were delving into one of the later ones I found myself skimming because it felt like more of the same to me. This could also be because in general cosmic horror hasn’t been SUPER on my radar until very recently, and perhaps as a sub-genre its one that doesn’t connect as well and it would work REALLY well for those who do like it AND literary sensibilities.

“Old Soul” is certainly compelling and a fascinating literary horror novel. People who like something kind of weird and unsettling who like a bit more experimental writing styles should definitely pick it up.

Rating 7: Eerie and strange, “Old Soul” is unique and compelling, but is a little slow at times.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Old Soul” is included on the Goodreads list “Horror Books of 2025”.

Serena’s Review: “The Night is Defying”

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Book: “The Night is Defying” by Chloe C. Penaranda

Publishing Info: Bramble, January 2025

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

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

Book Description: Shaken from the aftermath of the Libertatem, the newly found star-maiden Astraea is determined to keep her freedom, even at the cost of betraying her heart. But time is running out to recover her memories with the hole it will unveil her killer.

Embarking on a journey to discover her past, Astraea’s awakening power spins the hourglass on a history threatening to repeat itself. While Nyte tries to regain control of the vampires hungry for bloodshed, a sinister plan by his brother to overthrow him sparks a dangerous feud. But are they willing to wear the blood of their kin to see it through?

For nothing in the past ever stays buried. Friends have turned into foes, brothers have turned into enemies, and what was written in the stars long ago ignites again in two hearts that were never meant to be. Letting Astraea go would save the world from darkness, but Nyte is no hero. It seems no monster is heartless, and no angel is without sin.

Previously Reviewed: “The Stars are Dying”

Review: While I struggled with the first book in this series, I did like the lyrical approach to some of the writing. One of my major complaints also revolved around the passive nature of the heroine, due to her lack of memories. As a sequel, I had high hopes that this last point could be improved upon, so I wanted to see where the story and romance would go!

So, while this didn’t rocket into becoming one of my favorites series ever, I can confirm that I did like it more than the first. Astraea made small steps towards becoming a more compelling heroine with more drive of her own to take control of her life and her choices. Did she still seem to need constant reassurance that she was capable? Yes. There were numerous pep talks throughout. But at least she also seemed to more fully come into her own as a character.

I also think the addition of Nyte’s (I still can’t with that name) POV helped the book. Having another character’s head to occupy, one who was less confused, distrusting, and passive really helped balance out the overall tone of the story. At the same time, however, sometimes it felt like his entire personality was simple adoration of everything Astraea said or did. I don’t enjoy artificial conflict or drama, but it also felt a bit too “gushy” for my taste. Added depth of his own, some more reflection on his relationships with other people, etc. all would have helped flesh him out a bit more.

However, the pacing continues to be a problem with this series. Like the first book, parts of this book really do drag, feeling as if the author is padding out the content with repetitive inner monologues and reflections (see the numerous pep talks). If you actually sit down and diagram out the action of this book, there’s very little actually there. In many ways, I think both books could have been condensed into one, much more tight, and successful narrative. As a fantasy reader, I obviously love series. But if there isn’t enough story to justify multiple books, an excellent stand-alone is always preferable to books that have been stretched too thin to make up a duology/trilogy/what have you.

Overall, this was an ok sequel. If you enjoyed the first book, than I’m sure you’ll love this one. If the first wasn’t really to our taste, this one does improve in some ways, but it also continues to struggle with regards to pacing and the passivity of its lead character.

On a secondary note, I realize that I’ve had a string of rather lackluster reviews now for the last several weeks! It really does seem like there are serious troughs that you hit every once in a while where nothing seems to be really clicking. I do try to space them out when I find myself in a situation like that. However, sometimes it’s unavoidable due to publication dates. Be assured, I’m well into my reading for February and there are several great reads heading your way!

Rating 7: While baby steps were made to allow the heroine more personal agency, the book still struggled with slower pacing and a romance that lacked tension.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Night is Defying” isn’t on any relevant Goodreads lists, but it should be on Romtantasy TBR 2025.

Serena’s Review: “Prophesy”

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

Book: “Prophesy” by M.L. Fergus

Publishing Info: Tundra Books, January 2025

Where Did I Get this Book: from the publisher!

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

Book Description: The only life Persephone has ever known has been one of servitude, and she dreams of a life of freedom, buoyed by a spirit and sense of humor that have never wavered. When a chance encounter with a handsome thief offers her a chance to leave, she grabs it with both hands . . . and the thief, Azriel, will just have to keep up.

But Azriel is not everything he seems, and he believes Persephone holds the key to a greater freedom for himself and his people, who have been hunted for years by the king’s regent, an evil and sadistic man who will stop at nothing in his quest for power. Azriel has a plan to defeat him, and he needs Persephone — but does Persephone need him?

As her journey brings her deeper and deeper into a cruel and dangerous world, Persephone must quickly learn who to trust . . . and whether an impossibly broad-shouldered thief holds the key to her future, or her ruin.

Review: While I’m always more hesitant than excited when a book is comped to one of Stephanie Garber’s titles (this one mentions “Once Upon a Broken Heart” in its marketing materials), I was also intrigued by the vague comparisons to “The Princess Bride” that I found floating around. It’s a hard target to hit, but when authors manage to balance humor, romance, and fantasy altogether, those end up being some of my all time favorite reads. And this one definitely sounded like it had potential!

Let’s start with some pros! One thing that this book definitely goes hard on is the quippy dialogue. Now, I’m quite picky about quippy dialogue, so the fact that this didn’t immediately put me off the book is a definite mark in its favor! Moreover, as much of the romance between these characters rotates around their quirky banter with one another, readers who enjoy this style of interaction are going to gobble this one up. While I did find myself getting a bit tired of it as it went on, there are definitely readers out there who will appreciate this style.

Further, I liked the addition of chapters from the villain’s perspective. This wasn’t something I was expecting, and I think it added a much needed note of seriousness to the affair. This character is truly vile, and I appreciated the fact that the author fully committed to writing this sort of character and devoting this amount of page time to him.

That said, the book as a whole failed to really land. Part of this is due to the pacing. The book starts off fast, but not in a good way. We meet Persephone and then literally three pages into the book, bam! Azriel shows up and their quippiness takes off at a gallop. I barely had time to meet the heroine or hear anything about this world before I was thrown into the scene of these two’s first meeting. Usually when you get a first meeting like this, you at least know and care about one of the characters. Through knowing them, the reader is given a window into how to interpret the this newly introduced character and the interactions between them.

But Persphone was just as much an unknown to Azriel when they met, so this didn’t give me any insight into either of their characters. Is she usually trusting or untrusting? Is she more chaotic or lawful in her approach to situations like this? As the story continued, of course, I got to know both of these characters better. But the sudden introduction of them both so early in the book put me on the backfoot right from the start. I’ll also add that I think some of the fun was taken out of the quippy dialogue due to these choices, as well. Due to this, the book always felt a bit lacking in its world-building and characterization. As the story continued and the pacing slowed down some, I appreciated the author’s attempts to more fully flesh these bits out. But in many ways it was too little, too late.

The pacing picked up again towards the end, with a lot of plot points hitting quickly all within the last few chapters. There were a couple of twists and turns here that I don’t think quite tracked with some of the information we had previously, but it’s also clear that everything was being set up for the sequel. We’ll see if I get around to checking that out, but there’s a decent chance that my estimation of this one could rise based on the execution of the next book. Overall, I’d say this was just an ok novel. In some ways it read as unexpectedly middle grade (both in the sheer number of animal companions and with the tone of the dialogue at various points). But I also think that it will appeal to a specific sort of fantasy reader who likes fast dialogue and quirky characters.

Rating 7: Had potential, especially for readers who enjoy lots of dialogue, but the pacing was off and some of the tone of the writing read veered closer to middle grade than young adult.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Prophesy” can be found on this Goodreads list: YA Novels of 2025.