Tag: 8 Rating

Serena’s Review: “Nightstrider”

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Book: “Nightstrider” by Sophia Slade

Publishing Info: Orbit, September 2024

Where Did I Get this Book: Netgalley!

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

Book Description: Wren is a  a deadly manifestation of the frightening dreams of humans. She is forever bound to the insidious Para Warwick, the only night creature who can cross the boundary between the dream and waking realms. When she fails to retrieve information on a weapon that could finally end Warwick’s reign and is severely punished, she makes a snap decision to aid the growing rebellion in finding it. Here, she meets Alaric, another nightmare hell-bent on atoning for his sins. Though wildly suspicious of one another, they form a tentative pact to take down Warwick once and for all. 

The waking world is no better off. Prince Caine Fallon, Warwick’s ignorant human son, prepares to wed Ila Enevoldson, the young queen from a neighboring kingdom. But Ila is more than she She is a weaver, a protector of the ancient Boundary that separates the realms, and she has lost a precious weapon entrusted to her. She will do anything to retrieve it, including agreeing to an engagement with the son of her sworn enemy.  

When Caine catches Ila opening a portal to the dream realm and follows her through, he finds himself in a universe stranger than he could have imagined, where his father is more monstrous than he could have fathomed. Their destinies collide with those of the two lethal nightmares, and they are forced to band together to stop the vicious dictator—and prevent the very fabric of reality from unravelling. 

Review: I’ve been looking forward to this book ever since I saw that it was picked up by Orbit. The premise sounded incredibly creative, and while I could see the potential for “too many POVs” syndrome, there are also plenty of examples of books where that’s not a failing but instead a bonus. So, ever hopeful, I picked this one up right away when I received my copy!

And, for the most part, there was a lot to like in this one! The first thing that stood out was the unique world-building. I feel like I’ve read similar fantasy stories that play around with the concept of dream worlds populated by living personifications of dreams, but this one more fully fleshed that idea out. In many ways, it operates similarly to the human world, full of social hierarchies based on power structures (in this case, power mostly comes in the form of physical strength and violence). And within this struggling world, there are those who are fighting against the tyrant that rules over them and the powerful nightmares he has created and surrounds himself with.

Then, in a truly interesting contrast, the book switches to the human world where that exact same tyrant rules as well. However, in this world, he is seen as a human man who has human children, who, similarly to the nightmares of the other realm, he rules over with an iron fist. It’s such an interesting concept, to have two so completely different worlds, but both not only facing similar oppression, but plagued with the same powerful man in both. I also enjoyed the change in dynamics between the worlds. In the human world, we have the POV of Para Warwick’s human son, Caine, so the book explores that family dynamic. In the nightmare world, Wren is Warwick’s right-hand nightmare, the doom he sends out to do his bidding. Both have similar close ties to this powerful, dangerous man, but there were also notable differences that the book explores.

And these are only two of the for POVs we get. While I did struggle to enjoy all four equally, I think the author made a wise decision of essentially pairing them up early in the book. Two of them are introduced in the human world and quickly fall within each other’s orbit (through the oldie-but-goodies arranged marriage trope) while the other two are nightmares in the fantasy world who come together in their joint mission to take down Warwick. All four had their own strengths, though I will say that I felt like Caine had the least to do in this book. Much of his story is simply being the “naïve one” who is first learning about the details of these different worlds. Similarly, Alaric didn’t have much as far as a true plot line. He is introduced as a resistance fighter, but the moment he meets Wren, she essentially takes over this role. However, both Wren and Ila are given more chapters as well, so this probably affected this feeling of imbalance.

The pacing is fairly steady throughout, with action scenes coming hot and heavy pretty much from start to finish. This did lead to a bit of clunkiness in the writing itself, with some scenes and character left with little description, leaving me feeling a bit stranded in an ill-defined setting. A bit more editing and fleshing out in the descriptive aspects would have elevated this one to a higher level. However, the dialogue was snappy and clearly a strength of this author’s. Fans of multi-POV fantasy novels with a focus on adventure as well as romance should give this one a shot!

Rating 8: With snappy dialogue, swoon-worthy romance, and a creative new fantasy world, this is a debut well-worth checking out!

Kate’s Review: “This Cursed House”

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Book: “This Cursed House” by Del Sandeen

Publishing Info: Berkley, October 2024

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

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

Book Description: In this Southern gothic horror debut, a young Black woman abandons her life in 1960s Chicago for a position with a mysterious family in New Orleans, only to discover the dark truth. They’re under a curse, and they think she can break it.

In the fall of 1962, twenty-seven-year-old Jemma Barker is desperate to escape her life in Chicago—and the spirits she has always been able to see. When she receives an unexpected job offer from the Duchon family in New Orleans, she accepts, thinking it is her chance to start over. 

But Jemma discovers that the Duchon family isn’t what it seems. Light enough to pass as white, the Black family members look down on brown-skinned Jemma. Their tenuous hold on reality extends to all the members of their eccentric clan, from haughty grandmother Honorine to beautiful yet inscrutable cousin Fosette. And soon the shocking truth comes The Duchons are under a curse. And they think Jemma has the power to break it.

As Jemma wrestles with the gift she’s run from all her life, she unravels deeper and more disturbing secrets about the mysterious Duchons. Secrets that stretch back over a century. Secrets that bind her to their fate if she fails.

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

Who doesn’t love a good ghost story? I know that I do, even when it isn’t October (though a good ghost story in October is just icing on an already spooky cake). I am always looking out for ghost stories, and “This Cursed House” by Del Sandeen has been on my radar for a long while now because of this. And now it’s finally time to dive in. But this isn’t just any ghost story. One of the haunting things in this tale is the spectre of American racism.

As a horror story involving a Gothic aesthetic and some scary ghosts as well as a family curse, this book is solid and well done. I liked following Jemma, a Black woman from Chicago going to work for a wealthy family in New Orleans, as she realizes that the job she was hired to do isn’t at all what the mysterious and odd Duchon Family wants her to do. Jemma can see spirits, a gift she has had and suppressed her entire life, and when she gets to the Duchon’s estate the ghosts really start to show themselves. I really liked the slow build dread of the spirits, as well as some of the more heartbreaking encounters that Jemma has with some of them, showing a wide array of reasons these ghosts are lingering. I also enjoyed the Gothic vibes, the isolation made pretty literal as we find that the Duchons are trapped on the estate due to a family curse, the same one that seems to cause a family member to die ever year on the same day. I don’t want to spoil much here because the surprises and reveals need to be revealed when Sandeen is ready, but I will say that the twists and turns and origins of the curse kept me guessing. And given the setting and themes this is very much a Southern Gothic tale, and it’s a very well done one that feels in the same vein as “The Reformatory” with its grotesque antagonists and sense of foreboding with roots tied to trauma and a dark history not only of a cursed family, but of the American South itself.

But what really cemented this story’s strength were the themes about race, identity, and racism in the Jim Crow South and how that malevolence poisons all kinds of people’s thoughts and minds. The Duchon Family is a white passing Black family that sees itself as above darker Black people like Jemma, and who help uphold the systems and abuses in place because they directly benefit from it, even hurting their own family because of it. Sandeen approaches these characters in very nuanced ways without letting any of the more deplorable ones off the hook, finding explanations for their behavior while never excusing it. It makes for a very difficult read at times as the Duchons treat Jemma absolutely terribly, as well as other Black characters with darker skin from microaggressions to straight up violence. It elevates the already strong family drama to even higher heights, and I found these very real horrors of racism, colorism, and racial violence to be very effective and very upsetting.

“This Cursed House” is a solid Southern Gothic horror tale, one that really got under my skin. I highly recommend it for horror fans, and really anyone who wants a disturbing tale for the Halloween season.

Rating 8: A haunting and biting, “This Cursed House” is a Southern Gothic, a haunted house story, and an examination of identity, self loathing, and racism.

Reader’s Advisory:

“This Cursed House” is included on the Goodreads list “October 2024 Horror”.

Kate’s Review: “The Hysterical Girls of St. Bernadette’s”

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Book: “The Hysterical Girls of St. Bernadette’s” by Hanna Alkaf

Publishing Info: Salaam Reads/ Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, September 2024

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

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

Book Description: An all-girls school is struck with mysterious cases of screaming hysteria in this chilling dark academia thriller haunted by a deeply buried history clawing to the light.

For over a hundred years, girls have fought to attend St. Bernadette’s, with its reputation for shaping only the best and brightest young women. Unfortunately, there is also the screaming.

When a student begins to scream in the middle of class, a chain reaction starts that impacts the entire school. By the end of the day, seventeen girls are affected—along with St. Bernadette’s stellar reputation.

Khadijah’s got her own scars to tend to, and watching her friends succumb to hysteria only rips apart wounds she’d rather keep closed. But when her sister falls to the screams, Khad knows she’s the only one who can save her. Rachel has always been far too occupied trying to reconcile her overbearing mother’s expectations with her own secret ambitions to pay attention to school antics. But just as Rachel finds her voice, it turns into screams.

Together, the two girls find themselves digging deeper into the school’s dark history, hunting for the truth. Little do they know that a specter lurks in the darkness, watching, waiting, and hungry for its next victim…

Review: Thank you to Salaam Reads for sending me an eARC of this novel!

I went to an elite private school in St. Paul, Minnesota, and let me tell you the pressure was pretty horrendous (especially for a girl with a slew of learning disabilities and ADHD). But because of this experience that continues to kind of haunt me to this day in some ways, I’m always interested in a thriller/horror story that has an elite private school as its location. So when I was approached to read “The Hysterical Girls of St. Bernadette’s” by Hanna Alkaf I was pretty much on board right away. You already had me at private school woes of school girls screaming their heads off, but then you really sold me when 1) it was in a locale and culture that I’m not super familiar with, as this book takes place in Malaysia, and 2) there was a hinted at supernatural side to it. So I took the plunge with high hopes, and I’m happy to say that they were pretty well met!

In terms of a mystery thriller with a potential supernatural twist, “The Hysterical Girls of St. Bernadettes” checks a lot of boxes that make it a successful read. We have our two protagonists Khadijah and Rachel, who have alternating chapters and can give us multiple insights across the story as the mystery unfolds (aka, why are their classmates at their prestigious all girls school suddenly screaming for no discernible reason, and what isn’t the school telling the students?). I liked following both of them as they had very different paths in terms of getting the clues together, and as there were more and more questions about whether it is hysteria, something otherworldly, or perhaps something totally understandable, I found myself more and more eager to get to the solution. Some of the imagery in this book was also downright frightening, with Alkaf setting the scene and creating a vision in my minds eye of a girl screaming her head off that really got under my skin. This may be a bit more of a mystery thriller than a horror story, but let me tell you, the bits that were horror were superb.

And even beyond the well paced and creepy mystery and horror story at hand, I really liked the other themes of this book, specifically the calling out and dressing down of violent misogyny and the silencing of women to keep a system untouched and in place. Both Khadijah and Rachel have different ways that they are being silenced, and I liked the choice that Alkaf made to show that there are different ways for these girls to be silenced, whether it is Khadijah’s selective and self imposed non speaking due to the trauma that she endured at the hands of her stepfather, or Rachel not feeling like she can have a say in any part of her future due to her overbearing and cold mother. We shift between both of their perspectives, and it was effective to see their different experiences and the different ways that they fit into the overall mystery of why their classmates are screaming, and how their experiences are both the results of societal expectations for women in their community, with Khadijah being basically silenced in the wake of her stepfather’s crimes and her victimization, and Rachel being pushed into a very specific acceptable box. Throw in the fact that the school is trying to hide a dark history with screaming girls and bouts of hysteria, and doesn’t want Khadijah making waves as she investigates, and you have a critique of misogyny that sears and burns in the best ways.

“The Hysterical Girls of St. Bernadette’s” is a well done thriller/mystery/horror tale. Hanna Alkaf is someone to watch. I know I will be doing so.

Rating 8: A tense and angry horror story that calls out violent and systemic misogyny and lauds feminine rage, “The Hysterical Girls of St. Bernadette’s” is a searing YA tale of all too real terrors to go with the fantastical ones.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Hysterical Girls of St. Bernadette’s” is included on the Goodreads lists “Books by Malaysian Authors/Set in Malaysia”, and “Horror to Look Forward to in 2024”.

Serena’s Review: “The City in Glass”

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Book: “The City in Glass” by Nghi Vo

Publishing Info: Tor, October 2024

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

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

Book Description: A demon. An angel. A city that burns at the heart of the world.

The demon Vitrine—immortal, powerful, and capricious—loves the dazzling city of Azril. She has mothered, married, and maddened the city and its people for generations, and built it into a place of joy and desire, revelry and riot.

And then the angels come, and the city falls.

Vitrine is left with nothing but memories and a book containing the names of those she has lost—and an angel, now bound by her mad, grief-stricken curse to haunt the city he burned.

She mourns her dead and rages against the angel she longs to destroy. Made to be each other’s devastation, angel and demon are destined for eternal battle. Instead, they find themselves locked in a devouring fascination that will change them both forever.

Together, they unearth the past of the lost city and begin to shape its future. But when war threatens Azril and everything they have built, Vitrine and her angel must decide whether they will let the city fall again.

The City in Glass is both a brilliantly constructed history and an epic love story, of death and resurrection, memory and transformation, redemption and desire strong enough to burn a world to ashes and build it anew.

Review: I’ve only recently discovered this author, and my first introduction was to jump in to the middle of an ongoing series of novellas. Which, objectively, was probably a foolish decision. But it does serve as a testament to the skills of the author that I still found myself fully drawn in and enjoying my read, even as I met these characters and this world for the first time! That being the case, however, I was excited when I saw that she was releasing a new stand-alone fantasy novella! Perfect for a relative newbie like me!

The very premise of this book sounded like it was right up my alley! I love second-world fantasy stories like this, the sort that require elaborate and detailed world-building on the author’s part to weave together a landscape completely foreign to our own. Add on top of that the rather classic angel/demon enemies-to-lovers storyline, and I was in! These expectations, based on the short summary we were given, were both perfectly on point for what this book has to offer and a bit misleading.

The concept was just as described, but there’s no emphasizing enough the powerful writing that went into describing the unique relationship between the city and the chaotic demon, Vitrine. She’s a demon in the truest sense, in that she’s passionate but unpredictable, as much a patron to her city as she is a force similar to the weather, capricious and destructive. But what really sells the heart of this story, is the tragedy that follows. The loss of her city and then the endless battle she finds herself in with the angel that wrought it.

I think I have certain expectations (whether good or bad, who knows) about what enemies-to-lovers stories look like. And, if you’re a fan of that sort of romance, you probably do too. Well, I’m here to say that this isn’t that! This is a devastating exploration of two beings destined to hate one another who cautiously become intrigued and then slowly beguiled by the other. However, none of these feelings undo the massive tragedy that came before, and a sense of darkness looms throughout. The ending is also not a “romance” ending, if you know what I mean. Instead, it was as strange, beautiful, and tragic as everything that came before in this book.

For all that I loved about this book (beautiful writing, creative world-building, complicated characters), I would have a hard time saying that I “enjoyed” this read. It’s not that kind of book. Beach read, this is not. However, readers who enjoy this author or who are looking for a lyrical, more complicated, approach to the oh-so-popular enemies-to-lovers storyline should definitely check this one out!

Rating 8: Beautiful and tragic, this book explores themes of loss and re-birth all through the lens of two fantastic characters, an angel and a demon.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The City in Glass” can be found on this Goodreads list: [ATY 2025] Fictional Location

Kate’s Review: “So Thirsty”

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Book: “So Thirsty” by Rachel Harrison

Publishing Info: Berkley, September 2024

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

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

Book Description: A woman must learn to take life by the throat after a night out leads to irrevocable changes in this juicy, thrilling novel from the USA Today bestselling author of Such Sharp Teeth and Black Sheep.

Sloane Parker is dreading her birthday. She doesn’t need a reminder she’s getting older, or that she’s feeling indifferent about her own life. Her husband surprises her with a birthday weekend getaway—not with him, but with Sloane’s longtime best friend, troublemaker extraordinaire Naomi.

Sloane anticipates a weekend of wine tastings and cozy robes and strategic avoidance of issues she’d rather not confront, like her husband’s repeated infidelity. But when they arrive at their rental cottage, it becomes clear Naomi has something else in mind. She wants Sloane to stop letting things happen to her, for Sloane to really live. So Naomi orchestrates a wild night out with a group of mysterious strangers, only for it to take a horrifying turn that changes Sloane’s and Naomi’s lives literally forever.

The friends are forced to come to terms with some pretty eternal consequences in this bloody, seductive novel about how it’s never too late to find satisfaction, even though it might taste different than expected.

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

It is October 1st!! We are officially at the start of my favorite month of the year, and we are also officially in full on Halloween Season, with that most blessed of holidays happening as the month comes to an end. And like I always do for October, I am starting my Horrorpalooza Celebration, in which I dedicate all of my book reviews to horror centered reads. I am always eager for this time of year and this celebration, and I decided that I wanted to kick it off with Rachel Harrison’s new novel “So Thirsty”. I love Rachel Harrison, and I was very eager to see what she was going to do with vampires, as I’ve really liked her takes on other horror sub-genres and how she makes them perhaps a little lighter, while still having some great scares. And “So Thirsty” was a great way to kick things off.

Harrison has always approached horror stories with a quick wit and some well done beats that find quality scares while still being approachable to those who may not be as entrenched in the genre, and she continues that pattern here. Our story is simple: life long friends Sloane and Naomi are going on a girls trip for Sloane’s 36th Birthday. Sloane is feeling stuck in a rut with a cheating husband and boring routine, while Naomi has been traveling Europe with few constraints and a side of flakiness. In hopes of loosening Sloane up, Naomi gets them invites to a big isolated house with some oh so charming strangers, and before we know it Sloane and Naomi have been turned into vampires, wondering what happens next, but perhaps also seeing a new beginning. As a plot it’s great. I love the idea of being changed into a vampire acting as a new start or a way to get one’s groove back, and I thought that Harrison made the vampires in this story appropriately predatory while also being very fun and genial. Less blundering than the “What We Do in the Shadows” group, but not as menacing or cruel as the “Near Dark” nomads. I really enjoyed all of them and their banter and humor, but also liked how nasty they could be when needed (and when their vampiric nature called for it). And there were definitely some moments in this book that were pretty scary and even gory, without being too over the top. Which would make it more accessible to people who are looking for something this Halloween season but may not like things to be TOO bloody.

I also really enjoyed the character development between Sloane and Naomi, both as a friendship pair and as individuals. As Sloane is our main character I expected it for her story arc, and while it didn’t really go outside of the box of ‘ennui and people pleasing woman who is approaching middle age finds her spark again’, I thought that it was a very satisfying storyline to follow. Her frustrations with her life (a boring job, a cheating husband, few things that bring her joy) felt pretty realistic, as did her hesitance to try and change things out of fear of what that change could do to a life she already knows, even if it’s boring and unsatisfying. I also enjoyed her chemistry with Henry, who starts as a mysterious guest at the ill fated party they attend, and turns into a symbol of what Sloane’s life COULD have should she be willing to take a leap (though it’s not like she’s going to have a choice). But what surprised me story wise was that we also got to see a bit of growth for free spirited party girl Naomi, who seems to have the opposite issue of Sloane, but is still in need to confronting how dissatisfied SHE is, even if it’s for different reasons. We don’t get into her head nearly as much, but Harrison knows how to imply and hint at Naomi’s own inner conflicts. And seeing both of these women be confronted with a life changing moment in time, and having to suss out and hash out their complicated friendship because of it, was an arc that I quite enjoyed. Harrison really has a knack for displaying all the ups and downs of female friendships and how they can be incredibly gratifying and fulfilling while also having complexities that can hinder them. Sloane and Naomi are another solid example of that.

“So Thirsty” is a fun way to kick off Horrorpalooza! I always look forward to Rachel Harrison for the spooky season and this one didn’t disappoint!

Rating 8: A fun and introspective tale about friendship and embracing oneself no matter what changes may occur, “So Thirsty” is another entertaining and satisfying novel from Rachel Harrison!

Reader’s Advisory:

“So Thirsty” is included on the Goodreads lists “I Support Women’s Wrongs”, and “Pink Horror Genre”.

Kate’s Review: “Tiny Threads”

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Book: “Tiny Threads” by Lilliam Rivera

Publishing Info: Del Rey, September 2024

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: A young woman gets her dream job working for a famous designer—and discovers the dark side of the glamorous world of fashion—in this gorgeously sinister novel of supernatural suspense.

Fashion-obsessed Samara finally has the life she’s always dreamed of: a high-powered job with legendary designer Antonio Mota. A new home in sunny California, far away from those drab Jersey winters. And an intriguing love interest, Brandon, a wealthy investor in Mota’s fashion line.

But it’s not long before Samara’s dream life begins to turn into a living nightmare, as Mota’s big fashion show approaches and the pressure on Samara turns crushing. Perhaps that’s why Samara begins hearing voices in the dark in her room at night—and seeing strange things that can’t be explained away by stress and anxiety, or by the number of drinks she consumes every night.

And it may not only be Samara’s unraveling psyche, because she soon discovers hints that her new city—and the house of Mota—may have been built on a foundation of secrets and lies. Now Samara must uncover what hideous truths lurk in the shadows of this illusory world of glamor and beauty, before those shadows claim her…

Review: Thank you to Del Rey for providing me with an ARC of this novel!

Whenever we go to ALAAC I always come with a list of titles that I am looking for. I resign myself to the fact that my desired titles aren’t always going to overlap with what is available, but this past year I had a pretty good ven diagram of things I wanted and things that were available. One of the books I was on the hunt for was “Tiny Threads” by Lilliam Rivera, partially because Cynthia Pelayo had been singing its praises (and I really enjoy her books), and partially because I LOVE a dramatic interpretation of the fashion industry. If it has horror elements, I’m even more sold. So when it was available I was very, very pleased. I went into it expecting a full on horror story. I found something a little different, but in a positive way.

This wasn’t as scary as I had hoped that it would be, but what it lacked in obvious scares it made up for in a good old fashioned feminine rage story and a psychological spiral of our main character, who keeps hearing ‘rats’ in her new aparment’s walls at 2am. We follow Samara, who has moved from New Jersey to California after she is hired by the iconic (but recently struggling) fashion designer Antonio Mota to work as a fashion promoter in his fashion house. What should be a dream job and an amazing opportunity is not so much, as Samara soon realizes that Mota is an abusive narcissist, there are many divisions in the company, and her new home in Vernon, California, is being disrupted by a hostile work environment and strange noises that keep her awake at night. The pressure and the lack of sleep make Samara more inclined to turn towards a bottle as she desperately tries to help throw together a make or break fashion show, and she has started seeing strange and disturbing images of a woman, as well as the name ‘Piedad’ everywhere. It’s pretty clear to this seasoned horror reader what Rivera was setting up, but the execution of watching Samara spiral into deeper and deeper madness (or is it a horrifying enlightenment?) was intense and nerve wracking. Rivera also examines through Samara, as well as other Latine women characters, a hostile racism and misogyny that is seeping at every turn, whether it’s Antonio’s abuses, or the history of the town and how it has used brown skinned women as worker bodies that are expendable, or how powerful white people take advantage of them in all kinds of ways.

I am also a huge sucker for drama filled stories that take on the fashion industry. I am by no means a fashionista, as you can usually find me wearing jeans, band tees, hoodies, and pajama pants, but I am very fascinated by fashion and beauty and the industries that promote those concepts up (and profit off of them). I enjoyed the way that Rivera portrayed Mota fashion house as a place that creates gorgeous and decadent clothing that is envied and coveted by many, but how how it also rings their employees dry, and how at the end of the day it is a capitalistic machine that is out to make money and to convince the masses that they should be spending their money on their designs. Even the setting of Vernon, California, is the perfect vehicle for this, as it’s a small town that was built on corporate need and greed, and sustains itself through this while also reeking of it (literally; there is a meat processing plant that stinks the community up and is hard to ignore). “Tiny Threads” does a great job of juxtaposing the beauty ideals that the fashion industry pushes forth with the mass production corporate greed that ultimately brings harm to many who work within that system, and how they aren’t so dissimilar be it fashion or meat packing and slaughterhouses. I found it compelling and haunting.

“Tiny Threads” is a great adult debut for Lilliam Rivera, and an incredibly psychological horror tale that has just as many real world scares as it does supernatural ones. Highly recommended!

Rating 8: Intense and angry, “Tiny Threads” is a psychological ghost story that takes on misogyny, violence, racism, and the fashion industry.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Tiny Threads” is included on the Goodreads list “2024 Mystery Thrillers Crime to Be Excited For”.

Serena’s Review: “The Gods Below”

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

Book: “The Gods Below” by Andrea Stewart

Publishing Info: Orbit, September 2024

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

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

Book Description: The series is set in a world ravaged by ancient magic, where precious gemstones bestow magical abilities on the few individuals able to harness their power. Full of clandestine power struggles and the battles between gods, the story follows Hakara, a young woman searching for her missing sister and who will do anything to find her — even lead a rebellion against the gods themselves.

Review: While I haven’t reviewed them all on the blog, I have read the previous trilogy put out by this author and very much enjoyed it. It’s been a bit, but from what I remember, her biggest strength was in the creativity of her world-building, a crucial skill for a fantasy author. On top of my previous experience with her books to recommend her, we all know I’m a sucker for stories about sisters, so this was an obvious choice to pick up this fall!

While I did have a few quibbles here and there, I largely enjoyed this read. Like the author’s previous trilogy, the world and lore of this world were creative and interesting. Further, everything was introduced in a very organic way, with limited info-dumping passages or awkward exposition-y dialogue. I also very much enjoyed the beginning of the story itself, as we set up the scenario with the two sisters who have become separated and working to re-unite throughout the story.

There were also some interesting themes explored over the course of the book. Specifically, the author offers up a commentary on climate change in a unique manner. Notably, she didn’t bash readers over the head with this metaphor either, but allowed the story to naturally progress through this theme, with readers taking as much (or little, I guess) from it as they would like.

I also generally liked our main characters. The cast slowly expands as the story continues, and none of them were big misses. Rather, my problems came in a bit with my expectations. For one thing, all of the characters felt fairly simplistic, with familiar motivations and arcs to ones we’ve seen in other similar fantasy stories. And then, at the odd moment, they would make decisions that wouldn’t seem to line up with these previously established factors about their characters. I guess I expected a bit more, especially from a seasoned fantasy author who already has a completed trilogy under her belt. And, judging by this book alone (which perhaps isn’t fair, as we have three books’ worth of time with the other characters), I do feel like the character work presented in the previous series was better. Though, now that I’m writing that, I do remember I had at least one set of POV characters who I really struggled with there. So perhaps this is simply still not a strong point for this author’s writing currently.

That said, I was mostly pleased with this story. While it wasn’t breaking any new barriers as far as fantasy fiction goes, it was servable and enjoyable. The writing was steady and engaging, and I particularly appreciated the detailed effort that went into the world-building and the history. The characters could have perhaps been deeper, but they also weren’t unlikable, which goes far for me.

Rating 8: An interesting new world to explore, though hopefully the characters will gain more depth as the series continues.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Gods Below” can be found on this Goodreads list: 2024 SFF Books with Female Leads or Co-Leads

Serena’s Review: “Serpent Sea”

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Book: “Serpent Sea” by Maiya Ibrahim

Publishing Info: Delacorte Press, September 2024

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

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

Book Description: Imani is a magic-wielding warrior sworn to protect her land from the monsters that roam the desert. But an even worse enemy now threatens the Sahir. As the powerful Harrowlanders march south with their greatest weapon—spice magic—Imani knows it’s only a matter of time before their invasion of her land begins . . . and it will be a losing battle for her people.

But Imani also knows that one way to fight magic is with monsters. If she can restore Qayn’s stolen powers, together they can summon a supernatural army to defend the Sahir from the Harrowlanders. Forming an alliance with a djinni king is risky, but Imani will do anything to save her people, even embarking on a dangerous quest beyond the sands to find the magical jewels of Qayn’s lost crown.

As Imani journeys far from home, she will discover monsters that warriors have only heard about in myths . . . monsters that can strike at any moment. Meanwhile, her rival, Taha, has been captured and is on a dangerous mission of his own.

One wrong move could cost them their lives—and everyone they love. But they may find that there is more than meets the eye crossing the Serpent Sea . . . and betrayal cuts deeper than any dagger.

Review: We’re back with another one of those strange reviews where I’m covering a sequel to a book that I read before but didn’t write about here on the blog. But the situation was the same: received an ARC copy from the publisher and enjoyed the first book well enough to want to give the sequel a shot! And here we are! The short and sweet for “The Spice Road” was that I enjoyed it overall, though it did fall into a few of the predictable pitfalls of YA fantasy (a bit too much “telling” vs. “showing” as far as the heroine’s abilities, mostly). Let’s dive into this one!

There was a lot to like about this sequel! For one thing, this is one of those rare circumstances where an additional POV helped the book rather than hurt it (I know I’m in the minority with this general opinion on POVs but I stand by it!). Here, since our main character, Imani, was a bit of a struggle point for me with the first book (we were told she was very badass but got to see very little of this in action), the book was better served by adding an additional POV character. Now with two character arcs to follow, it felt like the reading experience was more balanced and drew attention away from any of the weaker moments in the telling vs. showing metric (which was still a bit of a problem here, unfortunately).

I also really liked the expansion of the world. The first book had a very intriguing world full of monsters, magic, and the many challenges of the Swallowing Sands. But here, in a bit to save their land from an invading force, the characters had to travel out into the wider sea. As such, the story benefitted from an increased feeling of adventure and action as our party set out across the titular Serpent Sea and into foreign lands. The landscape and world-building throughout remained solid and one of the primary points of interest for this series as a whole. Where the author has struggled with some characterization, she excelled in fantasy creation.

The pacing was a bit off at times, falling into the typical mid-book slump that so many stories suffer through. However, again, the interesting world-building and magical creatures did a lot to help carry it through these weaker moments in plot. I also enjoyed the exploration of themes such as colonialism and prejudice. The book didn’t have a ton of new insight to offer in these areas, following a fairly tried and true path taken by many YA fantasy books before it, but it also didn’t shy away from the more brutal aspects of these topics. Particularly, the author wasn’t afraid of allowing her characters to be flawed individuals who still have much to learn.

Overall, this was a good sequel to the first book. While I didn’t review/rate “The Spice Road,” I feel like I would have given it an 8 on our scale. And so, too, that’s where this one falls. It’s not without some flaws with pacing and characterization, but it was still a fun ride full of exciting fantasy elements. Fans of the first book are sure to enjoy this one!

Rating 8: The adventure continues, and with the expansion of the world and the adventures it offers, this one is sure to please fans of the first book!

Reader’s Advisory:

“Serpent Sea” can be found on this Goodreads list: Arabian, Egyptian, and Indian Fantasy.

Serena’s Review: “A Dark and Drowning Tide”

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Book: “A Dark and Drowning Tide” by Allison Saft

Publishing Info: Del Rey, September 2024

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

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

Book Description: Lorelei Kaskel, a folklorist with a quick temper and an even quicker wit, is on an expedition with six eccentric nobles in search of a fabled spring. The magical spring promises untold power, which the king wants to harness to secure his reign of the embattled country of Brunnestaad. Lorelei is determined to use this opportunity to prove herself and make her wildest, most impossible dream come to become a naturalist, able to travel freely to lands she’s only ever read about.

The expedition gets off to a harrowing start when its leader—Lorelei’s beloved mentor—is murdered in her quarters aboard their ship. The suspects are her five remaining expedition mates, each with their own motive. The only person Lorelei knows must be innocent is her longtime academic rival, the insufferably gallant and maddeningly beautiful Sylvia von Wolff. Now in charge of the expedition, Lorelei must find the spring before the murderer strikes again—and a coup begins in earnest.

But there are other dangers lurking in the forests that rearrange themselves at night, rivers with slumbering dragons waiting beneath the water, and shapeshifting beasts out for blood.

As Lorelei and Sylvia grudgingly work together to uncover the truth—and resist their growing feelings for one another—they discover that their professor had secrets of her own. Secrets that make Lorelei question whether justice is worth pursuing, or if this kingdom is worth saving at all.

Review: Saft has been a “must read” author for me for a bit! While I may have quibbles with certain pacing issues in several of her books, she always delivers with solid characters, sweet romances, and lovely, fairytale-like stories. And that’s more than enough for me! This one even had the extra appeal of tropes like “academic rivals” and “gothic vibes” to add to the mix!

There was so much to enjoy about this book! As predicted, many of these elements felt as if they had been picked out especially for me! I especially enjoyed the focus on folklore and the darker themes found in these tales. Through this lens, Saft deftly explores themes of anti-Semitism, fear, and hatred, all neatly tied to our main character’s own life and experiences. This arc necessarily follows Lorelei’s slow journey to opening up and trusting those around her. This can make her read as a bit closed off when she is first introduced, but I’m also particularly prone to enjoying these sort of stand-off-ish, intellectual type characters, so I was happy to follow her on her journey.

I will say, the book was a bit of a bait and switch. While yes, I did get a focus on the folklore aspects, the story also leaned much more heavily into the realm of murder mystery than I had been anticipating (yes, it’s in the book summary, but I guess I had mentally relegated this more to a subplot, so maybe this is a me issue). As I enjoy mysteries as a genre as well, I was happy to go along with this. However, I do think it might be a bit more of a shift for many fantasy fans than they might have been expecting. And for bigger mystery fans, the actual mystery was a bit predictable at times, with a series of suspects seeming to line up for inspection and be easily dismissed in a tidy order.

One thing that Saft always delivers on is the promise of a great romance, and this one wasn’t any different! This is specific to me, but I appreciate that the fact that she still writes romantic fantasies like this as told from only one POV. While I know other readers like to see in the heads of both members of a romantic pairing, I’ve found too often that authors rely on this trick as a way to avoid showing, rather than telling, how the love story develops. Here we can experience the slow development of this relationship as it would be seen by any individual, without a neat window into the other relationship partner’s head.

Overall, this was a great read, and I very much enjoyed it. However, once again, Saft did seem to struggle a bit with ending of this book. If felt almost abrupt. I appreciate that she didn’t try to tie up every flaw of this world in a neat bow, but the pacing still felt strange. Small quibbles aside, fans of Saft’s other books are sure to enjoy this, as well as any fantasy fans looking for a new romantic fantasy to check out!

Rating 8: Saft deftly explores dark themes of anti-Sematism and hatred while also weaving together a swoon-worthy romance.

Reader’s Advisory:

“A Dark and Drowning Tide” can be found on this Goodreads list: Edwardian Fantasy.

Serena’s Review: “A Song of Ash and Moonlight”

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

Book: “A Song of Ash and Moonlight” by Claire Legrand

Publishing Info: Sourcebooks Casablanca, September 2024

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

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

Book Description: The curse plaguing the Ashbourne and Bask families has finally been broken, but Farrin, the eldest Ashbourne daughter, still struggles to find peace. Unflappable and tireless, her composure masks a seething sorrow. Since her mother abandoned the family, Farrin has been their rock—managing her father’s temper, running the estate, keeping tight control over her dangerous musical power, and ignoring her own need for rest, distraction, and most of all, love.

In Ryder Bask, Farrin’s stubborn strength has met its match. The man infuriates her. He’s coarse, arrogant, annoyingly handsome. He’s as tired of their feuding parents as she is, and he brims with some secret anger that mirrors Farrin’s frustrated rage.

But Farrin must work with every ally she can—even the man she has been raised to hate. With every rising dawn, the Middlemist weakens further. Anointed magicians are disappearing. A fiery Olden creature is stalking Farrin. Strange visions haunt the High Queen Yvaine. And as Farrin and Ryder race to find stolen loved ones, they begin to realize a horrifying thing:

The gods are not dead. They’re waking up. And someone is hunting them.

Previously Reviewed: “A Crown of Ivy and Glass”

Review: While I ran into a few stumbling blocks in my read through of the first book in this series, there was still plenty to recommend the series as a whole and to specifically recommend the second book in particular. I struggled with Gemma, but even the few glances we were given were enough to convince me that Farrin sounded like a fantastic main character. With this in mind, I went into this book with high hopes!

I’ll say on the top that this book wasn’t a perfect read either, but it is also a definite step up from the first one. Let’s start, as usual, with the most positives aspects of the story. First of all, the more time I spend in this fantasy world, the more intrigued I am by it! The first book was promoted as a sort of “fantasy/Bridgerton” mash-up. And while that did fit that book in a sort of round-about way, the “Bridgerton” aspects of it all were lacking (if you count having ball scenes as “Bridgerton” and not just any old fantasy book that deals with courts, lords and ladies, etc. ) So I was pleased to see that this second book leaned even more fully into the fantasy aspects of it all, and left out the “Bridgerton” comparison altogether.

As the summary hints at, this book massively expands the scope of the world and the brewing conflict. It’s no longer one demon and a mysterious arch villain; now we have gods reborn, complicated linages explored, and long-suppressed secrets revealed. All of these new layers to the world and story were fascinating and used in creative ways. There were a few twists that genuinely took me by surprise. On top of the magical elements of the world, I enjoyed the further exploration of Farrin’s musical magic. In the first book, hers was the sort of magic that felt least approachable and the most foreign. So I enjoyed the deeper dive into how exactly her magic worked and the potential ways in which she could manipulate this particular ability. What seemed like a magical ability that could seem weak in comparison to the other two sisters, by the end of this book, readers will truly appreciate what Farrin brings to this team.

As for Farrin herself, this is where my feelings became a bit more complicated. Something very strange happened as I was reading this book. As I read, I kept having the thought “Gemma? Is that you?” In that, somehow Farrin seemed to have morphed into Gemma between the first book and this, with all of the same character flaws that I found so tiresome the first go around. And on the other hand, Gemma, now a background character, began to read like a fantastic character whom I’d love to read an entire book about!

Now, I’m all for complicated and flawed characters who have to explore challenging inner struggles over the course of a book. The problem here was that Farrin’s voice, Farrin’s personality, and, most notably, Farrin’s inner struggles all seemed to be so, so similar to Gemma’s. It almost began to feel as if Legrand is incapable of writing a main character in a different voice, or to explore a different inner life/inner struggle in her lead heroine. Somehow background characters suddenly morph into the interesting ones, while the main character is dragged under by such a mire of anxiety, indecision, and self-loathing as to become tiresome.

I noted in the first book that while Gemma’s struggles were of the sort that often made her a bit unlikable, that didn’t make them not worth exploring. What I definitely DIDN’T want was to explore many of those exact same themes again with Farrin. Farrin is an entirely different character! Why didn’t we lean more into her crippling sense of responsibility? Her inability to trust or rely on others to get things done? Perhaps an unwillingness to work as a team? (To be fair, we do get bits of this, but it falls to the way side with other issues). All of these would be grounded in not only her personal story and history, but would fit by the personality of the character we were originally introduced to. The Farrin of the first book was secretive, but confident. Distant, but sure-footed. There was so much potential here, and to find myself reading another story where our heroine is almost frozen by her own self-loathing and anxiety…it was incredibly frustrating. And, again, made me start to question the author’s ability to write a variety of main characters. Further, I remain very interested in reading the third book in this series, but I’m increasingly worried that I’ll pick it up and find the warrior woman sister I’ve been reading about now in three books has somehow magically turned into yet another self-loathing ball of anxiety.

On another positive note, however, I definitely enjoyed the romance and the romantic lead in this book more. Ryder was a fantastic hero and, if a complaint is to be found, almost too perfect. But as romance readers are not known for whining about perfect leading men, I won’t even bother. That said, I do think this book might have been served better to have strayed further from the structure of the classic romance novel. In that set-up, there’s always the late third act conflict between the hero and the heroine that must then be resolved before the HEA. And this one was just ridiculous.

I don’t want to spoil it (though it’s obvious not only from the beginning of this book but probably even the first, to the astute reader), but Farrin’s reaction to being told one of Ryder’s secrets is so overblown for the actual situation as to be not only ridiculous but to paint in her an unlikable light (again, this is not helped by Ryder’s perfection throughout this book). Yes, she quickly realizes her mistake, but then the final quarter of the story is spent with her waxing on about her fears that he won’t forgive her for this reaction. Again, “tiresome” is the only word that comes to mind. And, frankly, it was totally unnecessary. This book is action packed and built to an excellent climax of magical fighting and wonder; there was no reason to waste page time on a frivolous fight between love interests (seemingly only included to meet this romance novel standard of structure).

This is already an incredibly long review, but I do want to end on one other positive. For all of my complaints about Farrin’s inner life, I did appreciate the way that Legrand explored her discomfort with her body. This isn’t the sort of struggle you often find in romances, and I think it was generally well done. I do wish more time had been devoted to exploring how Farrin developed this particular anxiety, as it was crippling at times and not something one would imagine to pop up with out an instigating event. That said, I still appreciated its inclusion.

So, all my ranting aside, I actually enjoyed this book quite a lot! While I struggled with her more than I anticipated, I still liked Farrin’s story overall. The romance was better than the first, and this book took massive strides as far as the world-building goes and in setting up the third book and its conflict. I’ll definitely be checking out the third (please, PLEASE, don’t let Mara turn into another cut-out of this same character), and fans of the series will likely enjoy this one!

Rating 8: Not without flaws, but an improvement on the first and laying the groundwork for what could be an excellent final entry!

Reader’s Advisory:

“A Song of Ash and Moonlight” can be found on this Goodreads list (not my list, for the record): My favorite Fairytale Fantasy novels.