Tag: 8 Rating

Kate’s Review: “The Between”

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Book: “The Between” by Tananarive Due

Publishing Info: Harper Perennial, October 2021 (originally published 1995)

Where Did I Get This Book: The library!

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

Book Description: When Hilton was a boy, his grandmother sacrificed her life to save him from drowning. Thirty years later, he begins to suspect that he was never meant to survive that accident, and that dark forces are working to rectify that mistake. 

When Hilton’s wife, the only elected African American judge in Dade County, Florida, begins to receive racist hate mail from a man she once prosecuted, Hilton becomes obsessed with protecting his family. The demons lurking outside are matched by his internal terrors—macabre nightmares, more intense and disturbing than any he has ever experienced. Are these bizarre dreams the dark imaginings of a man losing his hold on sanity—or are they harbingers of terrible events to come? 

As Hilton battles both the sociopath threatening to destroy his family and the even more terrifying enemy stalking his sleep, the line between reality and fantasy dissolves . . . 

Chilling and utterly convincing, The Between is the haunting story of a man desperately trying to hold on to the people and life he loves as he slowly loses himself. 

Review: Back in 2024 when I read Tananarive Due’s “The Reformatory”, I told myself that once I had processed the absolute magnificence of that book I would need to start reading her back catalog. And it admittedly took me awhile, probably not just because I was processing (out of sight, out of mind is basically how I function, unfortunately). But I finally kicked myself in the pants and told myself READ MORE TANANARIVE DUE, and I decided to go back to her debut novel “The Between”. Staring at the beginning is a very good place to start after all! It helped that it had been re-released a few years ago, and my local library had a copy ready to to! So as I read the story of Hilton James, a Black man who nearly drowned as a child but was saved by his grandmother, and who is now married and having horrifying nightmares AND dealing with racist threats on his family, I could tell from the jump that starting here was the right choice.

My initial thought was, as an elder Millennial horror fan, that this has similar vibes to “Final Destination”, but this came out long before that first movie made its grand entrance into the zeitgeist. So it goes to show that Due was ahead of the curve! I really enjoyed the weird and ever building tension as Hilton starts to have weirder and more distressing dreams, just as his wife (and the entire family really) is getting death threats from a stalker with a racist hatred for the family. It makes for some good muddling of the waters, in that it’s not fully clear if Hilton is really experiencing premonitions or harbingers of doom due to something supernatural, or if it’s because of a very real threat of racist violence against his family. Due taps into both the worldly and otherworldly, and I found myself just completely wound up as Hilton spirals more and more and alienates himself from those he loves as things become more and more out of control for him.

But what really stood out to me, and what I have greatly appreciated in Due’s other work, is her take on American racism and the harm it has caused and continues to cause. Setting aside the strange dreams and setting aside the lapses in memory and setting aside Hilton’s history and his potential outrunning of Death when he wasn’t supposed to, the letters and threats that he and Dede and their children receive are terrifying, vile, and, unfortunately still all too real even in the decades after this book was first published. Hilton has a lot of trauma that has been passed down through the generations as well, and the themes of grief, loss, trauma, and race all come together in ways that are incredibly powerful and absolutely heartwrenching. It’s really terrible that so few things have changed in this country since it was first published in 1995.

“The Between” was a stellar debut from a horror author that I really, really enjoy. I’m glad I went back to Tananarive Due’s first novel, as now I am going to work my way through the rest!

Rating 8: Haunting and incredibly tense, “The Between” is a strong debut from a now legendary horror author.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Between” is included on the Goodreads list “BELLETRIST”.

Serena’s Review: “Neverthorn”

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Book: “Neverthorn” by Shannon Mayer

Publishing Info: Hijinks Ink Publishing, July 2025

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

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

Book Description: At nearly thirty, Harlow can’t even cast a simple rune without blundering it. So why does anyone think she can take up the mantle of Hero? Reluctantly, she’s dragged back to Neverthorn Academy with seven former classmates, tasked with training to confront and defeat the Villain of their world.

But the challenges are stacked against

Professor Hot-As-Sin makes it clear she’s a failure.

Professor Used-To-Be-A-Mean-Girl has a vendetta.

And lurking in her past is a secret so dark it could reveal she’s not the Hero the world needs—but the next Villain.

With fate hanging in the balance, can Harlow embrace her destiny before the shadows claim her?

Review: There was a lot to really like about this book! For one thing, it started off with the sort of zippy, fast-faced action that I have come to associate with some of the best urban fantasy. This was, of course, helped by the snarky, smart main character who also read as familiar ala many urban fantasy leading ladies. This familiarity is by no means a bad thing, as it helped me easily feel centered in the style of writing this book was offering and the sort of lead character I could expect to follow. Perhaps this also lead to some rather predictable twists and turns, especially with regards to the heroine’s history, but the entire reading experience was still fun enough to get me through even these moments of easilly-guessed twists.

It was also an interesting concept to take on the “magical school” setting from the angle of an adult woman returning to a place she hated and left as soon as possible as a teenager. Ultimately, there were a few pros and a few cons to be found in this approach. In the positives, I enjoyed the duality of Harlow’s experiences with Neverthorn and the people there. Returning as an adult, everything and everyone is seen through the lens of her experiences as a teenager, for good or ill. This lead to a lot of increased tension between characters she was meeting for a second time, as she had a built in history with many of them. Further, many of the secrets she discovered were tied back to ways in which her first experience here was such a disaster for her.

On the other hand, I do think that there was an imbalance between the tone of the school story and the age of the characters. I was really excited to see adults in this school setting, both as teachers and as students. But, unfortunately, the minute we got to the school, Harlow seemed to regress in age quite significantly. In the “real world,” she was highly competent, whip-smart, and written with an inner voice that would fit an upper 20-something. However, in the school, this inner voice and her general approach to problem solving and interacting with others around her seemed to regress to a much younger level. There were a lot of highschool dynamics being revisited, and while I liked the idea of confronting school fellows from one’s past, this went a bit too far, with everyone seeming to turn back into those same high school age students. This wasn’t helped by certain writing choices that compounded the problem, like a swearing ban that went into affect and had everyone using “Good Place” style alternatives. It was funny enough once or twice, but as it continued, it began to lose its shine and further emphasize the strangely YA feel of it all.

I did enjoy the romance for the most part. There was a bit of a love triangle going on, which isn’t my favorite, but I think it was done well enough that it didn’t bother me. The “primary” love interest was also very well done I thought, and I enjoyed the slow burn nature of their story. In particular, this was one of the relationships that benefitted the most with the pre-established history the two had from the time together as highschoolers at the school.

Overall, this was a fun read! I think it got bogged down a bit towards the middle with a bit of wheel-turning with the main plot. But the characters were fun and the writing was snappy. I’m excited to see where the story goes from here!

Rating 8: Full of snappy writing and sparking romance, this was a fantastic new entry into the world of dark academia!

Reader’s Advisory:

“Neverthorn” isn’t currently on any Goodreads lists, but it should be on Magic Schools, Academies & Universities.

Serena’s Review: “The Enchanted Greenhouse”

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Book: “The Enchanted Greenhouse” by Sarah Beth Durst

Publishing Info: Bramble, July 2025

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

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

Book Description: Terlu Perna broke the law because she was lonely. She cast a spell and created a magically sentient spider plant. As punishment, she was turned into a wooden statue and tucked away into an alcove in the North Reading Room of the Great Library of Alyssium.

This should have been the end of her story . . . Yet one day, Terlu wakes in the cold of winter on a nearly-deserted island full of hundreds of magical greenhouses. She’s starving and freezing, and the only other human on the island is a grumpy gardener. To her surprise, he offers Terlu a place to sleep, clean clothes, and freshly baked honey cakes—at least until she’s ready to sail home.

But Terlu can’t return home and doesn’t want to—the greenhouses are a dream come true, each more wondrous than the next. When she learns that the magic that sustains them is failing—causing the death of everything within them—Terlu knows she must help. Even if that means breaking the law again.

This time, though, she isn’t alone. Assisted by the gardener and a sentient rose, Terlu must unravel the secrets of a long-dead sorcerer if she wants to save the island—and have a fresh chance at happiness and love.

Previously Reviewed: “The Spellshop”

Review: While I didn’t love “The Spellshop” as much as other readers did, I definitely still wanted to give this sequel a chance. As many of my struggles with the first book came down to my dislike of the main character, I had a lot of hope for this one as it is following a new character; I mean, she’s a librarian, so….. And, as predicted, I did enjoy this book more for this very reason!

Overall, I thought Terlu was a much more interesting and sympathetic character to follow. I enjoyed the set-up, with her having spent the last six years frozen as a statue as punishment for creating a sentient plant. Thus, when she wakes up, she, like the reader, is seeing her world through fresh eyes. Yes, there were times where her internal monologues and reflections became a bit repetitive, and I think the book could have benefitted from some editing down. But, overall, her story was exactly the sort of low stakes cozy experience that readers of this genre are looking for.

I also think that the love story worked better here. Again, I did have a few quibbles with it (it was a bit too fast burn for my personal taste), but the grumpy/sunshine nature of their relationship worked much better here than it did in the first book (if indeed that was even trying to be a grumpy/sunshine relationship; I’m still not convinced the heroine wasn’t meant to be a better character than how she came across).

I also enjoyed the quirky cast of characters found in the greenhouses. As I was returning to this world, I was better able to turn my brain off a bit as far as the world-building goes, but the entire set up of the new location we explore in this one helped with many of my qualms from the first. Here, I think the whimsical nature of the greenhouses worked in natural-feeling manner and left me with few questions about how this all worked.

I have to say that I struggled with some of the inner narrative word choices at times. I just don’t like modern lingo in books like this, and there were too many instances of a casual “yay!” and such for me to fully settle in to the story. But, again, this is highly subjective, and there were many other parts of the writing that I enjoyed more, particularly some of the descriptions of the world and its magical creatures.

However, in many ways, this book was very familiar. This can be seen as a good or bad thing, depending on how you feel about that first entry. I think there were definite improvements with the main character and with the love story. But many of the beats of the plot felt very familiar, as well as the cozy elements. They were cute and quirky, but just a bit too shallow for me to fully enjoy any of them. That said, I’m not a huge cozy fantasy reader, and given the popularity of the first book, some of my negatives here will be definite positives for others! So, for readers looking for more of the same, this will likely be a hit! And even for those who were a bit on the fence with the first book, this may be worth a read!

Rating 8: Perhaps aggressively cozy at times, but I still enjoyed the love story overall!

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Enchanted Greenhouse” is on these Goodreads lists: CozySFF and Heartwarming Books of 2025.

Joint Review: “The Bewitching”

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Book: “The Bewitching” by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Publishing Info: Del Rey, July 2025

Where Did We Get This Book: eARC from Netgalley!

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

Book Description: “Back then, when I was a young woman, there were still witches”: That was how Nana Alba always began the stories she told her great-granddaughter Minerva—stories that have stayed with Minerva all her life. Perhaps that’s why Minerva has become a graduate student focused on the history of horror literature and is researching the life of Beatrice Tremblay, an obscure author of macabre tales.

In the course of assembling her thesis, Minerva uncovers information that reveals that Tremblay’s most famous novel, The Vanishing, was inspired by a true story: Decades earlier, during the Great Depression, Tremblay attended the same university where Minerva is now studying and became obsessed with her beautiful and otherworldly roommate, who then disappeared under mysterious circumstances.

As Minerva descends ever deeper into Tremblay’s manuscript, she begins to sense that the malign force that stalked Tremblay and the missing girl might still walk the halls of the campus. These disturbing events also echo the stories Nana Alba told about her girlhood in 1900s Mexico, where she had a terrifying encounter with a witch.

Minerva suspects that the same shadow that darkened the lives of her great-grandmother and Beatrice Tremblay is now threatening her own in 1990s Massachusetts. An academic career can be a punishing pursuit, but it might turn outright deadly when witchcraft is involved.

Kate’s Thoughts

I was very pleased to see that Silvia Moreno-Garcia was finally taking on a witch story. She has done so many other kinds of genres and sub-genres, sometimes in fantasy and horror, and now she has taken her genre hopping to a witchy tale with “The Bewitching”. I love witch stories as we all know, and I was very excited to see what Silvia Moreno-Garcia would do with it.

Overall, I enjoyed this fantasy tale and the three narratives that we followed. In the early 1900s in Mexico we have Alba, a young woman in the countryside whose home seems to be cursed and bewitched, and who is trying to figure out who is doing it, all while contending with her mysterious uncle and a local man that is infatuated with her. After that we go to 1930s New England, where a University student named Beatrice has a deep connection with her roommate who vanishes. And in the 1990s, University student Minerva is researching Beatrice’s writings, and starts to realize that there are similarities between Beatrice’s experiences and the experiences of Minerva’s grandmother Alba. It’s a LOT, but I felt like Moreno-Garcia balanced it well and wove it all together perfectly. She takes her time parsing out how all of these things fit together, but I never felt like it was poorly paced or glossed over as I was reading.

I also enjoyed the magical and witchcrafty elements, combining elements from New England lore along with lore from Mexico, and blending them in ways that show their similarities as well as their differences. This definitely leaves behind any romanticism of witches and witchcraft, with a focus on the scarier elements from a story like this, and I liked that there were some genuinely scary beats. While it’s true that I like romanticized witch stories, this one was a well executed thoroughly creepy take. I’m always up for that.

“The Bewitching” is another great tale from Silvia Moreno-Garcia! If you can’t wait for the Fall for a witch story, definitely seek this one out!

Serena’s Thoughts

It’s probably no surprise at this point, but I really enjoyed this book! Witches are one of those paranormal themes that easily crosses genres between fantasy and horror, so between the subject matter and the author in question, this was a match made in heaven for Kate and I to jointly review!

Sometimes I struggle to fully become invested in stories that follow different characters in different time lines. Too often, one or more feels less fleshed out than another and I feel the urge to speed read sections. While I did have favorites here, however, all three timelines and stories were interesting in their own ways. You know the tragedy that is written on the wall for some of them, but even knowing this, I was drawn in to the details of their individual stories. It’s the kind of horror that hides in plain sight: you know what’s coming, and that makes the building dread all the worse.

Like many of this author’s novels, the story is a slow-burn affair. She takes her time fully setting the stage, between the various time periods, locations, and women involved. That being the case, the pacing is definitely on the slow side. However, the payout for all three times lines all pulls together in the end in a fantastic manner, so it is well worth the wait. And, as I mentioned earlier this slower pacing works well to increased the suspense (another factor that is easy to identify as quintessentially Moreno-Garcia’s style).

Overall, I really enjoyed this read. It was creepy but mostly in a way that I could handle (though one scene was a bit much for me), and I was fully invested in the story by the time we got to the end. Definitely check this one out if you’re looking for an interesting take on witches!

Kate’s Rating 8 : Witchy, suspenseful, and very unnerving, “The Bewitching” is yet another great read from a true master of many trades within the writing craft.

Serena’s Rating 8: As always, Moreno-Garcia delivers with fantastic, multi-generational story of witches and brewing dread.

Reader’s Advisory

“The Bewitching” is included on the Goodreads list 2025 Dark Academia Releases.

Kate’s Review: “Bad Dreams in the Night”

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Book: “Bad Dreams in the Night” by Adam Ellis

Publishing Info: Andrews McMeel Publishing, April 2024

Where Did I Get This Book: The library!

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

Book Description: Like a graphic novel version of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark , this collection of original horror tales is packed with urban legends, terrifying twists, and delightfully haunted stories by one of the biggest stars in webcomics. Each story will make you scream for more!

A new take on a classic format, Bad Dreams in the Night is an updated, illustrated take on the horror anthologies the author grew up with as a kid, such as Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and In a Dark, Dark Room . These self-contained stories grew rapidly in popularity among the author’s online audience, and even inspired production of a motion picture from Buzzfeed Studios and Lionsgate Films. Filled with spine-tingling, pulse-increasing tales of mystery and supernatural occurrences, this book of never-before-seen comics will be the perfect gift for people who love  Black Mirror  and  Stranger Things  and listened to podcasts like  Welcome to Nightvale  and  Rabbits. 

Review: I’m sure that if you have spent at least some time on the Internet you have stumbled upon something by Adam Ellis. He is a cartoonist whose works have gone viral more than once, and have become memes in some cases. I think that what I was most familiar with him from was his long form Twitter ghost story “Dear David”, where he recorded and shared a ‘haunting’ of his apartment by a child ghost with a caved in head. I thought it was very creative and a really fun way to tell a story and create folklore. I actually hadn’t heard of his horror story collection “Bad Dreams in the Night” until very recently, but once I had I really wanted to read it because I found “Dear David” to be a hoot. Clearly I needed to see what else he could do.

Like most short story collections, I will highlight my three favorite tales, and then address it as a complete product.

“Evangeline”: This book started off with a bang, as ‘Evangeline” really grabbed my attention and went places that I kind of expected, but still found poignant. Ellis reminisces about visiting his grandparents house and watching from the TV recorded horror movies on many VHS tapes, but there was one film that he hasn’t been able to find anywhere else. In the film a farmer has a strange alien land on his property, and he calls her Evangeline and they fall in love, though their love is doomed. Ellis searches far and wide but can’t find this movie anywhere. Perhaps for a reason. Was it easy to see wehre this was going? Yeah, a little, but I still loved the journey and found it to be rather bittersweet and beautiful, in a way.

“Little House in the Sea”: I thought that this was probably the most unique story in the book, and wasn’t so much scary as it was haunting and dreamy. A girl is raised alone on a small island with her mother. She always asks her mom if they can leave, but her mother is a steadfast ‘no’. The girl wonders what is beyond the sea. As a mother whose only child is a daughter this one felt especially emotional, even as the more speculative and odd aspects started to reveal themselves, and it just felt ethereal in its strangeness. This was a favorite based on vibes, I suppose, but man the vibes were great for me.

“Viola Bloom”: Is this pretty much a reimagining of a fairly common creepypasta trope that has been around for many, many years (the cursed chain letter/media situation)? Yes. But I still really, really enjoyed “Viola Bloom”, as even if it’s been done before, Ellis still made it unsettling and scary for me. Framed as autobiographical, Ellis receives a strange card in the mail with the name ‘Viola Bloom’ on it, and shortly thereafter a strange, unearthly woman is stalking him outside of his home, unwilling to leave and merely standing, and staring. But what worked the most for me was the inspiration, as Ellis has had to deal with some really scary real life stalking incidents, mostly from the alt-Right and internet trolls that target him for his identity. By channelling that fear into a story about being stalked by a seemingly unending force it makes for a tale that’s all the more resonant and scary.

As a whole, the stories generally worked for me. Some felt a little more shallow than others (“Butter Corn Ramen” was pretty predictable, and “Murder Party” says the same arguments against the true crime genre that pretty much everyone is saying and didn’t feel interesting beyond being a scold, even if I generally agree with the sentiments), but as a whole I found them all entertaining, and I devoured the collection in one night. I also enjoyed the Millennial nostalgia of some of these tales, whether referencing classic scary tales from our youths or the old comfortable formulas of a sitcom’s narrative design.

“Bad Dreams in the Night” is a quick and creepy read, and given that Ellis has a new collection of horror graphics are coming out, it has put him on my radar as a horror author. Excited to see what else he will do in the future!

Rating 8: A quick paced and creepy collection of scary stories from a creator whose horror chops had promise even before this, “Bad Dreams in the Night” is an devilishly fun ride by Adam Ellis.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Bad Dreams in the Night” is included on the Goodreads list “YA Graphic Novels of 2024”.

Serena’s Review: “Never the Roses”

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

Book: “Never the Roses” by Jennifer K. Lambert

Publishing Info: Bramble, July 2025

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

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

Book Description: The Dread Sorceress Oneira has retired. She’s exhausted from fighting the endless wars of kings and queens, and has long accepted that her death is near. Alone at last but for a few uninvited companions―a near-mythical wolf, a goddess’s avatar, and a feline that embodies magic itself―Oneira realizes that she’s bored. On a whim, or perhaps at the behest of fate, she makes an unlikely trip to the most extensive library in existence: the home of her most powerful rival, the sorcerer Stearanos.

By recklessly stealing a book from him, Oneira inadvertently initiates a forbidden correspondence. Taunting notes and clever retorts reveal a connection neither has found―nor could ever find―in any other.

But Oneira soon learns that Stearanos, bound to a vile king, is tasked with waging war on the queen she once served. A relationship with him is far too dangerous to pursue despite their mutual desire―and yet, Oneira can’t seem to stay away.

A bond with Stearanos could alight the long-extinct flame of life within her… or it could destroy her entirely.

Review: This was such a fun read! From the mature main characters, to the slow (ish) burn of the romance, to the stand-alone (with an open ended conclusion) nature of the story, this is the kind of romantasy novel that is few and far between in a crowded but often too similar-feeling genre.

One of the first things that stood out was how committed the author was to establishing not only this world, but our main characters, disconnected from one another. So often, it feels like romantasy falls into the trap where the entirety of what makes up the characters is tied up in their dynamics together. Here, the book is largely focused on Oneira’s personal arc, one where she explores themes regarding regret, responsibility, and repentance. Through this journey, she almost backs her way into the relationship with Stearnos. And even there, through their love story, both she and Stearnos further these greater themes, even as they fall in love.

I also really enjoyed the slow-burn nature of the romance. The book gets through a solid quarter of the page count before there’s any interaction between the characters at all, and it’s not until closer to the halfway mark where they even really meet in person. That said, between the shifting perspectives and the interesting magical elements that make up this world, there was more than enough plot to go around. However, the story is definitely on the slower side, overall. I, personally, really enjoyed the more reserved approach to storytelling that was used here, as I think it matches well with some of the heavier themes explored throughout. But readers looking for more action may not connect as well. And, as much as I enjoyed the slow nature of the love story, the true highs of the story were found when we did finally get to see these two together. The banter was everything, and the author did a fantastic job with showing this relationship progress in a truly lovely way.

With this strong focus on the love story and the characters’ personal journeys, the greater plot conflict did fall a bit to the side and was wrapped up fairly succinctly towards the end. However, it never felt like any of these greater plot points were the true focus to begin with, so I felt satisfied with the way they were handled. There were moments where I perhaps would have liked to see a bit more fleshing out of the political systems at play and ways in which magic was used and monitored, but I was still happy enough with what we received.

The ending definitely fell on the bittersweet side of things. Though, again, I think the nature of this conclusion fit perfectly alongside the themes that were so strongly centered in the story. As of now, I don’t see anything indicating that this is the beginning of a duology or series, but the door is definitely left open for a return to this world. Readers looking for a beautiful stand-lone love story with a focus on mature main characters should definitely check this one out!

Rating 8: Luscious and deeply romantic, this book is a beautiful portrayal of forgiveness and redemption.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Never the Roses” can be found on this Goodreads list: Epic High Fantasy/Romance/Mythology in 2025.

Kate’s Review: “Wearing the Lion”

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

Book: “Wearing the Lion” by John Wiswell

Publishing Info: DAW, June 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: This second novel from Nebula Award-winning John Wiswell brings a humanizing, redemptive touch to the Hercules story in this mythological fantasy for fans of Jennifer Saint and Elodie Harper.

Heracles, hero of Greece, dedicates all his feats to Hera, goddess of family. Heracles’ mother raised him to revere Hera, as her attempt to avoid the goddess’ wrath. Unbeknownst to Heracles, he is yet another child Hera’s husband, Zeus, had out of wedlock.

Hera loathes every minute of Heracles’ devotion. She finally snaps and sends the Furies to make Heracles kill himself. But the moment Heracles goes mad, his children playfully ambush him, and he slays them instead. When the madness fades, Heracles’s wife, Megara, convinces him to seek revenge. Together they’ll hunt the Furies and learn which god did this.

Believing Hera is the only god he can still trust, Heracles prays to Hera, who is wracked with guilt over killing his children. To mislead Heracles, Hera sends him on monster-slaying quests, but he is too traumatized to enact more violence. Instead, Heracles cares for the Nemean lion, cures the illness of the Lernaean hydra, and bonds with Crete’s giant bull.

Hera struggles with her role in Heracles life as Heracles begins to heal psychologically by connecting with the monsters—while also amassing an army that could lay siege to Olympos.

Nebula Award-winning author John Wiswell brings his signature humanizing touch to the Hercules story, forever changing the way we understand the man behind the myth—and the goddess reluctantly bound to him.

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

Even though fantasy isn’t REALLY my wheelhouse on the blog, Serena actually suggested that I take a look at the book “Wearing the Lion” by John Wiswell, as I have been doing the “Lore Olympus” reviews on the blog. I read the description, and decided ‘why not?’, as Greek Mythology has been a huge thing in my life since I was a kid, and since I was doing the “Lore Olympus” read this would be a fun addendum. I’ve read a few other re-imaginings of Greek Myths beyond “Lore”, as we did “Circe” for book club, and I have read a few others as well. And “Wearing the Lion” was a bit of a median between the darker ones I’ve read and the more vibrant and optimistic ones.

“Wearing the Lion” essentially asks ‘what if instead of completing his tasks of killing the various creatures, Heracles instead finds atonement and redemption by taking them in? And what if Hera has a bit of reluctant guilt over her jealousy causing so much harm to Heracles and his family (as she sent a Fury to kill him but his children were killed instead, by his own hand). The Heracles story has never been a favorite of mine, but I do love a found family trope and this book is definitely all about that. We get our perspectives from both Heracles and Hera, seeing their inner most thoughts and their emotional journeys as they both strive for redemption in their own ways, and it has a lot of poignancy behind it. One of the things I’ve enjoyed about recent retelling of these myths is that authors try to find more empathy or insight into these beings that have been in the minds of humans for millennia, and have become almost untouchable because of it. Heracles has never really connected with me probably because he is so larger than life, but Wiswell delves deep into his grief, trauma, and guilt, and finds interesting motivation that taps into an empathy that this strongman doesn’t get a lot of the time. I loved seeing him befriend the Nemean Lion, and the Hydra, and the Hind, but REALLY loved the twist that Wiswell put on Boar. It’s all so creative and charming while also bittersweet as a man who was manipulated into killing his children seeks to find solace and atonement.

But I also liked how Wiswell portrays Hera. She isn’t to the level of ‘Queen Shit’ that I love seeing, but she has a lot of complexities and her own baggage that he acknowledges while not excusing it. Yes, Hera commanded that a dear friend murder Heracles only for it to go so wrong, and we see the way that Hera is unwilling to acknowledge it at first. But we also see her when she is at her best, when she is helping women in childbirth, when she is trying to help find the strength in herself to take accountability for her terrible mistake. Hera’s anger and resentment towards Heracles is always portrayed as such, but as a reader you do have an understanding as to why she would be so, so upset with the very idea of him, as Zeus is SUCH a jerk to her by flaunting all of his children from his flings and humiliating her over and over again. While I enjoyed the found family angles of Heracles’s path, it was Hera’s story that really resonated.

“Wearing the Lion” is a bittersweet spin on a myth that so many people know. I think that if you are like me and like seeing what present days authors can do with a classical story you should check it out.

Rating 8: A poignant retelling of a classic myth, “Wearing the Lion” is about grief, guilt, and found family.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Wearing the Lion” is included on the Goodreads list “Greek Mythology Retellings”.

Serena’s Review: “A Legionnaire’s Guide to Love and Peace”

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Book: “A Legionnaire’s Guide to Love and Peace” by Emily Skrutskie

Publishing Info: Del Rey, June 2025

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

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

Book Description: On the eve of the battle that will decide the realm of Telrus’s fate, Katrien takes a hard look at her prospects. A mere legionnaire, she and her spear will be at the fore in the morning, facing off against the Demon Lord and his wretched army, and it’s all but certain she’ll perish in the fight. But if the end of the world is mere hours away, there’s no reason not to hook up with her handsome, dedicated battle partner Emory—despite any anti-fraternization policies their centurion may have in place.

Only, the world doesn’t end the next day. Instead, an insufferable prince raised in hiding comes out of nowhere with a plucky band of heroes, defeats the Demon Lord, and seals the rift to the hellish plane. The realm is saved. The war is over. And Kat suddenly has a lot more future than she knows what to do with. It’s a future that could include Emory . . . if only he weren’t so set on staying enlisted with the very army Kat was unwillingly drafted into.

And while the Demon Lord has been destroyed, peace is still a long march away. When Kat inadvertently draws the eye of the prince, she, Emory, and the rest of their motley unit are pulled to the fore of the formation—and the heart of the danger—as the army embarks on one last campaign. The mission: laying a road as a foundation for the prince’s future rule. The real mission: scouring the last of the Demon Lord’s servants from the material plane.

As Kat and Emory work to secure a lasting peace, they’ll have to decide what they want their futures to look like—and if there’s room for love at the end of the road.

Review: This was a breath of fresh air in the romantic fantasy/romantasy genre! I do think it skews more closely to romantic fantasy than romantasy, with a heavy focus on world-building and most of the conflict of the story coming down to plot points rather than the smaller amount devoted to internal, romantic conflict.

Some of this also has to do with the fact that we have a partners/friends-to-lovers love story, rather then yet another enemies/rivals-to-lovers. And boy, did I love that! The author makes the bold choice to start the story off right after Kat and Emory have gotten together for the first time. Of course, they both thought they would be dying the next day, so the rest of the story revolves around them now working out the consequences of changing their long-standing dynamic. Everything about their relationship was so lovely and wholesome. Their insecurities and fears were realistic and handled in a mature fashion (for once!), but I particularly appreciated the focus on how important their friendship remained to them. We see their growing passion, of course, but much of the emotional workings of the story relies on the deep friendship and respect that has driven their partnership for several years.

I also enjoyed the larger plot and fantasy elements. For one thing, in fantasy stories like this, we often follow characters who are either already leaders or rare in some way or are building towards a leadership role based on their emerging “special abilities.” Here, while Kat does have some magical growth, the story is much more narrowly focused on the lives of the foot soldiers. Kat is thrust into a leadership role against her will and spends the majority of the book trying to sidestep her way back to being a regular soldier. It was definitely refreshing to approach a story like this through this lens, with the bravery, teamwork, and skill of the regular people who make up these armies being the true heroes.

There were also some good themes explored regarding the balance between following one’s own dreams and what we owe to one another. Much of Kat’s internal struggle comes down to this fact. She is in a privileged position with her access to magic, so what does that mean for her choices going forward? Is she obligated to give up the life she wants in pursuit of using this rare ability for the greater good? For his part, Emory must also confront the realities of life after wartime. It’s not a huge focus of the story, but I think the book did a great job of exploring an aspect of military life that is often left unexplored.

Overall, this was a great read! There was an interesting world peopled with a great cast of characters, and the central love story felt fresh and new. What’s more, this was a stand-alone book, so it’s perfect for readers looking for perhaps their next beach read to bring along on vacation!

Rating 8: If you’re getting a bit worn out on enemies-to-lovers, this is the perfect book for you!

Reader’s Advisory:

“A Legionnaire’s Guide to Love and Peace” can be found on this Goodreads list: June 2025 Most Anticipated Romance Releases.

Serena’s Review: “The Rushworth Family Plot”

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Book: “The Rushworth Family Plot” by Claudia Gray

Publishing Info: Vintage, June 2025

Where Did I Get this Book: Netgalley!

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

Book Description: Jonathan Darcy and Juliet Tilney understand each other perfectly; it’s a pity their families do not. A series of misunderstandings, misplaced pride, and—indeed—prejudice, has led their parents to deem the pair unsuited to wed. Now, with the Season approaching, Juliet’s grandfather, General Tilney, has sent her to London with a new wardrobe and orders to prove herself worthy of someone better than the snobby Darcys. Meanwhile, Jonathan has been forced to accept an invitation to stay in town with old friends Edmund and Fanny Bertram at the house of Edmund’s brother, Sir Thomas. Oblivious to and undesiring of female attention outside of Juliet’s, Jonathan is at risk of being ensnared by Caroline Bingley’s previously rebuffed plans to make herself—or her daughter—mistress of Pemberley.

But when Mr. Rushworth, the former husband of Edmund’s sister Maria, is discovered dead in his home, Jonathan and Juliet find themselves with problems far weightier than the marriage market. In one of the greatest scandals of its day, Maria abandoned her new husband in favor of the notorious rake Henry Crawford, and when he wouldn’t marry her, was forced to flee to the continent in disgrace. Now Maria is back, accompanied by a daughter she claims Mr. Rushworth fathered after their divorce—and who he wrote into his will just before his death. To spare Edmund and Fanny further social shame, Jonathan and Juliet must unmask a killer before the drama surrounding the Rushworth family fortune claims another victim.

Previously Reviewed: “The Murder of Mr. Wickham” and “The Late Mrs. Willoughby” and “The Perils of Lady Catherine de Bourgh”

Review: Another entry in the Mr. Darcy/Miss Tilney mysteries and just as enjoyable as the rest! I went into this one both excited (because Claudia Gray has yet to set a single step wrong) but also a bit nervous (because the characters from “Mansfield Park” and especially the dynamic between Edmund and Fanny seem like the most challenging of Austen’s originals to re-create). But, as always, I shouldn’t have worried at all!

Let’s start with the mystery itself! Like always, Gray does an excellent job setting the stage for the murder at the center of this story. There are a number of excellent suspects and red herrings, and every time the reader (or Miss Tilney or Mr. Darcy, for that matter) feel as if they might begin to get a reading on the situation, another twist will be thrown in. I also enjoyed the other, smaller mysteries that made up many of the subplots, such as the Bertrams’ handling of the sale of their plantation in Antiqua.

The story also delved into Fanny’s character and her struggles with childbirth in a very deep way. Poor Fanny. She’s always getting the most rough end of the stick, both in her original story and now here with all of this tragedy. However, I think the way that infertility and miscarriage was handled was incredibly sensitive, and some of Fanny’s internal thoughts and struggles are of the sort that you don’t often see portrayed well on the page. On a lighter note, I enjoyed her interactions with Edmund, and it we even got a bone thrown to some of the Edmund/Fanny/Mary Crawford drama from the original book.

Of course, the main draw is, as always, Mr. Darcy and Miss Tilney themselves. Their relationship continues to be hindered by their ridiculous parents, but I was incredibly excited to see Catherine Tilney finally in person on the page! It’s also poetic justice that she immediately gathered a better reading on the situation between Jonathan and Juliet than her husband did in the last book. Their letters discussing the matter were particularly fun! Of course, as this is a series that is ongoing, sticks continued to be thrown in the cogs of them actually formally pursuing things (Darcy and Elizabeth really need to get their act together!). But the story definitely took a twist in this area that I wasn’t expecting and that lead to some of the major action at the end of the book.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one! It didn’t perhaps reach the highs of some of the previous books (mostly because the secondary characters are largely unlikable or fairly depressed through most of the book which lead to a bit less humor). But I really liked the mystery and I will be first in line to check out the next one!

Rating 8: Full of unexpected action and twists and turns galore, this is another incredibly showing in the series!

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Rushworth Family Plot” isn’t on any Goodreads lists but it should be on: Austen Retellings.

Kate’s Review: “The Whyte Python World Tour”

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

Book: “The Whyte Python World Tour” by Travis Kennedy

Publishing Info: Doubleday, June 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: It’s Los Angeles, 1986, and metal rules the world. For aspiring drummer Rikki Thunder, life is good—even if he is sleeping in a condemned paint store and playing with a band that’s going nowhere. But when he gets a shot to join L.A.’s hottest up-and-coming band, Whyte Python, Rikki’s young life turns up to 11. Soon he has a hit single scorching up the charts, and the new love of his life in the audience. Rikki couldn’t ask for anything more.

But good fortune can be deceiving. With the Cold War breathing its last gasps and American music blasting through the Iron Curtain, a youth revolution is taking hold – and a hair band is unknowingly playing host to the final battle for the hearts and minds of the Eastern Bloc. Rikki Thunder soon realizes there is a deeper web of influence propelling Whyte Python, and the stakes for his mission—to spread peace, love, and epic shredding across the globe—are far more dangerous than he could ever imagine.

Raucously funny and refreshing, The Whyte Python World Tour is a head-banger of a debut, steeped in ‘80s music culture nostalgia and international suspense.

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

In the past few years I have fully embraced my love for glam metal. My husband has been a big Motley Crue fan since we were teenagers, but it wasn’t until recently that I realized that I, too, love the over the top melodramatics of hair metal and the spandex and make up and androgyny that goes with it. So when I was asked if I wanted to check out “The Whyte Python World Tour” by Travis Kennedy, I couldn’t help but say yes. The idea of a tongue in cheek music story with hints of “Spinal Tap” and ‘Behind the Music’ lunacy mixed with a Cold War Espionage tale is so funny to me. Because why would you want a hair metal band involved in global politicking and coups?!

This may be a deep cut, but it’s too perfect to pass up. (source)

This is part espionage thriller, part raucous coming of age rock and roll tale, and while it doesn’t take itself too seriously it also never treads into cheap laughs or lazy tropes. We follow Rikki Thunder, a young hair metal drummer in L.A. right as the Cold War is starting to see serious cracks in 1989. He is recruited to be the new drummer for the hot band Whyte Python, but what he (and the band itself) doesn’t know is that everything is being manipulated by the C.I.A. in hopes of brining the rebellion of hair metal to the U.S.S.R. and starting a rebellion by the youth. We have Rikki’s POV, but we also follow members of the agency, including his handler who calls herself Tawny and presents herself as a rock and roll groupie. I really enjoyed both of these perspectives, whether it’s golden retriever and deeply earnest Rikki, or the Cold War politics and spy thrills of Tawny and the agency trying to pull off a glam metal fueled revolution. It’s a bit of a goofy premise. but Kennedy leans fully in and I found it entertaining and at times very suspenseful. It is also very funny at times, and I found myself laughing throughout the story at the ludicrous situations and musings that Rikki and his fellow cast members would get into.

But this book is also such a love letter to glam metal and its entire essence and aesthetic. Whether that is the Southern California roots that Whyte Python has, or the fashion styles described in this book, or the little nods to other legendary bands, be it directly or indirectly (I mean come on, Rikki’s love interest/handler gives herself the name Tawny. I said to myself ‘yeah, as in KITANE!!!’ when we first met her), this book clearly adores the entire oeuvre of hair metal. I enjoyed the moments of Rikki interacting with his bandmates, and even real life people (there is a scene between him and Brett Michaels that was practically killing me), and I also enjoyed the way that Kennedy shows how powerful and unifying music can be for people of many backgrounds and experiences. It’s just such a wholesome concept, and it really reminded me of the original premise of the “Bill and Ted” movies about how hair metal could change the world for the better. In a time where cynicism has really taken root and some really dark things have been happening, it was just a nice balm, even if for a moment.

“The Whyte Python World Tour” is an entertaining and heartfelt read that centers a healthy affection for glam metal music and the power it holds. I really enjoyed it.

Rating 8: A tongue in cheek, goofy espionage thriller with a glam metal sheen, “The Whyte Python World Tour” is entertaining, funny, and filled with heart and a love for the power of music.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Whyte Python World Tour” isn’t included on any Goodreads lists a of now, but it would fit in on “Fiction Involving Rock/Pop Music”.