Tag: 9 Rating

Kate’s Review: “Play Nice”

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Book: “Play Nice” by Rachel Harrison

Publishing Info: Berkley, September 2025

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

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

Book Description: A woman must confront the demons of her past when she attempts to fix up her childhood home in this devilishly clever take on the haunted house.

Clio Louise Barnes leads a picture-perfect life as a stylist and influencer, but beneath the glossy veneer she harbors a not-so glamorous secret: she grew up in a haunted house. Well, not haunted. Possessed. After Clio’s parent’s messy divorce, her mother, Alex, moved Clio and her sisters into a house occupied by a demon. Or so Alex claimed. That’s not what Clio’s sisters remember or what the courts determined when they stripped Alex of custody after she went off the deep end. But Alex was insistent; she even wrote a book about her experience in the house.

After Alex’s sudden death, the supposedly possessed house passes to Clio and her sisters. Where her sisters see childhood trauma, Clio sees an opportunity for house flipping content. Only, as the home makeover process begins, Clio discovers there might be some truth to her mother’s claims. As memories resurface and Clio finally reads her mother’s book, the presence in the house becomes more real, and more sinister, revealing ugly truths that threaten to shake Clio’s beautiful life to its very foundation.

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

I remember being a teenager and reading about The Amityville Horror case, not the actual book itself (though I DID read that years later), but in some random haunted house book. For the unfamiliar, the run down is that a young family moved into a house on Long Island that had been the site of a mass murder years before (committed by the oldest son of the Defeo family, Ronny). The Lutzes started experiencing horrible things, then moved out after not even a month because it was SO HAUNTED. I also remember renting the original film with Margot Kidder and James Brolin and watching it on the tiny TV in the basement of my childhood home, eating take out tacos and banished away because I was the only horror fan in the family.

And I remember finding out as an adult that it was all bullshit, made up by the Lutz Family as well as the lawyers for Ronnie Defeo. It’s a fun story, but it’s built on lies. “Play Nice” by Rachel Harrison clearly has some influences from and shades of “Amityville”, and the description made me REALLY excited to read it, especially since I have genuinely enjoyed every horror novel that Harrison has written. And “Play Nice” is now my favorite of her books, because not only does it have shades of “Amityville”, it is also a very emotional story about unpacking family trauma and long festering family dysfunction.

This basically sums up a solid chunk of the problems this entire family has in this book (source)

Our main character is Clio, a free spirited influencer who has tried to build a carefree and adventurous life after a difficult childhood, where she and her sisters Lena and Daphne and mother Alex moved into a house after her parent’s divorce that Alex claimed to be haunted by a demon. She even wrote a book about it that became a cult hit. The problem is that Clio and her sisters remember it differently, with an abusive alcoholic mother terrorizing them until she lost custody, and they cut off contact. Until her death. Clio, being the youngest, remembers the least, and while her sisters refuse to attend the funeral, Clio does, and then inherits the house from her childhood. She thinks fixing it up would be a good content opportunity and moves in. And then it all starts to unravel. So this could very easily be solely a haunted house story, as Harrison gets back to her early horror roots with “Play Nice”. It has genuinely horrifying moments, descriptions, and a slow building up dread that makes the reader want to keep reading… while also being very, very unnerving and creepy. I loved having both Clio’s present day experiences as well as the excerpts from the book (with personalized annotations from Alex for Clio, exposing the untrue things with a bitter commentary). As a straight up horror story it works really well.

But Harrison has always been someone who likes to tap into the messiness of being a woman in modern society and the way they aren’t allowed to be imperfect without scrutiny, and in “Play Nice” we REALLY dive into imperfect women who are complicated, maddening, but so well rounded because of it. This is not only a haunted house story, it’s also a story about childhood trauma, unclear memories, deep familial dysfunction, and trying to parse out truth from lies that others tell and that we tell ourselves. Clio is such a fascinating main character because I genuinely had a difficult time with her, but wholly understood why she is the way she is. Harrison has created an honest and sometimes painful story about a woman trying to uncover darkness within her family, and there are few clear answers and a whole lot of nuance, which I really appreciated. Alex is monstrous in a lot of ways, but it’s also not as simple an explanation as, say, a demonic presence that would explain everything. I thought that at times it was a very raw story, and it packs a wallop because of it.

“Play Nice” is Rachel Harrison’s best horror novel yet. It’s scary and deeply emotional, and I highly recommend it for Halloween.

Rating 9: Harrison effortlessly creates a haunted house story that tackles family dysfunction, childhood trauma, and the demons that haunt us, not matter what kind that may be.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Play Nice” is included on the Goodreads lists “Ultimate Female Horror Authors”, and “Horror Books 2025”.

Kate’s Review: “All of Us Murderers”

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Book: “All of Us Murderers” by K.J. Charles

Publishing Info: Poisoned Pen Press, October 2025

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

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

Book Description: The lush Gothic drama of Crimson Peak meets the murderous intrigue of Knives Out with an LGBTQIA+ love story to die for from award-winning author KJ Charles.

WHO WILL SURVIVE LACKADAY HOUSE?

When Zeb Wyckham is summoned to a wealthy relative’s remote Gothic manor, he is horrified to find all the people he least wants to see in the world: his estranged brother, his sneering cousin, and his bitter ex-lover Gideon Grey. Things couldn’t possibly get worse.

Then the master of the house announces the true purpose of the gathering: he intends to leave the vast family fortune to whoever marries his young ward, setting off a violent scramble for her hand. Zeb wants no part of his greedy family―but when he tries to leave, the way is barred. The walls of Lackaday House are high, and the gates firmly locked. As the Dartmoor mists roll in, there’s no way out. And something unnatural may be watching them from the house’s shadowy depths…

Fear and paranoia ramping ever-higher, Zeb has nowhere to turn but to the man who once held his heart. As the gaslight flickers and terror takes hold, can two warring lovers reunite, uncover the murderous mysteries of Lackaday House―and live to tell the tale?

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

It’s still pretty hot here in Minnesota (THIS SHOULD NOT BE HAPPENING IN LATE SEPTEMBER!), but I’m definitely settling in and eager for the cooler temps, the longer nights, and the overall coziness of Fall to finally set in. And while October is dedicated to all horror reads when it comes to my reviews (Horrorpalooza 2025 starts on Thursday!), I do have a great historical mystery to put on your Autumn reading lists to talk about! I had seen “All of Us Murderers” by K.J. Charles floating around, the retro cover really catching my eye, and I was definitely interested in it when Poisoned Pen Press reached out with a request for me to take a look at it. What’s not to love? It’s Gothic! It’s Queer! It’s a SUPER VINTAGE COVER DESIGN! I was excited to dive in, and man, it did not disappoint!

I really do enjoy a Gothic thriller (well, Gothic anything), and “All of Us Murders” pretty much had my attention from the start and didn’t let go until the end. The premise is pretty straight forward: The Wyckham Family has a powerful but notorious history, and when Zeb Wyckham is called to the family estate for a meeting with his immediate and extended family, as well as his ex-lover Gideon, who is now working for head of family Wynn Wyckham who called the meeting. Wynn tells them all that he’s shifting the inheritance around and that they only way to get the money is to marry his young ward Georgina, and then the bitterness and dysfunction of the family is put to the test when he won’t let them leave and a fog rolls in. Then people start dying. It’s locked door, it’s Gothic, it’s family dysfunction, and EVERYONE IS A SUSPECT! Charles really set the scene in a way that was gripping, and as Zeb and Gideon try to figure out what is going on (is it a family curse? is someone plotting against everyone else?), the mystery deepens and the twists keep coming. I’m usually someone who can parse through red herrings and misdirections when it comes to thrillers, at least a little bit, but in this book I had a really hard time guessing where it was all going, and I was absolutely delighted by that. I also love how an isolated house surrounded by fog and a family filled with vipers just makes for that much more of a heightened stake for Zeb and Gideon, who may be in serious danger.

And on top of the really well done Gothic mystery, we also have a pretty sweet romance at the center of the book! Zeb and Gideon are just so likable, their chemistry is off the charts and I love how they aren’t perfect in their love for each other, but they also aren’t melodramatic or constantly being torn away from each other for merely dramatic purposes. Gideon is a very steady and pragmatic (and oh so patient) character, and he is a great foil for the somewhat scattered and anxious Zeb (also, side note, I LOVE seeing ADHD representation in books and Charles did a good job with Zeb, keeping it within the time frame’s understanding while also completely nailing it), and I was SO rooting for them basically from the jump. I love a solid and sexy romance in a mystery like this, it’s just so moody in the best way and I loved Zeb and Gideon.

“All of Us Murderers” is a fun and atmospheric Gothic mystery that kept me guessing up until the end. I could just feel the fog and melancholy of the moors as I was reading it, and it’s a moody read just in time for Autumn.

Rating 9: A stellar mystery, a lush Gothic setting, and a steamy romance combine to make a delightful thriller with a nasty family that may be cursed at the center.

Reader’s Advisory:

“All of Us Murderers” is included on the Goodreads list “A History or Historical Fiction Book”.

Kate’s Review: “The Silenced”

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Book: “The Silenced” by Diana Rodriguez Wallach

Publishing Info: Delacorte, September 2025

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

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

Book Description: Welcome To The Farm

Hazel Perez thought her school project on the abandoned Oakwell Farms School for Girls—or “The Farm” as it’s known to locals—would be just another assignment. But when a late-night research trip ends with her falling unconscious, she reawakens with a desire for revenge that isn’t her own. Desperate to free herself from these sudden violent urges, Hazel begins to investigate.

As she delves deeper into Oakwell Farms’ past, Hazel discovers the harrowing experiences of the girls who were once forced to live within its walls—under the eyes of sinister men—and the spirits who still linger.

With the help of some unlikely allies, Hazel must navigate a treacherous path of corruption, history, and the supernatural to bring peace to the restless spirits and uncover the truth about her family’s involvement.

The Silenced delves into the Trouble Teen Industry through a riveting exploration of a reform school’s haunted past colliding with the traumatized present.

Review: Thank you to Delacorte for giving me an ARC of this novel at ALAAC25!

One of the many horrible and tragic topics that has grabbed my attention over the past few years is the Troubled Teen Industry, in which parents send their kids to ‘reform schools’ or programs in hopes of turning their ill behaved ways around… Though ultimately it’s rarely actually a helpful experience, and a terribly abusive an traumatic one (especially since so many kids that have been sent to these programs for being ‘bad’ aren’t actually bad, but behaving in ways that their parents are embarrassed by or don’t approve of). I’m always on board to read books about this, fiction or non-fiction, so when I saw that Diana Rodriguez Wallach had written a horror novel called “The Silenced” that focused on the Troubled Teen Industry as a backdrop I knew that I HAD TO READ IT. I was thrilled to get a copy at ALAAC25, and when I finally jumped into it I found myself fully invested. And fully horrified.

First the supernatural elements. Our protagonist Hazel, after having an accident at the abandoned property of the now closed reform school The Farm, is finding herself haunted by an angry spirit who may or may not be taking over her body. Hazel keeps having images of a ghostly girl hanging on her back, and feels her body being overrun by the rage and anger of this ghost that won’t leave her alone. I really, really liked the creepy imagery of this book, and the building suspense of Hazel becoming more and more unhinged as she investigates what is happening to her, and what the history of The Farm has to do with it. I also loved the strange and suspenseful moments at The Farm and the scary beats. I was unfamiliar with Wallach’s game, but now that I’ve been introduced I need to check out other books she’s written because this one was really fun.

But it’s the far more realistic horrors of the Troubled Teen Industry that really made this read a winner. I’ve mentioned before that I have a dear dear friend who was sent to a wilderness reform school, and as more horrifying stories have come out about these kinds of places in the past few years it has become VERY clear that these so called ‘helpful’ schools have caused so much damage and trauma to children who were sent to such places. And “The Silenced” doesn’t shy away from how awful and abusive these schools and programs could be. Wallach doesn’t shy away from it, and I found myself completely on edge as we see not only Hazel’s investigations, but also the dual perspective of a girl who was sent to The Farm in 1995 and the horrors that she endured all in the name of ‘help’ and ‘healing’. Even though the ghost that has attached herself to Hazel is terrifying, her rage and despair is fully explored and fleshed out in the narrative, and it’s so, so heartbreaking and haunting. I’m so glad that Wallach decided to be frank and honest with the awfulness, even if it made for a very emotional and upsetting read at times.

“The Silenced” was a fantastic and gripping read. I can’t recommend it enough for the upcoming Halloween season. Just steel yourself for the really bleak aspects.

Rating 9: Gripping, haunting, creepy and all too relevant, “The Silenced” may be a supernatural horror tale, but the real life horrors of the Troubled Teen Industry play the biggest part in this novel.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Silenced” is included on the Goodreads list “YA Novels of 2025”.

Serena’s Review: “The Summer War”

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Book: “The Summer War” by Naomi Novik

Publishing Info: Del Rey, September 2025

Where Did I Get this Book: Netgalley!

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

Book Description: Celia discovered her talent for magic on the day her beloved oldest brother Argent left home. Furious at him for abandoning her in a war-torn land, she lashed out, not realizing her childish, angry words would suddenly become imbued with the power of prophecy, dooming him to a life without love.

While Argent wanders the world, forced to seek only fame and glory instead of the love and belonging he truly desires, Celia attempts to undo the curse she placed on him. Yet even as she grows from a girl to a woman, she cannot find the solution—until she learns the truth about the centuries-old war between her own people and the summerlings, the immortal beings who hold a relentless grudge against their mortal neighbors.

Now, with the aid of her unwanted middle brother, Celia may be able to both undo her eldest brother’s curse and heal the lands so long torn apart by the Summer War.

Review: There’s no point in building up to a point that is probably already a given, but I really loved this story. Like I have for every other piece of writing by Naomi Novik that I’ve read over the years!

One of the more interesting aspects of this one, however, is its length. Last fall, I read a collection of short stories that Novik released which included the original, short story version of “Spinning Silver.” While enjoyable, it was also clear how much the final version of the story benefited by being elongated into a full length novel. Here, we have something in-between: not a short story, but still a shorter, novella length piece of fantasy fiction. And, while I still would love to explore a longer version of this story, I think that has more to do with the fact that I simply want more of Novik’s writing full stop, not that this particular narrative required further depth; for all of its shorter length, the story felt complete, impactful, and fully realized.

One factor that stood out in particular was the choice to center sibling and family relationships as the emotional core of the story, rather than the more typical romantic plotline. And while I love a good romance (and Novik in particular has always written excellent ones), it was also a breath of fresh air to see this sort of acknowledgement that romantic love is not the be-all, end-all of character motivations. Indeed, sibling relationships can be some of the most complicated ones there are, as we see here!

This also read as an original fairytale, from start to finish. It’s hard to put a finger on exactly what quality of writing it is, but there’s a distinctive style of fairytale fantasies that always feels easily identifiable when you’re reading it. Some combination of whimsical, lyrical, and character-focused, perhaps? Whatever it is, this one had it in spades! I enjoyed the world-building we had, though this is definitely an area of the book that I’d love to revisit in a longer story, just to get further into the details and history of this world.

Perhaps my one critique is that there were moments where some of the characterization felt a bit off. The subplot romance that we do have comes on quickly, just dipping its toes into the water of “instalove.” As this romance doesn’t include our main character, this ultimately didn’t bother me as much, but it is there. There were also moments where Celia reads as older than she is. However, again, this is fairly standard for fairytales where children are often the main characters and must act and think in ways that are, perhaps, more mature than one would expect.

Overall, I really enjoyed this novella! Of course, I’m always left wanting more when it comes to Novik’s writing, but I think this one does a good job of standing on its own two feet, even for a shorter tale. Fans of fairytale fantasies who want a more manageable read than the typical tome should definitely give this one a try!

Rating 9: Atmospheric and heart-wrenching, Novik introduces a wholly original feeling fairytale that only leaves you wanting more!

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Summer War” can be found on this Goodreads list: 2025 Adult Fantasy Releases

Kate’s Review: “Queer As All Get Out”

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Book: “Queer As All Get Out: 10 People Who’ve Inspired Me” by Shelby Criswell

Publishing Info: Street Noise Books, October 2021

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

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

Book Description: This graphic novel paints a picture of the lives of 10 specific LGBTQIA people from history, framed by the personal struggles of the author to find acceptance and to carve out a meaningful life as a genderqueer person. Each chapter focuses on a different relatively little-known historical character, presented within the context of the author’s own life. Shelby Criswell’s art is fun and engaging and brings a comic book feel to this enlightening and important subject matter.

Review: Thank you to Street Noise Books for sending me an eBook of this graphic novel!

In honor of Street Noise Books’s 5th Anniversary in publishing, they were kind enough to ask if I would like to help celebrate this achievement with them by highlighting one of their titles from the past five years. I was absolutely into this idea, as I really enjoyed the other works they’ve sent me and because I love the focus on political and social conscious themes. So today I bring you the graphic novel memoir/history book “Queer As All Get Out: 10 People Who’ve Inspired Me” by Shelby Criswell, a book about important queer people in history who have kind of been lost or forgotten to mainstream history as time has gone on. I was very eager to dive into this book, and I was very, very impressed by it.

As a history based graphic novel, this is a great read. While I had heard of a few of the people that Criswell highlights, there were so many that I had absolutely no clue existed even though their contributions and achievements are impressive and impactful. They stories are separated into different sections interspersed with Criswell’s own perspectives of being an out queer person (more on that in a bit), and you can tell that there was a lot of research and a lot of care put into telling these peoples stories correctly and respectfully. From people like Magnus Hirshfeld to Nancy Cárdenas to We’wha and more, the contributions range from the arts, medicine, politics, music, science, and it’s so comprehensive without feeling overwhelming or overstuffed. Criswell clearly did their homework and provides great overviews of these important figures in queer/LGBTQIA+ history, but goes even a step further and has an extensive bibliography for readers to do even more delving if they so choose. I learned so much and it was always very accessible and never felt overwhelming with information.

But I also I really enjoyed how Criswell managed to tie their own story as a queer person living in San Antonio into a really well done exploration of queer people in history who have been overlooked for so many years. Representation is so important for people to be able to see themselves in stories and history, and for far too long many marginalized groups didn’t get as many examples of people like them to be able to see and resonate with. Not only do we get these great minibiographies, we also get the story of a queer person who is trying to figure out their own self, and how these people who have been largely ignored or forgotten are being remembered and being inspirational in their journey of self-discovery. It’s a great way to show the importance of representation in a personal way that the reader can see first hand, and I thought it never detracted from the history bits, which was really great to see.

“Queer As All Get Out” is a great history book, and I mean that not only for LGBTQIA+ history, but also just history in general. The research is there, the facts are accessible, and the point is clear. I definitely recommend it.

Rating 9: An illuminating history of queer and trans people who have contributed to culture and society but have been lost to history, “Queer As All Get Out” is a great history book, LGBTQIA+ or otherwise.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Queer As All Get Out” is included on the Goodreads lists “Reading Rainbow – Queer Graphic Novels”, and “Books for Baby Queers”.

Serena’s Review: “The Bone Raiders”

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Book: “The Bone Raiders” by Jackson Ford

Publishing Info: Orbit, August 2025

Where Did I Get this Book: Netgalley!

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

Book Description: This epic fantasy follows the story of the Rakada, a fearsome band known as the Bone Raiders, due to their charming habit of wearing the bones of those they kill on their armour. But being a raider is tough these days, especially when the High Chieftain is trying to wipe out you and your kind. When Sayana, a young Rakada scout, finds herself face-to-face with a fire-breathing lizard of legend during a raid-gone-wrong, she comes up with an audacious plan to save the Rakada and preserve their way of life. A plan that involves convincing the lizard to let her ride it.

Review: We’ve all read a million and one dragon fantasy novels. But how about…giant lizards? How do they differ? Well, mostly it seems they don’t have wings (though perhaps they used to!). There was a lot of creativity to love about this book, but I think that, like myself, most readers will go in curious about these fantastical beasts. And boy do they come through! In some ways, this book is like the adult’s version of “How to Train Your Dragon,” and I loved all the time that was spent developing the bond between our characters and the giant beasts. Things did accelerate a bit out of nowhere towards the end of the book (for fairly apparent plot reasons), but even here, the interactions between humans and lizards was a fun time all around!

I also really enjoyed the cast of characters. There are a few POV characters and two that really feel like the main characters. There were some familiar archetypes to be found here, but the entire cast was incredibly well drawn. Beyond taming the great lizards, much of the focus of the book is on this found family relationships that have been built up and are now tested within the Bone Raiders themselves. Many of these relationships are complicated, built up on years of teamwork, but challenged by differing views of how to move forward in a world that is quickly leaving them behind. The dynamics were often full of conflict, some that could be bridged and some that revealed something truly rotten at its core.

There were also two romances that served as a subplot and each played out in ways that I didn’t expect but that I appreciated more for it. This is not a romantasy by any means, so these “love stories,” such as they are, serve more to underline the challenges found in these sorts of bonds. How love does not, in fact, conquer all sometimes; that certain views of the world and approaches to life can not be bridged. There was also an incredibly well-drawn abusive relationship, all the more surprising because the characters involved by no means met the typical sorts of characters we see in these roles. This made it all the more impactful as it highlighted that toxic dynamics and behaviors can develop between any number of different sorts of people.

While the plot was fairly straightforward, the book was jam packed with action and adventure. As one would imagine for a book focused on training giant lizards, when the fights start, they go hard and are bloody. But man, was it a fun time! It was one of those sorts of books where you could easily picture it as developed into a movie or mini series, with grand battles and high stakes fights sprinkled throughout.

Lastly, I appreciated the inclusion of a POV from one of the villains of the story. I always love it when authors give us a peak into the minds of the antagonists of the tale. Having access to the villain’s thoughts and feelings prevents these characters from feeling like the mustache-twirling cardboard cutouts that we too often see. Instead, it was all to easy to sympathize with some of this character’s views, understanding how their life and experiences up to this point shaped their actions and approach to the world. But at the same time, the book doesn’t shy away from highlighting the true monstrosity at this character’s core as well.

Overall, this was wild ride that was nonstop fun from start to finish! Fans of epic fantasy, especially those who enjoy fast-paced stories full of action adventure are sure to enjoy this one!

Rating 9: A brilliant epic fantasy with the action turned up to the max!

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Bone Raiders” can be found on this Goodreads list: All the New Fantasy Books Arriving in August 2025.

Kate’s Review: “How Bad Things Can Get”

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

Book: “How Bad Things Can Get” by Darcy Coates

Publishing Info: Poisoned Pen Press, August 2025

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

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

Book Description: It was supposed to be the party of the century: miles of idyllic white sand beaches, lush jungle foliage…and a dark legend nobody dreamed might be all too true.

When an online influencer and several hundred of his most loyal fans land on Prosperity Island, the plan is simple: five days of elaborate games, drinking, and suntanned fun.

A week in paradise should have been a welcome respite. The only survivor of an infamous cult, Ruth wants nothing more than to keep her head down and not draw attention. She’s spent decades outrunning her blood-soaked childhood, and her identity is a closely held secret.

But then the true history of the island is revealed…along with its sinister connection to Ruth’s past. As guests go missing and games turn deadly, Ruth and the rest of the attendees are forced to question whether they’ve really been invited to paradise…or whether something much darker―and far bloodier―is waiting for them just beyond the bonfire’s light.

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

I kind of dropped the ball at the beginning of August when I was parsing out my Highlights for the month. Don’t misunderstand me, I was absolutely amped by all of the books on the list, and they were all good choices. But I completely forgot about the newest horror novel from one of my favorite horror authors Darcy Coates!! Coates is must read for me, and her new book “How Bad Things Can Get” was DEFINITELY a highly anticipated book for the entire YEAR, not just August! Oh well, it is what it is. And besides, highlight or not, I am here to tell you that once again I adore Coates and I adored this book. And how could I not? It has cults, gore, feckless billionaires, and influencer culture all trapped on a tropical island!

It’s like it was written with me in mind! (source)

Coates takes her sweet time with “How Bad Things Can Get”, and I really liked having her lay all the groundwork for the surprises and horrors she had in store. We are following a couple of different threads in this book as a group of influencers and guests are invited to a private and secluded tropical island by Eton, a “Mr. Beast”-esque online influencer who has become a billionaire and has monetary prizes in store for his guests. Ruth is one of the guests with her boyfriend Zack, and she has a secret she is trying to hide from the rest of the world: she was the only survivor of a suicide cult called Petition. As she is trying to put the past behind her and start anew, this vacation is making her deeply nervous, and she feels like someone is keeping an eye on her. We also follow Petra, one of Eton’s most trusted employees, always there to tamp down scandal and to bolster positive news. We also follow the mysterious Logan, as he is looking for hints about what Eton is up to, and seems to be connecting the dots that something is wrong. At first I was worried it may be a bit much, but never fear, Coates knows what she is doing and as she sets the scene, we get a slow burn tension that hints at more cults, urban legends, and a tragedy that has haunted this island for generations. Ruth was the clear winner for me in terms of perspectives, as she is filled with pain and justified paranoia, but I felt like I wholly understood her and really got her background. And I felt for her when she was one of the few people realizing something was terribly wrong as the weekend and competition continues, but questions herself because of her trauma. I also enjoyed Petra, because following her meant that we could get at least a little insight into Eton without having to get a FULL look, which added to the mystery at hand of how much he knows and what he is hiding.

Coates knows her references, from Jonestown to Heaven’s Gate to Roanoke, and it all blends into a seriously nasty (in a good way) brew. It’s gory, it’s horrifying, and there were multiple moments where the imagery on the page completely jarred me and sent chills up my spine. The horror elements also feel a little like “Cannibal Holocaust”, though without the weird racist undertones or sexual violence that movie has. It’s relentless at times, but if you like some gross visceral horror it should be right up your alley. A lot of people have said it feels like Jonestown meets Fyrefest, and that’s a pretty good analogy that I am going to continue. And like I said, all of this is my catnip and I really, really loved it.

“How Bad Things Can Get” is a fun as hell and scary end of summer horror novel. This very well be my favorite of her books, and that’s some pretty stiff competition.

Rating 9: You got cults, you got a disingenuous billionaire, you got an influencer festival going full gorefest, and you got Darcy Coates. A perfect end of summer horror read!

Reader’s Advisory:

“How Bad Things Can Get” isn’t on many relevant Goodreads lists, but it would fit in on “Summer Horror Books”.

Book Club Review: “Starling House”

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

Book: “Starling House” by Alix E. Harrow

Publishing Info: Tor Books, October 2023

Where Did I Get This Book: We own it!

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

Mix-and-Match Genres: Dark Fantasy and Contemporary Romance

Book Description: Eden, Kentucky, is just another dying, bad-luck town, known only for the legend of E. Starling, the reclusive nineteenth-century author and illustrator who wrote The Underland–and disappeared. Before she vanished, Starling House appeared. But everyone agrees that it’s best to let the uncanny house―and its last lonely heir, Arthur Starling―go to rot.

Opal knows better than to mess with haunted houses or brooding men, but an unexpected job offer might be a chance to get her brother out of Eden. Too quickly, though, Starling House starts to feel dangerously like something she’s never had: a home.

As sinister forces converge on Starling House, Opal and Arthur are going to have to make a dire choice to dig up the buried secrets of the past and confront their own fears, or let Eden be taken over by literal nightmares.

If Opal wants a home, she’ll have to fight for it.

Kate’s Thoughts

Alix E. Harrow has been hit or miss for me in the past. I absolutely adored “The Once and Future Witches”, but didn’t really connect with “The Ten Thousand Doors of January”. But “Starling House” caught my eye back at ALA in 2023, and then I just neglected to actually read it until Serena picked it for book club! So that worked out!

Overall this was a pretty enjoyable read for me! True, it was a bit more on the fantasy side when it comes to what I expect from a Gothic tale with a strange/notorious house, but I greatly enjoyed the way that Harrow created a history of a place, gave it some mystery and tragedy, and built it up into more of a found family and Gothic fantasy with a lot of heart and emotional beats. I really loved Opal and Arthur’s relationship an seeing it grow and change, and I found it very easy to root for them as they come closer together as they try to unlock the secrets of Starling House and how that connects to them both. Opal was an enjoyable narrator and I really liked Arthur as well, so yeah, of course the romance was going to work for me. I just love an intrepid interloper and the brooding/strange caretaker of a creepy old house!

But what I also really liked was the way that Harrow ties in the sadness and darkness of the community in small town Kentucky that has been ravaged by economic hardship and a collapsing job economy. The discussion of small rural towns, especially in the Rust Belt, being left behind has been a topic of conversation for more than a decade now, and as we see the fallout from these sad truths and the way that communities dig in and cling to a past only to be forgotten or tossed aside is a HUGE theme in this book, and I found that to be very emotional and deeply engaging. It added a whole other layer to the story that brought in some more bittersweet undercurrents. Throw in some ruminations on the destruction these practices also bring to the Earth and the way that rot can keep cycling through both literally and metaphorically and you have some heavy topics that Harrow treats with respect and empathy.

I am so glad that I finally read “Starling House”! Add another winning read to my Harrow experience!

Serena’s Thoughts

Shocking no one, I still enjoyed this a second time around! I always feel a bit guilty picking a book I’ve read before for my own bookclub choice, but in this case, my prompt of genres to mix was a bit challenging. Without going straight to urban fantasy (the typical crossover you might see, though “dark” perhaps is questionable as far as the fantasy elements go), it was tough to find a book that fit the prompt. But here we have a contemporary story (check), a gothic house with a creepy past (check), and a romance (check!).

On that last point, I had forgotten just how strongly the book focused on the romance. I remembered there being a nice love story, but I had forgotten how central it really was, making up a majority of the “action” in the middle portion of the book. Yes, these two could have communicated more and solved most of their problems. But unlike the books where I often have this complaint, both Opal and Arthur had character-based reasons for not opening up quickly, which, to me, made their slow-burn romance all the more effective when it finally game together at the end.

Like before, the house itself was probably one of my favorite characters. I’ll be curious to see how the “dark” thing lands for the other members of bookclub; this is a gothic fantasy story with a haunted house that reads more like a neglected puppy dog just wanting to be loved! I though there were some really nice reflections on what makes up family and home to be found here, especially Opal’s growing understanding of the love/hate relationship she has to the town itself.

As I’ve done an entire review of this book before (check out that if you want more of my detailed thoughts), I’ll wrap my portion up here. I think this book crosses over a ton of genres, even beyond the ones asked for by the prompt, making it a great book for a large variety of readers. Once again, I highly recommend it, especially to gothic fantasy fans!

Kate’s Rating 9 : A truly unique take on a Gothic strange house with a lot of heart and emotion!

Serena’s Rating 10: Still love this one just as much as before! I will say that if I was rating it purely as an audiobook this time, I’d drop it down to a 9, since I didn’t love this narrator’s reading of Opal’s personality/voice.

Book Club Questions

  1. The story is split between Opal and Arthur. What interested you most about each character’s arc in this book?
  2. Wanting vs. needing is a major theme of this book. How does this drive Opal and Arthur throughout the book? Did any particular insights on this theme stand out to you?
  3. Another theme explored in the book is that of story itself, both in how we remember history and how we remember own own stories. How did these themes come into play with some of the twists at the end of the book?
  4. There are a lot of interesting side characters throughout this book, including Starling House itself. Did any of these stand out to you and why? Would you like to know more about any of them?
  5. The mixed genres for this pick were dark fantasy and contemporary romance. Were these genres well-represented? Was one stronger than the other? Were there aspects of either that you enjoyed or didn’t like?

Reader’s Advisory

“Starling House” is included on these Goodreads lists: Gothic Fantasy and Sentient Houses.

Next Book Club Pick: “Red Shirts” by Jon Scalzi

Book Club Review: “A Master of Djinn”

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

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

Book: “A Master of Djinn” by P. Djèli Clark

Publishing Info: Tor Books, May 2021

Where Did I Get This Book: Serena had a copy from ALA years ago!

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

Mix-and-Match Genres: Fantasy and Mystery

Book Description: Cairo, 1912: Though Fatma el-Sha’arawi is the youngest woman working for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities, she’s certainly not a rookie, especially after preventing the destruction of the universe last summer.

So when someone murders a secret brotherhood dedicated to one of the most famous men in history, al-Jahiz, Agent Fatma is called onto the case. Al-Jahiz transformed the world 50 years ago when he opened up the veil between the magical and mundane realms, before vanishing into the unknown. This murderer claims to be al-Jahiz, returned to condemn the modern age for its social oppressions. His dangerous magical abilities instigate unrest in the streets of Cairo that threaten to spill over onto the global stage.

Alongside her Ministry colleagues and her clever girlfriend Siti, Agent Fatma must unravel the mystery behind this imposter to restore peace to the city -or face the possibility he could be exactly who he seems…

Kate’s Thoughts

I have read P. Djèli Clark before, as I read and really enjoyed his novella “Ring Shout”, mostly because I love how he had a very real and specific time and place of the Jim Crow South and brought in cosmic horror and demons to make for a very fun horror story. So while I was once again the odd one out in book club who doesn’t really vibe with fantasy, I wanted to see what Clark would do with it.

And while it didn’t hit the way that “Ring Shout” did, I did appreciate the mystery at hand and the fun takes on djinn mythos. I am someone who has enjoyed djinn and genie mythology in the past, and I definitely liked how Clark took this concept and had fun with putting them into an alternate history of early 20th century Egypt. I am also just someone who likes the idea of an elite investigative group that takes on the supernatural, and watching seasoned agent Fatma delve into a mystery of murder and magic was entertaining, especially as Clark brings in themes of colonialism and imperialism given the setting.

But on the flip side, at the end of the day this is still pretty heavily fantasy, and that’s a genre that doesn’t REALLY hook me as easily. So because of that, I wasn’t as invested as I was with “Ring Shout”, because fantasy just isn’t really my thing. But it is definitely the kind of story that just has the kind of oomph that I could fully recognize why this was a well done fantasy tale. Clark has writing chops that excel across genres. I hope that he comes back to historical horror at some point!

Serena’s Thoughts

Well, it’s no surprise probably that I loved this book! All of the genres involved are right up my alley: fantasy, historical fiction, and a mystery at the heart of it all! It also features an incredible female protagonist who checks off a ton of my preferences as well: smart, action-oriented, and not standing for anyone’s BS.

Beyond the incredible main character and the cast that surrounds her, I really enjoyed the alternate history and world that this book establishes. The introduction of magic has changed the arc of history, with Egypt rising to a new level of prominence on the world stage. But we see that not all has been solved by magic; instead, new and even more complex situations have been created, with world powers vying for control of magic and with fantastical beings who may have their own agendas. However, even with all of these fantasy trappings, the heart of the mystery and the story itself comes down to the very human influences that drive us: distrust of others, cravings for power, and the necessity of overcoming all of these things to create a world where all can thrive.

It’s easy enough to see the bones of the novellas that came before this one, but I think Clark did an excellent job of introducing everything to a new reader as well. If anything, I caught these references to past works and now want to go back and explore the earlier stories as well! In particular, I’d love to go back and read the story where Fatma and Siti first meet!

This is now the second book I’ve read by this author, and I think they both ended up with a 9 rating from me. So I guess I have another must-read author on my list going forward!

Kate’s Rating 7 : While the fantasy genre isn’t really my thing, “A Master of Djinn” was entertaining and a fun exploration of djinn in an alternate history mystery.

Serena’s Rating 9: Full of steampunk vibes and badass female characters, this is an incredible historical fantasy read!

Book Club Questions

  1. What were your thoughts on the setting and time period in this novel?
  2. Did you enjoy the portrayals of the mythological beings in this book? Have you read many books that have creatures like djinn?
  3. Did you like the mystery in this story? Were there any parts of it that you found surprising as it unfolded?
  4. What did you think about the different conflicts between the various groups in the novel as the story was winding down towards the conclusion?
  5. What were your thoughts on the magical systems in this book? Did they feel well explained and explored?
  6. Who would you recommend this book to?

Reader’s Advisory

“A Master of Djinn” is included on these Goodreads lists: Fiction Novels Featuring Djinn/Jinn and Arabian, Egyptian, and Indian Fantasy.

Next Book Club Pick: “Starling House” by Alix Harrow

Kate’s Review: “Everyone Is Lying To You”

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

Book: “Everyone Is Lying To You” by Jo Piazza

Publishing Info: Dutton, July 2025

Where Did I Get This Book: I received an ARC at ALAAC25.

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

Book Description: Lizzie and Bex were best friends in college. After graduation, Bex vanished, leaving Lizzie confused and devastated.

Fifteen years later, Bex is now Rebecca Sommers, a “traditional” Instagram influencer with millions of followers who salivate over her perfect life on her ranch with her five children and handsome husband, Gray. Lizzie is a struggling magazine writer, watching reels while her young children demand her attention.

One night out of the blue, Bex calls Lizzie with a career-making proposition—an exclusive interview with her about her multimillion-dollar business venture and an invitation to MomBomb, the high-profile influencing conference.

At the conference, Bex goes missing and Gray is found brutally murdered on their ranch. Lizzie finds herself plunged into the dark side of the cutthroat world of social media that includes jealousy, sordid affairs, swingers, and backstabbing. She must learn who her old friend has become and who she has double-crossed to try to find her, clear her name, and maybe even save her life.

Piazza’s master storytelling and razor-sharp insight into the world of social media brings us a pulpy, juicy, and cleverly plotted read that will have you guessing all the way through and leave you gasping for more.

Review: Thank you to Dutton for giving me an ARC at ALAAC25!

In recent years we have seen an uptick in ‘tradwife’ content online. For those unaware, tradwife influencers generally create content surrounding traditional family values, homemaking, motherhood, and pushing a conservative (and oftentimes far-right) agenda. It’s interesting seeing it play out as our societal Overton Window in the U.S. has shifted further right, making these influencers centerpieces of aspirational ‘and you can be an ideal traditional housewife and mother too!’ content, even though by being incredibly successful (and certainly monetized) influencers they are already not following the ‘be a submissive homemaker’ ideal they are pushing but being the actual breadwinner who supports their families with their content creation more than many of their husbands do. This kind of stuff fascinates and unsettles me, and when I heard that Jo Piazza had a tradwife centered murder mystery coming out called “Everyone Is Lying To You” I knew that I HAD to read it. And man, it was great.

At the heart of “Everyone Is Lying To You” are two women, who are both wives and mothers and who were best friends in college but lost touch for years. We have Lizzie, a determined journalist who works for a women’s publication, but has been struggling to adjust to working passion and becoming a mother to two children with a newly unemployed husband (who is supportive and great but a little aimless). The other is Rebecca, formerly Bex, who is a very popular family influencer who shows off her perfect marriage on a sprawling ranch while she raises six kids and homesteads with her traditional and conservative husband Gray. Rebecca reaches out to Lizzie promising her a juicy story if she attends the biggest female/family centered influencer convention, and while they are there Bex disappears and Gray is murdered on the ranch. We follow Lizzie’s perspective as she tries to figure out if her friend is a murderer whilst also fending off gossipy and perhaps cutthroat influencers, finding pieces of the puzzle and hoping to clear Bex while also wondering if she is actually a murderer. Piazza has some solid pacing, some really well done reveals and twists, and has so many misdirects and suspects that I really was kept guessing for most of the story. Hell, it was so well done that I didn’t even roll my eyes at any of the more out there reveals, as the story itself was so strong that it was easily forgivable.

The mystery of a murder and tradwife influencers is great, and I was already fully in, but it’s the two women we are following that really made this story a true knockout for me. I found Lizzie to be incredibly relatable, as a woman who never really took to the motherly instincts that we are told we all have, and who feels frazzled and sometimes overwhelmed by her family and the expectations that come with being a mom even if she really really loves every bit of her kids and her husband. But it was Rebecca/Bex that really shined, as we slowly learn her story through her perspective chapters and how she has ended up incredibly famous, while hiding so many of the darker aspects of her life because it would hurt the brand she has built around herself, and because she doesn’t want the world to know what her husband is really like. It was pretty clear to me that a lot of the inspiration for her was from Hannah Neeleman, aka Ballerina Farm (if you want a summary of the really insidious undertones of Hannah and her creepy husband’s vision, Jordan and McKay have a GREAT breakdown as former Mormons who have a lot of insight, or a REALLY deep dive from Fundie Fridays that postulates it’s pure Christian Nationalist propaganda), and Piazza makes Rebecca incredibly easy to root for while also making it hard to know if she could be capable of murder. I loved Rebecca’s chapters and wanted the best for her, even when I didn’t know if she was a killer or not.

In instances like this I’m down to support women’s rights AND wrongs. (source)

And finally, Piazza clearly knows her stuff when it comes to influencers and tradwife Internet/media content, because she knows all the ins, outs, controversies, and hypocrisies and finds ways to showcase them front and center. Whether it’s women who peddle wellness lifestyles while doing not so healthy things off camera, or mommy influencers who hide their nannies from the camera, or women who feel like they have to promote really exploitative things, usually at their children’s expense, for clicks and engagement, this book tackles a LOT and makes it snappy, cutting, and incredibly engaging. It’s such a great deconstruction of all the hypocritical and damaging things that tradwife content promotes as ideal, and I savored every bit of it.

“Everyone Is Lying To You” is a fast and addictive thriller with a bit of satirical bite to it. It’s a surefire winner for summer reading, and I really, really loved it.

Rating 9: I mean this book was basically written for me and all of my special interests and I was totally absorbed by all of it. PERFECT summer reading.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Everyone Is Lying To You” is included on the Goodreads list “Fiction About Influencers”.