Tag: Fantasy

Serena’s Review: “A Forbidden Alchemy”

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Book: “A Forbidden Alchemy” by Stacey McEwan

Publishing Info: S&S/Saga Press, July 2025

Where Did I Get this Book: Netgalley

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

Book Description: Nina Harrow and Patrick Colson are twelve years old when they are whisked away from the shadows of their disenfranchised mining towns to dazzling Belavere City to discover their magical potential. Those who pass Belavere’s test will become Artisans, wielders of powerful elemental magic destined to fulfill the city’s grand ambitions. For Nina, the Artisan School symbolizes a dream and an escape from her harsh reality, while Patrick yearns to return to his Craftsman family, whose extraordinary physical strength serves the idium mines keeping the city alive.

And then they uncover a devastating truth: Artisans aren’t born, they’re chosen. They part ways on very different paths, leaving them to carry the burden of this secret alone.

In the years that follow, a Craftsman revolution ignites, thrusting Nina and Patrick into opposing factions of a brewing war. Now an elite Artisan with the very rare talent for charming earth, Nina has turned her back on the fight, haunted by the loss of her found family. But fate intervenes when she is captured by Patrick’s rebel group. Despite the years and conflict that separates them, Patrick hasn’t forgotten Nina. He desperately seeks her help for a mission that could shift the tides against Belavere City. Reluctantly, she agrees, battling the sparks flying between them. But when Nina’s first love reappears, asking her to betray Patrick for the sake of the Artisans, Nina faces an impossible choice that could alter the fate of their world.

Review: This is the kind of book that has really stuck with me since reading it, both due to the aspects that I very much enjoyed, but also due to some points of frustration that I really can’t let go of!

Let’s start with the things that I enjoyed though. First and foremost, I’m a big fan of this author’s writing style. She’s incredibly “readable,” easily weaving together nuanced worlds, incredible characters, and a smooth style of writing that sucks me in and doesn’t let me go until its several hours later and I realize I haven’t eaten for a while. All of that was true here. I was immediately invested not only in our two main characters when we first meet them as children, but also with the stakes of this world and the building division and conflict between the workers who live out in the countryside and the magical elite who live in their, quite literal at times, ivory towers.

The magic system was fairly straight forward, and the kind of thing where it’s probably best to just take it as it comes. I did have a few questions about how some of this all worked (or how it had been allowed to work this way as smoothly as it had for so long), but I was happy enough with the action of the plot to let these little niggles go.

I think it’s also fair to say that this author knows how to write an excellent romantic arch. I’ve been loving second-chance/childhood friends romances, and this one works so well as it also dips its toes into the tried-and-true enemies-to-lovers trope as well. Yes, there is the barest hint of a love triangle, but as it is set up so obviously weighted in one direction, it didn’t bother me in the way that most love triangles did. I will say, I’m not quite convinced that this other character really served much of a purpose in being in this book past a certain point. Sometimes it felt like he was there just to build angst and push forward the main romantic couple’s interactions.

But when we were focused on this main couple, the swoon-worthy moments hit hard. Both main characters were at their best in the scenes between them, and the tension was built up nicely as they grew to better understand and trust one another. Perhaps if I had my way, I would have held off on them actually getting together until the next book. But hey, I know I’m in the romantasy-readers minority with my strong preference for true slow-burn love stories.

Now, my frustration came with regards to the over use of the miscommunication trope that played out strongly in the last half of this book. The conflict it set up fairly early (though we did run into the problem where we were in the head of Nina for much of this time and it made no sense for one of these “twists” to not be mentioned in her own thoughts), but the way it actually played out was incredibly frustrating. There was one particular scene where Nina pretty much lays it all out there. And then the book (and the characters!) act as if somehow she didn’t just give the entire gig away! There was such an incredibly obvious follow-up question that was just…ignored, for the sake of the plot. And even without asking it, an intelligent person (as the hero is set up to be) could easily make some deductive jumps that would explain the current situation. But nope. None of that happens and when the true conflict hits in the end…Shock! Horror! Betrayal! But…didn’t you guys already know all this basically?? I found it incredibly frustrating.

Overall, however, I enjoyed the main plot points and Nina and Patrick as individual characters and as a couple. While some of the twists towards the end were fairly predictable, I’m still excited to see where the story goes from here! I just may have to skip a few scenes where the characters deal with the stupidity of their own confusion and betrayal here…

Rating 8: A bit frustrating at times with the predictable build up to the ultimate reveal, but the world and characters were still strong and I’m excited for the next book!

Reader’s Advisory:

“A Forbidden Alchemy” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Original Stories . . . a Breath of Fresh Air and Romantasy TBR 2025.

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: “A Spell to Wake the Dead”

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Book: “A Spell to Wake the Dead” by Nicole Lesperance

Publishing Info: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers

Where Did I Get This Book: I received a hardcover from the publisher

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

Book Description: Two teen girls must uncover the dark, occult secrets lurking in their Cape Cod town to solve a series of murders—and save themselves from the same fate—in this twisty, witchy thriller.

When Mazzy and her best friend Nora sneak down to the beach one moonlit night to cast a spell, they don’t expect to find a dead body. But as the tide rolls in, it carries the remains of a woman who is missing her hands and teeth.

The girls know they should leave the investigation to the police, but they can’t shake the weird, supernatural connection they feel with the dead woman. Using spellwork and divination, they set out to find answers of their own. But after they uncover a rash of local disappearances stretching back years—and both girls start having occult visions and hearing ghostly, whispering voices—Mazzy worries that she and Nora are in danger.

Then, Nora finds a second body. And a whispering voice is telling her where to find more. With everything spiraling, Mazzy needs to figure out who to trust and how to sever this supernatural connection—or she and Nora might be the next bodies to wash up on the beach.

Review: Thank you to Penguin Randomhouse for sending me a finished copy of this book!

We are approaching the end of August, and here in Minnesota the first big symbol of the end of summer is the Minnesota State Fair, which started a couple of days ago. Whenever it’s time for the fair, I know that means that Autumn is just around the corner, and my Fall loving self starts to get excited and emotional. It’s my very favorite time of year, where I steep in all the spooky and cozy and scary and witchy things. And just in time for the turning of the seasons is a very witchy and Autumnal feeling book, “A Spell to Wake the Dead” by Nicole Lesperance. Seriously, if you are jonesing for Autumn like I am, this is probably going to be the book for you, because it felt like the perfect read to kick off the upcoming Fall.

“A Spell to Wake the Dead” feels like “The Craft” meets “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder”, as we have two dabbling in witchcraft teens Mazzy and Nora as our main focus, who find themselves in way over their heads when they stumble upon a body after casting a mysterious spell. The book grabbed me from the jump, with a creepy body, implied potential possession, and the hints of a witchcraft cult that dabbles in human sacrifice, all against the spooky and yet serene backdrop of Cape Cod. Lesperance knows how to set an eerie mood, and I could practically smell the sea salt and feel the ocean mists as I was reading the book. Oceanside witches aren’t as common as other witch tropes, so it was extra fun seeing Mazzy and Nora use the sea and its bounty in their spellwork and explorations. I also enjoyed seeing the more casual use of spellwork in this book, with Mazzy and Nora not just doing huge spells that lead to the finding of dead bodies and perhaps ghostly influences, but also references to anti-anxiety spells and more simple and practical uses for magic. It just helped make it feel like these are two teenage witches who are interested in spellwork in their every day lives, which made it feel more genuine.

As for the creepy stuff and the mystery at hand, it definitely reads like a YA story, which is definitely not a bad thing. It didn’t send shivers down my spine, but I did like the mystery as Mazzy and Nora are trying to figure out who killed ‘May’ (as Nora has been referring to the body they found thanks to a strange supernatural connection) and as they find MORE bodies and evidence of a witch cult. It had a good number of twists and turns, and while I was able to predict some things, other things were genuinely surprising to me as I was reading. The stakes felt like they were climbing at a well done rate, and while the end felt a little bit frazzled and chaotic in some ways, overall I thought that everything generally pays off. It’s not a terribly scary story, but if you want your Autumn reading to be more “Practical Magic” than “The Witch” this will scratch that itch.

“A Spell to Wake the Dead” is an enjoyable witchy tale, the perfect way to kick off Autumn. I’m ready to kick summer to the curb and this made my need for Fall all the more pressing.

Rating 7: A spooky and witchy tale that will properly kick off the Fall season, “A Spell to Wake the Dead” is fun and vibes filled YA dark fantasy.

Reader’s Advisory:

“A Spell to Wake the Dead” is included on the Goodreads list “YA Novels of 2025”.

Serena’s Review: “Katabasis”

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Book: “Katabasis” by R. F. Kuang

Publishing Info: Harper Voyager, August 2025

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

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

Book Description: Alice Law has only ever had one goal: to become one of the brightest minds in the field of Magick. She has sacrificed everything to make that a reality—her pride, her health, her love life, and most definitely her sanity. All to work with Professor Jacob Grimes at Cambridge, the greatest magician in the world—that is, until he dies in a magical accident that could possibly be her fault.

Grimes is now in Hell, and she’s going in after him. Because his recommendation could hold her very future in his now incorporeal hands, and even death is not going to stop the pursuit of her dreams. Nor will the fact that her rival, Peter Murdoch, has come to the same conclusion.

Review: Kuang is such an interesting case as a writer. She’s both beloved, with her books immediately resulting in high sales and tons of special editions produced, but also fairly divisive, with readers either really loving or really disliking her books. While I’ve never really hated anything of hers, it’s also easy enough to understand where the disconnect lies. And this book will likely prove to follow the same pattern.

Let’s start with the unequivocally good parts! There’s no denying Kuang’s sheer talent at putting together a beautiful sentence, painting an evocative scene, and peopling her worlds with complicated, thoroughly realized characters. Even when I struggled at various points, I still felt a driving urge to continue reading, eager to know what would happen next. I very quickly became invested not only in the characters but in this version of Hell and the afterlife. The very nature of the story makes it so readers are always looking forward, on to the next ring of Hell and what new terrors and insights it will bring.

I also really enjoyed the two main characters, which is surprising since they weren’t necessarily likable much of the time, especially Alice. Indeed, I routinely was incredibly frustrated with her ability to keep her head firmly placed in the sand, even when confronted with the most obvious conclusions about the people in her life, both for good and ill. Peter was a more straight-forward character, easier to sympathize with and whose own history is slowly revealed over the course of the story. Their romance, while definitely a subplot, was very sweet with the moments we had.

I also liked learning more about this version of Hell and all of the logic puzzles that were at the heart of this world’s magic system. I will say, much of this was thoroughly unapproachable to the typical reader, myself included. If you asked me right now to explain exactly how any of these paradoxes or logic puzzles worked, I definitely couldn’t. That said, I still found them really interesting to read through and try to puzzle out. However, this is definitely an area that may be a turn off to readers. Kuang doesn’t go easy on her readers, and you’ll likely end up feeling a bit like a dummy reading this book.

I’ll also say that the book does get a bit too in the weeds with its focus on academia and the trials and joys therein. There were definite times where it felt like the author was including sections, passages, and theories simply to flex more than due to any necessities from the plot itself. Some of these moments felt a bit pretentious and naval-gazing, to be honest. I was invested enough in the rest of the story to just handwave these bits away, but I do think the story would have been improved with some editing that could have tightened these things up a bit. I get that the author has strong feelings on the nature of academia, but some of these discussions didn’t actually contribute to the narrative that was being built here.

Overall, I still very much enjoyed this book. That said, I think this will be received in a manner very similar to “Babel.” Some readers will very much connect with it while others may be turned off my some of the highhanded nature of the storytelling. If you’ve enjoyed her books (especially “Babel”) in the past, than I definitely think you’ll want to check this one out!

Rating 8: Perhaps prone to getting caught up in unnecessary waxing theoretical at times, the characters and story were still strong enough to have me whipping through this one fairly quickly!

Reader’s Advisory:

“Katabasis” can be found on these Goodreads lists: 2025 Dark Academia Releases and 2025 Adult Fantasy/Sci-fi/Speculative Releases by BIPOC Authors.

Serena’s Review: “Voidwalker”

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

Book: “Voidwalker” by S. A. Maclean

Publishing Info: Orbit, August 2025

Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from the publisher

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

Book Description: Fionamara is a smuggler. Antal is the reason her people fear the dark.

Fi ferries contraband between worlds, stockpiling funds and stolen magic to keep her village self-sufficient – free from the blood sacrifices humans have paid to Antal’s immortal species for centuries.

Only legends whispered through the pine forests recall a time when things were different, before one world shattered into many, and the flesh-devouring beasts crept from the cracks between realities, with their sable antlers and slender tails, lethal claws and gleaming fangs. Now, mortal lives are food to pacify their carnivorous overlords, exchanged for feudal protection, and the precious silver energy that fuels everything from transport to weaponry.

When Fi gets planted with a stash of smuggled energy, a long-lost flame recruits her for a reckless heist that escalates into a terrorist bombing – and a coup against the reigning immortals, with Fi’s home caught in the crossfire.

She’s always known the dangers of her trade – and of the power she’s wielded since childhood, allowing her to see the secret doors between dimensions, to walk the Void itself. But nothing could have prepared her for crossing paths with Antal. For the deal she’ll have to make with him, a forced partnership to reclaim his city that begins as a desperate bid for survival, only to grow into something far more dangerous.

A revolution.

And a temptation – for how sweet the monster’s fangs might feel.

Review: This book has such a wacky cover, I can’t decide whether I love it or hate it! Either way, between that and the author (though I didn’t love “The Phoenix Keeper,” I still felt it had a lot of potential), I thought this one was definitely worth checking out. Unfortunately, I still didn’t completely connect with this story, but that’s not to say there were things to enjoy!

For one thing, in a lot of the ways that matter, this book reminded me strongly why I felt the way I did about “The Phoenix Keeper.” There, I struggled a bit with characters and worldbuilding, but felt the writing was, overall, quite strong. The same exact thing happened here. The story started off incredibly well. The plot took off quickly, full of action and stage-setting, laying before the reader a dark world full of monsters and danger. And throughout it all, the prose was strong, especially in a surprisingly dark and bloody prologue. Honestly, that prologue remains one of the best parts of the story! It felt serious, dangerous, and intriguing.

However, once our main character showed up, much of that seriousness quickly seeped from the story. Fi shows up and pretty much right from the start presents herself as your typical fantasy badass heroine. We’re told repeatedly how savvy a smuggler she is, how well she can read people and situations, and how deftly she has navigated her life living between the lines of what is allowed. However, for all that bravado (both in her inner descriptions of herself and her life, as well as in the actual dialogue between her and other characters), these traits are immediately called into question. The reader is told one thing (Fi is a great smuggler with a long history of success under her belt) but are shown a completely different thing (Fi makes incredibly stupid decisions against her explicitly expressed better judgement for pretty much no reason at all). Frankly, the first few scenes played out this dynamic so strongly that I was immediately on a back foot from there.

Beyond that, I haven’t read a ton of monster romance books, but this one did solidify a few things for me. While I’m not against them (ahem, how can anyone be when their favorite fairytale is “Beauty and the Beast??”), there are some incredibly important caveats to my enjoyment. Physical traits really don’t matter. I really enjoyed Ruby Dixon’s “Bound to the Shadow Prince” and that character is described as quite outside of human norms. But, importantly, Nemeth’s “monstrosity” was limited to physical characteristics. In that particular case, he was the direct opposite of a monster: bashful, bookish, and incredibly caring.

Here, however, the monstrous aspects went well beyond physical differences. While I loved the prologue for the true darkness that it set out for this world, it quite effectively killed my ability to see this character as a romantic lead. I don’t want to spoil things, but if you read the very first chapter, you’ll see what I mean. For some, this isn’t an issue. But I’ve discovered, for me, I really do have a line where I just can’t see how humans can cross to love this sort of monster. And this issue isn’t explained away! Fi has to confront it head on, and somehow is…fine with it?

Beyond all of this, there was something rather childish about the way Fi was written. Again, the prologue set up what felt like a serious, adult world. But I just couldn’t buy into Fi as a woman in her 30s. Her swearing was so childish, and don’t even get me started on the horrible nicknames (can we please PLEASE just kill this idea of giving each other cutesy nickname in romantasy novels??).

Overall, I didn’t love this one. Personally, I’d say it was around a “6 rating” for me, but I’ve bumped it up since I know that the romance (a large part of the story) was killed for me on a very subjective basis that may not apply to many other readers. Beyond that, I still think the writing had many strengths. I just really hated Fi.

Rating 7: I have a line for monster romances, and this one crossed it. However, I can see it worked well for others who really enjoy this sort of romantasy story.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Voidwalker” can be found on these Goodreads lists: All the New Horror, Romantasy, and Other SFF Crossover Books Arriving in August 2025

Serena’s Review: “The Fallen and the Kiss of Dusk”

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

Book: “The Fallen and the Kiss of Dusk” by Carissa Broadbent

Publishing Info: Bramble, August 2025

Where Did I Get this Book: Netgalley!

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

Book Description: Mische made the ultimate sacrifice to save those she loves – and plunged the world into an eternal night. Now, imprisoned by the gods and obsessed with revenge, Asar is desperate to find her again.

When a goddess offers them a final path to redemption – and back to each other – Asar and Mische embark on an extraordinary mission. Together, they must seize the power of the god of death so Asar may do the impossible: ascend to true divinity.

Their journey will take them through mortal and immortal realms, alongside both old friends and ruthless enemies. But as the underworld teeters on the brink of collapse and the gods prepare for a war, Asar and Mische must decide what they are willing to sacrifice for the power to defy death. In a game of vengeful gods and ancient betrayals, there are some debts that even love may not be able to repay.

Previously Reviewed: “The Songbird and the Heart of Stone”

Review: This was definitely one of my most anticipated reads for the summer! The first book left off on a fairly massive cliffhanger, but luckily it’s only been about a six month wait between. And, in most ways, everything wrapped up nicely in this second half of the duology!

Like the first book, the two lead characters anchored my enjoyment of the story. Following the pattern of Broadbent’s first duology in this world, while the first book followed Mische’s perspective exclusively, this one opens things up, introducing chapters from the romantic lead, Asar’s, perspective as well. While I still have mixed feelings about how well this shift in perspectives worked in the first duology, it definitely worked well here. Much of Mische’s internal journey was covered in the first book, and while there were still aspects of her growth to cover here, her story is more straightforward. However, there was much still to learn about Asar’s own history and the ways in which the events of this book shaped his internal arch. Indeed, this story is largely his, with Mische serving more as a supporting, secondary character. I really enjoyed Asar in the first book, and he was even more interesting here, so I think this change worked out well.

I also really enjoyed the numerous cameo appearances from tons of characters from previous books. While it’s not strictly necessary to have read those other books, readers who have read them all will definitely get the most out of this book. Characters show up from not only the first duology, but also the other stand-alone novel and the novella as well. I really enjoyed spending time with them all! In particular, I was reminded how much I enjoyed the main couple from “Slaying the Vampire Conqueror;” we only got one book of them and I wish we had more! I also really enjoyed the return of Vincent, who played a surprising role in this book. He’s such an interesting character, and I liked the way pieces of his story that had felt like they were still left hanging were more neatly wrapped up here.

All of that said, there were parts of this book that I struggled with. As I said, I enjoyed seeing all of these other characters on the page, but unfortunately, there were times where I felt like I was becoming more invested in these other characters again than I was in the main two of the current duology. Part of this, I think, came down to the fact that Mische often felt as if she didn’t have a lot going on in this book. It’s kind of an odd thing, becomes she demonstratively did have things happening throughout it all (most notably, you know, being dead), but her internal arc still felt rather static.

The romance itself also didn’t feel as if it had anywhere to really go. I’m not a fan of forced drama and angst to increase tension, but as the story continued, the love story felt a bit flat and deflated at times (and I just finished reading a few books that navigate solid relationships throughout without falling into this trap, so I know it’s possible without unnecessary angst). One simple thing was that I thought there were perhaps one or two too many spicy scenes. I know this is probably an unpopular opinion, but I definitely fall on the “higher quality but less” side of the spice debate. At a certain point, an increased number of these scenes simply fail to add anything new to the story, and that was definitely the case here.

Lastly, the plot felt all over the place. There is a ton of action in this book, with our characters hopping all over the place, not only within the world, but in the heavens and the underworld as well. While the first book felt tightly paced and plotted, this one felt a bit scattered. I could never really latch on to any single current event before I was whisked away into the next location and conflict. The balance simply felt off, and it was one of those odd situations where, because there was always so much going on, I began to disconnect from the story and even became a bit bored at times. Always weird how that can happen, but I’ve found it’s definitely a phenomenon that can happen.

Overall, however, I still very much enjoyed this book! It does feel like there is a bit of a pattern developing here, where the first book in these duologies is noticeably stronger than the second. But the quality overall is still quite high. There were also a lot of major changes on a world-wide scale in this book, so I’m incredibly excited to see how events play out in the next duology! We’ve also already met the next leading male character, and I’m definitely intrigued. Fans of the first book in this duology are sure to enjoy this one as well!

Rating 8: Perhaps a bit more scattered than the first in the duology, but still a satisfying conclusion to the story, while also setting up a strong setting for the next stage in this series!

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Fallen and the Kiss of Dusk” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Epic High Fantasy/Romance/Mythology in 2025 and August 2025 Most Anticipated Romance Releases.

Book Club Review: “Starling House”

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: “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

Serena’s Review: “Hemlock and Silver”

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Book: “Hemlock and Silver” by T. Kingfisher

Publishing Info: Tor Books, August 2025

Where Did I Get this Book: Netgalley!

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

Book Description: Healer Anja regularly drinks poison.

Not to die, but to save—seeking cures for those everyone else has given up on.

But a summons from the King interrupts her quiet, herb-obsessed life. His daughter, Snow, is dying, and he hopes Anja’s unorthodox methods can save her.

Aided by a taciturn guard, a narcissistic cat, and a passion for the scientific method, Anja rushes to treat Snow, but nothing seems to work. That is, until she finds a secret world, hidden inside a magic mirror. This dark realm may hold the key to what is making Snow sick.

Or it might be the thing that kills them all.

Review: T. Kingfisher always has such a creative (and often dark!) approach to fairytale re-tellings, and this one, a re-imaging of “Snow White,” was no different! I think a lot of authors shy away from this fairytale due to the inherent passive nature of the heroine. I mean, you can’t do a lot with a girl who ends up in a magical slumber during all the action at the end! Wisely, Kingfisher refocuses the story on her classic prototype of a main character: a mature woman who’s hyper focused in one area of expertise, has not time for anyone’s shit, and really, really doesn’t want to get dragged into things. And so we meet Anja, a woman with a boundless knowledge of poisons who is pulled in to solve a mysterious wasting disease affecting the king’s daughter.

In many ways, you have to squint a bit at this one to see the parallels to “Snow White.” The story itself is completely different, with only names, important magical elements (mirrors and apples) and villains being similar. And with the latter, even this was wildly different than the classic version of the story you may be familiar with. And I really liked this! In some ways, the villain of the story can come across as a bit mustache-twirling, but it was such a unique take on the Queen character, with many twists and turns along the way that I enjoyed the heck out of it.

I also really enjoyed Snow herself. This is now two fairytale books in a row from Kingfisher where she has tackled young teenage/children characters. It’s tricky to write kids in a way that is believable and natural, but here, Snow has all of the spunk of a pre-teen paired with all of the foolish self-confidence of the young. She’s at times incredibly unlikable, but also so sympathetic. Ah, the teenage years.

The magic of this world and its interplay with the poisoned apple and mirrors from “Snow White” was so original and unique. Perhaps too unique at times. Large portions of the middle of the book had to be devoted to explaining just how this magic worked, necessary information to fully understand what had happened in the past and how events unfolded at the conclusion of this book. Even now, while I was able to stick with the major plot points, I might struggle to explain exactly how some of this worked. It was definitely interesting, and I think Kingfisher did a good job trying to explain the ins and outs of it. But the necessary detailed descriptions of Anja testing this out did slow the pacing down quite a bit.

I also liked Anja and the subplot of her romance, but I will say that both of these elements were a bit reduced from this author’s usual highs. That’s to say, Kingfisher usually knocks it out of the park, and here, they were just ok. Anja read as a very familiar leading lady, and while I enjoyed her immensely, I did feel like I had read variations of this same character from this author before. The love story was also very much on peripheral of the story. Which, again, that is typical of this author’s approach to her romances in these fairytale fantasies. But here, there perhaps just wasn’t quite enough built up between these two to really hone in on their love story.

Overall, however, I thought this was an incredibly unique version of “Snow White.” There were so many creative twists and turns that I thoroughly enjoyed. Perhaps the pacing lagged a bit in the middle and the main character read as a bit too familiar, but Kingfisher’s strengths as a writer carried me through it all. This perhaps wasn’t my favorite of her books, but I still really enjoyed it and definitely recommend it for readers looking for a unique fairytale re-telling!

Rating 8: A wholly unique version of “Snow White,” if perhaps not a wholly unique feeling heroine.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Hemlock and Silver” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Epic High Fantasy/Romance/Mythology in 2025 and Snow White Retellings.

Serena’s Review: “The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy”

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Book: “The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy” by Brigitte Knightley

Publishing Info: Ace, July 2o25

Where Did I Get this Book: Netgalley!

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

Book Description: Osric Mordaunt, member of the Fyren Order of assassins, finds himself in dire need of an expert healer. As fate would have it, that very healer is Aurienne Fairhrim, a member of his enemy Order, the Haelen.

Aurienne is desperate for funding to heal the sick, so desperate that when Osric breaks into her office to offer her a bribe for her healing services, she must accept. Even if she loathes him.

A forced collaboration ensues: the brilliant Woman in STEM is coerced into working with the PhD in Murders – much to Aurienne’s disgust. Despite being enemies thrown together, as Osric and Aurienne work together to solve not only his illness, but the mysterious reoccurrence of a deadly Pox, they find themselves ardently denying their attraction which seems to only fuel the heat between them.

Review: This is one of those odd reviews to write where, largely, my experience while reading it was positive. But at the same time, there were some glaring hiccups along the way. This made for a very confusing reading experience, as I was having fun, but was also constantly pulled back from full immersion by one thing or another.

Now, I haven’t read the original fanfic (and there are mixed messages going around about whether this is a straight adaptation of that story or a more original tale), but I will say that had I not known this was based on a Draco/Hermione fanfiction tale (and the marketing and cover image hadn’t telegraphed that point so heavily), I wouldn’t have guessed. This speaks well to the author’s ability to remove it from any original points of inspiration, leaving characters and a world that felt wholly unique. If I squinted I could maybe identify pieces that were pulled from Harry Potter; but truly, had I not known, it never would have entered my mind that there was any connection to another story/world in this book.

The story is also a fast, fun, romantic comedy. This last point I think is crucial. While it is marketed as “romantasy” and would fit that criteria, being both a romance and set in a fantasy world, it more strictly aligns with the sort of story you’d likely find in a romantic comedy. There are very few serious moments to be found and the fantasy world-building is mostly just there as window-dressing for this love story to play out. Instead, the story is largely light-hearted (even its darker moments are largely tempered by jokes).

I also very much appreciated the slow-burn nature of the story. It is here that I think some romantasy fans may find disappointment. These two barely make any progress until the very end of the book, and even there, it’s the most minimal of steps. Now, I love slow burn, so I was all about this approach. But for romantasy readers looking for more spice or clearly romantic interactions, this may be a disappointment.

However, I did struggle with this book throughout. As I mentioned above, the world-building and magic system is incredibly sparce. There is a glossary at the end of the book that describes the various magical groups and their beliefs/powers. But if the reader doesn’t discover this bit for themselves, the book does very little to explain any of this within the story itself. We get enough about the main characters’ respective groups, but the groups who aren’t represented on the page are incredibly unclear. Like I said, if I hadn’t scanned the back of the book to start, I’d have no clue about how any of these worked.

The world itself is also fairly confusing. It’s clearly based on the UK, but this version is also split into various smaller nations, many of whom are verging on war with one another. It’s never clear how these places differ from one another, why they are fighting, what goals they are trying to achieve…really, just nothing was given here. I was usually having enough fun just following the interactions between the main couple to forget these niggling details, but the second I stepped back from the book, all of these questions came charging back in. And frankly, there just aren’t any answers to be found.

There is also a strong emphasis on humor in this book. This was also a tough spot, because while I found some of it genuinely funny, there was also a lot of cringy moments. In particular, there was so, so much crass body humor throughout the entire affair. Just ball/dick jokes galore. And that’s just not my thing. It was especially frustrating because there were other moments where I actually chuckled out loud! Mostly, I feel like the author has the skill to write a funny, romantic comedy-style story, but that this one was a bit too stuck in some of the stylized humor that you do find in fanfiction still.

The story itself was also interesting, and, like I said, the pacing was fast. That said, the ending was incredibly abrupt and left me turning pages and looking for the real ending. It’s not even really a cliff-hanger (though everything is still completely unresolved at the end), but more that it felt like the author finished a chapter….and then they just cut the book off there. Presumably to pick up with the very next chapter at the start of the next book! It was just odd.

So, there you go. A very mixed bag read. I’d say that for my actual reading experience, this was fun enough to earn an 8 rating. However, due to the issues with the limited world-building, the sometimes cringy humor, and the odd pacing at the end, I have to lower it down to a 7. I think that readers looking for a fun, lighthearted romantasy (especially those who enjoy a true slow burn) may still have fun with this one though. And I’ll definitely be checking out book two when it comes out!

Rating 7: While I had a lot of fun reading this book, the world-building and pacing were rough at times, and the humor came on a bit too hard at times.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy” can be found on this Goodreads list: July 2025 Most Anticipated Romance Releases.

Serena’s Review: “A Theory in Dreaming”

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Book: “A Theory in Dreaming” by Ava Reid

Publishing Info: HarperTeen, July 2025

Where Did I Get this Book: Edelweiss+

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

Book Description: All stories come to an end.

Effy learned that when she defeated the Fairy King. Even though she may never know exactly what happened at Hiraeth, she is free of her nightmares and is able to pen a thesis with Preston on the beloved national fairy tale Angharad. She has finally earned a spot at the literature college, making her the first woman in history to enroll.

But some dreams are dangerous, especially when they come true. The entire university—and soon the entire nation—is waiting for her to fail. With the Fairy King defeated and Myrddin’s legacy exposed, Effy can no longer escape into fantasy. Who is she without her stories?

With Effy under threat, Preston is surprised to discover a rage simmering inside him, ringing in his ears like bells. He begins to dream of a palace under the sea, a world where he is king—visions that start to follow him even in waking.

As the war between Llyr and Argant explodes, Effy and Preston find themselves caught in the crossfire: Effy losing her dreams and Preston losing himself in his.

Are dreams ever truly just dreams?

Previously Reviewed: “A Study in Drowning”

Review: I loved “A Study in Drowning.” It felt like such a tightly plotted YA title that incorporated a strong personal arc for the main character, Effy, as well as a tension-filled gothic mystery that built to an incredible climax at the end. As you can expect from this, it was a fantastic stand-alone read. That said, while I was satisfied with its ending, I was more than happy to return to this world and these characters. Especially to see more of the burgeoning love story between Effy and Preston.

Unfortunately, this one didn’t live up to the highs of the first book, mostly because of how perfectly insulated that story felt. But there was still much to enjoy here, so let’s start with that first. Per Reid’s typical style, many of the themes explored within this story are dark but important. Through careful crafting, the author explores the slow descent into isolation and withdrawal that can come with serious depression. Both Effy and Preston also constantly struggle to find a place for themselves in an institution and society that is built for others, Effy as a woman in the man’s world of academia, and Preston as a man of two heritages, both of which are at war with one another. These themes were richly detailed, and while it didn’t necessarily make for a “fun” reading experience, I definitely felt like I was getting a stark window into the struggles of these two characters and others like them.

That last point speaks to one of my struggles with this book, however. While well-represented and thoroughly explored, the reading experience itself quickly began to feel heavy and almost tiring; I found myself needing to put the book down after only short reading sessions. Part of this, I think, comes down to the fact that both Effy and Preston’s inner arcs are fairly similar. They are each dealing with similar feelings of isolation and like they are outsiders intruding where they are not welcome. This then leads to a lot of inner dynamics centered around feelings of weariness and fear. So, while the book does alternate between their perspectives, much of the story felt the same between the two, and it began to feel a bit draining.

The romance itself also suffered a bit from this as well. Both Preston and Effy spend much of the book hiding things from one another, both preoccupied with not wanting to place a burden on the other. And, again, the fact that both characters had such similar experiences with in the romantic plotline, it began to feels as if their relationship was spinning its wheels, with a lot of words spent saying the same or similar things over and over again.

I did enjoy some of the deeper looks into the magic of this world. Most of this came through Preston’s side of the story, and I would argue that this is largely his story. But even here, while I enjoyed getting a better understanding of this history and magic, there didn’t feel as if there was enough of a plot to serve as a structure upon which to hang these descriptive elements.

Overall, this book felt like what it was: an unplanned sequel to a stand-alone fantasy story that had been complete on its own. The writing was luscious, as always, and I did enjoy elements of the love story. But ultimately, I came away from this one feeling as if it didn’t really add anything. I felt like Preston and Effy had ended the previous book with challenges ahead but with a new will to overcome, comfortable in themselves and their new relationship. And perhaps this book was honest about the reality of the hardships they would face and that that same will to move forward could begin to crumble in the face of these struggles. I just…am not sure those realities really make up a story, all on their own?

Fans of Reid’s will likely still want to check this one out. Quality wise, it’s still a well-written book with an interesting world. Effy and Preston also remained characters whom I loved and rooted for. I simply couldn’t get into the limited amount of actual “story” to be found here.

Rating 7: I still enjoyed the world, the characters, and the love story. But it felt clear that with the first book being planned as a stand-alone, this one didn’t really have anywhere to take the story.

Reader’s Advisory:

“A Theory in Dreaming” can be found on this Goodreads list: omg i love this cover.