Tag: historical fiction

Kate’s Review: “The Reformatory”

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Book: “The Reformatory” by Tananarive Due

Publishing Info: Gallery/Saga Press, October 2023

Where Did I Get This Book: I own it.

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

Book Description: A gripping, page-turning novel set in Jim Crow Florida that follows Robert Stephens Jr. as he’s sent to a segregated reform school that is a chamber of terrors where he sees the horrors of racism and injustice, for the living, and the dead.

Gracetown, Florida
June 1950

Twelve-year-old Robbie Stephens, Jr., is sentenced to six months at the Gracetown School for Boys, a reformatory, for kicking the son of the largest landowner in town in defense of his older sister, Gloria. So begins Robbie’s journey further into the terrors of the Jim Crow South and the very real horror of the school they call The Reformatory.

Robbie has a talent for seeing ghosts, or haints. But what was once a comfort to him after the loss of his mother has become a window to the truth of what happens at the reformatory. Boys forced to work to remediate their so-called crimes have gone missing, but the haints Robbie sees hint at worse things. Through his friends Redbone and Blue, Robbie is learning not just the rules but how to survive. Meanwhile, Gloria is rallying every family member and connection in Florida to find a way to get Robbie out before it’s too late.

The Reformatory is a haunting work of historical fiction written as only American Book Award–winning author Tananarive Due could, by piecing together the life of the relative her family never spoke of and bringing his tragedy and those of so many others at the infamous Dozier School for Boys to the light in this riveting novel.

Review: After reading a few short stories by horror icon Tananarive Due in 2023, I told myself that I needed to finally pick up one of her novels. I don’t know why I haven’t, as she has always been on my radar. But for whatever reason it just never happened. When her newest novel “The Reformatory” came out, I bought myself a copy on my solo trip to Duluth. It took me a bit to get to it, as I had a stack of books to attend to and whenever I have a book that I have purchased I usually end up letting it sit a bit because of no deadline to read it. But then I did sit down and start reading. And my God. I was completely blown away by what I was reading. I was such a fool for waiting so long to pick it up. I was such a fool for waiting to pick up a book by Due. Because “The Reformatory” is magnificent.

The horror themes in this story are already top tier for me. I love ghosts in general, but I LOVED how Due brought in the folklore of Haints from the low country and the deep South of the United States (it’s been awhile since I’ve been to Savannah, Georgia, but one of the things that really stands out for me is how you see so many specific blue doors in a shade called Haint Blue, as it was thought to ward off Haints). Due really knows how to create terrifying moments in her pacing and descriptions, and with the tormented ghosts of dead children, who died at the hands of a racist and violent institution, being present and haunting said institution, it makes for a perfect metaphor as well as a great ghostly tale. It’s scary and nerve wracking and the high tension moments with the Haints were top tier horror. There were also the less focused on but certainly implied supernatural gifts of Robbie’s sister Gloria. While Robbie can see ghosts and communicate with them at least to a small degree, Gloria has her own talent of being able to get a sense of someone’s future if she is able to touch them or be near them. I am a complete sucker for both of these tropes, and I loved that Robbie and Gloria have different skills that they don’t necessarily want, but have to contend with.

But, unsurprisingly, it’s the realistic horrors of the Jim Crow South that really pack a wallop in “The Reformatory”, as both Robbie and Gloria are having to maneuver their way as Black people (children at that) through a deeply racist and violent society that has targets on their backs, not only because of their skin color, but because of their family name (as their father is on the run for a crime he didn’t commit that he was accused of because of his outspokenness). For Robbie, he is in what is essentially a prison as a child, for the audacious crime of kicking a white teenager who was harassing Gloria. Dozier School for Boys is run by a violent and sadistic warden, with dead children haunting the place that only Robbie can see. The brutal realities of the violent punishments are displayed in full, as Due basically tells the reader that they mustn’t look away from these real horrors that were committed about Black children, whether it’s torture, sexual assault, or murder. Dozier is a relentless prison that Robbie is barely surviving within, and seeing him and other detainees try to survive is enraging and devastating.

On the flip side is Gloria, who is determined to get Robbie out, and is trying to work through the justice system by reaching out to the NAACP, as well as well meaning (but at their heart ignorant) white people who may have the power to help, but have their own reservations. I thought that the dichotomy that Due showed between Robbie living in an overtly racist dangerous situation, and Gloria whose relentless pursuit for justice is putting her in just as much danger, while also displaying the everyday racism and dangers to Black people during this time and in this place. I also really appreciated how she not only took inspiration from her own family history, and also had in story versions of actual historical people, whether it was a reference to Thurgood Marshall or an actual interaction with Harry T. Moore. It’s so well done and so incredibly harrowing, and it’s an important reminder that even if Haints and psychic abilities aren’t real, the violent oppression against Black people at this time (and present times) was, and cannot and should not be washed away or forgotten.

“The Reformatory” is my first 10 Rating of 2024, and it has set an incredibly high bar for any and all books for the rest of the year. It’s phenomenal in every way. I never should have waited so long to read Tananarive Due. Expect more works by her this year, because I’m going to make up for lost time.

Rating 10: An astounding and horrifying horror novel whose darkest moments are less supernatural and more based in fact, “The Reformatory” is a knockout. Absolutely incredible.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Reformatory” is included on the Goodreads list “Popsugar 2024 #40 – A Horror Book Written by a BIPOC Author”, and “ATY 2024: Chilling Atmosphere”.

Book Club Review: “Earthdivers (Vol. 1): Kill Columbus”

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. Our current theme is Centuries, where we were given a random century and had to pick a book based during that time period.  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: “Earthdivers (Vol.1): Kill Columbus” by Stephen Graham Jones & Davide Gianfelice (Ill.).

Publishing Info: IDW Publishing, September 2023

Where Did We Get This Book: We both received an ARC at ALAAC23.

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

Century: 22nd and Beyond (aka The Future)

Book Description: The New York Times–bestselling author of The Only Good Indians and My Heart Is a Chainsaw makes his comics debut with this time-hopping horror thriller about far-future Indigenous outcasts on a mission to kill Christopher Columbus.

The year is 2112, and it’s the apocalypse exactly as rivers receding, oceans rising, civilization crumbling. Humanity has given up hope, except for a group of Indigenous outcasts who have discovered a time travel portal in a cave in the desert and figured out where everything took a turn for the America.

Convinced that the only way to save the world is to rewrite its past, they send one of their own—a reluctant linguist named Tad—on a bloody, one-way mission to 1492 to kill Christopher Columbus before he reaches the so-called New World. But there are steep costs to disrupting the timeline, and taking down an icon isn’t an easy task for an academic with no tactical training and only a wavering moral compass to guide him. As the horror of the task ahead unfolds and Tad’s commitment is tested, his actions could trigger a devastating new fate for his friends and the future.

Join Stephen Graham Jones and artist Davide Gianfelice for Earthdivers, Vol. 1, the beginning of an unforgettable ongoing sci-fi slasher spanning centuries of America’s Colonial past to explore the staggering forces of history and the individual choices we make to survive it.

Kate’s Thoughts

Perhaps we are being a bit brazen here, doing yet another Book Club review of books that we have already read and reviewed previously, especially given that we JUST DID IT last month. But hey, it all depends on the theme that we are assigned, and when I was given “The 22nd Century and Beyond” for our newest “Centuries” theme, and we only had a few weeks time WITH THE HOLIDAYS coming up, my mind went immediately to the graphic novel “Earthdivers: Kill Columbus” by Stephen Graham Jones. After all, I really liked it, it would be a faster read, and since I’m not as versed in Sci-Fi it was the first futuristic story I could think of. It was a gamble, as Book Club doesn’t tend to go to very violent or scary works, but ultimately I feel like it was a gamble that paid off, because “Earthdivers: Kill Columbus” was just as enjoyable the second time around, and fostered a lot of good conversation.

My opinion from my previous review hasn’t changed too much, given that I just read it in the past few months, but something I will say about reading it the second time was how much more I appreciated the complexity of Jones’s overall arc (it probably helps that I had just read the second volume thanks to NetGalley right before diving in; look for that in February!). It’s definitely a lot of jumping around, but I found that I really appreciated the way that Jones set up the Columbus storyline and how he executed it, and the way that he took on pretty tried and true time travel tropes and subverted them while also drawing out the most from them.

All in all it was a great read for Book Club and a great conversation starter! Stephen Graham Jones continues to do creative and bold things with his writing.

Serena’s Thoughts

I don’t really read graphic novels other than when they come up for bookclub. And I honestly don’t know why, because I always enjoy them when I do! And this one was the same! True, it was a bit of whiplash given that the last graphic novel was a very cozy, middle grade fantasy story. And this…was not that. We have one bookclub member in particular who doesn’t read dark, graphic stories and we all were kind of watching her carefully over some of the things depicted in this one! That said, I didn’t think any of it was gratuitous, but instead focused on the very high stakes of the situations portrayed.

That said, I did struggle with this book a bit in the beginning. As Kate has read the second book, she’s better able to gauge how the overall story progresses. But as a reader just starting out with this one, there were some initial basic premise things in the beginning of this one that left me wondering. I wasn’t quite sure about the basic cause/effect that was set up for the main action of the story, for one thing. That said, as I continued to read, it was easy enough to get caught up in the action and not worry too much about some of these questions. I also really liked some of the greater points that the book was getting at towards the end. It could have been easy to write a fairly simplistic version of this story. Instead, the author doesn’t shy away from the repercussions of the choices these characters are making.

As its a time travel story, it was also a bit hard to follow at times. There were points in the middle of the book that I truly wasn’t sure whether or not I was missing something. But again, as long as I just kept with it, soon enough I was able to re-center myself in the goings on.

Kate’s Rating 9: Still a great time travel commentary with an anti-Colonial twist. This re-read made me appreciate the complexity more.

Serena’s Rating 8: A bit confusing at times and definitely the start to a larger series, but I still really enjoyed this one!

Book Club Questions

  1. What did you think of the magical/sci-fi system in this story with the time traveling cave? How does it compare to other time travel tales you are familiar with?
  2. Do you believe that the one key to fixing the future is is stopping the Discovery of America by Columbus as hypothesized by Yellow Kid? Why or why not?
  3. Tad isn’t the only person to go through the cave in this story, though we have yet to see where each of them are going. Of the other travelers (Emily, the posse looking for the missing children), whose story would you want to see?
  4. What did you think of the outcome of killing Columbus? What did you think of the portrayal of Columbus and his crew as a whole?
  5. If you could travel to one moment of history to change something in the past, what would it be? Or would you do it at all?

Reader’s Advisory

“Earthdivers (Vol. 1): Kill Columbus” is on the Goodreads list “Comic Book Club Recommendations”.

Next Book Club Pick: “An Extraordinary Union” by Alyssa Cole

Book Club Review: “The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch”

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. Our current theme is song inspirations, where we were given a random song from a random genre and had to pick a book based on the song.  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: “The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch” by Melinda Taub

Publishing Info: Grand Central Publishing, October 2023

Where Did We Get This Book: from the publisher!

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

Song Inspiration: “You’re No Good” by Lynda Ronstadt

Book Description: In this exuberant reimagining of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Lydia Bennet puts pen to paper to relate the real events and aftermath of the classic story from her own perspective. Some facts are well known: Mrs. Bennet suffers from her nerves; Mr. Bennet suffers from Mrs. Bennet, and all five daughters suffer from an estate that is entailed only to male heirs.

But Lydia also suffers from entirely different concerns: her best-loved sister Kitty is really a barn cat, and Wickham is every bit as wicked as the world believes him to be, but what else would you expect from a demon? And if you think Mr. Darcy was uptight about dancing etiquette, wait till you see how he reacts to witchcraft. Most of all, Lydia has yet to learn that when you’re a witch, promises have power . . .

Kate’s Thoughts

When Serena chose “The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch” for book club, I briefly thought of how I was probably one of the least Austen knowledgable in our group of friends and fellow librarians. I’ve seen plenty of “Pride and Prejudice” adaptations (okay, two: the Keira Knightley one and “Fire Island”), I hadn’t actually read it outside of reading “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies”. The good news is that through my adaptation consumption I knew well enough that Lydia is considered to be an obnoxious brat. So the idea of following her, AND making her a witch, was super fun, and I was excited to read it. And overall I thought that it was a fun adaptation, and it gave Lydia a bit to work with while still keeping her fairly obnoxious. In the best way possible.

Since I’m not as familiar with Austen’s work and the various paths “Pride and Prejudice” re-imaginings and revisits can take, I will mostly focus on the supernatural parts of this book. There is something really satisfying about making Lydia Bennet an aspiring witch, if only because it makes her just that more interesting, while still making her a bit of an antagonist through her actions as a headstrong and self involved girl with a loose grasp on her powers and the consequences of them. I love the idea of Kitty being an actual cat that Lydia glamoured into a sister for companionship, I really enjoyed the dynamics between the witches in the coven and how the social pressures and cattiness was still present, I also really liked the way that Taub brought in Wickham in a way that fits into the larger scheme of things by making him a demon and a bit of a caddish foil to Lydia (also, props on Taub for finding a believable way to retcon the Georgiana situation that keeps that vital plot point while also making a scenario where one can still kind of root for Wickham and Lydia to have a relationship, dysfunctional and bitchy as it may be). Toss in spells and curses and lots of witch and fantasy stuff, all while still being able to fit into the original narrative, albeit off page, is very well done. And it makes Lydia more interesting than just the vain and bratty little sister.

“The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch” was a lark of a read, one that brought some fun magical mischief to a beloved tale. Even if you don’t like Lydia Bennet, this could be a fun read for a lover of “Pride and Prejudice”.

Serena’s Thoughts

Obviously I enjoyed this book. Enough to foist it upon the entire bookclub only a few months after I read it myself the first time. It also fit really well with this song prompt, as both Lydia and Wickham are villains (to various degrees) in the original story and morally grey at times in this one. And there is also a line in the song about hurting someone who was good and true, and my version of that line has it applying to Lydia’s choices regarding Kitty. Kind of a stretch in some ways, but no one can say our bookclub themes aren’t ambitious!

So, what is there new to say? As we discussed it in our bookclub, I was reminded of a few things that really stood out to me about this book. For some of our bookclub members, they struggled with the low level of action in much of the book. And that got me to thinking that this exact factor might be one of the very reasons this book stood out to me so well as a re-telling! All of Austen’s books are fairly low on the action front. There’s a lot of talking, there’s a lot of walking and talking, there’s a lot of dancing and talking, but there’s not much else really. So in that way, I felt like the slower pace and the strong focus on intrapersonal relationships really sold me on the concept of this book as a whole. Yes, there isn’t much as far as a deep dive into the fantasy elements, but I think this restraint better served the primary concept: that this is a version of “Pride and Prejudice” that could exist alongside the original.

I also enjoyed the irregular nature of the romance. This was another point that was hit and miss for some of our bookclub members, but I think, in hindsight, I also liked the way this played out. I’m not sure it would have read as well if Lydia and Wickham followed a more traditional romantic plot line. The way their “love story” plays out here is very much just the start of a possibility of romance than anything else. They are both true to their characters in that they can be selfish, a bit cruel, and are still learning how to truly value those around them. In this way, we see hints of a future for them, but it’s also clear that they aren’t anywhere near the finish line here. I thought this was a refreshing change to the typical romance plot line we see in many books like this.

For more of my thoughts, check out my original review!

Kate’s Rating 8: A creative reimagining of one of Austen’s more annoying characters, “The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet” is a fun and witchy side quest for Lydia Bennet.

Serena’s Rating 9: As satisfying the second time around as it was the first, especially if you’re interested in a slower paced, very “Austen-esque” style of fantasy story.

Book Club Questions

  1. How well did this book work as a re-telling of “Pride and Prejudice?” Were there any changes that stood out to you, either in a good way or a bad way?
  2. This book is told using an epistolary style. How did that effect your experience of the tale? Did you have a guess as to the identity of the person on the receiving end of this story?
  3. What did you think of the magic system and the version of witches introduced to the story?
  4. There are many examples of female friendships and sisterhood sprinkled throughout this book, some healthy and others less so. Did any of these relationships stand out to you and why?
  5. Lydia and Wickham are both either foolish or villainous characters in the original. What did you think of these versions of these characters and their romance?

Reader’s Advisory

“The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch” is included on the Goodreads lists: Austenesque – Paranormal, Supernatural, or Fantasy Books and Flipped Perspectives.

Next Book Club Pick: “Earthdivers (Vol. 1): Kill Columbus”

Kate’s Review: “Where the Dead Wait”

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

Book: “Where the Dead Wait” by Ally Wilkes

Publishing Info: Atria/Emily Bestler Books, December 2023

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

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

Book Description: William Day should be an acclaimed Arctic explorer. But after a failed expedition, in which his remaining men only survived by eating their dead comrades, he returned in disgrace.

Thirteen years later, his second-in-command, Jesse Stevens, has gone missing in the same frozen waters. Perhaps this is Day’s chance to restore his tarnished reputation by bringing Stevens­­—the man who’s haunted his whole life—back home. But when the rescue mission becomes an uncanny journey into his past, Day must face up to the things he’s done. Abandonment. Betrayal. Cannibalism.

Aboard ship, Day must also contend with unwanted passengers: a reporter obsessively digging up the truth about the first expedition, as well as Stevens’s wife, a spirit-medium whose séances both fascinate and frighten. Following a trail of cryptic messages, gaunt bodies, and old bones, their search becomes more and more unnerving, as it becomes clear that the restless dead are never far behind. Something is coming through.

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

It’s now December, and the temperatures here in Minnesota are starting to drop and there are higher and higher changes that snow is going to be in the forecast. I don’t mind winter THAT much, especially around Hanukkah and Christmas, but I will say that by the time we get to the time of year with the holiday season behind us I do start to think that maybe, just maybe, less cold, ice, and snow could be a fun shake up from the norm (though maybe that invites a monkey’s paw situation with climate change, arg, I can’t win). But we aren’t there yet, and cold weather means cold stories are all the more powerful. So I start off the encroaching winter with “Where the Dead Wait” by Ally Wilkes. Because it’s good to remind myself that while a Minnesota winter can be arduous, at least I’m not on a failed polar expedition in the 1800s where starvation, disease, and cannibalism are the outcomes.

I truly believe that Wilkes has a gift for how she writes a story, bringing out evocative and vibrant imager and moments of beauty as well as horror. There were so many moments where a certain turn of phrase or descriptor flowed with a flowery ease that I don’t usually expect from a horror novel. I noticed this while reading Wilkes’s previous novel as well, and it feels like a unique writing style choice for a historical ice horror tale. I also really enjoyed a few of the characters in this book, namely Charles Day, the disgraced captain of a previous polar expedition who is haunted by the things he did to survive (as well as his sexual desires and same sex attractions), and Mrs. Stevens, a self proclaimed medium who brings spiritualist tendencies to the expedition seeking out her husband, who is now lost again on on the previous expedition with Day (and whom Day was very fixated upon). These characters worked for me, as did the themes of the spiritualist movement and the questions of validity that go with it.

But here is where I got a little hung up when it comes to this book. I felt like “Where the Dead Wait” has a LOT of similarities to Wilkes’s previous book., “All The White Spaces”. They are both historical horror books that take place during a doomed polar expedition (one arctic, one antarctic), they involve weird supernatural things in the snow, a conflicted protagonist, and a slow burn of descent into madness and desperation. I think that it’s a well done book in terms of these aspects, but it’s already something we’ve seen from Wilkes, and it was something we JUST saw in terms of the chronology of her novels. I wholly understand having an interest in a specific theme, and I absolutely think that an author has every right to write about what they wish to write about when it comes to that interest. But I did think that coming up so close upon the previous one it felt like more of the same. I think that what adds to this is the double edged sword of Wilke’s writing style. It’s very deliberate and at times flowery with some awesome prose and descriptors, but it can also be slow going because of those things. So yes, I praise it for being an interesting way to write and approach a story like this above, but combining it with other aspects that can weigh the story down makes it not as easy to get through, at least in my experience.

I’m not writing Ally Wilkes off as of now, as “Where the Dead Wait” had some great moments and some meat to it (maybe not the best descriptor, but so it goes). I do hope that perhaps on the next adventure out we’ll go beyond what we’ve seen before.

Rating 6: Definitely compelling with some great imagery and prose, but at the same time it feels a LOT like the author’s previous novel.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Where the Dead Wait” is included on the Goodreads lists “Horror to Look Forward To in 2023”, and “Queer SFF of 2023” (though this is definitely less fantasy and more horror, but still).

Serena’s Review: “A Season of Monstrous Conceptions”

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

Book: “A Season of Monstrous Conceptions” by Lina Rather

Publishing Info: Tor, October 2023

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

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

Book Description: In 17th-century London, unnatural babies are being born: some with eyes made for the dark, others with webbed fingers and toes better suited to the sea.

Sarah Davis is intimately familiar with such strangeness—she herself was born marked by uncanniness. Having hidden her nature all her life and fled to London under suspicious circumstances, Sarah starts over as a midwife’s apprentice, hoping to carve out for herself an independent life. As a member of the illegal Worshipful Company of Midwives, Sarah learns to reach across the thinning boundary between her world and another, drawing on its power to heal and protect the women she serves.

When the wealthy Lady Wren hires her to see her through her pregnancy, Sarah quickly becomes a favorite of her husband, the famous architect Lord Christopher Wren, whose interest in the uncanny borders on obsession. Sarah soon finds herself caught in a web of magic and intrigue created by those who would use the magic of the Other World to gain power for themselves, and whose pursuits threaten to unmake the earth itself.

Review: As Kate has mentioned in some of her reviews, there’s definitely a current trend regarding horror and fantasy stories tackling motherhood, pregnancy, and birth. Pretty obvious why, given the national debate around the topic! Plus, regardless of contemporary happenings, there is a long history of birth and motherhood that has veered wildly between the mystical and the horrific. This novella tackles the same subject but adds actual monstrosities to the mix!

I really enjoy books like this that blend genres so effectively. Not only do we have the horror and fantasy elements, but the story takes place in an alternate 17th century London. This allowed the story to utilize not only its fantastical elements, that children are being born with monstrous traits, but also its historical time period as commentary on many aspects of human life. And, while I liked the fantasy aspects, I think the historical setting of this book is its real strength. At times, some of the magic and horror of what was actually going on was a bit hand-waved away with very little explanation. This is a novella, so I do understand not wanting to get too in-depth with some of these elements, but there were times that I was left questioning.

On the other hand, the historical setting felt very alive and drove much of the story. I particularly liked the group of midwives who were covertly running their own operation, attempting to record what was going on before the more official agencies got in to cover things up. Obviously, this isn’t really anything like the show “Call the Midwife” but it also did have similar vibes, especially with the cast of women we meet along the way.

I also really liked our main character. As an outsider in many ways, she had a unique perspective on the challenges tackled in this story. Obviously, having monstrous characteristics herself, her investment in the future of these children and the mothers who birth them is very close to her. If anything, the richness of her own story and the interesting and complex world we briefly explored left me a bit disappointed by the short length of this story. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a novella and not always having to commit to a massive tome (especially as a fantasy reader, a genre that is known for its hefty wordcounts!). But I do think that this book is an example of a concept that was limited by its page count, rather than aided. There was just so much here, I wish we had more time to explore it all!

Rating 8: Creepy, but thought-provoking, my primary complaint is that I wanted more of it!

Reader’s Advisory:

“A Season of Monstrous Conceptions” can be found on this Goodreads list: Queer Horror

Kate’s Review: “The Court of Shadows”


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

Book: “The Court of Shadows” by Victor Dixen and Francoise Bui (translator)

Publishing Info: Amazon Crossing, September 2023

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: A fiery heroine seeks vengeance against a royal court of deadly vampires in this epic alternate history set in lavish Versailles.

Louis XIV transformed from the Sun King into the King of Shadows when he embraced immortality and became the world’s first vampire. For the last three centuries, he has been ruling the kingdom from the decadent Court of Shadows in Versailles, demanding the blood of his subjects to sate his nobles’ thirst and maintain their loyalty.

In the heart of rural France, commoner Jeanne Froidelac witnesses the king’s soldiers murder her family and learns of her parents’ role in a brewing rebellion involving the forbidden secrets of alchemy. To seek her revenge, Jeanne disguises herself as an aristocrat and enrolls in a prestigious school for aspiring courtiers. She soon finds herself at the doors of the palace of Versailles.

But Jeanne, of course, is no aristocrat. She dreams not of court but of blood. The blood of a king.

Review: Thank you to Amazon Crossing for sending me an ARC of this novel!

It’s early in the Halloween season (well…. okay it’s early in October, as for me the Halloween season starts the day after Labor Day), and you know that I just had to have a vampire story in my Horrorpalooza line up somewhere. So here we have “The Court of Shadows”, a historical fiction/alternate timeline/ vampire horror tale by Victor Dixen. Originally published in France, it has been translated into multiple languages and now it is hitting the United States. When it ended up in my mailbox I was wholly, wholly interested, and knew that it was going to be perfect to showcase during Horrorpalooza. Vampires in Versailles is just ingenius. And “The Court of Shadows” really sucked me in.

Dixen has created a familiar and yet foreign alternative timeline, in which much of the world has had vampires insert themselves into seats of power to govern countries and to feed upon the lower classes while they use the upper classes to keep them in line. In France King Louis the Sun King has been ruling as a vampire for 300+ years, and has established a court of aristocrats to keep the common folk in line while they are taxed of their blood. It’s such a unique vampire mythos that uses themes of the aristocracy and a parasitic nature (in multiple ways) that works SO WELL in vampire tales and makes them feel fresh. You add in a competition at a prestigious school that creates protectors and right hand men/women for the vampires, all potentially ending with a granted chance at vampirism for the winners, and I was completely enthralled. It makes for some engaging political intrigue as people plot and scheme, and try to make their ambitions bear fruit by any means necessary, all while they are pitted against each other for darker ends. I also highly enjoyed the concept of the Vampyria rule essentially stalling society in time, technology and culture wise, as it reads like France is still very much existing during the reign of the Sun King even though it is three hundred years later (aka, modern day). As a vampire tale, it works very well.

I also really liked Jeanne’s story arc as she goes from rural ‘commoner’ to vengeful imposter with a mission to kill the vampiric King Louis, and where that drive and ambition and journey takes her characterization. When we first meet her she is a bit in the dark about her family’s involvement in a potential rebellion against Vampyria, and in a moment of panic and self preservation she passes herself off as an aristocrat and ends up at a school where she will be trained to protect the vampires from any threats. From there she decides to win the favor and the training competition they are holding, as it will get her close to those who had her family killed, including Louis himself. It harkens back to dystopia tales like “The Hunger Games” or “The Belles”, but what I liked about Jeanne is that her rage and need for vengeance starts to transform her into a calculating, and in some ways merciless and brutal, competitor. I liked the complexity and how at times she was downright vicious, and walking towards the precipice of becoming a villain in her own way. It makes me all the more excited for the next book in the series, “The Court of Miracles”.

I enjoyed “The Court of Shadows”. The intrigue, the competition, the vampires, it all worked for me. I am very interested in seeing where we go from here in the next one.

Rating 9: Filled with political intrigue, complex characters, and a dark fantasy vision of a vampire run world, “The Court of Shadows” is entertaining and a Gothic delight.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Court of Shadows” isn’t on any Goodreads lists as of now, but I think that if you enjoyed “The Belles” and general vampire fiction, this could be a good match.

Blog Tour: “The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch”

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Book: “The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch” by Melinda Taub

Publishing Info: Grand Central Publishing, October 2023

Where Did I Get this Book: from the publisher!

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

Book Description: In this exuberant reimagining of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Lydia Bennet puts pen to paper to relate the real events and aftermath of the classic story from her own perspective. Some facts are well known: Mrs. Bennet suffers from her nerves; Mr. Bennet suffers from Mrs. Bennet, and all five daughters suffer from an estate that is entailed only to male heirs.

But Lydia also suffers from entirely different concerns: her best-loved sister Kitty is really a barn cat, and Wickham is every bit as wicked as the world believes him to be, but what else would you expect from a demon? And if you think Mr. Darcy was uptight about dancing etiquette, wait till you see how he reacts to witchcraft. Most of all, Lydia has yet to learn that when you’re a witch, promises have power . . .

Review: First of all, thanks again to Laurel for reaching out about participating in this blog tour! I obviously love all things Jane Austen, so I jumped at the opportunity to read and review a unique re-imaging like this one. And, spoilers, as I loved it so much, I truly hope this tour helps raise this book up in the awareness of Janeites, as I think it’s the kind of re-telling that will work for a lot of the P &P fans in the community.

I will admit to being initially a bit skeptical of the entire premise of this book. Not only was it claiming to re-tell “Pride and Prejudice” from the POV of one of the more unlikable characters in that story, namely Lydia Bennet, but it was also going to mange to re-imagine this Regency world to the point that Lydia was also a witch. Oh, and Kitty’s a literal cat and and Wickham is a demon AND still a potential love interest. I have to say, I was more skeptical of the latter being possible than the former! But man, was I proven wrong! Turns out you can write such a book!

So, I think there are two ways to evaluate this book. One has to do with how it does in regards to maintaining or accentuating the original story. And the other has to do with what success it has with its original characters and concepts. Let’s start with the original stuff, as I think the biggest concern with re-tellings or re-imagings of beloved classics is that the new version will somehow harm what is most enjoyed about the original. And I think that was one of the cleverest conceits of this approach to the story. Lydia shows up on the page very little in the original story, and she’s nowhere to be found, doing who knows what (well, flirting with Wickham), throughout almost the entire second half of the book. By focusing on her story, the author allows the plot of the original to unfold neatly on its own in the background. I was also impressed with the way the author wove Lydia’s story in and out of the plot points of the original, all while creating a story that could have neatly existed right alongside the original, with no one the wiser (well, a few characters the wiser, but they would have their own reasons for not telling).

There were also a number of small Easter egg type tie-ins to the original story that are sure to please fans. Just a small example, but in the original story, there’s a bit of a throwaway line about how, when found in London, Lydia pays no attention to and ignores Mrs. Gardener when she tries to speak with Lydia about her behavior and situation. Here, the author cleverly references these interactions, but comes up with an entirely different reason for why Mrs. Gardener would come away with this re-enforced negative impression of Lydia.

Beyond this, I really liked the original characters, or new versions of old characters. Kitty being an actual cat, of course, was very clever and worked surprisingly well for the story. I also liked demon!Wickham. There were some very clever adjustments to his backstory and timeline that go far to allow him to be a satisfying love interest in this new version, all while retaining enough of his “Wickam-ness” to fit alongside the original. Of course, we also got to spend a lot more time with characters like Mrs. Forster, the woman who befriends Lydia and invites her on the fateful trip to Brighton. I really liked the arc that we saw in this friendship. While the romance is, of course, nice, much of Lydia’s personal arc has more to do with the friendships and sisterhoods she experiences throughout this book. We see close relationships falter, new relationships form, and original judgements of other women be wildly off-base. For example, not only does Miss Darcy play a fairly major role in this story, but we also get a character that is referenced in Jane Austen’s unfinished novel, “Sandition” who also is heavily involved in the overall plot.

And, of course, I really liked Lydia! Her voice, especially in the first half of the novel is familiar and deftly inline with the version we know from “Pride and Prejudice.” But as the story continues, the reader begins to realize that Lydia is an unreliable narrator, and the story becomes more complex on a character level from there. The magic and fantasy elements also worked surprisingly well, weaving naturally in and out alongside our familiar Regency world. Frankly, the story commits to the fantasy elements WAY more than I was expecting; there’s a lot more to it than “Oh, Lydia Bennet as a bit of magic, but it’s no real change!” Really, this book worked in pretty much every way that matters! There was, perhaps, a bit of a drag in pacing towards the middle of the story, but even then, I was having enough fun with the entire experience to be unbothered. If you’re a fan of “Pride and Prejudice” and looking for a completely new take on the story, this book is definitely for you!

Rating 9: The confidence it takes to change famous Austen characters into cats and demons and witches is only matched by the sheer skill with which Taub manages to pull it all off!

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Best of 2023: Jane Austen Variations and Best Books with “Witch” in the Title.

Kate’s Review: “Earthdivers (Vol. 1): Kill Columbus”

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Book: “Earthdivers (Vol. 1): Kill Columbus” by Stephen Graham Jones & Davide Gianfelice (Ill.)

Publishing Info: IDW, September 2023

Where Did I Get This Book: I received an ARC from the publisher at ALAAC23

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

Book Description: The year is 2112, and it’s the apocalypse exactly as rivers receding, oceans rising, civilization crumbling. Humanity has given up hope, except for a group of Indigenous outcasts who have discovered a time travel portal in a cave in the desert and figured out where everything took a turn for the worst: America.

Convinced that the only way to save the world is to rewrite its past, they send one of their own—a reluctant linguist named Tad—on a bloody, one-way mission to 1492 to kill Christopher Columbus before he reaches the so-called New World. But there are steep costs to disrupting the timeline, and taking down an icon isn’t an easy task for an academic with no tactical training and only a wavering moral compass to guide him. As the horror of the task ahead unfolds and Tad’s commitment is tested, his actions could trigger a devastating new fate for his friends and the future.

Join Stephen Graham Jones and artist Davide Gianfelice for Earthdivers, Vol. 1, the beginning of an unforgettable ongoing sci-fi slasher spanning centuries of America’s Colonial past to explore the staggering forces of history and the individual choices we make to survive it.

Review: Thank you to IDW comics for giving me an ARC of this book, and thank you to Stephen Graham Jones for being SO kind when you signed it!

Back when I had just gotten back from ALA, people were asking me what my highlights were. And one of them was meeting Stephen Graham Jones at a signing at the IDW booth. I was already ecstatic when I saw that he was going to be there, and even more excited when I realized that he was signing ARCs of the first volume of his series “Earthdivers”, a fantasy/speculative fiction/historical fiction series about Indigenous people on a dying earth using a time travel portal to send one of their own back in time to stop America from happening (as America is seen as the main driver of the climate change disaster). I had been eager for this first volume, and getting it WHILE MEETING HIM (and having a lovely conversation!) was just the very best. And “Earthdivers (Vol. 1): Kill Columbus” is everything I had hoped it would be.

The concept alone is so unique and also so, so bold. I mean, it takes serious spunk to frame a story about the assassination of a man that is still, in a number of places, celebrated every year as the supposed ‘discoverer of America’, but whose horrific crimes and direct and indirect actions towards the Indigenous peoples on this continent are impossible to ignore. Even I was like ‘whoa’ when I read the premise of the comic book, but the rage is earned, and it is palpable on the pages as Tad, the man chosen to go back in time and assassinate Columbus, has to take on a mission with high and dangerous stakes. And low odds of success. I loved seeing Tad grapple with the fact he will never see his wife again, that he has to do things that he never thought he could do, and also really enjoyed seeing him slowly start to accept his mission and the bloody business that goes with it. Jones depicts the brutality of life on the ship, whether it’s the dire conditions or the hierarchy that lends itself to violence, and also shows the less acknowledged aspects of the voyage the ships are on (specifically the religious zeal that Columbus has). I also found the tension building and building and building as Tad realizes that his chances to kill Columbus and stop that version of America from happening are slipping through his fingers, and that if he fails, it was all for nothing, and it could mean the end of humankind. The tension is rife, the violence is visceral, and the anger and desperation is well depicted.

But I also liked the ways that Jones depicts the others back on Earth in 2112, as the world is dying due to climate change and they are becoming all the more desperate, especially when they realize that the time portal in the cave may have more dangers than realized. I really liked Sosh, Tad’s wife who is in an uneasy partnership with Yellow Kid, the member of the group who came up with the idea, but has been a little shifty as far as Sosh is concerned. I liked the moral ambiguity that Jones gives a number of his characters, as it raises very difficult questions about the lengths that these characters are willing to go to make this mission a success. And along with that, I really enjoyed how the time travel themes didn’t feel like super hard Sci Fi, and more like fantastical or speculative based in the system in place. We don’t really know what the deal is with this cave, but I have a feeling things are going to be explored as the series goes on.

And I really liked the artwork. I like the use of color and the angles that Davide Gianfelice brings to the page, and I loved the detailed character designs for our main players.

(source: IDW)

What a fantastic start to what is sure to be a fantastic series! “Earthdivers (Vol. 1): Kill Columbus” is another shining star from Stephen Graham Jones. I cannot wait to see what happens next!

Rating 9: Unapologetic, daring, dark, but hopeful, “Earthdivers: Kill Columbus” is a must read in speculative fiction with a visceral message and lots of what ifs.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Earthdivers (Vol. 1): Kill Columbus” isn’t on any Goodreads lists as of now, but it would fit in on “Graphic Novels & Comics by The Aboriginal, Indigenous, and Native Peoples of the World”, and “Best Time Travel Fiction”.

Serena’s Review: “Murder at Midnight”

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Book: “Murder at Midnight” by Katharine Schellman

Publishing Info: Crooked Lane Books, September 2023

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

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

Previously Reviewed: “The Body in the Garden” and “Silence in the Library” and “Death at the Manor”

Book Description: Perfect for fans of Deanna Raybourn and Ashley Weaver, when a body is found shot to death after an unexpected snowstorm, Lily Adler quickly realizes that some people will stop at nothing to bury their secrets this holiday season.

Regency widow Lily Adler is looking forward to returning to Hertfordshire to spend time with the family of her late husband. She is also excited that Captain Jack Hartley, her friend and confidante, will be visiting his own family after a long voyage at sea. With winter quickly approaching, Lily is most excited at the prospect of a relaxing and enjoyable Christmastide season away from the schemes and secrets she witnessed daily in London.

At a neighborhood ball, she soon becomes reacquainted with a friend of her late husband, Peter Coleridge, a wealthy man who not only manages Irish investments, but also a fund that most of the locals of Hertfordshire take part in. There, she also learns Jack’s sister, Amelia, is the subject of much of the neighborhood gossip—although Amelia refuses to explain if there is any truth to it. For a brief moment, Lily wonders if she ever really left London.

When a snowstorm forces several guests, including both the Adlers and the Hartleys, to stay the night, Lily quickly deduces that all is not well this holiday season. In the morning, a maid discovers the body of a guest in the poultry yard, shot to death—and he is the same man that is scandalously linked to Amelia.

Lily accepts the offer to assist in the investigation, but will she find more than what she bargained for the more she digs? Or will she herself be buried deep within the snow?

Review: Time for another historical mystery review! At this point, I’m really only up-to-date with this series and Sherry Thomas’s “Charlotte Holmes” series. There’s just not enough time in the day to get to all of the books I want, and, unfortunately when push comes to shove, I’ll often prioritize SFF over historical fiction and mysteries. But I do seem to be able to manage to keep up with these two series. I was particularly interested in this latest Lily Adler book due to the fact that while I had enjoyed all of the books up to that point, I had real problems with the latest one. So in my mind, the quality of this latest book would be really telling for my continued enjoyment of the series! And I’m happy to report that while we may not have recaptured the highs of the first book or two, this one is a solid entry in the series and enough of a return to form to ensure my continued reading of these books.

There was a lot to like in this new Lily Adler book. For one thing, I really love this style of mystery, where a large group of suspects (and victims!) are trapped in a location together and must solve a murder. The format allows for a large cast of characters, tons of red herrings that are believable, and much emphasis placed on interpersonal relationships, something that I always focus on in my reading. I also enjoyed the exploration of the group dynamic, which we see done expertly here. As Lily and her companions go longer and longer trapped together in this house, we see the breakdown of conventions and norms, the reduction of individuals to their more basic instincts, and the tendency for people to circle the wagons and “other” anyone who doesn’t fit within strict definitions of right and wrong. For her part, Lily Adler sweeps through these tensions with grace and a practical eye for how these dynamics can relate to guilt and innocence, misplaced fear or rightfully felt concern to hide one’s involvement in a crime. I also really enjoyed the fact that while I was able to piece together some clues to the mystery, there were many other twists and turns that I didn’t spot coming!

I also really enjoyed the continued interpersonal and romantic dynamics. In the previous book, a new love interest was introduced, and while I didn’t have any issues with this character on his own, I was already firmly in the corner of Lily and Jack. So of course I was beyond pleased when Jack himself returned in this book and played a fairly central role. But I also was surprised by how much I enjoyed the continued exploration of Lily’s relationship with this other suitor. The relationship took a few surprising turns, and I was impressed by the way the author used this relationship to highlight the true choices that women faced in this time, even when partnered to a good man by every definition.

I also really enjoyed meeting some new characters, notably Jack’s younger sister Amelia who plays a central role in this story. We also get some POV chapters from her, which I very much enjoyed. Fans of the series are sure to enjoy this one!

Rating 8: All in all, this was an excellent entry in the series. I was glad to see the return of fan favorite characters, and was pleased to see an improvement in the mystery itself.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Murder at Midnight” can be found on this Goodreads list: Historical Mystery 2023

Kate’s Review: “Vampires of El Norte”

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Book: “Vampires of El Norte” by Isabel Cañas

Publishing Info: Berkley, August 2023

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

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

Book Description: Vampires and vaqueros face off on the Texas-Mexico border in this supernatural western from the author of The Hacienda.

As the daughter of a rancher in 1840s Mexico, Nena knows a thing or two about monsters—her home has long been threatened by tensions with Anglo settlers from the north. But something more sinister lurks near the ranch at night, something that drains men of their blood and leaves them for dead. Something that once attacked Nena nine years ago.

Believing Nena dead, Néstor has been on the run from his grief ever since, moving from ranch to ranch working as a vaquero. But no amount of drink can dispel the night terrors of sharp teeth; no woman can erase his childhood sweetheart from his mind.

When the United States attacks Mexico in 1846, the two are brought abruptly together on the road to war: Nena as a curandera, a healer striving to prove her worth to her father so that he does not marry her off to a stranger, and Néstor as a member of the auxiliary cavalry of ranchers and vaqueros. But the shock of their reunion—and Nena’s rage at Néstor for seemingly abandoning her long ago—is quickly overshadowed by the appearance of a nightmare made flesh. And unless Nena and Néstor work through their past and face the future together, neither will survive to see the dawn.

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

Given how much I loved “The Hacienda”, I was totally waiting on pins and needles to see what Isabel Cañas was going to do for a follow up to her Gothic ghost story debut. It’s probably no shocker that I was elated when I saw that her next book was going to be about vampires. She approached the haunted house story with such a unique and cool hook, I just knew that she would do the same with vampires.

Much like “The Hacienda”, the time and place of “Vampire of El Norte” makes for the perfect setting for this horror novel. Taking place in the 1840s during the Mexican-American War, where the U.S. started to invade Mexico in hopes of taking more land for itself. Our protagonists Nena and Néstor find themselves swept up in it, as Nena is the daughter of a powerful ranch owner and Néstor is a vaquero who has returned to the ranch after a long absence when Mexicans start to band together to fight against the Anglos. The societal structure of Nena and Néstor’s world is laid out plainly and shows conflict, as these childhood friends are on different footing, but both have reasons to feel confined and oppressed in their own ways. For Nena it is her fear that her father will marry her off like property as a daugther, and for Néstor it is his lower class standing, which makes their lingering attraction from childhood all the more forbidden. But even more so is the fact that white settlers from the U.S. and the United States Government are encroaching in an act of violent colonialism, and for Nena and Néstor their very survival could be at risk, with him on the front lines, her acting as a healing curandera to the soldiers and fighters, and both of them being Mexican citizens who could face violence at the hands of invaders. The horrors of colonialism have a significant part to play in this book, as does classism and misogyny and the traumas that come with both. I really liked Nena and Néstor as they start to reconnect, and how their admiration and attraction is approached in a way that feels realistic while still being wholly satisfying. I also loved them on their own, as Nena is ambitious and capable, while Néstor is sweet and loyal, and their chemistry is simmering off the pages.

And then there are the vampires. It’s the perfect allegor, using vampires against the backdrop of Imperialistic wars as outsiders want to leech off of the people who live on the land that they desire to approrpiate. And I liked the vampire mythos in this book, as they are very animalistic and very brutal, with some interesting systems at play in how vampires function and live within the storyline and world. I really enjoyed the dread that builds as various characters find themselves stalked and hunted by the vampires, sometimes in lonely and vast areas in nature where there is little hope of help and already high stakes due to the war that is raging around them. There were lots of moments that really tapped into the suspense, and I think that if there was one aspect of this book that I needed more from it would probably be that I needed more vampire action.

Once again, Isabel Cañas nails a historical horror story, and brings with it not only supernatural threats and villains, but villains that were very real. “Vampires of Il Norte” needs to be on horror fans book piles!

Rating 8: A suspenseful and engaging horror story about vampires and colonialism, “Vampire of El Norte” is another well done historical horror novel by Isabel Cañas.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Vampires of El Norte” is included on the Goodreads lists “Mexican Gothic”, and “Historical Fiction Set in Latin America”.