Tag: Novella

Kate’s Review: “Man, F*ck This House (And Other Disasters)”

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Book: “Man, F*ck This House (And Other Disasters)” by Brian Asman

Publishing Info: Blackstone Publishing, October 2025

Where Did I Get This Book: I received a finished copy from the publicist

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

Book Description: In the titular “Man, F*ck This House,” Sabrina Haskins and her family have just moved into their dream home. At first glance, the house is perfect. But things aren’t what they seem. Sabrina is hearing odd noises, seeing strange visions. Their neighbors are odd or absent. And Sabrina’s already-fraught relationship with her son is about to be tested in a way no parent could ever imagine. Because while the Haskins family might be the newest owners of this house, they’re far from its only residents …

In “The Hurlyburly,” a troubled teen loses his grip on reality after checking out the wrong internet meme …

In “In the Rushes,” a coastal cycling trip turns terrifying for a feuding mother and daughter …

Malevolent doppelgangers, bizarre murders, ancient evils, Western ghosts, mirror monsters, poisonous playthings, and more populate the pages of this brilliant—and petrifying—collection of stories.

Review: Thank you to Kaye Publicity for sending me a finished copy of this novel!

I never stay away from horror stories for too long after a brief lull post Horrorpalooza, and I’m back into the genre with a short stories collection that is by an author that is new to me! “Man, F*ck This House” by Brian Asman had a interesting title which hooked me in, as well as a promise of a couple more short stories beyond the titular novella. I’ve been having more luck with short stories collections as of late, after all!

There were definitely some standout stories in this collection, which has fewer stories than I am used to when it comes to short story anthologies (that’s neither here nor there, just an observation). I especially loved “In The Rushes”, a story about a mother and her teenage daughter on a cycling trip that has been rife with tension and animosity that eventually becomes a story of terror. I thought that the relationship between mother Carol and daughter Becca was poignant and realistic, with a harried divorcée mother and her surly teenage daughter butting heads in ways that feel true to life. Carol hates feeling like she’s the bad guy when she has to put her foot down, Becca craves for independence and her own choices, and I really liked how Asman gave us a superb backstory that makes the tension when they encounter something supernatural all the more palpable. I’m obviously biased when it comes to mother and daughter stories but this one just worked for me on every level, especially when the horror elements shifted into gear. I also liked the story “The Hurlyburly”, as urban legend/creepypasta meme horror tales are lots of fun and a favorite of mine when it comes to tropes.

I think that my biggest hang up was more to do with the titular story, the novella “Man, F*ck This House”. I had really high hopes for it, as I do love a haunted house story, especially if a dysfunctional family is involved at the heart of it. But I think that this one had a strange tone to it (the title makes it sound a little tongue in cheek but it isn’t really), and had very few people to root for. I felt like Sabrina, the harried Mom, was probably the most fleshed out, but on the flip side we had an incredibly precocious and psychopathic for no reason son named Damien who felt like Stewie Griffin come to life as he tries to plan his mother’s downfall. His reasons were difficult to parse through, and he was SO precocious and vicious that I just couldn’t quite suspend my disbelief for him. And if I can’t suspend my disbelief in a story about a literal haunted house, that says something. The rest of the stories were fine!

So it’s a mixed back of a collection. If you like horror short story collections you could check it out for sure. It was a bit middle of the road for me. But if you like to have stories to work through at your own pace it could be a good pick.

Rating 6: There were a couple of stand out stories (I really loved “In the Rushes”), but I found it to be a bit of a mixed bag overall, with the title story feeling all over the place.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Man, F*ck This House” isn’t on any Goodreads lists as of now, but it would fit in on “Horror Short Stories”.

Serena’s Review: “The Summer War”

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Book: “The Summer War” by Naomi Novik

Publishing Info: Del Rey, September 2025

Where Did I Get this Book: Netgalley!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Reader’s Advisory:

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

Serena’s Review: “Last Chance to Save the World”

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Book: “Last Chance to Save the World” by Beth Revis

Publishing Info: DAW, April 2025

Where Did I Get this Book: Netgalley!

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

Book Description: After a few weeks trapped on board a spaceship with Ada (and, oh look, there’s only one bed), Rian has to admit that maybe Ada’s rebels have a point. The nanobots poised to be unleashed on Earth are infected with malware that will ultimately leave the residents of Earth in a worse position than they’re in now. But is it too late?

Ada and Rian arrive on Earth with little time to spare. Together, they have to break into a high-security facility and infect the nanobots with a counter-virus before they’re released in order to give Earth a fighting chance. And if Ada happens to notice some great tech laying around in this high-security facility she shouldn’t have access to and then happens to steal a bunch of it when Rian’s not looking? Well, he knew who she was before he teamed up with her. And if he wants it back, he’s going to have to catch her first. 

With countless twists and turns, this enemies-to-lovers slow-burn and high-tension romance plays on a Sherlock and Moriarity character dynamic rooted in science fiction with a heavy romance and mystery angle.

Previously Reviewed: “Full Speed to a Crash Landing” and “How to Steal a Galaxy”

Review: I’ve been really enjoying this series of science fiction/romance novellas, so it was with a heavy heart that I picked up this, the final one in the trilogy! But, like the ones that came before, it delivered on every level! And in many ways, this one was even more satisfying than the ones that came before as we finally got to see Ada’s long game come into play. By this point in the series, readers are familiar with not only Ada’s methods, but also the narrative tricks the author uses to emphasize the bewilderment that Rian must feel, tugged along mostly blind in Ada’s chaotic wake. And like in the first two books, it was incredibly gratifying to see everything slot into place, even if it was a bit easier to predict just what Ada was up to.

Instead, many of the new twists and turns and surprises came in the form of deeper reveals into Ada’s history. I don’t want to go into too many details, as many of the late-stage events are tied up in all of this, but I really enjoyed some of the new characters we met, and the ways in which they shone a light on Ada’s life and the shaping of her unique moral compass.

It was also nice getting to spend as much time with Rian and Ada together, more than we’ve seen in the previous books it seems. After now reading the last planned book in this series, I will say that I think these novellas will work better for science fiction/heist readers who also enjoy a dash of romance than for strict romance readers. For some of those readers, they may be a bit disappointed, as the series doesn’t adhere closely to all of the conventions of the romance genre that they might expect. That said, I think the ending for this trilogy was perfect, and really the only thing that made sense for these characters. Anything else would have compromised core portions of their identities in a way that I think would have undercut the excellent work that had gone into creating them.

I also really enjoyed the themes of environmental justice and the ways in which humanity has a tendency to hurt not only the world around us but everyone living in it. There was a short conversation about pigeons that really hit home in a way that was surprising, given that it was a…conversation about pigeons! And throughout, the balance between the exploration of these themes, the fast-moving action of the plot, and the quippy love story was all navigated expertly. I definitely recommend this trilogy to all science fiction/heist readers who are looking for a fun, fast series to consume!

Rating 8: Ada leaves a chaotic wake everywhere she goes, and Rian and the readers are just along for the fun that is the ride!

Reader’s Advisory:

“Last Chance to Save the World” can be found on this Goodreads list: Can’t Wait Books of 2025

Serena’s Review: “Greenteeth”

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Book: “Greenteeth” by Molly O’Neill

Publishing Info: Orbit, February 2025

Where Did I Get this Book: from the publisher!

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

Book Description: Beneath the still surface of a lake lurks a monster with needle sharp teeth. Hungry and ready to pounce.

Jenny Greenteeth has never spoken to a human before, but when a witch is thrown into her lake, something makes Jenny decide she’s worth saving. Temperance doesn’t know why her village has suddenly turned against her, only that it has something to do with the malevolent new pastor.

Though they have nothing in common, these two must band together on a magical quest to defeat the evil that threatens Jenny’s lake and Temperance’s family, as well as the very soul of Britain.

Review: This book was a bit of a roller-coaster ride as far as my experience reading it goes. It started off great, with one of my favorite aspects of the book coming to the forefront right away. That being the unique voice of Jenny Greenteeth. The first quarter of the story is fairly closely tied to Jenny’s own narration of what her life has been, what her unique perspective on morality entails, and various other points of interest. While not a lot of action is necessarily taking place, the strength of her narrative voice and unique perspective easily held my interest.

Unfortunately, things became a bit more complicated when our second main character was introduced, Temperance, a witch who had been condemned to death by drowning and tossed into Jenny’s lake. While Jenny’s own story had been unspooled through her interesting narration, Temperance seems to simply word-vomit her entire history in a few pages’ time. It was frankly a bit baffling, as the author had demonstrated a more subtle approach to storytelling before. But here, not only was all of Temperance’s story presented in the most info-dumping-manner possible, but it also threw me out of the story due to the simple fact that no one could possibly talk like this!

From there, it was a bit more of a struggle to become fully invested in the story once again. As I mentioned, the pacing itself is quite slow throughout. In the beginning, with the focus tightly drawn in on Jenny, this worked fine. But as the story continued, I began to struggle. This became especially difficult when the plot seemed to devolve into a string of fetch quests, each as predictable as the last. And to top it off, the story resolved in a way that was a bit predictable in the most disappointing way. I don’t want to spoil it, and there isn’t anything inherently wrong with the story going the way that it did. But I had been hopeful initially that the author was telling a more wholly unique tale, rather than tying it back into familiar source material.

Overall, this was an ok read. There was a lot of potential, especially with the strength of the narrator, but the pacing and plotting became muddled with a string of mundane side quests and resolved in a disappointingly predictable manner. This last point, especially, is particularly subjective, so other readers may appreciate what this book has to offer in this regard more than I did! I do think it’s worth checking out, however, based on Jenny herself.

Rating 7: Jenny herself was a fantastic narrator, but she was let down by lackluster side characters and side quests.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Greenteeth” can be found on this Goodreads list: Botanical and Horticultural Horror

Serena’s Review: “How to Steal a Galaxy”

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Book: “How to Steal a Galaxy” by Beth Revis

Publishing Info: DAW, December 2023

Where Did I Get this Book: Netgalley!

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

Book Description: Ada had no intention whatsoever to continue working for the rebel group that hired her to retrieve the government’s plans for a nanobot climate cleaner if they weren’t willing to pay her for it, but then they offer a different an undercover mission to a charity gala where Rian will be in attendance. Rian, meanwhile, has volunteered his services for the gala believing that the rare items up for auction will attract Ada’s eye. Hoping to catch her in the act and pin her with a punishable crime, Rian has no idea that Ada’s real mission is to convince him to join the rebels. And the rebels have no idea that Ada’s decided that kidnapping Rian is the most efficient means to an end.How to Steal the Galaxy continues the sexy, rip-roaring good time that Beth Revis began in Full Speed to a Crash Landing, with the return of Ada, Rian, and all the tension, twists, and turns that made the first novella so much fun.

Previously Reviewed: “Full Speed to a Crash Landing”

Review: I didn’t plan it this way, I swear, but I somehow ended up scheduling two books by Beth Revis in the same week! To be fair, the first one was a jointly written sequel, so it wasn’t just two Revis books completely. And also also to be fair, there are very few new releases that come out in December, and this one was one of the few titles that I planned on for this month! The entire thing is all the more funny because the first book I read by this author was a YA science fiction book about ten years ago that I…didn’t enjoy. But now, almost a decade later, she’s made her way onto my list of authors to always check out when she releases a new book. And this series of novellas is a perfect example of why that is!

I read the first book in this novella trilogy only a few months ago, but even with some more distance, I’m sure the word that would come to mind when describing it would be “fun.” It told a solid little story, was chock full of adventure, and had an excellent snarky (but complicated!) main character at its heart. And really, it’s that last part that really sold me on the continued success of this series. This book yet again highlights that while Ada can come across as your typical “badass, snarky thief extraordinaire,” her priorities, approach to her work, and sometimes even her own conflicting and tangled moralities, all give her an unexpectedly deep level of characterization for a lead in only two short novellas.

While I think the first book perhaps had more straight action, this one really honed in on the way that Ada works and thinks. This was particularly intriguing when we see her run up against her own limits or when she attempts to explain to others how she draws the lines that she does, what she considers acceptable and unacceptable (always a rich topic for a main character whose career is crime). We do learn more about what drives her, but I was pleased to see the author shy away from the tendency for these sorts of thief characters to quickly veer away from morally grey and fall straight into the typical resistance freedom fighter/Robin Hood re-imagined character that we’ve all read a million times. No, Ada needs to get paid to work.

Of course, we see more of Rian, too, and the development of this romance. Like the first book, I enjoyed the way this romance played out. There is definitely more of it, but it was also never forgotten that these two truly only barely know one another, each having read more about the other from reports than from any true amount of time spent with one another. And, of course, Rian is now aware of Ada’s work and spends the majority of his time throughout this book attempting to thwart her, giving the reader all the enjoyment of watching him fail repeatedly.

For such a short book, I was also impressed by the amount of page time devoted to expanding on the political and social structures of this universe, particularly the ways in which the populations of these other planets view the perils of the original Earth and its struggling population. Without being too heavy handed, Revis does an excellent job of skewering the dangers of leaving crucial projects in the hands of tech billionaires. But at the same time, she takes several swings at the inefficiencies and corruption of government to accomplish the same task. When you write it out, it’s quite dire. But the fact that this book, like the first, is such a fun time is testament to the strength of Revis’s comedic writing and the sheer force of the main character’s personality on the page.

If you can’t tell by now, I had a blast with this book! More so than the first, this set up a lot of moving pieces that are primed to come into play in the next book. And I, for one, can’t wait to see how Ada’s plans all pan out!

Rating 8: Proof that a book can tackle tough topics of climate change, tech billionaires, and corruption while also not skimping on the the comedy, adventure and romance!

Reader’s Advisory:

“How to Steal a Galaxy” can be found on this Goodreads list:Best Science Fiction & Fantasy Books

Kate’s Review: “You’ve Got the Map Backwards”

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Book: “You’ve Got the Map Backwards” by Brian Usobiaga

Publishing Info: Self Published, April 2024

Where Did I Get This Book: I received an epub from the author.

Where You Can Get This Book: Amazon

Book Description: A year removed from high school, lifelong friends Aisha Kinseya and Sarah Piedmont find themselves lost in different places. Struggling with depression, Sarah’s growing dependency on alcohol lands her in rehab. Aisha, in the midst of her second year of college, finds herself increasingly isolated as a crippling anxiety begins to overwhelm her.

Finding solace in familiarity, the two girls reunite only to have their friendship fracture. As they search for answers, Aisha and Sarah discover how relationships can change. How knowing someone your entire life doesn’t mean you know them forever, and how, if you want to grow, there are certain things you must leave behind.

Review: Thank you to Brian Usobiaga for sending me an epub of this novella!

We are starting to wind down 2024, with Thanksgiving next week and then the whirlwind of the holidays kicking into overdrive. I had such an anxiety filled year that I’m actually kind of behind on my reading goals, if I’m being honest, and usually that means that I’m not really taking chances or risks in genres outside of the ones I love. But that said, when author Brian Usobiaga reached out to me with his novella “You’ve Got the Map Backwards” a few months back, even though I KNEW that I was going to be going outside my genre, I was so intrigued by the premise that I wanted to give it a go! So let’s depart from horror, thriller, cozy mystery, and graphic novels to take on a coming of age contemporary novella!

(source)

This is, quite obviously, not the usual kind of fare that I spotlight on this blog, but I was intrigued by the story as someone who has had falling outs with close friends once we hit a certain age and different paths in life (not due to any addiction issues or anything like that, however). And I liked that Usobiaga decided to focus the story on both Sarah’s struggles as well as Aisha’s struggles, and how sometimes friendship can be complicated when both people in the relationship are going through things, even if those things are quite different. We follow both of them through their own perspective moments, with Sarah dealing with being fresh out of rehab and teetering back towards alcohol, and Aisha trying to adjust to college while also taking on Sarah in hopes of supporting her and helping her after rehab. Usobiaga is pretty frank about how difficult Sarah’s path is, as she is in a very vulnerable place and not equipped to deal with trying to stay sober after her program has completely. Sarah is an interesting character because I found her to be incredibly maddening, but I also really felt for her. I also liked Aisha’s perspective as she is trying to hold her own in school as her connection to her father is distanced and somewhat strained, while also feeling a loyalty to Sarah even though Sarah is a mess and bordering on taking advantage of Aisha’s kindness. Their friendship is very complex and I really liked getting both of their perspectives to be able to see both sides.

I think that the only hangup I had was that sometimes the time shifts were confusing. There were definitely headers that lets the reader know that we are now in a different place in time, sometimes a decade behind even, but I found myself having to go back and remind myself when a certain moment was taking place because it felt a bit like the other moments in time that we were seeing play out. I’m someone who really likes structured time jumps that follow a pattern, so ones that are a bit more creative tend to confuse me, and this may not be a problem that translates to all readers.

I found “You’ve Got the Map Backwards” to be an emotional and quick read, with characters whose pain felt very real and who we hope will find some healing. I’m happy I took a chance on it!

Rating 7: Shorter and to the point, “You’ve Got the Map Backwards” is a story about addiction, friendship, and a crossroads between two people who mean a lot to each other.

Reader’s Advisory:

“You’ve Got the Map Backwards” isn’t on any Goodreads lists as of now, but if you like friendship dramas with some honesty and a little bit of hope, this would be a good match for you.

Serena’s Review: “The Bloodless Princes”

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Book: “The Bloodless Princes” by Charlotte Bond

Publishing Info: Tordotcom, October 2024

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

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

Book Description: It seemed the afterlife was bustling.

Cursed by the previous practitioner in her new role, and following an… incident… with a supremely powerful dragon, High Mage Saralene visits the afterlife with a boon to beg of the Bloodless Princes who run the underworld.

But Saralene and her most trusted advisor/champion/companion, Sir Maddileh, will soon discover that there’s only so much research to be done by studying the old tales, though perhaps there’s enough truth in them to make a start.

Saralene will need more than just her wits to leave the underworld, alive. And Maddileh will need more than just her Fireborne Blade.

A story of love and respect that endures beyond death. And of dragons, because we all love a dragon!

Previously Reviewed: “The Fireborne Blade”

Review: I read and enjoyed the first novella in this series, so it was mostly a given that I would check out this next entry. That said, I definitely would have picked this one up based on the cover alone. I mean, for heaven’s sake, one of the lead characters is cuddling some sort of magical cat creature! So, without further ado, let’s dive into the review.

This was a romp of a ride! It’s a short little adventure tale that packs in a lot of action and lore within a limited page count. While I enjoyed the dragon lore we got in the first entry (and could have wished for a bit more of it here), I also liked the shift into a more Greek-inspired tale. Adventures through the land of the underworld are always a good time, and this one tied in nicely with some of the events and reveals at the end of the first book.

Like the first book, I enjoyed the way the author played around with storytelling format, imbedding numerous folktales throughout the story through different perspectives. And, like the first book, I was surprised to find that some of these entries were almost my favorite parts of the entire book! Not that I don’t enjoy our main characters and their story, but given the short length of the story, there’s isn’t a lot of complicated character arcs to be found there. Which isn’t bad, but it also means that I wasn’t heavily invested in them either. I enjoyed following their tale, but I also enjoyed simply learning more about this world. And, of course, I loved the cat dragon. Was it perhaps a bit of a bone throne to fantasy-lovers? Sure. Did I mind it at all? No, no I did not.

Overall, this was a fun duology. It didn’t break any barriers within the genre, but it was also the sort of beach read fantasy that I think will appeal to many readers who want to escape on a fun adventure but not commit to a massive tome. Fans of the first book will likely enjoy this one, and I definitely recommend this duology to all fantasy readers looking for a fast-paced adventure tale following two fantastic leading ladies!

Rating 8: Adventure, romance, and a dragon cat, what more can you want?

Serena’s Review: “The City in Glass”

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Book: “The City in Glass” by Nghi Vo

Publishing Info: Tor, October 2024

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

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

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

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

And then the angels come, and the city falls.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Reader’s Advisory:

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

Kate’s Review: “This World Is Not Yours”

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

Book: “This World Is Not Yours” by Kemi Ashing-Giwa

Publishing Info: Tor Nightfire, September 2024

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

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

Book Description: This World is Not Yours by USA Today bestseller Kemi Ashing-Giwa is the perfect blend of S.A. Barnes’ space horror and Cassandra Khaw’s beautiful but macabre worlds. An action-packed, inventive novella about a toxic polycule consumed by jealousy and their attempts to survive on a hostile planet.

After fleeing her controlling and murderous family with her fiancée Vinh, Amara embarks on a colonization project, New Belaforme, along with her childhood friend, Jesse. The planet, beautiful and lethal, produces the Gray, a “self-cleaning” mechanism that New Belaforme’s scientists are certain only attacks invasive organisms, consuming them. Humans have been careful to do nothing to call attention to themselves until a rival colony wakes the Gray.

As Amara, Vinh, and Jesse work to carve out a new life together, each is haunted by past betrayals that surface, expounded by the need to survive the rival colony and the planet itself.

There’s more than one way to be eaten alive.

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

When “This World Is Not Yours” by Kemi Ashing-Giwa ended up in my inbox, the cover alone caught my attention. I mean dang, look at that cover. The expression on that person’s face! And looking more into the story itself, I was absolutely intrigued by the premise of a space colony with a strange ecosystem, and a ‘toxic polycule’ (we all know that I LOVE that kind of drama). And the phrase ‘There’s more than one way to be eaten alive’? GIVE IT TO ME NOW. Suffice to say, I was going into this novella with some high hopes.

First the highlights. I am always game for a sci-fi/space horror tale that brings up some of the perils of colonialism, especially on an unfamiliar planet with an unfamiliar ecosystem and with mechanisms that aren’t fully understood. This is one of the reasons I loved “Annihilation”, and the Gray and New Belaforme colony really reminded me of that novel in a number of ways. Secondly, the space horror in this book is unrelenting, it builds some good tension, and when the tension breaks it is GORY AS HELL and in the best and most horrifying ways possible. First with the tension bit. There was one moment where someone was literally swimming in The Gray and I am pretty sure I clamped my hand over my mouth because I knew that could NOT be a good idea, but Ashing-Giwa takes her sweet time in pulling out all she can from the suspense. And then when we do finally get a pay off for it, and the tension breaks into a gory, terrifying mess?

It was disgusting and absolutely nasty. Which is exactly what I want from space based body horror. ( source)

All of this was spot on.

That being said, and this is in a lot of ways a ‘me’ issue, I wasn’t as enthralled with the Science Fiction stuff. I am at the point where I need to just tell myself ‘look Kate, even if it’s Space Horror, Sci-Fi isn’t your thing’ and maybe not take it on. And in “This World Is Not Yours” we get a lot of that, with colonies, space intrigue, Science Fiction scenarios involving populations and ecology, and lots of references to tech that kind of made me skim the pages a bit. I will reiterate that these are all things that are to be expected in this genre, and people who like that will probably like how it is done in this. So that negative aspect is probably on me. But along with that I didn’t feel like I really got to know our characters as much as I would have liked, especially Jesse, one of the cornerstones of the polycule that has been forced upon our main characters. I understood his connection to Amara, but the connection to Vinh was more talked about than really demonstrated. I think to buy some of the high stakes moments at the end I needed more from Jesse. I also needed more development of Vinh’s assigned husband Henry, because Amara REALLY hates him and I understood why she would hate him as a jealous wife, but he seemed pretty bland until there were a couple of hail Mary moments of terribleness that felt like they were there to be like SEE THIS IS WHY YOU SHOULD HATE HIM that didn’t feel super earned. On top of that, Amara and Vinh as the couple we are supposed to be rooting for didn’t really click with me. But this could have been solved had we explored them more, and I think that we probably needed more pages to do so.

So all in all “This World Is Not Yours” was a bit mixed for me. The space horror at its peak was fantastic. But it wasn’t as centered as I had hoped it would be.

Rating 6: When the space horror was in full force it was terrifying. But a lack of character development and a little too much Sci-Fi made this not the home run I had hoped for.

Reader’s Advisory:

“This World Is Not Yours” is included on the Goodreads list “Queer Polyamory”.

Kate’s Review: “The Night Guest”

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Book: “The Night Guest” by Hildur Knútsdóttir & Mary Robinette Kowal (Translator)

Publishing Info: Tor Nightfire, September 2024

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

Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.0rg | Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: Hildur Knutsdottir’s The Night Guest is an eerie and ensnaring story set in contemporary Reykjavík that’s sure to keep you awake at night.

Iðunn is in yet another doctor’s office. She knows her constant fatigue is a sign that something’s not right, but practitioners dismiss her symptoms and blood tests haven’t revealed any cause.

When she talks to friends and family about it, the refrain is the same ― have you tried eating better? exercising more? establishing a nighttime routine? She tries to follow their advice, buying everything from vitamins to sleeping pills to a step-counting watch. Nothing helps.

Until one night Iðunn falls asleep with the watch on, and wakes up to find she’s walked over 40,000 steps in the night . . .

What is happening when she’s asleep? Why is she waking up with increasingly disturbing injuries? And why won’t anyone believe her?

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

Earlier this summer I went into the doctor for some weird symptoms that seemed to come out of nowhere. I was experiencing head spinning and elevated heart rate at times, mostly when driving, and I was worried that something was wrong. But after running tests and even putting me on a heart monitor for two weeks, the doctor wasn’t able to find anything out of the ordinary (and the symptoms generally resolved), and I ended up having to basically chalk it up to anxiety (and given that I had a massive anxiety episode a couple months later that was probably the case). But in the moment I was very stressed about symptoms that weren’t really explainable no matter how supportive my provider was (and she was!). So there were some aspects of “The Night Guest” by Hildur Knútsdóttir that were personally very relatable to me, what with the question of medical mysteries and the stress that comes with it. Luckily I can say that the relatability ended there, as this novel was supremely, SUPREMELY, creepy, and just got creepier as it went on.

I loved how weird and creepy this book is. We are following the perspective of Iðunn, a woman living in Reykjavik who has been exhausted and feeling poorly, although her medical tests are coming up without any answers. But after she buys a watch with step counts, and the counts over night are in the tens of thousands in spite of her thinking she’s asleep, the first person POV novella slowly spirals as she becomes more and more incoherent and unhinged. Knútsdóttir really captures a deeply disturbing tone, starting with the already kind of upsetting (but also too real) scenario of a woman dealing with medical issues that no one else can really explain, and how hopeless that can feel, and going deeper and deeper int weird territory as phantom steps, weird injuries, and other odd things begin popping up that feel connected to Iðunn. Since it’s in the first person we really get into Iðunn’s mind and slowly learn her backstory as her perspective is crumbling more and more. I absolutely loved how bananas this descent was, and how we do learn things about her and her background and part of what may be driving her mental state as these bizarre things are happening to her. It’s very much an unreliable narration story, but Knútsdóttir hits the exact right notes to make it abjectly horrifying the longer is goes on until even the reader feels like they are going mad.

One qualm? I did find the ending to be a little confusing and perhaps a little too quick. There is always a risk of going too deep into the weeds with an unreliable narrator that is perhaps losing their mental faculties, and I think that’s what may have happened here. It’s a hard balance to strike when trying to keep a consistent tone to a character, but also having to maybe explain SOMETHING as the story wraps up. I didn’t feel like we really got that there, though I do understand that it may be a bit difficult to do so with the trajectory that Iðunn took and where she was by the ending. But that being said, it kind of made the ending more of a thud than a stuck landing.

But at the end of the day I found “The Night Guest” to be really weird and unsettling in a really good way. Should more of Knútsdóttir’s works be translated I would definitely seek it out, what a strange and unique story this was.

Rating 7: Super creepy and very unnerving, but a frantic and confusing ending bumped my score down just a little bit.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Night Guest” is included on the Goodreads list “Horror to Look Forward to in 2024”.