Source: Netgalley - Many thanks to the publisher!TL;DR: A worthy follow-up to A Dowry in Blood. Even with a slightly predictable ending I really enjoyed this. Plot: The classic Carmilla remixed. Laura and Carmilla are rivals in a poetry course, it was believable and engrossing.Characters: Really loved these over the top and flawed characters (though... Continue Reading →
The Butcher of the Forest by Premee Mohamed
Source: Netgalley - Many thanks to the publisher!!TL;DR: Dark and gloomy, but beautiful and fast paced. A dangerous ride, I definitely recommend for dark fantasy fans. Plot: Veris is sent into the North Woods, an enchanted place, to find two lost children. It's a dark time.Characters: Veris is our main PoV and we stay pretty... Continue Reading →
The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia A. McKillip
Source: Tachyon Press - Thank you so much for the arc!!TL;DR: A OG Romantasy in my opinion. A fantasy that focuses on the idea of love, in it’s myriad of forms, and a powerful woman. Loved this one. Plot: Sybel gets caught between the boy she raised, the man she loves and the wars of... Continue Reading →
Jubilee by Stephen K. Stanford
Source: Netgalley - Thank you so much to the publisher!Tl;DR: This was a big miss for me. Simple writing, a bit of a nonsense plot, and overly sexualized women. No thanks. Plot: All over the place. Perhaps if we'd taken time to break things down and move slowly this could be a good series? But... Continue Reading →
The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett
Source: Netgalley - Thank you so much to the publisher for reaching out to me!TL;DR: Such a slow build but I really think it was worth it. A Holmesian mystery with lots of fantasy and plant magic/science! Plot: This was slow. It started with a single gruesome murder and evolved to a bigger, empire risking... Continue Reading →
What Feasts at Night by T. Kingfisher
Source: Netgalley, many thanks to the publisher!TL;DR: Perhaps not as strong as the first novel, but an interesting exploration of the world. Plot: Alex returns to their home country and is attacked by a spirit/ghost. Nothing too mind-blowing but creepyCharacters: I enjoyed the characters here more than the previous novella, though I wish Miss Potter... Continue Reading →
Bunt! Striking Out On Financial Aid by Ngozi Ukazu & Mad Rupert
Source: Netgalley - Thank you to the publisher!TL;DR: A fun ride trying to fix financial aid gone bad. As both an art kid and one who depended on Financial Aid this hit and was hilarious. Plot: I really enjoyed this. I still have dreams about college and realizing I'm missing classes or aid so this... Continue Reading →
Blood Debts by Terry J Benton-Walker
Source: NetgalleyTL;DR: Wow that was a lot, and I’m on the fence. Trauma and PoVs for days, but interesting magic and themes. Plot: Slow yet it took place over a short time as two twins who don't trust each other and have petty fights constant work to figure out generational curses.Characters: There were perhaps too... Continue Reading →
Your Shadow Half Remains by Sunny Moraine
Source: NetGalley - So many thanks to the publisher!TL;DR: If you’ve a fear of being alone, have intense feelings of the pandemic or enjoy more topical mental hellscape type of horrors - this is for you. If you’re here for the creepy, the supernatural, or any type of humor or human endurance? Pass on this.... Continue Reading →
That Time I Got Drunk and Yeeted a Love Potion At a Werewolf by Kimberly Lemming
Source: NetGalley - Thank you to Orbit!TL;DR: No quest, far less world, and more sex. Not as fun for me as the first one but mileage may vary. Plot: Focuses in primarily on the forced proximity of Felix and Brie. There is a mystery added on but it's definitely not the focusCharacters: A lot of... Continue Reading →