TL;DR: A slow build with a fantastic payoff. Source: NetGalley & a physical copy via the publisher, thank you so much! Plot: Nbaro gets her dream job aboard a Greatship right when it becomes clear someone is trying to destroy them. Characters: There were a wide variety of them and I enjoyed them. Setting: The... Continue Reading →
Cabaret in Flames by Hache Pueyo
TL;DR: Good but not quite five stars.Source: NetGalley, thank you so much to the publisher! Plot: Ariadne is looking for her missing mentor and gets caught in a bigger web. Characters: Interesting but not super unique. Setting: Not much can be said about the setting, it served well but it wasn’t a strong part of... Continue Reading →
Operation Bounce House by Matt Dinniman
TL;DR: A lot heavier than DCC - but still a great read with a lot to say. Source: NetGalley, thank you so much to the publisher! Plot: Oliver, his friends, and community must come together to survive and fight off Earth’s ‘citizen soldiers’. Characters: A lovely group of folks. I enjoyed all these characters and... Continue Reading →
For Human Use by Sarah G. Pierce
TL;DR: What a WIERD book… in the best way. Source: NetGalley, thank you so much to the publisher! Plot: A dating app for corpses and humans (and this isn’t paranormal). Characters: Very flawed but felt real in that way. Setting: Definitely not the focus of this one. Horror: This is the type of horror that’s... Continue Reading →
The Poet Empress by Shen Tao
TL;DR: My first five star of 2026 and one of the saddest books I’ve read in a long time. Source: NetGalley, thank you so much to the publisher! Plot: Wei Yin is caught up in the machinations of court and ends up becoming at first a joke, then a force. Beautiful. Characters: Nuanced and flawed... Continue Reading →
Once Upon a Time in Dollywood by Ashley Jordan
TL;DR: Overall a really good romance, but two personal gripes kept it from being a five star. Source: NetGalley, thank you so much to the publisher! Plot: Eve runs to Gatlinburg to escape her troubles and meets a lovely man. Characters: They had some very interesting depth and story to the. I really enjoyed the... Continue Reading →
Oxford Blood by Rachel Davis-Featherstone
TL;DR: A fast paced and incredibly tense YA thriller - perfect for fans of the genre. Source: NetGalley - Thank you to the publisher!! Plot: Eva is going to Oxford to interview for a position in the college when murders happen and things get tense, and fast.Characters: The characters were a good mix of relatable... Continue Reading →
Ain’t Nobody’s Fool: The Life and Times of Dolly Parton by Martha Ackmann
TL;DR: A fantastic biography of the one and only Dolly Parton. Source: NetGalley, thank you so much to the publisher! Setting: By and far I appreciated the care the author took with East TN in this and how it shaped Dolly and why she lives and loves this area. Readability: This is written for anyone,... Continue Reading →
The Possession of Alba Diaz by Isabel Cañas
TL;DR: A book in halves for me. Half I loved, half I didn’t. Source: NetGalley, thank you so much to the publisher! Plot: Alba tricks her way into an engagement and then finds herself possessed at a mine. Characters: I really enjoyed everyone here. Setting: A lovely setting but I kind of wish we had... Continue Reading →
The Library at Hellebore by Cassandra Khaw
TL;DR: Absolutely loved the idea but this needed so much more meat on it's bones. Source: NetGalley, thank you so much to the publisher! Plot: Take a twisted magical school and put a bunch of very unhinged characters inside. Fun times follow. Characters: They had a lot of potential for me! But ultimately we didn’t... Continue Reading →