This was an unexpectedly fun romp of a thriller. I picked it up as a quick read to break up my other reads because I had several very heavy and complicated epic fantasies on the go, and ended up reading the whole thing in one sitting. DREAD WOOD was not what I expected, but honestly? It was better, and I can't wait to read the next book in this series and see what happens next. If this book is anything to go by, it will be surprising, spooky and so much fun.
I'm a sucker for a Neon Hemlock novella, so when I was offered a review copy of LET THE MOUNTAINS BE MY GRAVE, a queer historical fantasy set in Italy in 1944 as a goddess-blessed partisan fighter seeks vengeance against the Nazis. I loved this book, and it definitely held up to the high quality I expect from these novellas.
I read ALL THE MURMURING BONES last year and absolutely loved it. It was a different kind of gothic horror than I was used to, so I was keen to read THE PATH OF THORNS, another gothic story set in the same universe. After a slow start, this story picked up to a satisfying and page-turning climax, full of gothic horror and dark fairytale magic.
I stumbled across YOU'VE LOST A LOT OF BLOOD on twitter and bought the ebook on a whim. It was a total cover buy, because I'm a sucker for horror book covers that are a little... gross. I read it in one sitting, then immediately listened to the audiobook for THINGS HAVE GOTTEN WORSE SINCE WE LAST SPOKE and made Andee read it too so we could talk about it. So when Eric LaRocca asked for reviewers for WE CAN NEVER LEAVE THIS PLACE, I stopped dead and read the whole thing immediately.
I read this book while I was sick with covid and I honestly think this novel has curative powers. I read the entire thing in one sitting and once I was done I wanted to lie down and bask in it for the rest of my life. I hope that this novel and its well-deserved hype prompts a whole genre of cozy, low-stakes fantasy because this is everything I didn't know I was looking for.
I picked up THE MASK OF MIRRORS in a 99p ebook sale because Alex told me that he liked it a lot. I didn't really know much about it, other than that I love Orbit fantasy a lot and I trust Alex's taste. It was kind of a revelation to me how much I enjoyed this book - especially considering that I dnf'd one of the co-author's other books. I really enjoyed the entire premise of this - especially when it went in completely a different direction than I expected.
I'll be honest, the appeal of this one was the pretty purple-y dragon tail on the cover and the use of 'dragon' in the title. I was hoping for lots and lots of dragons. That's not really what I got. This was a disappointment to me, though it wasn't the worst YA fantasy I've ever read.
I read and reviewed This Poison Heart last year, after loving Cinderella is Dead, so when I saw This Wicked Fate appear on Netgalley I knew I had to have it. This is the final part of the This Poison Heart duology and it's a fitting end to this fantastic fantasy series steeped in magic, …
Continue reading REVIEW | This Wicked Fate | Kalynn Bayron | This Poison Heart #2
This was a lot more fun than I was expecting, and the Lovecraftian themes were unexpected but delightfully eerie. If you've ever daydreamed about falling into your favourite books, this one might make you think twice about it - things aren't always what they seem in your favourite worlds.
I read The Forward Collection last year, and so far this year I've read The Trespass Collection, The Black Stars Collection, The Dark Corners Collection and The Hush Collection. I'm absolutely hooked on these speedy pieces of short fiction. They're available in ebook and audio via Kindle Unlimited, which is a great deal for lots of excellent short fiction. If you'd like to sign up for Kindle Unlimited, my link is here and at the bottom of this review. This collection is focused on a world that's almost ours, and gave me a real sense of uncanny valley.
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