Leopold Berry thought he had put and done away with childish things. His mom has passed away. He’s now living with an overbearing and self-important fLeopold Berry thought he had put and done away with childish things. His mom has passed away. He’s now living with an overbearing and self-important father who wants to map out every step of Leopold’s life. His friends are getting older and looking forward to their happier, brighter futures.
Leopold just spends every day in a daze, wondering if he’s losing his mind and if he’ll ever grow capable of standing up to his father. He just has this itch under his skin and in his hands telling him there’s something missing, or something is missing him, and he can’t go another minute without at least trying to figure out what’s humming inside of him.
From this point in Sunderworld, Vol. I, it’s an all-out roller coaster of urban fantasy, fantastic whimsy, a terrifically-constructed city layered over another city, great bits of Los Angeles lore, urban exploration, fun and imaginative world building, great pacing, teenagers acting like teenagers, explorations of grief, the beginnings of found family vibes, a fierce friendship, plenty of action, and a whole lot of fun secrets uncovered.
I wasn’t around for Riggs’ Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children series. Those came out while I was raising my kids, I think, and my kids weren’t readers (still aren’t). So I was only peripherally aware of Riggs as an author and his imaginative worldbuilding skills. This is why I wanted to read Sunderworld even though I knew it was going to skew toward a younger YA audience than I normally read. This book is labeled inside as being marketed towards those 14 and older, but I don’t believe in age-bracket marketing. I’m putting it here because someone reading this review might. I will say though that I think a kid as young as 10 or 12 could read this and be just fine.
I’m definitely sticking around for the next installment. This was a lot of fun to read and there are not enough books with whimsy in them, in my opinion. Give me all the whimsy.
I was provided a copy of this title by Netgalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
File Under: 5 Star Review/Book Series/Fantasy Series/First Book in a Fantasy Series/Urban Fantasy/YA Book Series/YA FantasyYA Fiction ...more
I absolutely adored Bewitched, the first book in this series, and Bespelled ensnared me with its charms just as effectively. I’m not the hugest fan ofI absolutely adored Bewitched, the first book in this series, and Bespelled ensnared me with its charms just as effectively. I’m not the hugest fan of straight-up MF romance, but there’s just something about the way Laura writes her lead couples that sucks me every time and causes me to become heavily invested in them and their story. I can’t pinpoint what it is about them yet (yes, even though we’re at the end of the second book) that has me so captivated, but I know there has to be other authors out there that wish they could bottle this particular blend of writing witchcraft.
Bespelled picks up almost right where Bewitched left off, with Selene having been framed for the witch murders by Memnon, because someone’s still stuck on his tour of vengeance. Selene has the memories of her past life back, but it’s kind of hard to focus on anything but being, well, under arrest for crimes she didn’t commit. Luckily, the situation rights itself pretty quickly, and soon we get back to the incredibly charismatic push-pull dynamic between Selene and Memnon as they try and navigate each other, the situation they find themselves in now that Selene can remember the past, and what to do about the ongoing murders.
We get to meet a whole slew of supporting characters, see the overarching plot develop some more, see a new major plotline develop, see the rise and fall of a whole subplot within this book, and have it end with not a cliffhanger but a huge question mark. There’s a ton of magic, a whole bunch of intrigue, a great deal of action and violence, some great swoon-worthy romance, decent spice, and buckets of blood.
A lot happens in this book. I mean, a lot, a lot. Thalassa does a great job keeping the story moving and not letting everything get too tangled together at the same time. There is a pretty large infodump via looking into memories (not by flashback) near the beginning of the book, but I can’t in all fairness call it lazy storytelling in this instance because it falls in line with the way magic works in this series and the way the characters exist. There just wasn’t a better option to get the necessary information across to we readers.
It was a fantastic read and I’m absolutely anticipating the final book!
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
I fell in love with the cover and the summary of this novella immediately, and the fact it was a translation sealed the deal on me wanting to read it I fell in love with the cover and the summary of this novella immediately, and the fact it was a translation sealed the deal on me wanting to read it because I not only try to aim to read translations as often as I can but I’ve also been loving the Korean translations I’ve read in the last year or so.
First, a caveat: I read the eARC for this on a Kindle Paperwhite, and this may have messed with the formatting somewhat. This title does have some illustrations and as Amazon has it classified as a manga in hardcover format I worry I might have missed some of the illustrations due to reading it on a Paperwhite. I can’t know for sure, so I’m putting this statement here just to let any readers of this review know I might not have had the full experience with this title that some others had.
I really did love the story and plot as it was first put to us in this book: When do we stop being “girls”? When do we actually “grow up”? Is there a point in time when a Magical Girl stops being magical? Is it ever too late for someone to become magical, or can we bypass that issue by giving some magic to every girl so she can navigate the world with a little more power under her belt?
It’s impossible to read this novella and not think of South Korea’s 4B movement, which has only been growing in strength and numbers since 2015-2016 (that I know of). The women of South Korea are rejecting Korean culture due to its inherently patriarchal and misogynistic nature and often outright boycotting the presence of any males in their lives–sometimes even to the point of having no male friendships. The central conflict in this book hinges on how to handle feminine rage as the result of mistreatment by the patriarchy.
Sadly, this story is split in half for me. While the first half is entertaining and read smoothly for me, the second half is rather chaotic and doesn’t read as smoothly, resulting in a great deal of confusion on my part as a reader. The narrative and story felt a little choppy in places, and the ending didn’t quite make as much sense to me as I would’ve liked. While I absolutely loved how you could tie this story into the 4B movement, it really felt like an incomplete metaphor.
In the end it was fine, but I would’ve liked a little more to chew on.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. This review is rated three stars or lower, so it will not be posted to my social media. Thank you.
File Under: Fantasy/LGBTQ Fantasy/Novella/Urban Fantasy ...more
There is a difference between envy and jealousy. People seem to forget that sometimes. Jealousy is a secondary emotion borne of fear or anger. Envy isThere is a difference between envy and jealousy. People seem to forget that sometimes. Jealousy is a secondary emotion borne of fear or anger. Envy is when you’re aware that you resent that someone else has something you covet. Most of the time, envy is a subtle thing. Like, “Oh man, I really like those shoes! Those are much better black heels than mine!” Other times, however, envy can grow into something painful and blistering hot. Envy can make people murderous.
In Rouge, we have an envy pas de deux: a mother and daughter who sadly can’t keep away from the toxicity of envy between one another. A daughter who feels so different from her mother due her darker skin color (from her Egyptian father) and dark hair when her mother has red hair, blue eyes, and luminously pale skin. A mother who feels envious of her daughter’s skin because she believes it will age so much better than hers will. A daughter who’s envious of all the men who parade through her mother’s life and take up all the time, love, and affection her mother could be giving her. A mother who’s become so narcissistic she is oblivious to the wide rift she’s created between her and her daughter, how toxic it’s become, and how she’s unwittingly left it so open to dangerous influences.
The sharply funny, barbed satire prose passages lambasting the skin care industry were some of my favorite passages in this book. I just couldn’t keep from smirking at the laundry list of products, even if I’m guilty of using a night cream that does indeed have snail slime in it myself. What was tragic about Belle’s (our main character’s) hyper-vigilant use of these expensive products in a ritualized manner was how she thought she needed to do all this to look more like her mother. She grew up thinking her mother was perfection and she was obsessed with trying to reach it, even if her melanin-rich skin wasn’t meant for it.
The rest of the book, the cult-ish/secret society part of the whole story, was written so impeccably I just don’t know how words could describe it very well. It was all vibes and atmosphere. It had the rich darkness of gothic fiction, the fantastical elements of urban fantasy, the creepy eeriness of occult fiction, the gore and shock of supernatural horror, and the overall lovely, elegant swoop of literary fiction. The whole thing is simply covered in beauty, lust, envy, blood, pain, and grief. I loved every page.
I was provided a copy of this book by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
File Under: 5 Star Review/Cult Fiction/Dark Comedy/Gothic/Literary Fiction/Occult Fiction/Psychological Fiction/Satire/Secret Society/Supernatural Horror/Urban Fantasy
Merged review:
There is a difference between envy and jealousy. People seem to forget that sometimes. Jealousy is a secondary emotion borne of fear or anger. Envy is when you’re aware that you resent that someone else has something you covet. Most of the time, envy is a subtle thing. Like, “Oh man, I really like those shoes! Those are much better black heels than mine!” Other times, however, envy can grow into something painful and blistering hot. Envy can make people murderous.
In Rouge, we have an envy pas de deux: a mother and daughter who sadly can’t keep away from the toxicity of envy between one another. A daughter who feels so different from her mother due her darker skin color (from her Egyptian father) and dark hair when her mother has red hair, blue eyes, and luminously pale skin. A mother who feels envious of her daughter’s skin because she believes it will age so much better than hers will. A daughter who’s envious of all the men who parade through her mother’s life and take up all the time, love, and affection her mother could be giving her. A mother who’s become so narcissistic she is oblivious to the wide rift she’s created between her and her daughter, how toxic it’s become, and how she’s unwittingly left it so open to dangerous influences.
The sharply funny, barbed satire prose passages lambasting the skin care industry were some of my favorite passages in this book. I just couldn’t keep from smirking at the laundry list of products, even if I’m guilty of using a night cream that does indeed have snail slime in it myself. What was tragic about Belle’s (our main character’s) hyper-vigilant use of these expensive products in a ritualized manner was how she thought she needed to do all this to look more like her mother. She grew up thinking her mother was perfection and she was obsessed with trying to reach it, even if her melanin-rich skin wasn’t meant for it.
The rest of the book, the cult-ish/secret society part of the whole story, was written so impeccably I just don’t know how words could describe it very well. It was all vibes and atmosphere. It had the rich darkness of gothic fiction, the fantastical elements of urban fantasy, the creepy eeriness of occult fiction, the gore and shock of supernatural horror, and the overall lovely, elegant swoop of literary fiction. The whole thing is simply covered in beauty, lust, envy, blood, pain, and grief. I loved every page.
I was provided a copy of this book by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
File Under: 5 Star Review/Cult Fiction/Dark Comedy/Gothic/Literary Fiction/Occult Fiction/Psychological Fiction/Satire/Secret Society/Supernatural Horror/Urban Fantasy
Merged review:
There is a difference between envy and jealousy. People seem to forget that sometimes. Jealousy is a secondary emotion borne of fear or anger. Envy is when you’re aware that you resent that someone else has something you covet. Most of the time, envy is a subtle thing. Like, “Oh man, I really like those shoes! Those are much better black heels than mine!” Other times, however, envy can grow into something painful and blistering hot. Envy can make people murderous.
In Rouge, we have an envy pas de deux: a mother and daughter who sadly can’t keep away from the toxicity of envy between one another. A daughter who feels so different from her mother due her darker skin color (from her Egyptian father) and dark hair when her mother has red hair, blue eyes, and luminously pale skin. A mother who feels envious of her daughter’s skin because she believes it will age so much better than hers will. A daughter who’s envious of all the men who parade through her mother’s life and take up all the time, love, and affection her mother could be giving her. A mother who’s become so narcissistic she is oblivious to the wide rift she’s created between her and her daughter, how toxic it’s become, and how she’s unwittingly left it so open to dangerous influences.
The sharply funny, barbed satire prose passages lambasting the skin care industry were some of my favorite passages in this book. I just couldn’t keep from smirking at the laundry list of products, even if I’m guilty of using a night cream that does indeed have snail slime in it myself. What was tragic about Belle’s (our main character’s) hyper-vigilant use of these expensive products in a ritualized manner was how she thought she needed to do all this to look more like her mother. She grew up thinking her mother was perfection and she was obsessed with trying to reach it, even if her melanin-rich skin wasn’t meant for it.
The rest of the book, the cult-ish/secret society part of the whole story, was written so impeccably I just don’t know how words could describe it very well. It was all vibes and atmosphere. It had the rich darkness of gothic fiction, the fantastical elements of urban fantasy, the creepy eeriness of occult fiction, the gore and shock of supernatural horror, and the overall lovely, elegant swoop of literary fiction. The whole thing is simply covered in beauty, lust, envy, blood, pain, and grief. I loved every page.
I was provided a copy of this book by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
Toxic Revenge is the first half of an omegaverse duology that’s part mafia, part motorcycle club, part criminal conspiracy, part scent-match sketchineToxic Revenge is the first half of an omegaverse duology that’s part mafia, part motorcycle club, part criminal conspiracy, part scent-match sketchiness, and part “omega has a revenge agenda”. It’s a whole lot of tropes and microtropes to cram into one plot and it does show, here and there, but by and large it’s spicy and fun.
When it comes to duologies, the first half has to do triple duty: the world building, characterizations, and place the most important building blocks for the story arc and romantic dynamics. This leaves the second half to do the heavy work carrying through with the plot, emotions, intimacy, and character growth. This first half has a lot to juggle and I think it does the best it can with the page length its given, but some elements did end up getting a bit of a lopsided treatment.
You know what makes it all better? Spicy revenge. Spiteful, spicy revenge. I loved the spice scenes in this book. Olivia Lewin writes excellent omegaverse spice and I love how she decided to take the idea of “cheating the cheater” and ran with it with no regrets. It was salacious. It was hot. I was here for it.
I was provided a copy of this title by the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. No compensation was offered or accepted in exchange for this review. Thank you.
After so, so, so so so long, we finally get Toby and Blaise’s story. Something has been brewing between these two since the end of the Reckless DamnedAfter so, so, so so so long, we finally get Toby and Blaise’s story. Something has been brewing between these two since the end of the Reckless Damned series and through the first two of the books in this Damned Connections series. By the time author Lark Taylor got to the end of the previous book, Justice, I was positively foaming at the mouth for this book and I can’t help but wonder if that’s where I went wrong, because I loved this book but it just wasn’t the story I thought Toby and Blaise deserved.
This has nothing to do with Taylor’s talents as a storyteller: As per usual, Lark wrote a great story that stands up to most criticism. The problem I see is that it’s standing up against her other works and the background story arc between Toby and Blaise and this book just falls a little short of doing either justice. We have waited a long time for this story and that deserved a big payoff, but there was just too much going on in this book to devote it all to Toby and Blaise’s love story.
It has a rough, if sexy, take-off, but an amazing landing. The pacing seems stuttered because this book covers a longer time period than most of Taylor’s books and there’s a lot of things that need to happen and a lot of stuff to work through, as well as many sublime spicy scenes written in (and they’re hot, trust). New characters are introduced and we see newer characters again in preparation for the next book in this series and the new series that’s coming up.
It’s just a lot of material for a book I felt should’ve been dedicated almost entirely to the romance between Toby and Blaise, because if anyone deserves that treatment it’s these two. They have had an epic story behind the scenes and I just wanted more of them. That doesn’t mean this book isn’t fantastic, because I’ve yet to read a Lark Taylor book I didn’t love, but it does mean I couldn’t have loved it more.
I was provided a copy of this title by the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
If there was ever a non-spicy slogan for this series, it would be, “The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb”. Because we all kIf there was ever a non-spicy slogan for this series, it would be, “The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb”. Because we all know every other slogan pertaining to these books is essentially thematically tied to the word SL*T. (You know it, I know it).
The family you make for yourself and not what you’re born with has been what the Suarez clan has been fighting for since book one of this series, and it all comes to a head in Enter the Multi-Vers. This is the fourth and final book in this main series, with C. Rochelle promising novellas and spin-offs to come. Here we have the tale of the mysterious and powerful twins: Dre and Gabe, of The Rabble mind-speak notoriety from previous books. They’ve been sent on a mission by Wolfy: they’re to become the interns of the artist known as Theo Coatl and uncover his secrets. Because Theo Coatl isn’t all that he seems, and they need to know who and maybe even what he truly is.
This book is even more chaotic and wild than the other Villainous Things books and I am here for it. As the teasers and author’s notes inside warn, this trio of thirsty sl*ts are just extra: extra controlled, extra controlled chaos, and extra batty crazy. Neither Dre, nor Gabe, nor Theo shall be dissuaded from being as extra as possible in every single way. Gabe is a very sl*tty good boy, Theo is a bratty brat brat who uses Gabe like a toy, and everyone should be justifiably scared of Dre when it comes to his twin and Theo.
There are so many feelings in this book, and Theo doesn’t know what to do with them. Heck, Gabe’s the only one more capable of feelings than Dre and Theo, and that’s either because he’s subby or because being a twin gives him a solid connection to someone outside himself. These big emotions immediately tangle Gabe, Dre, and Theo in a quagmire, because they all have secrets from one another (yes, even the twins) and don’t quite know what they’re going to do about it. Who do they trust? What can they do? Who will it hurt?
The solutions/answers to the overarching plot of the series are found in this book, but I thought it was a little too neatly wrapped up. It felt a little rushed. I could have sustained the book being a little longer (even though it’s already a thicc baby) if it meant a more flushed out ending.
But I adored the love story. I loved the characters so much. I’m obsessed with their dynamic, their thirst, their adoration for one another, the brutality in their sensuality, and their intimacy. I love how they evolved and how they crushed their challenges. I couldn’t get enough of how extra they all were, in every way. Because why not go big?
I was provided a copy of this title by the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. No compensation was offered or accepted in exchange for this review. Thank you.
File Under: 5 Star Review/Age Gap Romance/Book Series/Found Family/Gay Romance/Kink Friendly/LGBTQ Romance/Spice Level 3/Supernatural Fantasy/Urban Fantasy ...more
“I lived life on the line that bordered stupid and clever. It’s called being sly”.
To be sly is to have a cunning or deceitful nature. To act surrepti“I lived life on the line that bordered stupid and clever. It’s called being sly”.
To be sly is to have a cunning or deceitful nature. To act surreptitiously. To remark, glance, or express something in a way that insinuates one has some secret knowledge that could be harmful or embarrassing.
Catchpenny is a sly novel. It is clever, cunning, deceitful, and it is stupid…if you want to count stupid crazy. That’s probably why I liked it so much.
Urban fantasy noir (which is what I largely categorize this book as) is a subgenre mashup that I never get to read much of but I love a whole lot (just like my enduring love for cybertech noir, another subgenre mashup). When we get down to subgenre mashups I feel we’re hitting full-on speculative fiction territory–we’re entering all-new territory. In books like this, there are rules but also? Screw the rules.
I had a similar experience nearing the end of reading Catchpenny as I did with reading Noah Hawley’s Anthem: In this book the adults are the problem. The youth are the solution. The youth isn’t wasted on the young. It’s the adults who should be ashamed of the way they’ve wasted their lives and traded in all of their promises and dreams for empty lives filled up with selfish wants and needs when they could have had a fuller life and a fuller heart by spreading love, knowledge, and resources around to be used by more people.
It’s a little longer than I thought it needed to be, but Catchpenny is an intricate web of a story that has a large cast of characters and events that are all interconnected. It takes time to establish those strands, get them settled in place, bring the third act to its climax, and then to unravel the web without ripping it and risk a messy dismount from such a carefully constructed plot.
I thought it was a wonderful read. I love out of the box books, and this definitely meets that brief.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
File Under:Amateur Sleuth/Noir/Occult Fiction/Speculative Fiction/Urban Fantasy ...more
While Night For Day has a great premise and interesting characters, the follow-through just isn’t there. The characters range from two-dimensional to While Night For Day has a great premise and interesting characters, the follow-through just isn’t there. The characters range from two-dimensional to outright annoying, the prose switches abruptly from third-person prescient to third-person omniscient from one paragraph to the next, and the book simply moves at a glacial pace that doesn’t suit the narrative style or the story.
It’s all flash, no substance, and simply isn’t a good read.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Since this review has a rating of three stars or lower it will not be appearing on my social media sites. Thank you.
File Under: AAPI Fiction/Fantasy/Romantasy/Paranormal Fantasy/Urban Fantasy ...more
Blood Debts was a five star read for me in 2023. I was absolutely enthralled with the world building, the political intrigue, the diversity of the chaBlood Debts was a five star read for me in 2023. I was absolutely enthralled with the world building, the political intrigue, the diversity of the characters, and the commentary on social justice and cultural heritage.So I couldn’t wait to read Blood Justice; however, this sequel fell really short of every standard its predecessor set and it made me so sad.
The world building was mostly done in Blood Debts, but it’s nicely expanded on just the right amount in this book. We get a bit of a deeper dive into some of the supporting characters in the overall storyline too, which is always nice (and Benton-Walker manages to do this without taking away necessary page time from our trio of main characters, which is no mean feat).
Where I ran into some issues was with the political intrigue, which went from genuinely compelling in Blood Debts to feeling a bit closer to something out of a teen drama in this book, and with the pacing of this book. Act one of this book moves so slowly it’s hard to engage with this book at all at first. In act two, a lot of the scenes start to feel repetitive and the book starts to feel like it’s walking in circles. By the time you’re in the middle in the third act, you realize the book is out of surprises and the book has definitely gone on too long.
It’s not that I don’t love this series. I do. It’s a wonderful story that doesn’t pull punches and has a great deal of diversity. It has a lot to say and Benton-Walker has a great way of saying it. This sequel didn’t do the story, as a whole, any favors.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Because of the three star or lower rating this review will not be appearing on my social media.Thank you.
Immortal Pleasures is a fantastical take on what might have happened to one of history’s most divisive and mysterious figures: La Malinche, the Nahua Immortal Pleasures is a fantastical take on what might have happened to one of history’s most divisive and mysterious figures: La Malinche, the Nahua woman who rode and stood at Hernan Cortez’ side as he conquered Mexico. She grew up a trafficked girl in the Tabasco region but had an aptitude for languages, so she ended up with Cortez to serve as an interpreter. To this day opinions are mixed as to whether or not she was a traitor to her own people, but her ability to speak multiple languages and a penchant for diplomacy helped save lives on both sides of the conquest. Mysteriously, no one knows what happened to La Malinche when all was said and done. Immortal Pleasures offers a visceral, titillating, dark, romantic, and angry scenario in which La Malinche (now known as Malinalli) is turned into a vampire a few years later after Cortez has sent her away to live in Spain.
I have to say I’m feeling absolutely spoiled with the horromance lately! Isabel Canas (Vampires of El Norte) has been going on and on about how Horror Romance absolutely needs to be its own genre, just like Fantasy Romance, and I couldn’t agree more. Immortal Pleasures is a prime example of horror romance: Heck, it even has a HEA. The blurb for this book seems to be trying to sell us a love triangle, but that’s really wishy-washy. There’s no triangle to speak of.
What this book does so well–what Castro does so well–is world building. Her research is extensive and her knowledge is vast and she puts it to work so exquisitely to craft these impeccable horror novels based in Mesoamerican mythology. I loved the repatriation of ancient artifacts aspect of the story and I loved how the villains just found new and more miserable ways to exploit people (proving that slavers and colonizers truly have no conscience whatsoever).
It was absolutely wonderful. This lush, decadent, and immersive novel is going to stick with me.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
File Under: Dark Fantasy/Historical Fantasy/Horror Romance/Horromance/Urban Fantasy/Vampire Fiction ...more
I’m convinced Lark Taylor is magic, because I can’t stop reading her books. Ever since I read Patience I’ve binged her books and with every single droI’m convinced Lark Taylor is magic, because I can’t stop reading her books. Ever since I read Patience I’ve binged her books and with every single drop of knowledge that more words are coming from her I become like Veruca Salt: “Don’t care how–I want it now!”
So of course I signed up for Justice when it became available, and I loved every single one of its nearly 500 pages. Yes–this book is almost 500 pages long and I don’t regret a single page. From the start, this book is absolutely captivating and it takes you on a roller coaster of emotions. By the time it ended I had soaked my t-shirt and my pillow in a substantial amount of tears from ugly crying but I was also so soft for the HEA and so squirmy from the filthy-hot spice Lark Taylor does so well.
Sebastian (you remember Sebastian, right?), the vampire assassin from Taylor’s The Reckless Damned series, is a prickly guy that everyone in the Supe Group (my phrase) pretty much loathes and only shows up when it’s time to get stuff done because Toby (the manager of The Closet) is his cousin and he generally doesn’t want the supernatural world to go cattywampus. It would be bad for business. Well, he’s been sticking around town, if only sticking to the shadows, because a human friend of the Supe Group has caught his interest: Matty. We heard of Matty at the end of Luck of the Devil because he’s mainly Lucky’s friend and he’s a sunshine precious cinnamon roll. He must be protected at all costs. Sebastian feels that way too. Adamantly. He lives to see Matty smile every day. So one day, when Matty isn’t smiling so much anymore and he starts to look a little haunted, Sebastian gets a little invested in finding out why.
Thus begins their story. Well, for Matty that is.
These two were the definition of hurt/comfort for me. They wrecked one another completely only to stitch one another back up so completely my heart grew three times its size by the end of the book. The sexual chemistry between them was fire, as was the spicy scenes. I love size difference and filthy talk and this was excellent for that.
The supporting cast played their role to a T. Everyone has made their opinions on Sebastian known from clear back deep into the beginnings of The Reckless Damned books. Their opinions play an important part in this book, if only so Matty can but heads with everyone as he insists they’re wrong. It’s so sweet and so kind.
I loved this book so much. It’s another Lark Taylor win and now we’ll finally, finally get Toby and Blaise’s book!
I was provided a copy of this title by the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. No compensation was offered or accepted in exchange for this review. Thank you.
This isn’t your standard fantasy. It’s more like if someone wrote fantasy in the style of literary fiction, which is somethiReal Rating: 3.5 / 5 Stars
This isn’t your standard fantasy. It’s more like if someone wrote fantasy in the style of literary fiction, which is something I normally eat up with a spoon and ask for second helpings of. It just didn’t happen with The Book of Love, though.
The Book of Love is lovingly crafted and intricately woven. The story is compelling enough to start and engaging enough to keep reading until somewhere in the third act where I found myself losing steam. I finished the book and I liked it but I can’t say it’s something I’d read again.
Kelly Link is a brilliant writer, but this book should’ve been shorter. I fell in love with the story, the characters, the world building, and the dialogue, but nothing can save a book from a plodding pace.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
File Under: Coming of Age/Fantasy/Occult Fiction/Supernatural Fantasy/Urban Fantasy ...more
(Please Note: This story is connected to Olivia Lewin’s other PoisonVerse novel, Pack of Lies, via that book’s character Marlowe. This book is about M(Please Note: This story is connected to Olivia Lewin’s other PoisonVerse novel, Pack of Lies, via that book’s character Marlowe. This book is about Marlowe’s older alpha sister, Leighton and the pack Marlowe left behind.)
First of all, y’all should know I’m a huge fan of all the PoisonVerse novels. I’ve read them all. They’re all on my wishlist to own as paperbacks. So I was happy to come across a post where Olivia Lewin had some copies of her ARCs up for grabs. I know I already have ARCs to review, but it turned out to be great timing, because I wasn’t feeling so good yesterday and when I’m not feeling good all I want to read is spicy books anyway. So I took the time to read this a couple of days ahead of schedule and finished it up just this morning. I have to say that I liked it better than I did Pack of Lies, and that’s all due to a little someone called Kiara.
Kiara is the desperate, almost-feral omega at the center of the conflict in Lonely Alpha. Kiara isn’t gold pack like most of the omegas at the center of the conflicts in the other PoisonVerse novels. No, Kiara is actually just about omega royalty: well-bred and raised in luxury to be the best omega she can be for whatever pack her father decides to marry her off to. Too bad she was raised by nannies, her father was cruel, and her beta brother was even worse. One night, on the advice of [spoiler] she gets away from her cruel brother by grabbing a jeweled dagger and attacking him and fleeing to the home of professional corporate fixer, Leighton Winston, and begging Leighton to dark bond her.
This is the first of the PoisonVerse novels I’ve ever read to employ a dark bond. Honestly, I was wondering if they (the collective authors who have written books in this universe) were ever going to deploy it as an actual bond device or if they were going to let it always simmer around the edges as a constant, looming threat to all omegas instead of trying to turn it on its head and try to show it being something an omega could actually want, need, or desire. I’m glad Olivia Lewin (who does tend to delve into the darker side of omegaverse) decided to be the one to finally approach the dark bond, because she did a wonderful job of showing not only why an omega might want or need one, but also how an omega could ultimately feel better protected and more comfortable in their skin having a dark bond after living a certain kind of traumatic life. It also showed how it takes a very certain type of alpha to both accept an omega’s desire to willingly be dark bonded, to tend to and nurture both the omega and the bond, and to treat both with the utmost respect, because ultimately what the dark bond equates to is a 24/7 M/s power dynamic in our world that’s then been turned into a paranormal link in their world. Just as in our world there are bad Masters, in their world there are bad Alphas. But not every Alpha needs to be bad. Ergo, not every dark bond needs to be bad. But, just as in real life, communication and instinct are key in such a relationship. In an omegaverse book, the bond takes up some of the slack of communication and instinct, but not all. That’s a shortcut.
I do truly love Kiara. I love how her dagger is her first friend and her “emotional support dagger”. I love myself a stabbity omega. I love how she’s a spitfire and will choose violence if she can. I actually love the whole pack. I even love some of the supporting cast like Liberty and Soren (I just can’t with him).
A problem I do have is how it seems that the men of the Loranger pack (Dash, Ambrose, Mercury) can’t seem to pull themselves together until Leighton and Kiara start making bridges for them. They’re all falling apart until two shiny female toys are placed in front of them and then all of a sudden it’s like, “Oh! We can all of a sudden start to heal all of our broken pieces now!” I’m not fond of men who can’t communicate with other men they’re supposed to be as close as brothers with (or lovers with). Women aren’t magical, fix-all cures. Women don’t put band-aids on men’s boo-boos. Men need to be emotionally intelligent all on their own. It’s a tired trope.
Otherwise, it’s a really great read, and I highly recommend it. The spice is right, it’s very propulsive, it’s a page-turner, and I got very invested in the characters. And, like I said: I love a stabbity omega.
I was provided a copy of this title by the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
If Rebecca Ross and Erin Morgenstern had a child and they wrote a debut portal romantasy with a dark edge, I think The City of Stardust would be the rIf Rebecca Ross and Erin Morgenstern had a child and they wrote a debut portal romantasy with a dark edge, I think The City of Stardust would be the result.
I had coffee with a lit professor (who was also an author) once and he said, in his opinion, every story told was essentially just The Odyssey retold in an infinite number of ways. The City of Stardust definitely has that flavor: From character names to a protagonist that sets off on a long journey from home only to return and find it changed from what she once knew, this novel had me captivated from the start.
Georgia Summers has a lovely way with prose. The sentence structure is very reminiscent of Morgenstern, while the imagery feels closer to Ross. While the book definitely lacks the experience of both of those writers it doesn’t suffer overmuch for it. I loved the world building for how it felt both Gaiman-esque and for how it reminded me of my favorite novel, The Starless Sea. The plotting felt impeccable and the pacing was steady.
The whole cast of characters was great. An antagonist worth despising and understanding, protagonists you can both identify with and love, and a large supporting cast that feels distinct and contributes considerably to the entire story without feeling extraneous.
The underlying themes of parental neglect, abandonment, family, secrets, cages, debts, adventure, stories, and the pursuit of knowledge are all well-explored and layered in myriad ways throughout the book and it makes for an excellent tapestry when all is said and done. I loved how the book wrapped up too. Not too neat, not too messy. It was wonderful.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
File Under: 5 Star Review/Dark Fantasy/Fantasy/Romantasy/LGBTQ Fantasy/Standalone/Urban Fantasy...more
This book was amazingly diverse in so many ways: Native American representation, socioeconomic representation, ethnic representation, mental health reThis book was amazingly diverse in so many ways: Native American representation, socioeconomic representation, ethnic representation, mental health representation (I’ll get back to that), and so much LGBTQIA+ representation I was absolutely giddy for the queerness of it all.
I only have one huge gripe with this book: Did it have to be so predictable? That’s what lost this book a star. Well, that and the fact that I didn’t love the book enough to need it on my own bookshelves.
Don’t get me wrong: I truly enjoyed the book. I was hooked on it from the beginning and engaged from start to finish (in spite of the predictability). The story is compelling, especially with the added diversity and representation angles that aren’t simply thrown in for the sake of marketing appeal. Edgmon is definitely using fantasy’s ability to comment on sociopolitical and sociocultural issues to full potential with this book and I was living for all of it.
I can’t tell anyone reading this or the author in the length of a book review how much the mental health representation in this book meant to me. I may be cisgender, but Gem’s mental health struggles in some ways feel so much like the ones I’ve dealt with my whole life as a bipolar and having BPD. That feeling of needing to do whatever I can to keep people’s love, attention, and to keep myself safe. That feeling of sometimes not knowing if you’re real (I call it “my meat suit doesn’t feel right”), saying things you don’t mean, acting out even though you don’t even want to and then having to face the aftermath of your destruction once the episode passes? Yeah. I’ve been there. When I was a teenager I would’ve given anything for a book like this to identify with. I’m glad teenagers today have books like these to identify with.
So even though this may not be something I want to live on my bookshelves, I highly recommend it to all of you. Please, go read it. It’s everything diverse and important fantasy needs.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All opinions, thoughts, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. This review was written without compensation. Thank you.
File Under: Book Series/Coming of Age/Disability Rep/Fantasy/Romantasy/Fantasy Series/LGBTQ Fiction/LGBTQ Romance/OwnVoices/Psychological Fiction/Supernatural Fantasy/Urban Fantasy/YA Fantasy/YA Romantasy ...more
It’s a little bit non-royal Mia Thermopolis is mistakenly chosen to compete on The Bachelor (but make it three super hot men), and a whole lot of fun It’s a little bit non-royal Mia Thermopolis is mistakenly chosen to compete on The Bachelor (but make it three super hot men), and a whole lot of fun and spice. Welcome to the Royal Trials, where one omega is chosen from each country that chooses to participate in sending a representative to potentially become the mate of the Royal Pack and eventually becoming Queen or King Consort.
Can I just say that I’m currently loving the current trend I’m seeing in the reality show approach to some omegaverse romances? Because I really am. Omegaverse romances are already a huge source of escapism for me, but adding in these made-up reality shows to a paranormal and fantastical genre not only adds a satirical kick but also allows for more variety in plot and some added facets of angst, comedy, and anger.
I loved this installment of the Knot Their Omega series almost purely for the sheer fairy tale feel of the whole thing. Kaz, Wolf, and Tai were all clearly drawn, which I appreciated, since some authors don’t take the time to make sure their MMCs are as distinctive and unique in personality and interests as they are in looks. I have a definite soft spot for Wolf, that’s for sure. I loved the relationship shared by the three men, the respect they had for one another, and the way they felt so deeply for one another and expressed it so eagerly. I loved how Maddie managed to get her feet under her and made brave choices, even if she knew they would hurt. She was honest with the people around her and with herself.
The spice is not lacking, people. It’s here, it’s polyamorous, it’s spicy, it’s swords-crossing as much as it can get away with, and it’s hot. I am here for it. I will always be here for it.
The only bone I really have to pick is how quickly some minds were changed around at the end and how rushed it seemed. I may be the only one that feels that way, though. Otherwise, it was a great book. Smashed it.
I was provided a copy of this title by the author. All opinions, thoughts, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
Let’s just get this out of the way really quick: This book didn’t get five stars because I thought it was too long and I didn’t think the ending was eLet’s just get this out of the way really quick: This book didn’t get five stars because I thought it was too long and I didn’t think the ending was earned. There we are. I don’t want to spend any more time talking about those negatives, because I want space to talk about other things.
This book is a manuscript mash-up that reminds me a pinch of The Starless Sea (in that sense that stories are being written all the time, are always in progress, and are mutable), every portal fantasy I’ve ever read, and every fantastical detective story I’ve ever read (except make them darker, more like Nick Harkaway’s cyber noir novels). Dreambound has a great balance of plot, characters, worldbuilding, and atmosphere, which is a tough juggling act to keep up. That may be why the book ended up being too long for my tastes.
Frey had gifted us an incredible book with a deep, rich tapestry: journal entries, audio transcripts, emails, text messages, investigative notes, short stories, fairy tales, book excerpts, newspaper and magazine articles excerpts, and more. This book, this story, wouldn’t have been possible to write without mixing the written media formats like this. The book would’ve been a long, boring slag had it been approached any other way. There were other parties who needed to have a voice in this story besides Byron, our main protagonist.
It was a nice touch for Frey to name his main protagonist Byron, for he literally does meet the definition of a Byronic hero: sullen, withdrawn, hard to like, hard to get to know, but a softy on the inside for the precious few who can get close. He has a drinking problem, his wife divorced him, and his relationship with his daughter had become fraught with tension. The thing is, it’s not hard to write a Byronic hero. Byronic heroes are a dime a dozen and have been around as a trope since before they were even called Byronic heroes. Ergo, Byron is a predictable character. Which makes for a pretty predictable story.
That’s not to say the book as a whole is predictable. That’s why we have supporting characters. And to Frey’s credit, all the supporting characters in this book are female. The supporting characters add all the color, all the unpredictability, all the surprises, provide all the guidance, and provide almost all the push back and intervention as well. There are a few interesting male supporting characters, but none stick around as long as the females. Now, this does create another trope-trap where we have a male stumbling through needing females to guide all his movements in order for him to get anywhere, but it doesn’t seem toxic in this story since a great deal of book is about the fandom for books by a female author where a female is the main protagonist of the series, so it makes sense females would be the guide posts for a dad whose daughter was a member of that fandom.
Frey really did put together a lovely story that’s woven together like a crazy quilt of folklore, fairy tales, modern narrative prose, urban fantasy, supernatural entities, memoirs, and what would be nonfiction in the world of this book. It’s a good read if you are willing to put in the time.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All opinions, thoughts, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
File Under: Dark Fantasy/Epistolary/Fantasy/Fairy Tale/Folklore/Standalone Novel/Supernatural Fantasy/Urban Fantasy ...more
This book had me feeling a certain kind of way. Or, rather, it had me feeling two certain kinds of ways, and so I had to view it through two differentThis book had me feeling a certain kind of way. Or, rather, it had me feeling two certain kinds of ways, and so I had to view it through two different lenses. One part of me, the one who loves dark, kinky, vampire romances with a lot of gore and blood kink and if they happen to be a why choose romance also was happy as a kitten with a brand new ball of yarn. That part of me was also the one who doesn’t like monster romances, especially with monsters who are partially shifted or with monster parts that detach. To me, that’s not hot. It’s just not for me.
That’s when I have to shift gears and let the objective book reviewer out of the box to make sure I’m not just rating this book based on my own preferences. Monster romances have earned their place in the romance novel marketplace and they aren’t going anywhere, so I doubt this is the last book I’m going to come across where there is unexpected kinky sex with monsters. I can’t let that get in the way of giving these books an honest shot when I’m reviewing them.
Let’s go with my only truly objective con when it comes to this book: It’s far too long. I have read a great many of K. A. Knight’s books, and she’s always packed her books with spice scenes. It’s one of her hallmarks and it’s one of the reasons she’s such a popular author. But this book could’ve honestly been 100 pages shorter, had copious sex scenes, got the whole plot across, and it would’ve kept that latter part of the third act from dragging so much. Honestly, by the end of this book I was numb to the sex scenes. What’s the worth in a sex scene if you feel like you’ve already read it before in the book or you know what’s coming and you just say, “Been there, done that”?
Oh, look! That was my only con about the book, right there in one small paragraph.
What do I love about K. A. Knight novels the most? That’s right: Her BAMF FMCs. Althea starts out this book as a young, impish vampire in the court she was born into; but after a tragic, humiliating, and life-changing event happens shortly after she turns 18, she flees the court and begins to repeatedly violate some of the vampire world’s most important laws, killing herself from the inside out in the process until she is captured by the Judges, seven unknown men who play judge, jury, and executioner to vampires who have been weighed, measured, and found wanting for their crimes. It seems the gods and fate have plans for Althea, though, as she is given a chance to come back and become a Judge herself. It seems there is a lot the vampire race at large has a lot to pay for.
Althea, while not a complicated character, is vengeful, violent, powerful, hungry, insatiable for her men, and bloodthirsty. I am here for all of it. Her love for the other judges is as violent and bloody as her thirst for vengeance is against all those vampires who would use, abuse, and kill others for their own gains. She shines under the sun and moon, and loves both those who live in the light and dark. She knows beauty can hide true horror and nightmares can hide true beauty. Either way, she isn’t afraid. Her rebirth and the love and support of the other judges not only helped her heal from her former life, but gave her a scaffolding to hold onto while she rebuilt herself from within.
While I’m not fond of monster romances, I respect Knight for being brave enough to take the stuff truly spawned from some people’s worst nightmares and turning them into love interests. Each of the seven judges has a distinct voice, aesthetic, and they all have their own traumas. While I don’t necessarily like that the plot makes it so Althea is the balm that seals all their wounds and makes them whole (it seems too corny for me), it does truly seem that’s just how the plot ended up working out and not a conscious thing that happened.
Okay, onto the thing that I loved the most: blood. Blood and blood and more blood. I love vampire romances, but far too many of them are so dainty about it. In my opinion, if you’re going to have vampires, I want them bathing in blood. I want them dripping with it. I want bites everywhere. I want tears in the skin when things get heated and rough. And this book brings me that. These vampires rend and tear with claw and fang and I loved it. They drink and drink and lick and lick and rub it in their skin and it’s hot. To me, it’s the best of vampire romance and blood kink rolled into one. This alone made this book worth reading.
I did have a great deal of fun reading this, even when I was reading the scenes I personally didn’t care for when it came to my own preferences but thought were well-written from an objective POV. Just beware the nightmares, my friends!
I was provided a copy of this title by the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
I couldn’t resist the lure of this book. A little bit Prachett, a little bit of influence from the BBC’s Merlin TV show (if you know where to look), aI couldn’t resist the lure of this book. A little bit Prachett, a little bit of influence from the BBC’s Merlin TV show (if you know where to look), a plot that simultaneously does and doesn’t sound like a good Arthuriana tale (which are usually the best ones!), an admonishment against the older generations (ancient, even) for their inaction and misdeeds, and a rallying cry for the younger generations to not let history repeat itself once more and that if no one else is going to step forward and take up the mantle of leadership then it’s up to you to make sure it gets done instead of just relying on someone else to solve the world’s problems. It’s a call to action, to do something, even if all that something amounts to is a willingness to try.
Some reviewers are calling this a feminist take on the King Arthur legends. I beg to differ. It’s actually just a reflection of reality. There are more women on Earth than men. More females live past the age of 10 than males, which is 1.1 males born to 1 female babies born, on average. That 10% is accounting for the male mortality rate before the age of 10. Men also die earlier than women, on average. Wives tend to outlive their husbands, and so on. Since this book takes place in the future, who knows what the demography looks like? How many kids are people having? What’s the population pyramid look like? Do they even take the census anymore? Are kids dying in larger numbers earlier in life due to the dire climate conditions? Are people dying younger? Even in the present day, younger generations (or even me, a Gen-Xer) are sick and tired of old white men being in charge of everything, sitting around and talking about making laws but never actually making them; or, if they do, those laws aren’t the laws that really need to be passed and enforced.
Every nation is a swamp full of pollution, and every generation ends up just passing that pollution on down because problems like global climate change are complex concepts our minds can’t entirely wrap themselves around without first learning about global competence concepts first. The generations coming down the line in more liberal countries are already being taught about global competence, but in capitalist strongholds like the US we can’t even agree that every person is a person no matter what, so it’s no surprise global competence isn’t high up on our list of things to teach the kids (not that books teaching it wouldn’t just end up being banned someplace by some people anyway).
This book teaches all these lessons and more, with a great deal more wit and a lot less of a dour outlook than I just painted. I’m a pessimist through and through, but books like these make me smile and hope that eventually the old white people (for clarification, I’m white) who keep trying to fight to stay in office long past their expiration dates will eventually lose their power to make way for young people who are impassioned, ready to take action, and ready to lead so your average person can find it in them to look up to their governments again and to make the sacrifices that need to be made to make this world better for as many people as possible. It might be tough. It might hurt. It might mean a whole lot of compromise until we truly realize what works and what doesn’t. What matters the most is the willingness to put our differences aside and try.
You can’t help but love the characters in this book, both bad and good. Or, rather, not too bad and not entirely good. In this book all we have is people trying to survive. Sometimes that means doing stuff that’s not exactly nice. Sometimes it means doing something really messed up. Everyone is just trying to find a solution, even if that means doing unspeakable things.
Kay, Arthur’s foster brother, is the first character we meet. I can’t tell you how, because it’s a huge spoiler for the whole book. But it seems that Britain is in great peril, and he’s got to do something about it. That’s the vow he and select other knights of the Round Table made with Merlin over the dead body of King Arthur on the battlefield of Camlann. He’s straightforward, honest, chivalrous, gruff, and tends to go where the wind takes him. In his experience, he always ends up where he needs to be, somehow. He misses his beloved wife, fears Arthur ever coming back even as he misses the brother he once was, and hopes he never runs into Lancelot again because he hates that guy.
Mariam is the female protagonist of this book, and she’s splendid. She’s fed up. She’s frustrated with the world, with her friends, with every so-called “leader” who says they’re willing to work together to make the world a better place but somehow it just seems like history repeating, and no one but her seems to want to take any kind of solid action. She’s tired of waiting for someone else to save the day. She’s tired of watching the land and people die.
Lancelot is vain, complacent, and perfectly content to just follow orders. He hates the stories of him and Guinevere since he and Galahad had been committed, if secret, lovers. He doesn’t much care for valor, truth, or being straight with people. He’d rather just do as he’s told and look good doing it. He hates Kay as much as Kay hates him, if for different reasons.
Merlin is crazy as a loon, Arthur is an absolute boor, Morgan is chaotic neutral, Nimueh has her own sad story and agenda, and at some point Christopher Marlowe made a Faustian bargain.
The worldbuilding is absolutely apocalyptic and frightening, showing an all too possible world where global climate change has gone full-bore hellscape. You either have money and can live in skyscrapers far above the pollution or you live in tent cities or shanty towns. There is no middle ground.
There are puppets and puppet masters. It’s all about who’s pulling the strings.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All opinions, thoughts, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
File Under: Arthuriana/Dark Comedy/Dystopian Fiction/Folklore Novel/Folklore Retelling/Literary Fiction/Paranormal Fantasy/Satire/Secret Society/Standalone Fantasy Novel/Urban Fantasy ...more
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