“And when the Empire is weak, it is often because a powerful few have denied us the abundance of our people.”
if you’re looking for a fantasy murder mystery that has a sherlock and watson dynamic, with a setting that feels like you were dropping into attack on titans, with themes of systemic injustice, and discussions on classism, with a story that follows a queer mc with a learning disability… well, i am here to tell you to please look no further
in this world, the land is separated by rings, and those rings are walls that are constantly being reinforced to keep leviathans out and the people safe. especially the outermost wall, that is also constantly being manned by a military force. also in this world, people are able to get magical augmentations that enhance abilities - and there is a vast range of different augmentations from strength, to sight, or even memory. this land, these augmentations, and different sorts of technological advancements are constantly changing and evolving because of the flora and the importance of the array of plant life on this land. also, this story takes place right on the cusp of the wet season, where the land is less forgiving, alongside the leviathans trying to breach the walls. and if the leviathans do reach the shores, their blood and bodies have a very strange effect on the land and can make a place completely uninhabitable. and lastly, a murder rather unusual, involving the flora in this world, just happened and no one has any clues as to why or how, but the empire needs it solved before the wet season officially hits.
this story follows an assistant to a detective, named dim, who is an engraver, which means he has an enhancement that allows him to remember everything he is seeing, and relay it back to his detective with 100% accuracy and certainty. this is because of an augmentation that he has, and he is able to extra anchor the memories with a vial of a fragrance he is able to tie the experience to. and truly, him exploring all of these places, and manors, and crime scenes, and attaching all of these clues to scent, was one of my favorite parts of this book.
but the detective herself? oh, ana is the best character i’ve read in years! truly a new favorite for me! ana is a bit of a mystery herself throughout the book, so i don’t want to say too much, but she seems to be banished to the outer ring, but she needed a new assistant for a murder mystery in which she is very much needed to solve. and together we watch din and her work together and try to find the murderer(s), while more and more mystery ensues.
this was just a really fresh story, and something that really pushed the bounds of both fantasy and mystery genres. yet, also combining both and making a really beautiful and harmonious experience for readers. this felt different to read, and special to consume, and it really surpassed absolutely every expectation i had prior to purchasing this book at b&n because i love the trend of covers being printed directly on hardcovers with no dust jackets.
“Born into systems beyond our control, into relationships and organizations that obligate us to change, all so our families may prosper… That’s what the empire is, isn’t it?”
to me, this story really also discusses themes of classism and social injustice, where the rich colonizers get to live in safety in the most inner walls, while also having the money to protect themselves from any and all things. while the essential workers who are trying to make all the walls and land a safer and better place are forced to work and live in unsafe conditions. and while people from impoverished communities are forced to give everything they have, in hopes that something will make it back to their families so they will be able to live a tiny bit of a better life. (please know, there is a lot more i want to say, but i won’t because of spoilers - but i really loved some of the themes and thoughts that i felt like were presented within this story!!)
“If you want to figure out where everyone got fleas, look no further than the biggest pack of wild cats. Even if they do prowl behind high walls and fancy gates.”
this book also, to me, has some good representations that i loved reading. both of our main characters have disabilities and they are shown and felt throughout, especially din’s reading disability. but also the message of learning and having to do things differently does not mean it is lesser, it’s just a different way and there is a lot of beauty and strength in that. din is also queer, even though no words are used on page, but he was for sure giving me pan or bi vibes. and there is a very sweet m/m romance that really did have me kicking my feet.
overall, this is the first 2024 published novel that i am giving five stars to this year! you know, i have tried to read so many horrors and thrillers, but maybe the secret sauce was just me picking up a murder mystery. i just fell so in love with our two main characters, and seeing their adventures unfold was a joy and highlight of my 2024 reading. also the amount of tabs i used because the descriptions were so lush and vivid and the quotes so powerful and beautiful? very wild, i promise. even more wild than me being so very alert and looking out for any and all cups because of the title and the cover lol. but i just loved this and i think it really reminded me how much i love murder mysteries, especially with a fantasy back drop. if you have any recommendations, please let me know! and i hope you all have even half as good of a time with this story as i did, because i still believe that will be a five star!
trigger + content warnings: murder, death, blood, vomit, talk of poverty, bullying, abuse, anxiety, smoking, violence, medical testing (involving humans and animals), magical compilation, body horror, contagion, and a lot of talk and imagery of fungus and spores
fourteen pages of cozy fantasy murder mystery meets a d&d campaign perfection. we follow zyll (wit♡ download and read for free from subterranean press
fourteen pages of cozy fantasy murder mystery meets a d&d campaign perfection. we follow zyll (with her greatcoat of many pockets), and her pony (named round boy ...more
i feel like i really can’t talk about this book without getting into a little spoilery territory, so please skip over this review if you wish to know i feel like i really can’t talk about this book without getting into a little spoilery territory, so please skip over this review if you wish to know nothing about this thriller! (and i do say thriller and not thriller mystery because there really isn’t much mystery to this story whatsoever, which is also probably a reason i didn’t enjoy it as much!) but i picked this up because 1) i have enjoyed ruth ware in the past and 2) the girls were saying survivor meets love island and i will always be here for that set up! But instead of love island and survivor, we get lord of the flies and men's rights activists.
our main character, lyla, reluctantly agrees to go on a reality tv dating show, set on a secluded island, because her boyfriend is an actor and really begs her to do it because it could be very good for his career. lyla’s lab contract is up next month, and the funding renewal isn’t looking too good, so she also agrees under the condition that she can work on her paper and that she can only be on the island for two weeks. but after filming for only 24 hours, a big storm comes that is not only deadly but has completely made the people on the island not be able to contact anyone to come save them. And then she and the rest of the people are trying to survive while… red pill lord of the flies ensues.
i really do respect making the villain who it was, and i respect the talk of the manosphere and the following these mens right activities accumulate on youtube and other platforms that also leads to the perpetuation of violence against women. but oh my god, i just hated reading about this man with all the sum of hate i have in my body. after that storm, that man would have been GONE by me and me alone and i would not have… done what they did at the end (even though that's an important discussion too, and it does make sense, but again - i just hated reading about it!) i hope if you pick this one up, you have more fun reading it than i did, friends!
trigger + content warnings (these will content some plot spoilers so please use caution or do not read if you do not need to know any tw/cws): extremely bad storms, talk of fear of water, extremely abusive relationships, blood, death, drowning, talk of loss of parent in past (one sentence), suicide mentions, not having the insulin that you need, grief, depression, loss of partner, grooming in past, and discussion of men's rights activists throughout (always in a negative light but it is a lot)
i feel like… if more people knew that this book is sapphic then more people would pick it up. maybe people don’t want to say that because it has sapphi feel like… if more people knew that this book is sapphic then more people would pick it up. maybe people don’t want to say that because it has sapphics doing bad things, but there are sapphics doing good things too… so i don’t know. but i was truly bamboozled (in the best way) when i opened this up and realized! and how much of a discussion on comphet, and how that can make figuring out your sexuality harder to figure out/accept, were held within these pages!
but this is a mystery thriller about a (you guessed it) writing retreat, where four people are invited each year to write a story alongside a famous author who has quite the following. yet this year, there are going to be five attendees, one being our main character and one being her ex best friend. the retreat is held at a very isolated victorian mansion in the winter, and our aspiring writers have no connection to the outside world. But when one of the other attendees go missing, the mystery really begins.
everything i typed above is the reason i picked this up, and truly i had such a good time with this. i never wanted to put it down, i loved the setting, and i was really enthralled by our main character and her mind. But this is really a discussion on how society makes women competitive with each other in all aspects of life, but especially with achievements. how the world makes women feel like there isn’t enough room for multiples, you have to be singularly the best. And then when you add everything i said in the first paragraph, about sexuality and trying to figure that out in a world that automatically makes this inhospitable environment… this was a really thought provoking book and i really was very impressed by this debut. I think this is my favorite thriller of the year, and i really recommend it.
trigger + content warnings: anxiety, panic attacks, blood, intrusive thoughts, mention of child abuse in past, ptsd, child abandonment + neglect in past, a few mentions of the holocaust and n*zis, domestic abuse in past, brief homophobia in past, talk of suicide, mention of cancer, mention of loss of a loved one, gun violence, gaslighting, manipulation, missing person, unwanted + unknowing filming happening, captivity, talk of aids, racism, sexism, drugging, mention of bullying and harassment in past, and dubious consent in a sexual encounter
i really wanted to read my first ashley winstead because so many of my friends have absolutely loved in my ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley
i really wanted to read my first ashley winstead because so many of my friends have absolutely loved in my dreams i hold a knife, but i really think i did myself a disservice making this the one i picked up. i don't want to be overly negative, because i do think this book is important for some people who grew up with abuse under the guise of religion, and they were able to find escapism and safety and happiness in literature, like twilight. and i just really don’t want to downplay the importance of that safe place for kids and teens, especially when you can just tell this story feels very personal to the author.
but i think this was just so completely different than what i was anticipating, that it felt like a really big disappointment to me. this felt like a literary romance with some suspenseful elements, not a mystery thriller in the slightest. you will truly know from the first 10% of this book what is going to happen, and the rest is just a lot of twilight comparisons. now, i will also give this book credit because it made me rewatch twilight, and i did miss that blue filter more than i realized. i will also say i liked the very end, which i know will be an unpopular opinion, but it was a definite risk i do not think many authors would take, and i respect that. i will still for sure read in my dreams i hold a knife and report back!
trigger + content warnings: death, murder, violence, blood, cults, religious abuse, talk of suicide, gun violence, animal injury + death, talk of animal sacrifice, extreme child abuse in past, child captivity in past, talk of domestic abuse in past, mention of bullying in past, power imbalances, sexual assault (attempted rape), depression, panic attacks, hospital setting, talk of forced abortion, ableism (always in a negative light), implied pedophilia, implied human trafficking, trauma, grief, death of a mother during child birth in past, alcoholism mentions, drugs, misogyny, fire, snakes
okay, maybe i just give every riley sager book three stars, but this one was truly my favorite out of all the other ones i’ve read! 80’s setting, mansokay, maybe i just give every riley sager book three stars, but this one was truly my favorite out of all the other ones i’ve read! 80’s setting, mansion on the coast of maine, a family massacre in a small sleepy town, the only survivor (who is also the only suspect) is now an old woman who needs 24/7 care, because her last nurse has left in the night never to be seen again! a lot of good and spooky atmosphere and allure, true? and we follow the newly hired caregiver, who grew up in this town with this haunted house, who is unable to say no for the position because of something very sad in her own life. And with the help of a typewriter, the spooky story of what really happened all of those years ago unfolds!
i honestly had a really good time with this, and my rating is for sure a very high three stars. this book will really keep you on your toes with guessing, and you will hit a point in the story where it is just all out constant reveal after reveal! this is something i did enjoy, but i feel like it was a little too much. kind of like when you’re on a rollercoaster and the first few dips and loops and plunges feel good, but if there are too many it loses the appeal and the fear, you know? but also take all of this with a grain of salt, because you all know i am not a big mystery thriller reader and reviewer! but i had a really fun time with this one overall, and for sure recommend. also, i really adored the ending of this one and thought it was close to perfect.
trigger + content warnings (please use caution reading these, because they do give away some major twists and plot reveals): toxic home, loss of a parent in past, talk of cancer, grief depiction, depression depiction, anxiety, thoughts of suicide, suicide attempt, abusive parents, captivity, nightmares, infidelity, overdose, talk of diet, negative body talk, slut shaming, pregnancy surprise, birth, blood, alcholism, drug addiction, bad medical help, brief insinuation of homophobia/homophobic parents in past, death, murder use of ouija board
i really enjoyed this novella, and sequel to what moves the dead that i was very much not expecting to ever have! we once again follow alex, going to a somewhat isolated hunting lodge in galician that they inherited, even if they are just longing to be back in paris where the noise is a comfort and the silence isn’t haunting. alex is also with angus, miss potter, and the best horse (hod), and when they get to the lodge, no one is there, not even the caretaker who has been in alex’s life forever. and a mystery ensues, filled with maybe scary ghosts and haunted dreams and hard memories and hot cups of tea. i really had a good time with this one and i hope t kingfisher continues to give us more of alex and adventures in this world!
trigger + content warnings: anxiety, chronic health condition (tinnitus), ptsd, medical procedure imagery, fungus imagery, talk of war and battle and death in past, loss of a friend, depression, nightmares, loss of parent in past, a lot of sickness that hinder breathing and involves the lungs (i do think this could be very triggering for covid related trauma, so please use caution), blood, talk of pneumonia, talk of tuberculous, animal gore / body horror, and just overall this is a dark story with dark themes
This is a gorgeous and heartfelt story, set in historical chicago, where we follow a warlock detective tr
“I would do anything for you, and I did.”
This is a gorgeous and heartfelt story, set in historical chicago, where we follow a warlock detective trying to capture a serial killer. This book also just had a lot of things that really worked for me, as a reader. It focuses on a sapphic romance throughout, we get to see the main character’s unconditional love for her little brother constantly, and we get to try to solve a mystery with the ritual killer's name being white city vampire but it involving angels and demons. All really cool and beloved things in my heart and personal taste buzzword wheelhouse!
But this is also a book about sacrifice and love and hope and how those three things can take so many different shapes, yet sometimes they look the very same. I highly recommend this one and pray it will be the first book in a series.
trigger + content warnings: a lot of mentions of homophobia, mention of conversion therapy, institutionalization, talk of loss of a loved one, mention of a car accident involving death, abduction, murder, gore, ritual killings, human sacrifice, a lot of blood depictions, self harm for blood for magic, possession, misogyny, brief mention of throwing up, gun violence involving cops, a lot of smoking + alcohol consumption.
okay i am so not the target audience for this, and i still really loved it. and i was constantly surprised, which is something i didnt expect going inokay i am so not the target audience for this, and i still really loved it. and i was constantly surprised, which is something i didnt expect going in! but it did touch on some dark things, so i will post some tw/cw down below, but highly recommend this to anyone, even if you think it's not for you! (maybe especially if you think it's not for you!)
trigger + content warnings: mention of cheating in past, blood, abusive relationships, drugging attempt, mention of stalking, mention of sexual assault + rape, mention of taking photos without consent, mention of blackmail, very brief mention of trafficking, maybe a very brief mention of cancer ("the big c"), hurt/abandoned dog.
In 2023, i keep picking up books by this author in hopes they will become a new favorite, but they just keARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley
In 2023, i keep picking up books by this author in hopes they will become a new favorite, but they just keep not winning me over the way i had hoped that they would. I did enjoy a few things in this story, like the discussions on body image and fatphobia in all medical spaces, and how our main character studies insects (i keep reading books accidentally about archaeologist careers and it’s starting to get freaky), and i even loved the brief mention of playing civ (the amount of hours i have clocked in on those games could be its own horror story). But ultimately, i just didnt enjoy this one, or the setting, or the characters we were introduced to. I also feel like this story wanted to go places, but never went deep enough talking about anything. And… it was just incredibly boring. The last bit of this book just doubles down with the spooky twists, but those didn’t feel good either. I’ll be honest, I knew within 20% of this book that it wasn’t going to be for me, so I hope I can just learn to be better with dnfing again. I am very much not the popular opinion of this book upon its release in april 2023, so maybe don’t let my bad feelings deter you!
trigger + content warnings: racism, brief mention of kkk, loss of a parent in past, one line/question sentence/question about cancer, vomit mention (animal), lots of talk + descriptions of insects and arachnids, child abuse in past, anxiety, nightmares + sleep paralysis, a lot of talk of fatphobia + fatphobia within medical spaces + fatphobia towards a child in past, brief mention of heart attack in past, body horror, blood depiction, child death/abuse in past, cannibalism, anti amish sentiment.
first and foremost, i will for sure say i think this is a book that you would benefit from going in to withARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley
first and foremost, i will for sure say i think this is a book that you would benefit from going in to without knowing anything (trigger and content warnings below if you do need/want) - so maybe even pass on reading this next paragraph all together until you have finished. also, i believe the synopsis is vague and mysterious for a reason, and i opened these pages expecting roshani to weave me an adult dark fairytale - which she totally did - but this book is so much more than that.
“Who were we when not cleaved to each other?”
this is a beautiful and lush atmospheric story, with a gothic spooky house setting, all centered around the mystery that is the fae and three people who have been searching their whole lives for them. but the heart of this story is about grief, abuse, neglect, and how the world can be so extra unfair to children that they are forced to find and create their own places in magical worlds to feel safe, loved, and be able to escape. This book was very hard to read at times, and roshani is an expert at blending dark whimsy and dark reality together flawlessly. i could not put this book down, because i needed to know more and more answers each time one was unlocked! but also while i was having that intense feeling of seeing scenes play out while you are watching with your hands kind of covering your eyes. you don't want to know, but you need to know. plus roshani’s writing is such a tier above everything, this story is filled with very intense and juxtaposing feelings. ahhh, i feel like i have already said too much - but i love all roshani’s stories and i am always so proud of her and her voice - i hope the world loves this story and all the well crafted and very important layers.
oh and lastly, some early reviews are saying this is a bluebeard retelling, but i am not familiar with that story, i am sorry! but she also pulls from so many other stories and myths (this really is also a love letter to dark and cruel and beloved tales), one being another brothers grimm story that i was somewhat familiar with, and it really added another dark and scary layer that really helped emphasize the scariest monsters of all time will always be humans.
tw/cw: loss of a loved one, extreme nightmares, a lot of blood depiction + drawing blood, gore, abuse, domestic abuse, child abuse, child neglect, child abandonment, gaslighting, animal deaths, human deaths, murder, mention of child death, kind of brief mentions of dieting/eating a very specific way, bullying, cheating, codependency, suicidal ideation and thoughts, drugging, pedophilia (very weird things being said, the child being scared/constant state of fear at home, creepy and unsettling vibes every scene with intention for more, and then at 17 years old unwanted touching/brushing past + maybe more/set up to be more… this is a hard trigger warning, but it is a constant thing in the book that is very hard to read so please use caution)
[image] “It made me wonder what shape I'd be if I'd never met another human being”
this was so unexpectedly haunting in all the right ways. i truly [image] “It made me wonder what shape I'd be if I'd never met another human being”
this was so unexpectedly haunting in all the right ways. i truly knew from the first chapter that this was going to be a new favorite. the atmosphere, the mystery, the main character... all perfection. also, this book truly has twists upon twists upon twists, making it impossible to ever want to put down. and we always love a spooky summer camp in the woods setting, especially with a secret group of popular girls, with a extra hyped queen bee, up to maybe no good. i loved this book's discussion of the gender binary and in general i personally found so much of this story really powerful. and i think so many different types of readers will really love this one, so i recommend it with my full heart, but it can be very spooky, creepy, and gory so.... please keep that in mind!
trigger + content warnings: grief depiction, loss of a loved one, cancer mentions (childhood cancer mentions), blood depiction, talk of suicide, parental manipulation, anxiety depictions, funeral of a loved one, death, murder, violence, gore, lots of insect depictions (in a... horror book involving bees way... hehe), talk of spiders too, blackmailing (with manipulation/action of private photos being shown), bullying, harassment, misogynistic comments//sexism (always in a negative light), drowning depiction, fire depictions, and transphobia + homophobia.
“She is a full glass submerged in water. Neither nor both full and empty. The inquiry, though kind, has no meaning for her.”
oh, i adored this. i f“She is a full glass submerged in water. Neither nor both full and empty. The inquiry, though kind, has no meaning for her.”
oh, i adored this. i feel like i have never read anything quite like this before, and that is something i find myself unable to say very often in 2022. this was fresh, and unique, and unsettling, and so, so, so smartly crafted and written - with such a haunting setting and atmosphere.
i feel like a lot of reviews talk about the twist being spoiled for them, but i caught on very quickly - and it didn't hinder my enjoyment at all! but please know this and maybe... don't dig into too many reviews until you've read this one yourself! but i highly recommend it and i know it will stick with me for a long while.
(view spoiler)[ i see a lot of people offended by this book, but i interpreted it as men do horrible things in the name of god, not... the other way around lol! also, like... lots of dots (and big waving red flags) to the US right now in the year 2022. ahhhh, but anyways - we do love a good lilith mention though, always! (hide spoiler)]
cw/tw: death, murder, mention of blood, abusive relationship depiction, codependency depiction, and... talk of food/eating in a way that i believe could potentially be triggering even though it is done in a metaphorical way - so just use caution!
“If we ran then we would have to admit there was something to run from.”
this year, i really want to read so much from t kingfisher! year after yea
“If we ran then we would have to admit there was something to run from.”
this year, i really want to read so much from t kingfisher! year after year, so many people recommend them and their stories to me so i knew i wanted to pick something up by them this first month of 2023. i really enjoyed this, the atmosphere, and the writing... whew... the writing was 11/10! but i think i would have enjoyed more if i would have reread the fall of the house of usher. not that you need to, this story completely stands on it's own! but this was still a powerful novella that i thoroughly enjoyed! and i can't wait to pick up something else by this author extra now! (also, the way i have read so many stories this month about spooky houses after finishing this one... completely unintentionally)
trigger + content warnings: mention of tumors for descriptions, talk of war, talk of surgery, insect depictions, death, animal death, talk of dead bodies, mention of suicide, loss of a loved one, brief mentions of transphobia
oh, the last half of this truly cast a spell on me and i could not stop reading !! i am begging for boo[image] (yes, i brought a book to disney lmaooo)
oh, the last half of this truly cast a spell on me and i could not stop reading !! i am begging for book two immediately !! (and happy valentines day to you all) :]
trigger and content warnings: a lot of blood depiction, self harm to get blood becausARC provided by the publisher
truly a way to end 2021.... hehe >.<
trigger and content warnings: a lot of blood depiction, self harm to get blood because of the magic in this book, very brief mention of cancer, gore, violence, death, murder, child abuse, toxic living situations, depression, grief depiction, panic attacks, anxiety, gun violence, drinking, brief mention of alcoholism, drugging, throwing up, captivity / themes of being forced into places (i'm trying to not be too spoilery, i'm sorry! lmao!) - this book very much focuses on trauma, please use caution and make sure you are in the right headspace
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