Category: ARC review

— ARC review, baby, book review, children's —

My First Book of House Pets by duopress labs and Åsa Gilland (ARC Review)

January 8, 2024
My First Book of House Pets

My First Book of House Pets is a beautiful introduction to the world of furry, fluffy, and all-around adorable pets for babies and toddlers. Like other titles in the earth-friendly series Terra Babies at Home, this book helps tots develop a connection with the natural world and is made with FSC materials and nontoxic inks.

Simple and quirky text pairs with charming art by Åsa Gilland in this book where animal lovers will learn about house pets in a friendly and easy way while being introduced to basic concepts of animal care and the environment.

“Cats purr to communicate. They purr when they are happy,” we read. “Dogs love to play, and you can teach them tricks.” Readers will learn to make a fish face, that hamsters are lively friends, and that lizards have cool names. And that’s not all: The book shows readers how to pick a pet from a local shelter and the importance of keeping a pet healthy and giving it tons of love!… Read More My First Book of House Pets by duopress labs and Åsa Gilland (ARC Review)

— Adult, ARC review, book review —

Calamity by Constance Fay (ARC Review)

November 6, 2023

Bramble’s inaugural debut is equal parts steamy interstellar romance and sci-fi adventure, perfect for fans of Firefly and Ilona Andrews.

She’s got a ramshackle spaceship, a misfit crew, and a big problem with its sexy newest member…

Temperance Reed, banished from the wealthy and dangerous Fifteen Families, just wants to keep her crew together after their feckless captain ran off with the intern. But she’s drowning in debt and revolutionary new engine technology is about to make her beloved ship obsolete.

Enter Arcadio Escajeda. Second child of the terrifying Escajeda Family, he’s the thorn in Temper’s side as they’re sent off on a scouting mission on the backwater desert planet of Herschel 2. They throw sparks every time they meet but Temper’s suspicions of his ulterior motives only serve to fuel the flames between them.

Despite volcanic eruptions, secret cultists, and deadly galactic fighters, the greatest threat on this mission may be to Temper’s heart… Read More Calamity by Constance Fay (ARC Review)

— ARC review, book review, children's —

How This Book Got Red by Margaret Chiu Greanias and Melissa Iwai (ARC Review)

October 18, 2023
Blog post header for How This Book Got Red

In this clever picture book tale about the power of representation, a red panda decides to write her own story when she realizes that none of the other panda books include pandas that look like her.

When Red discovers a new book about pandas, she can’t wait to read it! Except it’s about only one kind of panda, and red pandas are completely left out. Red never gets to read stories about pandas like herself! So she decides to take matters into her own paws and write her own book.

But when Red looks around, it seems like the only kind of pandas the world cares about are the black and white kind. Will anyone want to read about red pandas? It’s up to Red to finish her story and share it with the world… Read More How This Book Got Red by Margaret Chiu Greanias and Melissa Iwai (ARC Review)

— ARC review, book review, children's —

Sam Francisco, King of the Disco by Sarah Tagholm and Binny Talib (ARC Review)

October 17, 2023

A toe-tapping adventure celebrating optimism in the face of adversity about a community of cool cats who just want to have fun.

Superstar DJ Sam Francisco’s party is keeping his neighbor Buzzkill Bill awake. Bill tries everything to shut it down—he sends his dogs, then pest control, the fire department, and the police! When Bill finally succeeds in pulling the plug, things look bleak, but luckily it’s the people (and the cats) who make a party, not the fancy equipment.

Written in verse, this exuberant celebration of dance, music, and self-expression begs to be read aloud over and over. Young readers and adults alike will delight in the humor, charm, and energy of Sarah Tagholm and Binny Talib’s fantastic felines led by Sam, the David Bowie of cats. Featuring a silver-foiled cover for full disco effect, readers are introduced to many musical genres, as each of Sam Francisco’s adversaries are gradually won over by the beat… Read More Sam Francisco, King of the Disco by Sarah Tagholm and Binny Talib (ARC Review)

— Adult, ARC review, book review —

Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer (ARC Review)

August 28, 2023

ASSISTANT WANTED: Notorious, high-ranking villain seeks loyal, levelheaded assistant for unspecified office duties, supporting staff for random mayhem, terror, and other Dark Things In General. Discretion a must. Excellent benefits.

With ailing family to support, Evie Sage’s employment status isn’t just important, it’s vital. So when a mishap with Rennedawn’s most infamous Villain results in a job offer—naturally, she says yes. No job is perfect, of course, but even less so when you develop a teeny crush on your terrifying, temperamental, and undeniably hot boss. Don’t find evil so attractive, Evie.

But just when she’s getting used to severed heads suspended from the ceiling and the odd squish of an errant eyeball beneath her heel, Evie suspects this dungeon has a huge rat…and not just the literal kind. Because something rotten is growing in the kingdom of Rennedawn, and someone wants to take the Villain—and his entire nefarious empire—out.

Now Evie must not only resist drooling over her boss but also figure out exactly who is sabotaging his work…and ensure he makes them pay.

After all, a good job is hard to find… Read More Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer (ARC Review)

— Adult, ARC review, book review —

Nineteen Claws and a Black Bird: Stories by Agustina Bazterrica (ARC Review)

May 26, 2023

A collection of nineteen dark, wildly imaginative short stories from the author of the award-winning TikTok sensation Tender Is the Flesh.

From celebrated author Agustina Bazterrica, this collection of nineteen brutal, darkly funny short stories takes into our deepest fears and through our most disturbing fantasies. Through stories about violence, alienation, and dystopia, Bazterrica’s vision of the human experience emerges in complex, unexpected ways—often unsettling, sometimes thrilling, and always profound. In “Roberto,” a girl claims to have a rabbit between her legs. A woman’s neighbor jumps to his death in “A Light, Swift, and Monstrous Sound,” and in “Candy Pink,” a woman fails to contend with a difficult breakup in five easy steps.

Written in Bazterrica’s signature clever, vivid style, these stories question love, friendship, family relationships, and unspeakable desires… Read More Nineteen Claws and a Black Bird: Stories by Agustina Bazterrica (ARC Review)

— Adult, ARC review, book review —

The Marigold by Andrew F. Sullivan (ARC Review)

May 26, 2023

In a near-future Toronto buffeted by environmental chaos and unfettered development, an unsettling new lifeform begins to grow beneath the surface, feeding off the past.

The Marigold, a gleaming Toronto condo tower, sits a half-empty promise: a stack of scuffed rental suites and undelivered amenities that crumbles around its residents as a mysterious sludge spreads slowly through it. Public health inspector Cathy Jin investigates this toxic mold as it infests the city’s infrastructure, rotting it from within, while Sam “Soda” Dalipagic stumbles onto a dangerous cache of data while cruising the streets in his Camry, waiting for his next rideshare alert. On the outskirts of downtown, 13-year-old Henrietta Brakes chases a friend deep underground after he’s snatched into a sinkhole by a creature from below.

All the while, construction of the city’s newest luxury tower, Marigold II, has stalled. Stanley Marigold, the struggling son of the legendary developer behind this project, decides he must tap into a hidden reserve of old power to make his dream a reality — one with a human cost.

Weaving together disparate storylines and tapping into the realms of body horror, urban dystopia, and ecofiction, The Marigold explores the precarity of community and the fragile designs that bind us together… Read More The Marigold by Andrew F. Sullivan (ARC Review)

— Adult, ARC review, book review —

A House With Good Bones by T. Kingfisher (ARC Review)

May 15, 2023

“Mom seems off.”

Her brother’s words echo in Sam Montgomery’s ear as she turns onto the quiet North Carolina street where their mother lives alone.

She brushes the thought away as she climbs the front steps. Sam’s excited for this rare extended visit, and looking forward to nights with just the two of them, drinking boxed wine, watching murder mystery shows, and guessing who the killer is long before the characters figure it out.

But stepping inside, she quickly realizes home isn’t what it used to be. Gone is the warm, cluttered charm her mom is known for; now the walls are painted a sterile white. Her mom jumps at the smallest noises and looks over her shoulder even when she’s the only person in the room. And when Sam steps out back to clear her head, she finds a jar of teeth hidden beneath the magazine-worthy rose bushes, and vultures are circling the garden from above.

To find out what’s got her mom so frightened in her own home, Sam will go digging for the truth. But some secrets are better left buried… Read More A House With Good Bones by T. Kingfisher (ARC Review)

— Adult, ARC review, book review —

Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez (ARC Review)

May 15, 2023

Dr. Briana Ortiz’s life is seriously flatlining. Her divorce is just about finalized, her brother’s running out of time to find a kidney donor, and that promotion she wants? Oh, that’s probably going to the new man-doctor who’s already registering eighty-friggin’-seven on Briana’s “pain in my ass” scale. But just when all systems are set to hate, Dr. Jacob Maddox completely flips the game . . . by sending Briana a letter.

And it’s a really good letter. Like the kind that proves that Jacob isn’t actually Satan. Worse, he might be this fantastically funny and subversively likeable guy who’s terrible at first impressions. Because suddenly he and Bri are exchanging letters, sharing lunch dates in her “sob closet,” and discussing the merits of freakishly tiny horses. But when Jacob decides to give Briana the best gift imaginable—a kidney for her brother—she wonders just how she can resist this quietly sexy new doctor . . . especially when he calls in a favor she can’t refuse… Read More Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez (ARC Review)