The Bone Season by Samanth Shannon (Review)

February 14, 2024

The year is 2059. Nineteen-year-old Paige Mahoney is working in the criminal underworld of Scion London, based at Seven Dials, employed by a man named Jaxon Hall. Her job: is to scout for information by breaking into people’s minds. For Paige is a dreamwalker, a clairvoyant, and, in the world of Scion, she commits treason simply by breathing.

It is raining the day her life changes forever. Attacked, drugged, and kidnapped, Paige is transported to Oxford – a city kept secret for two hundred years, controlled by a powerful, otherworldly race. Paige is assigned to Warden, a Rephaite with mysterious motives. He is her master. Her trainer. Her natural enemy. But if Paige wants to regain her freedom she must allow herself to be nurtured in this prison where she is meant to die.

The Bone Season introduces a compelling heroine and also introduces an extraordinary young writer, with huge ambition and a teeming imagination. Samantha Shannon has created a bold new reality in this riveting debut.… Read More The Bone Season by Samanth Shannon (Review)

— favourites of the year —

My Top Reads of 2023

January 25, 2024

Here we are…another year gone. I honestly don’t know where 2023 went. It moved so slowly while in retrospect feeling like it went so quickly. It’s quite bizarre if you ask me. As I sat down to work on this post, I realized that I somehow missed creating a post for 2022. I did list… Read More My Top Reads of 2023

— ARC review, book review, young adult —

Foul Heart Huntsman by Chloe Gong (ARC Review)

January 18, 2024

Winter is drawing thick in 1932 Shanghai, as is the ever-nearing threat of a Japanese invasion.

Rosalind Lang has suffered the worst possible fate for a national spy: she’s been exposed. With the media storm camped outside her apartment for the infamous Lady Fortune, she’s barely left her bedroom in weeks, plotting her next course of action after Orion was taken and his memories of Rosalind wiped. Though their marriage might have been a sham, his absence hurts her more than any physical wound. She won’t rest until she gets him back.

But with her identity in the open, the task is near impossible. The only way to leave the city and rescue Orion is under the guise of a national tour. It’s easy to convince her superiors that the countryside needs unity more than ever, and who better than an immortal girl to stir pride and strength into the people?

When the tour goes wrong, however, everything Rosalind once knew is thrown up in the air. Taking refuge outside Shanghai, old ghosts come into the open and adversaries turn to allies. To save Orion, they must find a cure to his mother’s traitorous invention and take this dangerous chemical weapon away from impending foreign invasion—but the clock is ticking, and if Rosalind fails, it’s not only Orion she loses, but her nation itself… Read More Foul Heart Huntsman by Chloe Gong (ARC Review)

— Adult, ARC review, book review —

Immortal Longings by Chloe Gong (ARC Review)

January 18, 2024

Every year, thousands in the kingdom of Talin will flock to its capital twin cities, San-Er, where the palace hosts a set of games. For those confident enough in their ability to jump between bodies, competitors across San-Er fight to the death to win unimaginable riches.

Princess Calla Tuoleimi lurks in hiding. Five years ago, a massacre killed her parents and left the palace of Er empty…and she was the one who did it. Before King Kasa’s forces in San can catch her, she plans to finish the job and bring down the monarchy. Her reclusive uncle always greets the victor of the games, so if she wins, she gets her opportunity at last to kill him.

Enter Anton Makusa, an exiled aristocrat. His childhood love has lain in a coma since they were both ousted from the palace, and he’s deep in debt trying to keep her alive. Thankfully, he’s one of the best jumpers in the kingdom, flitting from body to body at will. His last chance at saving her is entering the games and winning.

Calla finds both an unexpected alliance with Anton and help from King Kasa’s adopted son, August, who wants to mend Talin’s ills. But the three of them have very different goals, even as Calla and Anton’s partnership spirals into something all-consuming. Before the games close, Calla must decide what she’s playing for—her lover or her kingdom… Read More Immortal Longings by Chloe Gong (ARC Review)

— Adult, ARC review, book review —

The Long Game by Elena Armas (ARC Review)

January 17, 2024

Adalyn Reyes has spent years perfecting her daily routine: wake up at dawn, drive to the Miami Flames FC offices, try her hardest to leave a mark, go home, and repeat.

But her routine is disrupted when a video of her in an altercation with the team’s mascot goes viral. Rather than fire her, the team’s owner—who happens to be her father—sends Adalyn to middle-of-nowhere North Carolina, where she’s tasked with turning around the struggling local soccer team, the Green Warriors, as a way to redeem herself. Her plans crumble upon discovering that the players wear tutus to practice (impractical), keep pet goats (messy), and are terrified of Adalyn (counterproductive), and are nine-year-old kids.

To make things worse, also in town is Cameron Caldani, goalkeeping prodigy whose presence is somewhat of a mystery. Cam is the perfect candidate to help Adalyn, but after one very unfortunate first encounter involving a rooster, Cam’s leg, and Adalyn’s bumper, he’s also set on running her out of town. But banishment is not an option for Adalyn. Not again. Helping this ragtag children’s team is her road to redemption, and she is playing the long game. With or without Cam’s help… Read More The Long Game by Elena Armas (ARC Review)

— Adult, ARC review, book review —

The Handyman Method by Nick Cutter and Andrew F. Sullivan (ARC Review)

January 17, 2024

When a young family moves into an unfinished development community, cracks begin to emerge in both their new residence and their lives, as a mysterious online DIY instructor delivers dark subliminal suggestions about how to handle any problem around the house. The trials of home improvement, destructive insecurities, and haunted house horror all collide in this thrilling story perfect for fans of Nick Cutter’s bestsellers The Troop and The Deep… Read More The Handyman Method by Nick Cutter and Andrew F. Sullivan (ARC Review)

— Adult, ARC review, book review —

Wolfsong by T.J. Klune (ARC Review)

January 15, 2024

The Bennett family has a secret: They’re not just a family, they’re a pack. Wolfsong is Ox Matheson’s story.

Oxnard Matheson was twelve when his father taught him a Ox wasn’t worth anything and people would never understand him. Then his father left.

Ox was sixteen when the energetic Bennett family moved in next door, harboring a secret that would change him forever. The Bennetts are shapeshifters. They can transform into wolves at will. Drawn to their magic, loyalty, and enduring friendships, Ox feels a gulf between this extraordinary new world and the quiet life he’s known, but he finds an ally in Joe, the youngest Bennett boy.

Ox was twenty-three when murder came to town and tore a hole in his heart. Violence flared, tragedy split the pack, and Joe left town, leaving Ox behind. Three years later, the boy is back. Except now he’s a man – charming, handsome, but haunted – and Ox can no longer ignore the song that howls between them.

The beloved fantasy romance sensation by New York Times bestselling author TJ Klune, about love, loyalty, betrayal, and family… Read More Wolfsong by T.J. Klune (ARC Review)

— book review, comic/graphic novel, young adult —

Stars in their Eyes by Jessica Walton and Aśka (Review)

January 15, 2024

Maisie is on her way to Fancon! She’s looking forward to meeting her idol, Kara Bufano, the action hero from her favorite TV show, who has a lower-leg amputation, just like Maisie. But when Maisie and her mom arrive at the convention center, she is stopped in her tracks by Ollie, a cute volunteer working the show. They are kind, charming, and geek out about nerd culture just as much as Maisie does. And as the day wears on, Maisie notices feelings for Ollie that she’s never had before. Is this what it feels like to fall in love?… Read More Stars in their Eyes by Jessica Walton and Aśka (Review)

— book review, comic/graphic novel, young adult —

Heartstopper Volumes 1, 2, 3, 4 by Alice Oseman (Review)

January 10, 2024

Charlie, a highly-strung, openly gay over-thinker, and Nick, a cheerful, soft-hearted rugby player, meet at a British all-boys grammar school. Friendship blooms quickly, but could there be something more…?

Charlie Spring is in Year 10 at Truham Grammar School for Boys. The past year hasn’t been too great, but at least he’s not being bullied anymore. Nick Nelson is in Year 11 and on the school rugby team. He’s heard a little about Charlie – the kid who was outed last year and bullied for a few months – but he’s never had the opportunity to talk to him.

They quickly become friends, and soon Charlie is falling hard for Nick, even though he doesn’t think he has a chance. But love works in surprising ways, and sometimes good things are waiting just around the corner… Read More Heartstopper Volumes 1, 2, 3, 4 by Alice Oseman (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 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)