C. J. Daley

I read this to rate for the Indie Ink Awards and I’m glad I was able to reserve it. For some reason it took me over a month to cut through, no idea why, but I’m glad to have read it.

This is a fantasy novel that takes place on a planet that has two separate species of humans on it. One lives close to the earth, hunting and surviving off the land. The other is more technologically advanced, living in a society further along than ours. Balika, an outsider, is thrust out of the only comfort she’s ever known. Sammah, also an outsider, is thrust out of his comfort zone when a friend starts getting close to him.

I loved that the two main characters mirror each other throughout the entirety of the novel. Their journeys may not be identical, but their struggles, their internal turmoil, as well as their outcomes, mirror, intermix, and come together in a really special way. And I especially appreciated the author’s ability to write the character of Balika as different while not making her seem inferior. While her people might have thought the construction machines were giant beasts, not understanding technology, there is nuance and intellect described throughout that highlights very well as just different, not dumb.

In a sense, I will say that the two storylines did not mesh all that well for me. As in, they just didn’t gell for me, and for most of the novel, I wasn’t sure where the build up would take me. It certainly pays off in a big way, it just took a while for me to catch up.

As much as this is a scifi fantasy, it also has notes of eco-horror too. Protecting the world from destruction, as well as repairing what’s been done. There’s also all the necessary dystopian scifi notes of a world that’s too attached to the simplicities that technology bring. All in all a solid mixture.

Another one that I read for book club that I would not have necessarily picked up otherwise. Honestly, I’m a bit conflicted with it.

The novel is about two agents on opposite sides of the war. What may have started as an attempt to turn each other, eventually leads to a budding romance of a sort. Through their correspondences, they are truly free, truly themselves, and therefore it’s all the more alluring. Not only must they hide the letters to each other throughout time and space, they must also shield their minds from the leaders that would surely turn them in.

The correspondences, as well as why they are feeling the way they are, are quite beautiful. The nature of needing more and finding it in the strangest place is perhaps a cliche, however it’s completely modified by them being fully crafted, time traveling soldiers. They visit strands of time (the description of which brought to mind the Marvel show Loki for me) stealing, kidnapping, killing, and pretty much whatever else is required of them. So them finding each other, and sharing these desires, is practically impossible. Yet it happened all the same. That’s what I really liked.

What I struggled with, was the lack of everything else. While it wasn’t necessarily the fact that it was missing, it could be awfully confusing when little snippets were dropped. I wanted more. More description, more explanation, more scifi craziness. Without it, and it being so short, I found it to be kind of lacking. It just needed a bit more to glue it all together for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for this one. The audio by Imani Jade Powers was well done and a part I definitely enjoyed.

This was a unique story and take on the vampire. Not your conventional vamps, I really liked that the author mixed historical lore on vampires, demons, devils, and also just made up some of his own stuff. Overall they were the driving force that kept my enjoyment. They are brutal, commanding, savage even. And described in a way I’ve never experienced.

The novel itself though, features Sarita as the main character—oh and her hulking protector, called Angelo. He has saved her from drowning, from party kids getting a little too drunk, from going to the wrong places at the wrong times, and of course from someone she loved very much? Although later there is a reason given for why this happened, it just felt too random/weird too fast, and the description of why just never really caught up for me.

This was a little too all over the place. The pacing of which, with its horrendously repetitive pondering of why this was happening to Sarita, was far too slow, and then the sprinkling in of hyper-violence, just didn’t make sense for me. I was bored, then really engaged, and then it’d dissipate again. The big bad was described as this all powerful being, just to really not be all that climactic. It just had some unfortunate shortcomings.

With such a cool cover, I really wanted to love this one, and while I was kept on the line with the vampire stuff, the story was a bit of a loss for me.

Went with the audio by Connor Brannigan and its very well done.

This is a very bizarre story. Franklin received a set of random texts from a neighbor he doesn’t know. He’s lonely, so he accepts her offer to come over and hang out. Regardless of the red flags, in which there are numerous, he finds himself staying. She contradicts herself, claiming he’s wrong even when it was a comment she made only moments before—clearly gaslighting him. She seems to mistake him for someone else, and over time it only gets worse. After ignoring a text to take her medicine, Franklin invites Lynda over in hopes of shaking her out of it in a new setting.

Unfortunately, things only get worse. The night is fueled by arguments, misunderstands, the need for reassurance, sexual endeavors, and even self harm. I do feel like bits of his loneliness and his ability to brush things off resonated with me as at least ‘possible,’ even though I would have gotten the hell out of there wayyyy earlier. I do feel like Lynda’s assaults were not that deftly handled though, as some of her triggers seemed to be the opposite of expectations.

Regardless, the ending is even more out of left field than the entire story, and the insanity is catching.

The narration by Connor Brannigan is good and has a tone that works well for the subject matter.

I’m not really too sure how to describe this, but ‘weird fantasy’ is what came to mind throughout listening. I think that’s kind of fitting honestly. It’s dark in nature, but it’s also missing common fantasy and horror notes. This is something different.

The penumbra men are seeking answers. Answers that were lost to them, as well as their faith. Vvlna, was the name of their sun, but they’ve lost a use for it in this new world. And as the blurb states, they will find those answers in the house of wolves, but not all of them will make it there.

To me this read like a short section of a history textbook. It’s not exactly any kind of linear tale, but the tone of it speaks to mythology or lore. This is a chronicle of the penumbra men. I felt it was well written and I really enjoyed the voice, but it’s not really long enough to open up into anything, but maybe that’s actually the point.

A first for me from both authors, but it’s a quick, unique read that I’d recommend.

The audio done by Dan Lawson was fantastic. Quick, clean audio, and good distinction for each character.

The novel begins with the narrator, Mark Prewitt, telling the reader that there is a house with a ghost, and that he fell in love with a witch. It worked perfectly as set up for me, as for the remainder of the book, it was like looking over my shoulder waiting for the exact moment those reveals would have an effect.

Mark just wants to make enough money this summer to get his car running. That, and to have as much fun with his friends as possible. But when a prank goes too far, Mark is forced to cross paths with the Farrow sisters in the hopes of making amends, but there’s also a dirty secret that may create a problem of its own.

The Farrow sisters are the town pariahs. Their parents pulled them from school after the death of their eldest sister, and now they’re seldom seen, and wholeheartedly hated. But as Mark meets George (short for Georgia) he realizes that while the family is strange, they’re mostly misunderstood. A friendship, and possibly more, blossoms.

Part of why I loved the opening is because the novel doesn’t really have much in the way of action. Mark goes to work, and he has two jobs. Otherwise he rides his bike to his friends or to see George. That knowledge that something’s coming stays right in the back of your head the whole time.

It’s also a great coming of age story, with super strong dialogue. Although I am born five years after the novel is set, I feel like the 90s were truly the last generation of kids to have that walk/bike everywhere feel. Especially the ‘go wherever you want as long as you’re not in your parents house’ attitude. So that felt nostalgic while reading.

This might be a first of its kind for me, but this is like reading a horror/romance? The possible intrusion of the ghost, a seance gone bad, the witch antics, the almost Addams family plus abusive dysfunction of the Farrow family, all while George and Mark are growing closer, was a unique blend.

I particularly liked the dissection of high school classism, as Mark battles between his heart and his head. He wants to see more of George, desires to be with her, but what would that do to him if anyone found out? Could he afford to become a ghost as well? To become another town pariah? Sometimes, especially with the fickleness of kids, you don't get a choice.

The ending does pick up, has stakes, and losses. And I really enjoyed the open ending. This was a great read and a first for me from the author.

I received this to judge for the Indie Ink Awards for two different kinds of rep, disability and Latinx. I already owned the kindle version.

This has one hell of an opening. Jamarnid was sleeping with a harlequin. Well, he thought she was human, which was still a crime, but this one’s even worse. She became pregnant, which is treason, and he was sentenced to death. The entire opening is a whirlwind of lore, action, and torture. He is willing to die for his crimes, but not everyone may agree. It’s fast and strong and you feel it even though you’re still learning characters.

Otherwise though, I do wish that it was labeled as the prologue, rather than chapter one, as it’s really the only chapter that truly takes place in the past. It kind of made the rest of it harder to follow, as the pace never quite speeds up that much again.

This is a multiple POV fantasy that features different races and ages. Full blood elves, harlequins, half bloods, and humans (mostly just mentioned). After the opening, the exiled members have fallen victim to two different purges from the full blood elves. Those that survived made their own city, Almjarhad, where all they want is to live self sufficiently. The POVs, as the blurb states, showcase the hero, the seer, the child, and the condemned, and with that of course, peace is never that simple. I really enjoyed each character and how the author had them operate with each other, especially when they appeared in each others chapters.

There is a very cool and well written sword fight in this, but other than that, this did want for action in my opinion. With the large and intense opening, I guess I expected something to come and outdo that, and there isn’t anything. Although, I will say that this is only book one and it does end with practically everything in a cliffhanger. So I assume the build to action is what follows.

The last of the series for me that was waiting to be completed. When the others were all free, this one wasn’t, and as a novella, I didn’t think it was worth a credit. But it was part of that last audible sale for only $2 so I grabbed it.

This is a novella that showcases the struggles behind getting the Tanaka Institute up and running after the capture of the meg pup at the end of book 1.

They are struggling with electrical problems, management problems, and especially financial problems. They have no money and the megalodon’s pen needs an awful lot of work. Just like with many real large sharks in captivity, there isn’t enough circulating water for her, and she struggles to survive. Which is obviously a huge issue in itself, but they also have no money to feed her.

The set up itself is kind of cool, and I’ll be honest, I was definitely thinking about more of the series after some time away from it, but this wasn’t all that great. It seems like the author just can’t leave stuff alone. Outside the institute, one side is covered in sea lions, the other, filled with surfers looking to take advantage of the large waves. Naturally theres a huge great white attacking them. Oh, and a cookie cutter shark bites a diver…because you know, the megalodon isn't enough. Every shark is just super blood thirsty.

The Meg pup gets some food finally and then they are unexpectedly saved by a huge donor. It just kind of tells you how it ends without revealing anything, which makes it super bland.

Apparently this story is actually a part one, with at least two more supposed to be coming out, but that seems to have not happened. Or at least not yet. I saw a reviewer on goodreads saying this is just for completionists, and honestly it isn’t necessary at all, so that’s true.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the audio of this one! The narration was done by the author, which is always awesome! Other than a couple little tonal things when chapters switched, it all sounded great.

Pluralities is a journey of identity, self discovery, and the search for inner peace. The main character, sometimes referred to by her mother as just ‘SHE’, wears her she stamp and goes to work every day until one day, the burnout and desire for more becomes far too much to bear. A lucky car ride home from the boy from the froyo stand changes everything.

The novella features another POV, which is a galactic space prince gone rogue and his sentient ship. He wants to be an adventurer, to forge his own path, and to not be held by the confines of his family. And while this did confuse me a bit (I wasn’t expecting it), I loved that the two stories were perfectly paralleled.

This does include a sex scene, which is typically not my bag, however this is a scene of awakening and discovery. It’s about feeling, imagining, becoming more. And while I can’t completely understand or empathize, I thought it was done exceptionally well.

‘SHE’ has never felt like one, she doesn’t think she’s truly a woman. And after this awakening, they still don’t truly know what they are or what they desire to be, but that’s okay. I loved the inclusion of someone further along their own path being included to tenderly be there for all the ups and downs.

If you’re looking for a resource that does a great job of explaining the feeling, the why, and even the lack of why that people feel while discovering their gender or personhood, this describes it very well.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this one! The audio by Ramón de Ocampo was pretty solid!

The premise for this is that Liam’s mother is a screenwriter for tv. Her big idea gets picked up for the latest Shark Night on the Danger Channel and her big promise is that Liam will NOT have to be the kid inside the tank. Naturally, we know that’s not going to be true.

As usual, this has all the silliness, the cliffhanger endings, and all the possible scares it could…just like the Goosebumps books. I’m just always curious as to why these separate releases aren’t just GB. He has a very signature style anyway. I wonder if it’s a Stine or a publisher thing.

This was enjoyable and silly and quick, exactly what I’d want and expect from a Stine read. The only snag for me was the fact that it’s literally called Shark Night (both the book and the channel’s special) and yet the shark has the most limited page time? Especially when other ‘things’ have more.

Went with the audio for this, Dominic Hoffman did a fine job.

I read this one for a book club. It was not my pick, and most definitely not something I would have picked up on my own. And while that is the reason why I’m in the book club, I’m just not really sure how to rate it because of that.

This read like there was no editorial say to tell the author that the story did not need 555 supporting characters. There’s actually so many characters, and so many seeming endless backstories, that I genuinely do not remember any character names other than DoDo.

The novel is about Chicken Hill and it’s residents. They are primarily Jewish and black, which is mostly what the story is about, however literally every single character gets a name and a backstory. For me it drowned out everything else, and I didn’t think there was any discernible through line for the entire novel. Not really sure about this one, but I don’t think I’d suggest it.

This is part of the author’s forthcoming A Stitch Between Worlds, but as it also has a live separate release, I wanted to share a review for it here as well.

This is a futuristic story, taking place in what felt like a Blade Runner-esque Japan, where memory has become the only form of currency. And just like with dollars and cents, where there’s profit, there’s always someone wanting more. The rich covet, investing in people who are referred to as Hard-Drivers, aka those kept safe like a piggy bank of others memories. This has some thriller notes that were reminiscent of the film In Time, and some of the more scifi notes involving memory recall/replay that are hit upon in the movie of the same name, Rememory.

Felix and Jock are on the run. Wanted by the authoritarian, or perhaps even empirical, OneWorld. The deal they made with the yakuza is only going to keep them safe for some long. The seemingly all-powerful Nagasaki will do anything to remain in power and have memories to spare.

What follows is a fast paced technothriller that plows straight on into an all out revenge story. The scifi elements lend themselves well to a cyberpunk dystopia, and the central theme made for a unique and addictive read.

Huge thanks to Shortwave Media for the physical arc!

Holy cow. This book was freaking awesome, and so compulsively readable. I know the blurb likens it to Goosebumps already, but it really felt like an amped up, adult version to me. The chapters that flashed forward, featuring different sets of people, all read like Goosebump-infused interludes. And with some pretty horrific outcomes.

When bong hits and spliffs aren’t enough, best friends, Barry, Lars, Frankie, and Snaps, take a fateful trip to Lars’ sleazy uncle’s house. All for the promise of a great high… through teleportation. Some clearly explained, and rather scientific reasonings linking the story to The Philadelphia Experiment, make the reader buy in immediately. The rest is history. Some dangerous, mutilating, and deadly history.

The four best friends convince Lars’ uncle to give them a copy of this killer VHS, the ultimate teleportation device, which leads them to make their own copies. The years that follow are different for each of them, but no less gruesome across the four.

Millican does a great job of creating some unique and awfully gross body horror. And I really enjoyed the evolving and differing scenes he painted in each instance the teleportation goes wrong. Some of them brought to mind the multi-zombie from The Walking Dead: Dead City, and the murderous blob from the end of Evil Dead Rise.

The single human world, the differing dimensions, infiltration, as well as the ending, really introduced some intriguing and really unique thoughts on how teleportation could possibly work, and how it could go wrong. So while this story was an absolute blast for me, it also introduced some things that I’ll be thinking through for some time.

Went with audio on this, Justine Eyre and Holly Palance do a good job. One did the narration when the main character wasn’t involved, which I liked somewhat less, but was still enjoyable. The other, voicing the main character, Frankie, did a fantastic job.

Death Warrant is the largest TV show of all time. It features people who have chosen to sign up and be killed off for the enjoyment of millions. The seemingly only positive side, the advertisement earned in the episode is paid out to the loved one of their choice. It’s usually in the millions.

At the novel’s start, Frankie is interested in signing up. She’s a professional mentalist, doing odd jobs mostly, but she does have a bi-weekly night show as well. While she’s not unsuccessful, her brother suffered an accident, where he received brain damage, and therefore he’s hardly scraping by with his old student loans chasing him. So Frankie wants to clear those debts for him forever. The thing is, whether the network decides to work with them or not, they’ve mastered wiping the interviewees memory, so that they’ll have absolutely no memory of the attempt. No desire to re-sign up, and no stressing the supposed day of death.

This felt similar to Mark Towse’s The Generation Games, while not involving ageism, they both travel down to one of the most extreme natural conclusions to where the world could go. With the growing violence of shows, games, movies, where will the need to outdo eventually take us? And I loved the little tidbits in this one that were somewhat scifi-esque that showed it was near future, while not taking away from the story.

I really enjoyed how the author does not tell the reader whether or not Frankie was accepted into the program. And when things start going really well for her, and her success is on the rise, it’s always on the back of the readers mind that the big day could be coming. I really thought this was a good showing of how good things come to those who wait, or even, good things are right around the corner if you just hold out. Especially because the TV show itself is just a high paying form of suicide. The twist at the end does kind of subvert my feelings on that being what the author’s actual message was, but I still enjoyed where it led to regardless.

Thanks to Cemetery Gates Media for the physical arc!

This is a rereleased story, that has been updated and elongated along the way from the original. The release also features two forewords, an afterword, as well as extra stories. The additional content from the author was cool as it kind of felt like being included in the know.

This story has all the makings of something right up my alley. Someone running from a shady past, a small town, one that’s filled with old traditions and dark secrets, and it’s a cop crime story. The opening is eerie and has all the makings of a creepy atmosphere that could have kept the reader guessing. The witness testimony, as well as the evidence tape, could have grown into something really mysterious.

Unfortunately, this story is quite short, and doesn’t really have the legs to get that atmospheric feeling out there. It relies heavily on the plot, and kind of barrels ahead full throttle until it eventually comes to its short end, petering out. Charlie, while being an interesting character, doesn’t actually have that much to lose, and with it being so short, it kind of feels as if his backstory is just thrown in.

The ending is rather straight forward, with little to surprise the reader. And while that isn’t always a problem for me, I did feel like it happens just to happen, to have an end. Most of my enjoyment was saved by some of the characters, so while it was short, I didn’t entirely dislike it.

The short stories that accompany, according to the afterword, all connect in a singular way, or a theme, but for me they still felt kind of just tacked on. Especially with the longer story being the actual release. Again, not always bad, but in this case, unnecessary. I'm not sure if this will be a hit with folks, but if you're looking for a quick crime story this could be it.

Cassandra Campbell did a great job with the audio, giving life to each character and the horrors that follow.

A lottery pick they never thought they’d win, Ana and Reid just won a spot at the Deptford. The affordable apartment seems too good to be true, and even after the birth of their first child left Ana paralyzed from the waist down, they decide to accept, regardless of the single elevator and high floor. Moving isn’t easy on anyone, but harbored resentments, a nearly one year old, and perhaps some evilness, all culminate into one wicked transition.

For me, with the old building, the famous, richer inhabitants, and the down-on-their-luck newbies, this had reminiscent notes of Sager’s Lock Every Door. And while I have not read Salem’s Lot or Rosemary’s Baby (yet), I can tell that those comparison titles are where Cassidy imbues his horror elements over Sager’s thriller feels. And I really enjoyed how the author bleeds anxiety and paranoia into his characters differently. Ana takes on the more literal approach, with her suspecting something is wrong and trying to get away. And then Reid is the slower, irritability that permeates over time. His job, his wife, his friends, the littlest things start to tip him over, and I feel like the author handles that very well.

This sort of slow burn infestation of fear works really well for this novel. Reid just wants to provide and do what’s best for his family. A few things going terrible wrong? Well that can just be chalked up to the moving stress, can’t it?

While trying to stay as spoiler free as possible, the twist in the end with how each parent differed, did surprise me in the best way and I’m glad I rooted for who I did. I enjoyed this take on the Jewish ‘vampire’ and the inclusion definitely made it something unique.

Old buildings and history are the heart of NYC, just make sure the ones you move to don’t have a literal heart…

Received this one from NetGalley, so thanks to them and Tordotcom! The narration done by Helen McAlpine was awesome. Good accents, differing tones and variations. Nice and quick.

This has all the feel of an old school classic fantasy, without any of the additional background world building or lore. As a novella, it gets to the point awfully quick, while some of the additional bits that the author dropped did make the world feel whole to me, like maybe they knew it much deeper than they wrote it out. For me, that works quite well. There’s certainly a line where a lack of information can feel like it’s genuinely missing, but this toed that line just enough with its epitaph-esque interlude chapters, bringing a historical background to why they are on the hunt. IE., a complete and somewhat linear story that doesn’t stray from the plot, while appearing to take place in a whole, fleshed out world/universe.

This novella feels like it spawned from the single line of, “I am no man” and went on from there to become its own thing. A feminist, sapphic dragon hunting novella that packs a punch against toxic masculinity and gender roles. And Knight Maddileh is knocking down those barriers and putting mouthy squires in their places.

This was quick, enjoyable, and features quite a twist that I was not ready for. I do wish the actual situation with the dragon was longer, as it appeared like it would be the focal point, and with such a beautiful cover, I was imagining Smaug or GoT level battles in my mind, but there is certainly room for more…and an already announced sequel.

I won the special edition hardcover during a Twitter giveaway and decided to bump it up my TBR to add another read in for May. The hardcover has this great cover art, and the chapter pages had a nice fox image to match the story.

This is a grief horror that mixes backwoods magic with a story of revenge. Our main character is seeking vengeance for wrongs done to her family, but she doesn’t want to do so alone. Therefore she uses her herbal magic and an undead fox to bring back part of the soul of her father. I enjoyed as the story unpeeled how the magic was done, using water from behind the family home, and herbs from where he was buried to link the ceremony together.

But how much he remembers, and how well he will take this resurrection into the body of an animal, are up in the air. And will he be an accessory to the vengeance, or the unwanted voice of reason?

In a short number of pages, the author does a great job of creating such a bleak world and atmosphere. In that way, it reminded me of one of my favorite zombie reads, Worse Than Dying by Brett Van Valkenburg. While Undead Folk is post apocalyptic, there hasn’t been an entire eradication of the human race, though humanity can be awfully dark. Our main has to face this darkness, while trying to manage her own grief, and certainly some darkness of her own, all in the name of survival.

While this does take the reader through different phases of the main’s grief, I was surprised that it was a bit less sad than I was expecting, but then again, it did have a big focus on revenge. Either way, it certainly sits on the shelf of grief horror with the likes of Clay McLeod Chapman’s latest, Stay on the Line.

I received an audible code from the author for review, John Pirhalla does a good job with the narration, offering up a nice southern drawl and differing, distinct voices for each character.

I was interesting in this one and it was on my radar for the cover alone. I actually only read the blurb after starting it! This is an alt history novel that mixes fantasy, action, and humor into its gunslinging antics. Elias Faust is the marshal of Blackpeak, and while he may only believe in shooting people that deserve it, he does seem to do so an awful lot. A fist fight here, some disagreements there, larceny. The first couple of parts of the book start off with typical, mostly time period correct, tomfoolery. The fantasy element is quite toned down, and I found that it worked well with its slower buildup (the fantasy buildup is slow, the novel is not). And within this groove I found myself really enjoying it.

The later part of the book, when things started heating up, the fantasy element is heightened as well, and within that I struggled a bit. The magnate is out for revenge, trying his hardest to wrangle up Faust and stop him from turning his entire plot topsy-turvy. There are celestial beings(?), as well as semi-conscious reanimated corpses, and then a strange somewhat Trueblood-esque coyote situation that confused me a bit. A bunch of which kind of felt like possible eldritch town-lore, but lacked a bit of the horror and darkness to solidify it for me. Faust’s ability to survive and be guided felt kind of fantasy dream sequence-y to me, which is something I always struggle with.

Regardless, for a unique blend of western and fantasy, this gunslinging marshal does have a lot of fun to offer. And with the audio, it was an effortlessly fun thing to listen to. The dream sequence part, which I avoided details because [spoilers] is a known personal issue for me, and I’m sure others will not feel the same whatsoever. So grab your colts, load em, and saddle up.

Another of her Amazon original short stories, I honestly love seeing these pop up randomly.

Years ago, one of the friends made an enemy of an up and coming writer by not including him in their anthology. The scorned writer then launched a campaign of hate that spanned an entire friend group and multiple years.

Now, much older, and some of them even grandmothers, they tend to reminisce over drinks and cheeses…oh and discuss murder. The short story that follows is one of revenge, nostalgia, and grudges held. Atwood continues her craft with lightning quick prose and witty writing.

They might never get all the way up to murder, but laxative filled hash brownies is awfully funny.

This is a debut epic fantasy from a new voice in the indie community. I saw the cover and was intrigued, and the author offered me a copy to give it a read.

This novel has the tone and scope of a classic fantasy. The reader can feel the world is large, rich in history, and that each place fits into the world for a different reason. There is culture, intrigue, and mystery, as well as one hell of an epic opening.

Lorian, an inquisitor and servant of the aristoi, travels the world seeking out those who break the rules and use forbidden magics. He is a formidable character who, while not entirely likable, sees his way into multiple situations where he is outnumbered our out-powered just to ensure others are safe.

There is definitely some notes of Martin within the story, where the undead, especially in the winter cold, bring to mind the whitewalkers, however there are some fouler beasts at play here too. And just like with Martin, I do wish the undead being included would have come to more of a head. Especially because I was so interested in them.

While the opening is huge, the climax of the story is much more about the culmination of threads from earlier and the alleviation of the mystery, than any set of action beats. With that there is additional mystery, as well as room for so much more. This reads like a story spanning weeks/months within a series that could span even years.

In intriguing debut with an awesome cover, and so much lore that you’re going to need book two immediately.

Thank you to the author for the audio code for my enjoyment!

If the cover art and title haven’t signified enough for you yet, this is cozy fantasy. A newly popular genre, with releases like Legends and Lattes and Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea, however I had yet to dip my toes into it. So Quaint Creatures was a first, and I went in knowing next to nothing other than what the word ‘cozy’ meant. I was pleasantly surprised, and I greatly enjoyed it.

Norrik Softstep is a magical animal veterinarian, oh and a giant…but he’s awfully gentle! With visits from the likes of drakes, chimeras, and gryphons, and a slew of creatures I can only imagine came from the mind of the author, this felt like a much better managed concept of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. And yet I loved how it differentiated itself with a world full of different creatures and beings too. Like Minotaurs, frost fairies, orcs and elves, to even the unlikely with skeletons, zombies and ghosts. It was refreshing and unique, and the author is one hell of a narrator.

I also really liked that the novel features an undertone of a mystery as well. It opens up with the main character being asked to inspect a mysterious and magical crate that was confiscated. Norrik and his wife are also still investigating their home, as the halls and tunnels seem never ending. It’s not without tension, nor is it lacking action, it just has this laidback, friendly approach to its writing that makes it as smooth sailing as it is page turning.

I would highly recommend bumping this up your TBR regardless of if you are new like me, or already a fan of the sub genre.

Wow. Dumbrell offers up his best novel yet, taking everything he learned while crafting the Pillars of Peace trilogy, and improving on every level.

The novel begins with the author crafting up another signature world that feels both fantasy, and historical. The Cadraelian Kingdom has been expanding its borders for years, the men are weary, and some call for an end to the war. However, that has left the unconquered lands at the kingdom’s borders that much more uneasy. This new world is filled with more than names, there are hints of backstory, battle name drops, historical references, and old wounds. The author’s ability to create more than one world that feels full and lush and real is immensely impressive to me. And his ability to name things that just sound right is uncanny.

Inside this world, the author has crafted another unbelievable cast of characters, and this time, there’s an awful lot of them. A royal family, the king’s ministry of six, love interests, bordering leaders, and so much more. They’re dynamic, multilayered with heart, pride, fear, anger, and corruption. This is a very dialogue forward novel, as you will find with many mystery elements, and the author handles it all with a deft hand that will keep you turning pages long after you were supposed to go to sleep.

The character of Prince Leander, while certainly less than faultless, is crafted in such a way as to rival even that of Cyrus from the Pillars of Peace. While Cyrus is memorable in his purity and goodness, Leander is built from the ground up with the thought of an overbearing, quick-to-anger, and quick to drink, King of a father in mind. Therefore his imperfections ring as real, fleshed out character traits. Heavy is the head that’ll wear the crown, and this heir just might meet his fair share of pitfalls.

As readers will see from the acknowledgments, the author sought to create a fantasy world and then mesh it with the murder mystery genre most commonly dominated by the queen of mystery herself, Agatha Christie. And while I’m no expert, I certainly have quite a bit of experience with both fantasy worlds, and the works of Christie. Having just finished now, one of the most impressive things to me is that while the book was starting out, I thought the author was spending time to grow his vision for his world. And while it’s true he was, he was also already sowing the seeds for what was to come, dropping hints and clues along the way, from the very beginning. It takes a particular set of skills to know where you’re heading while still building the basis for your characters’ existence, and Dumbrell smashed it.

One thing that tends to worry me about the fantasy/mystery blend is that when it includes certain types of action, the deaths can kind of just feel like an addition to the body count, whereas in a mystery, death is not a common occurrence, and therefore it’s jarring and startles the reader. While the author references war and violence, it does not actually take place within this story, therefore subverting the typical issue, and making the murder mystery gruesome and out of place even in a royal palace.

And while there are hints of a more graphic nature, the deaths that follow certainly earn a stamp of approval in the arena of Christie mystery writing. And without spoiling, the author also does a fantastic job of injecting Christie into a powerful twist with a very surprising turnaround. And much like a Christie ending, no one leaves the novel unscathed.

…There is also a man with a mustache and cane…how could there not be???

Another smash hit release to tell your moms, dads, daddies, and even unborn nephews about. Really feels like a natural evolution for the author, almost as if the small snippet of the King’s poisoning from The Look of a King was expanded into its own story. Very well done.

“Inaction is action’s more dangerous sibling.”

So this is a reread for me. I recall listening to it and reviewing it, and as I just finished season two the other day I remembered this and looked for it and it was entirely gone. No review on audible, Goodreads, or my instagram. So maybe I dreamed it. Oddly fitting.

Tangle in the Dark is a prequel to the Amazon Original show. It features Tourmaline Larou (whose actor, Karla Crome, does the narration for this...quite well too) as the main character, her time as a student at university, and the beginnings of her relationship with Vignette. It serves to further deepen the characters, especially as this deals with some of the world's classism between even the same races, before the show itself starts to show the darker side of the world's feelings between the races. As a student, budding poet, and nighttime partygoer, Tourmaline has to learn to overcome some of her preconceived notions about those that maybe are outside of her own social class. It makes their relationship seem more real, as their attraction to each other also teaches them about themselves. It's also interesting to see simply because the world they are in, and the lives they are living, in the show are so drastically different from what we read here. It gives off possible ideas for what the show could have looked like during peace times (if we can even believe those are possible).

Enjoyable, a bit refreshing in how different it is, and quick.

Thanks to Shortwave Media for the physical arc!

Read this in a single sitting, which as a novelette might not be that crazy, but I’ve been having trouble focusing for periods of time. So this one really grasped me and I ran with it.

A hurricane hits a small coastal town, taking the lives of multiple loved ones, and yet not damaging the long-dead payphone. When folks start looking for a way to grieve, to move on, to speak to them one more time, they may just find what they need in the phone booth, but will it be enough…Or even too much?

As much as this is a drama and a story of loss, this really fits into what I’ve come to think of as grief horror (which I may or may not have picked up from author Katherine Silva?). Beats of the unthinkable, perhaps supernatural, tinged with people dealing with horrible loss. It could all be taken as in the heads of those grieving, but what if it’s not? Not to mention the crazy black and white illustrations throughout by Trevor Henderson definitely add an additional layer of darkness to the story.

And big shout out to Shortwave for the quality of this one. For the art it has these nice thick pages and the book itself felt solid. Just like an old school Scholastic Goosebumps book.