Destiny (howling libraries)

Like most anthologies, this was definitely a mixed bag for me. While there were some real gems, there were also an unfortunate number of stories that left me wanting more. I'd rather focus on the standout pieces, though, so I have to shout out a few favorites: 'Mr. Butler' by Clay McLeod Chapman, 'Nice' by Nat Cassidy, 'Thaw' by Rachel Harrison, and 'Ghosted' by Mercedes M. Yardley.

I'm not sure this anthology will stick out in my memory much overall, but I enjoyed my time with it enough to recommend it to any readers looking for some chilling, wintry horror tales.

I read a final copy borrowed from the library, but for the sake of disclosure, I was also gifted an early review copy. All thoughts are honest and my own.

Life was like a language I couldn't speak.

I've been meaning to read this for WAY too long, and I'm glad I finally did. I listened to the audiobook narrated by the author and it was lovely! I love grief-themed horror stories and this one portrayed it beautifully. While the more horror-centric elements of the plot lost me at times, I kept being drawn back in by not only the protagonist's commentary on grief and loss, but also by her own mental struggles with simply existing. I thought the ending felt a little bit rushed and wouldn't have minded the novella being longer, but overall, I really enjoyed it.

I read a final copy borrowed from the library, but for the sake of disclosure, I was also gifted an early review copy. All thoughts are honest and my own.

✨ Representation: sapphic Mi'kmaq main character, sapphic side character, portrayal of a sapphic relationship

✨ Content warnings for: grief, loss of a parent, terminal illness, suicidal ideation, erasure of Native culture, climate crisis descriptions, parental abuse (brief)

original update, June 2023:

Book of the year right here. What am I even supposed to do with myself until November?!?! THE AUDACITY

Review coming when I can stop screaming

re-read update, November 2023:

I still haven't stopped screaming

re-read update, February 2025:

Will I EVER not sob at "it was my honor"? Unlikely.

This was so much fun! I loved the first book in the series and thought Reggie's character was hilarious, so I was really excited when I learned the second book would feature him as the love interest. He was absolutely delightful and I laughed out loud a handful of times over his jokes, puns, and general zany nature. The plot was interesting enough and never got too serious, even though Reggie was supposedly in danger - there was always a general feeling of ineptitude from the Committee, so it was easy to bliss out in the sweet rom-com vibes. ♥️ Cotton candy in book form, this one.

Buddy read with Misty! ♥️

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy! All thoughts are honest and my own.

✨ Representation: queer side characters

✨ Content warnings for: stalking (not descriptive or portrayed in an explicitly frightening way), disrespect of a person's dietary needs, general lack of support from MC's parents, feelings of unimportance, minor descriptions of blood

My entire review can be summed up with: *massive, whimsical sigh*

Really though, this was so wonderful. The chemistry between Scarlett and Lukas was incredible, I loved the mental health and trauma discussions, and most of all, this was perhaps the single best portrayal of kink discussion I've ever read. While I don't personally feel like this book was as explicit or kinky as I expected it to be based on the general reception (lol), there was SO much emphasis on consent, aftercare, and (best of all, imo) even delving into why submission is so comforting for a lot of people. I loved it so much. ♥️

Buddy read with Malli!

Thank you to the publisher and LibroFM for the gifted audiobook! All thoughts are honest and my own.

✨ Representation: casual queer rep (love interest and multiple side characters)

✨ Content warnings for: dom/sub dynamics, discussions of BDSM and consent, sports injuries, trauma, brief mentions of emotionally/verbally abusive parents, brief mentions of parent loss and grief, kink-shaming (challenged), anxiety

DNF @ 35% (about 250pg)

I give up. I know this is pretty widely beloved and I had high hopes, but I can't mesh with this writing at all.

I've heard a lot of love for this book and I'd enjoyed short stories by Tananarive Due before, so I had a feeling I'd enjoy this, but I didn't know just how much I would adore The Reformatory. This book was an absolute masterpiece from start to finish and I wouldn't have changed a single thing about it. I'm so glad that I finally read it and I'm going to shove this beautiful, sad story at everyone I possibly can.

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy! All thoughts are honest and my own.

✨ Representation: several Black main and side characters, two sapphic side characters

✨ Content warnings for: graphic racism, racist slurs, misogyny, sexual harassment, sexual assault, graphic abuse, pedophilia, rape, infant death/murder, child death/murder, imprisonment, mentions of cancer/terminal illness, grief

As soon as I saw the title of this collection, I was intrigued, because wow, what a title. 🤣 And no spoilers, but the title came into play in the BEST way at one point and it put the biggest smile on my face. If you don't mind reading stories mostly revolving around evil little kids doing terrible things to people (and sometimes getting punished for it), this was a really fun collection that I enjoyed a lot!

This was so much fun. David's stories are always so full of heart and charm, while still being downright terrifying, and this was no exception. Sammo ♥️

This was such an intriguing take on the Sleepy Hollow story. I've never seen someone tackle this retelling with such an interesting angle! I loved the main character and I adored the relationship between Ben and Brom. ♥️

This was okay! I loved the darker elements - mostly watching these two go a bit psycho together - but I didn't love the writing. It wasn't an issue with the writing style itself as much as the fact that a lot of things didn't make sense to me, like Talon's self-contradictions (mainly how he kept leaving Lena alone for extended periods of time without intervening despite knowing, or at least being able to assume, what was happening to her). I felt like, if he were really as fiercely protective over her as he made himself out to be, there are a few things that shouldn't have happened. I also felt like the ending tied up pretty neatly without a lot of explanation for how they got away with things. Overall, it was fine, just not great.

Yeah... this isn't for me. 😬 I hate these characters lol

I absolutely adored this. I can't decide if this or Pumpkin Spice is my favorite book in the series so far! I liked Kira too, especially once she started letting her guard down a little and we saw more of her personality shine through, but Bennett really stole the show for me. I related SO much to his need to feel useful and his tendency to let the people he cares about stomp all over his boundaries (or, more accurately, his tendency not to establish boundaries at all because he just wants everyone to be happy and doesn't always even realize he's put himself last again).

Also, the doggo love? Everything! I can't even tell you how many times I had to go find my Echo and give her some cuddles while listening to this because Laurie Gilmore is just so good at putting those pet-loving feels into words. ♥️

Is this the feeling of being broken? He wonders. Or is it the process of breaking?

I've heard a lot of hype surrounding this novella, and I can certainly see why. It's a gruesome, suspenseful little thing with lots of fangs and pincers (literally and metaphorically), and I really enjoyed it. There's a dark humor to the whole thing, but moments of long-standing generational pain and cynicism are woven throughout it in a way that tugs at your heartstrings. The ending left me reeling a little bit, and I'm probably never going to look at gas station restrooms the same way.

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy! All thoughts are honest and my own.

✨ Representation: Jewish MC and author

✨ Content warnings for: violence, gore, murder, death, insects, snakes, brief mentions of antisemitism, emotional abuse of a child (flashbacks), religious doubts, brief mentions of cancer and terminal illness

God DAMN, I love a good vengeance story.

I loved the way this story was told, alternating chapters between present and past events. It gave us a chance to get to know and feel for the victims without being bogged down with massive info dumps or overly long and gratuitous assault scenes.

I'm usually really wary of horror books featuring sexual assault as a main premise because many of the more extreme ones I've read handled it VERY poorly, but it was easy to see the care and respect the author handled those scenes with. There are quite a few painful moments in this book that will break your heart and make you rage.

Overall, Seven Rabbits was beautifully written and I can't wait to read more from this author!

Buddy read with Misty!

✨ Content warnings for: rape, rape culture, gang rape, leaked nudes without consent, abuse, threats, blackmail, abortion (off-page), suicide, misogyny, religious bigotry, abuse of police power, racism, violence, gore, torture, murder, desecration of corpses, alcohol, underage drinking, loss of loved ones, grief, pregnancy complications/maternal death (off-page), bullying, fat-shaming

dnf @ 20%

I don't know what it was, but the writing wasn't working for me at all. Also, I'm hesitant to say this since I didn't finish the book, but by the point I reached, there were no horror elements AT ALL. I've seen a ton of negative reviews saying this was poorly marketed and miscategorized, and my first impression left me inclined to agree.

Okay, this was SO CUTE and I really need to continue this series and check out Shannon Mae's other work soon. Dex and Toby were adorable together and I genuinely enjoyed the mystery/thriller subplot! I love suspenseful rom-coms like this, where enough of the book is happy and cutesy that I can get invested in the worrisome events without ever having any doubt that the characters will get their HEA.

I'd 100% recommend this for Alice Winters fans (and it reminded me that I need to read more of her books too) as well as fans of Onley James' Necessary Evils series!