Okay so I loved this. I flew through it in just a few days and regretted every time I had to put it down. At first I was really worried it would lean heavily on the miscommunication trope, but I’m very happy to say that it’s resolved early on in the book, and the main focus becomes revenge. I loved seeing Maya and Skye come together to enact revenge on Jordy, and then how their friendship blossomed into something more.
Review: Weird Fishes by Rae Mariz
I read this incredible novella in just two sittings, I completely fell in love with Ceph and Iliokai, and I found it hard to look away from their journey. Mariz packs so much into such a small number of pages, and I think the story is completely the perfect length.
Review: A Fractured Infinity by Nathan Tavares
The big question at the heart of the book is ‘how far would you go for love’. It’s this epic multiverse-spanning sci-fi tale with a love story at its very heart. We might have machines that span infinite universes, alternate selves and some crazy science, but really the focus is on Hayes and what he’ll do to save the love of his life.
Review: Family Business by Jonathan Sims
Family Business is the first book I’ve read by Jonathan Sims, and it definitely won’t be my last. I went in not sure what to expect and at no point did I realise just how creepy, and insane, the plot would become. The creep-factor is cranked up so expertly that you don’t notice what’s going on until our main character, Diya, is right in the middle of everything.
Review: A Magic Steeped in Poison (The Book of Tea #1) by Judy I. Lin
Synopsis: For Ning, the only thing worse than losing her mother is knowing that it’s her own fault. She was the one who unknowingly brewed the poison tea that killed her—the poison tea that now threatens to also take her sister, Shu. When Ning hears of a competition to find the kingdom’s greatest shennong-shi—masters of […]
Book Tour: Chaos (Chaos #1) by Cydney Daemon
What the author really excels at here is the character development. I would argue that this first book in the series is far more about character development and situating them in the world than it is about a huge amount of plot progression.
Review: Not Good for Maidens by Tori Bovalino
Oh. My. God. I LOVED this. I’ve already practically thrown the book at multiple people, although basically shouting ‘it’s about the goblin markets’ probably isn’t the best approach I could’ve gone for. Not Good for Maidens does contain a fair amount of body horror and is definitely horror rather than a YA horror (although it does have a 17-year-old protagonist). But that being said, if you like your horror gory, and creepy, and heart-pounding, this is the book for you.
Book Review: Leech by Hiron Ennes
I was completely blown away by Leech. From the very first page I was completely drawn in, and by page 60 I was hooked and loath to put the book down.
Leech is an atmospheric, gothic horror of the best kind. The atmosphere is just perfect and the setting of a remote castle in the far north just added an extra layer of dark & creepy to the story. Nothing is ever quite as it seems and Hiron Ennes really embraces that in this book.
Review: Monsters Born and Made by Tanvi Berwah
Filled with terrifying oceanic beasts and a world that is begging to be explored further Berwah has well and truly written a stunning debut. I can’t wait to pick up the next one and see where it’s all going!
Review: Monster of the Dark (Mirrors in the Dark #1) by K.T. Belt
Monster of the Dark is one of the 2021-22 SPSFC Finalists! I read it as part of the judging process.
Review: Duckett & Dyer: Dicks for Hire (Duckett & Dyer #1) by G.M. Nair
Duckett & Dyer is a SPSFC Finalist for the 2021-22 batch! I read it as part of the judging process.
I’ll admit right off the bat that I don’t tend to pick up comedies, so I wasn’t sure how I would get on with this one. But, thanks to the SPSFC, I gave it a go and found that actually I quite enjoyed it! Nair knows how to write comedy and kept throwing unexpected surprises at me through every turn.
Review: Iron Truth (Primaterre #1) by S.A. Tholin
Iron Truth is in the finals of the first ever SPSFC. I read it as part of the judging process.
Wow, just… wow. I knew Iron Truth was a chonker going in but I didn’t expect to get such an incredible, epic story. Where Iron Truth starts and where it ends are two very different places plot-wise. This isn’t a slow paced book, instead you get through into a story of epic hollywood cinema proportions that will hurtle you along. Not only that but the story itself is addictive and unputdownable so you won’t mind in the slightest.