Hello again dear reader or listener, I hope you are well!
Seen as I haven’t brought any reviews for your reading pleasure in a while, but I’ve also struggled to sit and write my usual long form ramblings because of reasons, I thought I’d try something a little different and present three mini reviews in one.
A Fantasy, a Gothic Romance, and a Romcom.
Horror
Book Review: Untethered Sky by Fonda Lee
Synopsis Ester’s family was torn apart when a manticore killed her mother and baby brother, leaving her with nothing but her father’s painful silence and a single, overwhelming need to kill the monsters that took her family. Ester’s path leads her to the King’s Royal Mews, where the giant rocs of legend are flown to […]
Review: Gothghul Hollow (Tales of Mhurghast #1) by Anna Stephens
Stephens grabs you by the throat and pulls you through this journey of buried truths, gothic magic, the colour purple, and plenty of savage action sequences. It’s like a fine gourmet meal!
Review: The Crane Husband by Kelly Barnhill
Synopsis A fifteen-year-old teenager is the backbone of her small Midwestern family, budgeting the household finances and raising her younger brother while her mom, a talented artist, weaves beautiful tapestries. For six years, it’s been just the three of them—her mom has brought home guests at times, but none have ever stayed. Yet when her […]
Book Review: Down Home by Steve L. Clark
Are you looking for a dark and chilling tale about family secrets and deals with demons? Allow me to recommend this chilling novel; Down Home by Steve L. Clark!
Book Review: The Scourge Between Stars by Ness Brown
Synopsis As acting captain of the starship Calypso, Jacklyn Albright is responsible for keeping the last of humanity alive as they limp back to Earth from their forebears’ failed colony on a distant planet. Faced with constant threats of starvation and destruction in the treacherous minefield of interstellar space, Jacklyn’s crew has reached their breaking point. […]
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: In the Shadow Garden by Liz Parker
Enchanting magical realism set in a small town in Kentucky, perfect for fans of Practical Magic.
Review: The Dark Between the Trees by Fiona Barnett
Hello again dear reader, it is October and spooky season is on 🎃. So how about a review for a surrealist gothic folk-thriller?? That sounds like a bit of a mouthful but broken down in other terms this is the kind of book that is 80% just supernatural vibes surrounding a very simple plot that will have you coming out of it more than a little confused but satisfied nonetheless.
Book Review: The Memoirs of Elikai: The Ritual of the Fallen (Book 2) by D. Alexander
Synopsis Phantonix. Phantonix! PHANTONIX! The second Crusader, Metentis, has united the souls from the Forest of the Fallen under the banner of Destiny to overthrow Ankou, the purveyor of Death. Ankou delivers a haunting message to Danny and warns of horrors that are to come, but his admission comes too late. As the army of […]
Review: One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig
Gothic romantic fantasy with tarot-inspired magic system. Perfect for an October read!
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.