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Feuds by Mercedes Lackey

TL;DR: I don’t know how this hit so good but I loved this one just like the last one. Source: NetGalley, thank you to the publisher – I also purchased my own copy so thanks to me too. Plot: Various plots but the theme of this collection was Feuds, fights between families or friends, small squabbles. Characters: Most of these featured Heralds, Bards, or Healers which are usually intelligent and…

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Blood of the Old Kings by Sung-Il Kim

TL;DR: This was a sleeper hit for me – I loved it. Source: eArc via Netgalley and a physical book via the publisher – THANK YOU! Plot: Three PoVs each fight and rebel against the Empire that has conquered them in their own ways. Characters: I found myself loving each and every PoV character and many of the side characters, I was very invested. Setting: The setting felt very real and alive for…

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Family of Three Under the Tree by Traci Douglass

TL;DR: A cute and interesting setup that managed to avoid being too stereotypical. Source: An eArc via the publisher, thank you! Plot: Two doctors come together after the children in their lives become friends. Characters: Everyone felt very well realized for the length, though I did have trouble telling the two kids apart at times. Setting: The small town was well realized, I could see the…

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The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook by Matt Dinniman

TL;DR: Another fantastic installment in the Carl series – I continue to love these. Source: NetGalley! Thank you for the eArc! I also bought a physical and audio edition. I love these y’all. Plot: Carl and Donut are now in the Iron Tangle, trains galore! Characters: I adore these guys, I can’t say that enough. Setting: This was my only issue with this book, I just got real confused by the trains…

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Lucy Undying by Kiersten White

TL;DR: A book for people who hate Dracula and love cringey instalove Source: NetGalley! Thank you for the eArc! Plot: A mess. Basically feels like the author writing some self-insert fanfiction in which she tells Lucy everyone was out to get her and they get to kill Dracula and have sex. Characters: No thank you. Setting: This is all over the place, they travel quite a bit and there is a maybe…

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Mistress of Lies by K.M. Enright

TL;DR: A big miss for me that’s neither dark or romantic (per the pitch line) Source: NetGalley! Thank you so, so much! Plot: Shan kills her father (the first chapter) and the book slowly slides into blushing in library corners. Characters: Honestly I didn’t really connect to anyone here. Setting: A dark city with a dingy port is what I remember and this book took me two weeks to read. Fantasy:…

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The Stone Witch of Florence by Anna Rasche

TL;DR: What a sleeper hit – This deserves so much more hype! Source: NetGalley! Thank you so, so much! Plot: Ginevra returns to the city that banished her to try and stop the Black Plague but instead ends up hunting a theif. Characters: We switched PoV’s a few times and consequently I loved so many of these characters. Anna Rasche did a great job connecting us to the character. Setting: I loved…

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The Bloodless Princes by Charlotte Bond

TL;DR: Not as good for me as book one, but I enjoyed seeing more of this world. Source: Netgalley! Thank you to the publisher! Plot: A somewhat familiar, go into the underworld and find something/save someone plot. Not super enthralling. Characters: A new character introduced was my favorite by far. I actually got tired of being in our other characters minds, large page long monologues were…

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The Road of Storms by Anthony Ryan

TL;DR: I loved the last half of this. The first felt just a bit slow, but I loved that last half. Source: NetGalley! Thank you so, so much! Plot: We’re getting so close, SO close to the end here and the battle scenes keep getting more wild. Characters: We actually got a bit more of our two newest characters in this which I liked but we still got plenty of our favorites. Setting: Yet another new…

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TL;DR: Another fantastic entry into this series and a creepy one to boot! Source: Netgalley, thank you to the publisher! Plot: Khuyên returns home and everything is very much the same but also NOT the same. So good. Characters: These definitely added to the creep factor. I loved how they played into the story. Setting: This ship was low key terrifying. The setting was unsettling and I loved…

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A Photo Finish by Elsie Silver

TL;DR: A great example of a grumpy/sunshine type of story. Source: Netgalley, thank you to the publisher! Plot: Two people who had an online fling end up forced in close quarters and have to work things out. This was pretty original (for me) in the setup. Characters: I liked these characters okay, though Violet wasn’t my favorite. She’s very pushy.Setting: You gotta love a ranch right? This one…

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Falling Into Oblivion by Aaron M. Payne

TL;DR: Maybe not for me, the progression of the story is a bit predictable with nothing but bad things and “sighs” happening to the main character. Source: via the Author, thank you for the ARC! Plot: A police officer in a horrible future is trying to work his way out of debt and ends up on a bad case. Characters: The best I can tell you about Sol is he sighs a lot and he really loves his…

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Time-Marked Warlock by Shami Stovall

Source: Shami Stovall as a member of her ARC team – THANK YOU!!TL;DR: A fun almost video game take on Time Magic with a Grumpy Warlock and Bubbly Kid who solve crimes. A blast. Plot: Our warlock in question rewinds the same day over and over to solve a murder – it sounds ridiculous but it’s fairly tight and lot of fun.Characters: I really liked our characters. Both struggle with grief, and Finch…

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The City in Glass by Nghi Vo

TL;DR: This one is sneaky, it’s a slow read and deeply rooted in the psyche of our characters but it has a fascinating arc. Source: Netgalley, Thank you to the publisher!! Plot: A demon loves a city till a host of angels destroy it. She grieves her city as she grapples with the angel that stayed, seemingly cursed to her side. Characters: Vitrine is our primary character. She is lost in grief for…

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The Iron Children by Rebecca Fraimow

TL;DR: Mud on my face, I wasn’t sure about this and put it off but I really enjoyed it! Source: Netgalley, Thank you to the publisher!! Plot: A group of Dedicates is left in the hands of young initiate who has never lead before, while a traitor is in their midst. I liked this one. Characters: For such a short story there were a few of them, but they felt fairly distinct.Setting: I liked the…

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A Fine and Private Place by Peter S. Beagle

TL;DR: Definitely not my favorite Beagle but has some of the messaging and moments I enjoy in his work. Source: NetGalley, thank you to the publisher Plot: An older gentleman who lives in a graveyard watches the soap opera of two ghosts falling in love. Characters: The characters felt like genuine people! But that was probably the problem in that I couldn’t stand two of them. Setting: The…

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Pixel Flesh by Ellen Atlanta

Readability: This was very easy to read, though I found at time the author was a little too personal and keeping track of names was a bit much. Structure: This was just a mix of essays with decent bridges between them. Density: 4/10 Thoughts: Pixel Flesh was a bit of a struggle for me, I’m not going to lie. The opening chapters really focus on the the fixation many people have with things such…