#ARC review

[itsphoenix0724]

Received this beauty! I’m already a few chapters in and loving it so far! Everything that came in this box was such good quality and the horse sticker has already found an amazing home on my water bottle!! Can’t wait to dive further in, so grateful for @azsazz fantastic job!

[meltotheany]

Mislaid in Parts Half-Known (Wayward Children, #9)by Seanan McGuire | ARC Review

Goodreads | Amazon US | B&N | Blackwell’s | Bookshop 1.) Every Heart a Doorway ★★★★★2.) Down Among the Sticks and Bones ★★★★★3.) Beneath the Sugar Sky ★★★★4.) In an Absent Dream ★★★★★5.) Come Tumbling Down ★★★6.) Across the Green Grass Fields ★★★★7.) Where the Drowned Girls Go ★★★8.) Lost in the Moment and Found ★★★★★ ARC provided by Tor – thank you so much !! “The door wasn’t there because…

[hrngraystrs]

Go Luck Yourself by Sara Raasch - ARC review!

5/5 stars

Forever blessed and honored I was given the chance to read this ARC. Thank you Bramble 🫶

The book is out March 11, 2025.

Review:

"You're worth staying for, Kristopher. You. Not what you have to offer people. You are worth it"

*Brittany Broski Voice* I NEED AN IRISH MAN

I am just being honest when I say from the moment I read the sneak peek chapter of this book at the end of The Nightmare Before Kissmas ARC that I knew I needed this book. I thought about it almost every day. The second the cover was announced, I was checking every day for this ARC. This was deeply serious for me. It always will be deeply serious to me.

I think I have to cite The Nightmare Before Kissmas as one of the best (not Shadowhunter) books I have read this year. It was so enjoyable to read. While The Nightmare Before Kissmas was a campy fun time with a slightly serious undertone, Go Luck Yourself did NOT come to play games. This story centers around Kris and his journey towards self-discovery and self-acceptance. It can be heavy in parts of it.

It was refreshing, albeit a little terrifying, to read about a character whose struggles are so similar to my own. I relate to Kris WAY more than to Coal and I think that played a big part in my enjoyment of this. It was about time we got some Mommy Issues representation in the media!!

(I am laughing at my own sentence there, but I'm serious. I find it rare to see such an accurate reflection of what I went through for so much of my life regarding that.)

Oh... oh Lochlann. Oh, sweet heavens. Irish man. Grumpy, yet a secret softy. Protective of his sisters and his holiday. Redheaded. A painter. I fear I need that man. Like bad. His character complimented Kris's well and I felt like their banter and dynamic sparked off the page. They have a good rivals thing going on and I ate up every second of it.

Of course, we got some little moments here and there of Coal and Hex but they felt well sprinkled in and like it didn't overshadow the main purpose of this book.

I never EVER EVER want sequels to romance books like this but I just feel like Sara Raasch wrote such an outstanding set of books that I'm like... what's one more? Go on, give Iris a book. I want this series to never end. SARA!!! Give me an Iris book and my LIFE is YOURS!!

Love a long book review? Check me out on bookstagram, goodreads, or storygraph !!

[thereadingchallengechallenge]

Review: Metal From Heaven by August Clarke Rating: 5/5

I received an ARC of this title through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Marney Honeycutt works in the Yann I Chauncey Ichorite Factory but when their sister leads a workers' strike that turns into a massacre, they are suddenly all alone. Touched in the head by the metal they worked from birth, Marney has to get out of the city. They fall in with a gang of thieves who whisk them away to a mansion high in the hills by the sea. But Marney will come back. Because they are going to kill Chauncey and they're going to marry his daughter to do it.

August Clarke has done it again. I was captivated from the very first page by Clarke's signature dizzying, dazzling prose. I was utterly immersed in this rich world that blends fantasy and science fiction absolutely perfectly. I loved the different cultures, I especially loved the way Clarke emulated butch/femme lesbian culture, I loved that trans-ness was just part of the world and Marney never had to fight to be who they were.

The queerness really was my favourite part. It was so nice to finally read a book about a trans stone butch that feels like the trans stone butches I know. Marney felt and talked and behaved like so many of my friends do and that representation is so sorely needed. I have a list of friends a mile long to recommend this book because I know they ache to see themselves and their lives represented in media. I'm very grateful that August Clarke is able to do that with their books.

And the prose! Clarke has such a specific way of writing that just latches into your brain and doesn't let go. It flows so beautifully but has a staccato edge that I can't get enough of. I especially enjoyed how Clarke intermittently used second person to elevate how Marney was telling the story and the reason why they were doing that became so satisfying as the story went on. It was utterly brilliant.

If you are looking for a truly unique speculative fiction story that centres queerness and working class people in a story of revenge, I implore you to pick up Metal From Heaven and allow yourself to be swept away in this enthralling book. It's an absolute masterpiece.

Metal From Heaven releases October 22nd, 2024!

[jetwhenitsmidnight]

Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White

Release date: 3 September 2024

Genre: young adult contemporary horror/thriller

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Synopsis

A gut-wrenching story following a trans autistic teen who survives an attempted murder, only to be drawn into the generational struggle between the rural poor and those who exploit them.

On the night Miles Abernathy—sixteen-year-old socialist and proud West Virginian—comes out as trans to his parents, he sneaks off to a party, carrying evidence that may finally turn the tide of the blood feud plaguing Twist Creek: Photos that prove the county’s Sheriff Davies was responsible for the so-called “accident” that injured his dad, killed others, and crushed their grassroots efforts to unseat him.

The feud began a hundred years ago when Miles’s great-great-grandfather, Saint Abernathy, incited a miners’ rebellion that ended with a public execution at the hands of law enforcement. Now, Miles becomes the feud’s latest victim as the sheriff’s son and his friends sniff out the evidence, follow him through the woods, and beat him nearly to death.

In the hospital, the ghost of a soot-covered man hovers over Miles’s bedside while Sheriff Davies threatens Miles into silence. But when Miles accidently kills one of the boys who hurt him, he learns of other folks in Twist Creek who want out from under the sheriff’s heel. To free their families from this cycle of cruelty, they’re willing to put everything on the line—is Miles?

Content warnings

Transphobia, misgendering, deadnaming

Death, murder, violence, blood, gore, body horror, injury, fire injury

Gun violence

Hospitalisation

Car crash

Mentioned animal death/abuse

Implied sexual assault

Toxic friendship

Drug abuse/drug addiction

Ableism

Classism

(I did my best to get all the content warnings, but I might have missed some things so do be warned)

Review

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC!!!

I have heard nothing but good things about the author's other works, so I went into this book excited, but trying to temper my expectations in case I got let down.

Y'all. This book is pure FIRE.

This book is horrifying and visceral, but at the same time, it's moving and sincere. While this book tackles heavy topics like transphobia and classism, it's also very much about the importance of family and community.

Not to mention that the story/plot is absolutely gripping. I was tempted to finish this in one sitting, but I made myself pace it out so that I could enjoy it longer. Every chapter ended on a cliffhanger that made me want to keep reading. The author does a great job of interspersing the really dark moments with hopeful ones, so the book never gets too bogged down in despair.

One thing I have to mention is that I was very much NOT prepared for how dark this book got. I think I underestimated it because it's categorised as young adult, but this book gets really heavy.

If I had to critique something, it would be the formatting. The first page of each chapter is all black with white text, and all the other pages are the regular white with black text. The changes in page and text colour threw me out of the story a little, but TBH this is like a really minor nitpick, and also the only negative thing I have to say about this book.

[shallansolem]

ARC Review: Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle

5/5 stars

Wow, this book is amazing. I don't even know how to start my review because there are so many important topics covered in Bury Your Gays. This book is jam packed with horror and action and queerness. I didn't want it to end. What a perfect thriller.

The author did an incredible job handling queer trauma and I literally had to stop and breathe a few times because it all hit so close to home. Growing up queer is hard and while the author didn't shy away from that, the author made sure we knew that there's joy in queerness, too. I also greatly enjoyed the discourse surrounding capitalism and AI and how queer identities are discussed.

Bury Your Gays is incredibly well written and a breath of fresh air amongst horror books (and this is coming from a huge horror fan). I'm already thinking about rereading it in the near future because so much happened. Truly, the queer horror book of my dreams. I wish I could thank the author for writing it. I have never preordered a physical copy so quickly.

PS. The ace representation in this book is 🤌🏽.

This book comes out on July 9th, 2024.

[bensbooks]

ARC Review: Don't Let the Forest In

Once upon a time, Andrew had cut out his heart and given it to this boy, and he was very sure Thomas had no idea that Andrew would do anything for him. Protect him. Lie for him. Kill for him. High school senior Andrew Perrault finds refuge in the twisted fairytales that he writes for the only person who can ground him to reality—Thomas Rye, the boy with perpetually ink-stained hands and hair like autumn leaves. And with his twin sister, Dove, inexplicably keeping him at a cold distance upon their return to Wickwood Academy, Andrew finds himself leaning on his friend even more. But something strange is going on with Thomas. His abusive parents have mysteriously vanished, and he arrives at school with blood on his sleeve. Thomas won’t say a word about it, and shuts down whenever Andrew tries to ask him questions. Stranger still, Thomas is haunted by something, and he seems to have lost interest in his artwork—whimsically macabre sketches of the monsters from Andrew’s wicked stories. Desperate to figure out what’s wrong with his friend, Andrew follows Thomas into the off-limits forest one night and catches him fighting a nightmarish monster—Thomas’s drawings have come to life and are killing anyone close to him. To make sure no one else dies, the boys battle the monsters every night. But as their obsession with each other grows stronger, so do the monsters, and Andrew begins to fear that the only way to stop the creatures might be to destroy their creator…

My review:

Don't Let The Forest In does an incredible job of joining horror and emotion. We follow Andrew, back for his senior year at his boarding school where he hopes to spend another year with his twin sister, Dove, and best friend, Thomas. But right away, some things feel different. Dove and Thomas aren't talking to each other, and Thomas is acting uncharacteristically. Thomas, blood on his sleeves and secrets in his head, seems to be covering something up after his parents were reported missing.

And then the horror start. The forest, which students are banned from entering, starts to encroach upon the school and it's Thomas that's holding back the monsters. He's protecting Andrew, Dove and the other students but it's getting harder. So Andrew joins him in keeping the school safe, which dealing with Dove's reclusiveness, his own mental health, school bullies, and their changing relationship.

This book did not hold back the horror - it's deliciously dark, filled with secrets and twists, and was written so well that I kept thinking about it even while doing other things. This is a book that's going to stick with me for a long time. If you enjoy books like The Wicker King and The Forest Demands Its Due, this is a must-read!

[sapphic-agent]

Ranking MHA Arcs

Vs. Hero Killer Stain: A 9/10 arc. It had great tension, character development, character interaction, and villain. The friendship between Iida, Izuku, and Todoroki felt 10x more genuine than it ever did with Bakugou. The only thing I would change is maybe make Tensei not so virtuous. Maybe he made mistakes in the past or contributed to toxic hero society in some way. Perfect way to develop both Iida and Izuku

Shie Hassaikai: Again, just a great arc. Great villain and tension and love how the LOV are involved but aren't the current enemy. I love Mirio and his sacrifice for Eri was done perfectly, and him rejecting OFA made me love him even more. One of the only arcs where anyone cared about how Izuku was doing (love Iida and Todo forever). The only reason I'm putting it at #2 is Nighteye being a pretentious prick who pissed me off the whole time.

Battle Trial: One of the only arcs where Bakugou's actions aren't depicted as okay. Also calls out his behavior by making him lose because of it. Izuku's actions are recognized wholly, both what he did wrong and what he did right. Back when Momo was analytical and sharp. Also, evil Iida kills me every time. Just a pretty solid arc overall, good balance of tension and humor. There's only one thing I hate and it's that Izuku felt so guilty that he told Bakugou that he inherited his quirk

Meta Liberation: The only saving grace of season 5. The LOV was so well-written and Shigaraki's progression into a leader was so well done. I would have made it top three if it wasn't for Shigaraki's autonomy immediately being taken away by him wanting AFO. Kind of ruined the whole point of the arc

Entrance Exam: I had to make it top 5. It perfectly captures what made early MHA so great. It's so inspirational to everyone whose dreams have ever been discouraged. Some things could have been handled better which is why it isn't higher, but in general I love it

Sports Festival: I've talked about what I do and don't like about the Sports Festival before. There were a lot of good and bad things about it. Uraraka and Todoroki had great development, Izuku's and Tokoyamk's were okay, and Momo's was terrible. But what really keeps it out of the top 5 is the Bakugou pandering. It's the first arc that really starts to do this and it really ruins what could have been a really good arc

Hideout Raid: Again, the only reason this isn't higher is because it's so centered around Bakugou. If it wasn't just an arc pandering to him and his "development," it'd be a lot better. But I'm putting it at 7 because of the awesome fight between All Might and AFO. Easily one of the best in the series. And how that saved Bakugou was pretty damn cool ngl

UA School Festival: Gentle Criminal is tied for my favorite MHA villain with Stain. Not only is he relatable as fuck, his quirk is so unique. He was just so enjoyable. The festival was cute, though I felt as though this arc could have focused more on Eri's trauma. It's great that the festival was something for her to look forward to, but there could have been more done here. Also, Aizawa blaming his students for the other students being resentful and making them take accountability. Also, Bakugou being good at the drums for no reason

Paranormal Liberation War: As far as major arcs this one is okay. I feel like some parts of it were too drawn out, but it wasn't terrible. I liked Dabi exposing Endeavor, and Mirko chasing down Garaki like a bat out of hell was funny. Hawks' fight with Twice was also very impactful. BUT it also felt like a lot of the pros were useless. Like, Mount Lady struggling so much with Gigantomachia felt odd. She should have been more effective imo. I also wasn't a fan of how Midnight died in the manga, that felt unnecessarily brutal

USJ: This arc does a great job of introducing Shigaraki... And not much else. Like, I don't think it's bad at all, but it was a little boring. It does get points though for Tsu casually drowning Mineta, little moments like this make it watchable

Quirk Apprehension Test: The only reason this arc isn't lower is because of Izuku proving that he belongs at UA as much as anyone else. That was a great moment for him. But the QAT is quirkist and honestly just mean-spirited. Why would you humiliate a student in front of their classmates like that? Not to mention that Aizawa was blatantly singling him out with it. Just the beginning of Aizawa being a bad teacher

Provisional Hero License Exam: I struggled where to put this arc. Because honestly? It was good for the most part. I liked seeing how the kids each handled their tasks and opponents. Bakugou failed (I know I've said that this is undercut by Todo failing too, but it's still satisfying) and it really got into the nuances of rescue work. I liked it... Until Deku vs Kacchan Part 2. This fight ruins the entire arc for me. Bakugou fails because he couldn't stop being a dick for 2 seconds and decides he's allowed to take it out on Izuku? Then he trauma dumps on him while playing victim. And then coerces him into a fight. And then is rewarded from throwing this temper tantrum by being given what he wants (knowing about OFA). This was the arc where my feelings towards the series really soured. I really debated putting it at the bottom, but I didn't want to dismiss the good things about it so easily

Forest Training Camp: Only good thing about this arc was Izuku's fight with Muscular and his relationship with Kota. But after that it's Bakugou making bad decisions and everyone else having to suffer for them. I do appreciate Kota slapping Mineta though

Dark Hero: Just... So much potential. But it feels like we never really go below the surface with Izuku. This is supposed to be his arc and it barely focused on who he is. He should have spoken with the vestiges more. Also, while I can understand where they were coming from, 1A ambushing and then antagonizing him was terrible and Bakugou's bum ass apology was even worse. The only reason it isn't lower is because of my unhinged love for Lady Nagant. She's one of the best written characters in the series and I adore her. Unfortunately, it feels like Hori doesn't allow her to influence the overall story

Pro Hero: So this one is just... Weird. I mean, I don't think I hate it? The fight was pretty cool. I love seeing Hawks' quirk in action because his use of it is so creative. I don't like him and Rei being used to prop Endeavor's development though. I just don't think this arc was that good

Joint Training: So I mentioned this in a reply somewhere, but Bakugou's flawless win felt so unearned. He hasn't put any work into getting along with others and working with a team (all the "progress" he made was others- Izuku- doing the work for him). The fact that he didn't so much as struggle like everyone else was just bad writing. Momo losing even though she did put in the work to learn to strategize better and cover her bases just felt like a slap in the face to her character. Every time it feels like Hori wants to do right by her character, he ends up making it worse but had no problem propping Bakugou up every five minutes. I liked Uraraka being the unsung star of this arc, Monoma's team underestimating her and then living to regret it was nice. It's one of the only times the progress she's made as a hero is ever acknowledged. This arc didn't do a good job of making me care about Shinsou though, no substance to his character. Monoma was pretty entertaining

Endeavor Agency: Boring ass arc. It wasn't funny or entertaining and had zero character development for our main characters. Natsuo is antagonized for calling out Endeavor and poor Fuyumi gets yelled at by Bakugou in her own home for sharing her feelings. And then Izuku's bs "i tHiNk YOurE geTtINg REaDy tO fOrGiVE hiM." Like I love him but wtf is that line? Hori trying to force Endeavor's redemption down our throats

Final Exams: This arc is all kinds of bullshit. Sero takes a hit for Mineta and is incapacitated and fails. Yet Bakugou is continuously uncooperative, attacks him teammate, and is also incapacitated and passes? Not to mention it's all on Izuku to be the one to teach him how to work with others when that's supposed to be Aizawa's job. Every other match was also useless. The only one that has real development and interaction was Tododoki and Momo. Todo gets humbled and learns to stop acting above his classmates (even if he didn't do this with the intent of being harmful, he still did it) and Momo gets more confidence and agency. But no one else really learned anything or improved. This arc just proves how bad a teacher Aizawa is tbh

Remedial Course: I feel like this arc is evidence that Bakugou would suck as the main character. I was bored to tears during the entire thing. It felt like forced Bakugou and Todoroki interaction first of all. And truth be told I didn't know that kid was supposed to be mini Bakugou, I thought he was representative of Monoma. He was nowhere as bad as Bakugou was as a kid and felt a lot more chill. Also looked more like Monoma. Idk if this is how Hori wants us to see kid Bakugou or what but we know this isn't how he was. And then Bakugou gives him this whole lecture only to turn around the next arc and still treat Izuku like shit. Fucking hypocrite. Camie telling him to shut up was the only good thing about this arc (stan Camie)

And that's the list! I'm only doing these arcs because they're the only ones I've read/watched completely. I don't want to make judgements about the next three arcs without fully knowing what I'm talking about. Though the leaks for the Final War don't bode well for its ranking.

So what do we think? Agree? Disagree? Let me know!

[bookishbethanyerin]

• Review: What the River Knows •

I'm not quite sure how Isabel Ibañez has done it, but she has taken one of my least favorite plot devices – withholding information to purposefully keep someone ignorant of a situation – combined it with the chronic folly that is being a teenage girl, and turned it into an addicting tale that you'll want to devour in one sitting.

The story follows Inez, a railroad heiress who has spent her life in Buenos Aires while her parents largely live in Egypt, funding her uncle's excavations. But when she receives a magical artefact from her father and then the sudden word of her parents’ mysterious deaths, Inez goes to Cairo and inserts herself into their world – only to find that her uncle absolutely does not want her there, and there is Lots of Scheming afoot.

And of course, there is Whitford Hayes, a charming, rakish, British gentleman who works for her uncle. Inez knows she can't trust him, but she is outrageously attracted to him anyway.

Though none of the twists and turns here necessarily came as a surprise to me, Ibañez creates an evocative world of magical realism, and characters that are easy to love – Inez, though young and too trusting, is audacious and amusing, and Whit is very swoony, if a complete mess.

Set during the archaeological boom in Egypt, What the River Knows is an intriguing read that seamlessly blends historical fiction with magical realism, adventure, and a strong dose of mystery. Though the book will likely frustrate you to no end as Inez tries to learn the truth about her parents' fate, what her uncle is up to, and who she can trust, it's a hard book to put down.

And the epilogue? It'll have you screaming.

4.25🌟

0.5🌶️

[pagesandpothos]

Spitting Gold by Carmella Lowkis

Spitting Gold by Carmella Lowkis was such a pleasant surprise for me! It's a mystery, historical fiction, and family drama with captivating characters and complex relationships.

The story is set in 1866 in France and is about two sisters, Sylvie and Charlotte, who formerly worked as fraudulent mediums and conned wealthy families out of money. The job was part of their family business built by their mother, who has since passed, and their father who is currently very ill. The father's illness reunites the sisters for one last con, but this new job sets off a string of events that leads to wide-ranging consequences.

Both sisters are complex characters and have complicated feelings towards each other. The story references Charles Perrault's The Fairies throughout. The Fairies tells the story of one good sister and one bad sister. Spitting Gold argues that the story would be far more nuanced than that. All stories have more than one side. Sylvie and Charlotte are both the good sisters and the bad sisters. They love each other dearly but also harbor anger and resentment. They both make decisions that both hurt and help the other. They are both doing their best in the world they are living in. This complexity makes for such a riveting story!

While the sisters and their relationship is the star of Spitting Gold, I also loved the mystery plot and the cast of side characters. There's also a sweet Sapphic love story entwined (and a few other delightful queer characters too).

I highly recommend Spitting Gold to anyone who loves gothic mysteries and stories about thorny family relationships. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and it's a story that will stick with me for a long time!

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Tropes/Tags: mystery, historical, gothic, Sapphic, queer

If you liked this I think you will like Spitting Gold: The London Séance Society by Sarah Penner

Links: Storygraph | GoodReads

Spitting Gold will be released on May 14, 2024, and is available for pre-order!

This book was made available to me in advance thanks to NetGalley! I received a free digital copy of this book in exchange for this review. The above are my honest feelings on the provided book.

[gcantread]

July 2024 reads

[loved liked ok nope dnf bookclub*]

^borrowing this format from @ofliterarynature—hope that's ok!

The Blue Castle • The Metamorphosis • A Reaper at the Gates • And Then There Were None • I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons • To Be Taught, If Fortunate • The Mysterious Affair at Styles • Till We Have Faces • This Ravenous Fate • Here Lies a Vengeful Bitch • Dragonhaven • [title withheld; SMP] • The Name of the Wind • Better Left Buried • The Body in the Library • Rose Daughter

My biggest reading month so far in terms of quantity, though only third-biggest in terms of "pages" (which I think is a bad metric anyhow—you can typeset them so differently! I wish every book told me its word count.) I read a lot of books in order to see if they're worth reading in @bellasbookclub for the 2024-2025 season, plus I was doing the BBC summer reading challenge! I also devoured my way through several ARCs coming out in August.

The Blue Castle ★★★★★ - I reread this once or twice per year at this point. This time around I read it to @flowerslut and we had a blast! Still the ultimate comfort read.

The Metamorphosis ★★★☆☆ - Also with Shannon (we listened to the audiobook on the way to and from San Diego!) Figured it was high time I actually read this if I was gonna go around calling things "kafkaesque." Somehow exactly what I expected.

And Then There Were None ���★★★☆ - Pre-screened for book club! So I don't wanna say too much other than "I liked it."

I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons ★★★☆☆ - Disappointing. Plot was a bit all over the place and it was difficult to sympathize with the main characters. A shame, because I like the premise!

To Be Taught, If Fortunate ★★★★☆ - Read for the BBC 2024 Summer Reading Challenge. Fun and reflective! This was my first time reading Becky Chambers, and I liked the writing style and themes.

The Mysterious Affair at Styles ★★★1/2☆ - Another book club pre-screen. A solid mystery.

Till We Have Faces ★★★★☆ - Yet another book club pre-screen. My best friend's favorite book and now I can totally see why.

This Ravenous Fate ★★★☆☆ - An ARC I got signed by the author after seeing her speak on a panel about YA and romance. Unfortunately a huge letdown, possibly because I had such high hopes for the premise of "queer Black 1920s vampire x human." Alas, it had some cool vampire lore but was overall a convoluted mess and not nearly 1920s-enough!

Here Lies a Vengeful Bitch ★★★★☆ - Another ARC I got from the same event and liked much better. Cool Jennifer's Body-esque premise, snappy voice, and a fun protagonist in the murdered and vengeful Annie. Perfect Halloween vibes!

Dragonhaven ★★★★☆ - Also pre-screened for book club so I shouldn't talk too much about it but I can't help myself (@ book club LOOK AWAY) I wasn't expecting much from this book because I've heard Robin McKinley fans voice their disappointment in it, but it turns out I'm the exact niche target audience for this. National Park politics and conservation science struggles and zookeeping?? I'm seated. I can see why others didn't like the pacing, but I was nodding along like "Yes, the difficulty of procuring grad students to come study dragons, of course. Do go on"

[title withheld; SMP] - I didn't realize this was an SMP book until I was halfway through it. Oops. A shame they still don't have their act together, because I'd love to talk about this one.

The Name of the Wind ★★★★★ - A title I've heard raved about a million times by a zillion people, so naturally I picked it as one of my BBC 2024 summer reading challenge books to see if it lived up to the hype. IMO it does! Fun, poetic writing style, cool framing device, and interesting worldbuilding and magic system. Curious to read the sequel.

Better Left Buried ★★★☆☆ - Another ARC. Cute queer YA murder mystery that I honestly don't have much to say about other than "it was cute."

The Body in the Library ★★★1/2☆ - And another book club pre-screen book. My first Miss Marple! Mostly elevated by having an interesting ending twist and class themes.

Rose Daughter ★★★☆☆ - And to no one's surprise, my final book of the month was also pre-screening for Bella's Book Club. Very pretty writing and it was fun to read while wearing a bit of rose oil (smell-o-vision!) but I didn't loooove the pacing and overall prefer Robin McKinley's other Beauty and the Beast retelling, Beauty.

DNF

A Reaper at the Gates (50%) - I sprinted through book 1 and walked sedately through book 2 of the Ember in the Ashes series, but this one (book 3) was taking me forever to read (and is almost 700 pages), and I was impatient to move on and read other stuff. Reaper at the Gates was decently interesting and I still care about the characters, but the timing just wasn't right. Will probably pick this series back up later.

July superlatives

[maggiekwest]

Pre-Release Readers Wanted!!

Greetings dear readers!! I’m looking for ARC readers for my upcoming book, Son of Lightning.

The bonus is, I’m giving you the first two books in the series for free ;)

What is an ARC reader?

ARCS (Advance Reader Copies) are unpublished copies of a book that go out to a select group of readers to read and review before the book launches to the public.

This is a super important step in the successful launch of a book, because it allows authors to gather early reviews and spread the word about their upcoming release!

Son of Lightning is book 3 in the Descendants of Robin Hood trilogy.

In order to review it, you probably want to read the first two in the series first. But, you don’t have to! In the ARC (advance reader copy) application, I’ve included the option to just receive a synopsis of each book.

So, you can choose whether you’d like to download the other books as ebooks, or just download a synopsis!

Click Here for the ARC Application!

But what’s the series about?

Eight hundred years ago, a powerful sorcerer laid a trap for Robin Hood. But the curse backfired, releasing a burst of pure magic. Robin Hood’s descendants carry this magic as elemental powers.

The two nations of descendants are on the brink of war. Jack’s North Wind power is about to manifest when the rival nation attacks. Now Jack is on the run from the Sheriff, sorcerers, and a mysterious girl of the shadows as he struggles to contain his chaotic power.

As the war deepens, a villain out of legend rises to crush any opposition and claim his immortal throne. But the Sorcerer Gisborne’s plans run much deeper than first believed, and Dark sorcery spreads like a plague.

Follow Jack’s adventure along with a swing-first-ask-questions-later Fire bender, a Lightning bender with a dark secret, and a talking baby panther who is maybe more than meets the eye.

In Book 3…

There’s two sides to every story.

Jack’s victory over Sorcerer Gisborne is bittersweet as he struggles with the grief of Nick’s death to the all-consuming Sorcerer. Nick, buried in his own mind, struggles desperately to maintain his identity as he is pushed deeper and deeper under Gisborne’s control.

Determined that no one else will die, Jack sets off to rescue Natanian from the monsters who kidnapped him. But what he discovers will set off a chain of events far worse than he could dream. As the Ealdra weave corruption through the world, Jack faces a choice between saving his nation, and saving his friends.

View Content Warnings

Sign me up!

If this series sounds like the perfect read for you, or you’ve read the first two books and can’t wait to see how the story concludes, click the button below to fill out the short Google Form. ;)

Google Form Sign Up

I don’t have any restrictions on who can ARC read for me. As long as you love fantasy, or you’re willing to take a chance on a young adult elemental fantasy, go for it!

If you’d like to review the book before it launches, it comes out on June 25th, which is 7 weeks away. 

But, it’s important to know that if it takes you a couple weeks after launch, or a couple months after launch, you’re not going to hurt my feelings! I know life happens, so just get to it when you can.

I hope you dive into this adventure with me, and see you over at the sign up form!

[triviareads]

ARC Review of Something Extraordinary by Alexis Hall

Rating: 4.5/5 Heat Level: 3.75/5 Publication Date: December 17th

Premise:

Arabella Tarleton kidnaps her former friend Sir. Horley Comewithers to save him from an unwanted marriage, except she ends up kidnapped by him and eloping to Scotland instead.

My review

This was such a delightful read— hysterical in a way that veers towards absurd and full of equally hilarious modernisms, but it has so much heart and Big Feelings, and I admire the way Alexis Hall portrays the diversity of the queer experience so well in a historical setting.

Arabella is on the aromatic spectrum, and it's really interesting because she's also a big book lover who sees herself as the heroine of her own story (it's giving Catherine Morland)... except heroines usually have happy endings that involve falling in love and having grand romances, and Arabella has never quite been able to figure out that part. She's spent the last two books running away from a forced marriage, and then pushing away potential romantic partners, and now she's feeling lost. And it makes sense looking at this even from a modern perspective; In addition to the compulsory heterosexuality pushed upon us early on, there's also amatonormativity, the assumption that being in (usually monogamous) romantic relationships is the norm.

Belle is struggling to figure out what a "happy ending" means for her, so the distraction of "saving" Sir Horley from marrying a woman forced on him by his homophobic aunt couldn't have come at a better time. But Arabella being Arabella means that somewhere along the way, she decides to abandon her plan of kidnapping and eloping with Sir Horley... except Horley has a pang of conscience and kidnaps her right back to "save her reputation".

And that's Arabella to a tee; I think she is one of the more frustrating heroines I've read in a romance novel just because of her tendency to literally run away from her problems therefore making them bigger problems for everyone (as valid as her problems are; The patriarchy and forced heteronormativity suck!), and also her being quite.... trigger-happy. BUT Alexis Hall completely converted me over by the end, and other than enjoying her zany antics and novel way of looking at world, I empathized with her quite a lot.

I also really loved getting to read Sir Horley as a hero in his own right;. I'm SO glad he was never written off as a gay best friend because in the last two books, other characters considered him a shallow bon vivant even though he was a reliable friend to the Tarletons and co. Here, you get the raw, stripped down version of him (and unlike the prior two books, you do get both his and Arabella's POV). Horley— Rufus, as he decides to go with halfway through the book—has faced his share of tragedy and rejection, but the narrative doesn't super wallow on that.... he's not a sadboi hero by any means. He's quite cutting and much more competent than people give him credit for, but he also this tender side with Arabella that was already present while they were friends, but it's really lovely to see it develop into something more permanent as the book goes on.

The sex:

There is an EXCELLENT variety— there are MM, FF, and MF scenes. Arabella and Rufus have a non-monogamous relationship, and later on marriage as well.

This book is also a lot kinkier than the prior two and it's approached with the same lightheartedness as the rest of this book; consent is discussed and then you have everything from highwayman kidnapping roleplay to spanking, and yes, there is a Daddy moment— you'll be surprised how that comes about, but like the rest of this novel, in a GREAT way.

Overall:

I adored reading how Arabella and Rufus create their own rules for their marriage and seeing them happy together is everything. This is truly a boundary-pushing historical romance and I would highly recommend this to any romance reader.

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

[maybemockingbird]

Hey y’all! My upcoming cannibalism romance novella Lover, Thy Name Is Pestilence is now on GoodReads and can be added to your shelves! I’m starting the formatting process this week and am hopeful that I’ll have it done soon, which means I’m opening up applications for ARCs! This is my first time doing ARCs for a self pub book, so I’m going to be selective and only send out a handful of copies, but if you want to sink your teeth into this devilishly delicious story, head to the link above to sign up on the Google Form! Applications close on 10-30-24 so I can begin sending them out hopefully starting on Halloween (I'll probably send out some earlier)! And as a reminder, Lover is available now for preorder on my site for anyone who wants a physical copy come December!

I’m so excited for this book!

🪓

Synopsis: Dakota and Ed Hollander have lived quiet, isolated lives deep in the Smoky Mountains for nearly a decade without much trouble despite the pious locals who scrutinize their way of life. Everything changes overnight as a brutal civil war decimates the United States, leaving behind a wasteland of decay and ruin in its wake. The country is shaken to its core for nearly nine months before all falls silent…

Now, in a world recovering from famine and war, Dakota and Ed fight to prepare themselves for the harsh winter that will soon arrive on their doorstep. But Dakota’s sense of safety is rattled when lost travelers come knocking, and everything Ed told them about the world post-disaster is scrutinized when the secrets hidden in the cellar desperately claw their way to the surface.

The carnage of Ed’s devotion is strewn across the snow in blood red streaks, and Dakota finds themself making Drastic choices that threaten strip away their humanity like flesh off a carcass. At the end of the world, love is written with the blade of an axe, and the most haunting plague of all may just be man’s own hubris…

Apply to be an ARC reader here!

[hohoholyshititschristmas]

hmmm curious, if I happened to mention that I'm an author who might potentially be looking for ARC readers for a handful of novels, would anyone be interested? ❤️

[jetwhenitsmidnight]

This Fatal Kiss by Alicia Jasinska

Release date: 24 September 2024

Genre: young adult romance fantasy

If you like:

Cozy/whimsical fantasy, Ghibli vibes

Slavik folklore

Disaster bisexuals

Poly romance

Enemies to lovers

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Synopsis

Cursed to haunt the river running through the magical spa town where she drowned, Gisela is a water nymph who dreams of returning to the living world and the family she left behind. All it takes to regain her humanity is a kiss from a mortal...but everyone sees her as a monster.

And then there’s Kazik, the brooding, interfering, spirit-hunting grandson of a local witch. He's determined to rid the world of unholy creatures like Gisela. After Kazik botches Gisela’s exorcism, she strikes up a deal. She won’t tell the other spirits that he’s losing his magic, if he agrees to play matchmaker and helps her get a kiss. But Gisela’s plan goes awry when Kazik also falls for the devilishly handsome young man that she sets her heart on—someone who could be linked to Gisela’s troubled past.

Content warnings

Death, violence, injury, a little blood

Mentions of past murder, suicide, rape (not explicit)

Biphobia, implied homophobia

Parental abandonment

Parentification

Suicidal thoughts

Religious bigotry

Review

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC!

I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!💖💖💖

This book is so swoon-y and romantic and whimsical and fun, like I can't remember the last time I had so much fun while reading. My very serious stoic reputation is in tatters from grinning at my phone like a goof.

(In public what's more! The embarrassment!)

The setting is straight up so wondrous and whimsical, it reminds me a lot of Ghibli movies. Not just because it's a spa town like Spirited Away, but because of the way the spirits and magical creatures are secretly living amongst the humans + the connection to nature.

The main focus is on the relationship between Gisela and Kazik. I loved how the dynamic between them grew over the course of the book, like, their enemies era is so fun to read, but the way they gradually grew closer to each other is so 🤌. The banter between them was so much fun to read, like this book could just be Gisela and Kazik talking and I would eat it up.

Of course, I would be remiss if I didn't talk about their relationship with Aleksey. I feel like Aleksey actually had more chemistry with Kazik than with Gisela, mainly because of, uh, major spoiler reasons, but also they just happened to spend more one-on-one time together. When all three of them are together though, their chemistry is pure FIRE 🔥🔥🔥.

Outside of the romance, each of the MCs have their own motivations and character arcs going on, all of which I found very compelling. I will not elaborate for spoiler reasons, but Gisela's is my favourite.

There is quite a lot going on in this book though. I found myself wondering how on earth the author was going to wrap everything up satisfactorily, because there was no way everything was getting resolved perfectly. Turns out I was right, because THIS IS THE FIRST BOOK OF A SERIES.

I am more than fine with getting more of this world and its characters, but I wish I had known that this was the start of a series so that I could have adjusted my expectations accordingly, because I went into this book fully believing it was a standalone.

Anyway, I adore this book so much, and I am very much looking forward to the sequel <3