I hear queer and poly and that’s really all it takes for me to read a story. Add in folklore, humor and cozy fantasy elements and it’s just the icing I hear queer and poly and that’s really all it takes for me to read a story. Add in folklore, humor and cozy fantasy elements and it’s just the icing on the cake!
This story is charming through and through. Gisela’s sense of humor is so much fun, especially when it’s being bounced off of Kazik. She’s a vivid character and a unique one. This whole story is really unique in my opinion. I’ve read a lot of folklore centered stories but this one definitely felt more cozy and character based than others.
I loved the character development and the relationship growth throughout. It was really sweet!
I think my only gripes are that I spent so much time wondering what time period this book was set in. The town felt really old and no one mentioned phones or cars but the language felt so modern? Then radios were mentioned and I was like ok cool. It took me out of the story a little bit. And I think most of it was pretty predictable. Not necessarily a bad thing but there were moments where I just wanted the story to get to the point which I had already gotten to.
Altogether it was a super fun and quick read! I couldn’t put it down. And that ending?? I need more and I need it asap.
I'm absolutely in love with the art style of this graphic novel!! It's so sweet and endearing. The plot was engaging and I enjoyed the dialogue betweeI'm absolutely in love with the art style of this graphic novel!! It's so sweet and endearing. The plot was engaging and I enjoyed the dialogue between characters. I'll definitely be picking up the next volume to see where the story goes :)
This book made me *anxious* oh my goodness. I swear when I finished it I had to sit with my thoughts for a good hour and just process that I was in thThis book made me *anxious* oh my goodness. I swear when I finished it I had to sit with my thoughts for a good hour and just process that I was in the real world again and that none of it had been real. That's when you know the author is an amazing writer imo. This book is a beautiful take on AI becoming human (pun intended), or as close to human as they can be any way.
Eke is a precious bean that I wanted to reach into the book and take away from the horrible life he's living. Thankfully I didn't have to as his knight in shining armor enters the scene and his world begins to expand in the loveliest way. I was obsessed with how protective Kyp became! Gave me all the butterflies.
The first 60ish percent of this book is buildup but I wasn't bored at all honestly. I was too scared and immersed. The humans that "own" Eke are the most repulsive creatures I've read in awhile. It's on sight, Carter.
Anywayss! haha I really enjoyed this! It was incredibly heartwarming.
This was a beautiful little book that as an older sister hit me right in the feels. I connected so deeply with the idea of having to relinquish controThis was a beautiful little book that as an older sister hit me right in the feels. I connected so deeply with the idea of having to relinquish control of a sibling in order for them to flourish.
The art was adorable of course! And that plot twist. I loved it!
"But we are Fables. We are legends. We are our girlhood, forever in our little corner of the cosmos."
I'm always looking for writing that resonates wi"But we are Fables. We are legends. We are our girlhood, forever in our little corner of the cosmos."
I'm always looking for writing that resonates with me and it's really hard to find a lot of the time. This book hits the nail right on the head in the best way. I've often tried to put into words a lot of the feelings that this book so perfectly portrays. Being in your twenties is hard; heck, being human is hard!! Whether it's family members, romantic partners, or just the thoughts swirling in your own head, being able to connect to someone else who feels the same way makes me feel a lot less alone.
This is a beautiful collection of poetry and more than that, a powerful collection of sentiments and feelings. I'm happy to have stumbled across it.
"Girlhood was a millennium and my early twenties was a decade. Only now, at the peak of my happiness, is every year a blink. Nearly thirty and I see fifty peering from between the slants of the blinds."
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc! ...more
I’ll start this review off by saying I despise the book Dracula. It’s tedious and boring. Yet somehow some of my favorite books in the world are DracuI’ll start this review off by saying I despise the book Dracula. It’s tedious and boring. Yet somehow some of my favorite books in the world are Dracula retellings? I’m looking at you A Dowry of Blood and now I can add Lucy Undying. The *idea* of Dracula is a 5/5 but it needed a woman’s touch. Boy did this deliver.
The prose? Gorgeous. I have so many quotes highlighted. We flip flop between timelines (which I normally don’t like but it’s done well in the case) following Lucy’s journal entries of life as a queer 19 year old girl trying to navigate desire, identity and loss in 1890 then we jump to modern day America where Iris takes center stage and storylines begin to merge.
I really enjoyed how the plot was woven and I definitely experienced a few jaw dropping moments. Iris’ humor was brilliant and I love love lovedddd the bits about Lucy just being absolutely ruthless. The fight scenes were everything.
My only complaint is probably the last 30% of the book dragged for me. Things were taking too long to pan out and I just wanted a satisfying ending to the story. Which I think was delivered eventually ;)
Sapphic love, vampires, cool gothic vibes. Also the cover??? What’s not to like?
I'm trying to find the words to accurately convey my feelings having just finished this book. It's not easy. Usually when I really like a book (and I I'm trying to find the words to accurately convey my feelings having just finished this book. It's not easy. Usually when I really like a book (and I did really like this one) I read them really quickly. This book, however, took me over a month. I had to take my time with it and take bite sized bits out of this story. It's so rich and dark, sickly sweet almost. I don't even want to say too much about it because I truly think you should just go in blind like I did and experience this.
My first thought while reading it was that it reminded me a lot of The Raven Cycle which is one of my all time favorite series. I don't know if it's the rich kid school setting or the fact that Thomas could easily be a long lost Lynch brother. Thomas and Andrew feel so incredibly real. I can't tell you how many times I just wanted to reach inside my kindle and give them each a giant hug. They need a little TLC and my heart ached for all that they were going through.
Don't Let the Forest In covers topics of trauma, abuse, mental illness and questioning your sexuality. I think all of these topics are broached in a very realistic and beautifully chaotic way. I genuinely was in Andrew's headspace throughout and felt just as confused and disoriented as he did. I think the author did a fantastic job or portraying such visceral emotions as fear and anxiety and grief in a very relatable way.
This book is gory, scary at times and downright heartbreaking. All of that being said the prose is stunning and the imagery is everything. If you're someone who is put off by the idea of this book being YA, thinking that it won't hit as hard as an adult book... it does. This book doesn't read like a YA novel whatsoever.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this book. It was an absolute honor. ...more
This book isn’t at all what I was expecting. I almost feel like the cover does it a disservice. This story is beautiful and heart wrenching at every tThis book isn’t at all what I was expecting. I almost feel like the cover does it a disservice. This story is beautiful and heart wrenching at every turn.
We follow Kitten Love as she returns home after 6 years away to a house filled with dysfunctional family and a ghost hell bent on piecing her family back together amid the rumors of a curse.
This story covers topics of grief, mental health, generational trauma, and so much more but it almost never felt too heavy. The pacing and humor kept me smiling through the tears.
I loved Kitten and Nerida so much. They felt alive (lol) and just jumped off the page for me. I was rooting for Kitten from the very start to work through her traumas and find happiness. I’ll be thinking about this book for awhile ...more
I can see this book becoming my entire personality.
We love an unreliable narrater and this book is just chock-full of them. Our mc, Roos, is forced tI can see this book becoming my entire personality.
We love an unreliable narrater and this book is just chock-full of them. Our mc, Roos, is forced to perform séances with the help of her spirit companion, Ruth. It’s not a great gig and her mom is the absolute worst. Things look pretty grim until a beautiful young widow named Agnes comes to a séance to hear from her dearly departed hubby.
The two women have an undeniable connection and Roos goes to live at Agnes’ crumbling gothic manor where she’s caring for her dying sister-in-law.
Secrets run amuck as we’re pulled from the story into current day where Roos is being interviewed by a psychologist who is trying to understand and clear up some truly awful things that we’ve yet to find out.
The writing is gorgeous. I’ve been in a reading slump for a hot minute and this book was everything I needed. I read the entire thing in one sitting. I was entranced, I was disgusted, I was terrified at times. This book is positively spooky.
Imagery was off the charts. I could feel everything on the page as if I was there myself and that’s my favorite kind of book to read.
I am so thankful I got to read this book early (thank you NetGalley!!) and I can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy as soon as it releases! Also so excited to see more work from this author in the future!...more
Nope, nope, nope. What a disappointment. I feel awful for dnfing an arc but I refuse to slog through this… in the nicest way possible.
The writing is Nope, nope, nope. What a disappointment. I feel awful for dnfing an arc but I refuse to slog through this… in the nicest way possible.
The writing is so clunky and wooden. I could feel my eyeballs glazing over like I was reading a book for school or something. It was a lot of telling and not showing. Nothing takes me out of a story more than unrealistic dialogue and that’s prevalent. The characters don’t feel real to me at all. They just exist and speak like robots with no emotion.
I only made it to 15% and by that point nothing had really happened plot wise so I can’t speak to it. I don’t think the characters reactions were appropriate to the things that DID happen. “It’s like… the best thing ever” is not the appropriate reaction to opening a door in your apartment and finding Italy on the other side.
I can see what the author was trying to do, I really can. And I appreciate any attempt to write a book FOR people who love books… but I’ll go re-read The Starless Sea or Addie LaRue. They executed it flawlessly. Those are big shoes to fill if you wanna compare and this fell flat.
On a side note I saw another review talking about some icky things written about women in later chapters and just wanted to add that I didn’t love the talk surrounding food in the bit I did read -
“I am disgusting. It’s midnight and I am doing this to my body.” (She ate pancakes AND bacon *gasp*)
“There’s nothing wrong with your body and you know it.”
“There might be if I keep eating like this. Have you seen my aunts? They’re all huge. That’s in my genes.”
“Why are you eating then?”
“My mouth is bored.”
Like??? Incredibly unnecessary for a fantasy about magic, loving books, and traveling etc...more
First off thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this book!! It was so highly anticipated and after finisFirst off thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this book!! It was so highly anticipated and after finishing it I’m thrilled to confirm what I already suspected - Quinn Connor (Robyn Barrow & Alex Cronin) are new auto buy authors for me.
Much like Cicadas Sing of Summer Graves, The Pecan Children transports us to a sleepy southern town soaked in mystery. These books have such a unique way of making you feel at home in the world but also so very unsettled at the same time.
Lil and Sasha are twins who couldn’t really be much different if they tried. One is trying to live up to her mother’s expectations while the other wants nothing more than to run away and find a new life where she feels wanted.
Our setting is a kudzu (take a shot every time that word pops up) infested reality where children might fall out of pecan trees and a beast lurks in the shadows with a relentless hunger. I followed our characters along overgrown train tracks, dilapidated treehouses and buildings that seem to spontaneously combust then put themselves out in the blink of an eye.
Follow the breadcrumbs through this twisty tale of sapphic love, symbiotic connections, magical realism and more pecans than you can shake a stick at. But don’t stay in place too long… nature is very much alive and has the habit of becoming attached if you stick around....more
Where do I even begin? This book was my most anticipated upcoming release and I was lucky enough to receive an arc! So first and foremost, thank you sWhere do I even begin? This book was my most anticipated upcoming release and I was lucky enough to receive an arc! So first and foremost, thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for making my whole year and letting me read this early <3
Carmilla is a fantastic book and I urge anyone who hasn’t read it yet to run out and grab a copy. I was so excited when I found out Gibson’s new book was going to be a reimagining because I like Carmilla more than Dracula and my god did I adore A Dowry of Blood so this book had all the expectations attached to it.
This is how you do dark academia / academic rivals! These girls are cutthroat (ha) and I could literally feel the tension leaking right off the page. It was so deliciously toxic and wrong in all the ways. We’re talking power dynamics, borderline creepy stalking and obsession, professor/student dynamics, murder, intrigue, religion, so much poetry!
Carmilla and Laura love to hate each other and I loved having a front row seat to it. Their dynamic is super unique. They have a lot of trauma to unpack while dealing with this intense connection they share. I think they’re both VERY morally grey which is an absolute treat but we do get a fair bit of character development (for better or worse) and we really got to watch them grow into their own in such a short amount of time.
Oh and side note. The spice??? This is what I needed in Dowry. It was immaculate.
This book is chock full of gorgeous quotes which we’ve come to expect from Gibson. The world is well thought out and filled with so much color and life. I wanted to follow all of the side characters off the page and see what they were up to because they felt so real. Especially when you know who showed up. Can we follow them? Pretty please?? Book 3? Maybe? ...more
This book is beautifully written first and foremost. The writing is poignant and lyrical. I was so quickly immersed into this dark and twis4.5 stars!
This book is beautifully written first and foremost. The writing is poignant and lyrical. I was so quickly immersed into this dark and twisty story. The atmosphere was claustrophobia at times and I feared for our main character’s life viscerally.
We follow Orabella as she’s married off to a mysterious stranger named Elias and is swept away to his decaying mansion in the middle of nowhere. I love a gothic mansion as much as the next girlie but this one gives me the creeps.
Things are weird from the get go. I don’t trust anybody, I’m looking for clues, I’m screaming at Orabella not to drink the damn tea and wine. There were so many times where I wanted to reach into the book and shake this girl because lord have mercy. The red flags were a-wavin and she was colorblind.
I spent most of the book trying to figure out where this plot was going and the further I got into the story the more confused I became. It all comes to a head in absolute madness that I honestly couldn’t have called in a million years.
I enjoyed this a lot! If you’re a fan of lush gothic imagery, secrets around every corner, and hints of magical elements, I think you’ll really enjoy this book and unraveling its complex and intriguing mysteries.
I can’t wait to buy a physical copy of this when it comes out! The cover is absolutely stunning.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book!...more
Forget using the tin foil for an ice pack! We need to stick that on our head like in Signs and pray whatever the hell is attacking us is scared of it.Forget using the tin foil for an ice pack! We need to stick that on our head like in Signs and pray whatever the hell is attacking us is scared of it.
Wow, wow, wow. This book is so eerie. I don’t really read much horror so I didn’t know what to expect. I love stories about the ocean, though. There really isn’t anything scarier in my mind. Add weird worm things and massive black holes and it’s a recipe for nightmares.
The writing was incredibly immersive and as someone who basically sees a movie in their head while reading, I was having fully body reactions to some of the imagery. Especially the puppet moment. Nope no thanks I’m good! Why did I read this at night??
The relationship between Eric and Jamie was a highlight. I’m always down for a complicated brotherly bond. Are you willing to hide a body for your brother? Fight interdimensional worms with a shovel?? Sibling goals right there.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book!...more
“This is us holding the universe together like a pinky holds a promise. Even though I am broken in halves, I know you will always find me.”
This was a“This is us holding the universe together like a pinky holds a promise. Even though I am broken in halves, I know you will always find me.”
This was a very sweet collection of poetry. I’m a sucker for any sun/moon imagery and oh my goodness! The illustrations in this book are absolutely stunning. I’m obsessed with them!
I wasn’t terribly invested or moved by the writing but it was a light and pretty read. I’m glad I stumbled across it!
Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!...more
Any book that begins with a nod to Oscar Wilde is off to a great start. I was engaged from the beginning and was immediately drawn to Esme. We’re bothAny book that begins with a nod to Oscar Wilde is off to a great start. I was engaged from the beginning and was immediately drawn to Esme. We’re both homebodies who would much rather read a good book and cuddle our cats than go on grand adventures. But just like Bilbo Baggins, with the right motivation we’re ready to jump headlong into a grand journey. Esme’s motivation is a charming thief named Sybil who she plucks off the street just like one of her stray cats. Sparks fly but in a totally platonic roommates way… totally.
This book was incredibly easy to read. The stakes weren’t very high, I’d almost call this a cozy fantasy if I’m being honest. The plot just chugged along without delay. I think we could’ve used a little bit more drama or something to make it more interesting and keep me invested.
There was a lot of repetition. If I took a shot every time the word clock or cat was mentioned I’d have absinthe poisoning within the first chapter. A few spelling errors peppered in there and formatting issues took me out of the story.
We always need more fantasy with wlw pining/relationships so I’m happy that this book exists and I hope it falls into the hands of people who will love it immensely.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book!...more
“Zoe was really, really small. And that felt good. An inconsequential tiny piece of a much larger picture. It was a beautiful thought.”
As someone who“Zoe was really, really small. And that felt good. An inconsequential tiny piece of a much larger picture. It was a beautiful thought.”
As someone who has struggled with depression and suicidal ideation from a very young age, this book portrayed so many thoughts that I’ve had over the years. The guilt, the feelings of selfishness, the questioning every single thought and emotion running through your body at any given time.
This isn’t a book about hopelessness. It’s a book about perseverance. It’s a glimpse into the world that we have to create in order to exist in this ridiculous and painful reality we inhabit. This was all portrayed in such a unique and captivating art style. I want to run and buy a physical copy right this minute just to see the art on a larger scale.
I’ll be thinking about this one for a long time.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book!...more
“I have no silks or gold, but I’d promise to eat your enemy’s heart and tear their lungs out with my claws in exchange for your kiss, dear Judith, whi“I have no silks or gold, but I’d promise to eat your enemy’s heart and tear their lungs out with my claws in exchange for your kiss, dear Judith, which is more than a prince could say.”
The monsters always do it better, my friends.
I thought I’d read my last Silvia Moreno-Garcia book but here we are and I’m so glad I found this little short story!
I love a Brothers Grimm-esque fairytale. Dark, questionable morals, handsome monsters hehe
Perfect little quick atmospheric read! I wish I’d found this during spooky season so I’ll definitely be re-reading next year ;)
Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!...more
What a kooky little collection of short stories. I think my jaw was slack for at least half of it and there were definitely a few full body shivers. IWhat a kooky little collection of short stories. I think my jaw was slack for at least half of it and there were definitely a few full body shivers. I quickly realized there was nothing I shouldn’t expect.
It was spooky, gory, super atmospheric. I could see it all perfectly in my minds eye. It would make a really cool mini tv series or graphic novel.
Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!...more
There were a few times during this graphic novel that I teared up but the last few pages had me bawling.
This story follows Kit who is in her 49 day pThere were a few times during this graphic novel that I teared up but the last few pages had me bawling.
This story follows Kit who is in her 49 day period after death. She’s waiting to move on. We follow along as she goes through denial, anger, fear, and finally acceptance. It was so visceral at times it took my breath away.
On the other side we’re following the people Kit left behind. We see them grieve and try to find happiness and comfort in the fond memories as they keep her spirit alive.
The artwork for this book was stunning and has me completely immersed from the very first page. I absolutely loved this.
Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!...more
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