The September House by Carissa Orlando

Available now

Content notes can be found at The StoryGraph

From the Publisher:

When Margaret and her husband Hal bought the large Victorian house on Hawthorn Street—for sale at a surprisingly reasonable price—they couldn’t believe they finally had a home of their own. Then they discovered the hauntings. Every September, the walls drip blood. The ghosts of former inhabitants appear, and all of them are terrified of something that lurks in the basement. Most people would flee. 
Margaret is not most people. 
Margaret is staying. It’s her house. But after four years Hal can’t take it anymore, and he leaves abruptly. Now, he’s not returning calls, and their daughter Katherine—who knows nothing about the hauntings—arrives, intent on looking for her missing father. To make things worse, September is just around the corner, and with every attempt Margaret and Katherine make at finding Hal, the hauntings grow more harrowing, because there are some secrets the house needs to keep.

This book! I listened to it on audio and was instantly hooked. It’s so refreshing to have a middle aged female main character who is so interesting and intelligent and refuses to be made into a victim. Margaret is such an absolute force of calm, reasoned thinking that it’s almost disconcerting how easily she adjusts to the quirks of her dream home. Now, I fully understand that her devastating and painful past has shaped her into the woman she is, but she really comes across as a woman who knows herself and her ability to handle any situation. Literally, any situation.

The writing in this novel is absolutely incredible. I was instantly invested in the characters, especially the mystery of the house and it’s “pranksters” in just the first few chapters. Margaret narrates our tale of horror and supernatural suspense and do so in the most casual and light hearted way. The narrator, Kimberly Farr, was perfect as the voice of Margaret. My husband caught the last two hours of the book while we completed some home projects and stopped several times to comment how flippant Margaret seemed to be about actual horrors happening before her eyes.

Evenly paced with a balanced mix of plot and character development, flashbacks to Margaret’s early years of marriage and raising her daughter provide a very heartbreaking, but important insight to her ability to always be a survivor. And the way she has fallen in love with the house! I felt that on a visceral level.

I absolutely loved this book. I listened to all 13.5 hours over just two days because I couldn’t put it down. If you’d like to add this incredible novel to your shelf, you can click on the cover above or here for ordering information.

This post may contain links, including Amazon Associate Links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

The Poisons We Drink by Bethany Baptiste

Available May 7, 2024

CW can be found here on The StoryGraph

Look at this gorgeous cover!

From the Publisher:

In a country divided between humans and witchers, Venus Stoneheart hustles as a brewer making illegal love potions to support her family.

Love potions is a dangerous business. Brewing has painful, debilitating side effects, and getting caught means death or a prison sentence. But what Venus is most afraid of is the dark, sentient magic within her.

Then an enemy's iron bullet kills her mother, Venus's life implodes. Keeping her reckless little sister Janus safe is now her responsibility. When the powerful Grand Witcher, the ruthless head of her coven, offers Venus the chance to punish her mother's killer, she has to pay a steep price for revenge. The cost? Brew poisonous potions to enslave D.C.'s most influential politicians.

As Venus crawls deeper into the corrupt underbelly of her city, the line between magic and power blurs, and it's hard to tell who to trust…Herself included.

Reader Friends, this book is incredible. No lie, I started this book months ago and was just a few pages in when I knew I had to put it down because this is such an amazing and special book that I wanted to be sure I was giving it the attention it deserved. I finally had a couple of days to really sit down and immerse myself in this emotional, heartbreaking, and powerful novel. If you are one of those readers who immediately disregards YA, this book will change your mind on the genre.

Baptiste crafted an alternate world that uses magic to explore themes of racism, classism, sexuality and generational trauma. Venus, still so young but straddled with such responsibility, literally puts her body and life in danger to support her family by brewing love potions. Her younger sister, Janus, wants to follow in her father’s footsteps and lead a revolution to guarantee the rights and freedom of witches, but her youthful overconfidence often puts both sisters in danger, adding to Venus’s stress and sense of responsibility. Adding to that tension is the fraught relationship both girls have with their mother. A mother who is more often terse, controlling, and detached when dealing with her two daughters. This complicated relationship drives much of the story and really packs an emotional punch.

The magical system is well developed and very interesting. I really enjoyed the lore of the brewers and their importance in history. There was just information given to keep the reader invested in the story without being too cumbersome with overly detailed rules. The magic was expertly woven into the story and always felt integral, not at all like it was used for convenience or to fill plot holes.

This is definitely a well paced, emotionally charged, and thought provoking book that will stay with you long after the last page. If you’d like to add it to your shelf, you can click on the cover above or here for ordering information.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own. This post may contain links, including Amazon Associate Links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

Flux by Jinwoo Chong

Available now

CW: an extensive list can be found at The StoryGraph

From the Publisher:

Four days before Christmas, 8-year-old Bo loses his mother in a tragic accident, 28-year-old Brandon loses his job after a hostile takeover of his big-media employer, and 48-year-old Blue, a key witness in a criminal trial against an infamous now-defunct tech startup, struggles to reconnect with his family.

So begins Jinwoo Chong’s dazzling, time-bending debut that blends elements of neo-noir and speculative fiction as the lives of Bo, Brandon, and Blue begin to intersect, uncovering a vast network of secrets and an experimental technology that threatens to upend life itself. Intertwined with them is the saga of an iconic ’80s detective show, Raider, whose star actor has imploded spectacularly after revelations of long-term, concealed abuse.

I had the pleasure of spending a few days this winter doing nothing more than listening to audiobooks and putting together jigsaw puzzles. One of my favorite books from that time is this one. It’s one of those books that I absolutely loved and also have a really hard time describing why and what was even going on. It’s a highly emotional, compelling, and character driven story that explores grief, trauma, and regret. The way the storylines of our three main characters weave together is both extraordinary and heartbreaking and is slowly revealed over the course of the book so be prepared for a bit of a slow burn that is well worth the wait. Chong has an interesting take on time, space, and the science of reality and I honestly didn’t understand much of it but it was fascinating to listen to. The way the storylines of our three main characters weave together is both extraordinary and heartbreaking and is slowly revealed over the course of the book so be prepared for a bit of a slow burn.

I listened to the audio version of this book and David Lee Huynh gave an excellent performance so if you have that option, I highly recommend the experience.

If you’d like to add this incredible story to your shelf, you can click on the cover above or here for ordering information. You may have noticed, or not it’s cool, that I’ve started to use The StoryGraph for content warnings. As I understand it, the majority of the warnings are provided by readers but many books also have content provided by the author. This way, I know I’m not missing something that may impact someone’s reading experience. It’s also my new favorite way to track my books and they provide you with all sorts of fancy and colorful graphics that breakdown your books by genre, length, format, and many other topics.

This post may contain links, including Amazon Associate Links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

Deephaven by Ethan M. Aldridge

Available now

Ages 8-12, 288 pages

I was first introduced to Aldridge’s work with his graphic novel Estranged. The Kid selected that one during one of our many bookstore runs and I fell instantly in love with his art style. When I saw the news about Deephaven, I immeadiately went to all the usual ARC request sites and placed my request. Yes, I was sent an advanced digital copy and yes, life got in the way and I’m late getting the review out.

From the Publisher:

When Guinevere "Nev’" Tallow receives an acceptance letter to Deephaven Academy, an exclusive and secluded school, they know it’s the fresh start that they’ve been looking for.

But things are strange from the moment they arrive—the house itself seems to breathe, students whisper secrets in dark corridors, and the entire east wing of the academy is locked away for reasons no one wants to explain. And Nev knows something strange and ragged stalks the shadowy corridors, something that sobs quietly and scratches at the walls, waiting to be released.

With the help of another first-year student, Nev takes it upon themself to unravel the mysteries hidden in Deephaven's halls. But will they risk their fresh start to bring the academy’s secret to light?

Deephaven is a beautifully written coming of age story set in a magical boarding school. If you have a young fantasy reader in your life, this book is a perfect addition to their bookshelf. It's the perfect balance of compelling story, quiet character development, and a gentle spookiness perfect for young readers. There are several parts that involve some fantasy violence and scariness, but it’s all age appropriate and written with care for the readers.

You can feel the love and care Aldridge has put into his characters and their story. Nev is struggling with a complicated home life and knows that Deephaven could be their way to a happier life. But with a fresh start comes other complications that many readers will readily identify with: finding new friends, the stress of a new environment, and wanting to fit in. Anyone who has been the new kid knows how scary that can be.

I loved this book and if you want to add it your shelf, you can click on the cover above, or here, for ordering information.

Thanks to Edelweiss and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own. This post may also contain associate links, including Amazon Associate links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

The St. Ambrose School for Girls by Jessica Ward

Available now

CW: mental illness, suicidal ideation, gaslighting, murder, child abuse, sexual abuse, self harm, homophobia, bullying. Read with care.

Reader Friends, my favorite author has released a new book that doesn’t include my all-time, hands down, favorite group of fictional people in Caldwell! It left me a little wary but a whole lot of intrigued.

And she left me emotionally wrecked. This book is going to twist you up in so many ways and take you right on back to the emotional roller coaster that is high school. This book tackles some extremely heavy topics like suicide and mental illness and Ward lays out her writing process in her Author’s Note and I felt the care and love she has for her characters. Definitely check the content warnings on this one and I realize how wild it is to love a book that is this dark and heavy.

Oh, and Jessica Ward is J.R. Ward, aka The Warden, author of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series.

From the Publisher:

When Sarah Taylor arrives at the exclusive St. Ambrose School, she’s carrying more baggage than just what fits in her suitcase. She knows she’s not like the other girls—if the shabby, all-black, non-designer clothes don’t give that away, the bottle of lithium hidden in her desk drawer sure does.

St. Ambrose’s queen bee, Greta Stanhope, picks Sarah as a target from day one and the most popular, powerful, horrible girl at school is relentless in making sure Sarah knows what the pecking order is. Thankfully, Sarah makes an ally out of her roommate Ellen “Strots” Strotsberry, a cigarette-huffing, devil-may-care athlete who takes no bullshit. Also down the hall is Nick Hollis, the devastatingly handsome RA, and the object of more than one St. Ambrose student’s fantasies. Between Strots and Nick, Sarah hopes she can make it through the semester, dealing with not only her schoolwork and a recent bipolar diagnosis, but Greta’s increasingly malicious pranks.

Sarah is determined not to give Greta the satisfaction of breaking her. But when scandal unfolds, and someone ends up dead, her world threatens to unravel in ways she could never have imagined. The St. Ambrose School for Girls is a dangerous, delicious, twisty coming-of-age tale that will stay with you long after you turn the last page.

This book contains so many of my favorite tropes: boarding school, scandal, mean girls getting what they deserve (not that anyone really deserves murder,) dark secrets, and strong female friendships. All of the characters felt real and fully developed, especially Sarah. You could feel how desperately she wanted away from her home, but also how much she knew she didn’t fit in with the rich girls at the elite St. Ambrose. She was so aware of her mental illness and how tightly she had to keep it in control to guard her secret from everyone. When all of that stress, exacerbated by the horrible bullying from Greta and her girlfriends, leads to Sarah making some very dark and misguided decisions, my heart broke. You could feel how lonely and isolated she felt, even when she was constantly surrounded by her teachers, roommate, and advisors.

This is one of those novels where every character has a dark secret to hide. It seemed like every secret was darker and more disturbing than the last. (Like I said, it’s real doozy of a book!) All of those layers of secrets really added to the impact of the plot twist and made the ending one of the most explosive I’ve read. I absolutely loved it and flew through it in just one sitting.

If you want to add this dark and explosive thriller to your shelf, you can click on the cover above, or here, for ordering information.

This post may contain affiliate links, including Amazon Associate links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases. All opinions and mistakes are my own. Like those commas. I never get those right.

Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle

Available now

CW: homophobia, conversion therapy, religious trauma, emotional abuse, gaslighting, violence

Buckle up friends! Chuck has gifted us with a wild, horrifying nightmare inducing novel!

From the Publisher:

Welcome to Neverton, Montana: home to a God-fearing community with a heart of gold.

Nestled high up in the mountains is Camp Damascus, the self-proclaimed “most effective” gay conversion camp in the country. Here, a life free from sin awaits. But the secret behind that success is anything but holy.

And they’ll scare you straight to hell.

I really, really loved this book. I’ve read many a fun and quirky Chuck Tingle novella and if you have as well, please know that this is nothing like those zany erotic novellas. Camp Damascus is a terrifying and frank look at the ways the people closest to us can end up being the most dangerous to us. It’s fast paced, engrossing, and has complex characters.

At 20, Rose still lives at home with her extremely religious and god-fearing parents. Her religious beliefs guide her every thought, every decision, and every interaction with others. As she enters her final summer of high school, Rose begins to see terrifying images of a woman watching her from the woods. After the death of a dear friend, her memories become unreliable and Rose struggles to understand her parents’ motives and reactions to her grief and stress. It’s as Rose tries to find answers to the strange apparition haunting her that she discovers that there is a darker side to her church, her town, and her family.

If you would like to add this horror novel to your shelf, you can click on the cover or here for ordering information.

Thank you to Edelweiss and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own. This post may contain affiliate links, including Amazon Associate links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

She is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran

Available now

From the Publisher:

When Jade Nguyen arrives in Vietnam for a visit with her estranged father, she has one goal: survive five weeks pretending to be a happy family in the French colonial house Ba is restoring. She's always lied to fit in, so if she's straight enough, Vietnamese enough, American enough, she can get out with the college money he promised.

But the house has other plans. Night after night, Jade wakes up paralyzed. The walls exude a thrumming sound while bugs leave their legs and feelers in places they don't belong. She finds curious traces of her ancestors in the gardens they once tended. And at night Jade can't ignore the ghost of the beautiful bride who leaves cryptic warnings: Don't eat.

Neither Ba nor her sweet sister Lily believe that there is anything strange happening. With help from a delinquent girl, Jade will prove this house--the home they have always wanted--will not rest until it destroys them. Maybe, this time, she can keep her family together. As she roots out the house's rot, she must also face the truth of who she is and who she must become to save them all.

Look at that cover! Isn’t it incredible!

This book comes to you from not just me, but also recommend by my two fabulous, real-life teenage interns at the Library! It’s definitely one of the most compelling, horrifying, and imaginative books I’ve read this summer. It delves into the complexities of colonialism, identity, belonging, and intergenerational trauma. Jade is a very complex character that is dealing with SO MUCH. Her relationship with her father is strained even more with her bargain to stay in Vietnam with him for the summer in exchange for tuition money. She’s scared to come out to her mother but also wants to live her life as she wishes. She feels the need to protect her siblings as much as she possibly can. She also has a house that is actively trying to do her harm. You know, life stuff.

It’s beautifully written, incredibly compelling, and very fast paced. The highly descriptive writing makes you feel like you are right beside Jade as she’s learning more about her ancestors and the horrors they faced. Also, don’t read this book hungry! The food descriptions alone are worth reading for. I learned so much about Vietnamese culture from this book and for that, I’m so grateful.

I loved this book, as did my fabulous interns, and if you want to add it to your shelf, you can click on the cover or here for ordering information.

As always, this post may contain affiliate links, including Amazon Associate links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

Pride Reads: Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune

There are numerous lists (yay!) of amazing books to read during Pride Month, and all year long! Here is one of my favorites!

Available now

I finished this book last night and I’m still devastated. Be sure to keep the tissues handy during this one! If you loved The House on the Cerulean Sea, you are going to love Under the Whispering Door. Not only does Klune have a way with long, whimsical titles, but he has crafted another heartfelt and emotional story about being a human and finding love.

Wallace Price has lived his life consumed by his career. Demanding perfection from his employees and spending each day working until the point of exhaustion has been his M.O. until, one day, he finds himself dead. Standing over his body, bewildered about his situation, and then suddenly, at his own funeral. What should be a well-attended, proper, and expensive affair, turns out to only be attended by his ex-wife and his partners from the law firm. There were no kind words, no tears, and to Wallace’s astonishment, a remarkable amount of sports talk. But there is one person at his funeral that Wallace has never met. And even more startling, she can see Wallace. Mei, Wallace’s reaper, has come to guide him to his next place and Wallace isn’t having it.

Finally relenting, Wallace and Mei make their way to a tea shop run by Mei and Hugo. But of course, this is no ordinary tea shop. It’s a way station for those newly departed before they make their way to other side. Residing in the tea shop with Mei and Hugo are Hugo’s faithful pup Apollo and Hugo’s grandfather, the deceased Nelson. Slowly, day by day, Wallace learns from this remarkable team the ins and outs of ghost life, and begins to realize how little he actually lived.

This is an emotional, tender, funny, and remarkable story of life and love and I was immediately caught up in Wallace’s story and his journey to the afterlife. Wallace experiences all the stages of grief over his own death and does so in a way that felt incredibly real and relatable. His journey to discovering how to be a friend and to become part of a family never felt forced, it was a gentle progression that we saw every step of the way. Klune has given us beautiful characters with full lives and distinct personalities. Every character is crucial to the story and grows within the book. Klune has created an interesting take on the Reaper mythos and I really loved how The Manager, no spoilers!, was imagined. The characters were so well thought out and imagined that it made the story really compelling and I was unable to put it down.
No lie, I finished this while eating dinner with my guys and sobbed over my mac ‘n cheese. The Kid was quite worried.

I cannot express how much I love this book. It’s compelling, beautiful, heartfelt, and just really, really lovely. If you would like to add this story to your collection, you can find ordering information here:

Thank you to Netgalley and TOR Books for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own.

This post also contains affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases.

Pride Reads: Fantasy Quickie: Even Though I Knew the End by C.L. Polk

There are numerous lists (yay!) of amazing books to read during Pride Month, and all year long! Here is one of my favorites!

Available now

CW: homophobia, magical violence, aversion therapy

Even Though I Knew the End is a magically charged noir thriller that doesn’t hold any punches. Helen, a private investigator and warlock who sold her soul to save her brother’s life, is quietly putting her affairs in order so Edith, her longtime love, will be able to live out her dream of moving to California. When someone offers her one last job-a job that could get Helen her soul back, she can’t refuse.

Discovering the identity of the White City Vampire, a prolific and magical serial killer, places Helen and everyone she loves in danger. Helen and Edith race against time to save their lives, their souls, and their love.

Coming it at just 133 pages in the print version, Polk does a masterful job at creating an interesting and intricate alternate 1930’s Chicago. There’s romance, pain, magic, mystery, and a stark look at the hate and discrimination the queer community faced then, and now. It’s a brilliant story that I hope becomes the start of a new magical mystery series.

Grab our tissues, you’re going to need them.

If you’d like to add this magical sapphic mystery to your shelf, you can click on the cover or here for ordering information.

As always, this post may contain affiliate links, including Amazon Associate links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

Pride Reads: A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow

There are numerous lists (yay!) of amazing books to read during Pride Month, and all year long! Here is one of my favorites!

Available Now

I absolutely loved this story! LOVED IT! If you love fairy tale retellings, especially ones that point out every sexist and problematic element, then is the perfect book for you.

On Zinnia Gray’s twenty-first birthday, she finds herself dying, surrounded by rose petals, at the top of a tower. Now, Zinnia has been dying since the day she was born. Genetic abnormalities caused by environmental pollutions has caused irreparable damage to her body and Zinnia knows she has maybe one more year left to live. After a birthday party thrown by her absolute best friend Charm, Zinnia finds herself faced with a spinning wheel just like a real-life Aurora.

What Zinnia doesn’t anticipate, is finding herself transported to a fairy tale world with another Aurora-like character, Princess Primrose who is destined to fall into a deep sleep for 100 years on her twenty-first birthday.

So what happens when you combine two real-life Sleeping Beauties who don’t feel compelled to follow the story written for them? They set out to write their own.

This is a short little novella that packs a huge emotional punch. I loved this book from the very first page and found myself laughing out loud and cheering on Zinnia and Primrose as they fought for their freedom. I’m a huge sucker for books with awesome friendships and Zinnia finds a fast ally in Primrose but also has the world’s best friend in Charm, her friend since elementary school. They are all fiercely protective of each other and have no problem calling each other on their nonsense. Charm doesn’t let Zin get too down and Zin doesn’t let Charm get too lost in searching for an answer to Zin’s illness. I found myself relating to the overprotectiveness of Zin’s parents and Zin’s need to break away and become her own person with the little time she had left. Some tears were definitely shed during this book but it was easily balanced by all the amazing one-liners and banter between the characters.

A Spindle Splintered is an excellent feminist retelling of one our most loved and problematic fairy tales. It’s subversive, funny, dark, and full of wildly beautiful illustrations.

If you would like to add this novella to your shelf, you can find ordering information here:

This post contains affiliate links, including Amazon, and I may earn from qualifying purchases. All opinions and mistakes are my own.

Pride Reads: Something Fabulous by Alexis Hall

There are numerous lists (yay!) of amazing books to read during Pride Month, and all year long! Here is one of my favorites!

Available now

This is such a wild ride of a romance! I loved every madcap, ridiculous scenario found within these pages and I can’t wait to see what comes next!

Set in the old fashioned England Times, Valentine Layton, the Duke of Malvern (and don’t you forget it) has finally fulfilled his duty and proposed to the woman he has been betrothed to since childhood. What should have been a romantic proposal quickly turned into a frantic chase across the countryside to find his fiancé, Arabella, after she ran away screaming. Accompanied by her twin brother Bonaventure, Bonny to his friends, Valentine is forced to rise too early, dress without a valet, ride for an uncomfortably long time, and face feelings that he didn’t know were possible.

Something Fabulous is equal parts ridiculous romp and heartfelt journey to discovery. Valentine has lived his life exactly as he thought he should. He has tried to fulfill what he believes are his parent’s wishes and live his life as properly and respectfully as he can. All of that is thrown out the window, extremely reluctantly, by proposing to Arabella. Valentine hasn’t seen Arabella or Bonny since childhood and is woefully unprepared for their reaction to him and what he has seen is an inevitable proposal of marriage. While Valentine was raised in wealth, the twins were raised by an uncle after their parent’s death without the luxuries he is so used to. Valentine also lacks the incredible imagination the twins have developed from their childhood of crafting their own novels when their uncle supplied them with only boring nonfiction.

As Valentine and Bonny travel across the countryside pursuing Arabella and her maid, Valentine is forced to realize that things are not all that he believes. Bonny is unapologetic in his love for men and bedroom delights and Valentine is completely thrown by his exuberant personality. As Valentine finds himself feeling…something for Bonny, his entire world view is thrown upside down.

Something Fabulous is a funny, heartwarming, and steamy adventure through the countryside. Highly, highly recommend it.

If you would like to add this amazing book to your collection, you can find ordering information here:

This post may contain affiliate links, including Amazon Associate links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

Pride Reads: The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros

There are numerous lists (yay!) of amazing books to read during Pride Month, and all year long! Here is one of my favorites!

Available Now

Set during the wonderous and enthralling Chicago World’s Fair, The City Beautiful is a beautifully written story of young love, self discovery, and the barriers of social class. Alter Rosen came to America to help his father build a business empire, but their hopes and dreams ended with his father’s unexpected death. Now, Alter works at the newspaper as a typesetter and barely earns enough to share a small apartment with four other men, let alone enough to bring his mother and sisters to America. When young men from the neighborhood go missing, the local police claim they are runaways but Alter believes there is more to the story. When his roommate Yakov is found dead on the fairgrounds, Alter is convinced it was more than an accident. While helping with Yakov’s burial ceremony, Alter becomes possessed by Yakov’s dybbuk and finds himself in the middle of a dark conspiracy.

Now Alter must race against the clock to find Yakov’s murderer while battling against horrific racism and threats against himself and his friends. When an old friend resurfaces and offers his help, Alter finds himself battling his own desires and attraction to the handsome and mysterious Frankie.

This is a fascinating story. As someone who is not Jewish, I learned so much about the history of the Jewish community in Chicago and appreciated such an intimate look at the religion and their way of life. Alter lived a complex yet simple life. He came to America on the belief that his father had created a successful business and was going to set his family up with wealth and standing. What he found instead was an incredibly ill father and mountains of debt. All he wants is to make enough money to bring his mother and sisters over from Romania and provide a comfortable life for them. But along with that familial duty, Alter is facing his own inner conflicts over his attraction to other men. Trying to reconcile his true feelings with societal expectations is incredibly difficult. What I really loved, were Frankie’s explanations of how their relationship was completely fine in the eyes of their religion and gave evidence from their religious text. I completely understand that is probably only new information to me, but I hope that it also helps provide comfort for anyone else who may find themselves in Alter’s position.

Polydoros provides such vivid detail of the fair and Alter’s neighborhood that it made you feel like you were walking through the exhibits with Alter. You could feel the wonder that everyone felt at the technical and engineering advancements being created, but that was also balanced against the racism and degradation of many of the exhibits. This is a wonderfully written and well-researched novel that will keep any reader completely engrossed from start to finish.

Highly, highly recommend.

If you would like to add this amazing story to your collection, you can find ordering information here:

Thank you to Netgalley and Inkyard Press for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own. This post also contains affiliate links and as an Amazon associate, I may earn from qualifying purchases.

In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune

Available now

From the Publisher:

In a strange little home built into the branches of a grove of trees, live three robots—fatherly inventor android Giovanni Lawson, a pleasantly sadistic nurse machine, and a small vacuum desperate for love and attention. Victor Lawson, a human, lives there too. They’re a family, hidden and safe.

The day Vic salvages and repairs an unfamiliar android labelled “HAP,” he learns of a shared dark past between Hap and Gio–a past spent hunting humans.

When Hap unwittingly alerts robots from Gio’s former life to their whereabouts, the family is no longer hidden and safe. Gio is captured and taken back to his old laboratory in the City of Electric Dreams. So together, the rest of Vic’s assembled family must journey across an unforgiving and otherworldly country to rescue Gio from decommission, or worse, reprogramming.

Along the way to save Gio, amid conflicted feelings of betrayal and affection for Hap, Vic must decide for himself: Can he accept love with strings attached?

I really, really enjoyed this one! Klune has this way of making, what I felt was, a very action packed and plot driven novel still seem very quiet and contemplative. Set in a dystopian future, our characters always seem to be on the verge of grave danger and yet, still find humor and joy throughout their days. If anyone can write a whimsical, dystopian love story, it’s Klune. Full of adventure in a futuristic setting, at it’s heart, In the Lives of Puppets is a magical story of found family, loyalty, acceptance, and love.

If you’d like to add this wonderful novel to your shelf, you can click on the cover or here for ordering information.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own. This post may contain affiliate links, including Amazon Associate Links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon

Available Now

Hey all! This week is the #TransRightsReadathon and I’m rounding up some of my favorite books by, or featuring, trans people. If you’d like more information about the origins and goals of this movement, you can find it here.

Content Warnings for harm to children, partner abuse, and body horror.

Look at this gorgeous cover!

If you are able to, avoid all descriptions of this book before diving in. I mean it; just go in blindly. All I knew when I requested this book was that it was by Rivers Solomon and it was about a woman who is going through a metamorphosis and needs to escape a religious compound. I didn't really need any more information than Rivers Solomon being the author to get excited and I am so glad that I didn't read further. This made every twist and turn that much more exciting and I was completely caught off guard multiple times. Now if you really need to know more, then by all means keep reading this post before putting this book on hold at the Library. But trust me, this book is amazing.

Reader Friends, this book is an intense ride and I was completely enthralled from start to finish. Vern gave birth to her children alone while hiding in the woods from her abusive husband and the repressive religious compound she grew up in. Only more surprising than her not knowing she was pregnant with twins is Vern´s age. At only 14, Vern is now tasked with not only her own survival against a dark and evil force, but that of her children as well. Deep in the woods, Vern and her small family spend their days gathering, foraging, and hunting their food while spending their nights drying and preserving their surplus. As the days pass on, her children grow into inquisitive toddlers as Vern discovers her own body changing and developing as well. When the forest fiend gets too close to her children, Vern knows she must finally ask for help. Packing up her children and their meager supplies, Vern and her children set off across the country to find an old friend from Vern´s childhood. As the days pass, Vern continues to change and hallucinations from her childhood return with greater force. With no one to trust but herself, Vern must learn more about her past in order to secure a future for herself and her children. 

Sorrowland is one of those magical books that crosses so many genres that it becomes something new altogether. It is part historical fiction, part science-fiction, and a whole lot of gothic horror. Solomon´s writing is intense and compelling with richly drawn characters caught up in an intricate and complicated plot. Much of the book's impact comes from it's too-close-to-reality storyline of racism, misogyny, and distrust in authority. Spoiler, everyone has every reason to distrust all authority in this book. It's also incredibly fast paced and I was so engrossed in the story that I finished it in one sitting. I loved this book and can't wait to hear what you all think of it. 

If you would like to add this book to your collection, you can find ordering information here:

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book. All opinions and mistakes are my own. This post also contains affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases. 

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

Available Now

Hey all! This week is the #TransRightsReadathon and I’m rounding up some of my favorite books by, or featuring, trans people. If you’d like more information about the origins and goals of this movement, you can find it here.

I have seen this book everywhere and for good reason-it’s a perfect book. Just perfect. If you are someone who is remotely interested in a young adult paranormal romance, you must pick this up. Now. Go get it. 

Yadriel believes with all his heart that Lady Death will see him for what he truly is: a brujo. When his father refuses to listen to Yadriel and bans him from participating in his quinces ceremony, he knows the only way to prove himself is by performing in his own ceremony. With the help of his best friend and cousin Maritza, Yadriel defies all expectations and receives the blessing of Lady Death. When his cousin Miguel goes missing, the community begins a search for him but they are quickly overcome with the feeling of his death. Yadriel knows that he can help by summoning Miguel’s spirit and solving the mystery of his death but when Yadriel performs the ritual, he summons a ghost...the ghost of the high school bad boy Julian. 

Now, Yadriel must hide the existence of Julian’s ghost from his brujx family, no small feat, solve the mystery of both Julian and Miguel’s death, and prove himself to his father. I mean, no big deal right?

This is a fantastic book! I loved every page, every word. Yadriel is such a wonderfully written character. He is determined to live his life as his true self-a boy who wants to become a brujo. His mother was the understanding parent who accepted his transition but he still has his father and grandmother who struggle to see him as a boy and use his real name, not his dead name. The connection between Maritza and Yadriel is so pure and accepting. They are cousins, family, best friends, and completely honest with each other. Aiden Thomas gives readers an honest and frank look at the life of a trans teen and all of the ways their identity dictates everyday decisions. There is a scene where Julian finds out that Yadriel hasn’t used the boys’ bathroom at school because he’s afraid and it just broke my heart. Julian’s presence has a significant impact on Yadriel. He is openly gay and quite blunt about Yadriel’s interactions with his family and their treatment of Yadriel. Julian questions his loyalty to a family that is holding him back from becoming a brujo because he is trans and the two have conversations that provide incredible insight into Yadriel’s life.

The descriptions of the family’s belief system were rich and detailed. I love magic in all its forms and learned so much about Yadriel’s history and culture. The tight knit community and the closeness of the family members creating such an elaborate set of festivities to honor their dead was fascinating and beautiful. Be prepared for some incredible descriptions of food-I was starving the entire time I read this!

The story takes place on a very quick timeline-they must find Miguel’s killer and release Julian’s spirit before Dia de Muertos. I love YA that has a tight timeline the characters have to follow but still have to go to school. I love it. This urgency is really felt in the development of Yadriel and Julian’s relationship. What do you do when you fall in love with a ghost who only has a few days to remain on earth? It’s pretty incredible Readers. 

This book checks a lot of boxes: found family, family friendships, magic, history, culture, romance, coming of age, and so much more. Best part-this is a debut! I can’t wait to find out what wonderful novels Thomas has in store for us next. 

If you would like to add this amazing story to your collection, you can find ordering information here:

This post contains affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases.

Fantasy Quickie: Even Though I Knew the End by C.L. Polk

Available now

CW: homophobia, magical violence, aversion therapy

Even Though I Knew the End is a magically charged noir thriller that doesn’t hold any punches. Helen, a private investigator and warlock who sold her soul to save her brother’s life, is quietly putting her affairs in order so Edith, her longtime love, will be able to live out her dream of moving to California. When someone offers her one last job-a job that could get Helen her soul back, she can’t refuse.

Discovering the identity of the White City Vampire, a prolific and magical serial killer, places Helen and everyone she loves in danger. Helen and Edith race against time to save their lives, their souls, and their love.

Coming it at just 133 pages in the print version, Polk does a masterful job at creating an interesting and intricate alternate 1930’s Chicago. There’s romance, pain, magic, mystery, and a stark look at the hate and discrimination the queer community faced then, and now. It’s a brilliant story that I hope becomes the start of a new magical mystery series.

Grab our tissues, you’re going to need them.

If you’d like to add this magical sapphic mystery to your shelf, you can click on the cover or here for ordering information.

As always, this post may contain affiliate links, including Amazon Associate links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

Mystery Quickie: Lavender House by Lev AC Rosen

Available now:

CW: physical assault, homophobia, police brutality, suicidal ideation

It’s 1952 and Evander “Andy” Mills is in a tragic place when he meets a woman who not only knows his history, but sees it as the selling point in selecting him as the private investigator looking into the death of her beloved wife. Irene Lamontaine was the wealthy head of a fancy soap empire until her mysterious death at her home that her wife Pearl, believes was actually murder.

Entering Lavender House feels like walking into a fantasy. Andy struggles to believe that it’s possible to live a life as openly and freely as the family and staff of Lavender House. Everyone who lives and works at Lavender House is queer. Together, they have created a sanctuary where they can openly love and live together.

As Andy investigates Irene’s death, he is drawn in deeper and deeper into the intimate lives of the family and the Lamontaine empire and discovers a world full of secrets.

I was instantly swept up in the beauty of Rosen’s writing. The characters are written with such love and care that you can feel their hearts breaking over and over again as they are faced with the discrimination and limitations that society throws at them. The story felt perfectly paced with enough twists and turns to keep you immersed in the mystery, but not so many as to feel contrived.

This is an excellent novel and I look forward to reading many more books from this author.

If you would like to add this incredible book to your collection, you can click on the cover or here for ordering information.

This post may contain affiliate links, including Amazon Associate links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

Spec Fic Quickie: The Memory Librarian by Janelle Monáe

Available now

I am very late getting to this one so I’m sure you have already heard how amazing and original this collection is. It’s all true. This collection of interconnected short stories is wildly imaginative and thought provoking. The world building is complex and detailed and absolutely terrifying. It’s a dark look at what our future could be, but, as depressing as it sounds, it also feels very possible. Now, I am not going to pretend to understand all the complexities that these authors put to paper so I apologize in advance for what I get wrong.

In this world, memories are everything. Memories are collected and analyzed and those whose memories are deemed deviant, are sent for Counseling, and molded into the type of citizen that Little Delta deems suitable for living there. It’s a world of great oppression and a rebellion that is gaining traction in their quest for freedom. It’s a world that is full of surveillance technology and power hungry government.

It was very interesting and I really enjoyed it, even the places I had to reread several times because I struggled with it making sense.

You can click on the cover image for ordering information and as always, this post may contain affiliate links, including Amazon Associate links and I may earn from qualifying purchases.