Speculative
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Lost Ark Dreaming by Suyi Davies Okungbowa – REVIEW
Lost Ark Dreaming pulled me in with the promise of Snowpiercer meets River Solomon’s The Deep. What more could I want? I love it when speculative fiction really “goes there,” like both Snowpiercer and The Deep did. Please give me brutality, economic divides, and world collapse in speculative fiction. I want to think and feel… Continue reading
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Time’s Agent by Brenda Peynado – REVIEW
I have always loved books about time travel, especially those that involve multi-dimensional travel, which made me immediately curious about Time’s Agent. One of my favorite Young Adult series is Claudia Gray’s Firebird series, which involves interdimensional travel, an intelligent group of protagonists, and a corporation that wants to exploit the dimensions for its own… Continue reading
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There is a Rio Grande in Heaven by Ruben Reyes, Jr. – Review
I’ve been excited to share my review of There is a Rio Grande in Heaven for a long time now. This anthology blew me away and resonated with me deeply. It’s difficult for an anthology to have no misses at all, but Ruben Reyes, Jr. accomplishes that feat in this debut. Continue reading
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One of Our Kind by Nicola Yoon – REVIEW
If you read contemporary young adult fiction, you’ve probably heard of Nicola Yoon. Her wildly popular novels The Sun is Also a Star and Everything, Everything adored by readers and were even made into movies. To be perfectly honest, her young adult novels never appealed to me. However, Yoon’s upcoming adult debut, One of Our Kind, is a very… Continue reading
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Lake of Souls by Ann Leckie – REVIEW
Ann Leckie has been on my science fiction TBR for a long, long time now. I desperately need to read her Imperial Radch Series, including her 2024 Hugo-nominated novel Translation State. For that series, though, I want to start at the beginning. So where do I start with Ann Leckie until then? An anthology of… Continue reading
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Cascade Failure by L.M. Sagas: REVIEW
I’ve been on a mission lately to read more “happy” books – more books that make me feel good while reading them. Finding happy books is already hard, but finding happy books that are science fiction or fantasy seems even more difficult. Luckily, L.M. Sagas is here to save the day with her new book, Cascade… Continue reading
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The Last Bloodcarver by Vanessa Le – REVIEW
The Last Bloodcarver wasn’t on my radar until a few weeks ago when I read the first few chapters. I was enthralled by the world and obsessed over wanting to read the rest of the story as soon as possible. The Last Bloodcarver is a Southeast Asian fantasy with medical-based magic, devoted friendships, and a rivals-to-lovers romance. Continue reading
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Review: Cursed Cruise by Victoria Fulton and Faith McClaren
Cursed Cruise is the follow-up to Victoria Fulton and Faith McClaren’s novel, Horror Hotel. I accidentally jumped into Cursed Cruise without reading Horror Hotel. Luckily, this follow-up is more of a standalone than a direct sequel. There are callbacks to Horror Hotel, but they are quickly explained and not relied on for the main plot. Cursed Cruise follows the Ghost Gang, a… Continue reading
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Back Shelf Review: Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
Welcome back to Back Shelf Saturdays, where I review backlist titles I didn’t get to read when they were first published. I do this (almost) every week to ensure I’m reading more than just newly released and forthcoming titles. For my purposes, a backlist title is at least one year past its release date. This… Continue reading
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These Fragile Graces, This Fugitive Heart by Izzy Wasserstein
I read These Fragile Graces, This Fugitive Heart near the end of 2023 and I was completely blown away by how much I loved it. While I thought I would like the novella based on the synopsis, I wasn’t expecting this to be a favorite book of mine. These Fragile Graces is incredible, intense, and remarkably powerful. Continue reading