Reviews

My Darling Dreadful Thing

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My Darling Dreadful ThingMy Darling Dreadful Thing on May 14, 2024
Genres: gothic, horror
Pages: 375
Goodreads

Spirits are drawn to salt, be it blood or tears.

Roos Beckman has a spirit companion only she can see. Ruth—strange, corpse-like, and dead for centuries—is the light of Roos' life. That is, until the wealthy young widow Agnes Knoop visits one of Roos' backroom seances, and the two strike up a connection.

Soon, Roos is whisked away to the crumbling estate Agnes inherited upon the death of her husband, where an ill woman haunts the halls, strange smells drift through the air, and mysterious stone statues reside in the family chapel. Something dreadful festers in the manor, but still, the attraction between Roos and Agnes is undeniable.

Then, someone is murdered.

Poor, alone, and with a history of 'hysterics', Roos is the obvious culprit. With her sanity and innocence in question, she'll have to prove who—or what—is at fault or lose everything she holds dear.

I wanted to like My Darling Dreadful Thing more than I did. But also, upon reflection, there’s nothing that I can really point to that I didn’t like about the book. It was a quick read, I didn’t really put it down, I enjoyed it, but when I finished it, it just felt kind of…done.

But maybe that’s the point, there really isn’t a point to it. It’s just a snapshot of this weird, strange, disturbing thing that happened in Roos’ life. Then she moved on after the pages stopped turning, and so do we.

Now don’t get me wrong, I did enjoy it. The atmosphere was eerie and gothic (atmospheric reads seem to be my thing this year). Both houses, the one Roos does seances in with her mom and the one she moves to with Agnes, feel like characters in themselves. It’s very haunting.

While Roos felt like a fully formed character, it was interesting to see how she’s portrayed in the interspersed notes from a psychologist. In her own timeline, you believe everything that’s going on. You believe Ruth is real, everything terrible and creepy is real. But in the notes, I started to question whether any of it was real or if it was just in her head. Much like everyone else who can’t see spirits treats her in her own timeline.

By the end of it, I wanted to believe her but I found myself not trusting her narrative 100%. Which I think makes me a skeptic, although I hate admitting that.

Either way, there wasn’t really anything “wrong” with the book. In fact, the writing was great and I will probably pick up more of Johanna van Veen’s writing. I might have her newest book in my cart already.

A Dark and Drowning Tide

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A Dark and Drowning TideA Dark and Drowning Tide on September 17, 2024
Genres: fantasy
Pages: 384
Goodreads

Lorelei Kaskel, a folklorist with a quick temper and an even quicker wit, is on an expedition with six eccentric nobles in search of a fabled spring. The magical spring promises untold power, which the king wants to harness to secure his reign of the embattled country of Brunnestaad. Lorelei is determined to use this opportunity to prove herself and make her wildest, most impossible dream come to become a naturalist, able to travel freely to lands she’s only ever read about.

The expedition gets off to a harrowing start when its leader—Lorelei’s beloved mentor—is murdered in her quarters aboard their ship. The suspects are her five remaining expedition mates, each with their own motive. The only person Lorelei knows must be innocent is her longtime academic rival, the insufferably gallant and maddeningly beautiful Sylvia von Wolff. Now in charge of the expedition, Lorelei must find the spring before the murderer strikes again—and a coup begins in earnest.

But there are other dangers lurking in the forests that rearrange themselves at night, rivers with slumbering dragons waiting beneath the water, and shapeshifting beasts out for blood.

As Lorelei and Sylvia grudgingly work together to uncover the truth—and resist their growing feelings for one another—they discover that their professor had secrets of her own. Secrets that make Lorelei question whether justice is worth pursuing, or if this kingdom is worth saving at all.

First off, sucker for this cover. Beautiful. Ugh.

Second off, sucker for the writing. Atmospheric. Ugh.

I am shouting about how ethereal the writing of A Dark and Drowning Tide is. Everybody listen to me, please. From page one, you can feel the story wrap around you like a dense fog. This is what I want gothic writing to feel like to me. It just felt so alive.

The characters all had unique personalities and quirks (and trauma). While we got some world building, enough to know what’s happening and enough to understand how it impacts Lorelei specifically, I feel like there’s a whoooole lot of lore we’re missing. And I don’t mean that in a bad way, I mean I want that lore. I appreciate that it didn’t take up a lot of room in this book since it would have taken away from the questing nature of the story, but it’s definitely something I’d love to read more about. I want to be explore the world with Lorelei, documenting all the folklore tales or whatever she chooses to do in the future. There’s unlimited stories to be had.

I will say, the ending was a bit disappointing. Not really the ending itself, but how it played out. It just seemed like a weird miscommunication, or like Saft sort of forced the narrative to get the ending she had in mind. It wasn’t a bad ending, it just pulled me out of the story a little bit with how it happened.

Still, a book worth picking up. Maybe just so you can stare at the cover like I did for awhile. I need artwork in this style, and of these two.

Exquisite Corpse

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Exquisite CorpseExquisite Corpse on January 1, 1996
Genres: horror
Pages: 240
Goodreads

To serial slayer Andrew Compton, murder is an art, the most intimate art. After feigning his own death to escape from prison, Compton makes his way to the United States with the sole ambition of bringing his "art" to new heights. Tortured by his own perverse desires, and drawn to possess and destroy young boys, Compton inadvertently joins forces with Jay Byrne, a dissolute playboy who has pushed his "art" to limits even Compton hadn't previously imagined. Together, Compton and Byrne set their sights on an exquisite young Vietnamese-American runaway, Tran, whom they deem to be the perfect victim.

Swiftly moving from the grimy streets of London's Piccadilly Circus to the decadence of the New Orleans French Quarter, and punctuated by rants from radio talk show host Lush Rimbaud, a.k.a. Luke Ransom, Tran's ex-lover, who is dying of AIDS and who intends to wreak ultimate havoc before leaving this world, Exquisite Corpse unfolds into a labyrinth of murder and love. Ultimately all four characters converge on a singular bloody night after which their lives will be irrevocably changed — or terminated.

This was an interesting read. It’s not something I’d recommend for everyone, really I’m not entirely sure who in my real life (if anyone) I would say should read this book. But I enjoyed it just the same.

I felt like we were being held hostage by Compton, like a little angel strapped to his shoulder who’s soul purpose is to watch things unfold. Which, I guess is what reading is all about, but it felt very real. I felt at one intimately close to the characters but also held at a distance. I think because there’s a lot of, ahem, death happening that you feel it more. The contrast is stark, and I did feel like I was going to be somehow held accountable for the things taking place in the book. Like Compton would turn around and frame me for everything he’s done.

Even though I was pretty sure I knew where the story was going, it was still fascinating to watch it unfold. The details, obviously, I could not predict. And I really wanted to see how everything ended up.

It was interesting, and fucked up, and I will be picking up more from Brite.

Quicksilver

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QuicksilverQuicksilver by Callie Hart
Series: Fae & Alchemy #1
on June 4, 2024
Genres: fantasy, romantasy
Pages: 624
Goodreads

Do not touch the sword.

Do not turn the key.

Do not open the gate.

In the land of the unforgiving desert, there isn’t much a girl wouldn’t do for a glass of water.

Twenty-four-year-old Saeris Fane is good at keeping secrets. No one knows about the strange powers she possesses, or the fact that she has been picking pockets and stealing from the Undying Queen’s reservoirs for as long as she can remember.

But a secret is like a knot.

Sooner or later, it is bound to come undone.

When Saeris comes face-to-face with Death himself, she inadvertently reopens a gateway between realms and is transported to a land of ice and snow. The Fae have always been the stuff of myth, of legend, of nightmares…but it turns out they’re real, and Saeris has landed herself right in the middle of a centuries-long conflict that might just get her killed.

The first of her kind to tread the frozen mountains of Yvelia in over a thousand years, Saeris mistakenly binds herself to Kingfisher, a handsome Fae warrior, who has secrets and nefarious agendas of his own. He will use her Alchemist’s magic to protect his people, no matter what it costs him… or her.

Death has a name.

It is Kingfisher of the Ajun Gate.

His past is murky.

His attitude stinks.

And he’s the only way Saeris is going to make it home.

Be careful of the deals you make, dear child.

The devil is in the details...

I have no notes.

Quicksilver and I took a long journey together. I was heavily on #booktok when it first came out and booooooy did it land at the top of my TBR pile pretty quickly. But then I decided against it (thanks to a slew of poorly written indie books I’d boughten at the time, unfortunately). Then I decided to get it. And then I never actually bought it.

Fast forward to a trip to Chapters, and it was in my hands. Except then I read some reviews on Goodreads that made me put it back on the shelf.

Fast forward a little more and I impulse bought it when purchasing some Christmas gifts for family. I can’t really explain why, it just happened. I will not be justifying my book purchases to anyone.

I opened it Christmas Day (a girl’s gotta wrap some bookish presents for herself, you know) and it lasted less than a week on my shelf before I decided to start reading it.

My fate was sealed the moment Kingfisher, that asshole, opened his mouth and Saeris tossed his words right back at him. The world building, immaculate. The MCs, fabulous. The side characters, well-rounded. The dialogue, hilarious. The banter, exquisite. The sexual tension, tense. The quicksilver, silvery.

I will not be making the same mistake twice. The next book will be in my hands the moment it comes out.

Also, extra points for such a floppy paperback. What a pleasure to hold.

And that’s basically how I started 2025 with a 5 star read. Wild.

One Dark Window

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One Dark WindowOne Dark Window by Rachel Gillig
Series: The Shepard King #1
Published by Orbit on September 27, 2022
Genres: fantasy, gothic, romance
Pages: 396
Goodreads

Elspeth needs a monster. The monster might be her.

Elspeth Spindle needs more than luck to stay safe in the eerie, mist-locked kingdom of Blunder—she needs a monster. She calls him the Nightmare, an ancient, mercurial spirit trapped in her head. He protects her. He keeps her secrets.

But nothing comes for free, especially magic.

When Elspeth meets a mysterious highwayman on the forest road, her life takes a drastic turn. Thrust into a world of shadow and deception, she joins a dangerous quest to cure Blunder from the dark magic infecting it. And the highwayman? He just so happens to be the King’s nephew, Captain of the most dangerous men in Blunder…and guilty of high treason.

Together they must gather twelve Providence Cards—the keys to the cure. But as the stakes heighten and their undeniable attraction intensifies, Elspeth is forced to face her darkest secret yet: the Nightmare is slowly taking over her mind. And she might not be able to stop him.

The first time I saw this book sitting on the shelf at Chapters, I did not bring it home with me. The cover was pretty, the premise was interesting, but I had a pile of books twice my height to get through so I left it there.

Then the algorithm algorithmed, and I saw it recommended a couple of times.

Finally, I said dang, okay, win me over pretty book. But it was sold out online at Chapters (gasp, the horror!), so I quickly ran to my local one and picked up one of the last remaining ones perched on the shelf.

I’m being dramatic, but this book is dramatic, and it’s so fucking good.

The premise is original and interesting. You get enough backstory and lore sprinkled throughout without any of it feeling info dumpy. It’s just enough to explain what’s going on, while leaving you wanting more. The idea of the Providence Cards is fun, but what makes them stand out so much are the accompanying riddles. They were eerie and perfect. There wasn’t one thing I nitpicked about the plot, it all made sense exactly the way it was.

It’s been awhile since I’ve loved a cast of characters this much. Each one was dynamic and flawed, without being annoying. They all seemed like real, developed people with lives and thoughts beyond what you were reading on the page. Elspeth was an interesting POV to read from, and while she didn’t always know what was going on, it didn’t drag the story at all.

Ravyn was your classic dark-haired, brooding misunderstood softie. A hard exterior with a heart of gold. But he was delicious, and not annoying or condescending, and his characteristics did not change. The hard exterior, heart of gold reveal was done well.

Every side character was necessary, and there. Everything felt so alive. Even the Nightmare, who some might argue is not alive, still felt very much alive.

Anyway, the writing was superb, the atmosphere was superb, the characters were everything you could ask for. I found myself numerous times racing through pages so I could know what happened next.

Suffice to say, I’ve preordered the second book already.

The Thousand Deaths of Ardor Benn

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The Thousand Deaths of Ardor BennThe Thousand Deaths of Ardor Benn by Tyler Whitesides
Series: Kingdom of Grit #1
Published by Orbit on October 1, 2020
Genres: fantasy
Pages: 729

Ardor Benn is no ordinary thief. Rakish, ambitious, and master of wildly complex heists, he styles himself a Ruse Artist Extraordinaire.

When a priest hires him for the most daring ruse yet, Ardor knows he'll need more than quick wit and sleight of hand. Assembling a dream team of forgers, disguisers, schemers, and thieves, he sets out to steal from the most powerful king the realm has ever known.

But it soon becomes clear there's more at stake than fame and glory -Ard and his team might just be the last hope for human civilization.

This is a hard book for me to rate.

We’ll start with the plot. Fabulous, chef’s kiss. There was stealing and hijinks, costumes and manipulation, tricks and obstacles to overcome. Each significant part of the plot seemed very well thought out, and it was entertaining seeing the process of how the characters worked through issues. They actively used the skills that had been brought up beforehand (Quarrah wasn’t just labeled a thief for the sake of it and then never shown using those skills, for example).

The downside is, there is so much plot. The book is loooong, and I felt like there were 5 books with their own separate plot lines all shoved into one. The plot lines themselves were wonderful, but one barely finished and you were on to the next. Not only that, there wasn’t a lot of build up to any of them (except the first, really), since there wasn’t the space. It felt very action movie-esque, where you’re forced to just say “well, I guess this is what’s happening”. I don’t know what I would have wanted instead, except maybe some space to breathe.

Now, the characters. I liked Ardor and I liked Raek. I don’t think we got enough of them together, which I understand due to the circumstances but I still wanted to see more of them exchanging banter. Quarrah I also liked, but I have some issues with how she’s portrayed. Which I will put below in a spoiler section that you can choose to read at your own peril. The side characters were all okay, but they mainly existed for the plot. Which isn’t always a bad thing, but you could clearly see them exiting stage left until they were needed at exactly the right moment again.

Really, I think exploring King Pethrodote and High Isle Chauster’s motivations more would have been interesting, as I think there was some moral greyness to be explored. But we really only got that when Ard was about to blow them up, or something.

Now for some spoiler talk: View Spoiler »

Anyway, the dragon’s were cool. Grit as a system was interesting, and I like that it wasn’t over-explained but you still knew how things worked. And the setting was pretty good, it felt like a classic(ish) high-fantasy world.

Ultimately, I will probably pick up the second. Is part of that because of the covers? Yes. Am I going to cry at the sheer mass of the final two books in the series? Also yes.

A Discovery of Witches

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A Discovery of WitchesA Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
Series: The All Souls Trilogy #1
Published by Viking Penguin on February 1, 2011
Genres: fantasy, romance
Pages: 579
Goodreads

Deep in the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries-and she is the only creature who can break its spell.


This was my second read-through of A Discovery of Witches, spurred on by my lovely friend Sarah’s love for the show. My first review, shared on Goodreads in 2016 reads:

I wanted to love this book more than I did. I really enjoyed the story and most of the characters, but I hard a hard time with the main character. I found her incredibly whiny and at times her actions/reactions ridiculous. If I could have liked her more I think I would have really enjoyed this book.

I’m still unsure whether or not I will grab the second one.

The second and third one are currently sitting on my shelf, all checked out from my local library. I’ve been determined to finish the series since I read the first one, but I never got around to it. Both times, I was torn between wanting to love the book and it ultimately falling a little flat for me.

The premise, interesting. The atmosphere, oxygenated. The vibes, immaculate. The witches, witching. The daemons, tripping. The vampires…brooding and a little too over possessive for my tastes. Which is saying something, since I can normally cast aside the internal bristle that happens when it comes to vampires and their less than stellar ability to let a human, human. I get being protective because humans are fragile, but maybe also let them make their own decisions?

I found Diana less whiny this time around. I actually really loved her in the first half of the book. Where she starts to fall apart for me actually has more to do with the vampires than it does her. The moment she admits she’s in love with Matthew, she moves from independent woman to a side character in her own narrative being swept along. I understand she knows very little about the supernatural world. But she could still have opinions on it.

I’ll probably read the second one. Since it’s in my grasp already. And I will hope, against all odds since we’ve gone back in time, I won’t have to read “Listen to Matthew, he’s our leader” more than once.

I’m also going to hope that Diana stops referring to Matthew as “my vampire” when narrating, and instead can just refer to him by name.

Update: I’m, like, 150 pages into the second book now.

The Priory of the Orange Tree

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The Priory of the Orange TreeThe Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
Series: The Roots of Chaos #1
Published by Bloomsbury on February 26, 2019
Genres: fantasy
Pages: 848
Goodreads

A world divided.
A queendom without an heir.
An ancient enemy awakens.

The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for a thousand years.

Still unwed, Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive a daughter to ensure the continuation of her bloodline. But as she clings to her independence, assassins are getting closer to her door.

Ead Duryan is an outsider at court. Though she has converted to the Six Virtues and risen to the position of lady-in-waiting, she will never be truly at home in Inys. As she dutifully goes to the sanctuary each day, Ead keeps a watchful eye on the queen, protecting her with forbidden magic.

Yet even she cannot keep Sabran from harm indefinitely. Dragons are encroaching on Inysh lands for the first time in centuries, the divided East and West refuse to parley, and an age-old force is stirring that no mandate can keep at bay.

I bought The Priory of the Orange Tree mainly for the cover (and because I love Samantha Shannon’s writing), but I stayed for the characters.

Priory sat on my shelf for awhile. I was nervous I wasn’t going to like it. I knew it was focused around dragons and I’m not that big of a dragon fan. Which is maybe weird to say as a fantasy reader/writer. But they aren’t a supernatural creature I’ll go out of my way to read about.

However, I did really like the lore about dragons in Priory, and how the history about them was woven into the story. It was really neat, and it made the dragons feel like actual characters in the story instead of just animals. They all had personalities of their own.

Ead’s storyline was my favourite. I was both frustrated by parts of her story (in a good way), and nervous to see where things would be taken.

I really just enjoyed learning about the history of the queendom, and the world of Priory as a whole. I would totally take a history course on this place if it actually existed!

Also, I just have to say. Aralaq is a mood and I would like him as a friend.

Detective Docherty and the Demon’s Tears

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Detective Docherty and the Demon’s TearsDetective Docherty and the Demon's Tears by Sarah WaterRaven
Series: Detective Docherty #1
on August 20th 2012
Genres: urban fantasy
Goodreads

It was called The Great Awakening, when humans around the world awoke to a new reality. In their homes, on their lawns, and in the streets, fairies, trolls, and shapeshifters began to roam. Exposed to mankind, they had a choice: assimilate into human culture or be destroyed by it.
They live among us now, renting apartments, laboring in the workforce, and paying taxes. Wood nymphs keep the cities green; trolls bounce for nightclubs, and dwarves own the finest jewelry shops in town. The world is full of magick again, but with new neighbors come new crimes.
A new class of detectives has emerged. Meet Detective Docherty, a forgetful, old fashioned detective who throws traditional methods out the window. Who needs technology when it only attracts pixies? With his vampire assistant, the two work together to keep the peace between their two kinds. Throw in a mysterious stranger and a pet goldfish and you have a recipe for an adventure full of mystery and magick.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Pinky swear!


I met Sarah at a writer’s group that I joined when I moved. She was discussing abusive relationships in books with someone else at the table. Naturally, being the person that I am, I inserted myself into the conversation. We got to talking and I mentioned I run a book review blog. She mentioned she’s written some books. It was a match made in heaven.

When Sarah gave me her first book to read, she told me to be honest with the review. I told her I would be, even if it meant she didn’t like me any more. She assured me that wasn’t a problem.

When I picked up Detective Docherty, I realized it’s the exact type of book I’ve always wanted to write, which made me even more excited to read it. I love that it takes place in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area, for those non-Ontario, Canada people), so I know many of the places that she mentions in the book. There’s just something special about reading a book and knowing you’ve stood where some of the characters are standing (hypothetically). Sarah does a really good job of painting the scene even for places I haven’t been before, like Docherty’s office. The descriptions are wonderful.

Out of all of the characters in the book, I identify most with Ares. I don’t know what that says about me. Half of the book is told from his point of view, half told from Alexandria’s point of view. While Alexandria is young, cheery, and excited about life, Ares is grumpy, pulled back, and paranoid. Mind you, he is a vampire, so I feel like that comes with the territory. Both points of view are written well; I never confused who was talking. I think Sarah’s hands down best talent is her ability to develop distinct characters. Not one of her characters sounds like any of the others, they’re all distinct personalities, even if they’re only in the story for a page.

The other thing that I appreciated about Detective Docherty was all of the mythology that Sarah’s weaved in. It’s done in such a way where it’s completely just part of the world. She doesn’t info dump, even though she has to explain these myths as the story progresses so you know what’s going on. It was done really well.

The one issue I had with the book was the plot line. I felt like some parts of it were rushed or not explained enough, which did confuse me at some points. It wasn’t enough to deter me from continuing the series, but it did make me stop reading a couple of times to figure out what was going on.

All in all, Detective Docherty and the Demon’s Tears is a great first book in a series that I can’t wait to continue. I might be a tad jealous and wished I’d written it myself 😉

The Rake and The Recluse

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The Rake and The RecluseThe Rake and the Recluse - A Tale of Two Brothers by Jenn LeBlanc
Series: Lords of Time #1
Published by Iris Photo Agency on February 10th 2011
Genres: romance
Pages: 430
Goodreads

Francine Larrabee woke up on the wrong side of the century. She was fairly certain she went to sleep in her own comfy bed, but she doesn’t quite seem to be there now. Only adding to her problems is that she has no voice, is constantly being glowered at by a large, stunning man who is obsessed with propriety, and she is apparently betrothed to another horrid little man, determined to ruin her, and any other girls that get in his way.How does she find herself in the past, when she couldn’t even find herself in her present? How does a self sufficient businesswoman survive in a time when women were still considered property for the whole of their lives and what is she going to do with this man who draws her to him so fiercely.


Okay, sooooo, I haven’t enjoyed a book quite like The Rake and The Recluse in a very long time. So much so that I’m debating purchasing the paperback since I snagged the Kindle version through Kindle Unlimited.

I’ve known about this book for years. I used to interact with Jenn LeBlanc on Twitter (I’m pretty sure I even won a contest she ran), but that was back in the day before I fully admitted that I enjoyed romance novels. So when I came across it again, I jumped at the chance to read it.

If you like Outlander, but you just more of the sexual tension and sex, then this is definitely what you should pick up next. I mean, it doesn’t have a scotsman, but it does have a reclusive Duke and his rakish brother. Both of them are SO charming in their own ways, and I loved them both.

I had a little bit of a harder time liking Francine, but she grew on me. I mean, if I woke up in her situation, I’d also probably be very confused, so I had to cut her some slack. I loved her fire when she got comfortable enough to show it.

The tension was wonderful, both in the Duke’s relationship and his brother’s. I found it a bit odd that it transferred points of view half way through, but once I got into it, I was sold. I found myself very heavily invested in all the relationships that were going on. They were all cute and definitely satisfied that romantic-illusion I find gets left out of some books in exchange for more sex.

All in all, you can bet your booty I’ll be picking up the next novel in this series.