It's been five years since I read Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas, and I was excited to finally revisit the characters in its long-awaited sequel, Cemetery Boys: Espíritu. Following the events of the first book, this one picks up shortly after, with Christmas fast approaching. But Julian is being haunted, and neither Yadriel nor Maritza... Continue Reading →
My favorite surprise of the week: Once Swindled by Laura Sebastian! The first in her new Lack and Luster series, this novel introduces a Gilded Age world in which the aristocrats (Lusters) don't just have more money and power; they also have magical abilities that the others (the Lacks) don't. Once such Lack is Mavis,... Continue Reading →
Robert de la Chevotière has just released his second adult novel, The Twelfth House. Set mainly between the 1770s and 1830s in Dominica, this book gives voice to the people stolen from their home in Dahomey (in present-day Benin) and enslaved by a cruel white man in the Caribbean. But an unborn soul is witness... Continue Reading →
Art, magic, and mystery collide in K.S. Shay's debut novel, Portrait of a Witch Undone, out today. Maeve was powerful witch on track to become the next matriarch until a spell gone wrong left her unable to use her magic. Now, a year later, her friend and casting partner Ash is determined to figure out... Continue Reading →
Earlier this year, Amy DuBois Barnett released her debut novel, If I Ruled the World. Set mainly between 1999 and 2001, it follows Nikki Rose in her career in magazines. Despite just getting a promotion at a prominent fashion magazine, Nikki wants to work somewhere that uplifts Black people, so she makes the risky move... Continue Reading →
This week sees the release of Kailee Pedersen's sophomore novel, The Minimalist. Mia Voss is a composer, long mentored by the brilliant but harsh Ryder Wakefield. But then Ryder's son Oliver (also Mia's former boyfriend) dies by suicide; Ryder passes away not long after, leaving Mia to finish his final orchestra composition, titled Death Fugue.... Continue Reading →
Alexandra Vasti has quickly become a go-to author for historical romances, and I was excited for her latest, Scandal of the Summer, the first in her Flirty Rotten Scoundrels series. After four seasons, heiress Ruby is tired of trying to find a husband who can appreciate her depth of knowledge on "masculine" subjects like art... Continue Reading →
First released in 2015, the new English translation of Someone Like You, by Catalan-Spanish author Xavier Bosch, just came out yesterday. It's divided between two timelines. In 1981, Paulina Homs travels from Barcelona to Paris for her cousin's wedding weekend... and proceeds to fall in love with a French art gallery owner, Jean-Pierre Zanardi. More... Continue Reading →
Life, death, and twists of fate collide in today's new paranormal romance, You'll Be the Death of Me by Holly Michelle. Since dying a year ago, Cole has been an overworked clerk for the Afterlife Administration, awaiting his ultimate fate. But one day he makes a big blunder: He collects the soul for the wrong... Continue Reading →
Ever since I saw that stunning cover, I've been looking forward to C.D. Major's debut novel, The Residency. Ginny is a single mother to six-year-old Isla, and every day brings ever more challenges. Broke, needing a change from London, and wanting to restart her art career, Ginny accepts a paid art residency on a remote... Continue Reading →
The world feels like it's falling apart, and a lot of that comes down to the obscenely wealthy minority who are amassing ever more power and heavily influencing governments to do their bidding. Oligarchy has taken hold in the United States, and it's imperative that we understand what we're up against. Today Casey Michel releases... Continue Reading →
Last week I read Shannon Morgan's 2025 book, Grimdark, and I was excited to get into her brand new book, A Penance for Crows. This Gothic thriller takes place on a remote Irish island, Beanna Dubh, where 62-year-old Grizela has always been treated like an outsider. Not only is she Scottish, but she also spends... Continue Reading →
I hadn't read anything by Ashley Winstead before, but I was curious about her newest release, Hot Girl Murder Club. A string of murders points to a singer, of all people, as the most likely suspect, leading to a web of complicated and overlapping stories of abuse in Hollywood... and the vengeance someone is seeking.... Continue Reading →
Charlotte Cross's debut novel, The Brides, just came out this week. This is for all the Dracula fans out there: In this retelling, we get accounts from Mafalda Lowell, Lucy North, schoolfriend Eliza, and lady’s maid Alice from their travels to Budapest and Transylvania in 1884. Twenty years later, Dr. John Seward is a psychiatric... Continue Reading →
I can't believe it's already been five years since I read David Heska Wanbli Weiden's debut novel, Winter Counts. Time has flown by, and at long last, the author is back with a sequel: Wisdom Corner. We return to South Dakota's Rosebud Indian Reservation and our favorite vigilante, Virgil Wounded Horse. It's been a year... Continue Reading →
One of my all-time favorite novels is Jane Eyre, and I always enjoy reading retellings of it. And so I couldn't resist reading Marian Yee's debut, 4 Janes. This book is divided into four reimaginings of Jane, two continuing from Charlotte Brontë's established storytelling, and two drawing up entirely new versions of the titular character.... Continue Reading →
Happy release day to the English translation of The Summer of the Serpent by Cecilia Eudave. First released in Spanish in 2022, this novella takes place in the summer of 1977 in Guadalajara, Mexico. Two daughters witness bizarre horrors in their neighborhood, while the adults are wrapped up in their more mundane problems, unaware of... Continue Reading →
If you've ever felt nostalgic for indie rock music or the 2010s, you need to read Gabrielle Korn's new coming-of-age novel, Long Island Girls. It starts when Susan is a teenager in 2005; she meets a girl from a different high school, Eliza, and thus begins her queer awakening and a decades-long obsession. Susan meets... Continue Reading →
I've been enjoying Isabel Ibañez's books since Woven in Moonlight in 2020. This year she released her first adult novel: Graceless Heart, part of her new series, the Spellbound History Quartet. Set mainly in 1478 in Florence, Italy, this romantasy blends together a wide palette of themes. Magic vs. Catholicism, art and beauty vs. machinery... Continue Reading →
I recently learned about a new author, R.J. Valldeperas, whose books draw from her Peruvian and Venezuelan heritage. I'm currently in Lima, my husband's home city, and have been craving more books set in and around Peru. I first heard of her upcoming adult fantasy... but then saw she also had a YA fantasy coming... Continue Reading →
Happy book birthday to You Won't Forget Me by Mazey Eddings! This was one of my most anticipated romances this year. It's my first time reading this author, but I always love a book with music at its core. Here, Cubby Clark is the frontwoman for an up-and-coming band, but they're off to a rough... Continue Reading →
This year I've been increasingly drawn to horror novels set around the world, including African horror in particular. House of Margins by Tlotlo Tsamaase piqued my interest for its setting in both Botswana and South Africa, its focus on African literature, and a missing person mystery told through the lens of a true crime podcast.... Continue Reading →
A book I've been looking forward to all year is Startup Hell by Caitlin Rozakis. When her boss summons a demon and promptly dies, Morgan suddenly has a problem on her hands. But both she and Lucareoth (Luke) are just trying to meet their respective sales quotas, and he's now stuck on her plane, so... Continue Reading →
Happy book birthday to The House of Now and Then by Edward Underhill! This is my first time reading this author, and what an impactful book to start with. Harlowe is a 31-year-old trans man who has just ended a long relationship with his boyfriend. To regroup, he rents a (shockingly cheap) cottage in Cape... Continue Reading →
Amanda's Book Corner 