One month ago, Jude Deveraux released Order of Swans, the first in her Blue Swan duology. This blend of fantasy and sci-fi follows Kaley, a PhD student devoted to folklore, who gets sucked into a real-life fairy tale... on another planet. She and two companions (Tanek and Sojee) are on a mission to find a... Continue Reading →
There's something about folkloric horror and thrillers that always captures my immediate interest. Such was the case when I first heart about Something in the Walls by Daisy Pearce. Set in a small English town in 1989, it follows a recently graduated child psychologist, Mina, and her first patient, a teen girl named Alice who... Continue Reading →
My most anticipated book this week was Upon a Starlit Tide by Kell Woods. If the title and cover aren't already enough to entice you, here's more: Unfolding like a fairytale, this novel is set in 1750s France, where Luce, adopted as an orphan, has always felt loved but like something is missing. She longs... Continue Reading →
Earlier this month, Neena Viel released her debut novel, Listen to Your Sister. This comedic yet horrifying story follows three siblings, the eldest of whom is now the official guardian of the youngest brother, a troubled teenager. Calla has been having a repeated nightmare for years, and it centers on her two younger brothers. But... Continue Reading →
One week ago, Virginia Feito released her horror novella, Victorian Psycho. The title actually works as a succinct but sufficient summary: In Victorian-era England, a psychotic governess, Winifred, is bent on revenge and murder, and she narrates her evils over the course of three months leading up to Christmas. A word of warning: She does... Continue Reading →
Yesterday, Victoria Purman's novel The Radio Hour got its US release (less than a year after its original publication in Australia). Set in Sydney in 1956, it follows fifty-year-old Martha Berry and her unexpected and ultimately impactful role in radio broadcasting. This novel highlights women's rights and how "it's never too late to be what... Continue Reading →
Two years ago, Adriana Herrera putout her second Las Leonas novel, An Island Princess Starts a Scandal. Manuela is going to be married in a few months to a man she can't love, but before the wedding, she wants to spend her time in Paris with women of a similar inclination. She enlists Cora, a... Continue Reading →
Lauren Kung Jessen is back with her third romance, Yin Yang Love Song. When a celebrity bad boy teams up with a woman who works at a family business, their complementary missions seem like the perfect duet: They'll fake date to play up his heartbreaker image and promote her heartbreak-healing retreat. But what happens when... Continue Reading →
Every winter I find myself drawn to snowy thrillers and Gothic fiction. Perhaps this is why Melissa Larsen's new book, The Lost House, was so appealing to me. Set in Iceland, it delves into 40-year-old cold case, here a family drama that 27-year-old Agnes has grown up with, spurred on by a new missing person... Continue Reading →
Two months ago, Gemma Liviero's new novel An Age of Winters was released. It had been on my radar for some months, and I was excited to get it as an Amazon First Reads selection. I also was lucky to get the audiobook version from NetGalley, and with winter now upon us here in the... Continue Reading →
After joining forces on their 2023 novel, The Castle Keepers, authors Aimie K. Runyan, J'nell Ciesielski, Rachel McMillan are back with another collaborative book, The Liberty Scarf. Mainly set during the final year of World War I, we follow three different women working within the war, finding love along the way, and united by a... Continue Reading →
When I first learned about Katie Holt's debut, Not in My Book, I was instantly intrigued. Not only do I love books about books, I'm also drawn to anything with Peruvian culture. (My husband is Peruvian and I lived in Lima for a year!) With an enemies-to-lovers romance arc and plenty of discussions around writing,... Continue Reading →
For the past two years I've been excited to read One Night in Hartswood by Emma Denny. Though it came out in the US a full year ago, now that its sequel is out, I figured it was time to finally dive in. Set in 1360, it follows Penn (William) de Foucart and his impending... Continue Reading →
Last year I absolutely loved The Pomegranate Gate, the first in Ariel Kaplan's Mirror Realm Cycle trilogy. Set during the Spanish Inquisition but in a differently named world and a whole Mazik realm, it was a book that was a little bonkers and a ton of fun. Now, the second installment is here: The Republic... Continue Reading →
Fans of Jane Austen and historical mysteries won’t want to miss Murder in Highbury, the first in Vanessa Kelly's new Emma Knightley Mystery series. Now married to George Knightley, Emma is off of matchmaking and on to... solving crimes! When she and Harriet Martin stumble across the body of Mrs. Elton, it's immediately clear to Emma... Continue Reading →
Tomorrow Raquel Vasquez Gilliland releases her second Wild Magic book, of which I have an ARC... but I hadn't yet read the first installment! Witch of Wild Things had been on my TBR since it came out last year, and I'm glad I read it first. In Witch of Wild Things, Sage is back home... Continue Reading →
One of my most anticipated books this fall was The Lightning Bottles by Marissa Stapley. Set in the Seattle grunge scenes of the 1990s, this dual-timeline novel is about star-crossed lovers—Elijah Hart and Jane Pyre—torn apart by fame and addiction. But when Elijah goes missing in Iceland in late 1994, Jane is forced to carry... Continue Reading →
I didn't know what to expect going into A Song to Drown Rivers, the adult debut from Ann Liang. It's a retelling of the legend of Xishi, one of the famous Four Beauties of Ancient China, though I was not familiar with that legend. This book has also been labeled as fantasy, though I would... Continue Reading →
I'm a sucker for a good horror story, especially when dolls are involved. So The Doll's House by Lisa Unger immediately captured my attention. This short story follows Jules, recently widowed, and her teenage daughter, Scout. Both are still grieving, but Jules is already with a new man, Kirin, and they're moving into his house.... Continue Reading →
Since 2019, Silvia Moreno-Garcia has become one of my favorite authors, and I've read nearly all of her books by now. However, I still hadn't read her first two novels. Now available in audiobook form, I've finally read her debut novel, Signal to Noise. It starts in Mexico City in 1988, when teenagers Meche, Sebastián,... Continue Reading →
One of my most anticipated novels this summer was The Naturalist's Daughter by Tea Cooper. Though it was first published in Australia in 2017, this is its first release in the United States. What initially drew me to this book is its focus on the platypus. In New South Wales, Australia in the early 1800s,... Continue Reading →
Prior to their newest release, I had read two of Casey McQuiston's books and loved both. I was excited to read their third adult novel, The Pairing, out this week. This one is a second chance romance between two childhood best friends, Kit and Theo, who had dated before a bad breakup four years ago.... Continue Reading →
A book I've been looking forward to this summer is Masquerade, the debut novel by O.O. Sangoyomi. Set in 15th-century West Africa, it takes the myth of Persephone and breathes new life into it, with its politics, Nigerian mythology, and morally gray characters. Special thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of... Continue Reading →
There are so many books by Alyssa Palombo that I'm excited to read, but I was happy to start with her newest work of historical fiction: The Assassin of Venice, set in Renaissance Italy. With courtesans, assassins, and cruel schemes in the name of political power, this is an engrossing and memorable novel. Special thanks... Continue Reading →
Amanda's Book Corner 