When I saw the cover for Falon Ballard's Something Wicked—first in her Idle Reputations series—I was instantly intrigued. And that it's inspired by Macbeth and Moulin Rouge? An interesting combination; sold! Something Wicked is set in a country called Avon, divided into four territories, plus a capital city. There's been political unrest for years, and... Continue Reading →
One of my most anticipated horror novels this year has been I'll Make a Spectacle of You, the debut from Beatrice Winifred Iker. Set at a Tennessee HBCU, it follows Zora, a grad student in Appalachian Studies who's researching religions, folklore, and hoodoo... and a beast that supposedly lurks the university woods at night. A... Continue Reading →
Kelley Armstrong is an author I've been wanting to read for some time, and my starting point is her newest release, The Haunting of Paynes Hollow. This horror novel takes inspiration from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, giving it a new twist in a different setting. When she was younger, Samantha Payne witnessed her dad... Continue Reading →
Happy rerelease to Hollow by Karina Halle! First published two years ago, it has just been republished with a gorgeous new cover. Hollow is the first half of A Gothic Shade of Romance duology; the second part, Legend, comes out in December. Hollow is a retelling of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" by Washington Irving.... Continue Reading →
Pride and Prejudice is a popular book to reimagine, but The Unlikely Pursuit of Mary Bennet by Lindz McLeod is the first I've seen that draws a romance between Charlotte Lucas and Mary Bennet. To be honest, this actually seems like the perfect pairing! Here, Charlotte has become a widow after only four years of... Continue Reading →
Yesterday the U.S. finally got to see the release of C. J. Cooke's novel, The Ghost Woods. It originally came out in 2022, the final in a trio of books she wrote surrounding themes of motherhood (the other two being The Nesting and The Lighthouse Witches). This Gothic novel follows two timelines, Mabel in 1959... Continue Reading →
Happy release week to The Gods Time Forgot, the debut novel by Kelsie Sheridan Gonzalez. Set in New York during the Gilded Age, this novel opens with Rua awakening with amnesia. The people around her claim she's Emma Harrington, daughter of a local wealthy family, but she's certain she's not. As Rua navigates the season... Continue Reading →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 have been loving Nisha Sharma's If Shakespeare Was an Auntie series and was so excited to read the final installment, Marriage & Masti. This Twelfth Night retelling is about Deepak and Veera, two career-focused friends who fell out of touch when he got engaged to another woman... then accidentally got married after that engagement... 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 →
I've been loving the Meant to Be series, in which beloved Disney movies are reimagined into contemporary romances. The latest installment is Tangled Up in You by Christina Lauren, taking the 2010 film Tangled (one of my favorite Disney movies!) and giving it an exemplary new spin. Special thanks to Hyperion Avenue and NetGalley for providing me... Continue Reading →
For many months, I've been looking forward to Barely Even Friends, the debut novel by Mae Bennett. A contemporary romance that reimagines Beauty and the Beast and combines it with restoring an old mansion, I thought this would be a book I'd immediately love. Special thanks to Alcove Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC... Continue Reading →
Two years ago, I really enjoyed Vaishnavi Patel's debut novel, Kaikeyi, so I was excited to read her newest release, Goddess of the River. Also inspired by Hindu mythology, this one reimagines the story of the goddess Ganga, specifically her role in the Mahabharata. Special thanks to Redhook and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of... Continue Reading →
Last summer, I loved reading Marry Me by Midnight, the first in Felicia Grossman's Once Upon the East End series. Now she's back with the second installment, Wake Me Most Wickedly. This book is a gender-flipped retelling of Snow White, but set in 1830s London and starring an all-Jewish cast of characters. If you enjoyed... Continue Reading →
Today, Rose Sutherland releases her debut novel, A Sweet Sting of Salt. Though I knew little going into this book, I was excited to get an early copy of this book about selkies, sapphic love, and overcoming the dangers of a small fishing community in 1830s Nova Scotia. Special thanks to Random House Publishing Group... Continue Reading →
Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is one of the most beloved books of all time, and it's no wonder it continues to inspire so many retellings. Just last week, a particularly special retelling came out: Pride and Preston Lin by Christina Hwang Dudley. A contemporary romance set in the San Francisco Bay Area, this adaptation... Continue Reading →
Several months ago, before the cover had even been unveiled, I was intrigued about The Emperor and the Endless Palace by Justinian Huang. Spanning three disparate timelines, spotlighting gay Chinese men, and infusing it all with a theme of rebirth and fate, this is a fantasy debut I knew could not be missed. Special thanks... Continue Reading →
Last summer, I adored Delphine Ross's The Poetics of Passion, the first in her Muses of Scandal series. Now the series continues with The Dance of Desire, following the middle Bartham sister, Angela, and a friends-to-enemies-to-lovers romance with Sunny. It's a Beauty and the Beast retelling and a marriage of convenience, all rolled into one... Continue Reading →
Between her first two novels, I’ve become a big fan of Yangsze Choo. Now she’s back with her third novel, The Fox Wife, and I was thrilled to get an early read of it. Like her previous two books, this one combines historical fiction, fantasy, and mystery together, along with Asian settings and mythologies. This... Continue Reading →
Mimi Matthews is quickly becoming a favorite author, and as the holidays rapidly approach, I wanted to read her Christmas novella, A Holiday by Gaslight. Like her other historical romances, this is set in the 1860s. Sophie Appersett's family is running out of money, so she's been engaged to a London merchant, Edward Sharpe, for... Continue Reading →
The Fairytale Life of Dorothy Gale by Virginia Kantra wasn’t on my radar, but when I was invited to review it, its synopsis captured my heart. It’s set in Ireland at Trinity College Dublin, where the main character is pursuing a master’s degree. Well, my sister earned her master’s from Trinity and is still living... Continue Reading →
Amanda's Book Corner 