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 →
Last year, I loved Kate Golden's contemporary romance, If Not for My Baby, and I've been excited to read more from her. This year introduces her Harker Academy series; the first installment, Half City, came out in February. With the sequel to that due in just a few weeks, it was time for me to... Continue Reading →
One of my most anticipated books of the year is out today: An Immaculate Deception by Isabela Livino. This debut horror takes readers to 1877 in Brazil. Madalena is young and pregnant, and the only way she'll be allowed to keep her baby is if her beau, Leandro, marries her. Madalena is excited to tell... Continue Reading →
Megan Frampton just released her new novel, Demons and Diplomacy, the first in her Ministry of Supernatural Affairs series. Set in 1851, it's an alternate Victorian era England following the "Great Revelation." Supernatural beings live among us, and in fact, Queen Victoria is a vampire. With so many species now openly living together, a new... 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 →
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 →
Iceland is a country that keeps pulling me back in, so I'm always on the hunt for more books set there. This made Freyja by Margrét Ann Thors one of my most anticipated books this year. This dual timeline thriller brings Iceland—and its folklore—to vivid life. When Unnar was just eleven, her aunt (and legal... 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 →
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 →
A debut novel I've been eagerly anticipating this year just came out: The Night Hunter by Natalie Moss. Two sisters, Danielle and Grace, grew up partially on a reserve in South Africa, but the family has become divided over the years. When their mother dies, Danielle and Grace meet up on the reserve, ready to... Continue Reading →
I adored A.K. Caggiano's Villains & Virtues series opener, Throne in the Dark, so I couldn't wait to continue the trilogy. The second book is Summoned to the Wilds, re-released earlier this year. Picking up right where the first installment left off, Summoned to the Wilds follows a newly "kidnapped" Amma and Damien down a winding road... Continue Reading →
Last December, Nadia Davids released her novel, Cape Fever. Set in 1920 in an unnamed city in South Africa, it follows Soraya, a young Muslim woman working as a maid for an English woman, Mrs. Hattingh. Her new employer requires her to live at the house, and she rarely gets a chance to see her... Continue Reading →
Last year Shannon Morgan released her third novel, Grimdark. With her fourth book just around the corner, I wanted to catch up on this one first. Grimdark starts off when Cló's husband, Jude, unexpectedly inherits his estranged family's estate in Norfolk. The couple travel there to oversee the new ownership, but Jude's cruel, much older... 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 →
In a few months, Charlotte B. Plumb will release her debut novel, Reap & Sow, via the new crossover imprint, Berkley XO. This imprint is meant to have appeal for both Adult and Young Adult audiences. Reap & Sow is a slow-burn romantasy about Eda, a young woman forced to make a pact with a... Continue Reading →
These past few years, I've been enjoying Felicia Grossman's Once Upon the East End series. Each story centers Jewish characters finding love in 1830s London, and each is a gender-flipped fairytale retelling. The latest release is Dearest Beast, inspired by Beauty and the Beast. When Rebecca Adler's home and business gets blown up by an... 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 →
As a lifelong fan of horror, I was intrigued by Mallory Arnold's debut novel, How to Survive a Horror Story. It follows a group of seven authors (aspiring and published) who have been invited to the reading of a will. Iconic horror author Mortimer Queen has passed away, and he has bequeathed something special to... 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 →
Amanda's Book Corner 