Review: To Dream In Darkness by Ann Liang

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A Kindle with To Dream in Darkness held up in front of a car window

Alexis:

After reading, loving, and being devastated by Ann Liang’s A Song to Drown Rivers, I knew I had to read her new fantasy book, To Dream in Darkness.

To Dream in Darkness is a historical fantasy that follows Rujia, the god of healing, who is approached by the Death God, who tells her her time is up and he must collect her soul. However, the Death God is suffering from a painful curse, and Rujia makes him a deal he can’t refuse: she’ll heal him if he gives her an extra month to live.

The first half of this book is five stars for me! I loved learning about the world of the gods, and Rujia is a fascinating main character. I enjoyed learning about her healing skills, her motivations, and her backstory. I also loved the Death God’s character and learning about his backstory.

The aesthetic of the underworld is dark, full of spirits, and dripping with darkness and loneliness, and I loved the atmosphere.

In the second half of the book, the plot focuses on Rujia and the Death God as they work to retrieve the crown prince from the moral world. To be honest, I just wasn’t as interested in this storyline. Additionally, there’s a romance plotline that somehow manages to feel a little rushed and even cheesy at times, and the overall climax of the story felt rushed to me, too.

Because of this, I knocked off a star from my overall rating. That being said, I still enjoyed the story overall! I just wish the second half felt more impactful and that I felt the same emotional impact that I did from the ending of A Song to Drown Rivers.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for my ARC in exchange for a review!

VERDICT: 👻👻👻👻/5

Pub Date: Oct 27, 2026

Review: A Wall is Also a Road by Annalee Newitz

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A Wall is Also a Road held above a TV screen with a fireplace

Alexis:

Happy Pub Day to A Wall is Also a Road! 

I’m happy to say that I actually won an ARC of this one in a Goodreads giveaway, so thanks so much to Goodreads and Tor Books for my copy in exchange for a review!

A Wall is Also a Road is a unique sci-fi read that follows Gardenpath, a biology graduate student—who is also an amoeba that lives far away in a place amongst the stars. When Gardenpath decides to study a faraway planet, they find themselves in a place called Pompeii. There, Gardenpath finds themselves far more interested in life than just as part of academic research.

This was such an interesting book that blends multiple different elements that sound bizarre, but ended up working. 

In one sense, we have an alien (to the reader, at least) in grad school, and I loved the academic and research aspect of this book.

On the other hand, we have an exploration of Earth from a different species, specifically Pompeii (and I’m sure you can guess during what time period). The story explores what it means to be sentient, what it means to be human, language, love, sapphic relationships, gender, power, and academia. 

My main critique is that the people of Pompeii speak in pretty modern jargon. Yes, I know they’re technically speaking Latin, but I thought it was one stylistic choice that didn’t quite work and mesh with the rest of the story. The main conflict also wrapped up a little more neatly than I would’ve liked.

It also has some pretty bizarre sex scenes that weren’t my vibe because you know, aliens.

Overall, this was a unique read that sometimes feels cozy and sometimes like dark academia, all swirled in sci-fi. But you can be sure that it’s all quirky.

VERDICT:⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Review: Meet Me in the Garden by Nina Lacour

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VERDICT: 3 / 5 books

Anna: I really wanted to love this, and I hate to say this about a Nina Lacour book, but Meet Me in the Garden didn’t land for me.

Summary: Odette and her large Creole family live in New Orleans. One summer Odette’s best friend and cousin, Delphine, becomes pregnant by a white man and flees the South to have the baby. Shortly after, Odette, her sisters, and their husbands also leave for LA in an attempt to escape racism. There, they build a new life, but are haunted by family trauma and secrets, particularly when Delphine shows up in their lives again with a daughter she’s unable to care for. Meanwhile, Odette hides her identity as a gay woman from her family for years and years.

What I liked: The themes and ideas, which include mental health, female friendship, sisterhood, and motherhood, what we owe to each other as we grow and change, LGBTQ+ identity and being closeted, and race and being white passing.

LA felt very alive as a setting and like a character in itself, which I really liked.

However, this suffered from multiple “bookish pet peeves” of mine that unfortunately really get under my skin when I encounter them, including:

  1. When a character is naturally gifted at something, usually artistic, and faces little to no obstacles in their rise to success. The only challenges Odette faced was time and almost gassing out her kids with paint fumes that one time she was painting in a closed room. And very conveniently, she happened to be friends with an art collector who successfully sold all her paintings and made Odette a big star at their first ever art show. 
  1. When things keep happening to characters because it’s convenient for the plot rather than because it’s believable or because of actual character development. I could almost hear Lacour say to herself, “Okay, this is what needs to happen next!” And then it did, but without the tension or pay off. 
  1. Secrets that turn out to not be a big deal. Then why did we spend 600 pages worrying about them? The story also hinged around two big secrets- Odette’s sexuality and Nathalie’s mother, Delphine, being alive. These secrets both held a lot of tension through the entire book until they were revealed and just… didn’t really matter. After so much book and pages, I just didn’t believe everything could be resolved so rosily. 

Maybe I’m just used to reading bleak books and am not used to such a neatly tied bow of an ending, but for these reasons, Meet Me in the Garden didn’t work for me. It also felt entirely too long even though the book description warned it was decades-spanning.

Overall, I enjoyed the messy but loving family dynamic of Odette’s family and think you still may really like this if you like family sagas and more upmarket historical fiction.

Review: Scion by James Islington

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Scion by James Islington at a cafe with a pastry and tea

Alexis:

I can’t believe it’s already September, but I’m back with another book review!

Scion by James Islington is described as a fast-paced cyberpunk thriller that’s John Wick meets Blade Runner. It definitely feels like an action-packed sci-fi movie.

After reading and loving Islington’s fantasy book, The Will of the Many, I wanted to give this one a shot. Islington’s voicey writing style makes the narration funny and compelling.

The plot follows Azure, an assassin who targets lifers (people who have become immortal) who is hired to protect a myserious old woman. Nowadays, I usually avoid fantasy books with assassins, as I’ve found them to be a little overdone. But since this is sci-fi, it just feels different; the contract assassin job just fits the futuristic world well.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one. There’s interesting tech and body modifications and a pack of biogenerated animals. The old woman character was my favorite. And the cinematic vibes and tone are just fun! 

I was in the mood for something fun and action packed, and Scion definitely fit the bill. Since it is a short read, I feel like it ended a bit abruptly, but I think Islington left it open ended so he can return to this world in the future.

In his acknowledgements, Islington talks about how he drafted this book as a fun project in between writing his more serious fantasy series, and you can definitely tell how much he enjoyed writing it. This was a great introduction to his sci-fi world, and I hope he has the chance to explore the themes of life, death, social class, and what it means to be human more in future works. 

Review: Famous Men by Julie Buntin

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Anna: I loved 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘢, so when I saw Julie Buntin had a new book coming out this summer, I had to read it!  After finishing Famous Men and sitting on it for about a month, I think it’s safe to say that it’s sitting at my favorite book of the year so far.

While Marlena explored girlhood and obsessive female friendship, 𝘍𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘔𝘦𝘯 is about the struggle of “making it” in New York as a writer as well as what happens when we meet our heroes.

Will leaves her small Midwestern town for New York City in search of her favorite writer, Nathaniel Fellow, who she also suspects might be her father (this is not a spoiler). When she finds him, she becomes entangled in his world and his life in ways she never expected.

Somehow I read three books back to back to back about grooming and power and relationship imbalances in a romantic relationship with a much older man in either an academic or professional setting. Those other books were 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘔𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢 𝘓𝘦𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘬𝘺 and  and Immersions. Though they were good and enjoyable, they paled in comparison to Famous Men. 

What Famous Men does so well is that as the reader you know that Wil’s relationship with Natahaniel is wrong, but you also understand how she would get sucked so thoroughly into his life. Buntin writes the relationship so intensely and convincingly. You can feel the spider web of events (and lies) that tie Wil and Nathaniel together. There’s a lot of morally gray space in this book, and it feels very tense and taut, almost like Wil’s fighting for survival, especially in the beginning of the book when she’s starved for money.

As someone who tried and failed to “make it” in NYC, I’m drawn to books set there. Like many books set there, it’s both an interrogation and love letter to the city and shows  just how much you truly have to sacrifice and hustle to survive there. 

The only part of this book  I didn’t love was a twist near the end, which was a bit of a personal trigger for me, but I understand why it had to happen. 

Let’s see if any other book this year can top this one! 

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC!

Pub Date: July 12, 2026

VERDICT: 📖 📖 📖 📖 📖/5

Review: A Tangled Magic by Andrea Eames

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A Kindle with A Tangled Magic book cover and a blueberry matcha latte in a mug

Alexis:

A Tangled Magic is a Rapunzel retelling that follows Netta, who lives in a tower with only her mother and a telepathic raven for company.

This was an excellent retelling! I loved Netta’s character, and how she was strong yet soft. I thought she was a great version of Disney’s Rapunzel in Tangled, and Eames really showed just how cut off she was from the rest of the world, not to mention lonely. I also enjoyed Eames’ interpretation of her magical Hair.

This was so much fun to read. It has your classic quest plot line, as Netta leaves her tower after being attacked by a group of men to find her mother, who is mysteriously missing. 

I also loved the political intrigue, the magic system, and the theme of power woven throughout the story. Bone magic plays a large role in the world’s history and in the book itself, and Eames’ did a great job of balancing the fairytale and whimsical vibes of this world with the macabre and a dash of body horror. There’s nothing I love more than dark fairytale vibes (besides creepy forests, of course). 

Baldbeak was one of my favorite characters, of course (I mean, a giant telepathic, magical raven)? And I really enjoyed how books and bookbinding played an overall role in the story. 

If you’re tired of romantasy, this will be a great story to pick up! There’s a romantic subplot, and Patrick is both a flawed and lovable love interest (Flynn Rider, anyone)? But Netta and her own goals, and finding herself, are the main focus of the story. 

Overall, this was a refreshing retelling with so many interesting elements and characters. I knew I loved Eames’ writing style from her debut novel, and I loved it in A Tangled Magic, as well. 

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Erewhon Books/Penguin Random House for my ARC in exchange for a review!

Pub Date: July 28, 2026

VERDICT: 📖📖📖📖📖/5 

Review: Mirabelle by Ki Stephens

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Alexis holding a Kindle ARC copy of Mirabelle

Mirabelle follows Isla as she takes over her family’s failing plum orchard, Mirabelle. She’s sure of only one thing: she’ll save it alone or lose it on her own terms. 

Mirabelle is a small town, marriage of convenience romance. It has dual POVs, with Isla and Jack, who she marries in order to settle her finances and apply for grants in order to save the orchard.

Blue Willow is such a charming town and setting, and I enjoyed returning to it after reading Blue Willow, the first book in the series! I also really loved Jack’s character and how caring and funny he is. I also really like Stephens’ writing style and how well her dialogue flows. 

The only reason this wasn’t 5 stars for me is it was missing a little bit of the magical atmosphere that I loved in the first book. Since the plot focuses on the grant, I felt like there were more paperwork scenes than orchard scenes. I just wanted to see a little more of the actual orchard and learn more about its magic! 

VERDICT: 🍎🍎🍎🍎/5

Thank you so much to Ki Stephens and Love Notes for my ARC in exchange for a review!

Review: Burnout Summer by Jenna Ramirez

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Burnout Summer with Topo Chico and a planner

Alexis:

Happy pub day! Okay, so I’m actually a day late, but close enough!

Burnout Summer follows Camille during her, you guessed it, burnout summer.

The thing I really enjoyed about this book was how Ramirez explores the years following college. She digs in deep in her exploration of life after graduation and how corporate life in the US changes you and your relationships.

I also enjoyed learning more about Camille’s identity as a half Jewish and half Mexican woman and how she relates to Danny for being half Jewish and half Catholic.

Danny’s character is also a breath of fresh air. He isn’t brooding. He’s kind, funny, charismatic and I found him to be very refreshing.

Camille also struggles with credit card debt and student loan debt, and I really appreciated Ramirez’s realistic depiction of it.

My biggest criticism is that I honestly struggled to see why Danny loved Camille. And while that sounds harsh, what I mean is we were told that they were best friends and they always knew each other the best, but I never fully understood his relationship with Camille on page. I often felt like Camille used him as a punching bag and was constantly crying at him but then got a free pass because she was burnt out.

There was also a spicy scene that just gave me the ick, but I won’t go into details about that here.

Overall, there was still a lot that resonated with me, but I wish the romance aspect was just a little stronger, and that I was as compelled by Camille’s character as I was by Danny’s.

VERDICT: ⭐⭐⭐.5

Thanks so much to Netgalley and St. Martin’s for the ARC in exchange for a review!

Alexis’ April 2026 Wrap Up

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April reading wrap up graphic from Storygraph

Alexis:

I had a great reading month in April! Despite a busy month (I feel like I say this every month) I read 6 books and 2,530 pages.

  1. Deathly Fates by Tesia Tsae: This is a classic, Chinese-inspired quest YA fantasy that I read as an ARC, so thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s. You can read my review here!
  2. A Forest Darkly by A.G. Slatter: I’m always down to read more woodsy novels. This is a slow-moving, witchy book with a creepy forest. It’s weird, and half of the book is like a dark, horror fairytale, and the other half is closer to Stardew Valley. Slatter describes it as her “grumpy menopausal witch in the woods” novel. ⁣
  3. ⁣Honey in Her Veins by Ruth McKell: I actually preordered this one because it sounded right up my alley, and I was right. It’s a contemporary fantasy with bee/honey/plant magic, possession (think One Dark Window), lyrical writing, lush, Appalachian atmosphere, a creepy forest, and second chance romance. It’s 5 stars from me based off of this list alone!⁣
  4. The Red Winter by Cameron Sullivan: The Red Winter is a dark historical fantasy set in France. Sebastian Graves, an immortal with a demon living in his head, returns to the French countryside when there are rumors of the Beast returning—the Beast he narrowly defeated 20 years ago. ⁣While there were aspects I enjoyed, this was just too gross for my tastes, too slow moving, and it wasn’t my sense of humor. ⁣
  5. The Road of Bones by Demi Winters: I picked this one up on a whim after hearing about it, and I was pleasantly surprised by it. I love the beginning (a dangerous trek though a creepy forest with vampire deer is my jam) but wasn’t quite sure about some of the middle, especially because I hated one of the side characters. But the ending completely validated and surprised me. I’m currently reading the sequel!
  6. How to Write a Love Story by Catherine Walsh: An editor travels to Ireland to help a writer: the daughter of a famous, passed away author who is tasked with writing the final book of a fantasy series. This was a fun read, but I actually enjoyed everything else about this book more than the romance. 

Review: Deathly Fates by Tesia Tsai

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Kindle with Deathly Fates cover, a plant, and a chai latte on a coffee shop table

Alexis: 

Happy pub day to Deathly Fates by Tesia Tsai!

Review:

Deathly Fates is a classic quest YA fantasy book. I really enjoyed learning about Siying’s job as a corpse-driving priestess. I appreciated her personality, her dedication to her family, and her flaws.

I also really enjoyed that the prince, Ren, had a unique personality compared to a lot of love interests in romantic fantasy novels. The banter and conversations between Siying and Ren were great, and I liked the humor mixed in with the more serious topics of death, war, and duty. (I also loved seeing so many ghosts, of course.) 

I’m a huge fan of political intrigue in fantasy books, so I really enjoyed learning about the politics of this world and the feud between two nations.

My main criticism is that the fight scenes felt a little clunky to me. I also wasn’t a huge fan of one of Siying’s decisions near the end, as it felt a little too out of character. However, this was a fun read and I enjoyed it overall!

Thanks so much to Netgalley and St. Martin’s for my e-book copy in exchange for a review!

VERDICT: 👻👻👻👻/5

In other news, my latte was a Blueberry Muffin Chai latte and it was fantastic. 10/10 recommend

Synopsis:

As a corpse-driving priestess, a holy servant paid to guide the deceased home, Kang Siying has never feared death. But when her beloved father collapses due to his declining health, Siying realizes that even she is not free from the cruel grasp of mortality. Desperate to provide her father with the medical aid he needs, Siying accepts a dangerous job that promises a generous commission, and travels to a hostile state to retrieve the corpse of a missing prince.

But the moment Siying places her reanimation talisman on the dead prince’s head, rather than make the corpse obedient to Siying’s commands, the talisman brings the prince back to life. Worse, he won’t stay alive for long―not unless he absorbs enough qi, or life force, to keep his soul anchored to his body.

In return for a reward worth twice her original commission, Siying agrees to aid the frustratingly handsome prince in finding and purifying evil spirits for their qi. But as they journey across the countryside, encountering vengeful ghosts and enemy spies alike, they gradually uncover dark secrets about the prince’s death―secrets that could endanger both Siying’s father and their entire kingdom.