Tag: Reading

Review: Blue Willow by Ki Stephens

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Blue Willow rests on a bookshelf next to a pumpkin

Alexis:

I’m happy that I got to read a digital ARC of Blue Willow, a magical realism romance that arrives on December 5, 2025.

Synopsis:

Coming home was never part of the plan.

Leaving again might be even harder.

When Elsie Hart returns to Blue Willow for the first time in eight years, it’s only to settle her grandmother’s estate—not to rekindle old memories or untangle the magic she’s worked hard to forget. But the inn she once loved is more stubborn than it looks. So is the man who’s been keeping it alive.

Wells Rourke never wants to leave. He’s spent the last few years patching the inn back together with his own two hands and the quiet certainty that Elspeth Hart didn’t just pour her heart into the walls; she left something behind. Something that’s worth keeping alive.

Elsie wants a clean break and a fast sale. Wells wants her gone before she can rip apart what’s left. But the house has other plans. As winter deepens and long-dormant feelings surface, the two of them are drawn into a tug-of-war not just over the keys to the inn, but over the pieces of themselves they thought they’d long buried.

In a town where quiet magic lingers, some people—and some places—will never stop waiting for you to come home.

Review:

Blue Willow is steeped in winter imagery and winter vibes. The setting perfectly captures the cold yet coziness of many winter nights, and it made me look forward to the holidays.

And a magic inn? I’m a sucker for semi-sentient houses. The magic of the inn was cozy and present without being over the top, and I really enjoyed it. While I wish we almost got even more about the magical town itself, I really loved what we did learn about the setting (can you tell I’m a sucker for small town romances and a sprinkle of magic?).

The story is told in dual POVs and switches between Elsie and Wells. I enjoyed both of their perspectives, and the romance between them was sweet. I also appreciated how they’re both dealing with realistic situations and feelings. 

While I was reading this, my own grandma passed away. The theme of grief, as Elsie deals with the death of her grandma, ended up being very personal and poignant, so this book hit me a little harder than it would’ve otherwise. 

VERDICT: ❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️/5

Thanks so much to author Ki Stephens for my ARC in exchange for a review!

Review: The Sacred Space Between by Kalie Reid

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The Sacred Space Between in front of an autumn coffee shop display with balloons

Alexis:

Happy Pub Day! 

One of my ARCs that I just finished releases today! The Sacred Space Between is described as: “An enchanting enemies-to-lovers fantasy about an exiled saint and the devout iconographer sent to paint him, for fans of Divine Rivals and A Study in Drowning.” 

Well, I love both of those comps, so you know I had to read it!

What I Liked: 

  • Reid’s writing style: It can definitely be compared to Rebecca Ross and Ava Reid’s writing style. It’s lyrical, and just from a prose level, I really enjoyed it! I loved reading all of the details Reid included in the story.
  • The atmosphere: Her writing is perfectly atmospheric. You can feel the damp heaviness of the moors. As someone who studied abroad in England, you can definitely feel the UK influence in the setting, and it worked really well for the dark themes Reid presents. Each page drips with atmosphere, whether we’re in the Abbey or in the moors.
  • The memory magic: What an interesting concept for a magic system! Reid really captured the haziness of not being able to trust your own memory. 
  • The first half of the book: I was sucked into the first half of the story. The Sacred Space Between follows 2 main characters: Maeve, an iconographer for the Abbey, and Jude, a saint who was exiled to live in the moors. When Maeve is sent to paint Jude’s new icon, Maeve is forced to confront her beliefs and realize that the Abbey, the saints, her religion—all of it may not be what it seems. And I think Reid did a fantastic job of detailing Maeve’s descent into questioning and reckoning with her beliefs, religious trauma, and the only life she’s ever known.

What I Didn’t Like As Much:

  • The second half: Unfortunately, I didn’t resonate with the second half of the story as much as the first. I found myself wondering when it was going to finally wrap up and end—something that is never a good sign. The pacing began to feel a little inconsistent. To me, some of the decisions Maeve and Jude made didn’t seem to fit with their characters.
  • The ending: After the climax, there are two more chapters where there is an abrupt tone shift, and without giving anything away, it just didn’t work for me. Plus, all of the reveals happen at once, which felt a little too convenient, and nearly every transition scene seems to begin with one of the characters fainting.

Conclusion:

Overall, I still enjoyed reading The Sacred Space Between. I think Reid is a promising writer, and I loved her prose. If you’re interested in learning more about the book, check out the synopsis below! Thanks so much to Netgalley and Little, Brown and Company for my ARC for review.

VERDICT: 🕯️🕯️🕯️/5 

Synopsis:

The Abbey has controlled the minds of its patrons for a millennium through memory magic, stolen from exiled saints. At fifteen, Jude was exiled from the Abbey to the bleak moors in the countryside, to maintain their control over his burgeoning magic. Almost a decade later, he wants to live a normal life free from the Abbey’s oppressive gaze. When they send Maeve, a stubbornly devout iconographer, to paint an updated icon of him, Jude makes it his mission to get rid of her as soon as possible. That is until he discovers she holds the same tainted magic of the saints as he does, and that the icons she paints may be the key to destroying the Abbey’s power.

As Jude and Maeve draw closer, the two of them face a choice—they can take on the full power of the Abbey and risk their lives for freedom or escape back to exile and make the most of their fading memories. But this institution has eyes everywhere, and the only thing the Abbey loves more than a saint is a martyr.

Review: Red Demon by Sill Bihagia

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An ARC package of Red Demon sits on a wall

Alexis:

Happy October 1st! 🎃

Thanks so much to author Sill Bihagia for sending me this beautiful ARC package.

Red Demon was released on September 16th! It’s a science fiction/fantasy book with found family and themes of coming of age, resilience, and redemption. It has a mystery woven throughout and some really interesting worldbuilding.⁣ The bioengineering concept was fascinating. 

Overall, I enjoyed this one and appreciated Jesse’s resilience and will to survive. I liked reading from his POV, and my favorite part of the story was him forming a connection to his adopted brother, Asher. 

My main critique is that the pacing in the first half dragged, as Jesse growing up and finding his new family took up a large part of the book. I love a good coming of age story, but since this was advertised as a fast paced book, I expected just a little more action and for the plot to move along faster; the actual plot didn’t start until the second half of the story. Additionally, the ending felt too abrupt.  

VERDICT: ⭐⭐⭐/5

I have several more ARCs to read, and I look forward to digging into them this fall!

If you want to learn more about Red Demon, check out the synopsis below.

Synopsis:

On an isolated planet where unity is as engineered as its people, Jesse seeks the truth behind the slaughter of his family-starting with the immortal who spared him.

A century ago, two human lines nearly wiped each other out rather than acknowledge their shared humanity. But when Jesse’s mining town is slaughtered under mysterious circumstances, it’s clear ancient bigotries are still alive, and rebels have access to some magic or tech capable of wide-scale genocide.

The Red Demon bloodied her swords in that massacre-a bioengineered immortal left over from that century old war. Jesse expected her to be upholding his empire’s fragile peace, not killing her own. But Jesse is too optimistic and stubborn to break. Better days are coming, and he’s willing to take on an immortal to protect the life he’s rebuilt among the ashes.

Faruhar, the so-called Red Demon, is not the mastermind Jesse expects. Her fragmented mind is ravaged by guilt over crimes she cannot remember committing, and a code impressed on her by a few kind people she cannot forget.

Review: The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson

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The Raven Scholar on a marble table with a pen, notebook, and perfume bottle

Alexis:

I can’t believe it’s almost September! August flew by.

I’ve unfortunately been in a bit of a reading slump lately; I haven’t been in the right mood to read anything. But the last book I really enjoyed was The Raven Scholar.

The Raven Scholar is part dark academia, part trial to become the next emperor, and part murder mystery. Honestly, it has something for every type of fantasy reader—as long as you don’t mind reading 650 pages!

This was just such a different and unique read, which I was craving. The story follows Neema, the emperor’s brilliant, idiosyncratic High Scholar, who is tasked to find the killer of one of the contestants in the trials. Yet, without spoiling anything for you, this book ends up having a unique POV, as well, and jumps back and forth in perspectives.

The story has humor and snark but with enough action and political/court intrigue to add tension to the plot. It has several (yes, several) killer plot twists. On top of that, it has:

  • A chameleon named Pink-Pink
  • Scholars and a talking magical book
  • Eight chaotic gods
  • Talking ravens
  • A cast of quirky, morally grey characters
  • LGBTQ friendly world

It’s weird, sometimes absurdist, and sometimes a little slow in its pacing, yet it kept my attention for all of its almost 700 pages. These days, I’ve had a bit of a hard time rating every book I read by a star rating, but just know that I enjoyed The Raven Scholar. 

Next up: I’m currently reading a sci-fi ARC that I’m enjoying, so look out for a review of it soon! My preorder of Katabasis by R.F. Kuang is also on its way, so I’m looking forward to reading that one, as well. 

Review: House of the Beast by Michelle Wong

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Kindle with House of the Beast in a coffee shop and strawberry matcha

Alexis:

Happy Pub Day to House of the Beast by Michelle Wong!

This dark, new adult fantasy debut is about a young woman who strikes a deal with a mysterious and alluring god to seek revenge on her aristocratic family—featuring illustrations throughout by the author. 

I am going to include the synopsis here, because otherwise, this review might not make all that much sense.

Synopsis:

Born out of wedlock and shunned by society, Alma learned to make her peace with solitude, so long as she had her mother by her side. When her mother becomes gravely ill, Alma discovers a clue about her estranged father and writes a message begging for help. Little does she know that she is a bastard of House Avera, one of the four noble families that serve the gods and are imbued with their powers—and her father is a vessel of the Dread Beast, the most frightening god of all, a harbinger of death.

In a desperate exchange for her mother’s medicine, Alma agrees to sacrifice her left arm to the Beast in a ceremony that will bind her forever to the House and its deity. Regardless, her mother soon passes, leaving Alma trapped inside the Avera’s grand estate, despised by her relatives and nothing but a pawn in her father’s schemes.

Now vengeance is the only thing that keeps Alma going. That, and the strange connection she has with her god—a monster who is constantly by her side, an eldritch being taking the form of a beautiful prince with starlit hair that only she can see. He tells Alma that she has been chosen to bring change upon their world, and with his help, Alma plots a perilous journey to destroy the House that stole everything from her.

What I Liked:

First things first, the cover! It’s gorgeous, mysterious, and gothic, which fits this book perfectly. Secondly, Wong includes her own illustrations throughout the story, and even on my Kindle, they added a little something extra to the story.

When I’m in the mood for a dark fantasy, I want it to be dark, and this hit the spot. The atmosphere overall is dark and gothic, with small sprinklings of humor. I especially enjoyed the monsters that Wong included in the story; there’s even a woman who creates Frankenstein’s monster-esque creatures. There are plenty of body horror elements.

The entire concept of being a vessel of a god called the Dread Beast is dark and fascinating, and I really felt for Alma when she was forced to lose her hand by her abusive father. Additionally, as the Dread Beast himself is a harbinger of death, death magic plays a role in the story.

I also enjoyed the cast of characters that we get. Wong did a great job of making them each well-rounded by having them have complicated feelings, motivations, and distinguishing characteristics. 

Overall, I connected with the first half of this book more than the second half. The first focuses more on Alma’s struggle as she is thrust into this strange and dark new role, as well as her loneliness, grief, and desire for revenge on her father. It shows just how out of place she feels in the world, which leads her to forming a connection with Aster, her god/monster who only she can see and hear.

What I Didn’t Like Quite As Much:

The second half of this book lost me a little bit. While I enjoyed the action scenes, as Alma fights monsters and deals with her antagonistic father, the emotional side of it just fell a little too flat for me. The final fight/climax didn’t have the impactful emotional impact that I expected. On top of that, Aster’s character was always held at arm’s length from me as the reader, especially since the story itself jumps over the time when Alma actually forms her connection to him, so I didn’t feel his connection to Alma as much as I wanted to. On top of that, there was one mention of a TV that completely took me out of the story for a minute and felt very out of place.

That being said, I loved Wong’s descriptive language and how she didn’t shy away from dark topics, and I appreciated how she turned several tropes on their heads. Thank you so much to HarperCollins and Netgalley for my ARC of House of the Beast in exchange for a review!

VERDICT: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Review: Skipshock by Caroline O’Donoghue

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Alexis holds a library copy of Shipshock in front of a bookshelf

Alexis: If you’re looking for a unique sci-fi/fantasy book, check out Skipshock!

This is a new adult book told in dual POVs. Margo is an Irish schoolgirl who finds herself thrown into a strange new world. Moon is a salesman who makes his living through a series of interconnected worlds on a network of train lines.

Skipshock has interworld travel, rebellion, and a romance subplot. In this universe, time is valuable. If you travel north, time passes by quicker; days are only a few hours. If you travel south, the days grow longer. When Margo finds herself being chased by the Southern Guard, Moon helps her find her way back to her home world.

This was a fascinating read! I loved the universe and its rules. I loved the plot that focused on rebellion against a repressive group. I loved learning about the different cultures in this universe and the magic that comes with them. I also appreciated the humor and whimsy sprinkled throughout the writing amongst the darker themes. 

My only critique is there was a section ¾ of the way through that dragged a bit too much. However, this is a fantastic start to a series, and I look forward to reading more.

VERDICT: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 

Review: Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry

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Great Big Beautiful Life held over a pink flower

Alexis: 

Great Big Beautiful Life is Emily Henry’s new novel, and I’m happy that I got it fairly fast from the library!

This had the classic addicting Emily Henry writing style and banter. I loved how it was set in Georgia (my birth state!) and as a writer, I’m always a sucker for a novel about writers.

⁣Through interviews, it had a story within a story, which I enjoyed. This brought a more literary and mystery feel to Great Big Beautiful Life than her other books, which I liked! 

The story follows Alice, a writer who is asked to meet with Margaret, an ex-celebrity, for a chance to write her biography. But Alice finds out that Margaret is also looking into another writer named Hayden. While Margaret gives them a month-long trial period, Alice and Hayden try to win the job while also navigating their growing feelings for each other.

While the twist at the end was predictable, I really enjoyed this one overall and appreciated the stronger plot. I also always find Henry’s characters compelling and charming, but I especially loved Alice and her optimism. 

Have you read this one yet? 

⁣

Review: Dark Rise & Dark Heir by C.S. Pacat

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Alexis holds Dark Heir over a laptop with an iced decaf latte

Alexis:

I’ve read 17 books so far this year, so I feel a little behind in reviews! But life has been busy in a way that life tends to do, between wedding planning, the birth of my nephew, work, and starting the querying process all over again with my recently finished novel.

Dark Rise was actually one of my last reads of 2024, and its sequel, Dark Heir, was one of my first reads of 2025, and I still think about them. Dark Rise has become a bit of an underrated Bookstagram darling, and when I found a copy at a used bookstore, I was curious. 

Dark Rise 

Winter always makes me in the mood for a good fantasy, so Dark Rise was exactly what I was looking for. It’s a dark YA fantasy that’s set in a historical London and follows sixteen-year-old Will, who is on the run from some mysterious men who killed his mother. He finds himself learning about a group of people called the Stewards who fight for the Light and are attempting to fight off the Dark—and the rising Dark King. 

This felt like a classic YA fantasy, and I loved the dark vs. light themes. The ending especially was spectacular, and it really put the rest of the book in a new light (ha) and turned some things on their heads. It was 4 stars for me!

Dark Heir 

Dark Heir was a fantastic sequel. In an age where a lot of sequels fall flat, Dark Heir only expands on both the world and the plot in the first book in dark and wonderful ways. We learn a lot more about the characters, and C.S. Pacat really plays with the themes of destiny and fate. This was 5-stars for me!

If you’re looking for a great start to a YA fantasy series, then I recommend it!

Review: The Floating World by Axie Oh

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The Floating World held over a mountain

Alexis:

The Floating World is a classic YA fantasy with great worldbuilding and interesting twists.

I definitely loved the world the most! I found it so intriguing. It definitely has a steampunk vibe to it mixed with Korean mythology, and I enjoyed learning about the world, its history and legends, and its politics. There’s a decent amount of political and military intrigue with the POV of a character named Jaliel. 

I loved the main characters, Ren and Sunho. They both had interesting backstories and motivations. I was definitely getting some Howl’s Moving Castle vibes, with a dash of Shadow and Bone. 

My only main criticism is that the dialogue sometimes fell a little flat and felt stilted. Also, some of the critical scenes felt like they happened really fast while some of the side scenes went on a little longer.

Overall, this is a great start to a series, and I found myself drawn into the story—there was never a dull moment! There’s definitely a lot to build on for the sequel!

Thanks so much to Netgalley and Macmillian for my ARC in exchange for a review. The Floating World releases on 4/29/25! 

VERDICT: ⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️/5

Synopsis:

Sunho lives in the Under World, a land of perpetual darkness. An ex-soldier, he can remember little of his life from before two years ago, when he woke up alone with only his name and his sword. Now he does odd-jobs to scrape by, until he comes across the score of a lifetime—a chest of coins for any mercenary who can hunt down a girl who wields silver light.

Meanwhile, far to the east, Ren is a cheerful and spirited acrobat traveling with her adoptive family and performing at villages. But everything changes during one of their festival performances when the village is attacked by a horrific humanlike demon. In a moment of fear and rage, Ren releases a blast of silver light—a power she has kept hidden since childhood—and kills the monster. But her efforts are not in time to prevent her adoptive family from suffering a devastating loss, or to save her beloved uncle from being grievously wounded.

Determined to save him from succumbing to the poisoned wound, Ren sets off over the mountains, where the creature came from—and from where Ren herself fled ten years ago. Her path sets her on a collision course with Sunho, but he doesn’t realize she’s the girl that he—and a hundred other swords-for-hire—is looking for. As the two grow closer through their travels, they come to realize that their pasts—and destinies—are far more entwined than either of them could have imagined…

Review: The Devourer by Alison Ames

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Alexis holds a Kindle with The Devourer cover over snow

Alexis:

Happy Pub Day to The Devourer! 

The Devourer is a YA fantasy with pirates, revenge, a monster sinking ships, and magic leaking into the world. It follows Adra, a young pirate captain. When her half-brother Cameron attacks their father and robs him of a priceless treasure map, he leaves him a shell of the pirate captain he once was. Now Adra’s only aim in life is to kill Cameron, retrieve her father’s map, and claim the treasure herself.

But her plans are thwarted by a young pirate captain named Quinn, as well as a monster called The Devourer that’s sinking ships. Now, she must strike a deal with the monster.

What I Liked:

Adra was a morally grey and well-rounded main character, and her relationship with her crew was interesting to read about. Diana, a girl who was turned into an osprey by bad magic, was my favorite character, and I wanted even more of her!

I also really vibed with Ames’ writing style, and I loved her descriptions. 

The story also has sapphic and disability representation. 

I don’t want to give anything away, but the overall plot and premise feels fresh and different, which I really appreciated in a YA read. The atmosphere of the book is fairly dark, but with enough humor to balance it out.

What I Didn’t Like As Much:

However, I found myself wanting even more monsters and mayhem. The premise of the book doesn’t really happen until halfway through the story, so the first half felt a little slow and the plot didn’t feel quite as urgent as I wanted it to. The ending also felt a little abrupt to me; I wanted more scenes with Cameron.

Verdict:

That being said, overall, this was a solid and enjoyable read. I was in the mood for a pirate story, so this hit the spot.

🌊🌊🌊🌊/5 

Thank you to Netgalley and Page Street Publishing for my ARC in exchange for a review!