Tag: 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.

Review: Exo by Colin Brush

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Exo with a coffee cup in a car

Alexis:

Exo comes out on November 18th, 2025!

A debut sci-fi mystery set on an abandoned future Earth, featuring a twisty mystery straight out of a John le Carré novel, a group of larger-than-life characters who’d be at home in the work of John Scalzi, and a deeply weird and dangerous hyperdimensional entity to haunt the dreams of any reader of Kim Stanley Robinson.

Humanity is dying. Banished from the Earth, our descendants eke out lives in orbital habitats and moon colonies–and look with longing on our former home.

But Earth is uninhabitable. Over hundreds of years, its oceans have transformed into an annihilating liquid entity––the Caul. Every living creature approaching its shores is irresistibly compelled to enter. . . and is never seen again.

Scientists working in facilities seek to understand and stop the Caul. And scavenging the shores are the penitents––those who resist its siren lure.

In Exo, Brush explores a myriad of classic sci-fi themes, including environmentalism and what it means to be human. 

The Caul itself was almost impossible to picture, yet Brush’s descriptions mirror the alien vastness of the invading substance. I’ve read sci-fi books with post-apocalyptic Earths before, but the Caul was a very unique and fascinating entity. 

The story goes back and forth in timelines. In the present timeline, Mae, an old woman and ex-policewoman, finds rogue scientist Carl dead—murdered—and his daughter, Sofria, on her own. In the past timeline, we’re reading Carl’s scientific and personal diary entries about his arrival on Earth and study of the Caul. 

I did enjoy this book as a whole; however, it’s not really a twisty murder mystery. Exo is a scientific, mathematical kind of sci-fi book. While it is gritty, it’s a haunting, slow moving book that you have to read slowly to ponder over. The murder mystery and investigation take a backseat to the Caul and Mae trying to help Sofria, and nothing really gets solved until the very end of the book. Yet I enjoyed learning about the Caul, Mae and Sofria, and Brush’s prose, and the ending was satisfying!

Thanks so much to Diversion Books for my ARC in exchange for a review! ⁣

VERDICT: ⭐⭐⭐.5 /5 

Review: Wild Reverence by Rebecca Ross

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Alexis holds Wild Reverence next to a pumpkin and a cat

Alexis:

Rebecca Ross’ lyrical writing style is my favorite, so it’s no surprise that I really enjoyed Wild Reverence. At no point did I know where this story was going, which I found really refreshing! ⁣⁣

Wild Reverence is set in the same world as Divine Rivals, which I was lucky enough to get an ARC of years ago and loved.

⁣⁣The story feels like a mix between Circe and A River Enchanted. It’s a beautiful, romantic mythology book. Just know that Rebecca Ross really loves keeping her love interests apart as often as possible 😂⁣⁣

It follows Matilda, a young messenger goddess, and Vincent, who wrote to Matilda on the darkest night of his life—begging the goddess he befriended in dreams to help him. 

⁣⁣While this isn’t a perfect book, it has Ross’ beautiful descriptions and interesting worldbuilding, and the story tugs at the heartstrings. The first half took its time really establishing the world, the gods, and the characters, leaving a more action-packed second half. ⁣⁣

⁣⁣It’s part mythology, part revenge story, and a great prequel to Divine Rivals.

⁣⁣VERDICT: ⁣⁣🪽🪽🪽🪽🪽/5 

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: 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: Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor

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Death of the Author book review

Anna: In Death of the Author, Nnedi Okorafor tackles A LOT but does it well. This book will be released on January 14, 2025!

Zelu, a disabled Nigerian American woman, is freshly let go from her job as a professor when she strikes publishing gold with her sci-fi novel, Rusted Robots. Unlike her first novel, this one is a huge success and earns her a great book deal and immediate fame. 

I sped through this book and found myself highlighting and making a lot of notes. What stands out is the novel’s critique of the publishing world and its examination of cancel culture and social media. It also asks if AI/technology is good/bad and can be trusted. 

The rest of the novel follows her struggles with fame as she deals with the expectations of writing more great books and disagrees with the direction the film adaptation of her book takes. She also faces backlash from fans and readers, as, now famous and wealthy, she explores futuristic avenues and adventures for herself which quickly gets her accused of “becoming a robot”.

Zelu’s family is a big part of her life, but they are also a point of contention as they have a lot of ideas about how to act as Nigerian Americans. Zelu seems to have already strayed from their expectations purely by having an accident and becoming disabled, and this family dynamic becomes more and more complicated as the book goes on. 

The book also looks at how culture and race can impact people’s view of disability. Zelu is seen as rebellious and purely by existing as a disabled unmarried woman pursuing a creative career.

You also get to read Rusted Robots, the fictional book  within the book, which is very cool! 

I didn’t enjoy the Rusted Robots story-within-a-story as much as Zelu’s but enjoyed the concept of a book within a book, especially as Zelu turned more and more to technology in real life.

WARNING:SPOLIER BELOW

It did lose me a bit at the end due to her sudden pregnancy and the fact that she was still able to go to space despite it. As someone who is currently 27 pregnant myself, I just couldn’t suspend my disbelief for that, even though I know the point is that she can still maintain her individuality and pursue her own dreams as a mother.

Overall, I found Death of the Author highly unique, interesting and complex!

VERDICT: 🛸🛸🛸🛸/5

(4/5 spaceships)

Review: Nightstrider by Sophia Slade

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A matcha latte over a money tree and Nightstrider cover

Alexis: 

It’s been 6 years since Anna and I started this blog! She’s actually pregnant and hasn’t been reading as much as usual, hence why she hasn’t been posting any reviews lately. But I’m looking forward to being an aunt, and I hope you enjoy another fantasy review from me.

Nightstrider is a dark fantasy with well-written characters, different POVs, and interesting magic/worldbuilding. ⁣

⁣One of my favorite aspects of this book is definitely the magic and worldbuilding. The dream magic felt so unique, as did the two different realms. 

I loved all of the main characters. Sometimes I struggle with books with a lot of POVs, but Slade balanced them well! I was interested in all of their backstories and motivations, and their dialogue and banter was great.

There’s a portal, an evil night creature/king who can cross the boundary between the dream and waking realms, LGBTQ representation, and hints of romance. There’s also some political intrigue and plenty of action. Nightstrider had everything I was in the mood for, and I’m looking forward to reading the sequel. 

To stop a vicious demon’s conquest, nightmares and humans will band together.

From Sophia Slade, stunning new voice in epic fantasy, comes this dark, romantic tale about a world split in two and the four misguided souls who must come together to save it, for fans of Holly Black and Hannah Whitten.

⁣VERDICT: 🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒/5 ⁣