Solid Gothic horror novella! 🙂‍↕️

Set in the 1960s, it follows a young witch, Nati,who is on a mission to help a woman she knew from her childhood. The woman, Violeta, has been trapped in her own body for years, and Nati has just the right amount of power to figure out who caused her to be in this state and to free her.

What follows is a deep dive into the lives of all the women in this world and how it shaped them.

It’s also a tribute to queer women and the struggles they faced in the 60s, and that a lot still face today. “… there’s no shortage of parents who stop being parents when they find out their daughter’s queer.”

I loved Nati’s determination to help Violeta and the love budding between them. Also, Nati’s magic is very cool to witness and how it is tied to music.

Def recommend if you enjoy Gothic horror, dolls, and/or Practical Magic!

Creepy doll on a mission for vengeance against the person who murdered her? Sign me up 🙂‍↕️

Lucy is 20 when she is murdered by someone she trusts. She wakes up as a doll on her grandma’s shelf and what ensues is a wild ride of a tale filled with emotion, dark humor, and a new friendship with Nicola. The only human who can hear her, and the perfect counter and companion to Lucy’s rash decisions.

This is less horror - more dark humor and filled with quotes like this: “Please just say dead. ‘Passed on’ makes me feel like a kidney stone.”

Not only does Lucy have to process death, she also accepts parts of herself she hadn’t fully come to terms with before she died.

Lucy is the best creepy doll around, and honestly, I would love to have my own doll bff just like her. 🥹

Trust me, I don’t want to give too much more away because I fear I will spoil it, but it’s such a good book!🫶🏼 If you enjoy the doll from Toy Story, Chucky, and/or a good revenge story, this book is absolutely for you.

P.S. Make sure to read the book club questions at the end AFTER you finish the book 😉 It is very important you do!

Thank you to NetGalley, Bindery Books, and Barbara Truelove for the ARC!

Heir of Prophecy is about a human, Audra, who is taken by the fae because they are on the hunt for the heir of prophecy. She must attend an academy with other taken humans where they undergo trials and learn magic. Demons are the enemy of the fae, and one demon, Zhaire, is on the hunt for the heir too. History is questioned and Audra hunts for the truth of the heir.

The plot is very slow, but the world building is phenomenal. The story is also heavy on plot and the romance doesn’t come in until the end.

The audio was easy to listen to and loved the dual narration. It doesn’t really feel dual for the first half because the story is mostly following Audra.

I recommend this for anyone who loves magic academy settings and plot driven fantasy. I feel the story will really pick up the pace in the next one!

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperAudio Adult, Harper Voyager, and Analeigh Sbrana for the ALC! 🫶🏼

I’ll be honest, this book was just a bit too slow paced for me. I did struggle through it but I fully believe this would make a fantastic movie!

A group of people experience a similar bizarre experience on the Tube in London, and none of them quite know what actually happened. The book switches POV between each of these people. I feel this is what threw the pacing off for me, but it was interesting to have so many different POVs.

Once the group comes together, the pacing picks up. What is causing the disturbances in the tube and leaving a strange residue behind starts stalking the group, so they team up to take on this being. It started feeling like a blend of Stranger Things mixed with Blade.

Side note: tube being super hot as described in the book is super accurate, so that made me relate to the feelings of the characters. 🤣

Overall, I didn’t vibe with this book but I do think it would make a great movie!

Thank you NetGalley and Poison Pen Press for the ARC! 🫶🏼

Headlights fit into my weird girl brain like a missing puzzle piece. It’s one of those books that you just feel you have been missing. It’s a blend of thriller and horror with The Shining as an optional prerequisite.

A cold case comes back to life where people mysteriously show up naked, no memories of how they got there, and wearing the skin of another person. The main character, Daniel Stansfield, is the previous agent on the case, so he’s naturally pulled back into it. Daniel has demons of his own he’s fighting and an odd ability to “know” things.

Everything that follows is a tense and trippy mystery. I genuinely had zero idea what was happening and there’s a scene around the 75% mark that was by far one of the strangest things I’ve ever read. 😮‍💨

One last thought, this book really makes you mindful of your place in the world and the displacement of wildlife due to human infrastructure.

This is my first CJ Leede book, and I am definitely checking out the rest of her work ASAP. If you like The Shining or The X Files, you will devour this one!

Let’s set the stage: 1800s snowed in nuns vs. otherworldly, wolverine-esque creatures who can induce madness

What comes from this is an insanely wild, grotesque ride that did not let up 😮‍💨 This book is so much more than just a creature feature though. It’s filled with female rage. The rage towards the creatures for harming their own, rage towards the men in their lives, and rage towards the system that treats women like they should be meek and submissive and anything other is wrong. The nuns themselves turned just as animalistic as the creatures they hunted, and the growing camaraderie amongst them was delightful to witness.

The book itself felt like a fever dream. It is told as a written recollection from one of the nuns who was present, but I felt she was very unreliable. Considering why she was in the nunnery, I won’t spoil that 🤭, I really questioned if the story being told was the actual reality. That mixed with the madness the Gulo could induce, it was very hard to distinguish reality from illusion. It added another depth to the story, and I love an unreliable narrator.

Overall, I felt this was a fantastic horror and I enjoyed my time with these warrior nuns. Definitely recommend to those who love creature features and female rage 🙂‍↕️

Thank you NetGalley, Fringe Press, and Chris McGinley for the ARC! 🫶🏼

Honestly, I just didn’t vibe with this book all that much but that doesn’t mean it won’t be for you!

The audiobook was well narrated. The narrator’s matched the main character perfectly.

Tamsin moves to the Scottish countryside to escape her past. She is a very unreliable narrator, and I found myself questioning if what she was experiencing was the reality. She has felt overlooked and sidelined her whole life. It’s really a story of self reflection.

I was also very intrigued the first 15% then it got boring for me and then weird. I LOVE weird so this could be a good weird girl match for some.

The ending felt like a fever dream. It also tied everything up nicely.

I think it had a very interesting premise and I was stoked for a horror set in Scotland but the execution wasn’t for me.

Thank you NetGalley and the RB media team for the ALC! 🫶🏼

Vows of Blood and Deception exceeded every expectation I had, and my expectations were insanely high after book 1. 😮‍💨

For those new to the series, you must read Web of Vows and Vengeance first. It’s deadly trials, fierce FMC trying to fight for her magical powers to be back, and enemies to lovers.

Then, you have to read the prequel, Veil of Web and Ruin, because it ties into book 2.

Finally, you can start this absolute gem of a fantasy and read the rest of this review. ✨

🚨 SPOILERS for BOOK 1 after this point 🚨

Book 1 ended and I felt like I had a very clear picture of the world, but this one proved me so wrong. Rose and her friends now must make an epic quest to unlock hidden truths and help Rose with her forbidden ice magic.

The world building in this one is phenomenal. Every aspect and creature of this world is well thought out. And the amount of twists and secrets revealed 🤯

Also, the characters are dynamic and unique. It reminded me a lot of how the fellowship heading to Mordor interacted and gave me all the feels.

And Kyor 🫠 It’s another slow build but when the spice hits, it hits! Giving it a level 3 on the spice chart 🌶️

From start to finish, I enjoyed very second and it’s an absolute must read.

Going to contemplate time machines while I wait for book 3 🥲