The narrators are always fire. I could genuinely listen to them talk about cockroaches, so having them on this book was an absolute joy. I completely gobbled Tour Season up in about 36 hours.

This was such a fun story, and I loved getting a spin-off from the Butcher & Blackbird world. The FMC, the MMC, the mystery, and the smuttiness all worked for me. I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Audio for access to this ALC in exchange for an honest review.

The narrators were perfection and truly conveyed all the emotion, anger, and intensity on the page. Their Will Undone is an Incan-inspired South American YA fantasy that feels incredibly well done, with political intrigue, a unique power system, and an FMC whose journey from naivety to feminine rage and untapped revenge-fueled power was especially compelling.

I know some reviews have critiqued this for not really delivering on enemies-to-lovers, and I honestly would agree that the romance is not the central draw here. There are romantic elements, but especially given that epilogue, I would not define this as a true enemies-to-lovers story. What it is, though, is a very strong start to a duology, and I am absolutely excited to see how it all concludes.

Thank you to NetGalley for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Black River was a really interesting YA paranormal read that follows an FMC who wakes up as something other than herself, and I thought that premise immediately made the story compelling. It felt like a mystery for much of the book, and I genuinely was not expecting the twist. The pacing was steady and quick, and I spent most of the story wondering what exactly was going on. I really liked the relationship between the sisters, and I also appreciated that, unlike many YA paranormal books that lean heavily into romance, this story gave real space to the budding friendship between the FMC and the MMC, who is dealing with a very similar experience. I also found the emotional undercurrent involving absent parents really interesting, especially the way it explored the questions, hurt, and tension that kind of absence leaves behind. That said, I did spend a large part of the book holding my breath waiting for something truly wild to happen, and I am not sure it ever fully reached that point for me. At times, it also felt like there were a few too many characters to keep track of. And while I found it enjoyable and fun, the vernacular and overall approach felt very specifically geared toward a YA audience, which made it feel like the book did not quite transcend that age category in the way it potentially could have. Even so, I still thought it was a fun and engaging read, and I would definitely recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Daybreak picks up immediately where Nightshade leaves off and is filled with romance, yearning, and spice. It manages to feel dark and hopeful at the same time, and I really enjoyed following Alex and Ophelia through everything they face together. I also appreciated that the minor characters had a bigger role here, because they were interesting and added a lot to the story. That said, I do think there was a little bit of the magic from Nightshade missing for me in this one. That may just be a personal preference, but I felt more connected to Nightshade, especially because the mystery driving that book felt a little more engaging than the way this story continued. Even so, I still think this was a wonderful conclusion. The ending was perfection, and I genuinely could not have asked for a better one. This duology was absolutely wonderful, and I would definitely recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Audio, and William Morrow for access to this ALC of The Children by Melissa Albert in exchange for an honest review. First, the narrators do a wonderful job bringing this story to life. Given the delicate nature of the content, they convey the emotional weight, trauma, and tension in a way that makes you truly feel what Guinevere and Ennis are carrying. On the surface, The Children is about a creepy house, a complicated family structure, and a mother who becomes a celebrated author by using her children’s names and likenesses in a beloved book series. But at its core, this story is really about the lengths people will go to for their art — and what they are willing to sacrifice in the process. This book is creepy, deeply sad, and emotionally charged. For me, the most haunting and traumatic moments were the sections rooted in the past. You can clearly see the lasting impact Guinevere and Ennis’s parents had on them, and how the way they were raised shaped their lives in devastating ways. Guinevere’s desperation to coast on her mother’s success, even to the point of writing the final book after her mother’s death, adds another complicated layer to the story. I really loved the exploration of trauma, memory, family damage, and the lived experience of children who were turned into someone else’s art. That said, I do think the book may be slightly mis-marketed. While I absolutely loved the story, I often found myself holding my breath waiting for something bigger to happen because I expected stronger dark fantasy or horror elements based on the way it was presented. That is not a criticism of the story itself, but more of the expectations created around it. Overall, The Children is a beautifully written, unsettling, and emotionally heavy book. I do recommend it, especially for readers who enjoy complicated family stories, literary darkness, and trauma-driven narratives. I just think readers will connect with it best if they go in expecting an emotionally charged literary story with creepy elements rather than a full dark fantasy horror novel.