As a person with dry, dark humor, I find that books rarely capture the kind of jokes I like. Cozy fantasies also tend to be too low stakes and slow moving to keep me invested. So at first glance, Hopeless Necromantic seemed like it wouldn't be the book for me. After seeing a few reviewers with the same tastes as me rate it so highly, I decided to give it a try, and I'm so glad I did.

The deadpan humor is perfect. The book is filled with puns and innuendos without being too corny or over the top. And the jokes balance the darker themes well rather than deflect from them.

Speaking of darker themes, maybe it was the bright, cutesy cover, but I did not expect this book to be such a moving and accurate depiction of grief, especially around survivor's guilt and the guilt of moving on. Healing is often exhausting and repetitive, and I feel like a lot of books get it wrong by showing it as a linear, clean arc.

The unlikely trio of characters is my favorite part of the book. Sikras, Helspira, and Benjamin are all misfits in their own way, and that's exactly what makes the found family so heartwarming. Benjamin stole the show for me, though. I'm a huge fan of sentient animal companions, but I did not expect sentient lute-playing skeletons to be the thing my stories were missing. I also appreciated that he's a fully realized person with a backstory, not just a comedic prop.

There weren't that many things I didn't like, but here are a few heads-ups if you're thinking about picking this up. There is a plot and a main conflict to resolve, but I'd consider this a character-driven book. A lot of pages are spent traveling from one place to another and focusing on the relationships between the characters. If you're looking for action, this will feel slow. The setting is underdeveloped compared to the characters; the underworld and the magic system are interesting and I wanted more of both. And while I liked the romance, it stays surface level and happens kind of suddenly.

I'd recommend this even if you usually avoid cozy fantasies. This one is a new favorite of mine and I can't wait to continue Sikras and Helspira's story in the next book!

I love a Witch/Witch-Hunter story, so when I saw To Drown a Witch was being compared to Heartless Hunter, I had to pick it up. Though there are definitely overlaps between the two books, I don't think To Drown a Witch does the plot, mystery, or the romance as well. But overall, I found this to be an entertaining, fast read despite a few issues.

Part of the reason it's such a fast read is that there's pretty minimal worldbuilding. You get a few short explanations on the magic here and there, and the setting is kept vague. I did wish the world and magic system were more built out, but the lack of detail meant we jumped straight into the plot.

I really loved our main characters and their banter. Nes is witty, confident, and competent. Our MMC Toran is coping with grief and dealing with alcohol dependency, which is a heads-up if that's a sensitivity for you. Beyond the grief, he doesn't have many other personality traits. I liked their dynamic together. I'd say the the romance is closer to reluctant allies to lovers to maybe enemies, which I always enjoy.

So, lots to like here, but there were also a few glaring issues that kept pulling me out of the book.

A lot of the things that happen don't make sense. Some are minor details like our FMC is on the run from her old boss, but goes home every night to her apartment which is in the same building as his business. Others are bigger, like throughout the mystery, we leap from clue to a really convenient solution that isn't explained, so I found myself having to fill in the gaps. The ending twists are the biggest example because this book is dual POV, so the last 15% or so only works if neither character ever once thinks about what they're planning to do. All these issues stacked on top of each other made the book a little incoherent and hard to wrap my mind around. If you're the kind of reader who holds onto details (like me 🙋🏽‍♀️), these issues may frustrate you. If you're not, you'll probably have a good time.

The ending encapsulates how I feel about this book. It didn’t make a ton of sense, but it was so entertaining and shocking that I’m definitely going to read the next one. If you're looking for a well built out world and a coherent plot, I would avoid this one. If you want a fast and twisty Witch vs. Witch Hunter story, this one is worth a look.

✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧

Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for the ARC!

I'm a little torn on my rating for this one. When I saw Dominion sold as "Fourth Wing with tygers," I knew I had to pick it up. I wanted to love it, but the superficial, disjointed worldbuilding and the cringey romance made me disengage made me disengage partway through.

The foundation is good. The world and magic system draw from Chinese mythology, which felt fresh next to everything else I've read lately. The bonds with the tygers were a highlight, and Flame stole the show with her wit and sarcasm. The setup gave the story real stakes too: four rival dominions forced to come together to save their world. And the pacing through the first half never let up, so I had a hard time putting it down.

At the halfway mark, I was ready to give this five stars, but the second half really lost me. It felt like the author had a strong beginning and ending in mind but wasn't sure how to bridge the two. The middle read like surface-level filler, and by the end I couldn't connect with the plot or the characters the way I wanted to.

A lot of that came down to missing information. Key concepts and even entire scenes felt like they skipped over details that would have helped the book make more sense. For example, the book never really explains what yin power is versus yang power. There are also some big moments and revelations throughout the story that we just brush past, with little explanation or reaction from the characters. Both of these issues are why the book felt flat to me.

That same lack of depth seeps into the character relationships, and the romance suffers for it. Rubi and Blake's relationship was the definition of insta-love, and I just did not feel invested in it.

The final stretch did leave me curious about book two, and bumped my rating up half a star. That ending is honestly the only reason I'm considering picking up the sequel.

Still, this is a promising adult fantasy debut, with a setting and plot unlike anything else I've read this year. If you want a Chinese-inspired world and a fast-paced, vibes read, I think this one is worth a look.

✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧

Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the ARC!

A story about a woman going undercover to avenge her loved ones' deaths seems to draw me in every time, so it's no surprise I enjoyed Silvercloak. I couldn't put this down. The reveals, twists, and close calls kept me hooked from beginning to end.

The magic system is probably my favorite part of the book. People can build their magical stores through both pleasure and pain, though pleasure is definitely preferred in this setting. It's simple to understand but adds so much more depth to the story than I expected going in because it influences everything from the characters' relationships to their backstories to the setting itself. I also appreciated that the queernormativity is baked into the plot itself instead of feeling tacked on. The gritty, noir-inspired setting fits perfectly with the magic system and the plot.

I thought the author did a great job setting Saffron up as a character. Her path to the Bloodmoons unfolds through big scenes from her life and a series of time jumps, which got me invested without taking up too much time laying out her backstory. She's introduced to us as an intelligent, meticulous detective, and I was excited to have a competent FMC in her late 20s. However, once she infiltrates the Bloodmoons, some of that foundation gets thrown out to serve the plot. She becomes reckless and makes amateur mistakes that felt inconsistent with everything we'd just learned about her, so I found that a little disappointing.

On the other hand, I thought Levan had a really interesting backstory and a lot of depth to his character. His story is one shaped by trauma and by trying to undo past mistakes at any cost, which becomes an interesting commentary on how villains are created and whether the ends always justify the means. Saffron saw him as a monster, but by the end, I think she finds herself understanding why he is the way he is. I'm curious to see if her perspective continues to shift as the series goes on.

The romance itself needed more room to develop. We see hints of attraction, and Levan is so sweet underneath his cold exterior, but they get together too fast without enough on-page interaction to explain their attraction. I just didn't feel bought in.

Probably my biggest hangup was the writing itself. There's a lot of overexplanation, like the author didn't trust us to connect the dots. For example, worldbuilding details and specific phrases get repeated frequently, sometimes every few pages, which made the book feel very YA.

Ultimately, I found this one fun, and will be reading the next book. If you want a fast-moving plot with plenty of action and a cool magic system, and don't mind characters and writing that feel YA at times, then I definitely recommend.