3.75 rounded up! I was honestly riveted by this book from start to finish. The writing is gorgeous and atmospheric - truly solid gothic dark academia vibes. And the story? I had absolutely no idea where this dark tale was gonna go and the slow, methodical unravelling of events was hella intriguing for this reader. The main characters are all flawed and toxic (ha) in their own ways which made it extra fascinating to see how they changed throughout the book. My biggest complaint, I think, is the ending? Without going into any detail, it felt like just as things were reeeaaally getting wild and wacky, the book simply...ended without any real resolution. All in all, though, This Vicious Hunger reminded me, in vibe if nothing else, of a couple things I've read before while simultaneously feeling wholly unique which lead to a very enjoyable read for me! If a deliciously slow-paced, sapphic, dark academia, botanical horror-esque story sounds at all to your reading taste, This Vicious Hunger is out now! Thanks to NetGalley and Orbit Books for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

A highly anticipated island party/retreat (hosted and funded by an influencer, of course) goes horribly wrong when guests start having unusual encounters and people start disappearing with no explanation. The island has a strange, tragic history, but so do some of this event's guests - could it be that these histories are connected to the increasingly unnerving occurrences on the island? *** It took me a second to get into, but once I was a couple chapters in I flewwwww through this book. This is my first Darcy Coates and it definitely will not be my last! I find cult horror to be super creepy and interesting as it feels terrifyingly realistic compared to several other horror subgenres. Some aspects of How Bad Things Can Get definitely still have a sort of outlandish feel but for the most part it feels pretty grounded in reality, which makes it even scarier, honestly. Ruth is a great character and I was rooting for her and her Final Girl energy all the way! The twists and turns both in character and plot development provided by Coates made the whole thing so unputdownable. I had great fun with this creepy, fast-paced book and I look forward to diving into more of this horror author's work. How Bad Things Can Get comes out August 26, 2025 for anyone interested! Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing and e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

Wowwwww this book to me ages to get through (thanks at least in part to library hold problems) but I'm so glad I finally finished. There's simply no easy way to summarize this bad boy, but overall, Our Share of Night is an absolutely brutal look at Argentinian history, socioeconomic issues, cults, and complicated family relationships (among so many other things). The story jumps around in time and perspective to slowly unravel a full picture for the reader by the end. It's long, obviously, and the pace is pretty slow but it all works soooooo well and I was super engaged in this harrowing tale every time I picked it up. Be sure to consider trigger warnings before diving in as there are a lot of very disturbing scenarios and imagery which will definitely not be everyone's cup of tea.

In 1765, Alba Díaz flees plague-ridden Zacatecas with her parents, finding refuge at a secluded silver mine belonging to the family of her (blackmailed) fiancé, Carlos. It isn't long before Alba begins sleepwalking and becomes haunted by dark dreams and hallucinations. Elías, estranged cousin to Alba's soon-to-be husband, came to the mine to make his fortune and leave...but of course, nothing is ever so simple. Alba and Elías are deeply drawn to one another in spite of the forbidden nature of such an attraction, and it just so happens that Elías may be the only person who can save Alba from the demon within... *** A new fave from an absolutely iconic gothic horror/romance author. I love the deeply romantic nature of Cañas's writing. Everything is very dramatic, descriptive and so, so atmospheric. It was very cool to get a possession story from the perspectives of both the person who is possessed as well as the person who is, well, a little smitten with the former. I just thought it was a very cool and emotional way to navigate it. Also, while we all are accustomed to seeing the role the Church may play in a story like this, I particularly enjoyed how Cañas subverted expectations and brough the occult into play as well. And the romance...Truly, this might be my favourite romance of the three books Cañas has written so far. It's hard to say for sure since it's been a while since I've read the others but the yearning these two had for each other really got me. I was rooting for them in a big way. Finally, I just want to say that I think my new fave thing I've been noticing in some horror books lately (this one included) is when the characters fully acknowledge the absolute absurdity of the things going on. I find that those little moments add the perfect amount of humour in otherwise rather bleak circumstances. Both Elías and Alba's inner dialogues had me cackling at times. Just a really solid time with themes and messaging that is easy to appreciate with both the historical context of its setting and with a modern-day perspective. The Possession of Alba Díaz by Isabel Cañas comes out August 19, 2025 for those interested! Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.