I received an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.

Sierra Marilyn Riley debuts with The Dark Cove Theatre Society, a YA dark academia-tinged tale centered on the gothic arts Academy. Violet is in a period of instability. Due to overwhelming anxiety, Violet has had to change from acting focus to playwriting. And her scholarship is in danger. And now she's supposedly the latest in a line of academy students to be Cursed. Readers follow as Violet discovers the hidden secrets of the Academy and the costs of success through mixed media documentation of life at the Academy.

Due to some really disorienting formatting issues with the ARC, I wasn't able to use the ebook copy to read this with any amount of fidelity to the mixed media components. I finally used the audiobook to get through, which still meant that I did not fully experience these components. To experience this book as intended, having eyeballs on page (digital or physical) would be best, assuming the formatting issues were ultimately resolved for the released edition.

This book is comped to If We Were Villains and Ace of Spades. This makes sense. It does. This book explores queerness and diversity in traditionally white, male spaces. It is heavily focused on a Shakespeare production being put on by the titular society. It's obvious where these comps came from. Unfortunately, I think these comps do a disservice to the book and to potential readers because these comps vary wildly in tone from each other AND from this book. I would argue that If We Were Villains is not a good comp for this reason; fans of that type of story are unlikely to enjoy this despite the thematic similarities. Ace of Spades comes closer, but Ace of Spades has a distinct sense of danger to it that this story lacks. That being said, Ace of Spades is the more reasonable comp. I would like to throw in a comp to My Dearest Darkest by Kayla Cottingham, though this story is contemporary with no fantastical components.

I enjoyed my time with this story, but find myself very detached from the characters. I never believed there were any stakes in play and the plot armor was readily apparent. I think the intended age demographic will enjoy this story, but I needed more from it than what it was designed to give.

Happily will recommend it to others, but was rather mid for me in the end.

Making a dent in my backlog of mythology retellings that occurred after Madeline Miller's success. This one is better than expected, but still doesnt approach the same level of impact Circe had for me. Still, entertaining and accessible while honoring the bones of the original stories. Happy to have read it, but won't stick with me.

Maybe I'm too close to this one because everything just hit mid. I come from a public safety family which hasn't stopped me from enjoying books featuring first responders as MCs in the past. This one, just... came together a bit messy for me. Which is a shame since I know I have enjoyed LA Witt as a writer in the past. Paramedic MC with detective love interest. Cluster of a case causes a lot of problems. None of this would ever have the opportunity to get this messy in real life and I just couldn't suspend my disbelief about it.

I received an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.

Actual rating: 3.5

LK Steven presents her adult fantasy debut with Silvercloak, book one of a planned trilogy. Main character Saffron is motivated by revenge; she wants to bring the Bloodmoon gang to justice for killing her parents. So much so that she lies to gain entry to the Silvercloak Academy. When she is caught, she is expelled but presented with the opportunity to go undercover as a Bloodmoon. Things become complicated as Saffron is faced with the things she has to do to keep her cover along with the real feelings building between herself and the Bloodmoon kingpin's son. Every lie seems to cost a life.

I have read from LK Steven before under the name Laura Steven. Some of the pacing issues I have encountered before seemed to have been mostly resolved by the shift toward a series rather than a standalone book. I will say that this book really lends itself to crossover age demographic appeal. I sincerely forgot this was an adult novel until there was open door sexual content. Even then, I had to double check sale prices to figure out if we were officially new adult or adult. The magic system is based off of pain and pleasure, which lends itself toward more adult themes. But the writing still had the accessibility and ever-present forward momentum common to YA. This may be a good thing or bad thing depending on the reader. For me, it was fine and I only cared for the purposes of this review.

Steven isn't breaking the genre with this book, though the magic system is a refreshing take on a more "soft" system. There were some convenient power emergences as the plot demanded, which lent toward the deus ex machina of the younger age demographic and made the magic feel more wibblywobbly than might have been intended. There was a decent enough execution of the relationship cycle trope (which cycle, I will refrain from saying for spoiler reasons). I don't find myself particularly attached to the characters, despite there being nothing overtly wrong with them beyond them being archetypal.

Overall, I had an entertaining time with this read and would recommend it to interested parties, though I don't believe I will prioritize the sequel.

A beautifully illustrated picture book which reframes the story of Thanksgiving from the perspective of Weeachumun (Corn) of the Three Sisters (corn, beans, and squash). All contributors are Indigenous from various tribal affiliations. A way to honor Indigenous custodianship of the land and introduce conversations that decolonize Thanksgiving with age appropriate content for children under 10. The authors kindly included historical notes before and after the body of the story. I really enjoyed the story, the art, and the means of beginning necessary conversations even at my big age :)

This was a fun read. Not breaking any genre conventions, not particularly innovative. But a well-executed version of what it was. Aggressive sirens (the water kind, not the feathery kind) and a pirate prince. Enemies to lovers, but YA so expect to keep those vibes. Spice level is basically zero, for those who care about that. Entertaining and a good time.