book review: empress of forever

There I was, minding my own business and going to work like an adult, not thinking about NetGalley at all. But one day, they said that I could read an excerpt Empress of Forever, the new Max Gladstone novel right now, so of course I downloaded it immediately. And let me tell you, that was very nice of […]

book review: ranger confidential

A friend recently handed me “Ranger Confidential” by Andrea Lankford and told me I had to read it. Now, I am neither outdoorsy nor have I visited that many parks, but this book was a fun read. Over the course of the vignettes, Lankford introduces us to a colorful cast of characters, from the overly […]

book review: the queens of innis lear

The first time I read Shakespeare’s King Lear, I hadn’t slept in about three days and so simply let myself sink into the play, hoping no one asked me any specific questions after the fact. (Spoiler: they did! I did not fare well.) This experiential immersion that I let myself fall into transported me to the […]

review: the plastic magician

The Plastic Magician is the standalone followup to the Paper Magician trilogy and was just as much a delight as the first three. One reader has described this series as “cozy fantasy”, which I find to be particularly apt! In this story, Alvie migrates from the United States to the UK in pursuit of her apprenticeship […]

book review: The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

When I first picked up The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, I have to say I was underwhelmed. We come to as Sebastian Bell does, bereft of any memories or context, wondering who he is and what we’re all doing here. Plus, murder. It was hard to get in to, I have to admit, tagging […]

book review: shadowsong

“It is not the wolves you need fear, but the sheep skins they wear.” In S. Jae-Jones’ Shadowsong, the sequel to the spellbinding Wintersong, we meet Liesl as she tries to navigate yet another new world–her own. From the splendors of Vienna to the harsh country of Bavaria, we follow Lisel through her efforts to free her […]

book review: uprooted

You know those books/days where you start reading in the morning, when it’s bright and the birds are singing and then, the next thing you know it’s been dark for hours and you’ve just finished the book? And you’ve got that confused, fuzzy feeling like you’ve been unceremoniously booted back into consciousness, but you’re still […]

review: tess of the road

In Tess of the Road, by Rachel Hartman, women are expected to be ladies, men are their protectors, and dragons get to be whomever they want. Tess sets out to instantly subvert this order of things as soon as she can, and of course has many great adventures on the way as she comes of age […]

review: the beautiful ones

I have been listlessly staring at my bookshelves (and random piles of books around the house, who am I kidding) for months now, hoping for one of those books. I was looking for a book that would necessitate a break from reading, just so I could take the time to collect myself and my emotions […]

october shorts

October every year means reading all of the spooky fiction and ghostly (non?) fiction that I can get my grubby little paws on. It is the perfect time of year to slink a little further under the covers with each story and revel in the tunnel vision that I inevitably succumb to, feeling the darkness […]