Before heartbreak shattered her romantic notions, Juliet Wilmont was a fervid romantic ready to chart her great love story wherever it would take her. Seven months have passed since she called things off with her emotionally abusive fiance and yet Juliet cannot find it in herself to put herself back out there with love and dating. During a brief holiday in Scotland, Juliet meets Will Orsino, who invites her to dance with him in a pub where sparks inevitably fly. Despite their obvious attraction, Juliet walks away and never assumes anything more from their brief meeting. The last thing she expects is for Will to turn up fast asleep in her family greenhouse when she finds herself caught in a downpour over half a year later– or that he is the college friend of their next-door neighbor, Christopher. As soon as she gets over her fright of seeing him again the two form a friendship that they quickly realize could have mutual benefits. Juliet wants to put herself back out there, but needs a trial run, while Will needs a safe space to practice romance before he wades into a real relationship. Practicing a relationship that already feels real puts Will and Juliet at odds, with the relationships they’ve resigned themselves to, and the real imperfect beating thing between them.
Once Smitten, Twice Shy closes out Chloe Liese’s Wilmont Sister trilogy, a series where she entwines Shakespeare’s plays with modern-day romances. Reimagining Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, Liese entangles two opposites in a practice romance that verges on something more real than they ever could have anticipated. Juliet Wilmont, once hopeless romantic turned cynic, and Will Orsino, a shy and reserved highlander lookalike chart an unexpected way out of their romantic blocks by agreeing to partake in a practical dating experiment together. From the moment I read the first book in this series, I knew Chloe Liese had created something special and that has not changed from book one to now. Chloe Liese has become one of my favorite romance novelists. Her surefire depiction of contemporary love meeting all aspects of life from mental health, to chronic illness and neurodivergence is both powerful as it is necessary. In her third and final book in this trilogy, Liese showcases her capacity for flawed characters driven to better themselves contained within an effortlessly swoony romance.
Once Smitten Twice Shy, the third and final installment in the Wilmont Sister series offers up an emotional opposites-attract story combined with a fitting homage to Shakespeare. After ending an emotionally abusive relationship, Juliet Wilmont heads to Scotland on a much-needed holiday where a meet-cute in a Scottish pub sparks familiar flames, but ones she can’t hope to fan – not even for a gloriously tall redhead. Hopeless romantics who have turned cynical is a particularly heartbreaking character archetype within the genre and one that Juliet unfortunately embodies. As she steps out after an emotionally abusive relationship she navigates conflicting ideals of love and dating – her innate belief in sweeping love stories clashing with the dark kernel of cynicism instilled as a result of her former partner. But Juliet still believes in love’s possibilities, evident in her extensive historical romance collection and love of the genre. What she doubts is her own notions causing her to overlook flawed behaviors in potential romantic partners. As she practice dates with Will she rediscovers herself and learns that real love doesn’t mean you have to compromise yourself. Will in turn is impacted by his belief that he is a lot to take on as a partner. These competing views are challenged the further they wade into their practice romance and find that for the right person no part of yourself is ever too much to handle.
The representation of chronic illness continues to be a bright spot across this series. I love that Juliet learned to lean on Will when she needed it and that it didn’t focus on diminishing her identity. Owning her chronic illness through the use of her cane and speaking up around her family made me so unbelievably happy. Liese’s depictions of chronic illness and what it means to live as a chronically ill person within the sphere of contemporary romance are profoundly important and I can’t wait to read more from her. Once Smitten Twice Shy is a resounding ode to romance readers and those still discovering exactly what they want out of life and love. My favorite love stories are the ones that celebrate love as discovery and Will and Juliet embody that in the sweetest possible way. Remember that it’s love if she wacks him with a giant shovel and he still has heart eyes only for her (it’s romantic okay). Once Smitten Twice Shy brings a bittersweet conclusion to the Wilmont sisters series. Getting to the end of this trilogy has been an emotional experience and one I am not quite yet ready to leave behind, but I do know that Chloe Liese will be there to deliver more exquisite romances now and forever.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this arc in exchange for review.
This is book four in a seven-book series. As such, former books and events contained within will be discussed.Proceed with caution.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
London is no longer safe. Paige Mahoney, dreamwalker and fugitive, survived her torture at the Westminster Archon, but now fleeing her city is the only way to survive. Secreted away at the turn of the year by new allies, Paige and Arcturus find themselves in Paris, holed up in a safe house awaiting orders from the mysterious Domino Programme. Though she survived the brutality of the torture at the hands of Scion, Paige’s next trial will be to overcome the physical and mental wounds left behind. Left alone in the Paris safehouse with Arcturus, Paige slowly finds her way back to herself and begins to mend, but the resistance cannot wait long, not even in Paris. Paris is a city wholly unlike the one she left behind, complete with a clairvoyant syndicate slightly removed from the martial law of London yet innately entangled in the struggles of the Grey Market and Sheol II, the next clairvoyant Bone Season. With orders from Domino to infiltrate the French government using her dreamwalking abilities, Paige returns to the action and uncovers secrets even her Ranthen allies hoped would stay buried. In a short amount of time, the shadow of the anchor has stretched further over the free world and Paris now stands on a precipice. United, Paige and Arcturus could sway the outcome, but revolutionaries so rarely get to see the fall.
The Mask Falling marks a divergence from the former three books of the Bone Season as the shadow of Scion spreads over the free world and revolutionary and clairvoyant Paige Mahoney fights to come back to herself in Paris after a period of horrific torture. Framed within a quiet Parisian interlude, Paige and Arcturus take stock of their situation and break free from the roles that have guided their paths thus far to decide who they want to be to themselves and to one another. Lulled into a false sense of security, Samantha Shannon waits to dissolve this peaceful home and pull these two back into the gravity of a different clairvoyant underworld, one that plays off the nightmares of Paige’s experiences and the worst of Scion. In her fourth installment of the Bone Season, Samantha Shannon pulls free the bulk of her delicately designed plot to embark into her next act –one that bites as much as its predecessors but leaves significantly deeper scars.
Fleeing into an inverted world of clairvoyants, Paige and Arcturus are entirely on their own in Paris. Drawn down deep into the dank and decrepit catacombs of the Parisian syndicate, Paige physically confronts her wounds – the waterboard where she was tortured and the emotional scars left over from her entire experience at the Archon. Much of the external environment has sharpened to match these experiences. Water falling down upon window panes, showerheads, headboards, and even the solace of Arcturus are overwhelming and send her right back to the basement where she endured her torture. With the Parisian syndicate, Samantha Shannon broadens her playing field. The catacombs filled with human remains and scattered souls waiting to claim helpless voyants were startlingly claustrophobic to wade through as the scope of this world literally delves ever deeper. Paris introduces a world outside Paige’s element and by extension the reader, a shift in the epicenter of Scion and its plots against the remainder of the free world. The Mask Falling engages fully with the idea of Scion as a puppet government upholding the desires of the Sargas, and questions who is comfortable cutting or transitioning those strings to another power. Is freedom even possible if you are trading one cage for another? All of these are things Paige contends with in Paris alongside her future within the Scion resistance outside of London.
The Mask Falling is a book that haunts you in its finality. Both an interlude that wraps you in its comfort and a shipwreck caught up in a tempest, casting you wet and ragged back upon the shore. I am still held in equal parts disbelief and awe at its ending. Representing the next stage in the resistance against Scion, The Mask Falling is a deeper evolution of Paige and Arcturus as individuals. Though she lost a large part of herself in her torture at the Archon, Paige isn’t given long to compartmentalize before returning as a clairvoyant power and face of the Scion resistance. But in Paris, Paige can keep her armor on around others without having to return to the rigid roles she walked within London. Paige remarks to Arcturus that they are finally on equal footing – as fugitives they can be whatever they want to one another without fear, or even shame getting in the way. Much of this book centers around rebirth and the masks that we cast off or place upon ourselves to survive. Yet, Arcturus desires Paige without any facade or artifice but must confront his shortcomings if he is to meet her unmasked. As a Oneiromancer, Arcturus is someone led by memory and it has become its own kind of prison. Though he has held back the weight of mortality for centuries, his attachment to Paige and her mortality to him by extent has left him led by fear. Paris is a place where they both realize that fear has no place within their relationship and that they can be more to one another without feeling like it will detract from all that they are trying to accomplish. Arcturus is her partner in all things, and the safe house in Paris highlights that despite the initial lack of romantic confrontation. Arcturus taking care of Paige during her convalescence, them watching movies together in the living room, and the sunsets on the roof were these little bright patches pushing back against the darkness. I honestly wished they could have stayed there forever despite all that was needed of them.
The support Arcturus lends Paige as she struggles to reassemble herself after torture is extraordinarily gentle. It was gutting to hear him compare his own experiences being tortured alongside the other Ranthen, to hers at the Archon. “But you were alone, Paige” is a simple statement that strikes back at the profound loneliness at the center of what she went through. Unburdening herself is freedom from walking that path alone, and Arcturus is someone she trusts to walk it with. The idea Arcturus purports of identity as something ever fluid, that every day we die because we are constantly in a state of transformation relating to Paige’s recovery of her identity after torture was really lovely. Paige and Arcturus evolve their emotional intimacy and trust substantially during their time together in Paris. Samantha Shannon calls forth this mutual view of the other as home, as both Paige and Arcturus had to flee their homelands because of violence and have found a solid landing place with each other. The revelation that Arcturus’ dreamscape is a reflection of the Guildhall – representative of the safety and trust he found with Paige, but also where she burnt down their prison and freed them both is further proof of that. The overture sequence in Paige’s bedroom after Versailles is them embracing all that they are. In the dark room with Arcturus, Paige learns that her body is not just a weapon to be wielded for pain or for power, but something that can bring her pleasure that belongs entirely to her. Paige and Arcturus find courage in choosing one another despite fear and build a new room together to stave off the pain of their memories.
The Mask Falling is just Arcturus and Paige scheming, healing, and yearning with decidedly mixed results. I love just how much of this book is centered around these two taking in a new side to Scion together and communicating and problem-solving against their new allegiance to the Domino Programme and the Parisian syndicate. Paige confronts her personal limitations after torture and puts herself in some horrible situations but Arcturus is there to remind her that she doesn’t have to push herself to perform and she is more than just her power. Her unconventional decisions hit quite a high point here. The assassination attempt at Versailles ending with Paige burning the entire palace down was pure chaos and honestly, I expected nothing less from her. She’s experienced the horrors of Oxford and won’t let anyone else be subject to another Bone Season and she’ll burn down a centuries-old building to ensure it.
The Mask Falling is so many things at once, a quiet moment to heal before danger darkens the door, and love and trust giving way to betrayal. Part of what makes this fourth chapter so devastating is how quickly Samantha Shannon instills a sliver of doubt and then pulls back the curtain just as fast, but it is quite literally too late. Paige running through the streets of Paris as airstrikes commence desperate to rescue Arcturus, only for a bomb to level the building and Cordier to kidnap her as she frantically screams out her lament was entirely surreal. The Mask Falling introduces key new players – members of the Parisian syndicate, rephs, and the dreamwalker Cade Fitzours stake their claim on the chess board, and will undoubtedly appear in the fight over the future of the Scion Republic. In Paris, Paige Mahoney became something more than Underqueen and Dreamwalker but much like the removal of masks, the shift from those armored facades leaves all doubts laid bare. Merciless in every sense, The Mask Falling is a pivotal forge forward in the fight against an unconstrained empire and the courage it takes to stand unmasked in the face of further violence.
Folklorist Lorelei Kaskel has always been set apart from her peers. None more so than Sylvia von Wolff, her long-time academic adversary, whose scintillating intelligence is matched only by an arresting beauty. All Lorelei dreams of is becoming a naturalist, a profession that will open up the borders to her world and allow her to travel without restriction. But first, she will have to prove her talents on a dangerous expedition to unearth the location of the fabled Ursprung – believed to be the source of all magic and said to harbor untold power. The untested power found within its waters is coveted by Brunnestaad’s king, Wilhelm, who wishes to claim it so that he can forcibly unify his patchwork kingdom. Alongside five nobles and her fearsome mentor, Ingrid Ziegler, Lorelei embarks on an expedition never believing what is in store is the murder of her mentor on their first night on board. Trapped with five other people with competing motivations, one of whom is the murderer, Lorelei faces the likelihood that the violence has not been curbed. Finding their way to the spring has become more pertinent, but Lorelei will have to rely on the only person she knows is innocent, her bitter rival, to make it there. Unburying the truth and discovering a spring known only in myth is enough of a challenge, without bruised hearts and unkindled longing setting them even more adrift.
A Dark and Drowning Tide is an elegantly fashioned fantasy novel that delves deep into the heart of folktales and their origin, as two women in academia fight for their place in the world and what they mean to one another. In her adult debut, Allison Saft serves up a fantasy adventure with a slice of academic rivalry that is both endearing and ardently romantic. Part romantic adventure, but centered strongly around a murder plot, A Dark and Drowning Tide brings a lot into focus but expertly uncovers what lies beneath its mirrored surface. As a longtime reader and admirer of Saft’s writing, there was little doubt in my mind that the yearning in this novel would be excruciating and the prose sublime. Since reading her young adult debut back in the pandemic, Saft has leveled up her craft tremendously and that is no more evident than with her foray into adult romantic fantasy. Exposing the flawed foundations of folklore and their influence, Allison Saft highlights the enduring power of connection in transforming ourselves and finding belonging, with love itself as the catalyst.
Reading A Dark and Drowning Tide was undeniably immersive like the crystalline pools our academics trek towards, holding the key to immeasurable power. As if ensorcelled by a faerie spell, Saft draws you down into dark waters and hits the mark with her mesmerizing prose and snippy back and forth between heated rivals. Stuck on an expedition with five nobles hardened by their shared experiences in childhood and war, Lorelei Kaskel is the odd one out. A Yeva in the kingdom of Brunnestaad, she is granted the status of a second-class citizen, kept inside a gated community with restrictions on travel outside of those walls. Lorelei is haunted, caught up in the grief of the murder of her brother and the feeling of sundering her Yevani identity the further she wades into academia. Trapped with only a narrow way forward, as ghosts from her past and her brother, Aaron, linger on, Lorelei adds another individual to her hauntings – Ingrid Ziegler, her mentor horrifically murdered on the night they depart on their expedition. Hardening her heart and barbed with protective thorns, Lorelei sticks to what she knows to uncover the truth about the murder, yet her rival Sylvia manages to worm her way past those defenses, and all for the better.
Wishing to be a naturalist, Lorelei was instead handed a pen and told to document folktales. In accepting her fate as a folklorist, folktales have become their own kind of armor – something worn as a shield against the horrors of the world but also protection for her vulnerable heart. Allison Saft attaches the meaning behind every story across this novel, as Lorelei uses folktales to make sense of her world, contextualizing human behavior and her experiences along the Ruhigburg expedition. Opening up to Sylvia is in part removing the barriers that have protected her for so long, and acknowledging how they have pushed away someone who could have been a friend and ally. The romance between Lorelei and Sylvia was the slowest of slow burns for one reason and one reason only: these two are idiots. Lorelei and Sylvia were idiots to lovers first and academic rivals second and I love them all the more for it. There’s tension between their misperception of the state of their relationship that plays out rather comedically as they begrudgingly become allies. Lorelei is head too full of thoughts, none of them the right ones, and Sylvia is just unbridled longing and a desire to be seen. Dissolving these barriers is a journey in itself, as they ride across snowy plains on the back of Mara’s, go deep sea diving with Nixies, and endure only one tent trope one night after the next. Allison Saft takes her time drawing together the story these two can write side by side, but it’s one that is entirely hopeful and leaves them in control of the narrative.
In A Dark and Drowning Tide, Allison Saft harnesses folktales as a reflection of societal wounds, and the hurt and hate they reflect and in turn, spur. Lorelei is intrinsically caught up in this as a folklorist and a young Jewish woman, but she inadvertently becomes trapped by story. Lorelei deals with having to sunder parts of herself and her faith if she ever wants to survive outside of the Yevanverte and make a name for herself as a naturalist. Caught up in grief and enduring memory, Lorelei finds power in charting her own story and honoring the memory and sacrifices of those who came before her. Her love story with Sylvia is an extension of that as they navigate a course out of an impossible situation discovering exactly how they were wrong about each other and choosing a future that they can write together. A Dark and Drowning Tide has struck a wonderful harmony with a romance between misunderstood rivals and lost souls finding respite. It’s the kind of book I want to stay wrapped up in forever. Wonderfully layered like what lies beneath some hidden well of power, Allison Saft’s talent lies in her capacity to depict intense yearning, the flaws in believing you know your enemy, and the traumas endured but ultimately survived. This is a story that will undoubtedly resonate with many, leaving behind a kernel of hope that will kindle and then spark into an inferno.
Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing the arc in exchange for an honest review.
Coming up on the Mid-year Book Freakout Tag so late, but better late than never to share my thoughts on the books I’ve read in this first half of the year. I’ll reflect on some of my favorites across genres and my overall reading goal as we move into the second half of 2024. At a glance, I have hit my midway count for my overall reading goal of 300 books and have been hitting heavy on the science fiction and fantasy genres which is so evident here. For those of you unfamiliar with how this tag works, this will be a little snapshot of some favorite reads ala bookish awards categories. All of these will have a singular title as an answer because I love mess and making myself choose between my favorites. This is one of my favorite tags and yet I’ve somehow never actually blogged about it on here. Would love to hear about your answers to these so be sure to comment yours below!
BEST BOOK OF 2024 (SO FAR)
If you’ve been keeping up with my reading over on Goodreads then it shall come as no surprise that a category sweep is Samantha Shannon’s Bone Season series. This was a series I attempted to reconnect with after picking up The Bone Season back in 2020. Twas simply a book I could never have connected to at the time (I was deep in finals season) so I didn’t end up continuing with the next book in the series. They say the right book comes at the right time and never has that been more true for this book series. In my transition into life in London I gave this series another shot and fell in love with it alongside my discovery of the city. It was like I was seeing the city through new eyes, Seven Dials, Soho, and the overall London atmosphere enlivened through the character of Paige Mahoney. The Bone Season is fantasy series excellence and taps into so much of what I love in the genre. The Dark Mirror is the fifth installment and is assuredly Samantha Shannon at her strongest. This fifth book is this series fully realized, in its themes, characters, and deftly constructed plot finally blossoming. After the intense events that concluded The Mask Falling, this sequel is as much a soul-deep reconciliation between Paige and Arcturus as it is an expansion in the fight over bringing the Republic of Scion to its knees. I can’t say more as we’re still 7 months out from publication but I will be reviewing this in November so stay tuned!
BEST SEQUEL OF 2024 (SO FAR)
Allow me to wax poetic about the Burning Kingdoms trilogy for a second. A series innately entangled in rage and morally grey characters uniting to transform an empire draws to a close in this final book that brings all the action and consequences from the end of The Oleander Sword and takes it to another level entirely. Priya and Malini have been further set apart with the cost of their connection blooming with astonishing sacrifice at the end of book two. On opposing sides of the incoming war with the mysterious Yaksa, they will have to sacrifice more of themselves than they ever realized. Alongside Bhumika, these women will fight for the fate of their world and their place within it. Ahead of this read and its publication in November I made an effort to sit down and dive back into the former two books and I really think it enhanced The Lotus Empire all the more (because I had truly forgotten so much). Getting to read the entire series in succession was such a pinch-me moment and it was given such a beautiful ending that connects across books one to three. Tasha Suri, you are a beautiful genius and I will be billing you for the cost of my tears.
New release I’m excited for, but haven’t read yet
The Spellshop is a book I swear I have been seeing everywhere recently. My amazing bookseller coworker and friend, Coco was raving about it in the months leading up to its release and she’s so rarely wrong I really think this is going to be the coziest book ever. So far all I know is that it includes jam, magic, and a little bit of romance, but this all sounds like a recipe for how to reach straight into my heart and make me fall in love. I know there are many other people in my circles that have been yelling at me to read this one so it’s certainly one I want to reach for before 2024 is out.
MOST EXCITED FOR IN THE SECOND HALF OF 2024
It was really difficult to narrow this down to just one title, but I’m sticking with An Academy for Liars by Alexis Henderson for the title I am most excited about in the second half of 2024. Something about the second half of this year feels perfect for all things dark academia and horror. I am definitely a reader influenced by the fall season so this is situated at the top of my reads for the season. Alexis Henderson is an author I’ve wanted to read more from since reading and loving House of Hunger the Fall before last. For some reason, I haven’t picked up Year of the Witching yet even though it’s been sitting on my shelf for an entire year, but I will likely be picking up this one before I get to Alexis Hendersons debut. This fall is unique because there are so many great dark academia/vampire books being published, which seems obvious for the time of year but we really are seeing an unprecedented amount of gothic horror and vampire reads emerging. I have two good friends who have assured me that this is excellent so all there’s left to do is fall right into it.
A BOOK THAT SURPRISED ME
Monstrous Nights by Genoveva Dimova is one novel that challenged my expectations and surprised me in the best possible way. This sequel concludes The Witch’s Compendium of Monsters Duology and throws us right back into the melee with the characters. Tonally I loved this book because it feels like a “where are they now” kind of story where you catch up with the characters after they defeated the BIG BAD, only to find out it’s not so glamorous. Monstrous Nights has that dark atmosphere married with self-deprecating humor and slow-burn romance that just worked for me. The humor was at its height here as all Asen and Kosara want is to rest but they keep getting drawn back into the craziness and the consequences of their actions. I loved everything about this fantasy duology steeped in Slavik folklore. Be sure to check my reviews for Foul Days and Monstrous Nights which are already up on my blog!
NEW FAVORITE AUTHOR
I am on the Sophia Slade hype train and I will truly not be shutting up about it. In fact, my review for Nightstrider will be up later this week, a notably quick turnaround considering that I finished the book just last week. But sometimes you read a book so good from an author so talented you’re left with so much to say. Nightstrider is a book I described as: “Reluctant allies to lovers core and just so bisexual” and I really stand by that initial statement in featuring it here. This debut promised a lot upfront, some of my favorite tropes and storylines intersecting in one dark fantasy, but it absolutely exceeded all of my expectations. Thematically this series is promising and Sophia Slade is not only an author to watch but a new favorite.
NEWEST FICTIONAL CRUSH
Alexandria Bellefleur wrote a fictional man so hot I considered jumping into the book just so I could date him myself. I settled for finishing the book and immediately flipping back to the start to read it all over again. Colin McCory the man that you are. Truly, Madly, Deeply was such a fun romance that at its heart is just bisexuality ✨ A theme I am clearly passionate about. I loved this bi-for-bi romance that draws off of first impressions and how they aren’t always accurate and the preconceived notions of life and dating that are actually holding us back from happiness. Truly and Colin were adorable (and so sexually frustrated) – if you’ve read the Instagram scene and immediately had to throw your phone across the room in embarrassment I see you. I feel you. I am you. In terms of fictional crushes, no one is really holding a candle to Colin right now and that’s so sad. I just want more bisexual men in romance who are comfortable with their sexuality and ready to lay it all down for one person. For more thoughts on this one, read my review.
FAVORITE FICTIONAL COUPLE & NEWEST FAVORITE CHARACTER
Is anyone shocked that this book is being mentioned in two categories? No? Great. If you’ve talked to me in the last two months then chances are this book series has come up at least once. And it was probably me begging you to give it a try if you hadn’t read it before. The Bone Season is winning a double feature for my newest favorite main character and favorite couple. I could write essays about how much I love Paige Mahoney individually and her love story with Arcturus Mesarthim that begins here in book one of the Bone Season. Samantha Shannon delivers a character that is arguably one of the best modern fantasy heroines (though this world is anything but modern) and begs you to try and not root for them. Paige, a young clairvoyant Irish woman escaped the fall of her country to the violent Republic of Scion to further fight for survival from the inside. She’s complicated, still figuring herself out, and makes plenty of mistakes in her journey as a revolutionary. But her tenacity and tremendous courage in the face of such violence is astonishing. Paige finds a connection she never anticipated with her Rephaim warden and effective jailer when she realizes they both are held prisoner by the powers at Oxford. There’s so much longing intertwined with gentle moments you will genuinely lose your mind and go grey as these two accept they have feelings but still somehow try and compartmentalize (I could go into heavy detail… and I will…I will go into heavy detail). But just not here definitely read my full review of The Bone Season if you’d like to hear more.
BOOK THAT MADE ME CRY
Second chance romance found at the scene of the crime? Fork found in kitchen. Jessica Joyce’s sophomore novel is a powerful romance involving the pain and joy in reconnection and how we can soldier that path back to a relationship that both hurt and fulfilled us in the past. I love mess so the concept of two exes that have to set up their friend’s wedding together while avoiding what went wrong in their own relationship immediately had me adding this to my tbr. You With a View, Jessica Joyce’s first novel was just all-around excellence and her emotional breadth astonished me. That is very much on display in her second book as well. Georgia and Eli had some serious issues that caused the dissolution of their former relationship but attempt to move past those things and return to their partnership built off of something wholly different. This entire book had me in the feels and I really think I came out the other side a changed person. Jessica Joyce supremacy!
BOOK THAT MADE ME HAPPY
Cozy science fiction is my new obsession and The Stars Too Fondly was the perfect book to delve into this emerging subgenre for the first time. Certainly, I’m a bit biased because Emily is a dear friend of mine, but this book is so incredible and needs to be on your list. Combine a little bit of discovery, found family, queer romance, and scientific hubris and you have this book. Emily Hamilton balances out those darker moments with her delightful crew of characters stuck on a spaceship and beholden to strange new powers. We’ve even got rom-coms and iced coffees in space! The Stars Too Fondly was just a delight to read and left me grinning.
BOOK TO READ BEFORE THE YEAR IS OUT
I’m seated. the booksellers are scared and asking me to leave because it “hasn’t even published yet” but I’m simply too seated. Wings of Starlight being announced not two weeks out from my rewatch of the entire Pixie Hollow movie series where I and a friend talked at length over the Clarion x Milori movie potential and what the plot would consist of. I have the gift of prophecy. Feeling more than slightly vindicated that this book exists and that one of my all-time favorite authors is the one writing it. From their minimal screentime, Clarion x Milori serve that intense longing that I know only Allison Saft will be able to provide. Listen there’s something about lovers torn apart by a tragedy finding that they can be together after years of putting the other person behind them that will never not miss for me. Wings of Starlight just sounds excellent and there’s no doubt in my mind that this is going to heal my twelve-year-old self. Top on my list to get through before the year is out.
MOST BEAUTIFUL BOOK BOUGHT
You’ve come this far only to see another title by Samantha Shannon….but do not fear because this is the last category on my list. I think the redesigned covers for The Bone Season series revisions are some of the prettiest things in existence and The Mask Falling is my favorite because of the green. Literally who is surprised. The gold foil, the raised lettering on the cover, and the rich endpapers have sold me on buying this entire series in hardback format. I love how each book features the predominant symbols and buildings from Paige’s environment. The language of flowers is very important across the book series and they bloom out from the edges. I am frothing at the mouth just looking at this and am scared to say how often I find myself staring at my copy.
It’s the year 2059 and in the Scion Republic, no clairvoyant is safe. Born with the ability to connect and harness the aether, clairvoyants have been hunted and killed at the behest of the Republic of Scion for centuries. Since coming to London after her home country of Ireland fell to Scion, Paige Mahoney has discovered her clairvoyant abilities and set herself at the right hand of one of London’s most revered criminal underlords. Paige is a Dreamwalker, a powerful type of clairvoyant that can send their spirit outside of their body, and she is the only one of her kind. After an unforeseen arrest on the Underground Paige is taken to the Tower of London where she awaits her expected execution. Instead, Paige comes face to face with the true leaders of the Scion Republic, and they have plans for her that she never could have dreamed. As part of a decadal cull of clairvoyants, Paige and her fellow prisoners in the tower are taken to Oxford where they are placed into the care of one of the Rephaim, the true beings behind Scion, to be trained against the hostile creatures of the Netherworld. Though Paige must accept that her entire world is a lie, built in service to beings of immense power, she will survive. Even if it means placing her trust in her mysterious Rephaim caretaker.
Finding my way back to the Bone Season, a series initially published ten years ago has been quite the journey. When I embarked on a reconnection with this series I truly had no idea that it would become one of my favorite series of all time and one that I immediately jumped back in to reread. The Bone Season juxtaposes two worlds on a knife edge, the everyday world of Amaurotics, or those without power, and the unseen world beneath Scion, where Voyants reach and glean knowledge from the aether. Scion London reflects this almost instinctively, with a criminal underworld of voyants that emerged in the aftermath of persecution to resist in the face of outright extinction. Samantha Shannon tests this fragile split with Paige Mahoney, a young woman arrested and taken far from home, we soon learn for the second time. Paige is a tenacious young woman through which we gain knowledge of this flawed world and the truth behind the oppressive Scion regime.
Paige Mahoney walks the sharp divide between worlds. A Dreamwalker held prisoner at Oxford, Paige is thrust into the world behind the one she thought she knew and faces everything entailed in retaining her agency and control over her power. Though there are many key relationships in Paige’s story, it is her emerging alliance with her Rephaim keeper, Arcturus that changes her entirely. There’s nothing I love more than a stoic man who is just trying to hold himself together and Arcturus Mesarthim is that man. He places emotional regulation above all else and draws heavily on the sarcasm, but it soon becomes clear his motivations aren’t the same as others of his kind. Arcturus is a calculative and powerful ally, yet he holds the potential to save or ruin her – a balance that unexpectedly they both hold over one another. The emphasis on agency across this novel interacts with Paige and Arcturus’ tenuous friendship as much as it does them as individuals. I appreciate the depth to which Shannon exposes Arcturus’ past and the revelation that he is as much of a prisoner as Paige is within Oxford. Samantha Shannon tests the notion of what home is, through Paige being taken away from her second family, to Arcturus, an individual who has been greatly impacted by circumstance. Paige’s connection to her home country of Ireland, and the Imbolc Massacre that pushed her into Scion as a child holds heavy weight in her new situation.
What we think to be flashbacks to Paige’s past spanning across the novel are dispersed as dreams delivered in between scenes from Oxford. Narratively this works to integrate readers into Paige’s character, but these shifts back to the past are in fact Arcturus’ powers as a Oneiromancer as he dreams her memories. He’s learning her story at the same time as the reader, grounding those memories in the present. This is treated aptly as a violation, and Shannon uses this as a real roadblock as the two try to work together and build trust. But at the same time who doesn’t love a person who has seen every flawed part of you and still believes in your inherent rage and your loyalty? The inability of Arcturus and Paige to tell the other the truth without having heard the truth from the other first was all too illustrative of who they are as people and deeply hilarious to read. The humor really emerges when these two are verbally sparring and refusing to cede anything to the other. The kind of trust they develop with one another as they unburden themselves out of necessity lends itself to the deeper romantic connection they uncover. Paige and Arcturus further challenge that classic immortal and mortal pairing with the openness and honesty within their relationship that is on even footing. He romanced the heck out of her by simply calling her by name or “little dreamer,” and I’m pretty sure he had no idea he was romancing her. In sum: I am wrecked for all other fictional men. (The scene in the trap room of the Guildhall you will always be famous). In The Bone Season, Samantha Shannon brings to fruition a world of clairvoyants set against a power determined to excise them and wrestles with the continued cost of resistance and the sparks required to burn it all down. The Bone Season is a masterpiece of fantasy, intricately wrought with strenuous alliances, clairvoyancy, and a profound urgency to fight for a better world.
Before the Shattering the world was magic. Then humanity leeched the nutrients out of the world to harness the magical properties of the Numinar trees and in the wake of the smoke and death, one man bargained with a god. There were once many gods, those who emerged into the world from the depths below to thrive under the trees. That all changed in the aftermath of destruction when Tolemne braved the dangerous aether below to take an audience with the god, Kluehnn, to restore a broken world. Kluehnn agreed to restore the world to what it once was, but the price would be as steep as the act itself and would enact an indefinite debt upon countless lives. As Kluehnn restored the world piece by piece half of the citizens would be wiped out and the other half would be transformed into new forms. Years after escaping restoration, Hakara, a miner, is sent down into the depths of the earth to harvest god’s gems, tithes for the god Kluehnn. During a dangerous rappel, Hakara accidentally swallows a gem and realizes she can harness its magic and the power of the gods themselves. In the wake of this news, four individuals are set on a path to break free a world built in service to a dark god.
The Gods Below is a fierce and ambitious series starter from fantasy author Andrea Stewart with alluring depths you could wander aimlessly into if not for her skillful story weaving. Stewart is a fearless guide, switching between a young woman who will do everything to right the past, her sister who must fight to survive in a restored world, the daughter of an outcasted clan seeking to restore her family in the Sovereign’s good graces, and her cousin who braves the depths of aether below to follow in the great Tolemne’s footsteps. In a world that bears the consequences of humanity’s greed, Stewart highlights the power of the exploited to harness the abilities of gods.
There’s a lot packed into The Gods Below, four competing perspectives and intricate worldbuilding vie for attention across this first installment. Andrea Stewart is one author I trust to bring it all together. With her signature knack for delivering steadfast but flawed characters, Stewart introduces a climate ravaged by greed and the power struggle that emerged in the aftermath of a decimated world. From refugees desperately fleeing their restored homelands, to those left behind to either die or become something other, Stewart shows how these power systems do not discriminate. Firming up this view is Hakara, a young woman who fled her country with her sister Rasha before restoration could take them, and a painful separation that happened after a failed border crossing. Two sisters separated by borders who diverge further and further in their experiences, and two cousins fighting for a different world take the center stage in this inventive new trilogy. In deep caves lie many secrets, like the god’s gems that are the key to harnessing a power to destroy their godly oppressor. Hakara is the bridge into this strange new power and the hidden rebellion movement fighting back against Kluehnn and the next wave of restorations. The rebellion focus was by far my favorite portion of the story, fully realized with layered plotting and relationships. The relationship between Thassir and Hakara was an interesting mirror reflecting two individuals drawn into a conflict they didn’t intend to be a part of initially to suit their own ends. I love a good reluctant allies to lovers storyline and Thassir and Hakara were serving that so hard. Thassir’s backstory and that twist at the end is what propels this story toward what is sure to be hard hitting sequel. In a world riddled with ash and smoke, Andrea Stewart brings together characters with competing worldviews and motivations to rebel against an ancient power. The Gods Below features strange magic, cute cats, and a group of determined characters who bear the brunt of the mistakes of generations past and the ability to fight for a better world.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review.
Margot Rhodes, current high schooler and jack of all trades has never found a skill that she couldn’t hack, and then inevitably discard. But her latest foray into archeology may have taken it a smidge too far. After scheming her way onto a school archaeological trip to Italy while lacking all the necessary skills, Margot plans on following in the footsteps of Van Keane a teenage explorer from 1932 who mysteriously disappeared on the hunt for a mythical artifact. The Vase of Venus Aurelia has long been believed to hold tremendous power, but it hasn’t been seen in almost a century. Luckily, explorer Van Kean left behind a journal, and examining the last tie to this missing boy could help unite the vase. Walking in his footsteps one evening Margot finds herself in a room with an incredibly lifelike statue of Van Keane which then comes to life. The real-life Van Keane is the opposite of the romanticized version Margot had manifested in her head, prickly and driven by a sharp determination to right the wrong of a century ago. Margot and Van begrudgingly agree to team up to find the missing shards and restore the past to right. Spread out across Italy and guarded by intense challenges, the quest for the shards and the treasure won’t be easy and may come at the cost of their own hearts.
Falling in love with the statue you brought back to life while searching for the shards of a missing artifact that may grant you your heart’s greatest desire? It’s more likely than you think. Rachel Moore’s sophomore novel is for anyone who loves The Mummy, high-stakes adventures, and romance novels, all wrapped in an incandescent Italian summer. Margot Rhodes, A high schooler known to try everything and commit to nothing, schemes her way onto her school’s archaeological trip to Pompeii but gets more than she bargained for when she accidentally ignites an age-old search for the mythical Vase of Venus Aurelia. As a lover of romantic adventures, Moore is the author I’ve been waiting for. Us in Ruins brings together some of my favorite things across history, romance, and myth in one young adult standalone.
Us in Ruins follows the formulaic narrative for an adventure romance while carving out new paths for its two main characters. Framed in the architecture of Italy and its history, Us in Ruins centers on an unlikely partnership between soft-hearted Margot and stubborn former statue and explorer Van Keane, overshadowed by moments of yearning and keen understanding. I needed a fun romantic adventure in my life and this absolutely nailed that, while serving an unexpected amount of angst. Margot Rhodes, our protagonist, is searching for meaning in any way that she can after her mom left in search of bigger and better things. Pouring over Relics of the Heart, an adventure romance her mother left behind gives Margot inflated ideas of adventure and a love story of her own. The search for the shards of the Vase of Venus Aurelia and her grumpy companion in this endeavor ironically shatters those notions. Moore suffuses that classic grumpy sunshine pairing but in an adventure setting where their competing personalities could stand in the way of the treasure. I love how Moore developed trust between these two. Van may be the first person to see the real Margot lingering under the surface and he ultimately realizes that he judged her unfairly. Margot is a kind person who aches for love and affection from those she most cares for. She twists herself inside out time and time again to be something different, to be someone worthy of love – as if the person she was before her mom left wasn’t good enough. Moore highlights how misguided this is while an entirely different love story blossoms all on its own. Us In Ruins is for the people who want too much but don’t know how to reach for it, who are so scared of disappointment that they never settle for just one thing — who ultimately find solace in the love that they never expected to be granted. In her latest, Rachel Moore expertly balances adventure, cleverness, and heart, as two complete opposites realize the real quest might be winning over the other completely.
Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review.
It’s finally summer, aka the best time of the year for new releases and beach reads. As a firm believer that a beach read is simply any book you would bring to the beach to read I’ve curated a list of new books dropping this summer that should definitely be in your beach bag. 2024 is the year of some phenomenal debuts, particularly in the science fiction and fantasy genres. You’ll find quite a few featured here as well as several new books by my all-time favorite authors. Jump into the summer with a cozy zookeeper fantasy, a meta-villainous romp, queers in space, an intense Hollywood thriller, and the next great retelling.
The Phoenix Keeper by S.A Maclean
Step inside San Tamculo Zoo and experience a whimsical cozy fantasy complete with a sapphic rivals to lovers romance. In a zoo abounding with magical creatures a zookeeper works to save a critically endangered species of firebird, and must rely on her college rival turned colleague in order to turn things around. The Phoenix Keeper is the perfect blend of cozy atmosphere, fantasy, romance, and heart. Impossibly, it feels like the inhabitants of San Tamculo Zoo have leapt off of the page fully formed and each chapter brings you further into the grounds. S.A. Maclean hones in on species conservation and the bureaucratic setbacks that make it all the more challenging. The stakes are as high as the tension between two workplace rivals turned allies who decidedly don’t have feelings for one another. Expertly paced and laced with romance and intrigue, Maclean takes readers through the day-to-day operations of San Tamculo Zoo and the lives and loves of the charming zookeeping staff. The Phoenix Keeper had me wishing I was stepping through the gates of this zoo and getting to experience the magic of these fantastical species for myself. Maclean’s debut is a vivid cacophony of color, fluttering wings, and magic that you won’t want to miss!
The Stars Too Fondly is a cozy and queer science fiction debut about the price of progress at the expense of the many, and a generation seeking salvation among the stars. Featuring: a diverse cast and fun twisty spacetime adventures –not to mention the accessibility of iced drinks and rom-coms on a spaceship (a priority if you have queers in space). Prepare to fall hopelessly in with Hamilton’s crew of loud and loveable characters that feel like their own kind of family and love just as large. Emily Hamilton manages to pack a ton of information into her debut, balancing out the interpersonal conflicts with a compelling discussion of space exploration and scientific hubris. I loved learning more about the lore of the Providence crew, what went wrong in the initial launch, and the reveals with the dark matter and its powers. Altogether just a delightful mashup of romance and science fiction that will appeal to many readers inside and outside both genres.
The Seventh Veil of Salome by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
One can always count on Silvia Moreno-Garcia to provide the book of the summer. Enter 1950s Hollywood, where actresses who pulled themselves up from the bottom fight for fame and the roles of a lifetime. The role that could propel current unknowns to stardom this time around is that of Salome, a legendary figure in art originating from biblical texts. The role of Salome is given to Vera Larios, a former unknown Mexican actress who is now an object of envy and desire. One such envier, Nancy Hartley, has always believed herself worthy of fame and finds that Vera is the one standing in the way. Framed between Vera’s and Nancy’s experiences and the story of Salome, Silvia Moreno-Garcia explores the mythologization of women through art in the past and within the studio system itself. Myths bend with reality and the studio system becomes a playing field for temptation, gossip, and unknowable pain. The Seventh Veil of Salome ties together a racing thriller with historical fiction and in classic Silvia Moreno-Garcia fashion, it’s just brilliant.
Dymitr is a monster hunter, a task passed down through his family line that comes at great physical cost. However, it is his latest mission that could prove the most deadly: to track down the famed witch Baba Jaga and seek her favor. Across the streets of Chicago, in the dark alleyways and boarded-up buildings, Dymitr hatches a plot with one of the beings he has been tasked to kill. Ala, a cursed Zmora who feeds on fear agrees to help Dymitr in exchange for a cure for the curse that will one day claim her. Veronica Roth harnesses a dark, folkloric urban fantasy about pain and the cost of redemption in this startling fantasy novella. The modern setting of Chicago combined with Slavik monsters makes for a unique playing field for this quest narrative. One of my favorite things that Roth depicts are the knights of the Holy Order and the power that they wield, which comes at a cost. Dymitr’s ability to kill monsters comes from a sword that is embedded in his spine that he has to painfully remove anytime he makes a kill. Part of this quest for Ala and Dymitr is the weight of these generational struggles and the pain in excising them. When Among Crows packs a lot into one novella and all of it is making me crave more from Veronica Roth.
Trapped by an abusive mother with a power of compulsion over her, Cordelia lives her life in fragments. There are no secrets between mother and daughter, and how can there be when there are no doors in their home and no relationships to call her own. Now her mother has uprooted them to a wealthy manor house, where an unsuspecting family find themselves her next victim. T. Kingfisher ingeniously reimagines the Brothers Grimm’s, Goose Girl in a tale overflowing with witchery and trickery. A Sorceress Comes to Call is a Regency fantasy that stands on the gap between a light, comforting fairy story, and a dark fantasy merged with horror. Kingfisher has written compelling and distinct characters who fight to cast off evil and are all the stronger for it. Cordelia steps out of the compulsion she has been placed in by her mother, and Hester casts off her constraints to find happiness. Both journeys were immensely satisfying and included moments of humor, wit, and of course, horror. T. Kingfisher is a tried and true author in many genres, and A Sorceress Comes to Call is yet another retelling to relish.
The last thing Nova Porter is looking for is love, and too charming for his own good Charlie Milford threatens to break that resolve down to its measly crumbs. Whether that be trying to reel her onto the dance floor or helping her tattoo studio ahead of its opening anything related to Charlie spells trouble. However, Nova can’t back down from their mutual attraction and convinces Charlie of one night to beat their feelings. But unfortunately, it doesn’t do a damned thing. B.K Borison takes us back to Inglewild in this final installment that delivers on all of the steamy moments and wonderful relationships. I love the flipped grumpy sunshine couple dynamics that Borison does here with Nova as the black cat and Charlie as that overly open and sunshiny protagonist. The chemistry between these two is off the charts right from that initial scene at the wedding where Charlie is being so earnest and Nova is just freaked out by it. Charlie Milford is the book boyfriend of book boyfriends (I mean he reads historical romance? Girl marry him). Business Casual is a bittersweet farewell to Inglewild and all of the characters that have taken up so much space in my heart. Nova and Charlie bring on the tenderness and vulnerability and this series conclusion seriously hit me in the feels.
Long Live Evil is my first Sarah Rees Brennan novel and legitimately one of my favorite books of this year. Playing off of classic fantasy tropes, but subverting genre traditions, Sarah Rees Brennan delivers a fresh fantasy debut that asks the question: what would you do if set loose in your favorite fantasy series? Long Live Evil packs in the adventure but takes a nuanced approach to narrative and character archetypes. With villains running amok and heroes testing the boundaries of their morality, Long Live Evil isn’t your standard fantasy novel. It’s a campy, meta, absolute ball of a time and a reading experience I will not forget soon. A layered story within a story with an unexpected third layer (the original narrative that is seemingly changing), Long Live Evil embraces all the nuance, pop culture references, and hilarity. Brennan pushes the boundaries of storytelling through this portal fantasy with layered narratives within narratives and a scintillating blend of humor undercut by moments of intense poignancy. Bring on more chaos, morally grey characters, and schemes!
Goddess of the River is an epic that charts the life of Ganga, a goddess of the river who becomes entrapped as a mortal after her godlings bring down anger from a powerful sage. Her pain is to remain stuck in human form until she births the godlings who will become trapped as mortals themselves. Patel shows memory as fluid as a river and the decisions that set a kingdom on a path to war. As Ganga experiences motherhood and the love that moves her to kill her godling children to free them back to their original form tragedy continues to be wrought. Once Ganga returns to the river she is an observer of her final child, Bhishma, stuck in his mortal form and forever apart from her. Patel molds her epic like a river charting its meandering course. At the center of this river are the issues of dharma, memory, and the rigid choices that bring further suffering. With multiple branching perspectives and interwoven lives around the river Goddess of the River is the kind of retelling I imagine will stand the test of time. I’m sure there are many people who feel that retellings are oversaturated in the market but Vaishnavi Patel proves once again that it is the Westernized mythologies that are overplayed. Goddess of the River is the kind of story I want to read over and over again.
Everyone’s favorite traveling cleric is back, partaking in a journey most gothic, with an unexpected twist, a transformative teapot, and hidden secrets tucked in the corners of a once powerful fortress. The Brides of High Hill is the fifth installment in The Singing Hills Cycle, one of my favorite ongoing fantasy novella series. The Singing Hills Cycle remains an entirely immersive series no matter what adventure Nghi Vo is delivering, but in no way is it ever predictable. I admire how this series interacts with genre and story and each bite size story is a new foray into both of those things. The Brides of High Hill has a prickly atmosphere and an aura of mystery that overhangs Cleric Chi’s latest adventure. Nghi Vo is high up on the list of my favorite authors. With each passing addition, I am left lingering on the talent of Nghi Vo’s worlds and words. Oh, do I want to live within them forever!
Part historical, part romance, and modern time travel narrative, The Ministry of Time is a captivating debut with something in it for every kind of reader. Set in the distant future, an unnamed civil servant is given the job offer of a lifetime for a mysterious project within the government. In secret, the government has somehow developed the ability to travel through time, but they have no idea of its viability or the effect it could have on human bodies. The solution: grab individuals from strenuous periods in time who were already fated to die and pull them into the current century. Her job is to be a bridge for one of these individuals, to cohabitate and monitor them as they adjust to modern-day life. Historically, Commander Graham Gore died in an expedition to the Arctic undertaken in 1845 but now he’s her new roommate and she is tasked with acclimating him to the modern day. The Ministry of Time is an invigorating debut that is as comedic as it is devastating. Teaching a strapping Victorian man about germs and feminism has got to be one of the funniest running bits in this story. Testing generational traumas and loyalties, The Ministry of Time is an exceptional debut that highlights the cost of love and maintaining our humanity. Certainly not one to miss!
Kosara has reclaimed her shadow and her magic, returning peace to Chernograd. Her Ex, The Zsar of Monsters, has been successfully entrapped within the magical barrier separating Chernograd from Belograd and citizens can now freely travel between the two cities. All is as it should be, but Kosara cannot shake the feeling that something isn’t as it seems. She hears the Zmey reaching for her in her dreams and monsters that should have been banished have found their way back into Chernograd. She has not seen Detective Asen since they parted ways after their quest, but now powerful witches are turning up dead and the barrier between the living world and the one of monsters is fracturing and it might be their fault. Asen follows his own leads with the murders despite his superiors directing otherwise and finds himself back in Chernograd where he and Kosara join forces to uproot the truth. Kosara and Asen follow the clues and the bodies and uncover just how complicit they are in the state of current affairs.
If you’ve ever finished a book and wondered what happened to the central characters after they defeated evil, Genoveva Dimova reveals that it’s not so glamorous. Asen and Kosara successfully managed to trap the Zmey in the wall, but after a series of murders primarily targeting witches begin to surface they are soon dragged back into their last job and the ghosts that refused to stay buried. There are no confessed feelings or happily ever afters in store for these two and avoiding one another is impossible what with a bloodthirsty witch killer on the loose. Dimova brings on the slow-burn romance, monster pets, and delightful schemes to round out her Witch’s Compendium of Monsters duology.
If Foul Days is an adventurous mystery set alight with Slavik monsters, Monstrous Nights is its dark and violent sister that underpins the events of the first novel to bring further evil crashing down onto Chernograd. Everything rests on Kosara’s shoulders since she defeated the Zsar of Monsters and established herself as a source of strength in her community. Kosara harnesses tremendous power not only after her bout with the Zmey but with the twelve witch shadows now in her possession. Their presence threatens to change her completely as every passing spell alters her appearance at great personal cost. Meanwhile, Asen denies his connection to Kosara as he ruthlessly tracks the smuggler Konstantin Karaivanov, the man responsible for killing his wife several years ago. Monstrous Nights is my favorite kind of sequel, maintaining the humor but pulling apart the issues initially framed within Foul Days. Kosara and Asen are two people who just want to rest, read some romance novels, and continue to deny their feelings for each other, but they keep getting interrupted by the most absurd things imaginable. One thing I thoroughly enjoyed was the development with Asen and his Varkolak transformation. Dimova has previously featured monsters as characters but there had yet to be any kind of monstrous transformation among the main cast. As Asen adapts to his Varkolak side, he meets others like him in Chernograd, now his home as monsters cannot pass through the wall into Belograd. The Varkolak romance book club had me laughing and Asen getting way too into A Night of Passion With the Upir Lord was so adorable and unfortunately very on brand for him. The niche communities and personal moments are given much more time to evolve in Monstrous Nights as Kosara and Asen work to build peace on their terms. This sequel is just so good all around. Its protagonists weighed down by the past and guilt when all they want is to rest, Monstrous Nights is a thoroughly rewarding conclusion to a duology formed by magic and empowered by community.
Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing this advance copy.
At the dawn of every new year for twelve days the veil between worlds thins, and the city of Chernograd is beset by monsters. As a witch residing within the walled city, Kosara uses her talents and magical abilities against the monsters that plague the town. After she fled from her ex, the Zmey, or the Tsar of Monsters, Kosara knew she would spend the rest of her life outsmarting him. When she is betrayed on the eve of the foul days, Kosara is provided a way out by a mysterious card player who can get her over the wall for a price: her shadow. A witch’s shadow is a powerful thing, without it witches slowly succumb to the shadow sickness and become little more than shadows themselves. Kosara agrees and finds herself on the other side of the wall, free of monsters and bereft of her shadow. Kosara grows ill and when rumors of an individual collecting witch’s shadows reach her ears she plans to steal hers back. But she’ll need the help of Asen, a Belogradean detective to uncover a plot that runs deeper than a simple bargain between card players. The past and the history of the wall converge, and Kosara discovers a link to an enemy who could be brought down for good.
Witchery and card tricks go awry in Genoveva Dimova’s, Foul Days, a book that brings Slavik folklore and monsters crashing together with one witch’s search for agency. Foul Days is like a giant melting pot of all my favorite kinds of characters, tropes, and types of fantasy stories, wonderfully interspersed over one novel. We have monster hunts, dead bodies cropping up, Baba Yagas’s hut wandering around, and even an ongoing heist. Genoveva Dimova supplants readers into the walled town of Chernograd one night before monsters descend on the city.
Dimova contrasts two cities, one free of monsters, the other trapped by a magical barrier. I was immediately caught by the vibrancy of Chernograd, the snow-banked streets, and derelict spires rising out of the magic-infused plumes of smoke. And the characters, worn in from their surroundings but tenacious all the same. Even the monsters in Foul Days become characters of their own. Readers that enjoy their books heavy on the characters and dynamics will rejoice in this debut. Kosara is a flawed and stubborn protagonist who comes face to face with the consequences of her past and her personal limitations. Cheating at cards spells her doom and sets off a chain of events that lead to the loss of her shadow, a physical manifestation of her power. Kosara’s loss details the further impacts of abuse and one victim’s search for a reclamation of herself. Mystery and murder flourish as Kosara seeks to cement her identity after an abusive relationship and ultimately decide who, or what, she wants to be. Foul Days is not without a wry, self-depreciating humor that emerges out of the dark moments and rounds out this immersive story. With snarky dialogue between Kosara and Asen and bureaucratic nonsense like the Witch and Warlock Association pamphlet, Foul Days has an underlying humor that I wholeheartedly enjoyed. Romance slivers in between a hunt for clues as two reluctant allies find commonalities despite their stations and livelihoods. Asen is seriously the cutest and Kosara eventually sets aside her untrusting nature with him. The Witch’s Compendium of Monsters Duology delivers on so many fronts and it’s one of my new favorite duologies. Abound with Slavik folklore and magic, Foul Days bridges a dark fairy tale with an intriguing mystery as an unconventional duo, a witch and a determined detective join forces to uncover a conspiracy that runs deep into the history of their respective cities and the monsters that run rampant. Foul Days promises messy protagonists fighting to find their place, entrenched with magic, mayhem, and monsters galore.
Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review.
Literaryrobin 