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Historical fiction debut with an old European folklore vibe that speaks to the difficulties and challenges women face until they take matters into their own hands. A small village in Bulgaria has suffered from a series of misfortunes and of course they blame Anka, an orphan under the guardianship of a powerful Captain. Anka has more to fear from the Captain's growing determination to marry her than from the superstitious villagers. She and a traveling witch secretly find a way to rid the village of a real monster and not just the one created by the witch to drum up business. Another case of women showing intelligence and bravery by helping each other against men's wishes and in secret. A horror tale but not the kind you are expecting. Readalikes would be LAPVONA and ISOLA. 4 stars 
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A girl grows up with an abusive father and her trauma doesn't end with his death. Gripped by OCD that urges her to do violent acts, Penny goes to Camp Whitewood summer camp for help. Even at camp she is plagued by hallucinations that remind her of her dead dad. Is it real or severe anxiety? Horrible things begin to happen to the other girls at the camp and each must come to grips with the Shadow Man. The book is terrifying in two ways - first is the trauma and extreme OCD that have taken over Penny's life and second is the stuff made of dark nightmares. A chilling debut that will have teens and adults jumping at things that go bump in the night. 4 stars  Sisters at odds find a dying sea monster that means one of them must become the wise woman's apprentice. An old school fairy tale from the Cornish coast that features superstitions, mythical creatures and the clash between following the old ways and new religion/science that is coming into their lives. The townspeople are quick to seek the help of the wise woman but just as quick to lay blame when things go badly. Beautiful imagery of the rugged coast and just as rugged people as well as the time honored tales of scary monsters that come up on the shore or lay wait in the waves. A phenomenal debut and I hope to see more from this author soon. Fans of ISOLA and GODKILLER will find much to love here. 4 stars  A sister and the younger brother she has raised reluctantly agree to join the school for witches they have been on the run from their whole lives. Even though Vic does not have magic she manages to convince them she needs to stay by her brother's side and her above average fighting skills may come in handy fighting the many dangers in the castle both within the walls and outside. Battling with mommy issues and lack of control over Henry, Vic tries to understand what happened to her mother and what hidden agenda the Order has. A secret castle with hidden rooms, monsters everywhere, power struggles and an enemies to lovers romance highlight this dark academia with teeth. Hand this to lovers of A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES, A DEADLY EDUCATION and grown up HARRY POTTER kids. 4 stars  George is having a tough time recently dumped by his boyfriend and about to get fired from his dead end job as dog walker when he is saved - sort of. He falls through time staying in Greenwich but in the year 1300. Beaten and then befriended by Simon things are looking up until he is summoned by the king to slay the dragon who is tormenting the countryside. This is a wild ride combining the plus and minus of living the simple life without technology and modern plumbing and trusting love. The junk eating, time traveling, snarky dragon is the best! 4 stars  Two people board a special train with a ticket meant for one leaving them tethered to each other. The fanciful Elsewhere Express gives its lost soul passengers a second chance. For Raya it means finding her own dreams not those of the brother she feels she failed. For Q it brings back his sight so he can paint again. Together they roam the incredible train cars with a mission to help find the stowaway and secure their place on the train. But, the train and staff have secrets that may take these two on a different track all together. Like a grownup Narnia or THE HOBBIT, this magical journey demands that these two souls find each other to succeed in this dangerous quest. Beautiful imagery, world building and broken characters that you want to trust but are not sure if they are who they seem to be. This was true escapism for me! 4 1/2 stars  A boarding school for vampires is letting in a few human students for the first time which is a golden opportunity for a vampire hunter to go undercover. Rebecca isn't there to take out half the school population but instead is tasked with finding a secret book that discloses vampire weaknesses. Trouble begins the first day when she discovers her roommate is a vampire from one of the school's founding families. Sparks fly and the two women go from hate to accidental bonding. They must find the antidote found in the secret book Rebecca is searching for before she is bonded to Alix forever. Rebecca thought she knew everything about vampires and revenge but that was before love got in the way. Dark academia, sapphic enemy to lover romance and both bloodthirsty and mellow immortals come together in this first bite that will have you thirsty for more. A cross between Harry Potter and Anne Rice vampire tale that is sure to please a large audience. 4 1/2 stars  NASA astronauts and a few lucky civilians board a billionaire's spaceship on a lengthy mission to one of Jupiter's moons. The ship basically runs itself so what could go wrong? Something does happen and they make it back to a very different world than the one they left behind. Classic space story with some big twists that will have Andy Weir fans as well as Blake Crouch fans enthralled. This one will leave you waiting in anticipation of the next book and you can easily see it working on the small screen. 4 stars  21 year old Ellory gets a full free ride to Ivy league Warren University and she is not sure why. Within weeks she is dog tired, feeling insecure and doing her best to steer clear of the annoying senior Hudson. Oh, she also thinks she is losing her mind. Strange things are afoot and she has this nagging sense of deja vu. She has never been there before but she somehow knows menus of local restaurants etc. With Hudson's help she needs to figure out what is going on and not fall for him. This dark academia delight stands out for its great character development, fast moving plot full of required but unexpected twists and smart writing. The author takes into account the added drama and challenges of non-teen scholarship students who can't afford (literally) to mess up , drop a grade or get into any trouble as well as themes of racism and elitism. Prepare to fly through this one. Fans of Donna Tartt, ATLAS SIX by Olivia Blake and NINTH HOUSE by Leigh Bardugo will enjoy this. 4 1/2 stars  Vera is whisked back from present day to Camelot after Merlin explains that she really is a version of Guinevere who has been kept safely in the future. Recovering her memories through magic is not going well but with help she is able to pass off being Guinevere even with frequent swearing, standing up for herself, her fondness for long distance running every morning and even introducing the game of rock, paper, scissors to court. Lurking in the shadows is the knowledge that she may be involved in an attempt to kill King Arthur and if she doesn't recover her memory soon the kingdom will lose magic forever. A lively blend of myth, magic, romance and a modern woman with a mind of her own and a heart she doesn't trust. The first of three books that add a fresh breath to the Arthurian legends and a queen we can all get behind to lead. 4 stars  |
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