My reading mood this summer was all over the place but I found some gems so this wanted to share. I am also ready for all things fall but it didn’t feel right to move on without wrapping up the summer!
Packed with action, humor, sex, and big gay feelings, The Z Word is the queer Zombieland you didn’t know you needed.
Chaotic bisexual Wendy is trying to find her place in the queer community of San Lazaro, Arizona, after a bad breakup—which is particularly difficult because her ex is hooking up with some of her friends. And when the people around them start turning into violent, terrifying mindless husks, well, that makes things harder. Especially since the infection seems to be spreading.
Now, Wendy and her friends and frenemies—drag queen Logan, silver fox Beau, sword lesbian Aurelia and her wife Sam, mysterious pizza delivery stoner Sunshine, and, oh yeah, Wendy’s ex-girlfriend Leah—have to team up to stay alive, save Pride, and track the zombie outbreak to its shocking source. Hopefully without killing each other first.
The Z Word is a propulsive, funny, emotional horror debut about a found family coming together to fight corporate greed, political corruption, gay drama, and zombies.
There isn’t really too much to say about The Z Word. It is a fun, campy, and surprisingly gruesome zombie novel that I flew through but has not stayed with me. That said, I think it was a great book to start off the summer with because it was over the top and has the slasher vibes that I like to read during the summer months. There were moments where I wish it went a little deeper and that I could connect to the characters more, but I don’t think that is what the author was going for. It felt cliche at times and there were plot holes, but if you go into it just expecting a campy zombie novel I think you will have a fun time with it.
From the author of The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy comes a heartwarming fantasy with a best friends-to-lovers rom com twist–When Harry Met Sally, but with dragons!—set in the delightful demigod and donut-filled world of Tanria.
The entire town of Eternity was shocked when widowed, middle-aged Twyla Banneker partnered up with her neighbor and best friend, Frank Ellis, to join the Tanrian Marshals. Eight years later, Twyla and Frank are still patrolling the dangerous land of Tanria, the former prison of the Old Gods.
Twyla might look like a small town mom who brings cheesy potatoes to funerals and whips up a batch of cookies for the school bake sale, but her rewarding career in law enforcement has been a welcome change from the domestic grind of mom life, despite the misgivings of her grown children.
Fortunately (or unfortunately) a recent decrease in on-the-job peril has made Twyla and Frank’s job a lot safer … and a lot less exciting. So when they discover the body of one of their fellow marshals covered in liquid glitter–and Frank finds himself the inadvertent foster dad to a baby dragon–they are more than happy to be back on the beat.
Soon, the friends wind up ensnared in a nefarious plot that goes far deeper than any lucrative Tanrian mineshaft. But as the danger closes in and Twyla and Frank’s investigation becomes more complicated, so does their easy friendship. And Twyla starts to realize that her true soul mate might just be the person who has lived next door all along…
The Undermining of Twyla and Frank is the sequel to The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy, which I read when it first came out and thought was cute but wasn’t a favourite. I wasn’t overly enthused to read the sequel, but I received an ALC from Libro.fm, so I figured I would give it a listen. I am so glad that I did because I thought it was adorable and I fell in love with the characters and their relationships. The fact that there was a baby dragon was a bonus! We seem to be getting more and more romances that follow older characters and I have been loving that. I also think that this was friends to lovers done perfectly. The fantasy world and the plot happening in the background were also interesting but it is the love story between Twyla and Frank that has stayed with me. There were moments that were so sweet they brought tears to my eyes!
Revolutionary flames ignite around Annie, Lee, and a brand new POV character in the second book of the Fireborne trilogy.
After fleeing the revolution and settling into the craggy cliffs of New Pythos, the Dragonlords are eager to punish their usurpers–and reclaim their city. Their first order of business was destroying the Callipolan food supply. Now they’re coming for the Dragonriders.
Annie is Callipolis’s new Firstrider, and while her goal has always been to protect the people, being the government’s enforcer has turned her into public enemy number one.
Lee struggles to find his place after killing kin to prove himself to a leader who betrayed him. He can support Annie and the other Guardians . . . or join the radicals who look to topple the new regime.
Griff, a lowborn dragonrider who serves New Pythos, knows he has no future. And now that Julia, the Firstrider who had protected him, is dead, he is called on to sacrifice everything for the lords that oppress his people–or to forge a new path with the Callipolan Firstrider seeking his help.
With famine tearing Callipolis apart and the Pythians determined to take back what they lost, it will be up to Annie, Lee, and Griff to decide what to fight for–and who to love.
I finally read the Flamefall, which is the sequel to Fireborne, but, of course, I have read the last book yet… It is ridiculous because it is a five star trilogy for me so far! Not much I can say about this one because it will obviously spoil book one, but I think this series is a must read even if you are burnt out on dragons and/or you do not read a lot of YA fantasy. We actually got a new POV in this book and that took me a minute to adjust to but I appreciate the new perspective. What I think is so brilliant about this series is that I never find myself questioning any characters’ motivations. I may not agree with every choice that is made but Munda has done such a good job at developing her characters that I understand their choices. That is not always true in fantasy!
Fourteen-year-old Mona isn’t like the wizards charged with defending the city. She can’t control lightning or speak to water. Her familiar is a sourdough starter and her magic only works on bread. She has a comfortable life in her aunt’s bakery making gingerbread men dance.
But Mona’s life is turned upside down when she finds a dead body on the bakery floor. An assassin is stalking the streets of Mona’s city, preying on magic folk, and it appears that Mona is his next target. And in an embattled city suddenly bereft of wizards, the assassin may be the least of Mona’s worries…
If you have been around the blog for awhile, you know that T. Kingfisher is my favourite author and that A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking is my favourite book of hers. I first read it a couple years ago and have read and loved a few books from her since then, so I wanted to see if it still holds up as my favourite, and it does. I don’t know what it is but there is something about Mona that has wormed its way into my heart and I just adore her as a character. I have talked about this book a million times at this point, so you know how much I love it. Don’t be surprised if it becomes a yearly reread for me!
The Honey Witch of Innisfree can never find true love. That is her curse to bear. But when a young woman who doesn’t believe in magic arrives on her island, sparks fly in this deliciously sweet debut novel of magic, hope, and love overcoming all.
Twenty-one-year-old Marigold Claude has always preferred the company of the spirits of the meadow to any of the suitors who’ve tried to woo her. So when her grandmother whisks her away to the family cottage on the tiny Isle of Innisfree with an offer to train her as the next Honey Witch, she accepts immediately. But her newfound magic and independence come with a No one can fall in love with the Honey Witch.
When Lottie Burke, a notoriously grumpy skeptic who doesn’t believe in magic, shows up on her doorstep, Marigold can’t resist the challenge to prove to her that magic is real. But soon, Marigold begins to care for Lottie in ways she never expected. And when darker magic awakens and threatens to destroy her home, she must fight for much more than her new home—at the risk of losing her magic and her heart.
I read The Honey Witch for my witchy book club and it should have been something I absolutely adored. It has my name written all over it! It is obviously witchy and cozy and sapphic. So many of my buzzwords! Sadly, it did not live up to my expectations and I came away from it feeling pretty disappointed. The magic system was the highlight for me and I think there are so interesting ideas in the world that Sydney J. Shields has created and I would be open to reading more from her as this is her debut. What was lacking for me was the character development. I never felt like I was rooting for these characters separately or as a couple. I didn’t see their connection or understood why they felt so strongly for one another. The first half was interesting enough as it was setting up the world and I was intrigued by where the plot was going, but the second half went off the rails and I was laughing in moments that were supposed to be serious. I am usually good at suspending my disbelief, but I just couldn’t in this case. I also felt that there were a lot of plot conveniences and I saw some of the twist from a mile away! As I said, I will keep an eye on this author’s next book though because I see the potential and I like her ideas.
Gotham meets Strange the Dreamer in this thrilling young adult fantasy about a cowardly girl who finds herself at the center of a criminal syndicate conspiracy, in a city where crooked politicians and sinister cults reign and dreaming means waking up as your worst nightmare.
Ever since her sister became a man-eating spider and slaughtered her way through town, nineteen-year-old Ness has been terrified—terrified of some other Nightmare murdering her, and terrified of ending up like her sister. Because in Newham, the city that never sleeps, dreaming means waking up as your worst fear.
WhIether that means becoming a Nightmare that’s monstrous only in appearance, to transforming into a twisted, unrecognizable creature that terrorizes the city, no one is safe. Ness will do anything to avoid becoming another victim, even if that means lying low among the Friends of the Restful Soul, a questionable organization that may or may not be a cult.
But being a member of maybe-cult has a price. In order to prove herself, Ness cons her way into what’s supposed to be a simple job for the organization—only for it to blow up in her face. Literally. Tangled up in the aftermath of an explosive assassination, now Ness and the only other survivor—a Nightmare boy who Ness suspects is planning to eat her—must find their way back to Newham and uncover the sinister truth behind the attack, even as the horrors of her past loom ominously near.
I would describe City of Nightmares as fun yet forgettable. In fairness, I read it in June but the thing that stands out in my memory the most is a Taylor Swift references that took me out of the story! This is another case where I think the execution didn’t live up the premise. I loved the idea of the nightmares and how they were describe and there were moments where this got darker than I imagined, and I loved that. I do think that the author has a sense of humour and mixed that well with some of the heavier themes this book explores. I just think a lot of it was surface level and I wish we dug deeper into the characters and that the plot was more fleshed out because this could have been really amazing! I tried to read the sequel right away because it is a duology but I found myself distracted and ultimately put it down.
From New York Times bestselling horror writer Stephen Graham Jones comes a classic slasher story with a twist—perfect for fans of Riley Sager and Grady Hendrix.
1989, Lamesa, Texas. A small west Texas town driven by oil and cotton—and a place where everyone knows everyone else’s business. So it goes for Tolly Driver, a good kid with more potential than application, seventeen, and about to be cursed to kill for revenge. Here Stephen Graham Jones explores the Texas he grew up in, and shared sense of unfairness of being on the outside through the slasher horror Jones loves, but from the perspective of the killer, Tolly, writing his own autobiography. Find yourself rooting for a killer in this summer teen movie of a novel gone full blood-curdling tragic.
When I look back on my summer reading, it is I Was a Teenage Slasher that stands out as the highlight for me. This is no surprise as I already adore Stephen Graham Jones and there is nothing better than a good slasher in the summer. I also think that this did a lot to subvert what you would expect from the genre and it kept me on the edge of my seat. A lot of this is thanks to the way that Jones chose to tell Tolly’s story. We are reading from the perspective of a killer and it is written as though it is autobiography. That format allows the reader to empathize with him in a way they might not have otherwise. Brilliant! This just feels very Stephen Graham Jones and I understand why his horror isn’t for everyone and there are moments that seem to drag or where he is maybe too wordy or gets losts in the woods but I always find myself engrossed in his stories. Not the author for everyone but certainly the author for me and I loved that!
A deeply emotional standalone romance set in the worlds of professional basketball and high fashion.
Divorced. Single dad. Traded to a losing squad. Cheated on, betrayed, exposed.
My perfect life blew up in my face and I’m still picking up the pieces.
The last thing I need is her.
A wildflower. A storm. A woman I can’t resist.
Lotus DuPree is a kick to my gut and a wrench in my plans
from the moment our eyes meet.
I promised myself I wouldn’t trust a woman again,
but I’ve never wanted anyone the way I want Lo.
She’s not the plan I made, but she’s the risk I have to take.
A warrior. A baller. The one they call Gladiator. Kenan Ross charged into my life smelling all good, looking even better and snatching my breath from the moment we met.
The last thing I need is him.
I’m working on me. Facing my pain and conquering my demons.
I’ve seen what trusting a man gets you.
I. Don’t. Have. Time. For. This.
But he just keeps coming for me.
Keeps knocking down my defenses and stealing my excuses
one by one.
He never gives up, and now…I’m not sure I want him to.
Sometimes you just need to read a Kennedy Ryan romance and that moods strikes me often. In fact, I just finished a book by her and I started another one, but I will talk about those in my September wrap up! I figured it was about time I finished the Hoops series and while all the books in the series are fantastic, I think Hook Shot is my favourite. I think your favourite book in the series will come down to the tropes you like and how you feel about the hero. They are all very different and I just lean more towards Kenan. I am such a sucker for he falls first! Once again, this is a Kennedy Ryan novel so it tackles some heavier themes, some I related to is this case more than I have in her other books, but you can always tell she does research into the themes she explores and everything she writes is rooted in authenticity. I am still not sure if I am the biggest fan of sports romances, but I love what Kennedy Ryan does with them.
Two string players fight their attraction for each other as they compete for center stage in this spicy and emotional romance.
Gwen Jackson and Xander Thorne are both musical prodigies, but each has had very different paths to success. Xander was born into classical music royalty, while Gwen had a natural ear for music that was nurtured by a kind shop owner.
After Gwen performs at his friend’s wedding, she’s mortified when she realizes Xander has no clue who she is—despite having worked together for a year at the Pops Orchestra. But she’s more furious that he arrogantly critiques her performance.
When Gwen is offered the role of First Chair of the orchestra, something Xander had secretly coveted for years, their existing hostility goes up a notch. But their respect for each other’s music is undeniable, and their onstage chemistry off the scale. As they begin to explore their feelings for one another, suddenly they’re box office dynamite and the fragile romance that’s growing between them is in danger of being crushed beneath a publicity stunt…
After I read a Kennedy Ryan novel, I always need to read a lighter romance so I went with Not Another Love Song! Forget Me Not by the same author caught me by surprise and I was excited to see what she would do next. I love books that center around music and honestly those aspects of the story are what stood out to me. I adored Gwen and her passion for the violin and music in general and seeing her pursue her dreams and also accept that sometimes our dreams change. The romance itself was just okay for me. I never found myself coming around to Xander and I wonder if I am just over these Reylo novels.
A darkly funny domestic horror novel about a woman who must take drastic measures to save her husband and herself from the vengeful ghost of her mother-in-law.
When Ralph and Abby Lamb move in with Ralph’s mother, Laura, Abby hopes it’s just what she and her mother-in-law need to finally connect. After a traumatic childhood, Abby is desperate for a mother figure, especially now that she and Ralph are trying to become parents themselves. Abby just has so much love to give—to Ralph, to Laura, and to Mrs. Bondy, her favorite resident at the long-term care home where she works. But Laura isn’t interested in bonding with her daughter-in-law. She’s venomous and cruel, especially to Abby, and life with her is hellish.
When Laura takes her own life, her ghost haunts Abby and Ralph in very different ways: Ralph is plunged into depression, and Abby is terrorized by a force intent on destroying everything she loves. To make matters worse, Mrs. Bondy’s daughter is threatening to move Mrs. Bondy from the home, leaving Abby totally alone. With everything on the line, Abby comes up with a chilling plan that will allow her to keep Mrs. Bondy, rescue Ralph from his tortured mind, and break Laura’s hold on the family for good. All it requires is a little ingenuity, a lot of determination, and a unique recipe for chicken à la king…
I appreciate this genre of weird fiction that has dark humour and follows an unhinged character but they usually end up being three star reads for me. But three stars in a way that I don’t regret reading them and they are usually remember. Motherthing is no exception! It is one of those books where you come away thinking “wtf did I just read?” I would say it is more disturbing than it is horrifying and it is an interesting look at grief. Being trapped inside Abby’s head was suffocating at points but that was obviously the author’s goal and she did it well. There were moments I had to put the book down just to take a break from Abby. Also, give this book an award for its cover. One of my favourites for some reason!
From the bestselling author of The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle and The Devil and the Dark Water comes an inventive, high-concept murder mystery: an ingenious puzzle, an extraordinary backdrop, and an audacious solution.
Solve the murder to save what’s left of the world.
Outside the island there is nothing: the world was destroyed by a fog that swept the planet, killing anyone it touched.
On the island: it is idyllic. One hundred and twenty-two villagers and three scientists, living in peaceful harmony. The villagers are content to fish, farm and feast, to obey their nightly curfew, to do what they’re told by the scientists.
Until, to the horror of the islanders, one of their beloved scientists is found brutally stabbed to death. And then they learn that the murder has triggered a lowering of the security system around the island, the only thing that was keeping the fog at bay. If the murder isn’t solved within 107 hours, the fog will smother the island—and everyone on it.
But the security system has also wiped everyone’s memories of exactly what happened the night before, which means that someone on the island is a murderer—and they don’t even know it.
And the clock is ticking.
I say this every time I write about Stuart Turton, but I am constantly in awe of how he is able to weave a story together. He takes these ridiculous and complicated ideas and makes them work. While the ideas explored in The Last Murder at the End of the World may not be unique, I appreciated Turton’s take on them and what he does with SciFi. There were some twists I probably should have seen coming in hindsight but completely caught me off guard. To me, that is the sign of good writing. There was the perfect amount of foreshadowing that I could have predicted it but I wasn’t beat over the head with it to the point that it was impossible to miss. I think it is one of those books I will appreciate even more if I ever reread it. My only complaint is the pacing. I was completely absorbed at first but felt my mind wondering in the middle and I think the story gets a little bit lost in the weeds and we are given more details then we need but it certainly comes back around and it is worth it in the end!
A dark retelling of the Brothers Grimm’s Goose Girl, rife with secrets, murder, and forbidden magic
Cordelia knows her mother is unusual. Their house doesn’t have any doors between rooms, and her mother doesn’t allow Cordelia to have a single friend—unless you count Falada, her mother’s beautiful white horse. The only time Cordelia feels truly free is on her daily rides with him. But more than simple eccentricity sets her mother apart. Other mothers don’t force their daughters to be silent and motionless for hours, sometimes days, on end. Other mothers aren’t sorcerers.
After a suspicious death in their small town, Cordelia’s mother insists they leave in the middle of the night, riding away on Falada’s sturdy back, leaving behind all Cordelia has ever known. They arrive at the remote country manor of a wealthy older man, the Squire, and his unwed sister, Hester. Cordelia’s mother intends to lure the Squire into marriage, and Cordelia knows this can only be bad news for the bumbling gentleman and his kind, intelligent sister.
Hester sees the way Cordelia shrinks away from her mother, how the young girl sits eerily still at dinner every night. Hester knows that to save her brother from bewitchment and to rescue the terrified Cordelia, she will have to face down a wicked witch of the worst kind.
It is always a good day when we get a new T. Kingfisher! And you know that I read A Sorceress Comes to Call on release day and loved every minute of it. T. Kingfisher is an interesting author because she writes in a wide variety of genres and I completely understand why someone would perform one type of book from her over another. However, she is my favourite author and I eat up anything that she writes from her horror to her whimsical middle grade fantasy. It seems that she is dipping her toes more and more into darker fairytale retellings and I am all for it. She is also great at blending genres and I would say this is the perfect mix of horror, fantasy, and a touch of romance.
Afflicted by a centuries-old curse, a warlord slowly surrenders his humanity and descends toward madness. Ballard of Ketach Tor holds no hope of escaping his fate until his son returns home one day, accompanied by a woman of incomparable beauty. His family believes her arrival may herald Ballard’s salvation.
…until they confront her elder sister.
Determined to rescue her sibling from ruin, Louvaen Duenda pursues her to a decrepit castle and discovers a household imprisoned in time. Dark magic, threatening sorcerers, and a malevolent climbing rose with a thirst for blood won’t deter her, but a proud man disfigured by an undying hatred might. Louvaen must decide if loving him will ultimately save him or destroy him.
A tale of vengeance and devotion.
My journey with fantasy romance has been an interesting one and I am still learning what works for me and what doesn’t, but I think I am starting to learn that I can rely on Grace Draven. Radiance remains my favourite romantasy and it will be a difficult one to beat, but Entreat Me is up there. I am always impressed when I like a Beauty and the Beast retelling because that is rare for me. I think Entreat Me reads as more inspired by that tale than a true retelling and that worked for me. It felt more fantastical than other retellings I have read and it explored other relationships, including that between sisters and father and son.
The lives of two women—one desperate only to save her missing sister, the other a witch destined to become queen of Norway—intertwine in this spellbinding, powerful novel of Viking Age history and myth from the acclaimed author of The Witch’s Heart.
Oddny and Gunnhild meet as children in tenth century Norway, and they could not be more different: Oddny hopes for a quiet life, while Gunnhild burns for power and longs to escape her cruel mother. But after a visiting wisewoman makes an ominous prophecy that involves Oddny, her sister Signy, and Gunnhild, the three girls take a blood oath to help one another always.
When Oddny’s farm is destroyed and Signy is kidnapped by Viking raiders, Oddny is set adrift from the life she imagined—but she’s determined to save her sister no matter the cost, even as she finds herself irresistibly drawn to one of the raiders who participated in the attack. And in the far north, Gunnhild, who fled her home years ago to learn the ways of a witch, is surprised to find her destiny seems to be linked with that of the formidable King Eirik, heir apparent to the ruler of all Norway.
But the bonds—both enchanted and emotional—that hold the two women together are strong, and when they find their way back to each other, these bonds will be tested in ways they never could have foreseen in this deeply moving novel of magic, history, and sworn sisterhood.
The Weaver and the Witch Queen is one of the more successful books we have read for the witchy book club I am a part of! It is not the kind of book that first comes to mind when you think to recommend a book with witches but it is solid, unique, and there is a larger romantic plotline than I anticipated. I don’t know much about Norse Mythology, but if you do, I think you may appreciate this book even more than I did. I love the relationships, both romantic and platonic, and there were moments where I felt emotional, which caught me by surprise. I didn’t realize just how attached I was to the characters until something would happen to them. We are given two perspectives and both characters are flawed but I understood their motivations. I also liked the different types of magic that were explored. Very atmospheric and one that I actually think about more as time goes on.
The Dark Kingdom is preparing itself for the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy–the arrival of a new Queen, a Witch who will wield more power than even the High Lord of Hell himself. But this new ruler is young, and very susceptible to influence and corruption; whoever controls her controls the Darkness. And now, three sworn enemies begin a ruthless game of politics and intrigue, magic and betrayal, and the destiny of an entire world is at stake.
This was a weird summer for me in terms on my reading mood, so there were a few books that I put down but plan to try again later, but Daughter of the Blood was a solid dnf. It was another book club read and only one person finished it and she struggled to do so. This book was popular when it came out in the 90s and it is said to have inspired ACOTAR (which is a series I haven’t read so I can’t comment on the similarities) but I am not sure that it holds up. Admittedly, there was one storyline that intrigued me and if that was the only POV we followed I would have loved this but I don’t know how to say this other than to say that a lot of this gave me the ick. I also think it was too convoluted and I felt like I was just reading words without absorbing any of their meaning!
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