bookish_selkie's Reviews (2.14k)

A New Lease on Death is an imaginative book that poses the question of what you would do if you were a ghost stuck in limbo. Cordelia seems doomed to passively haunt her apartment in death. Then a young woman named Ruby moves in and Cordelia decides to try to connect with one of the living. Desperate for a job, Ruby also starts to question some of the strange things related to her neighbor’s death. Is murder still lurking around the building? 

It took a bit to hook me, but at a certain point I was fully invested in the shenanigans of Cordelia and Ruby. They have great banter together and some hilarious scenes as they work through the challenges of spirit communication. The twist at the end as to the real murderer was satisfying and well-thought out. I hope there are more adventures with Ruby and Cordelia to come! A New Lease on Death is a lighthearted cozy mystery that is perfect for spooky season. 

Thank you to Olivia Blacke, Minotaur Books, and Netgalley for a free audiobook in exchange for an honest review. 

Sorcery and Small Magics is the story of Leo and Sebastian- two magicians who couldn’t be more different. While Leo is content to avoid complicated magic and stick to small charms, Sebastian has lofty aspirations. Despite their animosity, they need each other. Leo is gifted with the ability to write magic spells, while Sebastian is able to cast them. When a spell casting goes very wrong, Sebastian and Leo must work together to undo it before they risk serious consequences. 

Sorcery and Small Magics is a well-paced and enchanting read. I couldn’t put it down! Sebastian and Leo have excellent chemistry and I loved their banter-filled conversations. The way their magic fits together like a puzzle only serves to infuriate them further in their interactions, which was great. The twist on the spell was beautifully done! The fantasy world-building was very interesting and I'm looking forward to it being further explored in book two. Readers who enjoy forced proximity, slow-burn queer longing, and enemies-to-lovers will enjoy Sorcery and Small Magics. I can’t wait for the adventure to continue in book two! 

Thank you to Maiga Doocy, Orbit and Netgalley for a free audiobook in exchange for an honest review. 

Januaries is a magical anthology from Olivie Blake. The anthology features a wide range of short stories that deal with love, betrayal, fairy tales, magic that comes with a price, and so much more. Some of these stories have been published before, while others are brand-new. I can’t wait to get a hard copy! I listened to this on audio and was in complete awe of the cast of audiobook narrators that participated. Every story was narrated with care and intention.

I really enjoyed the creativity of “The Wish Bridge,” which questions how the fairy tale creatures that wait by a bridge to strike bargains might feel about it.  

One of the stories that really stood out and I loved was “Monsterlove,” which is impressively narrated by Alex Palting with spirit and fervor. In “Monsterlove,” a mother grapples with the cost of having a baby. The pain, joy, and longing come across in vivid emotions that you can literally hear in Alex Palting’s voice. It’s beautiful, sad, and heartbreakingly real. 

“Chaos Theory” absolutely broke my brain with how clever it was. When I initially started the story, I thought things were going a certain way and then Olivie Blake expanded the entire universe of the story in a way that I never considered. I loved all the characters, the exploration of chaos theory, and the difficult choices they had to make. 

“Sous Vide” was hilarious and I loved the concept of cooking for demons/eldritch horrors who really love your food and dispense some forbidden life advice along the way. 

“A Year in January” was bittersweet and kind. A man places an ad for a roommate and is surprised by who answers him. The mental health rep was excellent. One of my favorite lines was “sometimes things are real even if they aren’t.” 

I enjoyed something from every story and would highly recommend this magical anthology to anyone.

Thank you to Olivie Blake, Macmillan Audio, and Netgalley for a free audiobook in exchange for an honest review.