This was MASTERFUL!!! I did not go into this book expecting to get a five star read out of it, frankly; this type of fantasy romance is typically not my cup of tea. HOWEVER. It was EXCEPTIONAL! The romance was beautifully done, the magic system incredibly well fleshed out, the plot and intrigue paced to perfection, and the characters were amazing!! The setting lent itself perfectly to the drama and intrigue, and ugh. I cannot describe the way this book made me feel. I was genuinely rooting for Robin and Edwin the entire time. I love this book. 

The best way to describe this book when reading it is like being wrapped in a hug. The characters are so lovable, the plot is amazing, and just the ambiance… I’m obsessed, to say the least. As a grimdark fantasy reader, I didn’t think that the cozy fantasy genre was for me… I was ever so wrong, and I’m glad Travis Baldree showed me that, because this was just. I felt safe reading this book, and it was perfection. 

Again I… got what I signed up for. Despite the gore, despite the violence, despite the disgusting visuals and the true sense of dread, Triana’s writing is practically inescapable. As much of a joy as anything extreme horror can be. 

Another incredible read from Brandon Sanderson. This collection of novellas absolutely surprised me in its commentary of the state of our minds, and what reality is — and if it even matters what “reality” is. The titular character, Stephen Leeds, is incredibly likable, as are his “aspects.” The plots were fascinating, and reading the novellas didn’t feel like reading novellas - it felt like reading a 3 part book, and that was outstanding. This is book is one part Sherlock Holmes, one part psychological thriller, and one part coming of age story. Phenomenal. 

I actually surprisingly liked this book? It was fucking gross, for starters — I dont have any triggers, not much really makes me feel anything, but some of the visuals in this made me, uh, nauseous. To say the least. 

However, I liked how everything came together at the end, and I enjoy a good, bleak horror novel. 

And this was bleak. 

I adore this book. I think it’s incredibly unique, and marvelously well researched. Somehow, Brooks manages to use the vessel of a zombie apocalypse to address the military machine on an international scope to maximum efficacy, but more than that, as a way to address the core of humanity: perseverance. I’ve read this books numerous times, and despite it being a story about zombies, it’s the humanity of it that always gives me pause. 

I cannot believe John Gwynne is gonna leave me hanging like that. Oh my GOD I am furious, but oh my GOD that was incredible. 

True to fashion, this book was INCREDIBLY exciting — the battle scenes were well-written, the world building continued to expand, and the characters motives and plots began to grow clearer. I seriously adore the way that Gwynne writes epic fantasy. My only gripe is that there were some slower spots, but I DID eat up the last 100 pages with a FERVOR. 

This was hovering around a 4 for me, until the end!!! The three POVs FINALLY make sense, everything comes together, to leave you on this INSANE cliffhanger. 

Additionally, as somebody who LOVES Norse mythology, this book is totally a love letter to Vikings and their belief system. I am absolutely in love with it, and I enjoyed every single second of the world building. My only complaint is that it’s a little hard to see Gwynne’s vision until maybe the last 2 chapters of the book — there’s not really any solid connection in the plot or clear evidence as to where it’s going until the last… 100 pages, maybe. 

I received this book as an eARC from Compass and Fern, LLC, and I have to say, this absolutely exceeded my expectations. 

The best way that I can describe this book, or compare it to something, would be to the Search and Rescue Woods stories in the subreddit nosleep, or maybe, in the same vein, the stories in the SCP Foundation archive. Essentially, the story follows a team of researchers looking to study a glacier deep in the Sierra mountains, and as soon as they enter, they begin to experience anomalous activity. 

This book was an utter delight for me, and will be for fans of horror, specifically situational horror, or that kind of backpacking horror that forest/remote settings tend to provide. I enjoyed the way that Harian blended multiple storylines together into something cohesive, as well as challenging our typical ideas of time and space. I definitely experienced some dread as these mysteries were unraveling, which is absolutely what I’m looking for in a horror/thriller. The only reason this book isn’t a 5-star rating for is that I felt like all of the action was concentrated pretty heavily in the middle half of the book, making the last 25% of it feeling a little bit like a resolution, instead of that high-intensity action that the middle of the novel contained. Considering this is a series, I would’ve loved for it to end on a punch-you-in-the-gut kind of action, but it fell just a little flat if that. 

All of that being said, I GREATLY enjoyed this book, and I look forward to its release in January! 

I think there is something profound in the way Yoder creates this foray into motherhood and womanhood — I think it truly addresses some of my deepest fears as a young woman, through the use of the Nightbitch, and that, in and of itself, is worth the read. However, it was a bit slow in spots, and the narrative style — no quotations, etc — did make it a little bit difficult to read at parts. I also think that there would’ve been some benefit to establishing whether or not the main character was falling into delusions or if this was actually a magical realism type of story. So, while it was good, there were some aspects I wish would’ve been done a little better. The message, however, remains incredible.