howlinglibraries's Reviews (1.85k)

Most of you are surely already aware of how much I love Talia’s writing in general, but her stories are usually contemporary romance—which she excels at, don’t get me wrong, but I’ve been in such a paranormal mood lately that, when I heard she was releasing her first ever paranormal romance novella, I was freaking pumped.

They were fated, after all. They were written in the stars.

Mating the Huntress is a short little story about a woman from a family of werewolf hunters, who’s in for quite a shock when she learns that a local Were has not only taken an interest in her—he’s recognizing her as his fated mate, destined to fall in love and live happily ever after with him in his adorable little woodland cottage. I mean… it’s precious.

In typical Talia Hibbert fashion—and, as you can guess from the synopsis, no doubt—Chastity is not having it for a while. She’s been raised to view Weres as these blood-crazed, murderous beasts, and she’s content to keep viewing them that way, even if the Were who’s just asked her out on a date is incredibly handsome… and sweet… and funny… I digress. Chastity is a self-assured, sexy, intelligent, angry, and slightly violent woman, and I loved her, even though I occasionally wanted to smack her upside the back of her head.

Now, for the first time, he knew loneliness. Felt the gap of her absence. Felt true hunger.

Fun plot, kick-ass heroine, and atmospheric setting aside, it wouldn’t be one of Talia’s novels without a devastatingly adorable, lovable, sweet hero. Having dealt with anger issues in his younger days, Luke’s an artist now, using his wood-carving skills to keep his rage at bay—and doing a damn good job of it, considering how calm he manages to stay while Chastity is calling him names and, er… trying to murder him…

Seriously, though, these two characters are so damn cute, and I loved watching them gradually connect as Luke manages to show Chastity and her family of huntresses that things aren’t exactly what they’ve assumed them to be in the world of Weres. The entire “mating” aspect was one that might sound peculiar if you’re not accustomed to fantasy romance stories, but if you are, Talia pulls it off really well and keeps things perfectly consensual and fun. No gross, pushy alpha males in this pack! (Not that there really is a pack, because Luke is kind of a loner, and, well… I’m getting off topic again, aren’t I.)

She wasn’t sweet or gentle or biddable. She was a bloodthirsty fucking murderer. His heart sang.

If I had to pick one single favorite thing about Mating the Huntress, I’m pretty sure it would be how ridiculously enamored Luke is by Chastity’s violence and general bloodlust. I know it sounds odd out of context, but there are multiple moments where Chastity is just being this rage-filled little monster, and Luke is left swooning over her, and it’s just downright adorable. Alternatively, her outbursts tend to create a lot of tension, which leads me to my next point: as always, Talia’s steamy scenes are well written, with a refreshing focus on mutual pleasure, consent, and a little dominance with a lot of love behind it.

If I had to make any complaint, it would be that I wish this story was longer! I would absolutely love for this to have been written as a full novel, which would have given Chastity a little more time to believably overcome the prejudices she’d been raised in (and more time for Luke to be an angsty, lovestruck puppy). Then again, does wanting more of a story even count as a complaint? I adore everything I’ve read by Talia so far, and I’m positive I will continue to do so in the future!

All quotes come from an advance copy and may not match the final release. Thank you so much to the author for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Oooh, this was so delightfully weird and unique and, at times, a little gross (in a good way). Full review coming soon!

This was absolutely fantastic — easily one of the most fun horror anthologies I've picked up in ages. RTC!

If you've ever caught yourself thinking, "Man, there really aren't enough queer AF westerns in the world, are there?" (I have!), let me tell you, Stage Dreams is everything you've been looking for. It follows the heist of a Latinx woman and her new captive-turned-friend, a lovely trans southern belle escaping her father's wishes that she join the Confederate army. While the story takes place during the Civil War, not much of it actually focuses on that element; primarily, we're here to watch two ladies break into a party, steal a map, and fall in love in the process. It's cute, it's heartwarming, the art is lovely, and I enjoyed it so much.

Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was sadly one of my least favorite additions to the series (but don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed it a ton!). I think it just felt very disjointed, though I can't help but wonder if it's also a subconscious recoiling from the idea of these girls going their separate ways in life and seeing this series come to a close when I'm so not ready to say goodbye.

For the record, though, the panel of McGraw finally breaking down over a certain event... my heart hurts a lot.

“ANOTHER THING ABOUT THE RULES:
They weren't meant to be broken.
They were meant for the broken to follow.”

I’ve always loved stories written in verse, so when I heard about this own-voice tale of the struggles that toxic masculinity and systemic racism place upon young black men, I was immediately interested. I wanted to focus on supporting as many new-to-me black authors as possible in February, and Jason Reynolds was at the very top of my list. This man has a writing voice that absolutely needs to be heard.

“But if the blood inside you is on the inside of someone else,
you never want to see it on the outside of them.”

Will’s words are so haunting and broken; he’s lost his big brother, his hero, and now all he wants is to follow the rules – the rules that he’s been taught his whole life. The rules that say the only fair response to the wrongful death of a loved one… is revenge. Will knows his mission is probably going to leave him in the same state as his brother, but it’s all he’s equipped to do. It’s such a powerful metaphor for toxic masculinity and the ways in which it prevents boys and men from knowing how to cope with trauma in meaningful, productive ways – not through their own faults, but because they’re never been shown a better way.

“Just remember, when
you're walking in the nighttime,
make sure the nighttime
ain't walking into you.”

My only complaint was that, while the events were hard to stomach, things moved so quickly and with so little development or preamble that, by the time I felt attached to Will or his pain, I was turning the last few pages. I would’ve loved to have seen this story fleshed out a bit more; most of the pages have only 10-20 words printed on them, and I just think that, had this been written like most verse novels, where there was a solid paragraph or two per page, it would’ve carried the impact across so much better and would have meant that much more. That said, I still absolutely loved this book and cannot wait to see what Jason Reynolds releases next.

You can find this review and more on my blog, or you can follow me on twitter, bookstagram, or facebook!

Last Case at a Baggage Auction was an incredibly fun, suspenseful read that genuinely kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. I love stories about haunted, possessed, or otherwise cursed objects, so I was immediately intrigued by the concept of this terrifying gramophone and its addictive music, but I wouldn't have guessed at the unique direction Eric took this in! I won't spoil anything, of course, but the reveal as to what exactly was wrong with these records fascinated me, and I loved the fantastical, eerie journey that Charlie, our narrator, sets out on.

I don't get to read a lot of historical fiction set in the mid-1900s, but I really enjoyed the setting and some of the little details that were thrown in to really give it that 50s/60s atmosphere. The characters are complex and most of them tend to be likable without meaning to be; they're flawed folks, for sure, but they're relatable, too. Gail, Charlie's girlfriend, was easily my favorite character and quite the unsuspecting heroine, though I have to say, I also had a big soft spot for Vic, the elderly Hungarian man who runs the local indie bookshop Charlie frequents. (What can I say? I'm a sucker for old booksellers!)

All of that aside, Last Case was just one hell of a fun, engaging read. I flew through it but still left feeling perfectly satisfied with the way everything wrapped up despite what an involved story Eric managed to fit into this short number of pages, and I can't wait to read more from this author. I highly recommend this story to anyone else who also loves the "cursed object" trope, and I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did!

Thank you so much to the author for providing me with this review copy in exchange for an honest review!

Vol. 1 ★★★★★
Vol. 2 ★★★★★
Vol. 3 ???

Please, universe, if you're listening, don't ever let C.S. Pacat stop writing amazing queer stories. ♥

Seriously, though, I knew I would adore this and I was right. Pacat is an absolutely wonderful writer who is so proficient at scripting these lovable (or hate-able) characters and storylines. I was interested to see how she'd handle a contemporary sports-based plotline, with how vastly different it is from the Captive Prince series I cherish so dearly, but she did an amazing job with this, too.

On top of how fun and quick-paced the plot is, there's a delightful (and diverse) cast of characters—my favorite, of course, being the sweet, effeminate Bobby—and Johanna the Mad's artwork fits the story perfectly with its bright colors, expressive faces, and occasional homages to typical manga-inspired art moments (i.e. the random switches to chibi faces ♥).

The entire volume is honestly just perfection. I got to root for a lovable underdog, rage at a hate-worthy-brooding-arrogant-jerk antagonist, learn a little about fencing, and get wholly sucked into this little universe to the point where I'm already dying for volume 2 to release. I will probably read and recommend everything Pacat ever writes, and Fence is no exception.

Vol. 1 ★★★★★
Vol. 2 ★★★★★
Vol. 3 ???

Totally unsurprisingly, this was amazing and I adored it. The art is gorgeous, the characters are so lovable, and the plot is fun and quick-paced. I liked that we got to dig in a little deeper to the dynamics of a handful of characters (including sweet Bobby, who I love!), and we got to see some precursor to what I hope will be a couple of really lovely romances. ♥ I can't wait for Volume 3!

#1 Vol. 1: Madly Ever After ★★★★★
#2 Vol. 2: Fluff My Life ★★★★☆

While I didn't love this volume quite as much as the first, it was still such a fun read that I couldn't put down and I'm excited to continue the series! This volume didn't have as much humor or wild antics (aside from the first few pages), but it traded off with some really fascinating world-building as it gave us a glimpse of so many different parts of Fairyland. It feels like Skottie Young's imagination must be a ridiculously large place, with how vast and varied Fairyland is, and that's perfect for this sort of story.

Plus, it's really damn funny/sad to watch Larry's life grow bleaker and bleaker the longer he's stuck with terrible Gertrude.