We return to the Wood with its new caretaker, just a couple years after we last encountered Tobias and Silver. Mrs Silver (Henry’s mother) and Tobias need Silver’s help on what should’ve been an easy supernatural case - rescuing a young woman who was abducted by a 900-year old vampire in a neighboring town. What starts as a very straightforward case quickly turns into a journey to Fairyland, meeting the Fairy Queen, and ultimately saving the ancient Wood to which they’re all tied. We wrap up this slightly longer novella with a satisfying ending, and readers are left to imagine the beautiful lives that our favorite characters go on to lead at its conclusion.

I managed to read this in one sitting! When an author manages to write deep, compelling, and emotional characters in the span of 100-odd pages - I am always floored. Tesh created beautiful, fleshed-out characters when she wrote about Tobias, our dear Wild Man of the Wood, and Henry Silver, a dangerously curious human. When Henry (affectionately referred to as Silver by Tobias) discovers and meets Tobias for the first time, he is not put off by his wild yet solemn nature. Tobias certainly didn’t expect to feel anything in return, but finds himself slowly opening up to Silver. In the process, he also uncovers parts of his past that he would’ve preferred to stay buried.

In the span of the first dozen pages (give or take a few), we meet four detectives in four different decades all in London. All of these detectives have one thing in common: they’ve stumbled upon the exact same body of a victim in the exact same location in each of their respective time periods. Their mission is to solve this case, but they unearth a plot much larger than they could possibly imagine.

This graphic novel inspired a TV show of the same name and to be quite honest, I preferred the TV show. I was hoping the graphic novelization would expand on the story, but I thought it lacked a lot of the character development and intrigue that I loved in the TV series. There were a lot of changes made from page to screen, and I think they helped me appreciate the characters (whether I loved them or hated to love them) and the underlying bigger plotline a lot more. Most of the plots in each storyline were simple to follow in the graphic novel, but the end was extremely confusing, and I was left wondering if I’d experienced a happy or sad ending. Altogether, I found it unsatisfying, though the art was brilliant and the concept was really cool! I would only recommend this as extra reading to those who have watched the TV show and are interested in checking out the source material and some additional lore. Newly interested folks: check out the Netflix series.

THIS BOOK WAS BEAUTIFUL. While I absolutely should’ve reread Daughter of the Moon Goddess before picking this one up, I fell back into the world of the Celestial Kingdom quickly - Tan really knows how to immerse her readers! Xingyin has been reunited with her mother, only to risk losing her and everyone she loves yet again. She is forced from the moon once more and embarks on a new quest to save the immortal realm from a new threat. We meet many new faces as Xingyin explores the Immortal Realm, but are also welcomed back by some familiar ones. The love triangle between her, Liwei, and Wenzhi is executed beautifully - we bear witness to Xingyin’s inner turmoil as she battles matters of the heart while also actively engaged in life-threatening battles. The climax of the plot demands a sacrifice greater than she’s ever known or will know again.

Tan urges readers to read just ONE MORE chapter with plot twists unfolding rapidly as the drama and urgency continues to escalate. The ending is poetic and hopeful, and allows readers the opportunity to imagine how each character’s life will play out while also feeling like a satisfying close to the duology. I am happy to report that the tears shed by the end of this book were happy tears.

I highly recommend this duology to anyone who loves fast-paced fantasy, especially to those who love fantasy elements drawn from Chinese mythology.

I saw this book mentioned in passing by someone who said they were working on unlearning patterns of behavior, and resonated with the topic, though I’d never heard specifically of non-defensive communication (NDC). I tried to take my time with this book, only reading a chapter a day to make sure I digested all the information laid out. I found myself wanting to take notes and acknowledging that I am much more susceptible to defensive language and communication than I previously considered. Ellison does a remarkable job at breaking down what seems like a mountain of information into bite-sized steps that feel realistic and achievable. I’m looking forward to using some of the tools I’ve picked up from this book!

Agatha Paul is a visiting professor at the University of Arkansas doing research for her next piece about weddings. Millie Cousins is a (second-year) senior RA who just wants to graduate, find a job, and buy a house (totally normal for a 24-year old). When Agatha asks Millie to arrange a sign-up sheet in the residence hall for her research project, neither of them realizes the journey they're about to embark upon.

Juggling multiple POVs, Reid provides readers detailed backstories for Agatha, Millie, and, eventually, Kennedy's characters. Money, influence, desire, and loneliness are the main forces propelling this cast forward as we watch them make poor decisions that will continue to stack up and completely bottom out at the climax of the novel. Don't worry, though, there's somehow still a satisfying and realistic ending to these messy stories.

Reid masterfully weaves her characters' storylines together in a way that is unbelievably realistic. For those who have attended a small-town college, you know what it's like to have everyone in your business and for word to get around like wildfire! Reading this was like stepping back in time to my senior year of undergrad, relating to the struggle that was balancing every aspect of life at that time.

This book had me gasping out loud, dropping my jaw, and exclaiming "WHY" over and over again.

Our main characters, Beth and Gwen, become fast friends at the beginning of Beth’s first season as a debutante. Neither of them is particularly interested in pursuing a husband, but there’s financial pressures abound on Beth and her mother. After uncovering some of their living parents’ past, Gwen and Beth decide to try and set up their mother and father - a seemingly simple solution allowing them to spend more time together as friends without worrying about money or courting a husband. 

It’s a simple solution until a wealthy viscount begins to court Beth. Lord Montson is kind, occasionally funny, and would leave Beth and her mother financially secure for the rest of their lives. There just seems to be one problem: Beth can’t stop thinking about Gwen and how marriage will devastate their friendship. 

More chaos ensues: Gwen and Beth’s parents rekindle an old flame until political issues and Beth’s betrothed tear them apart, Gwen and Beth realize their feelings of affection go deeper than friendship, and they struggle to find a way to end Beth’s engagement. Naturally, there is a happily ever after (more than one, actually) and we are satisfied with the end results of all the longing, pining, and suffering all parties endure throughout the book. We’re even introduced to the next round of characters who will comprise Alban’s follow-up novel!

All in all, if you like sapphic pining, tender and SLOW friends-to-lovers romance, steamy and romantic Victorian undressing scenes, you will undoubtedly love this book.