This was such a fun little short story to read! It's a reimagining of Bluebeard myth, which I personally am not incredibly familiar with.

Rhea is fifteen years old and the miler's daughter. She is approached by Count Crevan, who wants her hand in marriage. As a peasant girl, she can't say no to a lord, despite him being her father's age. Rhea knows this isn't right and knows something wrong is going on, but her parents can't do anything. The lord invites her to visit his manor in the dead of night before they marry, and Rhea has to reluctantly do it. Once she arrives, she gets the horrible shock of discovering Lord Crevan has married six other women and she will be the seventh. She confronts him, and he gives her increasingly impossible tasks to complete in order to not marry him.

This retelling definitely subverts parts of all fairytale retellings. One thing the writing did well was just portraying just the absoluteness wrongness of marriage and the youngness of Rhea. I listened via audiobook and the childlike nature of Rhea is very evident. I love the main character though and her kindness and strength to accept she will get through what she needs to. She also has a very cute hedgehog sidekick that accompanies her and she tries to stop their marriage. If you want a super quick but developed short story, pick this up!

Nettle and Bone flips the script on fairytale retellings, telling the story of Marra, a 30-year old princess who goes on an adventure to rescue her sister from her evil husband. 

Marra is a socially awkward and third princess of her country who lives at a convent. Her family are the royals that preside over a small country that connects to the harbor, constantly at ends with the larger kingdom to the North and South. Her eldest sister, Damia, was married to Prince Vorling of the Northern kingdom as an alliance but she died shortly after. Her next older sister, Kania takes her place and marries him next. Marra learns her sister is being abused by the prince with her life at risk and decides she must do something about it. She leaves her relatively safe life to travel to a dust-wife, a "witch" that communicates with the dead and asks her what she must do to kill the prince. Marra is set three impossible tasks, and once they are completed she will get the help she needs to defeat him. This weapon turns out to be the crew she assembles in her journey. 

This novel subverts fairytale retellings and creates something new from the aspects of common fairy tale stories. There are godmothers, faeries, princesses and princes, but this book is definitely something completely different. It's a very refreshing fantasy that features a much older main character and also imbues more concepts that are horror based, which I loved since I've read her horror books. The plot is almost simplistic with minimal world-building but I think this is one of the books where you just enjoy the journey rather than the destination.

Character wise, Marra struggles with feeling useless and is largely naive to what she intends to do. She recruits the dust-wife and her demon chicken to her efforts, as well as her own fairy godmother, a dog made of bones, and a noble ex-warrior from a far off kingdom. They become one big found family. There is unexpected humor and wittiness written into their conversations that I love. The romance is subtle and just happens, which I think it perfect for this story. The only criticism I had was that I wished Marra had a moment where she takes charge and contributes more to when they confront Vorling. Her friends do most of the work while she stands, but I digress. That could be an important moment of her finding her "family" and them helping her as a character point, but I think that would have been a penultimate moment where she confronts her feelings of uselessness and takes charge. 

Overall, if you're looking for a refreshing take on fantasy that takes aspects of fairytales but becomes a witty, short, and funny story with found family, I recommend this! 

The Death of Jane Lawrence is a gothic horror story that features magicians and a magic system, unbeknownst to our main character, Jane. 

Jane Shorington's parents passed when she was young and since was raised with another family that looked after her. She has managed to earn her keep by self-teaching herself accounting. When they decide to move out of town, Jane realizes that the best way to keep her independence is to marry. She chooses Doctor Augustine Lawrence and proposes a mutually beneficial relationship and offered to do his bookkeeping at his practice. He says yes, as long as she never breaks the agreement and visits his family estate, Lindridge Hall. Due to a mudslide, she ends up spending the night at his manor the day they are married. She finds her husband is not the self-assured person she thought, but a trembling paranoid man that night and sees ghosts in the house. 

I very much enjoyed the first 50% of the book and it definitely had a spooky atmosphere with sinister and tense undertones. Jane has been thrown into this danger without understanding what she had accepted when marrying Augustine. The book eventually moves from hauntings to explaining that there was magic and magicians/sorcerers and that drives the book for the last 50%. 

I was excited to possibly see a sweet romance, based on the beginning courtship of Jane and Augustine, but this book definitely does not follow on that aspect. There is romance, but it's a bit different than I expected. I wouldn't even say this is a horror book, but it delivers on the gothic setting. 

Things the book does well is the gothic setting and the characterization. Jane is established as a very rational and analytical person, meaning she can easily pick up on math and accounting and provides a reasonable voice to Augustine. Augustine is a very accomplished surgeon, but truly struggles with his guilt at losing patience, so much that it causes him to manifest ghosts. These characteristics drive there interactions well and I found that I could believe in them and their decisions. This is definitely gothic semi-horror, with a lot of gore (which is to be expected when one of the main characters is a surgeon). The atmosphere is easily achieved as haunting and the prose is well with vivid descriptions. 

The plot is where I fell off completely. Personally I love supernatural horror, and this started out as that... but definitely didn't end as that. It turns to magic and sorcery which is explained using mathematics, which is definitely not my strong suit. There are so many parts to follow and the plot becomes so convoluted towards the end. It wasn't so much horror at the end to me and the ending was so confusing? I truly just didn't like the twist that happened. That's not necessarily a bad thing, a lot of books have big plot twists that change the entire perspective of what we read, but it's just not something I personally would enjoy. 

Because of that, it's hard for me to distinguish what kind of book this is, because it keeps the gothic romance throughout, but the horror aspect of it seems to go away after the 50% mark. 

A Darker Shade of Magic is such a unique addition to high fantasy in a way that mixes historical urban fantasy and complicated magic systems. 

Kell is an Antari, a rare magician that is able to travel between three worlds, that he has named Red, Grey, and White London. Black London was a fourth world but was overrun by magic and deteriorated and affected all the other worlds. Now magic only exists in a healthy form in Red London, it's bloody and rare in White London, and Grey London is completely magic less. Kell is from Red London and apart of the royal family there, often doing business on their behalf. Kell finds interest in different artifacts across the Londons and becomes an unofficial smuggler as the only one able to travel between them. Lila Bard is an aspiring captain and current infamous thief in Grey London. She feels like there is adventure to be had and so much more to her life, which becomes true when she meets Kell. She discovers magic exists and both characters are thrown together when a deal goes wrong for Kell. They both now face the responsibility of protecting the Londons from a dangerous magic.

I was seriously surprised how much I loved this. Based on the synopsis and characterization as a portal fantasy, I didn't think this was something that I would enjoy too much. When starting, you are thrust in the book without background and pick up things over time. Yes it has a slow start, but once you start to learn about their world, it develops into a fast-paced tense race. Kell is competent and interesting as a character, but Lila is my absolute favorite. She holds her own despite not having magic and matches Kell in her cleverness. Her one-liners and humor absolutely help break up the tension, but it isn't cringey in any way. Her and Kell's banter was a highlight to this book. 

The magic system is very interesting, but I feel like I didn't get a good grasp on it because so many rules were changing between Londons and the introduction of the Black London magic. I feel like this will likely be fleshed out in the further novels. The pacing overall was amazing and it retained a tense and gritty atmosphere. Once the plot was moving, all you could feel were the stakes building for Lila and Kell. 

I thought the end of the book was great, but I am curious how the next ones develop. There are a couple areas not wrapped up, but it did feel like a standalone. I am curious to see what happens next when I continue!

What a ride! All of Our Demise continues with our tournament setting after mass betrayals and death. This continues to be a dark YA story with morally grey characters at the helm. 

Following the events from the last book, alliances are shook up and priorities have shifted. Hendry is somehow alive, which means Alistair will do everything he can to keep him that way. Isobel is struggling to understand the betrayal she faced from Alistair and deciding what to do next. The remaining champions split into different alliances, one planning to fulfill the goal of the tournament and fighting the other champions to the death, and the others trying to dismantle the tournament from the inside. At the same time, the Blood Veil has fallen, meaning residents and reporters from Ilvernath are more involved than ever. 

I know some people dislike it, but I really appreciated how the second book recapped the first one to an extent. It was very helpful and reestablished me into the world. I love how dark the first book was, and it definitely continued in this one. Our main POVs are still Gavin, Briony, Isobel, and Alistair. Alistair has been cursed and feels like he is becoming the villain the Lowes made him. I loved his POV, and I would say he is the most morally grey of them all. Gavin was a surprise in this one, I didn't find him memorable in the first book, but he was such a fun character to read about. His flaws and the way he learns compassion is just everything. Isobel of course is my favorite at the top with Alistair, and with her own curse is making her re-evaluate her family, alliances, and everything she believed (or didn't believe in) before. Briony, my god, for some reason I could not stand and Finley by extension. They were just very bland and almost overly optimistic? I wish the authors spent more time writing about their decision-making and flaws they had to face in the same way as the others.

To be honest, I kind of wanted Isobel and Alistair back together? But Gavin and Alistair was absolutely perfect and I do think that they fit better than the previous two ever could. Reid McTavish was a curveball, and I do wish he had been further introduced in the first book instead of being behind the scenes so much. The ending was good, and I liked the ambiguousness of it all and how they are all healing. 

If anything, I found this duology to have some of the best tournament setting writing, and I just loved how dark the plot and characters were. It was a great finish! 

Silver Nitrate is a horror book that mixes magic and cults in mid-90's Mexico City. It is a vibrant novel that is unsettling but explores the magic of cinema.

We follow Montserrat and Tristán, two childhood friends that are still navigating and figuring out their lives in their late 30's. Montserrat has been a lover of classic Mexican horror, which led her to her career as a sound editor. She works at the company Anteres, but her boss and co-workers are sexist and she can feel herself being pushed out, with no other job opportunities available. Tristán is burnt-out old child star that was popular in telenovelas, but lost everything with a horrible accident. He has been jumping from relationship to relationship and taking gigs of voiceover work.

Tristán moves into a new apartment building, and discovers that a retired film director, Abel Ureta, lives next door, and had directed many of Montserrat's favorite horror movies. They meet him and discuss his last movie, "Beyond the Yellow Door," and why it was never finished and released. Montserrat has heard rumors of lack of cash or issues with the screenwriting, but Ureta tells them that the movie was never finished for other reasons and since then, everyone who worked on it has been cursed. Abel convinces them to help finish the sound work on the silver nitrate film reel he saved, and they agree to help. They learn more from Abel about that time and the benefactor of the film, Nazi occultist Wilhelm Ewers. Montserrat can't stop herself from researching Ewers and his occultist and racist beliefs, as well as the magic system he created with runes and elements. However, things start to go wrong quickly. Montserrat feels a dark presence haunting her, and Tristán starts seeing the ghost of his dead girlfriend.

This is a horror book, but I would say it is more psychological for the first 70% of the book, which I didn't mind. I wouldn't go into this thinking it is a heavy on the horror. I initially thought it would be, but regardless I appreciated the book for other reasons. The characters were so individually interesting, and it was easy to differentiate between them when reading from the different perspectives. They are opposite in a lot of ways, but I loved their friendship and eventual romance. It really felt like you were in the book and apart of the conversations that took place, and you spend a lot of time with them as they deal with their actions and the consequences that follow. It's very darkly atmospheric and immersive writing.

This book weaves in so many elements which leads to a complex story and plot. I'm not familiar with horror and classic horror movies, but there are so many mentions and callbacks to those. It is in a different historical time, and it feels accurate to the 90's, with research being done with books and having them communicate with pagers and landlines. It is evident that a lot of extensive research was done on the occult and the magic system that was developed. It's very easy to follow over time and it's built throughout the book, without any info-dumping. It was also super interesting to learn so much about occultism and the history of that in Nazi times, especially since a lot of it was accurate and pulled from real history. There are sorcerers, dark magic, ghosts, and it all ties into movie-making and the silver nitrate reels. It's tense and suspenseful, and builds to the more supernatural and horror aspects of the latter part of the book. 

And when the supernatural elements actually hits?? The book takes off like a rocket and it's such an enjoyable read. You truly feel the high stakes and what the characters are facing. You are asking yourself if the characters really will survive, which is always such a fun part of reading horror and its unpredictability. 

I really loved this book for all the different aspects of it, and definitely recommend if you are interested in magic, horror, and cults. 

Thank you to Random Publishing House - Ballantine/Del Rey and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review! 

Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail is a fun, sapphic rom-com that continues in the same world as Delilah Green Doesn't Care. Each of these novels are inter-connected standalones, with Astrid and Jordan being the focus in a rivals to lovers romance. 

Astrid was a main character in the previous book, where she almost got married but broke off her engagement. Fast forward a couple months, and she is working hard at her career in interior design. Astrid is offered the chance to redesign a famous inn in her town that will be filmed on HGTV. Jordan is the lead carpenter on the job that will restore furniture and help with remodeling. Jordan and Astrid don't get off on the best of terms, and the filming crew leads tells them to play it up the tension. Overtime, they learn more about each other and fall in love.

The characters are always my favorite in these books. Astrid is struggling with her fear of failure and fulfilling her mother's expectations, with has been even more difficult with her failed engagement. Jordan has recently moved to Astrid's town after a failed marriage that she has been struggling to move past. These flaws helped me sympathize with the characters and immerse myself in the book. The romance was sweet and I really enjoyed how they became friends before feeling more romantic feelings towards each other. A lot of the book is focused on the characterization and how they grow individually and heal as they face their fears. 

Criticisms wise, I do wish the rivals part played out more. It does feel like it was resolved very quickly and they were friends for them majority of the book. I really enjoyed the tension and the way they sabotaged each other, it was a fun time! Additionally, I truly don't mind third act break ups, but this felt less reasonable than most. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this and couldn't put the book down! I do think Delilah's book is still my favorite of the two I've read so far, but overall I enjoyed the romance and am looking forward to Iris' story! 

A Fragile Enchantment is a fantasy romance book that takes place in a regency historical period. It is whimsical and has a true romance with yearning and longing.

Niamh is a dressmaker that has a magical ability to imbue emotions and feelings in her work. She works hard to support her family that are from a poor province that's subjugated by the neighboring kingdom (keep in mind this is inspired by England and Ireland). Niamh is offered the opportunity to make the outfits for the prince that is set to be married. She travels to the royal court and meets Kit, a very prickly and rude prince. Over time, she gets to know him but also begins to discover things are not right in the royal family and is drawn into conspiracies and secrets. 

This is regency inspired England, with Naimh being from Ireland after a great famine. The magic system as a whole isn't a hard magic system, with people having all different types of magic, but Naimh's magic is very obviously a very unique idea as a protagonist. The writing is so, so immersive and creates a wonderful setting that is rich and whimsical. It highlights the romantic moments in the book and makes them feel all that much sweeter. 

The romance is easily the best part of this book. When we first meet Kit, he is mean and stubborn to Niamh and she can't stand him. But she peels back those layers and we meet the loyal and kind Kit who only wants to do right and prove the rumors about him aren't true. There is yearning and longing, and small moments that touch your heart. It is the driving force of this story and it is done so well. 

The characters are also just so flawed and written to be dimensional, even the side characters. Niamh is optimistic, emotional, and definitely a touch naive. For me, this doesn't detract from her actions and it's not annoying in the sense that a lot of naive characters can be. Naimh is very in tune with other people's emotions and is able to draw out other people. Kit and Niamh are both deeply complex people and both struggle with responsibility and selflessness with this in turn, affecting their relationship. 
 
Outside of the romance, we are seeing the inner workings of the royal court, elegant balls, and the court politics that are central to the story. One of the few criticisms I have is that it feels like Naimh's disease is addressed and is written to show how she pushes past it and how it affects her life. For the last 30ish% of the book, it isn't talked about as much and I do wish there was more about it other than, "it is manageable with the correct treatment." 

Overall, definitely pick up this book if you like the regency era, forbidden romance, and political intrigue! 

Thank you to St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!