Blending together Japanese samurai culture, time-travel speculative fiction, tense horror ambiance with mystery thriller intrigue, Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker is as ambitious of a novel as it is graphic and violent. One of the most anticipated horror releases of the year, like her inspirations and goals, this book crossovers between genres, storylines, and realities, telling a compelling and gripping story in just over three hundred pages. Steeped in Japanese folklore and culture but presented in a way that’s accessible, Japanese Gothic is an excellent mystery thriller/horror novel that’s powerfully written and creatively conceptualized. There’s a lot that could be said about Japanese Gothic’s story, but this is one book that’s best experienced on its own with minimal overview given the tension, mysterious intrigue, and unexpected narrative elements benefit from the reader being left in the dark. The book features a split POV and timeline perspective that’s similar to Lee’s presentation, a meeting of the East and West. In 2026, Lee Turner escapes to his father’s house in Japan following the murder of his college roommate that he can’t remember how or why he killed. Racked with anxiety and paranoia, his chapters follow his descent into borderline psychosis as…

What do a legendary cryptid, gods, angels and demons, the Hundred Year’s War, an immortal arcanist and his succubus housekeeper have in common? Ordinarily nothing at all unless it’s Cameron Sullivan’s novel The Red Winter. An ambitious book mixing together fantasy and historical fiction elements across the board heightened with touches of paranormal horror, the Red Winter is as entertaining as it is imaginative with a unique and quirky tongue in cheek tone. Unexpectedly humorous and endearing while describing French countrymen being viscously torn apart, Sullivan’s storytelling is an incredible vibe made all the more impressive as a debut novel. While its far-reaching story, slow pacing, and complex split timeline approach can make it a challenging read for some, this is otherwise a really fun and off-beat historical fantasy book. At its core, the story behind the Red Winter is one of French turmoil that cleverly provides plausible fantasy origins to mysterious historical events. Presented as a written recollection or memoir of the events by the immortal arcanist Sebastian Graves, the book follows Sebastian and his demon possession “guest” Sarmodel returning to impoverished province of Gévaudan after the deadly events around the famed beast nearly twenty years ago. In addition…

This review is based on a complimentary Advanced Reader Copy provided by Entangled: Mayhem Books. The faction-based training of Divergent crossed with the adrenaline rush and energy of storm chasing, Nisha J. Tuli’s YA debut Storm Breaker is an engaging dystopian book that successfully invokes all the elements that made the 2010’s post-apocalypse era so popular. Featuring a well-crafted plot and a unique take on Manhattan that’s both futuristic and retro, Storm Breaker is a solid story that nicely mixes cadet training, societal conflict, academy life, and some romance within a snappily paced book. While it inevitably also features some of the common drawbacks such as conflicting plot devices and perplexing dueling factions that many YA dystopian books struggle with, Storm Breaker is still a lot of fun to read and more importantly, does enough to differentiate itself from the excessive trend of YA trial stories. Set in a post-apocalyptic and futuristic version of Manhattan, Poet Graves is enrolled and set to attend Amery Academy. The last sanctuary in a world destroyed by ecological disaster and raging storms, the city is divided into four factions or houses that serve different roles in this constrained and resource limited city. The daughter of…

Following an unlikely group of islanders finding their way under an authoritarian and oppressive magical monarchy, Katalina Watt’s Saltswept is a maritime focused fantasy novel featuring interesting narrative elements with folklore and flavor inspired by Southeast Asian culture. Fast-paced, straightforward, and as queer and colorful as the fruit section at a port of call market vendor stall, this book has all the right ingredients and promises a high seas heist and exciting adventure. While there is a heist and an adventure out at sea, the end result may not quite live up to that lofty pitch for most readers with the book feeling more like a collection of loosely connected ideas, lacking the development and details to solidify the tale it wants to tell. Described in the author’s acknowledgement, Watt set out to write a book that honors their Southeast Asian, Pacific Islander culture meshed with queer representation, and those ambitions clearly show as easily the book’s best features. While the chain of islands that make up Paranish are fictional, their real-world inspirations have clear SEA influences. While each island is varied in terms of climate, they all have wonderful visuals and atmosphere. The title of the book serves dual…

From the nomadic village plains, to opulent palaces, to soldier training grounds, Sarah Mughal Rana’s Dawn of the Firebird is a Middle Eastern inspired high fantasy story based around one’s loyalties, self-identity, and vengeful rage. With inspired folklore, distinctive magic system and strong conceptual ideas, this book has all the hallmark traits to be a sweeping epic tale and a start to a planned trilogy series. Unfortunately, despite having a lot of potential, numerous storytelling shortcomings and crucial plotting issues make this a potentially difficult book to enjoy. There appeared to have been some mild controversy or discussion surrounding this book and its author which resulted in quite polarizing early reviews, particularly the negative opinions that can be quite extra and dramatic. Though I wouldn’t have picked this book to read on my own if I hadn’t received it via FairyLoot’s adult fantasy book box subscription (also featured in Goldsboro’s Fellowship which I also am subscribed to but skipped), I went into this book with an open mind, expecting a more positive experience as I am generally more analytical and detailed reader/reviewer than the Goodreads norm who can be overly sensitive. Unfortunately despite its good ideas, I found myself unexpectedly…

This review is based on a complimentary Advanced Reader Copy provided by St. Martin’s Press. Like a fluffy sweater on a breezy Fall day or a sugar-spiked pumpkin spice latte, take your pick of equally appropriate autumn metaphor, the Invisible Roommate by Timothy Janovsky is a warm-hearted and sweet M/M contemporary romance / queer literature book. Inspired by The Invisible Man genre-swapped, this book crosses boyband pop star music with scientific inquiry and the charm of the rural New England bay islands. A story about self-worth, values, family, and what it means to be seen, the Invisible Roommate is a wonderfully pleasant book that’s the perfect weekend kind of read. “…life was not about having everyone notice you; it was about finding the one person who would see you and love you even when you were at your most invisible.” Pitched as the Invisible Man meets Love is Blind, the book follows Gerard Well, a popstar boyband member who has flown to rural Iping Island in the Chesapeake Bay to get away from the mental pressure and stress associated with stardom. Following the lyrics of a childhood favorite song Island State of Mind by a folk duo Hallowitz & Hart, Gerard…

Cyber warfare, citywide virtual reality recreations, AI applications, political and immigrant conflict, cadet academy and post-grade school placements, Chloe Gong’s novel Coldwire has a lot of fascinating elements going on. Marketed as a YA cyberpunk dystopian series debut, this book is full of excellent ideas with a story that mixes action with deeper social commentary. Though it possesses excellent material in theory, unfortunately the messy handling of its world-building and an assortment of storytelling shortcomings hold Coldwire back from being the exciting book by all accounts it should be. Set in a futuristic, technologically advanced world, the story has a dual-perspective presentation. Eirale is a contracted NileCorp soldier who is part of a response team firmly situated in Downcountry, aka the physical real world. Eirale’s team is assigned to capture an anarchist figurehead Nik Grant who is seen as a threat to both the country of Atahua as well as the NileCorp organization, a private business turned political asset who has developed a virtual reality recreation of the real world referred to as Upcountry. Meanwhile cadet-in-training Lia Sullivan attends the Nile Military Academy, a government mandated requirement for all orphaned children or wards from the opposing country Medaluo. The last…

This review is based on a complimentary Advanced Reader Copy provided by Entangled: Mayhem Books. Like a flashback to the highs of the dystopian trend of the 2010’s, The Verdant Cage is an expertly crafted start to an utterly compelling new YA series. Taking the best elements of past dystopian works modernized and fused with fresh and green ideas, Jess Lourey takes the reader on a thrilling murder mystery story set within a lush valley surrounded by a foreboding and immense ancient wall. Featuring excellent plotting, great pacing, well-written and appealing characters, The Verdant Cage is a book that understands the assignment, delivering a satisfying and pitch perfect YA dystopian reading experience and an ending that leaves you eager for more! Born into the apothecary house, Rose Allgood has trained extensively in the art of healing, medicine, and caregiving. Living in the pleasant and rural Noah’s Valley, the village and surrounding forest are protected by staggering ancient walls built over a hundred years ago to protect them from the dangerous beasts and unknown threats outside. Warned to keep a low profile and abiding by the laws of the village, Rose has lived her whole life responsibly following the rules and what’s…

This review is based on a complimentary Advanced Reader Copy provided by Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books. Like the cake and other baked goods Calisa makes when she arrives at the isolated inn, Sarah Beth Durst’s YA book The Faraway Inn feels like it’s filled to the brim with all the right warm and cozy ingredients. Light magical whimsy, cottagecore aesthetic, dusty and neglected rooms, and an assortment of amusingly odd customers checked in for extended stays. While certainly cozy and devoid of anything remotely uncomfortable, the Faraway Inn is a book that some may find too safe and lacking a notable hook or spark compared to other similar reads. Following the recent betrayal and breakup with her boyfriend Ethan after she finds him cheating with another girl, a heartbroken Calisa seeks a mental and social reset during the summer break before her senior year of high school. She arrives at the Faraway Inn, a reclusive bed and breakfast in the Vermont wilderness and is shocked to find the once charming inn to be in a state of disrepair. To make matters worse, her Aunt Zee doesn’t even want her to stay or help at the inn,…

There are many ways one could describe Matt Dinniman’s scifi novel Operation Bounce House, but what I’ve settled on is “refreshingly brilliant”. A self-contained standalone satirical epic that mixes Dinniman’s signature over-the-top absurdity with a lot heart, this book is what Dungeon Crawler Carl was to the LitRPG swapped for Apex Legends with parallel metaphors encompassing the political tension of the last several years. Despite having a premise that sounds like a fever dream on paper, Operation Bounce House is an excellent scifi book with a lot of depth and substance, easily one of my favorite reads of the last few years. At a first glance, Operation Bounce House is a book of seemingly endless contradictions that somehow works through sheer audacity and confidence. While its synopsis and book blurb has a lot going on, when stripped of its flashy styling and scifi jargon, the story is essentially one of government sanctioned genocide. If that is a turnoff, bear with me for a sec before throwing in the towel. Taking place on the distant planet of New Sonora, Oliver Lewis is one of many humble agricultural farmers whose ancestors several generations ago were sent as settlers to colonize the planet…

This review is based on a complimentary Advanced Reader Copy provided by Atria Books. Mixing existential discussions and human feelings with dystopian AI themes and fears, Glenn Dixon’s the Infinite Sadness of Small Appliances is a thoughtful and compact speculative fiction novel that is as charming as it is bleak. Initially cozy before transitioning to its more cautionary back-half, this book is a highly accessible and quick read that carries the spirit of Thomas M. Disch’s the Brave Little Toaster aged up and modernized. Inspired by yet very much its own creation and story, this is a cute novel for those looking for a concise speculative fiction read. Presented through multiple POV’s that include multiple humans and a smart vacuum cleaner named Scout, the Infinite Sadness of Small Appliances introduces the reader to the elderly couple Harold and Edie Winters who have an unassuming house in a residential suburb. The early chapters follow Scout and her fellow smart appliances and devices in the house observing an ailing Edie slowly succumb to her illness as Harold continues his best efforts to comfort her. Despite the somber circumstances of Edie’s declining health, the first half of the book has a distinctly cozy and…

Cozy fantasy, comforting romance, zany humor all wrapped up in cottagecore whimsy, Sangu Mandanna’s A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping is a light-hearted and feel-good fantasy romance book that’s easy to enjoy. A perfect example of the cozy fantasy genre, this book is incredibly charming and like its US cover, paints the world and in a lovely rose-tinted hue. Featuring a mix of great themes and a predictable yet pleasant plot, this is a great pick for cozy-seeking readers, with the potential to be a bit underwhelming and dry for those that prefer more intense narratives. Set at the charmingly rough around the edges cottage tucked away in the Lancashire countryside, the story follows Sera Swan’s never boring days maintaining and running the enchanted inn. Cloaked in a spell, the Batty Hole Inn is a magical place that can only be found by those in need of help or a safe place to call home. After casting a powerful spell to save her beloved Aunt Jasmine, Sera has lost her powers, is banished to exile from the Witch’s Guild, and has been making do with faint whispers of her original magic for the last fifteen years. With the help of…