Format: Hardcover

An immersive and ambitious historical fiction story set during the early days of World War II, Maggie Stiefvater’s the Listeners explores the effects the war has on individuals providing hospitality support at the esteemed and legendary hotel Avallon. A complex and nuanced character piece, this book is centered around the temporary housing of Axis-affiliated diplomats in the US. Well-researched, beautifully written, thoughtfully constructed, Stiefvater’s adult novel debut is an impressive and rewarding read, albeit one that is not for everyone given its relatively sparse plot and measured pacing. Unlike others, I somehow missed out on reading Stiefvater’s previous YA series during my extended hiatus from reading, so the Listeners was my blind introduction to her work. From what I have gathered based on what I’ve heard, I think it’s helpful to note that for those a fan of her past books, this one likely reads very differently. Serving as her adult novel debut, this book is a true novel written for adults using more advanced phrasing, subtle character writing, and has themes that require the reader to read between the lines. This is not the type of adult novel popularized by booktok or bookstagram where it’s essentially YA fantasy book simply flavored by added…

Swapping the streets of New Sinsi in the 90’s for a luxury cruise upon a crimson river in the underworld, the God and the Gwisin is part two of Sophie Kim’s Fate’s Thread duology. Serving as both the continuation and conclusion following the God and the Gumiho’s dramatic ending, like its reincarnated main character, this book is both similar yet notably different from its predecessor. Having prior knowledge that this book has a different focus and approach compared to the first book which I really enjoyed, this one unfortunately wasn’t quite my cup of tea despite having many positive highlights. Leaning heavier towards its fantasy romance elements, this book is a great followup for those who wanted more romance from the previous book albeit at the cost of its crossover appeal and blending of different genres. Note: As this is a review of a sequel book in a duology series, this review assumes prior reading or knowledge of the first book the God and the Gumiho. This review is only spoiler free for the God and the Gwisin, if you haven’t read the first book yet, please refer to my past review of it first. After the decisive and largely…

What if the Ghost of Christmas Past was a rugged Irish sailor whose latest assignment is to haunt a festive antique shop owner who appears far from the typical charge in need of a drastic ghostly intervention. The first book in her new winter-set series, B.K. Borison’s Good Spirits is a fun holiday romance book that has a nice balance of wintery magic, self-reflection and character growth. Embracing the sugary and over the top haphazard holiday trends that are sure to delight, this book is highly accessible like a Hallmark channel movie flavored with added spice. Although I personally found the overall execution and focus of the book to be a bit disappointing compared to Borison’s other works, it’s still a fun time and a generally strong holiday read. While marketed and intended to be a holiday book given its premise surrounding the Ghost of Christmas Past, one of the book’s best aspects is that its story is one that has a lot of substance and character work outside of the typical material of most holiday genre books. The story’s premise involves Nolan Callahan observing and walking Harriet York through past memories, moments where her decisions may have affected the…

A tired and stiff fallen god and a mischievous gumiho that likes to annoy him form an unlikely buddy cop duo in a paranormal murder investigation involving demons, grim reapers, other gumihos, and more. Throw in the potential for the world to plunge into darkness, immortal sibling god rivalry, coffee culture, and you get the overall gist of the God and the Gumiho. Sophie Kim’s adult novel fantasy debut and the first half of a now finished duology, this book is an entertaining urban fantasy story perfectly suited for fans of paranormal kdrama series that deftly weaves together its fantasy romance with a well-plotted serial murder mystery that perfectly walks the line between being lighthearted and fun vs more serious and grave. Heavily inspired by Korean mythological folklore and legend, one of the best elements of this book is Kim’s clever use of these elements within the book’s mostly original story. While this book is sometimes classified as a retelling due to its use of preexisting folklore around Seokga the Trickster god (plus other numerous deities included) and the legend of the Gumiho, the book’s specific paranormal mystery story is largely an original work. I will be the first to…

An incredibly meta and satirical novel, Lincoln Michel’s Metallic Realms is an ambitiously written story that defies conventional genre classifications. Featuring a collection of scifi-based short stories within a larger memoir-esque story, Metallic Realms recaps the highs and lows of the Orb4 writing collective group on their real and grounded struggles in creating cosmic literary art. Full of real-world metaphors, social commentary, and sharp jabs at the publishing and online communities, this book is an incredible experience written for hardcore SFF geeks and struggling millennials.   Note: For greater clarity for those who have not read this book, I will be referring to the author by his first name “Lincoln” instead of my usual review format where I would use his last name instead. When I drafted this review, I felt it might be confusing and too easy to misread the character Michael and Michel back-to-back.  Before I get into why I found this book so incredible, I feel the need to address some of the confusion about this book and offer some respectful advice for those potentially interested in it. First and foremost, Metallic Realms is a book full of satire, far-reaching scifi and fantasy references (and by that, I mean affectionately dragging fantasy), and general…