Genre: Low Fantasy

Lyrical, reflective, poetically beautiful, not to mention a proudly sapphic and historical take on vampires, Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is a slow and thoughtful literary fiction and historical novel wearing an exquisite paranormal fantasy gown. Very similar in tone and approach to The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, this novel is everything one would expect from V.E. Schwab. Spanning over five hundred years and featuring FMC’s of various backgrounds and stories, Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is a sprawling and meandering narrative that won’t be for everyone, but is sure to please Schwab fans and classy readers. The best way I can describe Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is vibrant women growing from the midnight soil, restricted by a society dominated by men and the roles they are slotted into. The novel covers the life stories of three women in three different centuries and how obstacles and circumstances in their lives led them to a future of being immortal. The recollection of their lives is unveiled in chronological order, starting with Maria in 16th century Spain, Charlotte in 19th Century Britain, and finally Alice in modern day Boston. Coming off Schwab’s most recent…

The second novel in Lee Miye’s Dallergut Dream Department Store duology, The Dallergut Dream-Making District continues Lee’s whimsical take on the dream world and its inhabitants. Picking up not long after Penny’s employment at the famed dream-selling department store, this novel expands on its dreaming mechanics in expectedly creative and refreshing ways. While still comprised of several short stories and vignettes covering different aspects of dream-creation and experiences, like a real department store, this novel explores what happens when a customer has a complaint about their purchased dream or those that have issues with dreaming in general. Continuing with the first novel’s unique ideas paired with its signature cozy and casual presentation, this book is exactly the sequel one would expect and enjoy, referencing its past short stories and neatly tying up the few loose plotlines previously left as unresolved breadcrumbs. Similar to the first novel in the duology, the Dallergut Dream-Making District follows first floor store employee Penny’s exploration of the dream-making and selling industry presented through several short stories. However, unlike the first novel that followed a preset formula of each story introducing a new type of dream and a representative creator, this book instead looks at other…

Sometimes sweet, sometimes sour, but most often bitter-sweet and remorseful, Daria Lavelle’s debut novel Aftertaste is a heartfelt and unique speculative fiction novel featuring an amazing premise. Haunted by the aftertaste flavors of strangers’ loved ones and their associated memories, Kostya’s lasting grief and its close association with food is a concept that’s not only relatable but also a genius with endless potential. While primarily a speculative fiction and magical realism fantasy novel on paper, Aftertaste’s ambitious story crossovers into a variety of other genres such as a romance story, literary fiction with the Soviet immigration experience, and surprisingly a supernatural thriller; there’s something for everyone. But as expected for a novel focusing on the dearly departed and their loved one’s memories, Aftertaste is at its best during the quiet, poignant moments heightened by wonderful and touching introspective reflections. “Food could do that. It could tell stories. Not just cuisines or component parts, but histories-of the people who’d prepared the dishes, the way they evolved them over time, the way they made them theirs. Leaving behind a recipe was a way to be remembered and savored and loved even after you were gone. A way to live forever.” Emotions and…

This one of those rare books that made me think “how does someone come up with this?” The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is a difficult book to describe or categorize due to how many different elements and themes it incorporates, but one thing that is easy to summarize is how ambitious and beautiful V. E. Schwab’s writing is. And by that I don’t mean flowery lyrical language or awe inspiring visuals (which the book does feature at times), but by its poignant pondering and wistfully quiet tone coupled with incredible portrayals of emotions. This is all on top of a wildly creative premise that takes the common plot of an immortal person and devil deal and runs in a completely new direction. I will attempt to review just why I found this book to be brilliant in execution shortly (i personally was in awe of the book despite not necessarily being emotionally attached to it like many other readers were), but know that this is easily one of the most impressive and critically strong books I’ve read since getting back into reading. I initially had mild reservations about the premise on paper considering it vaguely sounded like some other…

Creatively whimsical, The Dallergut Dream Department Store fits nicely into the cozy magical realism/fantasy-feel genre that admittedly is normally not my thing. Lee’s debut novel follows a similar formula of other Asian-translated cozy reflective stories in a similar style of Kawaguchi’s Before the Coffee Gets Cold or Aoyama’s What You Are Looking for is in the Library. However unlike many books it’s drawn similarities to, The Dallergut Dream Department Store is presented in a far more whimsical manner that focuses on the Dream Village and the inner workings of how dreams are created, sold, and used by sleeping customers. Like those other novels, there isn’t much of an overall plot or storyline as the main character Penny serves as a surrogate for the reader experiencing and learning about the Dallergut Dream Store. While I wasn’t necessarily hooked by this book, I was impressed by its creativity and appreciative of how well it accomplished what it was trying to do with its premise. At just over 200 pages, it’s also an incredibly easy and breezy read that you can pick up and put down casually without sacrificing details or the reading experience. Cozy reads are typically not my go-to genre, and…