Source: Owlcrate

In the near future, there’s a nation driven by technological advances, AI controllers, advanced cyber loopholes, and augmented dream-like sensory experiences. Generative work, entertainment, and crime intersect in an unpredictable web of connections that surrounds a young hacker Julia Z in Ken Liu’s All That We See Or Seem. Part investigative procedural drama and part technological and AI-focused commentary, All That We See Or Seem is an imaginative speculative fiction book filled with insightful discussions around future tech advances and cultural shifts that is held back by pacing issues and lackluster character work, a book whose conceptual brilliance is potentially mismatched with an underwhelming reading experience. Marketed as a scifi thriller and described by some as having cyberpunk and futuristic elements, All That We See Or Seem is a bit different from other similar sounding books in the genre. Unlike many other hacker or AI-driven books, Ken Liu’s take on the concept is considerably more grounded and realistic. Although set in the future given the technological advances featured, this story is one that could take place in the very near future as many of Liu’s scifi elements are based on hardware and software ideas that are conceptually credible. Instead of…

A charity owner who has trouble lying and cares too much, a dark magician who just wants to be left alone, a shop that smells like fresh pastries in the morning, and an endless variety of adorable cats. Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett feels like it was specially crafted to hit every cozy fantasy reader’s must-have’s checklist and to appease cat lovers. Yet outside of its obvious cat motif and well-pitched warm vibes, this book has a surprisingly solid urban fantasy story based around magical artifacts that’s good enough to appeal to SFF readers who are less enthusiastic about cats or the cozy fantasy genre (on Goodreads, 4.5 stars rounded down) On paper, this book has all the cards stacked against it for my personal reading tastes. Cozy fantasy tends to be very hit or miss for me if they’re too low stakes or directionless, I am not a cat person (I’m a dog guy in addition to both my Mom and my late dog being allergic to them), and I’m not a vibe reader, instead gravitating towards books with strong narratives or character work. Perhaps the nicest thing I can say about Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat…

Mock dates, work-related forced proximity, a second chance romance, and collab between a self-improvement podcast and a B-list celebrity interview show called the Sausage Talk, Mazey Eddings’s Well, Actually is a romcom novel that mixes slapstick hilarity with great character writing. Marketed as a black cat/golden retriever pairing that explores personal growth, success, self-worth, and viral engagement, this is a book that’s flirty, fun, self-aware and hopeful. Its base premise and character dynamics is a contentious sticking point that has led to very polarizing opinions of its FMC, but I was shocked by how much I enjoyed this which was a big surprise! “Hot girl is an armor you put on. An impenetrable fortress of makeup or dyed hair or fake nails or killer clothes or expensive perfume or any other bodily adornment that makes you feel f*cking good. Powerful.” For better or for worse, the most notable and crucial factor when it comes to enjoying Well, Actually comes down to whether one can get behind the bitter, savage, and cold Eva Kitt, an aspiring journalist and host of the freeform interview show Sausage Talk. As the host of B-list celebrity gossip show consuming hot dogs that is obviously not…

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…

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…