book review

In the Kingdom of Elben, there is a legend of a god bestowing magical power to a king along with a surrounding barrier that protects the land from invading forces. In order to maintain the barrier, the king is told he must marry and court six queens who each reside over a castle and land. Boleyn, his newest queen of Brynd is enamored by King Henry and is determined to become his favorite Queen and to leave a lasting impression across the kingdom. However, as she settles into her new role and investigates new ways to increase the King and Elben’s magical powers, she uncovers clues that suggest the historic arrangement may not be as it seems. Meanwhile, originally planted as a spy by another Queen under the guise of a lady-in-waiting to Boleyn, Seymour finds herself torn between the familial and royal obligations she’s been tasked with vs her fascination and interest with her new mistress. As Boleyn and Seymour find themselves swept up in the power struggle between the Queens, the trusted associates, and the king himself who’s obsessed with producing a male heir, the two women find themselves in an unexpected alliance as they navigate the political…

The following review is based on a complimentary Advanced Reader Copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. In the year 2263, Jason’s world and home under New Toronto is a world unlike any other. Under a dome protecting the city from raging toxic storms, New Toronto and its inhabitants are at war against an Imperial Invasion from across the Solar System while simultaneously fighting a separate battle within against a nanophage epidemic infecting humans, robots, and cyborgs alike. Haunted by strange visions and a voice in his head, Jason’s life in a hidden underground enclave is thrown into chaos when latent psychic abilities start to threaten both himself and everyone else around him. As the United Federation of Earth combats the Imperial forces in space, with the help of his brother David and friend Sam, Jason hears the calls of the mythical and extraterrestrial obelisk Abaddon that promises salvation from his uncontrollable powers, as well as information about his mysterious past. Serving as the first entry in the Abaddon Cycle series and Colin Searle’s debut novel, The Call of Abaddon is an ambitious sci-fi epic that mixes cyberpunk elements (bio and nanopunk flavors specifically) with the…

Comforting and heartfelt, like Miles states to Lenny, Cara Bastone’s Promise Me Sunshine promises the reader that there will always be sunshine after a gloomy day if you keep your head up and know where to look. Featuring a compelling premise via a reverse twist of a buckets list, this novel tells a story about two people broken down by grief and loss, helping each other in the areas they know best. Despite tackling difficult topics like loss of loved ones, terminal illness, depression and the importance of family, the story is delivered full of warmth and gentle comfort, making it highly accessible and mass appealing, albeit at the cost of more ambitious developments and deeper self-reflections. While pleasant and fine, I constantly found myself a bit underwhelmed with Promise Me Sunshine, frequently wishing it would go further with its great ideas. Struggling to get by and jumping between short-term, non-committal babysitting gigs, Lenny is not doing well following the recent death of her best friend and other half Lou. Upon arriving at her next weekend job, she meets single-mother Reece, her daughter Ainsley, and Ainsley’s grumpy uncle Miles. Constantly out of town on the job, Lenny is hired to…

Imagine a fantasy world with an affinity for plants. Now in a pot, throw in the essence of a monster-filled world, Sherlock Holmes and Watson, dark academia alchemy, and an Agatha Christie complete collection. What you get is Robert Jackson Bennett’s impeccably crafted and compelling The Tainted Cup, the first novel in what has since become the Shadow of the Leviathan series. While considered a high fantasy novel to be expected from RJB, at its core The Tainted Cup is a brilliantly written serial murder mystery thriller embellished with a distinctly unique and creative fantasy wrapping. Featuring a complex and twisty murder investigation, a lavishly developed fantasy world, not to mention a charming pair of off-beat main characters, The Tainted Cup is an incredibly cool genre bender that I loved every minute of. “Projecting motives is a fool’s game. But how they do it- that’s a matter of matter, moving real things about in real space.” In the world of the Tainted Cup, the Imperial Empire maintains a series of hulking walls that are designed to keep giant leviathan monsters in the bordering seas from invading and destroying everything in their path (think of Attack on Titan but in the…

A mysterious small-town murder mystery balanced by deliciously described gooey grilled cheese sandwiches and delectable cheese platters, Beth Cato’s Cheddar Luck Next Time is a cozy mystery novel that is casual, light-hearted, and very easy to read. Besides its hallmark interest in cheeses of all kinds, the novel also provides great neurodivergent representation (at least from what I limited information I’ve learned from those on the spectrum) as well as trace elements of chick lit/literary fiction. I’ve previously realized that the cozy mystery genre isn’t for me, so this wasn’t necessarily my favorite overall read, but I picked this up hoping for lots of cheese highlights and Cheddar Luck Next Time did not disappoint! Taking place in the fictional, small rural town of Foghorn, Bird Nichols moves into her grandma’s house that she inherits following her disappearance and death half a year ago. Despite having limited time together when she was growing up, Bird has fond memories of her grandmother who was a part-time instigator, a part-time community vigilante much to the ire of some of Foghorn’s other residents. Bringing her budding cheese plate business with her, the story sees Bird exploring Foghorn and rediscovering her grandma’s lasting impression on…