Silver Under Nightfall by Rin Chupeco
LGBTQ Fantasy
Published 9/13/2022 by Gallery/Saga Press
ARC
I haven’t read a vampire fantasy in a good long while, so when I spied this for review I immediately snapped it up.
The first thing you should know is the worldbuilding in Silver Under Nightfall is quite unique for a genre that is full almost to bursting with scary and even sexy men with teeth. This book reads like a regency historical polyam romance with horror and fantasy elements. Lots of lords and ladies and dukes and queens, but their neighbors and part-time enemies are a huge (and quite confusing really) vampire society. Some good, some bad, some caught up in a devious plot between scheming people. Don’t be surprised if it takes you a little while to read as the worldbuilding has depth and complexity and it took me quite a bit to figure it all out in my head.
The second thing you should know is there IS a romance within these pages and it IS between three people. All open, all honest, and all together. This made me happy. Oh, there were times I couldn’t see what Xiaodan and Zidan saw in Remy, and others when I wanted to smack Zidan upside the head for being so closed off and mysterious, but I was glad when they all got together. The ending left off with them unsure of each other, (because of reasons) but I can not wait until the next book to see how their relationship progresses.
And the last thing you should know is that I really enjoyed this vampire fantasy and am really looking forward to seeing what comes next.
Grade-B
Little Eve by Catriona Ward
Horror
Published 7/26/2022 by Tor Nightlife
ARC
This is the second book I’ve read by this author, the first being The Last House on Needless Street, and I have to say… Catriona Ward is fast becoming an auto-buy author when I’m looking for something dark and chilling.
Little Eve is told in dual POVs, and features a cult storyline. Eve and Dinah live with their “family” on an isolated estate in a small town in Scotland. This story starts out with a young butcher discovering the bodies of the family laid out in a ritualistic pattern. Then the timeline jumps back and forth between the before and after of this terrible discovery. Readers get to know the family and it doesn’t take too long to figure out that something very, very wrong is going on in that house.
I never really knew what was going on, until the very end. I will tell you that I stayed up until the early hours of the morning to finish. I was riveted to the page. Little Eve is a gripping, sinister tale, and the ending a dark surprise.
Grade- B
The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen
Fantasy Romance
Published 8/23/22 by Orbit
ARC
I’m totally here for all the weird, yet charming paranormal/fantasy romances out this year. I picked this book up because of the blurb and cover and was not disappointed. What starts out as a friendship born through letters sent anonymously by two people just looking for someone to connect with, turns into a romance between enemies when they realize they’ve misjudged each other after bad first impressions.
The supporting characters are well done, and the worldbuilding is creepy, yet fully imagined. I loved both Mercy and Hart; their sweet romance gave me warm, squishy feelings. The HEA and epilogue were executed perfectly.
This is a great read for fans of the genre who are looking for something a little different. Highly recommend.
Grade – B+
Coincidentally, I just listened to a horror fiction podcast (I don’t read much horror, but I enjoy the TALKING SCARED podcast) where Catriona Ward’s LAST HOUSE ON NEEDLESS STREET was recommended, and it sounded so good, I added it to my tbr and put a hold on the library copy. If I like it, I’ll add LITTLE EVE too.
NEEDLESS STREET is a weird story with multiple POVs, one of which is a cat. I THOUGHT I knew where it was headed until I realized I was all wrong. Nothing is as it seems.
I’ve been hearing good things about The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen. Glad to hear that you enjoyed it, too, Angela. I am eager for the library copy to arrive.