He Who Drowned the World by Shelley Parker-ChanThe Radiant Emperor #2LGBTQ Historical FantasyAugust 22, 2023- TorARC After absolutely loving the first book in this duology, She Who Becomes the Sun, I was desperate to get my hands on the finale. This book is brutal. The main protagonists are dark and unrelenting in their separate quests- for power, for redemption, and for revenge. These are terrible people who repeatedly do terrible things. The story is told from multiple POVs and Continue Reading
Angela’s Minis- Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher and Looking Glass Sound by Catriona Ward
Thornhedge by T. KingfisherFairytale Retelling/FantasyAugust 15, 2023- Tor BooksARC T. Kingfisher is an author I've grown to love, whether it's romantic fantasy, horror, or in this case a twisted fairytale retelling. This is a reimagined sleeping beauty, where the sleeping princess is an evil changeling and the fairy godmother is actually the heroine of the story. Yes, there is even a kind-hearted knight bent on rescue, but he's not what you've come to expect either. Thornhedge is Continue Reading
Angela’s Minis- A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher and The Spite House by Johnny Compton
A House with Good Bones by T. KingfisherHorror/Dark Fantasy3/28/2023 by Tor NightfireARC As much as I love this author's fantasy romances, I simply adore her horror stories. This is a tale of a woman, an archeologist, specializing in old bugs, who goes home on a break from work and notices something odd going on with her mom and the house she lives in. The weirdness starts immediately, almost as soon as Sam steps out of her car and onto the property in rural North Carolina. There are Continue Reading
Angela’s Minis- Reviews for books by Rin Chupeco, Catriona Ward, and Megan Bannen
Silver Under Nightfall by Rin ChupecoLGBTQ FantasyPublished 9/13/2022 by Gallery/Saga PressARC 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 Continue Reading
Review: Dance with the Devil by Kit Rocha
Dance with the Devil by Kit RochaMercenary Librarians #3Dystopia/Fantasy RomanceAugust 16, 2022, by TorARC Review by Angela I'm always excited for another Kit Rocha book, but my anticipation for Dani and Rafe's book was sky high. These two gorgeous, yet deadly characters seemed to be engaged in a 'will they or won't they?' dance over the last two books. The Mercenary Librarians is a spin-off of the Beyond series, but if you haven't read the previous series don't worry, Continue Reading
Melinda’s Audio Minis: Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey & The Monsters We Defy by Leslye Penelope
Just Like Home by Sarah GaileyHorrorJuly 19, 2022, by TorAudio ARC Review by Melinda This book begins with Vera coming home to take care of her dying mother. And everything is just…off. Her mother is hostile towards her, there’s something living under her bed, and her father was a serial killer who may be haunting the house, so things are complicated! We get bits and pieces of their backstory revealed, combined with pieces of what’s currently going on; but there are still so many Continue Reading
Angela’s Minis- What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher and A Shattered Silver Crown by Kai Butler
What Moves the Dead by T. KingfisherHorror/FantasyJuly 12, 2022 by Tor NightfireARC T. Kingfisher is known for fantasy and more recently, romantic fantasy, but I believe her horror novels and novellas to be some of her best work. This retelling of Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher is creepy and chilling and well done. Our narrator for this story is retired Lieutenant Alex Easton, who is summoned to the Usher estate by their childhood friend Roderick, on behalf of his dying sister Continue Reading
Review: Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher
Nettle & Bone by T. KingfisherFantasy/HorrorApril 26, 2022, by Tor BooksARC Review by Angela As much as I adore this author's romantic fantasies, and I absolutely do, sometimes I actually prefer her horror novels. If you haven't read The Hollow Places and The Twisted Ones, you should definitely get on that. This is very much a novel in two parts. The beginning introduces our main protagonist and tells the story of how she came to be on the perilous mission she is currently Continue Reading
Angela’s Minis- Love at First Spite by Anna E. Collins and Where the Drowned Girls Go by Seanan McGuire
Love at First Spite by Anna E CollinsContemporary Romance1/4/2022 by Graydon HouseARC Look, I'm always here for a good revenge, spite book so when I saw Love at First Spite offered up for review I jumped at the chance to read. There were things about this book I really loved and a few things that I didn't. Dani is our heroine and she realizes just a few weeks before her wedding that her fiance is cheating on her. After a spectacular time paintballing in her wedding dress with her cousin, Continue Reading
Review: Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-GarciaDark Fantasy9/7/2021 by Tor NightfireARC Review by Angela I really like this author, especially the fact that I never quite know what I'm going to get when I open one of her books. She jumps around genres, going from gothic suspense to fantasy to paranormal historical romance and I get a little excited with each new release. Certain Dark Things is labeled as dark fantasy horror and the version I'm reading is actually a rerelease with a new Continue Reading