This book feels like a debut, in the sense that it’s raw and somewhat promising, but ultimately it ended up being unpolished. I was truly shocked to find out that this is one of seven published works for Brinn. There’s a lot here that caught my attention at first: an incredibly dark premise, graphic and…
Tag: fiction
“Quicksilver” Callie Hart
Wow, this book really brought it. Quicksilver kicks the door open, sets your sheets on fire, and leaves your heartbeat in shambles. Easily sliding into my top three reads of 2025, this book is an electrifying blend of dark fantasy, slow-burning tension, and carnal heat. Callie Hart writes epic worlds and builds deep obsessions; and…
“The Unquiet Bones” Loreth Anne White
The Unquiet Bones is the book you curl up with on a rainy afternoon when you’re not looking for something groundbreaking, but something reliably good. It’s a cozy mystery that leans into its genre with confidence, offering a well-paced narrative, a familiar structure, and characters that are charming without being saccharine. What Loreth Anne White…
“Heir of Fire” Sarah J. Maas
Third in the Throne of Glass series, Heir of Fire holds its own and continues to deepen what’s already become a darkly addictive saga. This installment introduces the mountainous land of Wendlyn and Manaan, cracking open the heart of Aelin’s backstory in a way that makes the weight of her grief and rage feel almost…
“Delilah Green Doesn’t Care” Ashley Herring Blake
I don’t usually find myself reaching for romance or slice-of-life books, but I gave Delilah Green Doesn’t Care a shot (and for what it is, it’s solid). The sapphic book club I’m in voted this for our May read, and I appreciated the sapphic forward part of it most. Blake’s writing is accessible and breezy,…
“Hungerstone” Kat Dunn
This book had such a strong foundation of gothic atmosphere, eerie pacing, and an emotionally layered approach to horror, but it ultimately didn’t land for me in the way I hoped. I loved the moodiness, the slow burn, and the ghost-drenched tone of it all. Kat Dunn is clearly talented when it comes to building…
“Black Leopard, Red Wolf” Marlon James
Just wow. This book is a fever dream in the best, boldest, and most bewildering way possible. Black Leopard, Red Wolf is unlike anything I’ve ever read. It’s a hallucinatory epic, a brutal reimagining of African mythology and folklore that feels both ancient and startlingly new. It demands your full attention. Marlon James writes with…
“Neon Gods” Katee Robert
I came into Neon Gods looking for a sultry, modern take on Greek mythology. There’s no denying the concept is exciting: mythological retellings reimagined in a dark, romantic world? I was ready. But the execution left me feeling… more confused than captivated. While the story uses names and some themes inspired by the myth of…
“Hunting Adeline” H.D. Carlton
This one hurt. After being such a fan of Haunting Adeline, I went into Hunting Adeline with high hopes and an eagerness to see how Zade and Addie’s story would unfold. Unfortunately, what I got instead felt like an exhausting, overdrawn trauma reel that pushed boundaries for shock value rather than plot. It’s not that…
“Death’s Obsession (Book 1)” Avina St. Graves
I picked up this book expecting a quick, dark little escape and Death’s Obsession was exactly that; and with more spice than I ever could have anticipated in its compact 178 pages. This one isn’t shy. It dives straight into the heat and doesn’t bother with too much hesitation, which, honestly, I appreciated. From the…
A Tempest Storm 