Castle of the Cursed by Romina Garber

I was super excited when I was offered a copy of Castle of the Cursed by Romina Garber. Not only have I been wanting to read her work, but I am always looking for good gothic, vampire, latine fiction so to have all of that in one seemed like a great package deal. And it was, for the most part!

Tidal Creatures by Seanan McGuire

Tidal Creatures by Seanan McGuire was one of the releases I was most excited to pick up this year. I loved and cried during the first book in this series, Middlegame. I loved and cried even more during the second book of the series, Seasonal Fears. I thought I would love and cry during this third installment. Instead, I was left disappointed. This is a book that feels like 464 pages worth of filler.

Your Blood My Bones by Kelly Andrew

Your Blood My Bones by Kelly Andrew absolutely is one of those books that you buy a physical copy of just so you can highlight and annotate the heck out of. The prose is so beautiful and the emotions so raw, I absolutely recommend this for someone looking for YA horror and romance. The horror is innate in the beauty and a natural consequence of love and home.

The Magicians by Lev Grossman

The Magicians by Lev Grossman is a book that grows with you. Reading it as the age of the characters, you feel their strife. Reading it as an older person with more experience, you feel the heartbreak that you know is unavoidable because there is nothing to be done to avoid the sorrows that come with growing up. I wholeheartedly recommend this book but please understand, this isn’t a grown up or dark Harry Potter. It’s depression and yearning and growing pains that can’t be avoided with magic thrown in.

Jade City by Fonda Lee

I have danced around picking up Jade City by Fonda Lee since it was first released. I’ve heard the praise and it seemed interesting, but for whatever reason, I could not motivate myself to pick it up. I guess I was worried it would be some weird and boring fantasy with a stronger focus on martial arts over the intricacies I usually gravitate toward. Well, I can readily admit I was an idiot. This was absolutely amazing and mind-blowing. The politics involved rival A Song of Ice and Fire and the worldbuilding is astounding.

The Jinn Daughter by Rania Hanna

“The Jinn Daughter” by Rania Hanna offers beautiful prose and captivating tales woven by the jinn Nadine. While heavy on exposition, it’s a unique narrative experience. Despite a faltering ending, the exploration of maternal sacrifice resonates deeply. A recommended read for those seeking literary richness and introspection on mother-daughter dynamics.

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

I don’t know what I expected when I picked up The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna, but I do know I was pleasantly surprised! I thought this would just be a cute and cozy magic realism book, but this was so much more! Off the bat, the romance was a little […]

Summer Knight by Jim Butcher

I think if you are starting to pick this series up in 2024 and have been on the fence, Summer Knight by Jim Butcher will likely put you off. If you’re willing to keep trudging through, I think it will pay off. Summer Knight definitely sets the stage for later books, so if you want to see this through to the end, you’ll definitely need to pick this one up.

Seasonal Fears by Seanan McGuire

Seasonal Fears by Seanan McGuire is not Middlegame. It follows a different story and gets to that ending through different means. I need you to understand that when you pick this up because I see so many others disappointed that it isn’t Middlegame. This is a story where you have the pieces and have to put the puzzle together before anyone else does. There’s loyalty and devotion, and what spoke most importantly of all to me, discovering the reality of free will and choice.