Something Spectacular (2023) Alexis Hall (Something Fabulous #2) I was somewhat hesitant to read this book as I thought it was Arabella’s book, and I’m not sure I can handle an entire book with her as the main characters (Bonny was difficult enough and that book wasn’t from his point-of-view) but this is Peggy’s story […]
Nine Goblins (2013) T. Kingfisher It’s not that Nessilka wanted to be in charge of this squad of goblins, it’s just that there wasn’t anyone else to do the job. Smart goblins became mechanics. Dumb goblins became soldiers. Really dumb goblins became officers. So when, in the midst of battle, they are pulled away and […]
Execution in E (2020) Alexia Gordon (A Gethsemane Brown Mystery #5) “If you don’t want me to see your fingers crossed behind your back,” she pointed to his semi-transparent hand visible through his semi-transparent torso, “you should dial up your density.” “Ms. Markham’s parents’ money buys a great deal of tolerance of Ms. Markham. The […]
Fatality in F (2019) Alexia Gordon (Gethsemane Brown Mysteries #4) He’d hybridized the rose himself and christened it the ‘Sandra Sechrest’ in honor of the librarian who’d given him a biography of Pythagoras when he was seven and sparked his lifelong love of math. Gethsemane winced. Dunmullach’s murder rate had tripled after she arrived. Some […]
Killing in C Sharp (2018) Alexia Gordon (Gethsemane Brown Mysteries #3) Ghost Hunting Adventures reigned notorious for both its physicality and the amount of profanity that had to be bleeped out. “Some versions say Maja was the choice from the jump. Long and short of it, the baroness tricked Maja into going to the construction […]
Soulstar (2021) C.L. Polk (The Kingston Cycle #3) This is the conclusion to the Kingston Cycle, and there is a lot going on here: Severin Mountrose is now king, witches are free, there is a search to replace aether, and Solidarity has decided to hold an open election–even if it doesn’t officially count. “Why doesn’t […]
Stormsong (2020) C.L. Polk (The Kingston Cycle) Grace has escaped with her brother after the destruction of the aethernet, but when she senses a terrible storm coming she knows she has to return to Aeland to protect her people. A storm spread out miles wide, spinning away from the Cauldron off the coast. It was […]
Witchmark (2018) C.L. Polk (The Kingston Cycle #1) I reread this so I can finally finish the series. Mr. Elliot dragged in a tattered breath. “I got too close. They needed the souls. The war—” He gagged and rolled away from me, retching. I held him steady. “Don’t try to talk.” He dragged in ragged […]
Death in D Minor (2017) Alexia Gordon (Gethsemane Brown Mysteries #2) “Thank you, Miss Brown,” Hank said. “Doctor Brown,” she corrected. “Oh, that’s right, you do have some sort of degree in, what is it, music?” “A Ph.D. From Yale.” “You must forgive me, Doctor Brown. I believe I mentioned before I don’t pay much […]
Murder in G Major (2016) Alexia Gordon (Gethsemane Brown #1) Teaching teenaged schoolboys was going to be almost as much fun as defending her dissertation to a hungover committee head who’d lost his tenure and his wife in the same week. Almost. “My friends call me Frankie.” “And what should I call you?” Gethsemane asked. […]
The Masquerades of Spring, Audio Book (2024) Ben Aaronovitch narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith (Rivers of London) Set in New York City in 1926 (B)ecause the landlords knew that the coloured folk couldn’t get lodgings in the white neighbourhoods, they could charge more than twice the normal rent. Since coloured folk mostly got paid half of […]
The Wonder Engine (2018) T. Kingfisher (Clocktaur War #2) “Politics,” she said. “It doesn’t make any sense. People do the stupidest shit and you want to scream that it’s against their own interests and you never know if they’re playing some deep game you don’t know about or if they’re really just that stupid.” “I […]
Clockwork Boys (2017) T. Kingfisher (Clocktaur War, #1) This is a rare book: one that I listened to before I read. (Honestly, at the time I was desperate for distraction and wasn’t really able to concentrate on reading.) I still enjoyed it, and as it has been two years, managed to forget just enough that […]
All Accounts Settled (2025) Drew Hayes (Fred the Vampire Accountant #9) The final Fred the Vampire Accountant book. I believe I read the author had health issues that kept him from finishing the book on the schedule he set for himself, and I also think he was fighting with the publisher of his earlier books, […]
Who Killed Sherlock Holmes? Audio Book (2016) Paul Cornell narrated by Damian Lynch (The Shadow Police #3) I haaaaaaaaate that this series didn’t get more books. ‘I won’t tell you!’ she shouted. ‘I can!’ Kevin insisted, pointing at himself. The stormtrooper paused awkwardly again. He obviously had as little idea as she did what Kevin’s […]
Legends & Lattes (2022) Travis Baldree (Legends & Lattes #2) As a rule, folks with a fixed address avoided swindling an orc. Viv sighed. “I’ve lived a long time knowing I’m a threat walking. I’d rather that wasn’t the shape of it for you.” The hob pushed a handcart loaded with a big, brass-barreled mechanism, […]
Bookshops & Bonedust (2023) Travis Baldree (Legends & Lattes #1) The sequel to Legends & Lattes recently came out, so I decided I really needed to read the prequel to that so I could reread Legends & Lattes and then the new book. For some unknown reason I’d put off reading this story. I loved […]
Help Wanted (2018) J. Emery (Ashveil Academy #1) Em wants to get her best friend the best gift this year for her birthday. Except that she’s broke, and her alchemy skills are terrible. So she decides to get a job, so she can buy Thaian the gift she wants to get her. Calpurnia West, sister […]
Supernatural Crimes Unit: NYPD (2025) Keith R. A. Decandido Monsters are real, and the NYPD has to deal with the ones who break the law. Thus was born the SCU, or Supernatural Crimes Unit. The SCU had been formed after a vampire named Bogdan Albescu killed a City Hall employee named John Rosario on the […]
The Severed Streets, Audio Book (2014) Paul Cornell narrated by Damian Lynch (The Shadow Police #2) Trigger Warnings: there are not detailed descriptions, but if a bad thing can happen, it likely happens in this series. You despair about making accurate judgements about anyone. Well, I’m here to tell you, boy, it was always thus. […]
London Falling, Audio Book (2014) Paul Cornell narrated by Damian Lynch (The Shadow Police #1) Trigger Warnings: there are not detailed descriptions, but if a bad thing can happen, it likely happens in this series. “Might as well look as if we’re together,” said Sefton, under his breath, as he pressed the tea bag against […]
Mockingbird Court (2025) Juneau Black (A Shady Hollow Mystery #6) This is the final Shady Hollow mystery. I’m not mad, though I am a little sad. The authors have every right to walk away, and with a series as enjoyable as this one has been, I can see how hard it would be to keep […]
Summers End, Audio Book (2024) Juneau Black narrated by Cassandra Campbell (A Shady Hollow Mystery #5) Buckthorn had told her to stick to her specialty. But what Buckthorn didn’t know was that Vera’s specialty was sticking her nose in other folks’ business. Vera checked in with all of them, gave them firm warnings about sneaking […]
Cry Wolf (2021) Charlie Adhara (Big Bad Wolf #5) But loss was too complex a thing to always feel what you were supposed to feel. Fear is just your body protecting itself, Dr. Ripodi had said once. Just like pain exists to let you know something is wrong, fear is another message. Sometimes, though, the […]
Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing (2020) Charlie Adhara (Big Bad Wolf #4) Park inclined his head slightly in that way of his that always made him look like some kind of benevolent god accepting a loving sacrifice. When Cooper tried the same he looked like he’d suddenly dropped food down his shirt. “It’s not you, it’s […]
Twilight Falls, Audio Book (2023) Juneau Black narrated by Cassandra Campbell (A Shady Hollow Mystery #4) And everywhere, you hear the sound of water flowing. It begins with tiny trickles from melting icicles and the rivulets running down the slopes. Whether seeping or meandering or tumbling madly, they all meet at the rivers running through […]
Thrown to the Wolves (2019) Charlie Adhara (Big Bad Wolf #3) “(T)he book said no one should hike alone. What if you run into an animal?” “Then there’s a 50/50 chance we’re related.” Cooper felt the discomfort that had been prickling at the base of his skull since the market bloom across his skin. You […]
The Wolf at Bay (2018) Charlie Adhara (Big Bad Wolf #2) I love the opening of this book so very much. But I have quoted it every review I’ve done, so I’ll skip this time. But really, it’s the best. Ever since (learning of Cooper’s injuries) Park had been hyper-vigilant that Cooper was getting enough […]
The Wolf at the Door (2018) Charlie Adhara (Big Bad Wolf #1) Ava being Ava. He didn’t understand why she always sent a thousand little texts rather than put all the information in one long message. She didn’t understand why he used commas. “It’s a standing joke around the Trust that the real reason behind […]
Battle Hill Bolero, Audio Book (2017) Daniel José Older narrated by Daniel José Older (Bone Street Rumba #3) It’s almost over. Kia is back in town and now an Iyawo, Sasha and Reza have become friends, and Kia, Jimmy, Kris, and Redd–one of the ghosts from the Burial Grounds–have become friends. “Him and Damian and […]
Swordheart, Audio Book (2018) T. Kingfisher narrated by Jesse Vilinsky One of the grimmer realizations of Sarkis’s youth had been the discovery that knowing you were being an ass did not actually stop you from continuing to be an ass. “Well,” she admitted, looking at the pile of potatoes, “you’re good at that.” “I have […]
The Most Unusual Haunting of Edgar Lovejoy (2025) Roan Parrish Edgar Lovejoy sees ghosts. This isn’t a gift to him, it’s a nightmare, and one he tries very hard to avoid and flees whenever he can. But seeing ghosts is in his family, and there’s nothing he can do about it…is there? Jamie Wendon-Dale loves […]
Midnight Taxi Tango, Audiobook (2016) Daniel José Older narrated by Daniel José Older (Bone Street Rumba #2) A textbook lies open on the counter in front of me; I don’t even remember taking it out. It’s trig, some shit I already know how to do, and can’t be bothered answering a bunch of mindless questions […]
Family Matters (2018) Angel Martinez (Brandywine Investigations) What I’ve got is a headache as annoying as a cruise ship full of sugared-up four-year-olds. “So you’re saying I should’ve been more mature and ignored the fact that he hurt me?” He glanced from one face to the other, Auntie Hestia’s managing stern and sympathetic at once, […]
Half-Resurrection Blues, Audiobook (2015) Daniel José Older (Bone Street Rumba# 1) (A)nother little guy is definitely Indian/Pakistani or maybe Puerto Rican. Or half-black. Whatever he is, he gets randomly searched every time he’s within twenty feet of an airport. “Row seven, bin A.” I walk down the aisles, peering at the numbers like I’m using […]
Open for Business (2016) Angel Martinez (Brandywine Investigations #1-3) “Epically bad.” Orpheus dropped the divorce papers on the table, shaking his fingers out as if the words had singed him. “She’s kicking him out, too. Keeping the palace and the dog.” Neither one of these dudes even smirked, like Tiberius was as normal a name […]
The House on Druid Lake (2021) Isabelle Adler Oliver has taken a job in Baltimore to make a new start, and perhaps a little bit of escaping his abusive ex. He believes he’s lucked out in finding a relatively inexpensive apartment to rent, in what looks to be an historical building, but things are not […]
Salsa Nocturna, Audiobook (2012) Daniel José Older narrated by Daniel José Older (Bone Street Rumba #2.5) Nothing marginalizes marginalized people like a dead white guy talking sympathetically. A child’s excitement is its own force of nature. ‘Simpático’ is the best word for him. It means ‘nice’ in English, but nice is such a pathetic word. […]
Spectred Isle (2017) KJ Charles (Green Men #1) Set in London in 1923 (T)he Empire that had covered a full quarter of the earth was beginning to look less like an immutable and unchanging truth and more like hubris. As a normal sort of Englishman, Saul’s reaction to religious enthusiasm was usually to remove himself […]
Shade Spells with Strangers (2025) Sarah Wallace & S. O. Callahan (Fae & Human Relations #3) Set in London in 1814 The sequel to Fire Spells Between Friends starts at the wedding between Emrys Wrenwhistle and Torquil Pimpernel-Smith, where Silas Rook-Worth and his family are creating the protection spells and area for the wedding. Silas’ […]
Mirror Lake, Audio Book (2022) Juneau Black narrated by Cassandra Campbell (Shady Hollow #3) At the base of the great elm tree that Heidegger called home, Vera pulled the bell rope to alert the owl. In response, a basket attached to a thin rope dropped from above. “Ah, but now you have the important phrase […]
Cold Clay, Audio Book (2022) Juneau Black narrated by Cassandra Campbell (Shady Hollow #2) A skeptic with an eye for minutiae may even ask why a rat requires a visit to the haberdasher. In turn, we ask such skeptics to look to their own hat collections before passing judgment on another. ‘Grey’s School of Etiquette,’?” […]
Gumption & Gumshoes (2013) Alex Kidwell I wanted to shift. I didn’t often, because seriously, what would be the point? None of us did. Personally, I was just really hooked on the opposable thumbs thing that I had as a human. But right then, I wanted to be smaller. And why would you want to […]
Uncommonly Tidy Poltergeists (2017) Angel Martinez They half-watched late-night television and tried to pin down what Taro had witnessed. The large sentient insects possibility didn’t make him feel better at all. “You’re a very kind person, Mr. Not-a-Root Vegetable.” “Thank you, Mr. Absolutely-Not-Named Jack.” Characters: Taro Torres, Mr. Manny Torres, Mrs. Lise Torres, Ben, Luka, […]
Rogue Community College (2024) David R. Slayton (Liberty House #1) Isaac Frost was raised by The Undertaker and the other boys the assassin has been training, but he has never been sent out to kill. Until now. Isaac had to find the school’s heart, its beating, living heart. He didn’t really understand it, but magic […]
The Monster of Lightower Library: A Lamplight Short Story (2025) Morgan Stang (Lamplight Murder Mysteries #1.5) Evie, Isabeau and Penny need more information about the monster they are hunting, so they head to the library, of course. Unfortunately, the library seems to have it’s own unexpected monster. These stories really are fun. They make monster […]
Viscounts & Villainy (2025) Allie Therin (Roaring Twenties Magic #3) November 1925 Sebastian and Wesley are in New York after the events of the previous book, and Sebastian is trying to learn to live without magic. It’s not going well. He’s a pacifist who has relied upon his magic to get him out of fights […]
Stone and Sky (2025) Ben Aaronovitch (Rivers of London #10) Of course I loved it. And I can’t wait for the audiobook to come out. This story is split between Peter and Abigail, and I wonder how many people are going to take issue with that. Personally, not only did I like it, but I […]
Shady Hollow, Audiobook (2015) Juneau Black narrated by Cassandra Campbell (A Shady Hollow Mystery #1) I still love the story, but the narration isn’t my favorite. After finishing Blitz, this became the listen-in-the-car book. When I previously suggested Michael might enjoy this series, he scoffed and said it wasn’t for him. He ended up enjoying […]
Blitz, Audiobook (2022) Daniel O’Malley narrated by Moira Quirk (Checquy Files #3) And then there were no more shots, only the unmistakable sound of someone having run out of bullets. Responsible for supernatural security throughout the British Empire, the executives of the Checquy were all horrendously busy and had been even before the nation entered […]