Alexander Darwin closes out The Combat Codes trilogy with Blacklight Born, and it’s a worthy finale. It has everything fans of the series enjoyed - maAlexander Darwin closes out The Combat Codes trilogy with Blacklight Born, and it’s a worthy finale. It has everything fans of the series enjoyed - martial arts duels, high-stakes politics, and sibling drama.
We’re back in a world where nations settle disputes via one-on-one combat. The story flips between Murray Pearson’s perspective and Cego’s, who’s fresh from prison and now running with his long-lost brother Silas, aka the Slayer. Murray is determined to save Cego from the hyper-violent, morally murky path Silas is leading him down. He’s also preparing his young fighters for placement trials.
Cego, on the other hand, changed a lot. His time in prison, painful discoveries about his past, and Silas’s mentorship has left him questioning his identity and purpose. The shift is bold, and Darwin doesn’t shy away from showing how trauma can reshape a person. It’s good, but also make Cego harder to root for.
Darwin’s fight scenes are the standout. The final battle is absolutely jaw-dropping, and if you’re listening to the audiobook, it’s hard not to shadowbox. I liked how the worldbuilding expanded - we got more tech, more political nuance, and more insights into Daimyos.
Where Blacklight Born stumbles is pacing. The book packs enough plot for two novels, and the "jump-forward-then-explain" structure sometimes makes the story feel rushed. Big developments, especially around Cego’s return to the Lyceum and certain political consequences, happen so quickly you might get whiplash. It’s not a dealbreaker, but it leaves a few dangling threads.
Still, the trilogy ends on a high note. It’s action-packed, heartfelt, and unafraid to mix big moral questions with bone-crunching fight choreography. If you’ve been along for the ride since The Combat Codes, chances are you’ll find this conclusion satisfying and bittersweet. ...more
I’m a huge fan of O’Malley’s Checquy files, especially the first book. Like other books in the series, Royal Gambit works as a standalone. As exp3.5/5
I’m a huge fan of O’Malley’s Checquy files, especially the first book. Like other books in the series, Royal Gambit works as a standalone. As expected, it is imaginative and well-written, but it also gets in its own way.
Alix Mondegreen, a noblewoman with the power to shatter bones by touch, investigates a high-stakes murder mystery involving the royal family. As a member of the Checquy, a secret British agency that handles supernatural threats, she is assigned to protect Princess Louise, the new heir to the throne, after her brother dies under bizarre circumstances.
I liked Alix - she’s ambitious, competent, and able to deal with personal stakes. O’Malley’s world is strange, and paranormal weirdness is sometimes less intimidating than government bureaucracy. It’s a fun mix. People turn into dinosaurs, mysterious cubes appear in brains, and there’s always a new supernatural angle to investigate. When the book moves, it really moves. Sadly, it doesn’t move enough for large parts.
The pacing is slow. The book spends too much time on side details, royal protocols, and long explanations of how the Checquy operates. O’Malley clearly enjoys building his world, but the result is a story that often stalls. The main plot (a royal assassination with supernatural roots) loses tension under the weight of all the digressions. And that’s a shame because this story is good.
The cast is also too big for the story it’s telling (subjective). New characters keep showing up, each with a quirky name or power, but few leave a strong impression. Sometimes, it feels overstuffed, like the book is trying to do too much at once.
Still, when Royal Gambit works, it works. The dry humor lands. The world is fascinating. And Alix’s journey is worth following, especially given an excellent finale.
probablyThis is a solid entry in the Checquy series with strong writing and an intriguing premise, but it’s dragged down by certain self-indulgence. I wish it had better focus and momentum.
Audiobook narration: Moira Quirk is a treasure. I said it in the past and will repeat every time I listen to the story narrated by her.
I picked up Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang on a whim, and wow, what a ride it was!
Natural Beauty follows a gifted piani4.5/5 but I'll round it up.
I picked up Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang on a whim, and wow, what a ride it was!
Natural Beauty follows a gifted pianist, the daughter of Chinese immigrants, who gives up everything after her parents are severely injured in a car crash. When the bills start mounting, she takes a job at an elite wellness and beauty company called Holistik.
Holistik sells more than just skin serums and “inner glow elixirs”, they sell a lifestyle. They also have a CSO (Chief Spiritual Officer). Anyway lifestyle equals a slow, cultish dismantling of their employee’s (and clients, I guess) sense of self.
Their world draws our narrator deeper and deeper, until she hardly recognizes herself. Her skin, her hair, her name all get gradually erased to fit into company’s ideal of beauty. Things happen gradually, but by the time she realizes what’s been done to her, it’s already too late.
What really hit me wasn’t just the corporate satire or the body horror (though both were excellent). It was our narrator’s loneliness. She’s brilliant, disciplined, but also deeply isolated. First by the racism and bullying she faces as a child prodigy. Then by grief. And then by this relentless, silent pressure to assimilate.
It’s not perfect. The ending especially won’t be for everyone since it’s grim and abrupt. But I appreciate how it refused to wrap things up neatly.
Anyway. if you’re expecting a sharp satire, you’ll find it here. The beauty industry critique is clear, but it never overshadows the story. Natural Beauty is about the cost of perfection. About what it does to your body, and what it takes away from your identity. Overall, an impressive debut.
Also, major shoutout to the audiobook narrator. Carolyn Kang nailed it. ...more
Look, I’ll admit it - when I first heard someone had written another Greek mythology retelling, I sighed hard. But Wearing the Lion by John Wiswell prLook, I’ll admit it - when I first heard someone had written another Greek mythology retelling, I sighed hard. But Wearing the Lion by John Wiswell proved me wrong. Turns out, I did have room for one more.
Wiswell takes the famous, blood-soaked story of Heracles and flips it on its head. Instead of a nonstop parade of monster-slaying and muscle-flexing, this book gives us a surprisingly tender, often hilarious look at what happens when a traumatized hero decides that maybe violence isn’t the answer.
Heracles adores Hera, the goddess famous for hating him. He calls her Auntie Hera, dedicates his whole life to worshipping her, and basically turns her elaborate revenge plans into an awkward family drama. Hera, meanwhile, is at her wit’s end. Her rage over Zeus’s latest love child (Heracles) spirals so badly she accidentally causes Heracles to kill his own kids.
From there, things get interesting. Heracles needs to do Labors to discover the truth, but instead of butchering monsters left and right, he befriends them. The Nemean Lion becomes a cuddle buddy. The hydra joins the support group. In a way, it feels like the 12 Labors reimagined as a found family sitcom.
Wiswell writes well and I like his sense of humor. I also like how he continuously plays with the expectations. The book switches between Heracles’s and Hera’s perspectives. Heracles feels like a good-hearted, grieving man trying to make sense of his pain. Hera is much more complicated - stubborn, but also full of regret. I won’t lie, watching Her grapple with guilt and accountability is oddly satisfying.
And now, the downsides. The pacing gets a little wobbly. With all twelve labors squeezed in, some parts drag more than they should. But it’s a small price to pay for a story that turns divine vengeance and legendary violence into something that feels so wholesome.
Wearing the Lion is dark but also surprisingly funny and charming. If you’re tired of retellings that lean too hard on tragedy, and you want one that adds in emotional growth and hope, this one’s for you. ...more
I loved The Girl With All The Gifts, so I went into The Boy on the Bridge with high hopes. Turns out, hopes are like people in a fungal apocalypse - mI loved The Girl With All The Gifts, so I went into The Boy on the Bridge with high hopes. Turns out, hopes are like people in a fungal apocalypse - most don’t make it. Now, this book isn’t bad. It’s well written, and Carey knows how to build a grim world and an engaging plot. But it just didn’t grab me like The Girl With All The Gifts did. The characters were interesting enough, though I didn’t feel as attached to them.
Overall, I’d give it a 3.5 out of 5. Worth reading if you want more from this universe, but don’t expect it to bite as hard as the first book....more
Anima Rising is a wild, weird, and twisty ride through 1911 Vienna, filled with artists, mad scientists, Freud jokes, and a croissant-eating demo4.5/5
Anima Rising is a wild, weird, and twisty ride through 1911 Vienna, filled with artists, mad scientists, Freud jokes, and a croissant-eating demon dog. To my vast surprise, it all works.
Let’s start with a confession - I DNFed this book the first time. The opening chapters were just too much, wall-to-wall jokes, constant banter, and a chaotic energy that felt like it was trying too hard to be funny. But I’m glad I came back and gave it another shot, because once it settles down, this book is incredibly fun and creative.
The story kicks off in Vienna, 1911, with Gustav Klimt finding a naked woman floating in the canal. Naturally, instead of calling for help, he sketches her. The woman turns out to be alive, feral, and amnesiac. Klimt brings her home. What follows includes Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, a bunch of misbehaving artists, the literal Bride of Frankenstein, and a croissant-obsessed demon dog named Geoff. Yup.
As Judith (that’s how Klimt called her) starts to recover her memory with help from Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, and a bit of hypnosis, she recalls a chilling past involving Victor Frankenstein, his creature, and the Arctic. We discover her backstory slowly, and it’s extremely well done. She’s a character with trauma, rage, and an engaging personality. Her friendship with Klimt’s model Wally is the highlight of the book. Wally is great too, by the way. Full of street smarts and charm.
This book is stuffed to the brim with historical characters, gothic horror references, psychological theories, and absurd comedy. Freud is obsessed with penises. Jung is all about archetypes. Alma Mahler, Egon Schiele, and even a young Hitler wander through the story. And yet, Moore somehow keeps everything coherent and even gives depth to almost all characters.
Now, Anima Rising gets dark. There’s sexual violence in Judith’s backstory, and while Moore handles it with more sensitivity than you might expect from such a wacky book, it’s still heavy stuff. The same goes for animal death, but it’s not gratuitously graphic.
That said, the humor lands most of the time. Geoff the demon dog steals every scene. And the dialogue is packed with ridiculous, sometimes brilliant exchanges. The pacing dips a bit here and there, and the humor can be a little much early on. But once the story finds its groove, it’s all hilarious and oddly moving.
If you like your historical fiction with monsters, Freud jokes, dad jokes, and demon dogs, Anima Rising is for you. It’s chaotic, clever, and creative. Once I gave it a second chance, I didn’t want to put it down.
I enjoyed this one. Patrick Fort is a medical student with Asperger’s syndrome, obsessed with death and how the body works. When he notices somet3.5/5
I enjoyed this one. Patrick Fort is a medical student with Asperger’s syndrome, obsessed with death and how the body works. When he notices something suspicious during a cadaver dissection in his anatomy class, he begins to believe the person on the table was murdered. And unlike others, Patrick doesn’t let things go easily.
The plot also follows a comatose man who hears everything happening around him, a nurse who should probably not be a nurse, and several other characters. The story hops between these threads until they (mostly) come together.
I liked Bauer’s sharp, clean style, and brief moments of dark humor. Patrick is portrayed with care - he’s logical, literal, and often confused by human behavior, but he sees things others miss. His point of view brings something different to the crime genre.
Now, it’s not a mind-blower, but it keeps you turning the pages and occasionally muttering, “Wait, what?”. I had a good time with it, overall....more
Quite fun and entertaining. The relationships between the family are nicely done, too. That said, the second part becomes ridiculous in places an3.5/5
Quite fun and entertaining. The relationships between the family are nicely done, too. That said, the second part becomes ridiculous in places and requires a lot of suspension of belief. And I say it as a fan of all things fantasy. And actually, I think I would very much prefer it if it contained a preternatural element to twist the genre's frames.
Still, I had a reasonably good time listening to it. ...more
It was ok, but I really wanted to like this more than I did. The setup was solid - Phoenix, a young gardener of a rich and powerful couple starts2.5/5
It was ok, but I really wanted to like this more than I did. The setup was solid - Phoenix, a young gardener of a rich and powerful couple starts an affair with the husband and the wife tragically dies shortly after. I found the writing good, and the setting was vivid enough to picture the gardens and the drama.
But Phoenix, the main character, felt like a stranger the whole time. I never really understood her or connected with her. Her choices didn’t always make sense, and I wanted more depth, more backstory. The plot also dragged in places, especially in the middle. Some scenes were repetitive, and the tension fizzled out more than it built up.
There were moments that hooked me, especially early on, but overall, it felt like a lot of style with not enough substance. A decent read, but not one I’ll remember for long. ...more
This book nails the atmosphere. It’s moody, eerie, and soaked in Southern Gothic vibes. McDowell’s descriptions of the supernatural are genuinely3.5/5
This book nails the atmosphere. It’s moody, eerie, and soaked in Southern Gothic vibes. McDowell’s descriptions of the supernatural are genuinely cool and disturbing. Kudos for that.
I have an issue with characters, though. They’re all kinda dumb and pretty flat. I didn’t care about them, which made it hard to get fully pulled in. And while the plot has twists, most feel predictable, probably because the book’s older and this style’s been done a lot since.
All in all, it’s a solid book, especially If you’re here for slow-burn gothic and don’t mind familiar beats. ...more
Say one thing for Joe Abercrombie, say he can write memorable characters. Take Sand Dan Glokta - the best character ever. I4.5/5 but I'll round it up.
Say one thing for Joe Abercrombie, say he can write memorable characters. Take Sand Dan Glokta - the best character ever. I’ll be the first in line to buy next books set in the First Law world, but also I like to see my favorite authors try new things. Hearing that Abercrombie was doing something new outside the First Law world, hyped me up. And he crushed it.
This one’s still dark and full of morally questionable characters and bloody battles, but it’s also funnier. Not lighter exactly (this is Abercrombie after all, nobody’s getting a happy ending), but there’s more levity and warmth between all the chaos and bloodshed. The setup is very Suicide Squad in medieval Europe - a nervous vicar leads a crew of supernatural outcasts (vampire, werewolf, necromancer, elf, unkillable knight) on a mission to escort a thief-turned-princess across a war-torn continent so she can sit on a throne. What could go wrong?
The world is wild. There’s dark magic, church politics, cursed relics, flesh-eating elves (allegedly), and a city with a ten-year-old pope. The Church is shady as hell, and the “heroes” are absolute disasters. Which is exactly why I loved them. They’re flawed, funny, brutal, and full of surprises. Sunny, the elf who might have no soul, ends up being the sweetest. Vigga, the cheerful Viking werewolf, is an instant favorite. And so are others.
Speaking of Vigga, her introduction is probably the best action sequence I’ve ever read. Itly brutal, with a frenetic pacing, and some POV magic only Abercrombie can do. Like, I’ve listened to it three times already and I’m in awe. The scene is brilliant and so is the audiobook narrator Steven Pacey, whose delivery and timing are impeccable.
Anyway, everyone’s got a past, and Abercrombie reveals things slowly, so you keep flipping pages to figure out what the hell is going on beneath all the snark. The banter is nonstop, and the team has great chemistry that makes it so readable.
Abercrombie’s still wildly quotable. He drops one-liners that stick with you, especially if your sense of humor leans a little grim. That said, the story gets repetitive. The group runs into danger, barely survives, rinse and repeat. The thing is I didn’t mind, because I was having so much fun. The banter’s top-tier, the action scenes are chaotic and bloody in all the right ways, and Abercrombie’s still got that magic touch for killer one-liners.
The Devils is a bloody, snarky, chaotic blast. It’s smart, fast, funny, and absolutely soaked in blood and blasphemy. Abercrombie fans will love it. Newbies might just get converted.
This was a fascinating and gripping read. Viesturs does a great job - he connects mountaineering history with personal insight, and makes the tec4.5/5
This was a fascinating and gripping read. Viesturs does a great job - he connects mountaineering history with personal insight, and makes the technical stuff accessible without dumbing it down. The book describes the most dramatic and tragic attempts on K2, and it’s packed with tension, reflection, and respect for the mountain and those who climb it. You really feel the danger, the obsession, and the cost. It’s thoughtful, fast-paced, and genuinely absorbing. I couldn’t put it down....more
Someone You Can Build a Nest In is a monster romance. The main character, Shesheshen, is a shapeshifting creature able to build herself out of bones aSomeone You Can Build a Nest In is a monster romance. The main character, Shesheshen, is a shapeshifting creature able to build herself out of bones and organs of her victims. Yes, she eats people, but she is also trying to figure out love.
The story starts with Shesheshen getting chased out of her swamp by hunters and falling off a cliff. She’s rescued by Homily, a kind woman who has no idea that her new houseguest is actually the monster she’s been raised to hunt. Shesheshen is smitten with her, so obviously the next step is to kill Homily and lay eggs in her. Except that the more time they spend together, the more Shesheshen falls for Homily in ways that go beyond instinct of her kind.
Shesheshen’s point of view is funny, sometimes gross, and surprisingly thoughtful. She’s like an alien trying to understand humans, and her observations are hilarious. The tone reminded me The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, just with more body horror.
That said, the book does take some turns that didn’t land quite as well for me. There’s a big focus on Homily’s abusive family, and while I appreciate the book trying to handle serious themes, I wasn’t totally sold on how quickly and deeply Shesheshen understood things like trauma and emotional abuse.
Also, Homily never fully came alive for me as a character. She’s meant to be this warm, steady presence, but I found her kind of flat. Maybe that’s because we’re seeing her entirely through Shesheshen’s eyes, and Shesheshen spends so much time analyzing her rather than just letting us to get to know her.
Even with those issues, I had a good time listening to this. It’s clever and surprisingly sweet under all the goo. It’s not a cozy romance or a full-on horror novel, but something in between. You kind of have to be in the right mood for it, but if the idea of a people-eating blob monster falling in love sounds fun to you, it’s definitely worth checking out....more
This is technically a werewolf book… but not really, and that’s exactly the point. Cassidy reshapes familiar horror tropes into something weirder, morThis is technically a werewolf book… but not really, and that’s exactly the point. Cassidy reshapes familiar horror tropes into something weirder, more emotional, and far more personal. There’s a monster and a lot of blood. The pacing rarely slows down.
Jess is a struggling actress scraping by in L.A. by waitressing and cleaning nasty bathrooms. She quickly ends up in an unpleasant situation involving a used needle, a strange boy hiding in the bushes, and a sudden burst of violent chaos. From there, she’s on the run - from a monstrous “wolf-bear-thing,” but also from grief, trauma, and a lifetime of messy emotional baggage. Jess is believable, and her choices feel real. Well, with a few exceptions, but I can’t spoil them.
The boy she rescues is no ordinary kid. His fears literally come to life. Which is as terrifying as it sounds. And it makes the story unique - the creature they’re running away from is more tied to grief and desperation than anything supernatural. That’s why many readers love it. Now, to me, some instances didn’t ring true. I also found Jess too emotionally messy to relate to, and that decreased my enjoyment a bit. But she’s smart, sometimes funny, and uses improv comedy tricks to survive monster attacks, so there’s that.
Not every twist lands perfectly, and some of the genre-mashing might throw readers off, but by the end, the payoff is worth it. If you’re into horror that does something different give it a shot....more
Everyone’s been raving about The Raven Scholar, so of course I had to see what the deal was. When a literal crow god started narrating a disaster4.5/5
Everyone’s been raving about The Raven Scholar, so of course I had to see what the deal was. When a literal crow god started narrating a disaster with the tone of someone sipping tea and watching it all burn, I knew I was in good hands. The Raven Scholar has lots of personality and great characters. It also got me hooked immediately. Since I listened to the audiobook, I’ll pick this moment to mention the narrator is brilliant and makes the great story even better.
This is epic fantasy with a murder mystery, set in an empire where divine animals (oversimplification) are real, and people pick a new emperor every 24 years in a contest. Neema Kraa, is an awkward, but deeply competent and bright High Scholar, who would enjoy being left alone to research obscure trivia. Instead, she’s shoved into a deadly power struggle for a throne she never even wanted.
The worldbuilding is cool and quite rich without ever being overwhelming. The worldbuilding is rich but not overwhelming, the cast is massive and memorable, and the prose is sharp, elegant, and just the right amount of snarky. There’s romance, betrayal, divine politics, and a complex plot with lots of surprises.
It’s clever, chaotic (in the best way), and somehow manages to juggle everything without dropping a single ball. I had an absolute blast. Easily one of the best fantasy debuts I’ve read in a while....more
The moon turns into cheese. Not metaphorically. Not in a dream. Like, literally. One day it’s the regular rock-ball we all know and ignore, and the neThe moon turns into cheese. Not metaphorically. Not in a dream. Like, literally. One day it’s the regular rock-ball we all know and ignore, and the next, it’s dairy. That’s the book. That’s the premise. I rolled my eyes too. But then I started reading, and - well, I ended up liking it more than I thought I would. More than I probably should’ve, honestly.
This is John Scalzi doing what he does best - taking a totally absurd idea and running with it. The moon becomes cheese (type undetermined). People react. Some panic, some scheme, some try to monetize it, some go to church. And through it all, Scalzi’s trademark mix of snark, satire, and sneaky emotional depth holds the whole gooey mess together.
There’s not really a central protagonist here-unless you count humanity in general, or maybe capitalism. Instead, we bounce around between a rotating cast of scientists, astronauts, cheese mongers, billionaire tech bros, diner regulars, and one very cursed Saturday Night Live episode. It's like a disaster movie crossed with a sociology paper, but funnier and with more dairy puns.
The plot meander a a bit and I admit I did I lose track of a few characters. But the short chapters kept things moving, and there’s something irresistible about how this book doesn’t try to be anything other than what it is: a ridiculous thought experiment with a surprising amount of insights into human behavior.
If you’ve read Kaiju Preservation Society or Starter Villain and enjoyed the vibes, you’ll probably enjoy this one too. If you haven’t, but the idea of “slice-of-life apocalypse, but make it cheese” sounds appealing, you might be in for a good time. Just don’t come in expecting hard sci-fi. This is soft cheese fiction. And that’s kind of the point....more