Review: Solace House by Will MacLean

   

Solace House by Will MacLean
Publication Date: October 13th, 2026
Grove Press
512 pages. Hardcover.

About Solace House:

"You are about to enter a place of strange genius, possible madness, and timeless love . . .

'The Secret History meets The Haunting of Hill House . . . rich, thoughtful, terrifying.'—Nicholas Binge, author of Dissolution

An addictive and brilliant puzzle box of a novel following a group of university students who discover an astonishing secret while clearing out a neglected Victorian mansion

For Alex Lane’s wealthy university friends, the summer break stretches out before them, full of promise and fabulous plans. But for Alex, broke as usual, going home is not an option. So when the university offers him an unusual summer job clearing out a dilapidated Victorian mansion, Solace House, he jumps at the chance. Alex joins an unlikely crew of students, from stoner Clive to uptight, short-tempered Helen, and the extremely peculiar Adam.

Alex is particularly drawn to mercurial, red-headed Ella, and as the students begin sorting through piles of old newspapers and magazines, dusty antiques, and esoteric junk, Alex and Ella become enthralled by the elaborate and eerie journals of the house’s former owner, Edwin Flayne. In these diaries, Flayne details his obsession with his missing mother and his belief in a mysterious realm lying parallel to ours, along with coded instructions on how it might be reached.

As the students gradually uncover the house’s secrets, the rift between those who want to delve further and those who believe they’ve already gone too far grows ever wider."

Solace House follows Alex as the school year wraps up and he finds he has nowhere to go for the summer--not a new discovery, but one he had been dreading just a bit. He eventually falls into an opportunity that takes him to Solace House, an old secluded mansion, where he and a group of other students will spend the summer clearing out the house from what appears to be a rather intense hoarding situation involving its former owner, Flayne. While clearing out the house, the group stumbles upon not just useless junk and collections, but also some more... peculiar items and ideas that hint at something deeper going on with Flayne than anyone might reasonably expect. 

To be fully honest, my dream in some capacity is to get paid to spend a summer doing something like this, even though I know the reality of some hoarder situations could be quite... horrendous. But in this specific context, I would love to do it, especially with how weird things get. Uncovering some weird man's eccentricities and the possibility of other dimensions? Count me in.

I really enjoyed getting to know our motley crew, which included Alex, Clive, Leo, Malcolm, Adam, Ruth, Helen, and, of course, Jilly Cowie. Alex is a great character to follow because he's a nice blend of someone who actually has a personality and isn't some cardboard figure passively watching everything around him, but also isn't over the top outgoing or making stupid decisions at every turn. He's a bit immature in his thinking at times, which fits perfectly with his age and current place in life, and he has a great sense of humor, which often comes through in the many discussions and the banter between the characters. 

And speaking of, each character was very deftly crafted and I think MacLean did a really great job of creating unique characters that actually have interesting personalities and backgrounds. The only exception to this, for me, was Malcolm, whom I kinda forgot about here and there and at this point I'm not sure I could tell you off the cuff what his deal was. Helen also seemed to get a little caricature-esque at times, but I think the drama she brought also added something to the story that was needed. Nonetheless, I found this group truly engaging and I liked spending the summer with them as they engaged in this rather odd job together.

This was really such an odd setup in some ways for our characters, but I loved having a sort of miniature, semi-academic community in an isolated setting. It's like the dark academia setup without having to incorporate classes and other restrictions, it's almost like free rein to have an isolated group of young students and see what happens when they are left to essentially discover things on their own. 

And what they're discovering is fascinating! Between Flayne's strange collections, the journals they uncover, and the increasingly peculiar ideas surrounding other dimensions, there's so much to investigate and piece together. I loved how even the seemingly mundane discoveries could hint at something much larger, and how the characters were left trying to determine what was genuinely significant versus what might be simply another one of Flayne's eccentricities... which could also be significant in its own way (I promise this will make sense if you read the book). 

I'll also note that it made me mad as hell whenever Jilly or someone wanted to burn Flayne's things. I get that things are creepy, but as someone who also struggles to get rid of things, I found that so much of it seemed like it was worth investigating or appreciating rather than simply throwing it away. It frustrated me that they couldn't at least take pictures of some things since this is set before smartphone cameras were everywhere, but I guess that's the beauty of experiencing the present sometimes. These are all just normal reader feelings that I think you're supposed to feel a little bit, so I'm not complaining, but I just needed to express my feelings anyway.

I love stories like this so much. Any story that has so many intricate details baked into the very bones of the story where it's clear that so much careful thought and plotting have gone into everything, and where seemingly no detail is included by accident, is exactly the type of story that I love getting lost in. There are breadcrumbs and minute details everywhere you look, and I just love something that really takes the time to explore an idea and a setting with such intensity and care. There's a passion in this that I really loved, and I loved exploring everything along with the characters.

When I say this book is a slow burn, I'm not just saying it in the sense that it's a big book with a lot to say. I really, really mean it--if you aren't enjoying the story, it will feel like it's dragging, but if you are loving every second of it like I was, then you'll appreciate every paragraph. But holy hell is this a slow burn; it is not for the fainthearted. Despite it being a slow burn, the writing is fortunately completely captivating and completely drew me in. MacLean's writing is so compelling and just drips with hidden meaning, whether intentional or not (though I'm pretty sure everything is intentional, of course!). I loved the weirdness of it all at times, though I should clarify that it's a very "normal" story with a very accessible style and plot to follow, but there are so many hints and underlying notes of oddness and intrigue that felt like a constant nod to the reader not to get complacent.

I do think things start to drag a little bit at the 60-70% mark. Then the pacing picks up again, and the last portion is very different from the start of the story, but still compelling. I felt like Alex's personality changed a bit after a certain transition period, which threw me off a little, but maybe I just hadn't seen him in those types of situations before.

As much as I truly enjoyed this book overall and wholeheartedly recommend it, there are some things that I didn't love as much. While I think the ending very much works just fine for this story, I have to admit that I found it to be a bit disappointing in some capacity as well. I feel like the entire story leading up to the final quarter or so of the book was so thoughtful, full of tension and buildup, slow but steady in pacing, and continuously promised and hinted at so much.. and then the way it panned out just felt like it didn't quite reach the level of payoff I'd been hoping it would achieve. (And also... not that the truth of Alex's background isn't horribly traumatic, but I did think it might have a slightly larger role than it ended up having.) I think a few specific things involving some characters felt like they petered out slightly as well, but there's a fine balance between that and overexplaining, so I understand the choices the author made.

And none of this is to say that it's not a good ending at all, but for a story that really promises "labyrinths" and secrets and mysteries, I think it delivered on that for about 80% of the story with excellent execution, and then just faltered slightly at the end. That's possibly what prevents this from being a true 5/5 for me, but it's still a book I'd consider a new favorite and one I will absolutely continue to recommend for a long time to come.

I'm not sure what genre exactly to classify this as, as there are definitely hints of horror, mystery, almost some dark academia vibes, some Gothic and even thriller vibes at times--honestly, it's just a great read and I think it will appeal to readers who love puzzles, thoughtful, intricate stories, charismatic and engaging characters, and especially those who love the fantastic. It's the type of book that will absolutely leave readers wanting to theorize and have lengthy discussions about it. 

*I received a copy of Solace House courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This has no effect on my rating or enjoyment.*

Buy the book: Amazon | Bookshop.org

Mini-Review: This Thing Between Us by Gus Moreno

    

This Thing Between Us by Gus Moreno
Publication Date: October 12th, 2021
FSG Adult
272 pages. Paperback.

About This Thing Between Us:

"'A surreal excursion into heartache and horror narrated by a man undone by grief . . . Along with allusions to Rod Serling and The Exorcist, there are shades of H. P. Lovecraft, Stephen King, zombie literature and, at least once, A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy . . . You don't want to read this book right before bed.' ―Sarah Lyall, The New York Times Book Review

'This intense cosmic horror with a touch of Mexican American folklore is incredibly creepy and moving.' ―Margaret Kingsbury, BuzzFeed

It was Vera’s idea to buy the Itza. The “world’s most advanced smart speaker!” didn’t interest Thiago, but Vera thought it would be a bit of fun for them amidst all the strange occurrences happening in the condo. It made things worse. The cold spots and scratching in the walls were weird enough, but peculiar packages started showing up at the house―who ordered industrial lye? Then there was the eerie music at odd hours, Thiago waking up to Itza projecting light shows in an empty room.

It was funny and strange right up until Vera was killed, and Thiago’s world became unbearable. Pundits and politicians all looking to turn his wife’s death into a symbol for their own agendas. A barrage of texts from her well-meaning friends about letting go and moving on. Waking to the sound of Itza talking softly to someone in the living room . . .

The only thing left to do was get far away from Chicago. Away from everything and everyone. A secluded cabin in Colorado seemed like the perfect place to hole up with his crushing grief. But soon Thiago realizes there is no escape―not from his guilt, not from his simmering rage, and not from the evil hunting him, feeding on his grief, determined to make its way into this world.

A bold, original horror novel about grief, loneliness and the oppressive intimacy of technology, This Thing Between Us marks the arrival of a spectacular new talent."

In This Thing Between Us, we follow Thiago after his wife's sudden and traumatic death as he now inhabits a world that feels empty with the one person who mattered most to him no longer in it. He struggles with his grief in many different forms, from anger to guilt to many other emotions that I'm sure anyone who's suffered a loss can probably relate to. He eventually moves from his and his wife's home in Chicago to a secluded area in Colorado, but it is here that he ends up having to face his grief and more horrors of the universe. 

What I liked: I really liked this book's exploration of grief and trauma. This was obviously a very big part of the overall story and theming, and Gus Moreno tackled it excellently. Thiago pain felt horribly raw, and it very much permeated the entire story and made for the type of story that's not "scary monster" scary, but rather an eerie, cosmic horror, grief-tinged scary that really sits with you deep in your bones. Moreno has deftly executed a thoughtful, compelling story that I had a very hard time stepping away from. I felt so drawn to Thiago and seeing where each day would take him, and eventually what the strange things he was noticing happening meant and why they were happening. 

What I didn't like: The ending got a little bit odd--not necessarily in a way that was hard to follow, but moreso just in a sense that it didn't quite fit the overall atmosphere and vibe that I felt the first half to three-quarters of the book had been developing. It just felt very thoughtful and carefully plotted and written, and then suddenly it felt a bit... chaotic? I may have just not loved the direction it took, but it still had some strong parts within the ending that I think worked well and still left the story feeling very meaningful. Also, if the "Itza" part of the blurb is what's making you want to read this book, then just know it's nearly a present role int he story as you might think (it has a large role, but it's not a role that's consistently active throughout the story). The only thing that I didn't like at all and I don't have as much of a silver lining for is that there is a dog death, and it's all pretty quick and sudden and I didn't care for it. Then there's some stuff after the dog event with a "dog" (sorta like what I described in my review for The Nudge) that I also didn't love. So dog lovers, do be aware of this going in. 

Overall, I absolutely recommend this as a more slow-paced horror that spends plenty of time exploring our protagonist's mental state and pondering grief, purpose, and more thoughtful ideas. If you're looking for gory, in-your-face horror, then this might not be quite what you're looking for, but I'd still encourage you to give it a try!

Buy the book: Amazon | Bookshop.org

Review: The Nudge by Joseph Fink

   

The Nudge by Joseph Fink
Publication Date: September 1st, 2026
Podium Publishing
144 pages. Hardcover.

About The Nudge:

"A new horror novella from the creator of Welcome to Night Vale and Alice Isn’t Dead featuring original illustrations from Night Vale series artist Jessica Hayworth.

On the open road, evil doesn’t chase you. It waits . . .

Late one night, a wounded man checks into a remote roadside hotel. He’s running from something he can’t explain or escape. And over the course of a night, he’ll tell the hotel’s proprietor how his life fell apart.

It started with his wife. Subtle changes. Smiles that didn’t belong to her. Then violence―sudden, intimate, almost casual. Therapy offered hope. Recovery seemed possible. Until it wasn’t. He believes a hidden influence has attached itself to him, one that never forces, never commands. It whispers. It suggests. Nudges people toward their worst impulses.

Now the man wanders the country as a fugitive, hoping to break free from the evil that’s wormed its way into him. But as our narrator’s story unfolds, he begins to question whether he’s fled far enough . . . 

Tense, atmospheric, and chilling, The Nudge is a slow-burn tale of suspense that will linger like a whisper in the dark, long after the story is over."

The Nudge is a short little horror novella that I sat down and read in one sitting--something that I very, very rarely do, which I think is very indicative of how much it captured my attention. I had not read (or listened) to anything by Joseph Fink prior to this and stumbled upon it one day, requested it from my library, and then, as has been noted, immediately devoured it. And although I'm talking about how quick it was to read, it's not exactly a fast-paced story, either, but feels like a bit of a slow burn that moves quickly because you can't put it down, if that makes any sense. Regardless, because it is so short,  I want to do my best to avoid giving away too much about the story, so I'll try to lay out my thoughts in the most spoiler-free way that I can. 

Our story starts when a man shows up to a tucked away motel while on the run from something--and no one, not even this man, really seems to know exactly what it is, though of course he has some idea. As the man checks in and is led to his room by the hotel owner, he begins to slowly share his story about he has ended up at this particular hotel. 

The entire novella is formatted as a conversation between our protagonist and the hotel owner, so there's a nice mix of storytelling from our protagonist with some added in conversation and commentary from both men as they navigate the hotel (a seemingly more arduous and complex task than one might anticipate, but we'll get to that) towards the man's room. I really loved this narrative style and found it entirely engaging, as I already love listening to people talk and tell stories about themselves and their experiences, so I found myself pretty hooked on this conversation between thee two. I found that it created a delightful amount of suspense and tension, as something about hearing the terrifying and unnerving experiences straight from the person themself added some element of rawness and true fear to the experience. It was easy to put yourself in his shoes, and that is what really made this feel so intense at times. There's also a required level of patience as we wait for him to let the entire story unfold while at the same time moving through the hotel, which of course added to the suspense of it all.

It also doesn't hurt that what this man shares was deeply unsettling, and imagining something similar happening in my own life is truly a horrifying thought, as this story's horror really plays with tweaking the norm and turning the things we most love in our lives and that we find most comforting into the things that are now causing us the most terror. Fink does an excellent job of somehow conveying this through the conversation between the two men, while also interspersing some occasional humor and wit that acted as a perfect balance.

And while our protagonist tells his story, we're also somewhat experiencing a secondary story around the hotel itself, as it certainly is far from normal. It's quite a journey that the hotel owner leads our storyteller on to make it to his room, with confusing hallways and many peculiar bits about the hotel that make it far from normal. We also get to learn a bit about the hotel's own history, which adds a greater slanting sense to this story and managers to make everything feel just slightly off and crooked (as if our protagonist's story didn't do that enough on its own). 

I won't say too much more about the story itself because I don't want to give away anything, but I wanted to make sure to share my general thoughts about The Nudge because of how much fun I had with it. If you're looking for a quick little horror that you can easily add to your TBR and that has a really nice bite to it, then this is one you should absolutely pick up. It's not the most terrifying thing I've ever read, but I think it lands firmly as one I would recommend for anyone who enjoys when their horror is just a little bit weird, but still enjoyably scary and definitely captivating.

And last but not least--there are illustrations! I love when books have any illustrations of any kind, and I was delighted by the occasionally images interspersed throughout this story, as I felt they were exceptionally fitting and added so much more depth, dread, and connection to the story in their own unique manner. 

**A quick content warning note: there is technically a dog death in this one that I really hoped wouldn't be the case, but it's also the type of thing where it isn't technically the dog... but still, just keep that in mind. It's brief and only a very small bit of the story to where I still made it through okay, but I find it important to share so people who are sensitive to those things (such as myself) are forewarned. 

Buy the book: Amazon | Bookshop.org

Review: Quaint Folk by Bitter Karella

  

Quaint Folk by Bitter Karella
Publication Date: October 6th, 2026
Run For It
352 pages. Hardcover.

About Quaint Folk:

"'Quaint Folk is a sharply satirical queer folk horror novel that peels back the idyllic veneer of a seemingly perfect island town to reveal the rot beneath, from Bram Stoker and Shirley Jackson Award-nominated author Bitter Karella.

"The folk horror I always wanted: queer, funny, bloody, and outrageous in the best way." ―Laura Cranehill, author of Wife Shaped Bodies

From the outside, it looks like Jessica has the perfect life. She's a stay-at-home mom, married to a man with a respectable job, raising a son they adore. Her family is as wholesome as all-American pie. But deep down, Jessica knows there's something wrong with her; she knows she can't escape her past.

When her husband’s job has them move abroad, Jessica thinks this is her chance for a fresh start. On the remote island of Hasenhurst, the modern world can’t get in. The people there grow their own herbs, make their own jam, and mind their own business. They believe in folk tales and the power of dreams. They tell visitors, we’re a quaint, quiet people.The right sort of family would do well here.

Jessica is determined to be the right kind of person for a family―and a life―like this. But as she tries to befriend the townsfolk and learn their ways, she soon realizes that beneath the town’s cozy idyll, something sickly-sweet and rotten lays buried ..."

I really loved Karella's Moonflow when I read it last year, so I was extremely pleased when Quaint Folk was announced and I was fortunate enough to receive a copy. This is just as delightfully weird as I would expect from the author of Moonflow (and I did notice a quick nod towards the King's Breakfast in this one...), and the satire is bitingly evident throughout.

Let's set the scene a bit here first: Jessica, her husband (Greg), and their child (Sandy) are off to the island of Hasenhurst--a remote British island--for the summer, as Greg's job at Ungo.com is sending him there for some manner of task or another (something in the tech field, perhaps? Jessica isn't entirely sure, and frankly neither am I, but it hardly matters). Hasenhurst appears to be a very cute, off the grid island that lacks Wi-Fi and almost appears to be like it's pulled right out of a children's storybook a la Beatrix Potter (or, in this case, Hollyoak). When the family arrives in Hasenhurst, the entire village is preparing for the upcoming Tigglestide festival, which feels mildly reminiscent of Christmas in the sense that there is a large cultural figure, known as Round Robin, who comes around and essentially ensures everyone has been acting right and embodies the town culture of being the "right sort of person." I feel like you can probably get an idea of where things might get a little... weird... in this story.

The premise of this might sound generally familiar: a family ends up in a perfect, quaint little village that seems perfect and delightful and lovely, but they realize that that is not quite the case. Quaint Folk does this a little differently, though, and that's where this book feels like it is set apart from others. 

We largely follow Jessica and Sandy's perspectives, neither of whom are overly endearing, but both are very human in their own ways and have something very understandable about them that draws the reader in to their stories. They definitely are way some of the satire feels strongest in this book (among many other areas), and everything I'm saying about them seems to be considered in relation to that idea. Jessica initially appears relatable, but soon there were some cracks that started to show and made me question more things about her and her relationship with Sandy. Sandy, meanwhile, is trying to explore their identity and cement their place in the world while also struggling with parents--not abnormal for a teenager, of course. Jessica seems understanding on the surface and supportive of Sandy's they/them pronouns, but it quickly becomes clear that there's something lacking in that support. At the same time, we learn more and more about Jessica's past that adds even more depth to this entire story. No one is straightforward here, and I think that's what made their relationship and dynamic so intriguing to explore. I like that Karella's characters really have a lot of layers to them, much as we as real humans have many layers that make it hard to always know exactly what's underneath. 

None of the characters ever felt truly grounded in reality, and I think that really lent itself to an overall dreamlike state that really permeated the atmosphere of this book. All of the characters here seemed to have very strong, distinct personalities, which almost gave everyone a larger than life feel. I think it's largely the characters' actions that make this book feel slightly odd, but the setting of Hasenhurst--which is its own sort of character--is largely what makes this village community feel as though it exists in a world of its own (which, in many ways, it does). It is certainly not somewhere that I think I'd like to visit.

There is a constant sense of things being not quite right in this book, but I wouldn't say that it's an overly pervasive or horrifyingly haunting manner  that you might find in other similar books. It was just... an underlying tension. You could almost miss sit if you weren't paying attention, but it was definitely present. It was readily apparently that just underneath what people were saying wasn't quite as positive or idyllic as it seemed, even if those people sincerely believed it was. And it's not necessarily that everyone is inherently sinister, but it's rather what's normal for them, which I think makes it even more unsettling. I constantly felt like I wasn't sure entirely what I was reading or what to expect, and it was honestly a bit of a mixed bag on how I felt. At times, I wasn't sure if I really was enjoying any of the characters or anything enough to keep reading, but something about the writing and where Karella would leave hints really intrigued me enough to keep exploring. It's a little folktale-y, which very much fits the vibe.

There are quite a few ideas surrounding identity, gender, gender roles, escapism, community, and tradition that are explored throughout the book, and of course a close look at what might make someone the "right sort of person." Hasenhurst appears to offer this idyllic escape from the modern world, complete with a strong sense of community and tradition, but that idyllic image also comes with expectations about how people should behave and what roles they should occupy, and that's often where things start to get dicey. This is especially interesting when considering Sandy's exploration of their identity and Jessica's own complicated history. It felt as though there was a large tension throughout the story about finding what you want and where you belong, and where changing or suppressing yourself comes into play to find that place where you belong.

I also think there's something interesting here about escapism and how we often romanticize places like Hasenshurst--a place that feels simpler and pleasant. Quaint Folk really pulls back that curtain to see what's really in that idea of tradition and "quaintness" and just how restrictive those things often end up being...

I'll be honest that I'm still left wondering a bit about the ending and what exactly to take away from this book. I think I quite liked the ending, although I would have been fine with a few different routes it could have taken as well. In some ways, I think being left slightly puzzled feels rather appropriate for a book that kept me wondering the entire time, anyway. If you're up for an interesting time, then be sure to check out Quaint Folk!

*I received a copy of Quaint Folk courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This has no effect on my rating or enjoyment.*

Buy the book: Amazon | Bookshop.org

Review: What Feeds Below by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne

 

What Feeds Below by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne
Publication Date: October 6th, 2026
Bindery Books
256 pages. Hardcover.

About What Feeds Below:

"'Lush and innovative worldbuilding, gruesome body horror . . . A nail-biting tale set in a beautifully rendered world of darkness and danger' - Starred Kirkus Review

The darkness isn’t empty. It’s hungry.

At the edge of the City of the Void, a massive chasm extends miles into the earth, its treacherous terrain overrun with vicious monsters and carnivorous plants. For orphaned best friends Petra and Jade, guiding treasure-seeking tourists down into the Void is the only way to earn enough to pull themselves up out of the slums for good.

Petra prefers to play it safe and take jobs only in the Void’s upper levels, where the dangers are better understood, while Jade wants to risk a descent to the deepest and most mysterious Sixth Layer. Because the deeper they go, the better the payout, and the sooner their dreams can become reality. Their friendship is Petra’s whole world, and Jade’s approval means everything—so Petra agrees to do it Jade’s way.

When their job goes wrong and Jade is lost in the Void, Petra must plunge deeper than she’s ever dared to save her friend. But she doesn’t know the truth of the Void . . . or what really waits for her in its depths."

What Feeds Below is a book that sat very vividly in my mind the entire time I was reading it, and I think it will continue to linger in the back of my mind to remind me of all the disturbing and not okay things I just read about--but that I enjoyed every minute of!

In What Feeds Below, we follow Petra, a Void Diver, who regularly traverses the depths (well, several layers of the depths up until the events of this book) to take tourists on excursions to see the deep, dark insides of the Void in order to attempt to save up enough money to open her own clinic one day and help people.

Our story begins when Petra and her diving partner/best friend/almost sister Jade take a client on a trip into the Void, only this time they're going a little deeper than they have before. Unfortunately, things don't go according to plan (who could've guessed?) and Petra and Jade end up separated, which ultimately forces Petra to go deeper into the Void than she ever has before to try to save her. And... well, you'll see what chaos happens after that.

I generally liked Petra as a protagonist, though I can't say she really stood out to me all that much initially. I was slightly more interested in following along with her journey through the plot rather than in her as a character, but as the story progressed, I found myself connecting with her more at various points. By the end, I actually found myself feeling a little emotional during one of the bigger climactic moments, as it felt eerily relatable (thematically, of course).

The Void is a character in itself and I was almost immediately obsessed with finding out more about it. It sounds pretty terrifying, to be completely honest, so I don't think I would be one of the those tourists paying money to delve down into its depths, but I would certainly live vicariously through the experiences of others who are, uh, braver, than I am. A journey into endless terrors is something I think I can probably live with out, all things considered.

I liked the idea of each layer being more deadly or mysterious than the last, but honestly I think they all seem quite deadly across the board. I think the fact that the deeper layers are simple less explored is a big park of what makes them so much frightening, and understandably so. I think what I enjoyed the most--and what made me slightly concerned for our dear author--was how there was truly no shortage of horrifying imaginative ideas about what lurks in the Void. There are some unique, grotesque, terrifying creatures and elements in each layer, and just when you think, "okay, that one was pretty intense," you turn the corner and there's something even more chaotic and crazy that you couldn't have predicted.

And with that comes what I think is one of Schlote-Bonne's great strengths: her descriptive imagery and ability to make you truly imagine the horrors our characters are experiencing. I could vividly imagine (unfortunately) the gross, frightening things that happened to people and other creatures throughout this journey, much as I might have preferred not to. It was incredibly immersive and I was really impressed with the author's ability to make me feel so thoroughly immersed in this world. And despite the fact that I've been calling things horrifying and grotesque, there's a strange beauty to the Void that I think Petra is a bit captivated by at times and that I definitely understand. An alien world of any kind is fascinating and brings with it many things to appreciate and be curious about.

There are a number of themes explored in this book, but I particularly appreciated the exploration of understand who you're doing things for, whether you're being true to yourself or living your life for someone else, and what that means for your own life and future.  This idea of doing things for other people and not yourself really resonated with me. We can give so much of ourselves and our lives and time to people without ever realizing it might not be what we've wanted for ourselves.

The ending is perfectly fitting, and I want to say so much about it, but in order to avoid giving anything away, I will refrain from saying anything more. If anyone wants to chat about it, though, feel free to reach out!

I think this is classified as YA, and I would mainly say the part that feels YA is with the characters themselves due to their ages and their maturity levels. I do feel that you could tell they were younger, and the ways in which they acted with other characters felt like younger people who are still maturing emotionally and trying to understand the world. I personally found the dynamics between Jade and Petra and then Jade, Petra, and Flint slightly familiar and predictable, which made me slightly frustrated with their actions at times, but the story around it was still captivating enough that this didn't end up bothering me overly much.

The content itself could easily fit into adult or YA horror (specifically body horror), and I think some of the imagery will haunt anyone at any age. I don't think that's a problem for YA, either, as sometimes life truly is just horrific and there are horrors we may face at any age. Still, do be mindful going into this one that the body is very present.

Overall, What Feeds Below is a fantastic read for the spooky season, and any horror fan--especially those of the body horror fan variety--will definitely want to check this one out.

*I received a copy of What Feeds Below courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This has no effect on my rating or enjoyment.*

Buy the book: Amazon | Bookshop.org

Review: Out of Body: Stories by Chris Vanjonack

Out of Body: Stories by Chris Vanjonack
Publication Date: September 22nd, 2026
William Morrow
320 pages. Hardcover.

About Out of Body: Stories:

"A wildly inventive collection of interconnected speculative stories—spanning the multiverse, demonic attachment, and life after death—from an electrifying new voice in fiction.

An aimless ghost haunts his ex-girlfriend for evidence that she’s actually upset about his death.

A group of teens discovers a machine that purports to predict the best day of its users’ lives.

A young woman is horrified to discover that an aggressive stranger she met on a night of bar-hopping now manifests in every photo that is taken of her.

A drunken posse descends into the woods in search of clowns that have been terrorizing their small town.

Chris Vanjonack’s fiction is haunted not only by specters of death, but by the elusive questions of life, and above all, the wonder and horror of the infinite. Uncanny, surreal, and infectiously clever, the stories in this linked collection contain horrors great and small, fueled as much by the fantastic as by longing, dread, and all-too-human frailties.

Morbidly funny and brilliantly observed, Out of Body is an atmospheric, dead original feast for the senses."

This peculiar collection of stories is speculative fiction with a mix of horror and absurdity with a touch of humor. These are all stories that play with a variety of ideas from big to small, and just about all of them are extremely open-ended, with some being almost excessively vague. I am still unsure how I feel about this collection, but I think it was a really unique reading experience overall and I'm really glad I had a chance to check it out. I would start a story feeling very unsure that I'd find myself engaged, but after a couple pages I'd find myself feeling more and more curious about where the story would go--and it really varied where these stories went. I wasn't hooked on the first two stories and was unsure if I wanted to keep reading, but after those two they picked up a lot more and I ended up reading the entire collection.

A few stories that stood out to me were:

"Open Spaces": This was definitely a bit of an odd one about a couple that basically gets together during COVID and travels around to National Parks and locations known to be haunted in order to... well, engage in a variety of sexual acts. This shared interested is explored quite extensively by this couple, and it was interesting to see how the author played with different people's reactions to the restrictions of that time period and how levels of excitement over things evolve over time. This wasn't my favorite, but I found it pretty thought-provoking, even though it still feels weird to read about the pandemic in fiction.

"What We Look Like Together": This was one of my favorite stories because of how truly unsettling it was. I am really unsure how much I should share about it, but it's essentially about a woman whose photos are continuously haunted by a random stranger she once ran into... and that's all I'll say. This one was eerie and disturbing with bits of humor and almost a mundanity at times to it that somehow mixed together in a way that worked really well. It's definitely going to stick with me... especially when I'm looking at pictures of myself.

"Phases": This story focused on a character who is currently experiencing the afterlife in which he is a ghost wandering around the world. I enjoyed exploring this version of ghost life and the interactions with other ghosts, including some he's slightly closer to and those he's not. I thought this one was a little longer than it needed to be, but it had some interesting explorations of grief, the idea of moving on, and more ideas that I found intriguing.

"There's Clowns in the Woods": This was my other favorite story in the collection because it was just odd and so deeply unsettling and, frankly, quite terrifying in its own ways. I don't even know what to say about this one, but basically just recall that random time in 2016 when people claimed to see clown sightings in the woods and imagine a story written around that... but it's not at all what you're expecting. This is one of those stories that's just so weird but is still floating around in my head at odd hours and was very much worth the read.

Overall, I would recommend this collection to those who enjoy speculative fiction and thought-provoking ideas and don't mind stories that leave you without any answers. 

*I received a copy of Out of Body courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This has no effect on my rating or enjoyment.*

Buy the book: Amazon | Bookshop.org

Review: The Chinese Lady by Bo Wang

The Chinese Lady by Bo Wang
Publication Date: September 8th, 2026
HarperVia
384 pages. Hardcover.

About The Chinese Lady:

"As rich in detail and emotion as Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club and Lisa See's Lady Tan’s Circle of Women, but with an exciting structure that reinvents the genre, Bo Wang’s gorgeous and immersive debut historical novel immortalizes the life of the first Chinese woman to be brought to the United States in the 1800s.

Little Sparrow, Julia, Afong Moy, Madame Moy, The Chinese Lady, were her many names . . . but her true name has been lost to time.

In 1834 Afong Moy was brought to New York by two merchants as a live exhibit. Rising to fame as the first Chinese female in the United States, she became an oddity among curios as Americans marveled at the opportunity to observe her astonishing little feet, broken and bound to resemble lotuses.

As the story moves from 1820s Canton to P.T. Barnum’s American Museum, to Gold Rush San Francisco, three women introduce us to her many names. Her mother calls her Little Sparrow and sells her to a captain who sails her to New York. The captain’s wife names her Julia and “graciously” treats her as her own. And when she is shunted off to P.T Barnum, her fellow human exhibitions call her China. Eventually arriving in San Francisco's Chinatown, she will at long last claim her name and her own story.

Combining archival research and brilliantly imaginative storytelling, Bo Wang masterfully fills in history’s gaps to weave a powerful narrative of survival in the face of hardship, tragedy, and betrayal. Told through the eyes of those around her; mirroring her life as an object on display, until we finally see the world through her own eyes."

The Chinese Lady is a historical fiction novel that tells of the story of Afong Moy, reported to be the first Chinese women to immigrate to the United States. This book tells her story from her childhood in China through her journey to America, where she is essentially treated and repeatedly exhibited as a sort of "exotic" curiosity to Americans throughout many stages of her life. As a result, we as readers are able to follow along her journey through the eyes of many people around her, which allows for a very unique look at observing Moy's experiences of being consistently objectified and displayed for Western audiences.

I think since this story is about Afong Moy, I expected the majority of it to follow her perspective, but instead we follow the perspectives of a couple different characters whose lives interweave with Moy's at various points of her life. Based on where the synopsis says this story its told "with an exciting structure that reinvents the genre," I think this is likely the structure that is meant, as we largely follow Afong's story via these other people. I do appreciate this approach in some capacity, as I think it does allow for some interesting contemplation around how others may have perceived her at the time, and we are able to then compare that to what we know of her childhood and experience up to that point. And what I actually dop really like about this structure is how it allows us to also view Moy slightly removed in a sense that heavily displays her lack of agency of how she is treated in the United States, which mirrors her lack of agency in telling her own story throughout this book, which I found very effectively done.

As much as I appreciate this structure, I did still end up often findings myself wanting a bit more from Moy herself rather than just seeing her actions through the eyes of others. Perhaps if there had been a bit more of her POV interspersed, even just brief vignettes of chapters here and there, it might've helped with that feeling of not really getting to know Moy as much as I'd prefer, but I understand the author's choices around this all the same and I do think that the way the story was structured did still lead to an intriguing story experience.

Despite some of my complaints about the structure, however, I actually found that there were a lot of strengths to it. I think by seeing how those around Moy viewed her and treated her, we as readers were able to learn and experience so much about how she was viewed from a societal standpoint in the United States. We follow Moy's experiences as a child in China with her mother, Pearl; with Margaret, a white woman from America who I would say falls into more of the "white savior" idea; Joyce, a Black woman who is a part of the P.T. Barnum circus where Moy (referred to as "China" by those at the circus) ends up; and lastly, we get to follow Moy herself for the final conclusion. Being able to see how not only Moy was treated by so many different types of people, but also seeing how the characters whose perspectives we followed were also treated added so much depth to this story in a way that I found really fascinating and compelling. This book really delves into everything from racism, sexism and the patriarchy, classism, colonialism, idea around "Othering" that span from race to deformities and more, and so many more themes are deftly explored through these many disparate experiences, and I do applaud the author for managing to do so in a coherent way throughout this story.

Overall, if you are at all interested in historical fiction, then I would encourage you to check out The Chinese Lady. I don't think it's going to be for everyone based upon the structure, as I know many people will prefer to follow purely from Moy's perspective, but I still think it's very much worth the read, even if only to spark your curiosity enough to look up more about Afong Moy and early Chinese immigration and experiences int he United States--or even more about the history of P.T. Barnum's circus. Bo Wang has undertaken a difficult task and created a very intriguing story that definitely leaves me curious to hopefully read more from them in the future. 

*I received a copy of The Chinese Lady courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This has no effect on my rating or enjoyment.*

Buy the book: Amazon | Bookshop.org

Review: The Sixth Nik by Daniel Kraus

The Sixth Nik by Daniel Kraus
S&S/Saga Press
Publication Date: June 23rd, 2026
Hardcover. 464 pages.

About The Sixth Nik:

"Perfectly aligned for readers of Iain M. Banks’s The Culture series and Ursula K. Le Guin’s “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”, The Sixth Nik is a galaxy spanning adventure from the New York Times bestselling and Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Angel Down and Whalefall.

Deep into space, far past the triworld outposts, beyond range of the lethal trollbot internet, soars The Sickness: a ship woven from biomatter and capable of reacting to every need of its human crew. Sisilla, a nine-year-old cultist with a brain enhanced by arcane tech known as “niks,” has boarded to investigate the enigma of Fém—a plague-riddled planet that has abruptly gone rogue.

The mysterious crew includes a faceless assassin, a beautiful engineer jigsawed by plastic surgery, a peyote-addicted medic, and—most lethal of all—a rugged, NonModded captain with a score to settle with Sisilla. Other dangers abound. A hacked robot begins to believe Sisilla is its daughter. The Sickness itself is mutating, possibly even pregnant. And the secret of Fém is more horrific than anyone could have imagined. To survive, Sisilla will need to forsake her predetermined fate and embrace the unknown."

The Sixth Nik is a book that feels extremely hard to summarize in any cohesive and coherent manner, but I'll do my best to give a general gist of what to expect and what I thought about this bizarre and incredibly thought-provoking and compelling story.

In The Sixth Nik, we follow Sisilla, a nine-year old child of the Niffakoq, which is essentially a cult where the female children are typically sent off to embark upon a "Chore" before they reach the end of their life (aka sacrifice themselves) around age 12. Sisilla is at the age where she is sent off to complete her Chore, which in this case involves embarking upon a ship called The Sickness with a crew of unique and carefully picked individuals that must now all work together on this journey. The Sickness itself is possibly the weirdest spaceship I've ever envisioned: it is essentially made of live tissues and organic matter, essentially as if it is alive and growing, and most importantly, it can constantly mold and adapt to whatever its crew members seem to need for their journey's success. And if that's not weird enough, the crew are on their way to try to figure out what has happened to a group of people on the far-off planet of Fem--people who were initially relocated to the planet in order to experiment with eradicating a horrible plague that they contracted while on Earth. It sounds like a lot, and it is a little bit, but it's terribly fascinating and I was pretty hooked on this story. 

The Sixth Nik had a slightly slower start for me before I really became fully invested in the story. I think this will vary depending on what you like in books, but I found it struggled to initially get off the ground and move away from language that felt like I, as the reader, was being held at a distance from the story. But once I felt a bit more grounded in the world, understood Sisilla and her world (or attempted to), and better understood where the plot was going, I was pretty hooked from then on. The pacing I'd say is fairly steady from that point. It's generally a slower pace, but there are some more intense moments and occasional jumps that created a feeling of meaningful movement in the plot that kept things moving.

I really liked meeting the eclectic cast of characters selected to be a part of the crew of The Sickness. Sisilla, for one, is a fascinating character to follow given her background, and it was especially interesting to see her learn more about other people and learn how to socially orient herself in different situations. I also loved Jayne and would've loved if she had even more page time than she does because her words and discussions were always so intriguing and thought-provoking. I also have quite a soft spot for Feng, who I think brought some much needed levity to the story at times, as did Murder 05 in their own unique way. And of course there's Captain Arzan, who was possibly more of an enigma than Murder 05 and whose story I very much enjoyed unraveling along with Sisilla.

I'm not sure if I've mentioned yet how much body horror there is in this book and how truly disturbing some of the imagery developed in this book was. There were some things that were just plain gross, but it all fit really well into what felt like an overwhelming theme around bodies, autonomy, what makes someone human, what makes some "worthy," etc., and it just all felt very purposeful and masterfully woven together. There were definitely some scenes that made my skin crawl a bit, and I truly hated almost every description of the ship that appeared--I am so serious when I say I hate the sound of that ship so much because it disturbs me to no end. Kraus also does some super f*cking weird things with that ship that I couldn't even begin to describe, but I also can't help but be impressed by the sheer creativity. There are also plenty of other moments and ideas that will also leave you wondering if Daniel Kraus is okay (and somehow the plague of Wolosis doesn't even reach the top five of disturbing things).

The main drawback I'll note is that there are a lot of moments that feels very much like info-dumping and are full of technical talk or terms (sometimes made up and unique to the world, sometimes not) that made it extremely difficult to maintain my attention. There are times when I'm pretty sure this was intentional and meant to reflect some things about our characters, but other times I could've perhaps used a bit less. But there's a part of me that also thinks all of it is necessary to the story because it really helped convey just how detailed and in-depth Kraus has gone into crafting this world and story, and I always really like and appreciate that level of detail. It's also still endlessly fascinating no matter how its presented, and I felt like so many aspects of how things worked, such as The Sickness, for example, were still so interesting to learn about, even if it wasn't always in the most entertaining way

Overall, The Sixth Nik is a weird, disturbing, thought-provoking, and endlessly intriguing science fiction/body horror story that is absolutely worth the read if you don't mind some pretty intense (meaning: gross, emotionally affecting) imagery. I absolutely recommend it if it sounds like something you might like!

*I received a copy of The Sixth Nik courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This has no effect on my rating or enjoyment.*

Buy the book: Amazon | Bookshop.org

Review: Blacktail by Scott Hawkins

  

Blacktail by Scott Hawkins
Crown
Publication Date: September 1st, 2026
Hardcover. 288 pages.

About Blacktail:

"'A tale of lupine vengeance—at first—whose stakes escalate to degrees I never saw coming. Unexpected, blood-soaked, and vividly told.'—qntm, author of There Is No Antimemetics Division

The long-awaited second novel from the author of the cult hit The Library at Mount Char, a one-of-a-kind dark fantasy in which a wolf sets out on an epic journey of revenge.

The wolf Blacktail is faithful to his Forest God, but in these times, faith is not enough. His world is besieged by men. Soon his territory will be overrun, and then there will be nowhere left to go. When his mate, a house dog, is killed, Blacktail rebels. He invades the house of her owners, seeking vengeance.

Blacktail’s fury catches the notice of an ancient and terrible feline witch, who makes an offer. What if Blacktail could end the human race responsible for the death of his family and for the destruction of the natural world, altogether? To do so, Blacktail must find and wake the Forest God. Only He might stand against the plague of men. Blacktail knows that his north woods are dwindling to nothing. He sees no other choice.

As Blacktail journeys farther from his wild home and deeper into the world of man, he encounters strangers—animal, mortal, and otherworldly—who, for their own reasons, want to help Blacktail rid the world of humans. Along the way, it becomes clear that he is more than just a wolf. The Forest God is sleeping, yes. But what will be the price of waking him?"

 I have such a mixture of thoughts about Blacktail. I was fully on board with the beginning of Blacktail's revenge journey and was rooting him on. I found myself incredibly curious to see where everything would take him, but as the story progressed, it started to feel like that initial motivation started to get lost. As a result, I ended up losing my connection to Blacktail and his journey as I made my way through the story, and I realized I was never really that hooked on the story. I kept reading because I was curious enough to see what would happen, which is a good sign, but also because I kept expecting something to happen that would make me think, "Ah-ha! Now I get," but that moment just never really came. I don't regret reading this one, but I'm quite perplexed by it. This review is probably going to end up being a bit all over the place as well (much like how I felt this book was, a bit), but I'll do my best to share all my thoughts by the end of it if you plan to stick around.

There are some genuinely fascinating ideas explored throughout this book, particularly surrounding the "hunt" and everything it represents: the honor and pride associated with it, the meaning behind it, and the ways in which it can be disrespected, degraded, or even transformed into something entirely different. I also really loved the idea of the "scent poems," which immediately made me think of how I love to let my dog catch up on what I call "all the neighborhood dog gossip" with his extensive sniffing on our morning walks.

As someone who is extremely sensitive to violence involving animals, this was a hard read at times and I would not recommend it to someone who is similarly sensitive without a large amount of caution. Sure, this story is told from the point of view of a wolf, so of course there is a lot of "violence" and "brutality" that is just a part of nature, but that doesn't necessarily mean I have to enjoy reading it. And, as becomes increasingly apparent as the story progresses, I felt that there was definitely a bit more going on than just the natural brutality of life as an animal.

There are also humans, or "two-legs," who appear throughout the story, and almost all of them are quite terrible to the animals, so I also really hated reading those portions as well. My sensitivity to animal violence obviously has nothing to do with the Scott Hawkins or his writing, so I don't count that into my rating of the quality of the story, but it still definitely affected my personal enjoyment of it.

What I can attribute to the writing, however, was his crafting of the characters. They somehow felt both authentic and stilted to me at the same time. These are obviously animals, and I understand that Hawkins had to find some way to translate their experiences and communication into something understandable to us, but I found the execution of this very jarring. I'd almost say there's a bit of a fable-like quality to the way they speak at times, where it feels not quite natural, and the mimicking of the way humans speak really threw me off. The opening scenes feature some lynxes, and the way they immediately were speaking and thinking felt extremely off to me. Their dialogue felt like some strange combination of natural human speech and distinctly animal-like thoughts and behaviors, and unfortunately that blend just never really worked for me. There was also an odd mix of what felt like deeper, thoughtful pieces of dialogue that were then followed up with something that felt weirdly immature or just didn't fit with the rest of the scene. I'm still not entirely sure if this was the intended affect that Hawkins was going for or what was really going on, but it's one thing that didn't work for me throughout most of the book, and left it feeling like a less experienced writer had written this.

I really kept finding myself surprised that this was from the author of The Library at Mount Char at first--at least until we hit the ending, which definitely felt a bit more Hawkins-like. I can absolutely see some similarities in the weirdness, brutality, and thought-provoking ideas, but the writing itself felt much more all over the place to me here and did not feel like it had a cohesive plan in place. We really jump around a bit, and what started as a fairly straightforward plot idea soon morphed into something that had a lot of potential, but didn't quite end up landing with what it was going for, at least in my opinion.

At the same time, I can see the meaning and purpose behind this story. Blacktail himself loses sight of things as his journey progresses, so perhaps it make sense that we as readers begin to lose some of that connection to him and his original story as well. But if that idea doesn't make for a compelling reading experience that I liked in some way, then I'm not sure the execution worked quite well enough for it to be doing that. The intentionality might be there, but it needs a bit more than that. 

But, what I consider a positive is how much this story made me feel. I felt disgust, hatred, fear, concern, sadness--this is definitely a brutal story and not for the faint of heart. I always have to give a book credit for provoking strong emotions, because to me, making a reader feeling something from the words you've written on a page is some level of success to me, and I always prefer negative feelings over ones of complete apathy about a book.

Overall, I'm still perplexed. I don't regret reading Blacktail, and there are some really interesting ideas, but I never fully connected with the story and there were a lot of things that just simply didn't work for me. I would say that if you loved The Library at Mount Char and have been anxiously awaiting another Scott Hawkins book, then I absolutely think Blacktail is worth trying for yourself. I think it's worth trying out to see fi it will work for you better than it worked for me. But if you're sensitive to animal violence like I am, then please do take caution. (I'm also more than happy to provide additional details or answer questions about the content for anyone who wants to know what they're getting into before deciding whether to read it.) If you do end up reading it, please let me know what you thought of it, as I'm definitely curious to see the reception for this one! 

*I received a copy of Blacktail courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This has no effect on my rating or enjoyment.*

Buy the book: Amazon | Bookshop.org

Review: Scion by James Islington

 

Scion by James Islington
S&S/Saga Press
Publication Date: September 1st, 2026
Hardcover. 240 pages.

About Scion:

"John Wick meets Ghost in the Shell in this fast-paced cyberpunk thriller by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Will of the Many and The Strength of the Few.

My job, when you think about it, isn’t so different from a lot of people’s.

The more old-fashioned crowd do still get hung up on the "killing people" part of it, I guess, but that’s a them problem: it’s been perfectly legal to take out lifers for ages. Besides, once ultrawealthy morons realised they had a way to live forever—limited resources be damned—there was only ever going to be one genuinely practical deterrent.

So, sure, I have to deal with a ton of boring planning. Inconvenient hours. Some pretty awkward face-to-face interactions. And like most of us, I’m really only clocking in to try to crawl out from beneath my debts. But someone’s got to do it.

Luckily, my genetic compatibilities make me really, really good at doing it.

Still. This next job...I don’t know. It’s something I haven’t had to deal with in years. Kind of the opposite of my regular duties. Strange, that it got thrown my way.

I’m sure it’ll all go totally fine though.'"

I was really curious to see how Islington would tackle sci-fi, let alone a much more compact, thriller-style story. His previous fantasy series are sprawling, complex fantasy stories that aren't exactly what I would call fast-paced and are generally pretty different overall in structure with layers upon layers of plot. In contrast, Scion is a mere 240-ish page cyberpunk sci-fi thriller that takes a big step away from that style while retaining Islington's knack for intricate worldbuilding, creative ideas, and twisty plotting. I’m sure that because of that there will be a lot of mixed feelings on this one, but personally I can report that I loved this one!

In Scion, we follow Azure, who is essentially a professional hitman who tends to be deployed on missions to take out "lifers,” the ultra wealthy who aren't really dying anymore. Occasionally, however, he's employed to protect people (usually lifers), and that's where we find him in Scion. Azure is sent to protect a mysterious elderly woman for two weeks, only to quickly discover that quite a few people are trying very hard to kill her, making his job a bit more difficult than anticipated. It also leaves Azure wondering exactly who this woman is, despite his best efforts to maintain the professional distance he usually keeps between himself and his work.

To aid Azure in his work, he has undergone extensive modifications to his body known as "revs," which enhance his abilities both physically and mentally and make him pretty difficult to beat in a fight. He also heavily relies on his AI assistant, Atti, to help carry out his daily tasks. Atti has an endearing, sarcastic personality that added some great color to Azure's own personality whenever she appeared on the page.

I really liked seeing Islington craft a character like Azure. In his other series, his protagonists tend to be younger, still learning about the world, and generally quite thoughtful and respectful toward those around them. Azure is definitely a departure from that, and it made for the perfect personality for this particular story. He's sarcastic, flippant, emotionally detached, and has a dark sense of humor that I really enjoyed. At the same time, it's easy to see how much of his personality has developed as a result of his professional lifestyle, some traumatic experiences, and what he's been trained to do. He felt very lifelike, and I appreciated seeing him struggle at times with his emotional detachment through many frustrations that occur along the  way, along with his warring feelings about things when he tries so very hard not to care.

The plot is constantly twisting, and while I found some of those twists fairly predictable, it never bothered me because there was also always something new and captivating waiting around the corner. The pacing is fast, which works perfectly for this type of story, and the ending has left me feel quite impatient for more of this story! There's also plenty of action in this book, which can definitely be hit or miss for me, but I actually enjoyed pretty much every scene in this book and followed along easily. 

I also loved the worldbuilding. There was somehow so much to explore in this book, and although we learn an impressive amount in such a short time--and without it ever feeling like an infodump!--I still feel like there’s so much more to this world to learn, and that’s one of my favorite things an author can do because it makes the world feel real and authentic, something that is lived-in and has a history. I also just had a great time learning about all the technology, mods, and other sci-fi elements Islington created for this world.

And in addition to the tech and action and world-building, Scion also plays with some fascinating ideas. There’s obviously an exploration of wealth inequality and how extreme wealth can fundamentally change the way people experience life--which, in this case, is quite literal, since they can literally have more life than everyone else. Azure’s modifications also pose some interesting questions about what exactly makes people who they are (and there are a few later plot points that also expand on this topic, but I will refrain from mentioning those due to spoilers!). There’s almost a bit of a Ship of Theseus element to some capacity, where it made me wonder about at what point replacing or altering pieces of yourself fundamentally changes who you are as a person--or does it? THat’s not entirely what this book is about, but just an example of some of the more thought-provoking concepts that made me think even more about it.

If you love Islington’s fantasy and are going into this wanting more of exactly that, then I’m going to gently stop you there and let you know that that’s not what you’re getting. Scion is what I’d call a “bingeable" novel, which is certainly not how I’d describe his other books, and I think that difference is going to surprise some readers. I, for one, loved seeing Islington explore a new genre and style while retaining so many of the qualities that make his other work so compelling and favorites of mine. I truly had a blast with this one and can’t wait for more.

*I received a copy of Scion courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This has no effect on my rating or enjoyment.*

Buy the book: Bookshop.org | Amazon 

Review: The Cure for Living -Part One & Part Two by Nicolas Lietzau

 

The Cure for Living - Part One & Part Two by Nicolas Lietzau
Independently Published
Publication Date: April 6, 2026
Hardcover. 770 pages & 384 pages.

About The Cure for Living:

"'I’ll tell you a story,' the Visionary said to the young woman. 'When I’m done, I promise I’ll undo these chains and let you go.' He met her gaze, his eyes as deep as the space between worlds. 'You will stay.'

In the oasis city of Qurrâb, wealth, power, and fame all bow to a single ideal: yâsh, the virtue of one's heart. There, a thirteen-year-old girl with a mind like no other resolves to become the brightest soul history has ever seen, inspiring others to follow her example. Her goal? To unite humanity and vanquish the Darkness, the destructive force within all of us that makes the world the wretched place that it is.

When veteran Jespar tre Moreste reaches the fabled City of Sages forty years later, his only concern is finding Loanne, the sister he once abandoned. Little does he know that his journey will soon lead him into the dark underbelly of the supposed paradise, where ruthless crime syndicates mingle with death cults and forbidden schools of philosophy. As old wounds resurface and reality fractures, Jespar realizes that even after the tumultuous events of Kilay, he still has demons of his own to conquer — and that often, the most charming masks hide the vilest of minds.

This is the first part of The Cure for Living, a single story told across two volumes.

Closing Jespar’s saga with a haunting blend of mystery, dark fantasy, and thriller, The Cure for Living examines the cost of obsession, the fragility of identity, and the dark side of humankind."

I read Dreams of the Dying back in 2021--which now feels like a lifetime ago--after some word of mouth recommendations, and I was thrilled when I heard that a sequel was ready to hit the shelves in 2026. The Cure for Living picks up after the events of Dreams of the Dying when Jespar once again becomes entangled in a new investigation. This time, we have a second storyline featuring a character named Qûriyanî, which adds many new layers. to this world and story. I probably won't be getting into too many specifics in this review since this is a sequel, but I was really excited to dive back in this world, and now I'm excited to share my thoughts with all of you!

The Cure for Living is initially a slow-moving story, but I don’t mean that as a criticism. Part One in particular spends a lot of time laying groundwork and allowing us to really settle back into this world and its characters, which I actually really appreciated since it has been quite a few years since I’ve read Dreams of the Dying. There is a lot to take in between worldbuilding, politics, culture, and everything else going on, and Lietzau isn’t afraid to take his time moving through it all. Both volumes have their own pacing that I think works for what they’re trying to accomplish, and although it took me a while to get through the entire story as a whole, I never really felt like there were huge sections that needed to be cut or that anything was extraneous. It all felt purposeful, and the eventual payoff made the investment worthwhile.

The story is split between Jespar’s present day storyline and Qûriyanî's story. I thought the two timelines worked really well together, and I thought it gave the story a very balanced feeling. I personally found myself slightly more invested in Jespar’s sections, that’s honestly pretty typical for me with dual timelines where I tend to end up preferring a one person’s timeline a bit more. That being said, I still really enjoyed Qûriyanî's chapters and never felt like they were something I had to  push through; they were still compelling in their own right and offered a lot to the storytelling.

I really enjoyed returning to Jespar as a character and seeing where his life has taken him since the events of Dreams of the Dying. His storyline immediately had me hooked back in, especially as he became wrapped up in his new investigations in this book, but I also appreciated the quieter explorations of his past experience and how those have continued to affect him. Lietzau handles a lot of trauma themes with a lot of nuance, which allows it to remain an important part of Jespar's experience without reducing his entire character down to what he’s been through. There are genuinely thoughtful and thought-provoking discussions surrounding trauma, healing, and what it actually means to continue living after experiencing things that can fundamentally change you.

Qûriyanî's storyline took a little longer to fully grab me initially, but I found her increasingly compelling as I came to better understand who she was, her motivations, and the circumstances that shaped her. She truly ended up being such a highlight of this sequel and I was eventually so enraptured and devastated for her and everything she experiences. The connection between her and Jespar’s storyline also took some time to develop for me, but I thought the eventual payoff worked really and made everything feel worthwhile.

The worldbuilding throughout this story is incredibly detailed, especially when it comes to the cultures, politics, histories, and belief systems that shape the characters and their decisions. There’s a lot to take in, but I appreciated how Lietzau spent time explaining things through the plot and characters in ways that allow us as readers to understand these different elements rather than simply using them as background without a solid foundation. It’s the type of worldbuild and setting that makes everything feel as though it really existed long before the story took place, and will continue on existing long after the events of the story conclude, which is something I always really value in any fantasy.

There’s also a lot going on in this story regarding its themes, which span from trauma and identity, purpose, hope, friendship, mortality, belonging, and so much more. It honestly seems like a lot to tackle in one story, but I never felt like any of it felt like too much or was out of place. It all fit naturally within the type of story being told and the experiences these characters have gone through and are going through, and I found myself fascinated by many of the discussions around these ideas.

One thing that I really loved from this huge second installment--and what I love from any gigantic fantasy volume--was watching how things gradually came together. With two timelines and so many different threads developed across the entirety of the story, there was truly a lot of groundwork being laid and explored, and it took a while before it was possible to see how everything connected. Once it all started falling into place, however, I found the payoff incredibly satisfying. It made me appreciate even more how carefully everything had been constructed along the way, and by the end of it I felt like the time I’d invested was very much worth it.

I also want to note that I was fortunate enough to have received a stunning hardcover copy of The Cure for Living from the author and it is genuinely such a cool book. Not only is it beautiful physically, but the incredible amount of back matter included is amazing. We've got an explanation of the grammar of the language, a dictionary, notes, illustrations, and so much more additional information about everything in this world to sink into. It’s one of those things that’s not at all required in a story, but that adds so much to its vibrancy and really highlights just how much thought and work has gone into making this world feel fully realized and authentic. This hardcover edition is a bit pricier than the paperback, but if you can spare the extra money then I cannot recommend it enough--it’s truly worth the price, in my opinion (I believe you can buy them on the author's website!). And to clear up any possible confusion--both volumes make up a singular sequel to Dreams of the Dying, they are just so hefty they had to physically be split up!

The Cure for Living is certainly an undertaking (especially after reading Dreams of the Dying as well, which isn’t exactly a small book, either), and I found it to be one very much worth reading. This story asks for a lot of patience from its readers, but the characters, plot, worldbuilding, setting, and ideas featured and explored throughout makes it a truly memorable reading experience.

*I received a copy of The Cure for Living courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This has no effect on my rating or enjoyment.*