Mini reviews
Fab tries to catch up with her reviewing challenge. So have some more mini reviews to make space for bigger features again. Work is kicking my ass so I don’t get around to reading and blogging as much as I’d like…
A Summoning of Souls by Leanna Renee Hieber is the last in her Spectral City trilogy. It is a solid last installment, wrapping up many of the story threads from previous books nicely. I breezed through this supernatural mystery about a medium in NYC, and her coven of girls who help the police with crimes including ghosts. I love Eve, the main character, and her budding relationship with Detective Jacob Horowitz is a big draw of these books. They are fast paced and entertaining, full of loveable protagonists. If you’re looking for supernatural detective stories with a romance element, I suggest you check this series out! Order a copy from Blackwell’s here.
The Bone Maker by Sarah Beth Durst is a wonderful story of necromancy, the corruption of power and the aftermath of winning a war. Twenty-five years ago, Kreya and her friends defeated the evil necromancer Eklor. Since then, Kreya has been obsessed with finding a way to give her dead husband a second life. Now, she has finally managed with the help of an old friend. But as they travel to the old battle grounds, they figure out that Eklor isn’t really gone, and return to him having found a way to gain power again. But does her experience with necromancy make her evil too? This is a story in which these gray areas are explored in detail. Like so few books it looks at what happens after a big win, and how so-called heroes deal with their past and having a future after it seemed impossible. If you’re into murky morals and interesting world-building, this is a book for you. Pre-order a copy from Bookshop here (affiliate link).
Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers is not technically a book I have to review. I bought it myself, and it blew my mind in the best possible way. It is the story of Grace Porter, a fresh PhD graduate in Astronomy, raised by a military father who insisted on achievement. To celebrate her graduation, she travels to Las Vegas with her two best friends, and accidentally gets married to Yuki Yamamoto. Lost in her life now that she has reached her goal, which she’s worked for for years, Grace decides to give this stranger she married a shot and spends the summer in New York with Yuki. Honey Girl is heartwarming, but also evil – as someone around Grace’s age, many of her struggles (including with mental health issues) feel familiar, and the way she is looking for her next steps hits home. This is a book that will tear you apart, make you cry, but it is extremely worth it. A truly stellar debut. Order a copy from Amazon here (I’m sorry for linking to them, but all my indies are out of stock!).