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Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo
That was what Lethe and the societies demanded. Secrecy. Loyalty. Well, fuck them. In Hell Bent, the long-awaited sequel to the high-octane Ninth House, we are reunited with the danger-prone and dangerous Alex Stern. Still recovering from her several near-death experiences, and attempting to keep up with her coursework and maintain the facade of being…
3rd pov, 4 STARS, academia, Adult, adventure, alex stern, alex stern #2, ambiguous protagonist, America, AMERICAN AUTHOR, atmospheric, autumn, California, campus, Contemporary, curses, dark academia, dark fantasy, DEATH, DEMONS, FANTASY, female authors, friendships, gay side characters, ghosts/spirits, gritty aesthetics, hell, Hell Bent, HORROR, it’s about the *aesthetics*, it’s about the *yearning*, Leigh Bardugo, lgbtq+ side, MAGIC, morality, MURDER, MYSTERY, NEW ADULT, New Haven, Ninth House, occult, PARANORMAL, place as character, PRIVILEGE, published in 2023, quests, read in 2023, rich people, secret societies, secretiveness, she is dangerous, strong sense of place, SUSPENSE, terrific prose, trauma, UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE, URBAN FANTASY, VAMPIRES, violence, Yale -
Tread of Angels by Rebecca Roanhorse
In this novella Rebecca Roanhorse once again shows off her world-building skills. I was intrigued from the very start by the genre-defying world Roanhorse envisions in Tread of Angels. The story unfolds in Goetia, a town ruled by the mighty Order of the Archangels that is ‘segregated’ between the Elects and the Fallen. Celeste, our…
3.5 STARS, Adult, alternate history, amateur detective, AMERICAN AUTHOR, angels, casinos & gambling, dark fantasy, DEMONS, fantastic worldbuilding, FANTASY, female authors, gods, gritty aesthetics, indigenous author, it’s about the *aesthetics*, lesbian side characters, lgbtq+ side, MURDER, murder investigation, MYSTERY, Native American & First Nation authors, NOVELLA/SHORT STORY, PARANORMAL, published in 2022, queer side characters, read in 2022, Rebecca Roanhorse, ROMANCE, SISTERS, STEAMPUNK, Tread of Angels, URBAN FANTASY, western -
Tithe by Holly Black
“It was one thing to believe in faeries; it was totally another thing if you weren’t allowed to even have a choice about it. If they could just walk into your normal life, then they were a part of normal life, and she could no longer separate the unreal world from the real one.” Holly…
2000s, 3.5 STARS, 3rd pov, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, atmospheric, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, Contemporary, court intrigue, dark fantasy, FAERIES, FAIRY TALES, FAIRYLAND, fairytalesque prose, FANTASY, favourite authors, female authors, gay side characters, HOLLY BLACK, lgbtq+ side, MAGIC, Modern Faerie Tales, My reviews, new jersey, PARANORMAL, published in 2002, re-reads, read in 2007, read in 2016, read in 2021, reading, ROMANCE, Tithe, URBAN FANTASY, YOUNG ADULT -
House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland
“Dark, dangerous things happened around the Hollow sisters.” Brimming with beauty and danger House of Hollow is a spellbinding modern fairy tale. Written in a tantalising prose that seems to echo traditional fairy tales House of Hollow presents its readers with a beguiling tale about sisters and monsters. “We were taken. We came back. None…
1st pov, 4 STARS, ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE, atmospheric, AUSTRALIAN AUTHOR, BISEXUAL/PANSEXUAL, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, Contemporary, creepy setting, dark fantasy, england, FAIRY TALES, fairytalesque prose, FANTASY, female authors, girlhood, great storytelling, HORROR, House of Hollow, it’s about the *aesthetics*, Krystal Sutherland, lesbian side characters, lgbtq+, LONDON, MAGIC, MAGICAL DOORS, missing girls, missing persons, monsters, My reviews, MYSTERY, PARANORMAL, portal fantasy, published in 2021, queer, re-reads, read in 2021, read in 2022, road trip, scotland, SISTERS, URBAN FANTASY, YOUNG ADULT -
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
re-re-read: what can i say, whatever this book has going on, i here for it. re-read: it hasn’t even been a year and I have already re-read this. This book slaps. Ninth House can be best described as: “talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular, never the same, totally unique, completely not ever been done…
3rd pov, 5 STARS, ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE, abuse, academia, addiction, adrenaline fuelled reads, Adult, alex stern, Alex Stern #1, all of the trigger warnings, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, atmospheric, California, campus, Contemporary, dark, dark academia, dark fantasy, DEATH, FANTASY, female authors, ghosts/spirits, graphic content, it’s about the *aesthetics*, Leigh Bardugo, MAGIC, mental health, MURDER, MYSTERY, NEW ADULT, New Haven, Ninth House, occult, PARANORMAL, Pedophelia, place as character, published in 2019, rape, re-reads, read in 2020, read in 2021, read in 2022, rich people, secret societies, sexual assault/abuse/rape, social issues, strong sense of place, SUPERNATURAL, terrific prose, THRILLER, trauma, UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE, URBAN FANTASY, violence, violence against women, Yale -
The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones — book review
The Bone Houses is a delightfully creepy and atmospheric book that makes for a quick and entertaining read. “The things that crawled from the lake were sinew and rotting flesh. They were silent, with hollow eyes and bodies that caved in. They were called bone houses.” The story follows a quest of sorts in a…