Month: November 2025

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

I’ve read a bit from this author as a co-writer with An Anonymous Girl and The Golden Couple, but I find her solo work so much better. I really enjoyed Gone Tonight and thought this book was outstanding. I was pleasantly surprised by how I was left guessing.

Stella is an attorney who decides what is in a child’s best interests in custody dispute cases. Her newest case is for Rose, whose nanny recently died. It appears that the nanny took her own life; however, Stella has doubts. Rose’s parents are getting divorced, and it is Stella’s job to recommend who Rose should live with. Oh, and Rose has traumatic mutism. She can nod, shake her head, and write notes, but won’t speak.

As Stella gets to know the family, she also has to figure out what really happened to the nanny, since knowing if it was a suicide or murder would mean a lot for Rose’s placement. The author did a great job of revealing information about the nanny’s death, leaving the reader to wonder what really happened. I thought this one was really great.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

Another excellent SCYTHE book, following A Grim Reaper’s Guide to Catching a Killer. Although this one is a standalone book, having read the first one does help with world-building purposes. But the characters are entirely different this time around.

Nora works for SCYTHE as a folder distributor. She reads a folder’s cause of death, then sends out the correct collection agent. However, when she sees her twin, Charlie’s, folder, she has to act to save him. She, Charlie, and his bird, Jessica, end up on the run.

The trio ends up in their father’s hometown of Virgo Bay, but nothing is as it seems. Their family is hiding a major secret. Nora, riddled with anxiety, and Charlie, a free spirit, see things very differently. Much like the first in the series, this book was a ton of fun. Great dialogue, clever story, and I loved it as much as the first. Definitely recommend these.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

I’m a big fan of science fiction set in our actual world. A dose of fantasy, a pinch of magical realism, and I’m good. However, this book just didn’t come together for me, even though the concept was great.

Alex is a young girl when the Mass Dragoning happens in 1955. Over 600,000 women turn into dragons and fly away. Some stay and try to continue living their lives, since they can still speak, but most take to the skies, leaving their families behind. Alex’s aunt is one of those women, so Alex’s family takes her daughter, Beatrice, in as their own. All things dragon have become taboo, so even though Alex is brilliant, she’s very much in the dark about dragons, the women, and the situation in general.

As Alex ages, her mother dies, and her father practically abandons her and Beatrice, leaving Alex to fend for herself while managing Beatrice, who is dragon-obsessed. I wanted to love this book because the story was beautiful, but I was just bored a lot of the time. I wish Alex’s childhood were about half the book and her adulthood the other half, but it was all childhood.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

I enjoyed The Hunger, and Alma Katsu is one of the best historical fiction horror writers out there. Fun fact, at this year’s StokerCon, my buddy was sitting next to her at the dinner. She didn’t want her dessert, so he brought it to me. Delicious!

This book is set during WWII and follows several characters through a mysterious disease that most people blame on the Japanese, who are imprisoned in the internment camps. Meiko and her daughter were taken from their home after Meiko’s husband enlisted in the Air Force. The disease starts much like a cold but progresses to violence and death, causing many white people to treat the Japanese even worse. Mysterious doctors arrive, but they seem even worse.

What was really great about this story was how Katsu blends the real horror of the camps with the supernatural of Japanese demons and yokai. Meiko and a few other skeptics have to figure out what the disease is, where it is coming from, and how to stop it. Really enjoyed this one!

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

I’ve never read a more perfect capture of the experience of motherhood. Let me say, this version isn’t me. I didn’t relate to Alejandra in that way. However, she is absolutely someone I know. It was eerie how spot on this book was. Not only do we follow Alejandra’s haunting, but her female ancestors are haunted, as well.

La Llorona is a Mexican folk demon that is haunting Alejandra. As it grows stronger, preying even upon her children, Alejandra needs to kill the demon to protect those she loves. She also has her lineage to pull from to support her. Recently reconnected with her birth mother, Alejandra learns that her mother has a connection with the demon.

The story mostly follows Alejandra, but several chapters are about her mother, grandmother, and other ancestors. The reader goes back in time to learn the origin of La Llorona and how it is attached to the family. I absolutely loved this book, and I was so proud of Alejandra for facing the most difficult of circumstances.