Those We Drown

 By: Amy Goldsmith

Location: FIC GOL

Genre: Horror, Fantasy, Young Adult

An ocean-drenched, atmospheric horror debut!

An ocean-drenched, atmospheric horror debut! Liv's best friend disappears on their first night aboard their dream semester-at-sea program—but is he really sick, like everyone says, or is something darker lurking beneath the water?

Liv's best friend disappears on their first night aboard their dream semester-at-sea program—but is he really sick, like everyone says, or is something darker lurking beneath the water?

It should have been the trip of a lifetime.

When Liv lands an all-expenses-paid opportunity to study aboard luxury cruise ship The Eos for a semester, she can’t believe her luck. Especially since it will offer her the chance to spend time with Will, her ex–best friend, who’s barely spoken to her since the night their friendship changed forever.

But as soon as she steps on board, Liv realizes just how far in over her head she is. With Will, with the rest of the Seamester students—including the brittle and beautiful Constantine, who may be hiding his own ties to The Eos—and most of all, with the Sirens, three glamorous and mysterious influencers who seem to have the run of the ship.

Liv quickly discovers that the only reason she was invited to join the trip is because another girl disappeared shortly after enrolling—and no one seems to know what happened to her. When further disappearances rock the ship and strange creatures begin haunting Liv's dreams, she wonders: Is The Eos hiding a dark secret in its watery depths?

REVIEW GOODREADS
This was a fun and entertaining young adult horror story although I think it will appeal to a mature audience overall. The writing and storytelling were wonderful. Liv was a fun character and could be nerve wracking at times but then I'd have to remember she was a teenager without any life experience behind her so it would be.normal to continually create chaos and make impulsive and poor decisions most of the.time. The visual aspects of the creatures were scary and horrifying and just perfect for being in the middle of the ocean. All the characters were completely detailed and so expressive that I was truly surprised and impressed with this author's "Amy Goldsmith" writing creativity. This was a unique shocker of a well-done horror novel and I hope to read more of this writer's books in the future. The humor imbued into the story was spot-on to break up some of the most frightening situations and it was definitely a solid horror book with many science fiction elements so it will not be for everyone but I highly recommend it to all horror readers if you're interested in some teenagers as the main characters and their experiences throughout the story.
The truth will come at a price . . . only, how much is Liv willing to pay?

Held

By: Anne Michaels

Location: FIC MIC

Genre: Fiction, Literary Fiction,  Historical Fiction

Shortlisted for the Booker prize 2024.

Review

If I don’t make this brief, I’ll go on till next week. When a book leaves me breathless and smashed, shattered and hopeful, enters my dreams, epic it seems, I just can’t stop praising and raising it up for all eyes, to see, to touch, to hear, to succumb to its delicate beauty, woven with universal themes, of what it means, to be human, in life or demise. What you believe, it’s here in these pages, it took me ages to turn its leaves, I read every passage and then read it again. And again. However much agony, you survive, you die, but “We know life is finite. Why should we believe death lasts forever?” And that’s just the start. Even the white spaces damaged me, in all the best ways. It’s a lot. Like all Anne Michaels, you are changed by her story. I think I’ll go back, and begin the book again.

1917. On a battlefield near the River Escaut, John lies in the aftermath of a blast, unable to move or feel his legs. Struggling to focus his thoughts, he is lost to memory – a chance encounter in a pub by a railway, a hot bath with his lover on a winter night, his childhood on a faraway coast – as the snow falls.

1920. John has returned from war to North Yorkshire, near another river – alive, but not still whole. Reunited with Helena, an artist, he reopens his photography business and endeavours to keep on living. But the past erupts insistently into the present, as ghosts begin to surface in his pictures: ghosts whose messages he cannot understand.

So begins a narrative that spans four generations, moments of connection and consequence igniting and re-igniting as the century unfolds. In luminous moments of desire, comprehension, longing, transcendence, the sparks fly upward, working their transformations decades later.

Held is a novel like no other, by a writer at the height of her powers: affecting and intensely beautiful, full of mystery, wisdom and compassion. 

REVIEW FROM GOODREADS

This is gorgeously elusive and yet manifest as, in prose with an internal beat and rhythm, Michaels conjures up a spiritual vision of life that is bound by love without a trace of sentimentality.

Moving through time and space from an injured soldier in a WW1 battlefield to Finland in 2025, this creates a kind of chain of love as characters live through grief, loss, memories and desire.

The image at the heart of this piece is that of being held in care, whether by human love, a kind of spiritual universe or the material memories of ghosts of parents and lovers.

This feels like a very careful piece that has probably been worked on extensively to pare back the extraneous and cut to the core of Michaels' vision. It is consoling and nurturing in tone, spiritual without the limitations of any doctrinal religion.

It's not a book to read when distracted, like while commuting: this invites - and deserves - concentration and quiet, time to embed yourself within the almost hypnotic, meditative rhythm of the prose.

The thing that didn't work for me is the fracturing of the bond between reader and characters: I felt involved with John and Helena in the first two sections and that personal absorption seems to be deliberately diluted to the spiritual aesthetics of the text. I can understand that but it did leave me floundering a bit as I never came to care so much again.

Nevertheless, a quiet book whose profundity comes from the peace it creates.

I'm Afraid Youve Got Dragons

 By: Peter S. Beagle

Location: FIC BEA

Genre; Dragons!

THE ART!!!!!!!!  OH MY-  ONE OF THE BEST I'VE EVER SEEN!

If you judge a book by the cover, this would have to be in everyone's top 10!

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Last Unicorn comes a new novel with equal amounts of power and whimsy in which a loveable cast of characters trapped within their roles of dragon hunter, princess, and more must come together to take their fates into their own hands.

Dragons are common in the backwater kingdom of Bellemontagne, coming in sizes from mouselike vermin all the way up to the fabled Kings, which haven't been seen in an age. Gaius Aurelius Constantine Heliogabalus Thrax (who would much rather people call him Robert) has recently inherited his deceased father's job as a dragon exterminator, a career he detests with all his heart. Things turn from bad to worse when Robert is hired by the royal family to disinfest the entire castle, as Princess Cerise is determined to receive Crown Prince Reginald with the shabby château looking its best.

What happens next is not the fairy tale you may be expecting.

"Peter S Beagle is, as ever, a master. Like the dragons and dreams therein - gorgeous and vibrant and wistfully fantastic - he never neglects the sharp teeth that confirm a tale as absolutely real."

– —Travis Baldree, New York Times bestselling author of Legends and Lattes

"A moving tale from a fantasy master."

– —Reactor Mag

“Bringing to mind both Neil Gaiman’s Stardust and Patricia C. Wrede’s Enchanted Forest Chronicles,...a reluctant dragon hunter escorts a prince on a dragon-slaying hunt through the kingdom of Bellemontagne as the prelude to a betrothal between kingdoms.”

– —LitHub

"Equal parts Monty Python and Dragonheart? The Smaug section of The Hobbit? Let’s just say Beagle’s I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons is its own creature entirely, much like every dragon I've ever met."

– —Parade

“Beagle’s cozy novel embraces over-the-top fantasy tropes, and the effect is a tale that’s as hilarious as it is endearing. Evocative of Terry Pratchett, the writing grows beyond its charming aesthetic to deliver a deceptively serious narrative.”

– —Library Journal

"Peter Beagle is an icon in the world of fantasy fiction … charming characters and cozy high fantasy vibes are worth the wait."

– —Paste Magazine

Review by kaitlin

I’m Afraid You’ve Got Dragons is a highly anticipated, high fantasy fairytale fraught with mighty dragons, evil wizards, reluctant heroes, craven princes, and a damsel that is in fact not so distressed, is sick of obstinate heroes, and can do the rescuing herself, thank-you-very-much!

Gaius Aurelius Constantine Heliogabalus Thrax (known as just “Robert”) is the resident dragon slayer---oops, I mean dragon exterminator---in the small kingdom of Bellemontagne. He despises his job, which he, alas, performs exceedingly well, but he is duty bound to take up this accursed mantle from his late father. It’s always been something he experiences immense inner turmoil over, ethically and emotionally. He really likes dragons and has several secret pet dragons of his own. Furthermore, dragon exterminators are held in the same regard as the draconic vermin they are tasked to exterminate, so obviously he wants to be more than that. Robert has ambitious aspirations to become a… prince’s valet.

Princess Cerise of Bellmontagne finds herself under sudden and extreme pressure to have the considerable dragon infestation at the castle removed, so Robert and his services are summoned. The sudden reason for the extermination would be to impress the visiting Crown Prince Reginald of Corvinia, a much richer and larger kingdom than Cerise’s own. With love at first sight, Cerise just knows they are destined to be together. But Prince Reginald has his own agenda to reckon with before he could ever consider a marriage…he must impress his father, King Krije, and prove his worthiness as a son. After much consideration and planning with Mortmain, his valet, they decide to make a proposal contingent upon slaying a great magical beast to prove his valor and value to the Prince’s father. Of course, it is decided that they would go dragon hunting, so they beseech the only one among them with any dragon slaying experience to go along too---poor Robert! As things quickly start to snowball out of control for the prince and his valet, an evil wizard previously thought to be dead and gone will descend upon the party of dragon hunters, but an unsuspecting hero will rise to the occasion to hopefully save them all. This cleverly written satirical fantasy has a prince, a princess, and a humble dragon exterminator all questing to escape from their predetermined roles in their fairytale lives ostensibly by slaying a dragon and besting an evil wizard but actually by discovering their true hearts’ desires and mastering their newfound selves.

Heartwarming and nostalgically magical, this tale will go down as one of my very favorites. I really loved the satirical tone of the story, and it reminded me of how the Princess Bride was told. Similarly, the author uses exaggerated fantasy tropes to create a whimsical tale that is laugh out loud funny. I found it downright comical how dragons are considered in this book! They are treated with the same amount of disdain and repugnance we reserve for insects, and there is such a relatable moment in the story where Princess Cerise, a shoe, and a dragon have it out. I also found myself giggling at Dahr, the great and evil wizard. As far as storybook villains go, he was up there with the best of them, posturing and pressing his long-winded machinations on everyone, wasting too much time and missing opportunities to bring his grandiose evil plans to fruition. Lastly, I feel obligated to call attention to the beautifully illustrated cover since it immediately caught my eye. It is a detailed watercolor painting that depicts a castle on a grassy hill with a thunderous horde of dragons circling overhead and a behemoth of a dragon resting in the foreground.

Ashlords

 By: Scott Reintgen 

Location: FIC REI

Genre: Fantasy, Magic

COVER ART!!!!!!!

A page-turning inferno of a book. -- Stephanie Garber

Red Rising meets The Scorpio Races in this epic fantasy following three phoenix horse riders--skilled at alchemy--who must compete at The Races--the modern spectacle that has replaced warfare within their empire.

Every year since the Ashlords were gifted phoenix horses by their gods, they've raced them. First into battle, then on great hunts, and finally for the pure sport of seeing who rode the fastest. Centuries of blood and fire carved their competition into a more modern spectacle: The Races.

Over the course of a multi-day event, elite riders from clashing cultures vie to be crowned champion. But the modern version of the sport requires more than good riding. Competitors must be skilled at creating and controlling phoenix horses made of ash and alchemy, which are summoned back to life each sunrise with uniquely crafted powers to cover impossible distances and challenges before bursting into flames at sunset. But good alchemy only matters if a rider knows how to defend their phoenix horse at night. Murder is outlawed, but breaking bones and poisoning ashes? That's all legal and encouraged.

In this year's Races, eleven riders will compete, but three of them have more to lose than the rest--a champion's daughter, a scholarship entrant, and a revolutionary's son. Who will attain their own dream of glory? Or will they all flame out in defeat?

REVIEW FROM GOODREADS

Ashlords by Scott Reintgen is the first book of a new young adult fantasy duology series. The story follows three of the Phoenix racers by changing the point of view between the characters with each chapter as they prepare for the upcoming race.

The riders in the big race will be riding Phoenix horses that are brought to life by the rider’s alchemy giving them all unique qualities. At the end of each day however in the race the Phoenix return to ash until their rider can resurrect them again.

Pippa, Adrian, and Imelda are three of the eleven racers that are preparing themselves for the grueling battle ahead. All have trained in the ways they could with one coming from a champion family and expected to win, one being a scholarship entrant, and another a revolutionary’s son preparing for war.

Well Ashlords certainly took an often used clashing society full of the different classes of citizens on the verge of uprising to a different place. The idea of the big upcoming race somewhat gave me images of them being tossed into the Hunger Games but with a whole new unique battle for these entrants using magic and mischief to compete with their Phoenixes. The end of this first book was just enough of a cliffhanger to show that book two will probably take readers to a whole new side to these characters story too to leave readers wanting more.

Tokyo Ever After

 By: Emiko Jean

Location: FIC JEA

Genre: Romance, Young Adult

A combination of Princess Diaries and Crazy Rich Asians

Izumi Tanaka has never really felt like she fit in—it isn’t easy being Japanese American in her small, mostly white, northern California town. Raised by a single mother, it’s always been Izumi—or Izzy, because “It’s easier this way”—and her mom against the world. But then Izumi discovers a clue to her previously unknown father’s identity…and he’s none other than the Crown Prince of Japan. Which means outspoken, irreverent Izzy is literally a princess.

In a whirlwind, Izumi travels to Japan to meet the father she never knew and discover the country she always dreamed of. But being a princess isn’t all ball gowns and tiaras. There are conniving cousins, a hungry press, a scowling but handsome bodyguard who just might be her soulmate, and thousands of years of tradition and customs to learn practically overnight.

Izumi soon finds herself caught between worlds, and between versions of herself—back home, she was never “American” enough, and in Japan, she must prove she’s “Japanese” enough. Will Izumi crumble under the weight of the crown, or will she live out her fairy tale, happily ever after?

Review by Nilufer from Goodreads

Oh well this is amazing combination of Princess Diaries and Crazy Rich Asians; a Japanese American teenage girl finds out the father she never met is coming from royal family! Actually he’s freaking crown prince of Japan ! Now her two different worlds will be collided into each other. Could she fit in the both parts without feeling like a true outsider?

Izumi is quick witted, entertaining, so much sympathetic character you may truly relate with! When she has been raised in Northern California by single mom, she already felt how to be an outsider in her secluded, tiny, mostly white community. And now she flies to Japan to fill her responsibilities as a princess but firstly she has to learn the rules of being a royal to get the approval of her ancestors!

And when you add forbidden love into equation with lots of entertaining supporting characters, this book turns into one of the most enjoyable read& chill feel good journeys!

Even though there are some plot holes, undeveloped dialogues between the characters and too insta love between the MCs, I still enjoyed this soft, funny, heartwarming, swoon, sweet romance and self discovery story!

Gather your refreshments and munchies, dive into this heartfelt journey to have relaxing, quality reading time!

I’m delightfully rounding up 3.5 stars to 4 crown, hot bodyguard, loss in translation, multi cultural interest stars!

Wrath becomes Her

 By: Aden Polydoros

Location: FIC POL

Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Horror, Jewish Mythology and that is a LOT of Genres

Frankenstein meets Inglourious Basterds in this stunning Jewish historical horror novel from the award-winning author of The City BeautifulVera was made for vengeance.Lithuania, 1943. A father drowns in the all-consuming grief of a daughter killed by the Nazis. He can’t bring Chaya back from the dead, but he can use kishuf — an ancient and profane magic — to create a golem in her image. A Nazi killer, to avenge her death.When Vera awakens, she can feel her violent purpose thrumming within her. But she can also feel glimpses of a human life lived, of stolen kisses amidst the tragedy, and of a grisly death. And when she meets Akiva, she recognizes the boy with soft lips that gave warm kisses. But these memories aren’t hers, and Vera doesn’t know if she gets—or deserves —to have a life beyond what she was made for.Vera’s strength feels limitless—until she learns that there are others who would channel kishuf for means far less noble than avenging a daughter’s death. As she confronts the very basest of humanity, Vera will need more than what her creator gave Not just a reason to fight, but a reason to live.

JESS

The emotions in this book. This is a unique take on the vengeance of a father who lost his daughter in WWII. He creates a Golem, Vera, who, while containing some of the daughters' real memories and feelings, is still a tool used to kill the Nazis responsible for her death.

A gorgeous cover. Lyrical descriptive writing. A golem made for vengeance. Jewish MCs in WWII in Lithuania.

Somehow I’m a sucker for beautifully written historical stories these days. I’m there for the pain, the grief, the rage, to acknowledge we did so much wrong in the past and still do.

Wrath Becomes Her is different than the historical books I’ve read before. Vera is a golem made for vengeance, made from the mud from the river. She doesn’t only look like a human being, she feels like one too, with emotions running through her body from a human life once lived. I’m not only a sucker for historical stories, but I’m also a sucker for sadder ones, and this book is full of feelings. Akiva’s and Ezra’s grief was so palpable, and I felt their rage against the Nazis seep through my body. Add Vera’s struggles with finding her identity, worsened by the constant turmoil of Chaya’s emotions, and I flew through the pages.

This story is for anyone who loves to read a different WWII story, with a fantasy twist and Jewish main characters but without the holocaust as a central theme.

 Mariake reviewed on Goodreads

Bone Talk

 By: Candy Gourlay

Genre: Historical Fiction, Philippians,  Colonization

Location: FIC GOU

A wonderful novel... will stay with me for a long time.’ Elizabeth Laird

More than a hundred years ago, a boy named Samkad thinks he knows everything about the world. He knows the mountains he lives in. He knows his people. He knows his blood enemy, the Mangili. And he wants to become a man, to be given his own shield, spear and axe to fight with. His best friend, Luki, wants all the same things – but she is a girl, and no girl has ever become a warrior.

But everything changes when a new boy arrives in the village. He calls himself Samkad’s brother, yet he knows nothing of the ways of the mountain. And he brings news of a people called ‘Americans’, who are bringing war and destruction right to his home . . .

Young Samkad is desperate to become a man. His father is a valued and respected warrior within the Bontoc community, and, to Samkad, the epitome of what it means to be a man. If only Samkad could prove to the elders that he too possesses such physical and inner strength. However, when a spiral of events prevents the ceremony that would establish Samkad’s manhood from taking place, the protagonist can only feel rage and bitterness at the injustice. But, with passing time and impending danger, Samkad learns that he must put others before himself, that the security of his culture and people is of far higher importance than his manhood.
In terms of theme, this was extremely strong, and I think that a long time could be spent picking apart masculinity, threat and difference within this story. I am extremely intrigued by the attention paid to individuals within groups breaking away from what they are perceived to be, particularly in relation to what Samkad comes to understand about individuality and identity, and how values may be personal to those that hold them.
To me, Gourlay’s story is a triumph. Her writing is so vivid, and completely immerses the reader in the sounds and sights of Cordillera and the traditions of the Bontoc people, bringing to life a culture I had never even heard of prior to opening the book. Emotionally, very affecting; I too felt the disorientation and deep urgency that Samkad describes when what is known is threatened by violence and upheaval. Truly immense; it is stories like these that highlight the absence within literature when periods of history are so wrongfully neglected. I hope that Bone Talk makes a mark for a wave of different stories to be told, as it has certainly made a mark on me. Review by Ellie- Goodreads

Review by Matthew

I have lots of thoughts about this book. It is a story that carries within it a goal which is, according to the back jacket sleeve, to bring into the world a story that the author was missing whilst growing up, a story that resembled 'her steamy, tropical home in Manila'. And I am so glad she did. Through copious, exhaustive research from a range of secondary and primary sources, Gourlay has accomplished an impressive feat bringing to life the Bontoc people and work respectfully with the guidance of many others to bring a voice to the voiceless.
The story itself it set in three parts and follows the story of Samkad, a boy on the cusp of being initiated into manhood. The rite of passage ceremony though is brought to a halt when the old ones set a task that, ultimately, sets in motion events that change the tribe's future for all time. Together with Luki, a ferociously-willed young girl, his father and others (not wanting to give the plot away), Samkad finds his whole world changed and challenged forever. Will he have the strength and courage within to save his people and what will his people and their culture mean to him when he encounters others?
Gourlay juggles so much in this book; strong females trying to fight against the gendered norm, the his history of a people living in the Cordeillera region, their cultures and customs as well as their encounters. She does so perfectly. I learned so much from her story; she opened my eyes to the Bontoc people and their region and has done so with great sensitivity, respect and love. I have a feeling that this was an equally great journey for her too.

Totally Deceased

 By: Sue H Cunningham

Location: FIC Cun

Genre: Mystery, Thriller

     An awesome premise!

This book was unputdownable from start to finish. Great characters, amazing tension throughout, brilliantly written and hilarious! Arden

 "Funny, heartfelt and I loved the mystery" - Rosie Talbot, author of Sixteen Souls
Seventeen-year-old Jess wakes from an emergency heart transplant to discover she's being haunted by the disgruntled ghost of her donor - teenage socialite, Tilly. And she won't leave Jess in peace until they unravel the mystery surrounding her death. Their investigations take them deep into Tilly's luxurious heiress life - from private schools to Swiss banks and high-end hotels. But the clues lead somewhere darker than either of the girls could have imagined. And if Jess can't solve the murder in time, her own life may be at risk...
A hilarious, heart-racing murder mystery like no other.

Two Sides to Every Murder

 By: Danielle Valentine 

Location: FIC VAL

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Horror, Slasher

Karen M. McManus meets Holly Jackson

From the author of How to Survive Your Murder comes a propulsive thriller about two teens who return to the site of the famous murder case that sealed their fates.

Most people’s births aren’t immortalized in a police report—but Olivia was born during the infamous Camp Lost Lake murders. Seventeen years later, Olivia’s life looks pretty perfect . . . until she discovers the man she calls dad is not her biological father. Now she wants answers about her bloodline, and the only place she knows to look is Camp Lost Lake.

Most people don’t spend their formative years on the run with an alleged murderer—but Reagan did. In the court of public opinion, her mom was found guilty of the deaths at Camp Lost Lake, and both of them have been in hiding ever since. But Reagan believes in her mother’s innocence and is determined to clear her name.

Luckily for Olivia and Reagan, Camp Lost Lake is finally reopening, providing the perfect opportunity to find answers. But someone else is dead set on keeping the past hidden, even if it means committing murder.

LINZIE review

Fast-paced, action-packed, and with a definite horror movie feel, Two Sides to Every Murder also shocked me to my core. A clever plot that would be perfect for fans of Holly Jackson or Karen M. McManus, the only hint that this was a YA thriller was the age of the characters. After all, the plot was finely layered with shrewd observations about people and their behaviors. Altogether, it made the whole book feel much deeper than you’d expect a slasher-esque storyline to be given how thought-provoking it ultimately was.

The plot itself was truly impressive. From the creepy setting of a storm-riddled summer camp long left abandoned to the multiple twists and turns that kept me firmly in the dark, there wasn’t a thing not to love. I mean, the ever ratcheting tension and adrenaline-pumping action just didn’t let up. Essentially one long climax from beginning to end, it was no surprise that I inhaled this whole book in just one single sitting. So I’m not kidding when I recommend not picking it up until your chores are complete and you have no plans in sight. Otherwise, you’ll surely end up ignoring them all just to read one more page more times than you can count.

All in all, the binge-worthy premise was everything it promised and more. Told via dual POVs and with plenty of flashbacks, this plot will keep you on the edge of your seat whether you’re fifteen or fifty. I do wish the conclusion had had a bit more meat to it in the end, but all of my questions were answered before the last page. Ultimately, it was a masterclass in suspense and foreboding that had my fingers utterly flying, so do yourself a favor and grab your copy today. Rating of 4.5 stars.