Wow CG Drews has just become an auto-buy author for me. This book—my jaw is still on the floor. Drews brings their signature gorgeous atmospheric prose front and center to this book, their first adult horror which wow. The way Drews carefully crafts each scene and characters' inner thoughts is so powerful. Honestly, it's almost cinematic, I can feel my anxiety rise with each page and at some points I was questioning what was real and who to believe. If you were a fan of the Babadook or even Emma Donoghue's "The Room," you might want to check this out. I cannot wait to purchase a copy. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

You Did Nothing Wrong by CG Drews
4.5⭐
Expected publication March 17, 2026

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Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review

So okay, this book is not for me. The work is beautifully written, Ava Reid is always good with her descriptions and writing gorgeous prose that highlights the atmosphere of the world. I loved her Study of Drowning Duology, and the quality of writing is 100% there. However, there were a lot of things that really missed the mark for me and I'm not sure if I can fault Reid on this, because some of the issues I had were ME issues. For example: there are certain things in the horror genre I do not pick up because they are just not my thing. That content is not for me, and that's okay!!! I think a lot of readers will go in expecting something akin to “Anathema” by Keri Lake or “Alchemised” by SenLinYu. This is not that. Innamorata is a Grimdark Gothic Fantasy/HORROR. The book's description vs. the material (please check the TWs before reading) felt like a bait-and-switch because of the way it's been marketed. For example please see the book blurb below. "Revenge burns in Agnes's heart but so do stranger passions—and it is Liuprand, the golden prince, who speaks to her soul. This passion is as treasonous as it is powerful, poisoning the kingdom's roots and threatening to tear the already shattered realm in two. For Agnes's final order is the gravest: She must not fall in love." This part of the blurb—in my opinion—makes the like a tragic, dark fantasy romance with potentially a bittersweet ending. Instead, the book itself is more akin to "Blood on Her Tongue" by Johanna van Veen or "The Library at Hellebore" by Cassandra Khaw. Did I like the book? No, but it’s not my kind of horror and I cannot in good conscious give this anything below 3 stars. It’s not a terrible book, it’s just not for me fam. Thank you NetGalley and DelRey for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Expected Pub Date: March 17th 2026

Inamorata by Ava Reid
3ish ⭐s due to style/quality of writing
Anticipated release date March 17th 2026
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🌶️📚<-- This is really NOT A ROMANCE

Thank you NetGalley and Del Rey in exchange for my honest review.

I cannot emphasize this enough, PLEASE CHECK THE TWs

Ox Deserved Better. I'll give a half-star for the writing technique. That is the only nice thing I have to say about this book. I am fine with emotional gut punches and darker fiction; this was something else. I cannot even believe the amount of emotional blackmail and gaslighting the Bennets and even Gordo put Ox through. They always say "Ox had a choice." When. During what? With what information? When exactly did Ox get to make an informed decision without a) Being talked down to b) Was given adequate information to make said ***informed*** decision c) Wasn't being forced into making that decision with Emotional Blackmail Every "decision" Ox had a chance to make was reactionary. A traumatized kid gave Ox a birthday gift. Ox accepts it without anyone telling him the significance of the gift. Ox, as a teenager, sees the traumatized kid in agony and is worried about the kid dying. Becomes a tether with only seconds to think because otherwise he is worried the kid will die or suffer in a way that is arguably worse than dying. Time goes on, and during those years, it's rinse, lather, and repeat. Ox thinks he's in "the know" with the Bennets, and every single time he thinks he's up to speed, that they have fully let him in, they whip out another secret and/or reveal that they've been keeping even more from him. He doesn't have any kind of "choice." He's going on blind faith because he loves them as equals, and they "love" him like a pet. Ox is never given true agency to make informed decisions. He is kept out of the loop INTENTIONALLY for his "protection." Yeah, and a lot of good that "protection" gave him. This is cruel. What the Bennets did to him was cruel, and he was ill-prepared to face any of the monumental danger he was in, especially when Joe fucked off and told Ox he "didn't understand." Sure, he didn't, maybe just maybe he would have if YOU had given him the information!!! You don't do this to people you love.

Ox had a "choice" to stay behind and take care of Mark and Elizabeth? What do you mean. What do you mean he had a choice? Ox wasn't ALLOWED to go with, and Ox works IN TOWN. Also, Ox is a good person. What was he going to do? Abandon Mark and Elizabeth? Just say "fuck 'em" and leave? With what money? Oh, right the he inherited from his mom who was MURDERED by Richard. Hmm, I wonder if it could have been different if the Bennets had told Ox what was going on. Maybe if they had his mother would still be alive. Come on, I’m supposed to have sympathy for the Bennets at this juncture? What happened to Joe was deplorable but I cannot have sympathy for the people who left Ox in the dark then gaslit him so much that he actually thinks his anger isn't justified? It was so triggering to see Gordo, Carter, Kelly, and Elizabeth tell Ox that *HE*—as in Ox—needs to "fix this." Absolutely not. Ox is not the one who broke the pack. Ox is not the one who betrayed Joe's trust. Ox is not the one who cut off all ties. The onus is not on Ox to "fix" anything. Joe broke it, he can fucking fix it. The AUDACITY for them to tell Ox this when Joe has only been back for a week?! 1. You (in this case, Ox) do not owe ANYONE who has hurt you forgiveness. Full Stop. That is yours to give. How dare they tell Ox that he needs to get over his anger and fix things with Joe. 2. Joe did 3yrs of damage. If Ox wanted to forgive Joe, he damned well should have had the right to do it on HIS timeline, NOT Joe's. This opened up so many old wounds I had that I thought I had dealt with years ago. This is not love. This is obsession, manipulation, and cruel. I honestly hated this, and I don't know why I finished. I guess I was hoping Joe would take responsibility and not just offer excuses for his role in everyone's suffering. I'll say it again. Ox deserved better.

Wolfsong by TJ Klune 💙📚

Please know that if you don't want spoilers or if you liked this book, you might want to skip this.
As always alt text has what's said written in the images

hoo boy... I got two negative reviews to post and I am big scared because they are of popular books...

pray for me lmfao

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Dragon Cursed by Elise Kova Empire of the Damned by Jay Kristoff A Ruinous Fate by Kaylie Smith

Oh these three... The Holy Trinity of the “Ow. That’s okay, I didn’t need my heart anyway. Now, please excuse me as I sob to death,” review.

I don’t have much else to say.
I’m just gonna stare at a wall now.
Haha... 😭

5⭐ - for all of them
Alt text has the titles and authors
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#booksky

The Second Death of Locke — V L Bovalino Empire of the Damned — Jay Kristoff Dragon Cursed — Elise Kova The Poet Empress — Shen Tao Wolf Worm — T. Kingfisher The Prisoner’s Throne — Holly Black The Murder at World’s End — Ross Montgomery A Ruinous Fate — Kaylie Smith

Best of January — I know it’s a long list but better this than hate reads and DNFs!

Alt text has the full list written out for readability

💙📚 #booksky

god I've almost caught up on the reviews I can post. Some books are NetGalley so they're gonna go up around ~a month to their expected pub date
others I have to type up... ugh... *effoooort*

The Prisoner’s Throne by Holly Black I think this was almost as strong as the core FotA trilogy. It was a solid way to end the Duology and there was so much I liked in here. As much as I liked Suren/Wren's POV, I adored getting Oak's as he was one of my favorite supporting characters in FotA (Oak, The Bomb, The Roach and The Ghost) It was nice seeing Oak's vulnerability and his inner struggle with doing the right thing while not betraying anyone at the same time. It's something we saw Jude struggle a lot with which made the final fight scene so powerful. She knew, and she trusted him and ugh I teared up. I love their relationship so much, such good siblings. Family is such an important component of this book and it was equally touching to see how much Wren would and did for her sister Becks, it also really hit home how much Oak and Wren understand each other because while their sisters aren't their sisters by blood they ARE FAMILY. Sorry I'm rambling I just really enjoyed this.

The Prisoner’s Throne by Holly Black
4.75-5/5 ⭐
Full review can be found in the Alt text
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#booksky

This was utterly enchanting. This was utterly enchanting. Pike is one of the silliest, sweetest protagonists I've had in my grasp in MONTHS. I adore him. And old lady Decima? I aspire to be her when I grow up. The humor, the dialogue, the plot, The ADVENTURE!!! This was such a fun time. Also, it's one of the rare books in the Cozy subgenre that doesn't suffer from a slow (sometimes punishing) pacing with the story. The pacing is perfect, the dialogue is natural and the prose is so easy to read without being basic or overly simplistic. If I HAD to compare this to other media I would say it has all the vibes of: Knives Out, Clue, Gosford Park, and The World's End without being derivative of any of them. That should speak volumes to the quality of the storytelling, because yes I clearly have seen this story before, but Ross Montgomery brings something new to the table. I loved this so much.

The Murder at World’s End
by Ross Montgomery
4.75-5/5 ⭐
Full review can be found in the Alt text
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#booksky

Wow. So okay, I was not expecting this kind of a story and maybe that’s my bad for not reading the book blurb more carefully. I was expecting more of an eerie spooky horror vs a mystery revenge plot—which usually I don’t gravitate towards. I don’t know. BUT what I *do* know is that this book is proof that you should explore new genres every once in a while because hooooly, I really enjoyed this. Like okay sure the plot wasn’t anything that was breaking the wheel—but I’ll be damned if I say it wasn’t compelling. I was TUNED IN, and that has a large part to do with how good the characters were. I loved all of them. (Especially, the golden retriever puppy of a baby Mafia Don.) This was great. I cannot wait for the second book.

Nightshade by Autumn Woods
4.25/5 ⭐
Full review can be found in the Alt text
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#booksky

Okay so... #1 I think this book was a little overhyped and that probably has a lot to do with those last two to three chapters. They bridal carried and the elevated the plot in a big way. #2 this was NOT a bad book by any means, but it was a little basic. The premise was good, the characters were compelling, but there was just something about it that didn’t really click with me. It was missing that special sauce. (I also don’t think the pacing helped.) Overall, it was enjoyable enough that I’ll probably continue the series. Though… look I just want to say this—I nearly gave this book four stars because of the twins. (I STG NOTHING BETTER HAPPEN TO THEM 🥲😭💙) However, I can’t. I’m giving this a 3.75 because the last three chapters shouldn’t have to be such a strong carry for the entire book.

We Who Will Die by Stacia Stark
3.75/5 ⭐
Full review can be found in the Alt text
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#booksky

6-Star Book. Sorry in advance, I know this isn't exactly helpful or descriptive in the least, but this is one of the best books I read last year. (Due to getting an ARC from NetGalley) It's both humorously witty and emotionally devastating. I probably should write the review when I've processed it fully, but I have no notes. I loved it, and I LOVED that the 1766 plot and the 1785 plot had a different font. It was a nice touch and helped with the transition. II did get a chance to listen to the ALC too and I was excited to see how the audio book would hold up and oh my god. The narrators Imogen Church and especially Rory Barnett were fantastic. They brought out all of the humor from the prose and Rory especially gave the grave/emotional moments the weight they deserved. I also loved how they added the footnotes in. It made the story flow seamlessly. Ugh it was so good!!! 6-star book. 6-star audio book Thank you, NetGalley and Tor/Macmillan Audio, for the ARC and the ALC in exchange for my honest review, and thank you again, Cameron Sullivan, for writing. Pub Date: Fab 24 2026

The Red Winter
by Cameron Sullivan

6/5 ⭐s
Full review can be found in the Alt text
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Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC and the ALC in exchange for my honest review!

Yeah, no worries, again I like both I prefer romance as a subplot, but I get it people have their preferences—heads up Inamorata by Ava Reid is not really a fantasy either it’s a Grim dark horror, but I shouldn’t post that review until it’s closer to the pub date—also check TWs for TPE it’s DARK

Meanwhile, the target audience who ARE political fantasy enthusiasts won’t know that’s what this book is about!!! Buzzwords are destroying books before they even have a chance. It’s kind of heartbreaking. 2/2

I like some and not others, but I’m a fantasy girl at heart so I didn’t mind that! However, there are conventions to the romance genre and people who don’t enjoy dark political dramas will feel like they got a bait and switch and ultimately will probably leave a bad review. 1/2

Also, thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review

This was excellent. As much as I loved the Emily Wilde trilogy I think I actually like this more. There were several things a part of the story that stood out, like Agnes's grief and her pouring out her affection with her charity work with the cats. I think Havelock was a really interesting character and the two of them together reminded me of Howl and Sophie from Howl's Moving Castle. Although, I think I would liken them more to the book version rather than Studio Ghibli's adaptation. Both are amazing! But there's a slightly different vibe and Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter resembles the book version a bit more. t was a very touching story with slightly more high stakes than I've felt in other "cozy" fantasy novels which I actually really enjoyed!!! I'm really looking forward to purchasing a copy on its release. (Also, chapter 34 is what ultimately pushed this book ahead of Emile Wilde.) 4.75-5/5 Thank you NetGalley and Del Rey for this wonderful ARC in exchange for my honest review! Expected Pub Date: Feb 17th 2026

Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter
by Heather Fawcett
4.75/5 ⭐
Full review can be found in the Alt text
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Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This was a really cool debut book. I loved that it's dystopic world has a harmonious marriage between both Fantasy and Light Scifi. The combo creates a unique social structure and magical system of which I haven't read in quite sometime. Each of the characters bring something to the table—even the ones who are monsters. No one feels superfluous or flat and the MCs (Ana & Wes/Nell) really stand out by being flawed, but likable. I also really appreciate the author not taking any cheap shots/kill of characters for the sake of shock value. Every death has a purpose and one in particular made me stare at a wall for an hour because I was DISTRAUGHT. (Though, I’ll admit there were maybe too many fakeouts.) 4.5/5 Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. Expected Pub Date: February 3rd 2026

Queen of Faces by Petra Lord
4.5/5 ⭐
Full review can be found in the Alt text
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Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This book was absolutely fantastic! However, as a note to the publisher, please stop marketing all Fantasies as "Romantasies" or some other phrase. This is book not a Romance. This is a revenge and self actualization story with a complex political system. One isn't better than the other, but mis-marketing is going to miss your target audience. Now that that's out of the way—what a magnificent story!!! It's DARK, gritty, and an interesting fantastical world. (Although I do wish there had been more development with the magical system and had more poetry woven throughout). Wei is such a sympathetic and strong protagonist, even when she has to be cruel she never loses herself and tries to be as fair as possible without endangering herself or any innocent bystander. She and all characters around her are flawed in a very human way that make what's at stake (fate of the empire) so real. I think I need to sit with it a bit more, but I really loved this. I have nitpicks, but this is a strong 4.75-5/5. But... by the end of the year though I think this might go up to a 5. Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. Pub Date: Out Now!

The Poet Empress by Shen Tao
4.75-5/5 ⭐
Full review can be found in the Alt text
📚💙 📚🪐 #booksky

📚🌶️ — just want to let you guys know this really is not a romance.

Okay I did my most recent read, now I'm going to post some overdue NetGalley reviews!

💙📚 #booksky

Angie @charmwitch.bsky.social sent me the goods and I keep meaning to take photos but the lightning in my house is terrible. Ignore that. Look how good the keychains and standee are.

The Second Death of Locke by VL Bovalino 6⭐️ This book was a balm to my mind, body, and soul. The writing is gorgeous. The characters are well developed, loved their strengths and their flaws—it’s so nice when there is that beautiful marriage that makes them feel so human, and this book did that in spades. The world-building is effortless. It contributed to one of the most compelling plots I’ve had a chance to read in a while, without distracting the reader from what is happening around them. The real world is a nightmare right now, and I do what I can to help, but it’s a lot… and to have this story, this touching tale that highlights love is not a weakness. It is a strength. It’s used as a device to protect your loved ones and those who need it the most. And there is so much love in this book. It’s not just romantic love, it’s platonic love as well, and even more than that—love to someone just on a human level and to honor the ones you may have lost out of love, even if it breaks your heart. It’s dark and gritty at times, which made me sob my eyes out, but it also has so many moments where the characters could have been unfeeling—could have made the tactical beneficial decision, but chose kindness instead. I feel like I could go on forever, but I’m going to end it here. My heart is so full.

So I haven’t done a book review in a while and I want to change that and actually be on top of that this year. I’m going to start with my most recent read.

The Second Death of Locke by VL Bovalino
6⭐️

The descriptive text has the whole review for visibility issues.

📚🪐 📚🌶️ 📚🖋️ #booksky

It’s been a while since I’ve done a book review which… I should get back to doing before I’m so behind there is no point, but the next one I post I feel is necessary so…

SURPRISE. We (myself, @lunaerune.bsky.social, and @sorenlover666.bsky.social) are running IkeSoren Week 2026 in April for the anniversary of Path of Radiance.

It means you got the Prince of Hearts. He’s a deity of sorts, a disaster, feels intensely, holds grudges, and loves deeply.

I love him so much

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Booksky I keep seeing Zodiac Book boyfriends and they're all usually SJM characters only so uh I've done my own. #zodiac #booksky #bookboyfriends

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