Amanda

Just when I thought zombie stories were done and had nowhere left to go, Tate Brombal comes along and proves me wrong.

Through five heart-shattering issues, we are shown a man desperately clinging to his former life after he is, seemingly, the only person left uninfected by a zombie plague that struck a dozen years before. As he continues his unvarying routine we're shown flashbacks of his life before, juxtaposing his devotion to his family in death with his sometimes careless behavior in life.

Received via NetGalley.

Episode four picks up the pace with a series of six sequentially fought duels, each of which have larger political implications. Underwood does a fantastic job not only portraying the magical bladecraft duels, but in using the action for character development and story progression.

Received via NetGalley.

In this first episode of the series we're introduced to a large cast of characters, plunged headfirst into the world's politics, and given a look at a novel sword-based magic system.

All of that comes at a breakneck pace due to the shortness of the piece, and there's not a great sense of the world outside what we're being shown, but I'm intrigued enough to read the next episode.

Received via NetGalley.

This was a joy to read! It's an engaging blend of courtly life, drama, and politics, with a dollop of magic and hints of romance. And the characters are beautifully realized people who were a pleasure to get to know. I'm eagerly awaiting the next book in the series.

Received via NetGalley.

Like episode two, episode three forgoes action sequences in favor of politics; however, where the previous episode ground the pace of the serial to a halt, this one uses the intrigues to develop the characters and move the narrative forward.

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I first read First Person Plural years ago for a paper I had to write in high school; I remember staying up long after my bedtime just so I could finish reading it. Adult me recognizes that West's style leaves something to be desired—he seems never to have met an adjective he doesn't like—but I still find it an engrossing read.

I was pleased to read in the epilogue of the twenty-fifth anniversary edition that West and his family while facing hardships, have remained together and loving.

Received via NetGalley.

Married couple Avery and Carlos travel to the Philippines to help Carlos's parents try to sell what turns out to be a haunted house.

Michelle Tang draws on the rich folklore of the Philippines for the horror aspects of this novel. Reading about the different traditions of witchcraft, monsters, and protection rituals was fascinating, and could have made this a compelling horror novel if Tang hadn't buried it all beneath the soap opera of an unhappy marriage.

So much time is spent on Avery and Carlos blaming each other for their misery that I often forgot this is supposed to be a horror story. The most horrific thing about the majority of the book is that the two leads have been married for years and apparently never had a frank conversation with each other.

The bulk of the supernatural aspects are dealt with at the end of the book in a way that is deeply unsatisfying; it's rushed through and very much a case of telling rather than showing.

Received via NetGalley.

A young woman trying to have sex with her boyfriend is interrupted by otherworldly beings and ends up on a mystical quest.

The art in this one is impressive, and shows an impressive world. Unfortunately the writing is not of the same caliber: the story is confusing as hell and there are a lot of infodumps about the world's dense cosmology.

I like that art enough that I'll pick up the next volume in hope that the writing improves.

Received via NetGalley.

Married couple Avery and Carlos travel to the Philippines to help Carlos's parents try to sell what turns out to be a haunted house.

Michelle Tang draws on the rich folklore of the Philippines for the horror aspects of this novel. Reading about the different traditions of witchcraft, monsters, and protection rituals was fascinating, and could have made this a compelling horror novel if Tang hadn't buried it all beneath the soap opera of an unhappy marriage.

So much time is spent Avery and Carlos blaming each other for their misery that I often forgot this is supposed to be a horror story. The most horrific thing about the majority of the book is that the two leads have been married for years and apparently never had a frank conversation with each other.

The bulk of the supernatural aspects are dealt with at the end of the book in a way that is deeply unsatisfying; it's rushed through and very much a case of telling rather than showing.

Received via NetGalley.

In this first episode of the serial a bunch of painfully respectable characters are cloyingly kind to each other. The "shocking" revelation at the cliffhanger ending was utterly predictable. I won't be reading episode two.

Received via NetGalley.

Mary Beard's knowledge of her subject is clearly vast, and she has many fascinating things to say about the history, the uses, the abuses, and the future of the study of Ancient Greece and Rome. However, reading this book sometimes felt like a chore: it started as a series of lectures, and it often felt like she wasn't coming to a point.

Overall, I do appreciate what Beard is saying, but I just don't think she said it very well here.

Received via NetGalley.

Volume nine returns to Erica Slaughter's past, showing her well into her apprenticeship with Jessica Slaughter.

Erica's young life has been full of horror and tragedy, forcing her to take on responsibilities well beyond her years; in this volume we see her taking on even more as she has become the caretaker for her alcoholic mentor.

This series continues to impress me with its well-rounded characters. I care about what happens to the characters, which makes the horrors they endure all the worse.

Received via NetGalley.

The book opens with a group of hipsters sitting around in a New York apartment explaining to each other how nuclear war will never happen. London is wiped from the map later that night.

I found this book almost painful to read not because of the depictions of life after, but because the book follows the same group of unbearable hipsters as they're still in complete denial as the world is literally ending around them.

The only positive things I have to say about this are about the art and lettering. Becky Cloonan's illustrations, Tamra Bonvillain's colors, and Pat Brosseau's letters are stellar and worthy of a far better book.

Received via NetGalley.

In this East Asian-inspired fantasy, a fox demon and a demon hunter must work together to escape Hell.

I truly enjoyed aspects of this book: the story is intriguing, the two leads are solid, and there are many scenes with amazing descriptions. However, I don't think the book worked as well as a whole as it should have.

Despite having many of the parts to make a great book, I don't think they are fitted together in a way that makes a truly satisfying read: the world-building isn't strong, the supporting characters aren't well developed, and transitions between scenes are abrupt. The feeling I got while reading was akin to looking at an intricately sketched picture that was filled in like it was a paint by numbers.

Although I don't think The Legend of the Nine-Tailed Fox lives up to its potential, I believe Katrina Kwan is a writer with potential and I hope continues to develop her skills.

Received via NetGalley.

A romantic relationship grows between a librarian and a customer.

It's so refreshing to find a book where love is built between characters instead of happening instantaneously. It was lovely to see Hagiwara's and Yabumi's love develop as they get to know each other, and it made the sex scene in the bonus chapter that much more satisfying.

I'd happily read more books by this author.

Received via NetGalley.

The first episode started the serial off with a bang, dropping readers into a world of magic, swordplay, and deadly politics. Episode two loses much of the moment established and is mainly exposition and low-level politicking; it's the kind of stuff necessary for world building, but Brennan didn't do anything to make it less of a chore to read.

I'm still invested enough to read more.

Received via NetGalley.

Two reporters in Colorado in 1947 investigate UFO sightings.

This novella has the feel of a 1950s' pulp novel written with a 2020s' sensibility. I wish there was more character development and that some of the events were given more ink, but I think its limitations kind of fit with its idiom. Not a deep read, but entertaining.

Received via NetGalley.

Two reporters in Colorado in 1947 investigate UFO sightings.

This novella has the feel of a 1950s' pulp novel written with a 2020s' sensibility. I wish there was a more character development and that some of the events were given more ink, but I think it's limitations kind of fit with its idiom. Not a deep read, but entertaining.

Received via NetGalley.

A king with failing eyesight sends two men out into the world to collect stories of the books he can no longer read; upon their return, the two men spend thirteen nights recounting the tales to the king.

The Neverending Book is a strange little book, made up of short vignettes about imaginary books. The fanciful tales alternate between whimsical, creepy, thought-provoking, and poignant. It reminds me a bit of Calvino.

Received via NetGalley.

Reading a new Penric and Desdemona book is like catching up with a cherished friend. It's a delight to see how Pen and Des have grown together, and established an expanding family around themselves. I hope they continue to have adventures for many years to come.

Received via NetGalley.

A young girl comes of age in the shadow of the Oxford English Dictionary.

Some words I'd use to describe The Dictionary of Lost Words: bland, facile, stultifying, verbose.

There is just enough plot in this book to make a neat little novella, but Williams padded it to the point that it felt longer than the OED itself. It also didn't help that the main character is such a little milquetoast that she barely counts as a supporting character in her own story.

All in all, I feel like my time would have been more productively—and pleasurably—spent just browsing through the OED.

Received via NetGalley.

A breezy, speedy account of death, medicine, and funerary practices in the "Dark Ages."

First, the title of the book is a misnomer: disease, famine, and armed conflict are all common ways to die both then and now. The authors do give some examples of uncommon deaths, like Henry I dying after eating a surfeit of lampreys, but mostly it's recounting the same stuff that was covered in history class.

The authors are not always rigorous in presenting information in a way that distinguishes between verifiable facts and apocryphal tales, presenting the legend of Alfred and the cakes in the same way they do instances of the plague.

There is a lighthearted tone to the writing that makes the book an entertaining read despite the gruesome subject, but I do recommend it for anyone looking to educate themselves about the time period.

Received via NetGalley.