What Immortal Hand by Johnny Worthen is a gritty, immersive thriller that grips you from the very first page and doesn’t let go. The novel follows Michael Oswald...
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The Forgetting Moon by Brian Lee Durfee swept me into a world I thought I knew, only to turn those expectations upside down in the best way possible...
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Steve Capone Jr.’s Max in the Capital of Spies is a thought-provoking and thrilling YA novel that captivated me from start to finish. Although this isn’t my usual genre, I found myself deeply engrossed in the story, which masterfully combines history, espionage, and time travel.
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"Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982" by Cho Nam-joo isn’t just a story about one woman’s life in South Korea—it’s a mirror reflecting the struggles of women everywhere, including right here in the U.S. As I read this powerful novel, I couldn’t help but draw parallels between the experiences of Kim Jiyoung and the challenges faced by many women in America today.
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In Solitude’s Shadow by David Green is a dark fantasy novel about Calene Alpenwood, a powerful warrior-mage gifted with Spark, and her mother Zanna, who had been banished for a terrible crime.
Green is a fantastic writer, and In Solitude’s Shadow is evidence of that. From war to love and trust, Green pulls you through a whirlwind of emotions and gives you some beautifully written sentences in the process.
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Let Me Die by Virginia Babcock is a mixture of romance and gothic horror in the theme of Frankenstein, but this book isn’t just any Frankenstein story. This is a tale of love and loss and so much more.
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Dead Stars and Stone Arches is an anthology of Utah Horror with nearly three dozen talented local writers.
I love these sorts of anthologies—the ones that not only have fantastic stories, poems, and flash fiction pieces, but ones meant to help build writers up. This anthology by Timber Ghost Press in association with the Horror Writers Association Utah Chapter, a nonprofit group that encourages growth and community.
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This is a powerful and relevant reminder of the pain and turmoil of a decade that changed many of our communities forever, of the roots of still current inequalities, and of the obstacles that our political system places in the way of progressive change. It also benefits from being the account of an engaged and passionate witness.
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The Ghost Was Always the Machine by RJ Walker is where technology meets print. RJ gives readers a chance to be more than just a passive consumer; rather, the reader comes alive with the story, solving puzzles and going through quizzes. You even get to call a number to get a machine response to a puzzle!
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What would you do if you could go back to your youth? The book Summoner of Sleep by A.I. Winters explores just that through a horrific fountain of youth and what humans will do to obtain that vitality.
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Heart of Swine by Freddy F. Fonseca is both strange and provocative, dealing with climate change and meat consumption. You’ll be both shocked and laughing throughout the entire novel.
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Odyssey of Love by Linda Jämsén is a memoir about finding oneself and love. After Linda seeks a medium who tells her she’s going to find the love of her life in another country, she decides to change her life and go on tons of adventures. My favorite thing is that it shows bravery and romance.
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Unexpected Friends & Relations by Jayne Bamber is a Jane Austen crossover with tales of woe, of pain, and of many different stories. I’m a bit of a classical book lover myself, so getting a chance to review something that was inspired by Austen’s stories was too tempting to pass up.
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Picture this: lights, stage, and love—so many different types of love. Showmance by Arielle Morisot is set in the most theatrical of settings. We have two perspectives: Rachel Reed, a married stagel director and makeup artist with dreams of life backstage on Broadway. Then we have Hugh Davidson, a British knight, and famously gorgeous classical actor.
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Lillian on Sunday is a collection of short stories by Lionel Walfish. These stories explore the nature of human existence from love stories, city fables, ghost stories, and character studies. Walfish’s stories pull the reader into a universe where anything can happen, and I especially love that, particularly in a collection of works.
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Gothic Ballads: In Darkness There Is Light by Sara Brunner is a collection of dark and macabre poetry about breaking down the stigma of mental health. She webs together a variety of thoughts and sentences that I found quite striking. Not only that, I really loved her descriptions, how she was able to pull the reader in with a simple line.
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Sin Eater by Amanda Denham is an urban fantasy novel about Jayde Holloway, a girl who can take away memories. I really enjoyed this book, and as the reader, you get a chance to see Jayde’s whole life, past and present, and that gives you an idea of why she reacts to things the way she does.
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The Friar’s Lantern by Greg Hickey is a choose your tale adventure novel where you have a chance to win $1,000,000 and judge a man on trial for murder.
If you are not familiar with the choose your own adventure concept, throughout the book, the reader is given options that alter the direction and outcome of the story. As someone on the jury, you must use logic with the information given to you, as if you really are on a jury. And in the lab, you take a Turing test with a twist.
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ALL KAAL NONE: Sac of Surpäs is a sci-fi romance novel, the first in a trilogy. The book goes through four different timelines, and the author PB Flower does a great job with imagery.
Flower does well in her exploration of human emotions, characterized in the current, dystopian, and advanced eon. I especially loved her exploration in darkness and the hidden passion of desire.
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Accounts of Ephemeral Oddities: A Collection of Short Stories by K.P. Hallow is a 21-page collection of tales on the ethereal, the impermanence, and one character experiencing borderline ludicrous urban paranormal phenomena.
Hallow has a unique way of writing, more akin to something poetic and ancient. Certain sections are abstract, possibly a little too abstract for clarity. While the book is very short, and I was able to get through it in less than an hour, I did have to reread a few of the stories to fully grasp what was written, so it may have taken me a little longer to read than something normal would of this length.