Solid raunchy fun fantasy adventure. Not as good as book one, but a good finish to the story. I do recommend this duology if you want a fun read, or you are going through Dungeon Crawler Carl withdrawal. 4⭐️
#bookspinbingo!

Here is my #DecemberTBR last of 2025! A mix of big chunky books and fun light reads. Let‘s end this bleh year strong.
As always I have some #roll100 picks on here. I also will make this into my #bookspinbingo #bookspin & #doublespin

A delightfully cozy fantasy with a touch of horror. Very much a genre mashup as T. Kingfisher is known for. This has a wonderful cast of characters that is the definition of found family. Though not long, I took my time with this book, savoring the story. 5⭐️

This is just not for me. I am not a fan of teenage narrators - especially outside of YA. Also their dialogue is so out of the realm of how actual young teens speak. #dnf #hailthebail
A #roll100 off the TBR!

This was…fine. I really enjoyed the characters in this haunted house Nora trilogy. Also the overall story was fun. However, this ending had so much filler. It‘s like there wasn‘t enough story for this to actually be a trilogy. It should have been a duology. There was a lot of repetition of plot points and WAY too much talk of decor - a recent Nora-ism I‘m not a fan of. I still enjoyed the series overall, this was just a bit disappointing. 3⭐️

The writing style is just not clicking with me. #dnf at 30% #hailthebail #bookspin pick off the TBR

A very entertaining and fast paced sci-fantasy adventure. My favorite parts of the book are the characters and the pacing. So many epics suffer from pacing problems, whereas this kept me engaged throughout. It does have some tells of being a first book-it definitely is referential to other works, primarily Dune and the author overuses foreshadowing to a frustrating degree. However, I still liked the book a lot and will continue the series. 4⭐️

This volume was not quite as strong as volume 1. The first story seemed tonally too light for the overall story line. The second storyline was excellent though and I need to grab the next volume ASAP. This manga series is a very unique telling of witches and their connection to the earth and persecution in a fantasy world. 4⭐️
#bookspinbingo!

Here is my last #roll100 set for 2025. I have read or cleared out 68/100 my list, which I‘m pretty happy with. There are a couple long ones here, so I will have to plan my December TBR carefully.

This started strong, and I liked our main characters. However, at the mid point it started to drag just as it got steamy. Also the male protagonist was just a bit dim at the end. Sweet, but ultimately not super memorable. I don‘t think I will continue in the series. 3⭐️

This was a very entertaining gothic paranormal thriller. It follows three different timelines, and reading how they connect was very well done. However, the whodunnit portions of this book were very predictable. I guessed very early what was happening. I still enjoyed the journey overall. 4⭐️

I may come back to this, but it is not keeping my attention. I also find the romance very lacking.
#hailthebail

This book is bonkers, and a bit of a mess. I am going to give it low pick though, because I was never bored. It involves a very questionable mental health facility, a messy sister relationship and a slightly dystopian near future. It is very weird, so this is definitely not for everyone. 3.5⭐️

I‘ve picked this up and put it down three times. I‘ve made it about 30% and I just am not feeling it. The writing is just not keeping my interest. Too bad because it has a cool premise! #hailthebail

A beautiful tale of female friendships. I also really appreciated learning more about Iran and the ongoing fight for women‘s rights. There are some cliches in the story, but it was so readable. The audiobook is especially good-highly recommend-so I hear the proper pronunciation of the dialogue. 4.5⭐️
I look forward to discussing this with my RL bookclub!

This was an intriguing and uncomfortable near future speculative thriller? It doesn‘t fit well into any category. It is solid commentary on “reality” television competitions and what people will do for fame and material possessions. My main criticism is that the book have gone further and darker. It seemed to want to stay more realistic which I think took away some of the fun. Still an overall solid read. 3.5⭐️

Setting aside for now. I may go back to it as I did purchase the ebook. However, age gap romance is not my favorite and the hero is not all that likable. I made it 46%. Is it worth me returning to?

This was a fun quick horror/thriller read about the most extreme escape room ever. It reminds me of the movie 13 Ghosts. If you enjoyed that (I did!) you will enjoy this one too! It also has a very wild third act. 4.5⭐️
#roll100 pick done!

Both novellas were twists on horror staples - the hitchhiking murder and the babysitter on Halloween. Both were pretty bonkers. I liked The Babysitter Lives a little more, it just dragged at the end. It had the far better protagonist though. The female protagonist of Killer on the Road was very frustrating. I‘d give Killer on the Road 3⭐️ and The Babysitter Lives 4⭐️.
#doublespin read done!

This is a very disturbing little horror novella. The writing is very good, but in the end the book was just missing something for me. It also includes violence against animals, which is a tough one for me. 3⭐️

Here is my #bookspinbingo card for my #novembertbr

My #bookspin pick is Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie - glad this happened, I‘ve had it on so many TBR‘s this year and last, so hopefully I will finally get to it.
My #doublespin pick is Killer on the Road by Stephen Graham Jones

Tagged is definitely my favorite read of the month. A very creepy gothic haunted house historical.

Here are my October reads!

I had a good number of 5⭐️reads this month:
The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell - my fav of the month
Empire of Shadows by Jacquelyn Benson
Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman
Eden of Witches Vol. 1 by Yumeji
Stats:
18 books read
3 DNF‘s
12 Audiobooks
6 Physical/ebook reads

This had an intriguing start, then the writing became less interesting and it had a teen romance, which I just done like. Just not for me, but I know others like this one. #hailthebail
A #roll100 off the TBR

Here is my #NovemberTBR!

Continuing my participation in #roll100 #bookspin #doublespin & #bookspinbingo

Here are my #roll100 picks for my November TBR:

The Last Animal by Ramona Ausubel
The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams
The Songbird & the Heart of Stone by Carissa Broadbent

I‘ve had a great year trimming down my physical TBR!
63/100 books down!

A truly exceptional historical horror novel. Taking place during the Dark Ages, much of the horror is from the reality of people during this era in Europe. There are religious supernatural elements as well. Our main characters are a dishonored knight, a 12 year old orphan girl and a mess of a priest. They go on a quest and much horror occurs. It is dark and sad, but has a great ending. Loved it! 5⭐️
#bookspinbingo!

A blast of a slasher horror. A bit slow to start and or main character is not entirely likable. However, it really picks up half way through and has a highly satisfying twist ending. 4.5⭐️

A very informative read about women‘s impact on the thriller/horror/speculative genre. I love the reading recommendations and learning more about some favorite authors and discovering new ones. I would have loved a few more stories and anecdotes. A solid read for horror fans looking for new recommendations! 4⭐️

After the very disappointing collection of witch stories, I picked this up and so glad I did! This is a beautiful dark fantasy manga where nature has deserted humans and only witches have the ability to bring it back. A great start to a series that I cannot wait to continue! 5⭐️

I‘m giving this 1.5⭐️ only because there were two very good stories - one by P. Djeli Clark and one by Fonda Lee. The rest of the stories range from dull to simply terrible. A very disappointing read as witchy books are some of my favorite reads.
#roll100 book done

This was an excellent, creepy gothic tale. A very unique take on a vampire story. Another story of female independence and rage, demonstrated in different ways. A very worthy read if you are a fan of gothic horror. 4.5⭐️

This book has the authors trademark sarcastic humor and wildly imperfect protagonist. The main character is definitely not very likable, but you end up rooting for her anyway. It was a fun read overall, lighter on horror, so if you are looking for a spooky read without the gore this could be a solid pick. 4⭐️

This is an entertaining and disgusting body horror novella. I don‘t want to say much, but that it begins with a one night stand that goes very wrong. It was a bit predictable, I completely guessed the direction of the story, but for a first book still a great read. Note this is very graphic body horror, so approach with caution. 4⭐️

Another delightful mystery with our lovable characters. They are all reeling from a loss in the previous book, so it is nice how they support each other while solving a big mystery and a side plot. I‘m a big fan of this series! 4.5⭐️

Wow, this was a journey. A historical gothic horror that takes place in one creepy manor during two time periods. This is definitely one of those books that is better going in blind. I will say this has moments of true horror, and there is some content some readers may want to check into before reading. This is one of my favorite reads of the year so far. 5⭐️

The tension of this book was built two ways, first with truly harrowing home invasion. Then with an investigation so misogynistic that it couldn‘t be real, when you know sadly it totally could be. Tense and upsetting, it wasn‘t an easy read, but it had a very satisfying conclusion. 4⭐️
#roll100 done! #doublespin done & a #bookspinbingo

This was a very disappointing DNF, because 1. It‘s really short yet I still gave up. 2. I have enjoyed this series overall. The first two books had a strong lead character and lots of gothic creepy vibes. This book has a lot of unnecessary, tedious conversations and very little action. I still love T. Kingfisher, but this was a miss for me. #hailthebail

This is a bail because of content, not writing quality. It contains Broms beautiful writing and art. It is also a very interesting retelling of Peter Pan. Just the violence against children is very extreme and just not something I enjoy reading. #hailthebail #dnf
#bookspin off the TBR

This was a really fun historical adventure with a touch of supernatural elements. Think Mummy/Indiana Jones but the snappy intellectual woman is the main character. It is a very slow burn romance, and a touch slow paced. However, I really enjoyed the characters and look forward to continuing the series. 5⭐️

I overall mostly liked this story of a small community with a treasure mystery and a series of death that may be connected. There are some slow moments and a few characters that are not fully fleshed out and have no actual purpose besides being an obvious red herring. A light mystery that is not thrilling but overall fine. 3⭐️

This book is weird and wacky and in Stephen Graham Jones‘ trademark choppy and unique writing style. It has some moments of meandering, and at times doesn‘t age well with some of the language. If you look beyond that, it is still a fun silly horror. 3.5⭐️

Though I did predict the ending, there were some fun twists throughout. It also had solid pacing that kept me interested to the end. Domestic thrillers are not my favorite and there are some elements which may put off some readers. Also the men in this story are so clueless… Still, overall a fun time. 3.5⭐️

Another enjoyable mystery solved by Vera and friends, with returning characters and some new ones to add to Vera‘s found family. I really do love her, though this one was not quite as good as the first one. Still a great time. 4.5⭐️

Here‘s my #bookspinbingo board for October!

My #bookspin pick is The Child Thief by Brom
My #doublespin pick is Night Watching by Tracy Sierra

A very different, unique take on the Snow White tale. Our protagonist is a healer who specializes in finding cures to poisons. She is hired by the King to figure out why his daughter is sick. A fun fantasy/mystery story unravels, with a touch of romance too. Very entertaining and original. 4.5⭐️

Vera was my favorite read of the month. So much fun and lovable characters. I am looking forward to reading the next in the series in October!

Here are my #Septemberreadingstats

15 books read
4 DNF‘s
4 physical/ebook reads
11 Audiobooks
6 books off my physical TBR snack

5 star reads: The Light of All That Falls & Vera Wong‘s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers
I had a lot of good reads, just the 2 great reads.
⬇️

This is a beautifully written bittersweet story of a middle aged couple trying to make their way in Alaska and the found family the find along the way. There are some possible fantastical elements, but overall it does a great job of demonstrating the harsh reality of early 20th century Alaska. It was not perfect for me though. The last third of the book really annoyed me and felt unnecessary.⬇️

My #OctoberTBR is all about the spooky books!
As always I‘m participating in #bookspin #doublespin #bookspinbingo & #roll100