Review: The Unknown

The Unknown by Riley Sager
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of The Unknown by Riley Sager from Penguin Random House.  According to the note with the book, it should be published today, August 4, 2026!

The Unknown by Riley Sager might be my favorite book by him so far.  The story is told through two points of view, one being a journal written by a woman who disappeared and the other by an actress rehearsing at the same location for a film based on that journal.  It just happens that the return to the island seems to be causing the mysterious disappearances to happen all over again.  Is the island haunted?  Just when you think you know all the answers, there are a few more surprises!  I actually would love to see this movie!

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Review: Play Nice

Play Nice by Rachel Harrison
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Play Nice by Rachel Harrison is the first of her books that I had a little trouble getting into.  I didn't really like the three sisters.  I'm not really into fashion even though I am sitting here in an Eileen Fisher dress writing this review.  I kept telling myself to give it a chance because it has a purple house on the cover.  I REALLY love purple.  Plus, I have really liked Harrison's other books.  Then the youngest sister, Clio, finds a copy of the book their mother wrote about the maybe haunted house they lived in when they were younger, and I was hooked.  I like a book within a book!  I like it even better when someone has made notes in the book that I can read to give me information about what was really going on.  Harrison and I share a similar sense of humor and seem to be into the same pop culture stuff because I appreciate so many of the references!  If you like haunted house books and family drama, this will be right up your alley.

Bonus points for Taylor Swift lyrics hiding in plain sight.  

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Review: The Mystic and the Missing Girl: A Mystery

The Mystic and the Missing Girl: A Mystery by Vikki VanSickle
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Full Disclosure: I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of The Mystic and the Missing Girl: A Mystery by Vikki VanSickle from Minotaur Books via NetGalley.  This book will be published around September 8, 2026.

The Mystic and the Missing Girl: A Mystery by Vikki VanSickle is sort of cozy mystery adjacent.  When Drew moves back to her home town to take over the shop her aunt left her, she gets involved in solving a cold case that her aunt had also tried to solve using her mystical gifts.  I share Drew's love of whipped cream-topped beverages and tarot cards.  I enjoyed the witchy elements of the story and the shop.  It seemed like a cool place. Fun characters and perfect small-town drama. There are some hot guys, but this isn't really a romance-type of book.  I felt it had the potential for a sequel or a series.  

Bonus points for having a shop cat!

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Review: The Porcelain Sisters

The Porcelain Sisters by Daryl Gregory
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Full Disclosure: I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of The Porcelain Sisters by Daryl Gregory from Tachyon Publications.  This book will be published around October 2026.

I haven't read everything Daryl Gregory has written (yet), but I have immensely enjoyed what I have read.  When the opportunity came up to read this new piece, I was very excited.  The Porcelain Sisters feels like it could be part of a bigger story.  When I read the acknowledgements, I learned that it really is.  Maybe there will be more adventures with these sisters.  Creepy dolls, French witches, a magical cat and crow, there is a lot packed into this story.  Isabel might take umbrage at my characterization of the dolls as creepy, but as someone who collected porcelain dolls for awhile (they are staring at me as I write this), I stand by my assessment. While this is horror, it is also quite funny.  I love Gregory's sense of humor and so many amazing pop cultural references for those of us of a certain age. 

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Review: The Indigo Room

The Indigo Room by Stephen Graham Jones
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Indigo Room by Stephen Graham Jones is part of the Shivers Collection of Amazon Original Stories.  It stands alone, so you don't need to read the rest of the collection if you don't want to.  This was not nearly as gory as I have come to expect a Stephen Graham Jones book to be.  It goes fast, and the end is a surprise.  I snickered at the representation of office life.  There is always that one person who never seems to have to work on Fridays.  

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Review: Hunger and Thirst

Hunger and Thirst by Claire Fuller
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Full Disclosure:  I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of Hunger and Thirst by Claire Fuller from Tin House via NetGalley.  This book will be published around June 2, 2026.

Hunger and Thirst by Claire Fuller comes across as horror although it may all just be in the mind of the narrator.  Nobody seems to be able to fully corroborate anything she claims happened.  If anything, people appear to believe she is not guilty of the things she said she did.  Is that because people underestimate teenage girls or because she really is innocent but so traumatized that she blames herself?  You'll have to read it to decide for yourself.  Using a documentary to tell the viewpoints of other characters is clever.  I'm not sure I trust what people say when cameras are rolling.  

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Review: Wayward Souls

Wayward Souls by Susan J. Morris
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Full Disclosure: I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of Wayward Souls by Susan J. Morris from Inky Phoenix Press via NetGalley.  This book is set to publish on March 17, 2026.

Wayward Souls is the second book in the Harker & Moriarty series by Susan J. Morris.  I recommend reading them in order.  While you could read this first or as a standalone, it may spoil some of the first book if you go back to read it.  

As their names suggest, it is part Dracula, part Sherlock Holmes.  The best parts. Both women are grappling with dark family secrets.  The setting is Ireland this time which I thought appropriate for the March 17 publication date.  No leprechauns but plenty of faerie lore.  If you are into smart women solving mysteries and investigating the paranormal, you should definitely give this a read.  

Bonus points for having a tough guy with a sweet spot for cats even if he doesn't know it himself.

Extra bonus points for the super cool cover art.  I would pick this book up just based on that.  

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Review: The Bewitching

The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is told by three different narrators across three different time periods.  The chapters alternate among them to move the story forward.  There are threads that tie them all together, mostly witches but not just witches.

I love a book about a book.  This is one of them.  The Vanishing is a haunting fictional tale of a "real" event where one of the characters' friends goes missing.  Jump forward to Minerva who is doing research on the book and its author.  This takes her to dark places her grandmother warned her about.  There once were witches.  There still might be witches.  

I really enjoyed all the references to music and horror writers.  It is always fun when writers drop some Easter eggs and you catch them!  Minerva and I share a similar taste in music.  I love the playlist.

I did have a hard time with some descriptions of animal death.  If you triggered by incest and/or rape, this book might also be difficult for you.  I tried to remember that there was a time, especially in remote areas, where marrying someone who was not an immediate family member was acceptable.  

Bonus points for Karnstein!  Good kitty!

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Review: Moonlight and Magic

Moonlight and Magic by Darynda Jones
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Moonlight and Magic is the fourth book in the Betwixt & Between series by Darynda Jones.  I listened to the audiobook narrated by Traci Odom.  I definitely recommend reading at least one other book in the series before this one for a couple of reasons.  The first reason is the books really do build upon one another so you lose something if you skip around or over any of them.  The second reason is this book focuses a bit more on Annette, the best friend of the main character of the series.  I'm glad she got her own story, but if you started here, it would make less sense.  As to whether you should lister to it or read it, up to you.  My library only had the audiobook, so that's what I went with.  

Moonlight and Magic has plenty of the spicy romance and humor that you get with a Darynda Jones book.  We learn more about Annette and what is going on with her own magical journey.  I'd be really careful about crossing her.  A lot of things that can heal you can also kill you.  If she offers you a coffee, definitely do not drink it no matter how caffeine starved you may be.  Now we just need a book five!

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Review: Beguiled

Beguiled by Darynda Jones
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Beguiled is the third book in the Betwixt & Between series by Darynda Jones.  I recommend reading the books in order to really appreciate the story.  They build on each other.  They are pretty fast reads, so it isn't asking much to just read them all.  

Beguiled is spicy romantasy.  That's not my usual thing, but I love the humor and the characters are always fun.  There is also a coffee dependency that I can relate with hard.  It doesn't hurt that the main character is close to me in age and gives me hope that I can find a hot Scot living in my basement.  I haven't found him yet, but he must be down there somewhere!  I just need to move a few more boxes.  If you like stories of the paranormal, witches and warlocks, and things that go bump in the night, check this out.  Have a fan ready because you will need it!

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Review: So Thirsty

So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison was the perfect read for spooky season.  Because it is right on the cover, I am not giving anything away by saying VAMPIRES!  While there are vampires, this is really a story about soulmates.  What lengths would you go to for someone you love? Is there anyone you love so much that you would want to have them around forever?  Really think it through before you go making your vampire posse. It was giving me strong Thelma and Louise vibes.  I loved it!  

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Review: Atlas of Unknowable Things

Atlas of Unknowable Things by McCormick Templeman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Full Disclosure: I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of Atlas of Unknowable Things by McCormick Templeman from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley.  This book is due to be published on October 7, 2025.

Atlas of Unknowable Things by McCormick Templeman is a trippy, wild mystery with gothic and horror elements.  I thought the cover looked cool and sure I like a book about dark academia.  I was surprised at how quickly I got sucked into wanting to solve the mystery of what happened to the disappearing women.  Was it werewolves as some speculated?  Honestly, I could have read a whole other book just about the idea that people accused of witchcraft may have been practitioners of a misunderstood, forgotten religion (not Wicca).  If you like puzzles and your horror more spooky than graphic, give this book a read.  

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Review: The Entirely True Story of the Fantastical Mesmerist Nora Grey

The Entirely True Story of the Fantastical Mesmerist Nora Grey by Kathleen Kaufman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Full Disclosure: I received an Advance Reader's Copy of The Entirely True Story of the Fantastical Mesmerist Nora Grey by Kathleen Kaufman from Kensington Publishing via NetGalley.  This book is available for sale now.

I will confess that when the publisher reached out to me and said that I could have some tarot cards themed after the book if I wanted to read it, I said yes.  I would have read it even without the tarot card enticement, but I really love tarot card decks.  Whether you believe in what you get from the readings or not, they can be quite beautiful pieces of art.  As you can probably guess, the title character, Nora Grey, has a connection to the tarot.  Nora's story is told through an interweaving of narratives between her and her grandmother who also used tarot.  The cards connect them in an unexpected way.  I enjoy reading about the spiritualist movement and the men and women who made a living talking to spirits.  Some were clearly charlatans and yet, there are some people who do seem to have a gift.  Nora is one of them.  I won't give any more away, but if you are into seances, ghosts, mesmerism, and talking to dead people, you should read this. 

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Review: The Haunting of Maddy Clare

The Haunting of Maddy Clare by Simone St. James
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I listened to the audiobook version of The Haunting of Maddy Clare written by Simone St. James and narrated by Pamela Garelick.  This is the kind of book that works well in any format.  You don't lose anything by listening, and it goes by very quickly.  I listened to the whole thing in a day.

The story follows paranormal researchers investigating the poltergiestish haunting of a barn by a mysterious young woman who was believed to have taken her own life there.  She's pretty scary, and she does not like men very much.  It didn't take much for me to guess why, but this is set in the past so people weren't so quick to put two and two together.  Or if they did, they didn't express it because that wasn't the thing to do.  Ghosts aside, there is a romance blooming here too.  That wasn't my favorite part but some people might like a little spice with their ghosts.  If you like a good ghost story and don't mind some mushy bits, check this out.

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Review: Let Them Stare: A Novel

Let Them Stare: A Novel by Jonathan Van Ness
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Full Disclosure: I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of Let Them Stare: A Novel by Jonathan Van Ness and Julie Murphy from Storytide via NetGalley. This book is currently available for purchase.

There is a lot to love about Let Them Stare: A Novel by Jonathan Van Ness and Julie Murphy. First of all, that cover! Who doesn't want to read a book with such a fantastic cover???? In a time when plenty of people viciously hate anyone that is different, it is nice to read a story that encourages you to love yourself and embrace who you are. I don't want to spoil too much but there is a ghost and a mystery. Come on, this is like Scooby Doo! This does fall into the young adult category, so you can safely read it without being worried about real scares. You may want to wrap yourself in a blanket and have a yummy beverage though while you consume it. We all deserve an uplifting book these days.

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Review: An Inquiry Into Love and Death

An Inquiry Into Love and Death by Simone St. James
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I listened to An Inquiry Into Love and Death written by Simone St. James and narrated by Rosalyn Landor.  Either audiobook or written format are great ways to consume this.  It is not so complex that you lose the plot while listening.  It also went by very quickly.  I finished it in a day.  

Simone St. James is always a great choice for a good ghost story.  This one is no exception.  This one has a somewhat gothic feel to it.  Young woman inherits an estate in a haunted area full of quirky locals who may or may not be dangerous.  A dashing inspector comes out to investigate the death of her relative even though nobody necessarily suspects foul play.  Sparks but not so much that it overwhelms the spooky bits.  It is a little bit Jane Austen meets Shirley Jackson.  

Bonus points for Sultana and Poseidon.

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Review: Witchcraft for Wayward Girls

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix felt a little different from his other books.  There is still the horror element and the great pop culture references.  There is even a little bit of humor.  However, you feel that there is a more important story to tell.  It is one that still happens today even if we don't hear about it.  Young, unwed, pregnant women and girls parceled off to a location to have their babies to avoid shaming their families.  Not surprisingly, there is often a religious element to it.  To the shame, that is.  The babies are most often put up for adoption.  Whether that is really what the young mother wants is up for debate and usually doesn't matter.  It is a reminder of how much ground we lost when Roe vs. Wade was overturned.  Ultimately, the book left me wanting to give all these girls a hug because compassion goes a lot further than shame.

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Review: The Retreat

The Retreat by Gemma Fairclough
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Full Disclosure: I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of The Retreat by Gemma Fairclough from Wild Hunt Books.  It is currently available for purchase from their website.

The Retreat by Gemma Fairclough is a novella from The Northern Weird Project.  The project features books about strange happenings in Northern England.  The Retreat appealed to me because it is told in a nontraditional way (through interviews and journal-type entries) but also involves a wellness retreat that might be a cult.  It was really engrossing.  I could have read even more.  And while this is fiction, it tracks with the stories you hear of so many wellness scams.  Maybe they don't have mysterious entities punishing the less devoted, but you never know!  If you are into books about cults, mysterious disappearances, and/or wellness, give this one a go.  

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Review: Episode Thirteen

Episode Thirteen by Craig DiLouie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Episode Thirteen by Craig DiLouie has so many elements of storytelling that I just love.  There is the epistolary and found footage aspect.  It has a "haunted" house.  It is essentially following a Ghost Hunter-type show as it films its 13th episode.  The difference with this show is one of the experts is a physicist and rigorously debunks phenomena they encounter.  The story is told through journal entries, text messages, show recaps and film transcripts.  It was really engaging.  This was the type of book I had trouble putting down because I really wanted to find out what would happen next.  It also made me want to watch every episode of every ghost hunting show made.  So much fun!

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Review: That Night in the Library

That Night in the Library by Eva Jurczyk
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was intrigued by the title, That Night in the Library.  The book by Eva Jurczyk is about exactly that.  A group of students lock themselves in the basement of a library the night before graduation.  They are planning to carry out a ritual based on Greek mythology that will leave them without fear.  Seems like a good way to start off a new post-graduation life.  The library itself is also quite cool with its rare tomes and obligatory creepy basement.  They've thought it all through.  What could go wrong?  More than you could imagine.  It is probably better to just keep the fear.

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