Unexpecting is a YA novel about unplanned pregnancy, expectations, parenthood, and found family. While it is compared to Juno and Heartstopper, it is much closer to the former. There's a budding romance, but you'll be disappointed if you're expecting something reminiscent of Charlie and Nick's relationship.
Ben, the sixteen-year-old gay narrator who gets his best girl pal pregnant after a science camp experiment, is immediately adamant about keeping the baby, despite Maxie's (the mother's) wishes to give it to a couple wishing to adopt. While his intense drive to make young parenthood work, everything seems to stack against him. He lets down his team at the robotics tournament, consistently breaks dishes at his bussing job, and cannot seem to find the time to study on top of enrolling in parenting courses and sitting in on adoption interviews. In many ways, the constant wave of shit makes it unbelievable.
While the prose was written well and Ben was easy to empathize with, some plot points were too over the top, and Ben's drive to be a teenage father didn't make sense halfway through, given how many opportunities and academic programs he would have to give up—things he had been planning for since elementary school. I was also hoping for more when it came to his relationship with Gio.
Despite some of the issues, I thought it was an interesting read. I haven't read many novels about teen pregnancy, and never have I come across one written from the perspective of the expecting father. I commend Bailey for taking on this subject and would readily pick up her future works.
*Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for the ARC.*
The Keeper's Six is a short read that packs a punch. Simply put, it is about family, righting wrongs, and the willingness to sacrifice yourself for what's right. Throughout the journey, however, there are dragon kings, a multiverse with doors into countless realms, and magic.
Without spoiling anything, this novel is packed with action, interdimensional travel, and unearthly beings while simultaneously offering a heartfelt message.
I recommend picking up a copy (when it comes out on January 17th) if you enjoy fast-paced fantasy romps with a feel-good core.
*Thank you to Tor for the advanced copy.*
The Mimicking of Known Successes is a mystery novella set on a platform constructed around Jupiter. While the world-building is great, there isn't enough of it. I loved the descriptions of the platforms and how sections and railways are set around the uninhabitable gas giant—not to mention the university's large role in the future reintroduction to life on Earth through meticulously planned ecosystem building. Unfortunately, that was the only thing I really enjoyed about this book and there wasn't enough of it to paint a full picture.
The main plot centers around a mystery regarding a missing person and what could have become of him. Though there are numerous snippets of information thrown at Mossa and Pleiti, most of it seems disconnected, and the ending proves unsatisfying because there aren't breadcrumbs sprinkled throughout the story for the reader to pick up on. If I'm reading a mystery, I don't want to come to the end without having seen it coming. I should at least be able to look back, knowing everything that led up to that point, and stitch clues together. This story did not offer that, and for that reason the ending fell flat.
I also disliked the overstated romance. Mossa and Pleiti's relationship is paper thin, yet the narrator (Pleiti) never lets up about how she wishes Mossa will give her a sign that their relationship—which Pleiti broke off—might be rekindled.
All in all, I believe there was too much going on in this 176-page novella. If it had been novel length, there would have been time to flesh out the world, mystery, and romance.
*Thanks to Tordotcom for the physical ARC.*
*Thank you to Tor Nightfire for the physical ARC.*
The Spite House is a contemporary horror that takes inspiration from novels like The Haunting at Hill House. It follows the Rosses, a family made up of a father and two daughters, running away from something in their past. It isn't revealed until halfway through what it is they're actually running from. When the father, Eric, lands a job as a groundskeeper for the paranormal-friendly Masson House, secrets are unearthed and many questions about grief, anger, and family debts/grievances are brought forth.
Apart from mildly ominous children spirits and people disappearing, there was nothing to spook me (or any fan of gothic horror). Plenty of truths were sprinkled throughout the novel, and POVs changed nearly every chapter, so any huge questions I had were revealed by the middle of the book. For a "gothic" horror, this was lacking in atmosphere.
Despite my slight disappointment, the book was well done, and I'll definitely be picking up Compton's future works.
This is a great paranormal suspense novel that I'd recommend to anyone who appreciates a good thriller with a supernatural slant.
Feed Them Silence is a sci-fi/horror novella that begs the question: What would happen if we linked a human brain with a wolf's?
Lee Mandelo's story is gripping and rife with political commentary and moral qualms about conservation and what we do to help animals nearing extinction. While the premise was intriguing, and I found the tech and science-based plot beats fascinating and well done, Sean's relationship with her wife took up almost a third of the book. Though Sean's "connection" with her wolf, Kate, highlights the disconnect she feels with everyone around her, the story would have benefitted from a trim where Sean's relationship issues were concerned. Apart from the relationship drama, I loved it.
If you've ever wondered what it would be like to inhabit another animal's mind, or find near-future technology fascinating, I recommend giving this 113-page novella a read.
*Thank you to Tor Nightfire and NetGalley for the ARC.*
Wow! Going into this book, I thought I was getting into something much different. But, in many ways, the surprises along the way were more fun than the blurb had me assume.
Sister, Maiden, Monster is a novel rife with bodily horror, existential terror, and tons of gore. It follows three women in the midst of a new pandemic which originates from a virus more infectious and deadly than COVID. What follows is zombie-like behavior, with blood drinking and brain eating galore. But it gets far weirder than that. Imagine if a zombie apocalypse had a baby with an Eldritch horror and you'd be pretty close to this novel's vibe.
I recommend it to anyone looking for an out-of-this-world horror with a heap of Lovecraftian terror and a dash of current political commentary. Tread carefully if you don't do well with blood, dismemberment, or flesh-eating monstrosities.
Into the Light is a YA suspense/thriller that tackles the US fostering system, religious ideology, family, and finding your true place in a world full of prejudice, discrimination, and injustice.
I always love a culty premise, so I didn't hesitate to ask for an ARC when I found this on NetGalley. I found Manny's homelessness and defenselessness compelling and heart-wrenching. His mistrust of anyone willing to help him was sad but realistic, when you take into account the poor foster care system in the US.
Despite liking the premise and enjoying Manny's character, the pacing of the novel was all over the place. The first 75% was too slow; there was a great deal of repetition, and it felt like not much happened until the big reveal. From then on, it was a sprint to the finish. The book would have been more gripping if it had been shorter and Manny didn't spend so much time getting to Idyllwild.
The following contains some minor spoilers.
I didn't appreciate the unexpected reveal. Having a supernatural twist made the rest of the novel seem bland in comparison. If there was an otherworldly presence at the camp, why hadn't it ever been tapped before? Why not use that to bolster the cult's following and create an atmosphere outside of what can already be stripped from the headlines? I feel that, with the twist, the book lost a lot of weight.
End of spoilers.
Despite the pacing and twist issues, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who likes reading about religious camps, cults, and found family.
*Thanks to Tor and NetGalley for the ARC.*
*Thank you to Tor Nightfire and NetGalley for the ARC.*
If you're looking for a novella that feels like Alien, look no further than The Scourge Between Stars. Set on a generational ship doomed from its departure, it will grip fans of space travel and sci-fi survival stories. The book is brimming with atmospheric horror, futuristic tech, and a droid (Watson) with a unique and lovable personality.
While I enjoyed the bulk of this story, and found Jacklyn a compelling protagonist, some plot beats went by too quickly and could have benefitted from a longer format. The terror would have felt more palpable as well, if I had gotten to know the characters better before the intruders showed up. Nevertheless, Ness Brown's prose is inviting and accessible, and I loved how she described the horrors without being too gruesome. I would definitely pick up her future works.
The Ballad of Black Tom is a reimagining of Lovecraft's "The Horror at Red Hook". It tackles racism and the power balance between whites and non-whites in early-1920s New York. Victor LaValle does a wonderful job setting the scene and developing Black Tom, a.k.a Charles Thomas Tester, prior to shit hitting the fan. I also appreciated the change in POV halfway through; it added another layer to the haunting tale.
Although I haven't read Lovecraft's story, I felt that LaValle succeeded where Lovecraft tends to fail for me: crafting a story that makes sense while simultaneously grappling with the unexplainable.
I recommend picking this up if you enjoy horror or like the idea of Lovecraftian lore but don't love the horror father's execution.
*Thank you to Tor for a complimentary hardcover.*
This is a gorgeous novella about a four-hundred-year-old man, who has become the main character in the local folklore, and the man who seeks him out, hoping to take his place.
Silver in the Wood is a love letter to nature and desires. Without giving anything away, this novella is ripe with vivid imagery, flawed characters, and mystical happenings in the wood itself.
I recommend this book to anyone who appreciates folktales, nature, and stories that center around fate and desire.
