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Under Story
Read more: Under StoryMy rating: 5/5 stars. Under Story by Chloe Benjamin completely swept me away. It’s an emotional, captivating novel that I truly couldn’t put down. While it lives firmly in the realm of speculative fiction, it’s also a profound love story between two people, between parents and their child, and between humanity and the natural world.…
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The Paradox Hotel
Read more: The Paradox HotelMy rating: 4/5 stars. The Paradox Hotel by Rob Hart is a genre-blending ride, part speculative fiction, part mystery, part love story, with a wildly entertaining and often disorienting narrative. Hart intentionally structures the novel to mirror the fractured mindset of his protagonist, January Cole, and it works brilliantly. While time travel sits at the…
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King Sorrow
Read more: King SorrowMy rating: 5/5 stars. King Sorrow by Joe Hill is a dark, immersive novel that sits firmly at the crossroads of horror and dark fantasy. This is an epic novel, and I deliberately saved this book for my winter holiday break so I could sink into long, uninterrupted stretches of reading. Yes, it’s long, but…
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NOS4A2
Read more: NOS4A2My rating: 5/5 stars. NOS4A2 by Joe Hill is a dark, immersive novel that sits squarely in the realms of horror and dark fantasy. This was my first Joe Hill book, and although I don’t often read these genres, I found it almost impossible to put down. I had originally planned to reread Stephen King’s…
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The 7 1/2 Deaths Of Evelyn Hardcastle
Read more: The 7 1/2 Deaths Of Evelyn HardcastleMy rating: 4/5 stars. The 7 1/2 Deaths Of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton is a mind-blowing and complex mystery with an intriguing sci-fi twist. After thoroughly enjoying The Last Murder at the End of the World, I’m glad I was finally able to dive into Turton’s debut novel, and what a ride it was!…
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Chain-Gang All-Stars
Read more: Chain-Gang All-StarsMy rating: 3.5/5 stars. Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah is a dystopian science fiction novel, one of my favorite genres. After reading the synopsis, I was eager to dive into the author’s imaginative world. The story begins with a bang—dark, gritty, and immediately captivating. Adjei-Brenyah clearly has a powerful message, using fiction as a…
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The Last Murder At The End Of The World
Read more: The Last Murder At The End Of The WorldMy rating: 4/5 stars. The Last Murder At The End Of The World is the first book I’ve read by Stuart Turton. This novel blends post-apocalyptic science fiction with a crime thriller – a cross-genre mix I absolutely love – and after reading the synopsis, I couldn’t wait to dive in. The story is a…
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The Gone World
Read more: The Gone WorldMy rating: 5/5 stars. The Gone World by Tom Sweterlitsch is a mesmerizing, addictive, extraordinary story that very successfully blends elements of science fiction, crime fiction, and apocalyptic genres. The storyline is intricate and so mind-bending that at times, it felt like a challenge to fully wrap my mind around it. The book left me…
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City of Stairs – The Divine Cities Trilogy #1
Read more: City of Stairs – The Divine Cities Trilogy #1My rating: 4/5 stars. City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett is a fantastic novel that masterfully blends fantasy, suspense, political thriller, and science fiction. It had been sitting on my TBR shelf for quite some time, and I’m thrilled I finally picked it up. The book’s description promised an atmospheric, immersive fantasy world with…
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Upgrade
Read more: UpgradeMy rating: 3.5/5 stars. Upgrade is an interesting, yet disappointing, science fiction novel by Blake Crouch. At first, Logan Ramsay isn’t sure if anything’s different. He just feels a little . . . sharper. Better able to concentrate. Better at multitasking. Reading a bit faster, memorizing better, needing less sleep.
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Dark Matter
Read more: Dark MatterMy rating: 5/5 stars. Dark Matter by Blake Crouch is a gripping science fiction novel that explores the concept of parallel universes and the nature of identity. The story follows Jason Dessen, a college professor living a seemingly ordinary life with his wife, Daniela, and their son, Charlie, in Chicago. Dessen is content with his…
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Recursion
Read more: RecursionMy rating: 4/5 stars. Recursion is a mind-bending science fiction novel by Blake Crouch. Memory makes reality. That’s what NYC cop Barry Sutton is learning, as he investigates the devastating phenomenon the media has dubbed False Memory Syndrome—a mysterious affliction that drives its victims mad with memories of a life they never lived. That’s what…
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Morning Star – Red Rising Trilogy Book #3
Read more: Morning Star – Red Rising Trilogy Book #3My rating: 4/5 stars. This series was so much fun to read! Morning Star by Pierce Brown is the satisfying conclusion to the Red Rising trilogy, continuing the story of Darrow, a rebel fighter seeking to overthrow the oppressive Society that rules over humanity in a future dystopian society on Mars.
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Golden Son – Red Rising Trilogy Book #2
Read more: Golden Son – Red Rising Trilogy Book #2My rating: 4/5 stars. The fun continues in the second installment of the Red Rising Trilogy. Golden Son picks up two years after the events of Red Rising with Darrow now a respected member of the Gold elite, working to bring down the society from within.
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Red rising – Red Rising Trilogy Book #1
Read more: Red rising – Red Rising Trilogy Book #1My rating: 4/5 stars. This first book in the series is FUN! Red Rising by Pierce Brown is a thrilling science fiction novel set in a dystopian future society where humanity has colonized Mars. The story follows Darrow, a young Red miner living and working in the depths of Mars, believing he and his fellow…
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The Passage
Read more: The PassageMy rating: 3/5 stars. The Passage by Justin Cronin is a novel that ambitiously blends elements of science fiction, horror, and post-apocalyptic fiction into a sprawling narrative that spans generations. While the novel has received widespread acclaim and has a dedicated fan base, my personal experience with it was mixed.
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The Ferryman
Read more: The FerrymanMy rating: 5/5 stars. Wow! I couldn’t put this book down and it was one of my favorite novels of 2023! It’s an epic tale set in a seemingly utopian world where things are not as they seem. The characters are multi-dimensional and complex and I easily became wrapped up with trying to figure out…
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The Stone Sky – The Broken Earth Series Book #3
Read more: The Stone Sky – The Broken Earth Series Book #3My rating: 5/5 stars. The Stone Sky is the third and final book in N.K. Jemisin’s Broken Earth trilogy concluding the epic story of a world plagued by catastrophic seismic events known as Fifth Seasons. I highly recommend this award winning series and it has one of the best endings I’ve read in a long…
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The Obelisk Gate – The Broken Earth Series Book #2
Read more: The Obelisk Gate – The Broken Earth Series Book #2My rating: 5/5 stars. The Obelisk Gate is the second book in N.K. Jemisin’s Broken Earth trilogy and is a stunning continuation that further expands on the intricate and compelling world she has created. Jemisin’s storytelling is as masterful as ever, weaving together multiple narrative threads and complex characters to create a rich and immersive…
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The Fifth Season – The Broken Earth Series Book #1
Read more: The Fifth Season – The Broken Earth Series Book #1My rating: 5/5 stars. The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin is the first book in the Broken Earth trilogy, set in a world plagued by frequent catastrophic seismic events known as Fifth Seasons. These Seasons are natural disasters that can last for years, causing widespread destruction and death. In this unstable world, certain individuals known…
Mugs & Manuscripts 