Category: review

Book Review: Blood on Her Tongue – Johanna Van Veen

Book Review: Blood on Her Tongue – Johanna Van Veen

by Nicole Sweeney ♥ 0 Leave a Comment


Release date: March 25 2025
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
Pages: 368
Find it: Goodreads Waterstones
Source: I received an E-ARC via Netgalley
Rating: 4/5 stars

Synopsis

“I’m in your blood, and you are in mine…”

The Netherlands, 1887. Lucy’s twin sister Sarah is unwell. She refuses to eat, mumbles nonsensically, and is increasingly obsessed with a centuries-old corpse recently discovered on her husband’s grand estate. The doctor has diagnosed her with temporary insanity caused by a fever of the brain. To protect her twin from a terrible fate in a lunatic asylum, Lucy must unravel the mystery surrounding her sister’s condition, but it’s clear her twin is hiding something. Then again, Lucy is harboring secrets of her own, too.

Then, the worst happens. Sarah’s behavior takes a turn for the strange. She becomes angry… and hungry.

Lucy soon comes to suspect that something is trying to possess her beloved sister. Or is it madness? As Sarah changes before her very eyes, Lucy must reckon with the dark, monstrous truth, or risk losing her forever.

Review

Blood on Her Tongue is a dark and intriguing gothic horror tale that follows a woman named Lucy who is travelling to stay with her twin sister Sarah who has become unwell. When Lucy arrives she finds Sarah is deathly ill and has been diagnosed with temporary insanity caused by a brain fever. Lucy’s terrified Sarah will be committed to a lunatic asylum, but when Sarah starts acting even more strange Lucy discovers just what lengths she will go to in order to protect her sister.

This was a really fascinating story and it felt like such a unique take on a gothic vampire tale. Veen does a brilliant job creating a really tense, creepy atmosphere and I really enjoyed that this was set in The Netherlands in the 1800s. I really enjoyed Veen’s beautiful writing style and the story was well paced. I did think the latter half of the book was a bit chaotic and far fetched in places, but overall I thoroughly enjoyed this sinister story.

Blood on Her Tongue very much explores the sibling dynamic and I loved seeing how their relationship evolved as the story progressed. Their relationship was often messy and chaotic and I really liked the way Veen portrayed that. This is a dark and bloody tale and I was completely fascinated by the bog bodies – something I’d never heard about until I read this book. If you’re looking for a Victorian horror tale with vivid writing, an atmospheric setting and well developed characters, you won’t want to miss Blood on Her Tongue.

Book Review: (Don’t) Call Mum – Matt Wesolowski

Book Review: (Don’t) Call Mum – Matt Wesolowski

by Nicole Sweeney ♥ 0 Leave a Comment


Release date: May 8th 2025
Publisher: Wild Hunt Books
Pages: 93
Find it: Goodreads Waterstones
Source: The publisher kindly sent me an E-ARC to review
Rating: 4.25/5 stars

Synopsis

HE ALWAYS COMES FOR YOU…

Leo is just trying to catch his train back home to the village of Malacstone in North East England. But there’s disorder at the station, and when a loud young man heading for London boards the train accidentally, a usually easy journey descends into darkness and chaos. The train soon breaks down in the middle of nowhere, and as night falls, something…or someone steps out of the distance. Is it a man or something far more sinister?
When one of the passengers goes missing, Leo fears that a folkloric tale whispered to him in childhood might be the culprit.

Review

(Don’t) Call Mum is a tense and gripping novella that follows Leo as he catches a train back to his home in Malacstone in the North East of England. There’s a disgruntled passenger who got on the train by mistake and things are tense onboard the carriage. When the train breaks down in the middle of nowhere as night falls, Leo and the passenger begin to sense something sinister. Is it just being stuck in the middle of nowhere? Or is there something far more sinister trying to board the train?

I absolutely loved Matt Wesolowski’s Six Stories series so I was very intrigued to pick up something else by this author. This little novella is dark, compelling, and best devoured in a single, heart pounding sitting. I was completely glued to the story and I could not look away from the page. Wesolowski does an incredible job of building this tense, eerie atmosphere that just builds and builds throughout the story. I loved the slightly claustrophobic train setting and the way Wesolowski was able to create captivating, well developed characters in such a short amount of pages. There’s Leo – who’s travelling home, thinking about his past and how life didn’t turn out quite how he thought. There’s Angus – the loud, angry young man who got on the wrong train. He’s exceptionally rude and it was so easy to instantly dislike him. I thought Jodie was also an interesting character, someone Leo befriends as they are struck on this strange train journey.

One of the things I really enjoyed about Six Stories was the way Wesolowski was able to craft these scenes that genuinely frightened me and the same was true about (Don’t) Call Mum. There are definitely a few moments that sent a shiver up my spine and had me on the edge of my seat. This is a captivated, excellently crafted tale so if you’re looking for a horror novella that’s dark, tense and chilling, this one should without a doubt be your next read.

Book Review: The Devils – Joe Abercrombie

Book Review: The Devils – Joe Abercrombie

by Nicole Sweeney ♥ 0 Leave a Comment


Series: The Devils #1
Release date: May 6th 2025
Publisher: Gollancz
Pages: 512
Find it: Goodreads Waterstones
Source: The publisher kindly sent me a copy of this book to review
Rating: 5/5 stars

Synopsis

Europe stares into the abyss.

Plague and famine stalk the land, monsters lurk in every shadow and greedy princes care for nothing but their own ambitions. Only one thing is certain: the elves will come again, and they will eat everyone.

Sometimes, only the darkest paths lead towards the light. Paths on which the righteous will not dare to tread…

And so, buried beneath the sacred splendour of the Celestial Palace, is the secret Chapel of the Holy Expediency. For its congregation of convicted monsters there are no sins that have not been committed, no lines that will not be crossed, and no mission that cannot be turned into a disastrous bloodbath.

Now the hapless Brother Diaz must somehow bind the worst of the worst to a higher cause: to put a thief on the throne of Troy, and unite the sundered church against the coming apocalypse.

When you’re headed through hell, you need the devils on your side.

Review

Lord Grimdark is back with a new book, and it’s a wild ride.

The story follows the Chapel of the Holy Expediency – a secret order of monsters who are sent on a mission to escort a long lost princess back to Troy in order to reclaim the throne and stop the coming apocalypse. There is no line these monsters won’t cross, no sin they won’t commit – what could possibly go wrong?

I completely devoured this book and it is without a doubt going to be my favourite book of 2025. Full of Abercrombie’s trademark humour, I could not put this book down. The story is compelling and cleverly executed – the premise hooked me in straight away and the story was full of action and adventure. There is of course plenty of intense battle scenes and bucketfuls of gruesome, gritty moments.

While I thoroughly enjoyed the story of this book, where The Devils truly shines is the incredible cast of characters. I’ve come to expect exceptional character work from Joe Abercrombie but I think Abercrombie outdid himself in this novel. I completely fell in love with this group of misfits – there’s a magician, a werewolf, a vampire and an elf. I loved the utter chaos the group created as they band together in an attempt to survive this epic journey. This is such a compelling cast of characters and I cannot wait to see where Abercrombie takes them in book two.

The Devils is a wildly addictive, entertaining read. It’s a book that will have you on the edge of your seat, with characters you can’t help but root for. The Devils is a book you absolutely do not want to miss and I am counting down the days until the release of the next instalment.

Book Review: Island of Influencers – Monique Turner

Book Review: Island of Influencers – Monique Turner

by Nicole Sweeney ♥ 0 Leave a Comment


Release date: February 13 2025
Publisher: Chicken House
Pages: 384
Find it: Goodreads Waterstones
Source: The publisher kindly sent me a copy of this book to review
Rating: 3.75/5 stars

Synopsis

Harper wants to be an influencer. Badly. She’ll do anything to be like her famous cousin, Belle.

When Belle is the latest ‘victim’ in a string of influencer kidnappings, and is put on an island for a new reality show, Harper wants in too.

It’s her chance to join the greatest talents and finally make a name for herself.

But with demeaning tasks and the constant pressure of a live audience judging their every move, it’s not long before cracks begin to appear in the influencers’ shiny veneers . . .

Review

Island of Influencers is an entertaining YA story that follows a young girl called Harper, who wants nothing more than to be a famous influencer like her cousin Belle. When Belle and some other influencers are mysteriously kidnapped, Harper is determined to find out what’s happened to her. Harper unwittingly ends up part of a new influencer reality show and she’s sure this could be her big break, but not everyone on the show is who they appear to be and as tensions rise, the influencers she thought she knew and loved, might not be who she thought.

This was such a fun, gripping read that I raced through it in a single day. The story is fast-paced with some twists and I thought the writing was really easy to get into. The plot is engaging and focuses in on influencer culture and the price of fame. I thought this was a really interesting read and Turner did an excellent job of bringing the story to a satisfying conclusion.

The characters in this story are pretty unlikeable, but I did like the way Turner explored the dynamics between Harper and Belle, particularly as their roles are reversed and Harper becomes the more popular one. The characters felt well crafted and I really enjoyed seeing how the characters changed as they adapted to the game they were playing (I also loved that Turner included a character who is clearly supposed to be Youtuber MrBeast)

Island of Influencers is a fun, engrossing story. It’s the perfect light read in between heavier stories so if you’re looking for a fast paced, clever tale about the downfalls of fame and trying to stay relevant, this is definitely one to pick up.

Book Review: Eerie Exhibits – Victoria Williamson

Book Review: Eerie Exhibits – Victoria Williamson

by Nicole Sweeney ♥ 0 Leave a Comment


Release date: March 6 2025
Publisher: Silver Thistle Press
Pages: 225
Find it: Goodreads Amazon
Source: I received a copy of this book as part of The Write Reads review tour
Rating: 4/5 stars

Synopsis

Five unnerving tales of the weird and uncanny from award-winning author Victoria Williamson.

A room full of screaming butterflies.
An unsettling smile on the face of a carved sarcophagus.
A painting that draws its viewer into the disturbing past.
A stuffed bear that growls in the dead of night.
And a shell that whispers more sinister sounds than the sigh of the sea…

Dare you cross the threshold of the old Museum and view its eerie exhibits?

Review

Eerie Exhibits is a collection of strange and unnerving short stories that all centre around the exhibits in an old museum. This is a dark and gripping collection of tales that were incredibly well crafted and entertaining.

All five of the stories are set in the same museum and some of the same characters are mentioned in multiple stories. I enjoyed all five stories immensely and I thought Williamson did a terrific job of creating a tense, uneasy atmosphere throughout the stories. These horror tales explore both supernatural horror and the horror of real life, with the stories focusing on a range of subjects including grief and parental abuse. Williamson does a magnificent job creating complex characters that feel well fleshed out in only a small number of pages.

The stories are well written and while short, each one manages to pack a punch. My favourite of the five stories had to be Et In Arcadia Ego, which was an incredibly compelling story with a few moments that sent a shiver up my spine. I also found it fascinating that Williamson took some of her inspiration from trips to Kelvingrove Museum in Glasgow. Being local to the museum, it is somewhere I have visited many times and after reading these I am definitely planning to visit again soon. A gripping short story collection, Eerie Exhibits is a terrific read if you’re looking for something short and creepy, and I am definitely looking forward to reading more from Victoria Williamson.

Book Review: Making a Killing – Cara Hunter

Book Review: Making a Killing – Cara Hunter

by Nicole Sweeney ♥ 0 Leave a Comment


Series: DI Adam Fawley #7
Release date: 13th February 2025
Publisher: Hemlock Press
Pages: 359
Find it: Goodreads Waterstones
Source: I received an E-ARC via Netgalley and I bought a hardback from my local bookshop
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Synopsis

When Nick Vincent, producer of true-crime show Infamous, hears about an explosive new angle on a high-profile case—the 2016 murder of an eight-year-old girl in Oxford—he leaps at the chance to send a researcher to verify the claims.

Two months later, a dog walker discovers a woman’s body, bound and buried in a shallow grave in the woods. Forensic evidence links the corpse to the disappearance of that same child.

DCI Adam Fawley, the original investigating officer, is called in to run the enquiry. And he remembers the case well—he arrested the child’s mother for murder. A murder he now knows she didn’t commit.

The investigation raises more questions than answers. What connects the two crimes? Where has the dead girl been all these years? How did she manage to disappear? For Adam Fawley, this is personal…

Review

Cara Hunter is back with a new installment in the DI Fawley series. When a body is found in the woods, forensic evidence links it to one of Fawley’s old cases. He got the culprit – a woman convicted of the murder of her daughter, and now it looks like she might have been innocent. Will Fawley be able to uncover the mystery behind his old case, as well as discover who killed the person in the woods?

I am not a police procedurals reader in the slightest, but there is something about Cara Hunter’s books that are so addictive, so completely unputdownable, that I snatch them up as soon as they are released. Making a Killing was absolutely no exception, it was gripping, utterly compelling and full of twists and turns. Of course, the ending was one I did not see coming and I loved every minute of the story.

One of the things I always really enjoy about this series is the way Hunter includes different media, such as newspaper clippings and interview records. It always makes the story feel more realistic. I enjoyed that we get to see Fawley and the team after a jump in time, seeing how their careers and home lives have changed. I also loved the way Hunter connected the story to her standalone novel Murder in the Family, I thought this was such a clever touch and hope we are going to see more of the Infamous series in the future.

This was such a terrific read and I ended up reading the second half of the book in a single sitting. If you’re looking for a crime series with brilliant characters with each installment keeping you completely hooked, you definitely need to pick up the DI Adam Fawley series. A thoroughly entertaining tale, I cannot wait to see what case Fawley takes on next.

Book Review: The Price of Power – Michael Michel

Book Review: The Price of Power – Michael Michel

by Nicole Sweeney ♥ 0 Leave a Comment


Series: Dreams of Dust and Steel #1
Release date: April 2nd 2025
Publisher: Indie Published
Pages: 700
Find it: Goodreads Amazon
Source: The author kindly sent me an E-ARC to review
Rating: 5/5 stars

Synopsis

Prince Barodane could not hold back the darkness. Not even in himself. He laid an innocent city in its grave and then died a hero.

In his absence, war whispers across the land.

Power-hungry highborn dispatch spies and assassins to the shadows as they maneuver for the throne, while an even greater threat rises in the South. Monsters and cultists flock to the banners of a mad prophet determined to control reality…and then shatter it.

Destiny stalks three to the brink of oblivion.

A dead prince who isn’t dead. Barodane buried his shameful past in a stupor of drugs, drink, and crime. Now, he’d rather watch the world fall apart than wear the crown again.

An orphan with hero’s blood who’s forced to make a harrowing betray her country or sacrifice her first love.

And a powerful seer who has no choice at all–her grandson must die.

If any of them fails to pay the price…

The cost will be the world’s complete annihilation.

Review

The Price of Power is the first in a new epic fantasy series that follows three main characters – a mad Prince who everyone thinks is dead, living a life full of drugs and crime, a princess destined to inherit the throne but afraid she won’t live up to her family name and a powerful seer with no choice but to kill her grandson.  If they fail in their quests the world will end, but what will it cost them to succeed?

This book absolutely sucked me in right from the very first chapter and I did not want to put this one down. The Price of Power is the sort of book that has you so addicted that you dive back into the book at any opportunity, even if only for a few minutes. I adored this book and it will without a doubt be one of my favourite reads of 2025. This is a dark tale that I thought was well paced and executed really well, the plot was gripping and the last hundred pages or so of the book had me on the edge of my seat. I also thought the world building was excellent, it felt incredibly detailed and well fleshed out and very much gave me A Song of Ice and Fire vibes.

The Price of Power is very much a character driven story and I grew really attached to the complex characters that Michel has created in this story. I really liked all of our main characters but the one that stuck out most for me is Prince Barodane. He is a character struggling with grief and the mistakes he has made and he was overall just a fascinating character. I also really liked Ishoa and her ice tiger Rakeema. Each character felt very distinct and I am so excited (and a little scared) to see what will happen to them all in the next installment in the series.

If you love fantasy stories that are full of political intrigue, bloody action and captivating, compelling characters this is definitely a book you do not want to miss. I cannot recommend this book highly enough and I am counting down the days till the release of book two.

Book Review: War Song – Michael Michel

Book Review: War Song – Michael Michel

by Nicole Sweeney ♥ 0 Leave a Comment


Release date: May 14 2023
Publisher: Indie-Published
Pages: 87
Find it: Goodreads Amazon
Source: I received a copy free from the author
Rating: 4.25/5 stars

Synopsis

Admar’s future is a path paved with broken glass. Each step forward living under Scothean tyranny cuts away another piece of his humanity. Right down to the very bone.

But even a meager life as a miner is better than a pointless death. A sister, a mother, a lover, all lost at the uncaring hands of the Scoths, have left him with nothing but memories and ash for comfort. While stories like his are all too common, they still aren’t enough to stoke rebellion among the oppressed.

If Admar is to find hope amid the brutal occupation of his homeland, he’ll have to question how deep his convictions go. For with every crack of the enemy’s whip, he’ll know torment. With every swipe of their axes, he’ll know suffering. And every moment he refuses to act will drag him further from his destiny.

Maybe there are no more heroes left…or maybe they’re waiting to be made.

Review

War Song is a short novella set forty seven years before the events of The Price of Power. The story follows Admar, a man trying to survive living life under Scothean rule. Everything has been taken from him and Admar has nothing to live for. When Admar finds himself in a slave camp, he sees the spark of rebellion, but will he be able to find the strength to stand up against the Scothean tyrants?

This is my first read from Michael Michel and it absolutely hooked me from beginning to end. It was a dark, bloody, gruesome read and I can definitely see those comparisons to Joe Abercrombie. Michel’s writing was gripping and I was absolutely swept up in the story of Admar and Danath. The story was well paced and the plot was well executed. I ended up reading this in a single sitting and I thought it was an excellent way to be introduced to the world and Michel’s writing. Reading this has definitely made me even more excited to pick up The Price of Power and see where the story will go next.

I really liked the characters in this story and Michel managed to pack tons of character development into such a short number of pages. I loved that despite this being a pretty dark tale, Michel weaves a glimmer of hope throughout the story. If you’re looking for a grimdark fantasy novella with fascinating characters, a bloody rebellion and plenty of action, War Song should absolutely be your next read.

Book Review: The Last Gasp of Midnight – Thomas Howard Riley

Book Review: The Last Gasp of Midnight – Thomas Howard Riley

by Nicole Sweeney ♥ 0 Leave a Comment


Release date: April 11 2025
Publisher: Indie Published
Pages: 47
Find it: Goodreads Amazon
Source: I received an e-copy of this book free from the author’s newsletter
Rating: 5/5 stars

Synopsis

A duel to the death in three parts. A conversation of sorts between the last two men left alive after a brutal battle.

One soldier from each side. Both want to survive. Neither can walk away.

Review

The Last Gasp of Midnight is a short fantasy novelette that packs a huge punch. The story follows two soldiers who are on opposing sides of a battle. They are the last two left alive and only one can walk away. Both soldiers have their own, desperate reasons for trying to stay alive but which will be victorious, and at what cost?

I’m not a particularly big novelette reader as I tend to prefer stories that are a bit longer, but I thought this story was executed perfectly. It was gripping right from the outset and I devoured it in a single sitting. The writing was engaging and I thought the fight sequences were really well written. This is quite a gruesome story and there were definitely a few descriptions that were particularly dark and bloody.

While this is an action packed tale, what I didn’t expect was that it would be an incredibly emotional one too. This story definitely tugs on your heart strings, and I loved it from start to finish. If you’re looking for a dark, gritty fantasy story you can read in an afternoon I would highly recommend The Last Gasp of Midnight. I thought this was a fantastic read and I can’t wait to try more from Thomas Howard Riley.

Book Review: Rose/House – Arkady Martine

Book Review: Rose/House – Arkady Martine

by Nicole Sweeney ♥ 0 Leave a Comment


Release date: March 11 2025
Publisher: Tor Books
Pages: 128
Find it: Goodreads Waterstones
Source: The publisher kindly sent me a copy of this book to review
Rating: 3.75/5 stars

Synopsis

Basit Deniau’s houses were haunted to begin with.

A house embedded with an artificial intelligence is common. A house that is an artificial intelligence, infused in every load-bearing beam and fine marble tile with a thinking creature that is not human? That is something else altogether. But now Deniau’s been dead a year, and Rose House is locked up tight, as commanded by the architect’s all his possessions and files and sketches are confined in its archives, and their only keeper is Rose House itself. Rose House, and one other.

Dr. Selene Gisil, one of Deniau’s former protégé, is permitted to come into Rose House once a year. She alone may open Rose House’s vaults, look at drawings and art, talk with Rose House’s animating intelligence all she likes. Until this week, Dr. Gisil was the only person whom Rose House spoke to.

But even an animate intelligence that haunts a house has some failsafes common to all AIs. For all AIs must report the presence of a dead body to the nearest law enforcement agency.

There is a dead person in Rose House. The house says so. It is not Basit Deniau, and it is not Dr. Gisil. It is someone else. Rose House, having completed its duty of care and informed Detective Maritza Smith of the China Lake police precinct that there is in fact a dead person inside it, dead of unnatural causes—has shut up.

No one can get inside Rose House, except Dr. Gisil. Dr. Gisil was not in North America when Rose House called the China Lake precinct. But someone did. And someone died there. And someone may be there still.

Review

Rose/House is an engaging sci-fi thriller that centres on Rose House, the work of famous architect Basit Deniau. This AI house has been shut up since Deniau’s death a year ago, allowing only one person to visit – Dr. Selene Gisil, his former protégé. When the police receive a call from Rose House stating there is a dead body on the premises, Detective Maritza Smith has no choice but to investigate – but how did the person get in and more importantly, who killed him?

This little novella was such a fascinating read that I raced through it in a single sitting. I thought it had such an interesting premise and the story was so well executed. Martine keeps you guessing right till the end and I absolutely loved the way Martine built the tension and unease of Rose House.

This story is full to the brim with atmosphere and I really enjoyed Martine’s beautiful, dream like writing style. Rose/House is a really unique and compelling story and if you’re looking for a sci-fi thriller that will stick with you long after reading, you definitely don’t want to miss this one. I thoroughly enjoyed this one and can’t wait to read more from Arkady Martine.