Look! Week two of me doing something I said I would do! Am I... better than everyone? We shall see...

This Week in the Book World:

Fable hosted their town hall and it was... weird. There was a lot of self-promotion, a weird section where they talked about feature requests, and then very little time spent actually addressing the reason we were all there.

Long story short, they said they're removing the AI for now. However, their founder made it very clear that they will continue to invest in AI in the future. So, while I am staying on the platform for now, that is subject to change.

This week's publishing news:

There were some great horror deals announced this week, and even some from one of my favorite new authors:

• Donyae Coles (Midnight Rooms) announced two new horror novels. The Sunken, The Adored is a historical horror novel about a freed slave and something sinister in the canals of 1700s Venice. What Kills You is a gothic novel about a Black family and the "inescapable realities of poverty".
• Johnny Compton (The Spite House, Devils Kill Devils) announced a new short story collection called Midnight Somewhere.
• In debut news, Ruth McKell's Honey in Her Veins is described as a "cottagecore fantasy romance set in Appalachia". This one sounds absolutely incredible and I cannot wait to leanr more!
• And then in YA news, we had Ravenfield Hall by Leanna Renee, which was pitched as "Rebecca, but written by the Bronte Sisters" about a spirtualist, ghost ships, and robber barons. Say less.

This week's new releases:

• A Sea of Unspoken Things by Adrienne Young (Adult, fiction)
• All the Water in the World by Eiren Caffall (Adult, distopian)
• The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Kate Fagan (Adult, ficiton): The Three Lives of Cate Kay is an adrenaline rush of a story that doesn't compromise on sincerity. Whether she is exploring first love, queer identity, female friendship, or self-forgiveness, Fagan leaves everything on the page and delivers a novel that demands to be deeply felt by its readers.

What I read this week:

Immortal Dark (Finished)

We all know I’m forever in my vampire era–especially after seeing Nosferatu–and this is one of the most unique vampire books I’ve ever read. Immortal Dark marries dark academia with Ethiopian-inspired vampire lore. The characters, the magic system, and Uxlay University are so well thought-out and complex. Plus, this Romantasy is true enemies-to-lovers in a way that felt substantial, but didn’t cross a line too far into bully romance.

PS: I would say this one is definitely upper YA/new adult with some content that may be a bit too much for younger teens.

The Sirens (Finished)

I adore Emilia Hart. Her debut novel, Weyward was one of my favorite debuts of the last few years, and this one was just as wonderful. A family mystery, siren lore, women protecting women, and history all wrapped into one. I just finished this one today and haven't collected my thoughts yet, so more to come!

Fagin the Thief (52%)

Similar to Emilia Hart, Allison Epstein is one of my favorite authors of the last few years. If you haven't read any of her books, I suggest starting with A Tip for the Hangman, which absolutely destroyed me emotioanlly in the same way Song of Achilles did. I'm about 52% through this one and am ready to be hurt again.

Elatsoe (22%)

I just started this one today! It's our mostly fantasy book club pick for January (join here if you w ant), which is great, because it's a backlist pick that's been on my TBR for years. I had no idea this one had so much magic in it! I thought it was just Elatsoe, but there's vampires, fae, and all kinds of other creatures. I can't wait to get further in.

What I bought/shelved

This week was all about mermaids, sirens, and selkies. I posted this thread and go so many recs that I spun up an entire list of books. You can check the full list out in this post , but here are some that I was particulary drawn to:

• Upon a Starlit Tide by Kell Woods (Totally forgot she had a mermaid book coming out!)
• In the Veins of the Drowning by Kalie Cassidy
• Called to the Deep by Desiree M. Niccoli

This is a non-mermaid book, but here's another one I shelved the other day

• Unhallowed Halls by Lili Wilkinson

Other musings:

In none book news, my husband and I started playing It Takes Two on xb0x and it's so fun!! We have been absolutely cackling over this one and our many failed attempts (i.e. deaths) at some of the puzzles and challenges. If you like couch co-op games, this is one of the best ones I've played in years!

Join the Discord! It will be fun, I promise!

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