Book Review: Rooted By Leopoldo Gout

 I saw this book on Net Galley and was immediately smitten with the cover. It is both terrifying and compelling to me.  Unfortunately I had requested a few too many "Eyeball" reader copies, but when I saw the audio from Spotify, I RAN for it so so fast. 

 I have been burned a few times by covers, so I did look at the blurb. AND, YES I did want to read a book involving an ancient Aztec God called The Flayed One.  I mean, really...releasing in early fall, this is PRIME Autumnal reading material.  The leaves crunching under my feet, chilly mornings with fog rolling in, and cold nights with a crackling fire. 

Yes... it is true... I live in the subtropics and my Autumn so far has been trips to the pool, lots of sunscreen and humidity and torrential afternoon storms. SO I NEED MY CHILLING BOOKS MORE THAN EVER! And this one really felt like exactly how I like my horror-  ancient terrifying beings, a confused modern story line, and very well developed characters. 

Please let me know if you can see the photo, I am not seeing them, but I can see that I inserted it. I may need to do an update. 

ANYWAY. 

After Hollow Folk, I was not sure that anything could top that for a spooky horror read.  I think Rooted is on par with Hollow Folk and possibly, a bit better- definitely a bit better editing if you ask me. 

Without any spoilers- we join Aurora, and her ex boyfriend as they work together as a team to repatriate Mexican artifacts to their rightful place. It's a bit unclear where the artifacts have been, but some appear to have been living, and wreaking havoc in Spain for centuries. One of the artifacts is a mysterious status of the Flayed one- an Aztec god who would flay parts of his body off for seeds and nutrients for the soil. It sounds creepy- and honestly it really is creepy. I suggest a bit of a google of this one.  I went down a rabbit hole and I am grateful to the author because that was one amazing and cool rabbit hole. 

Things in Mexico City aren't right.  Aurora herself was prone to odd hallucinations and headaches as a child, and with her main narration, readers aren't ever sure if she is having a breakdown or, if unusual plants are really sprouting across the pavement. As she is doing her best to complete the work, navigate her ill mother and her ex boyfriend she becomes increasingly disturbed.  The museum artifacts seem to be almost speaking to her, and she has found documents at her childhood home that indicate she may not be exactly who she believed herself to be. 

As Aurora unravels, and the story picks up steam readers can expect botanical horror, body horror, secrets unveiled all occurring at a rapid pace.  Gout leads the reader to one conclusion only to pivot to one that is broader and more astounding.  I loved it! 

Krysta Gonzalez is the narrator, and I appreciated that she took on a tough task of voicing Aurora at many ages and life stages. Her narration was smooth and pleasant to listen to- in fact, I finished this book in about 3 days - a record for me. 

The cover was done by  João Ruas | IG: @feral_kid

Cover design by Esther S. Kim.  Both deserve a lot of credit as the book is one that grabs the eye immediately. 

STATS

First Published:  9/15/2026

Pages: 288

Available as an Audio Book :  Yes

Trigger Warnings: racism, supernatural occurrences, body horror, death of child, death of parent, accidental patricide, ancient Gods, botanical horror, mental health, 

(this is not a full list, read responsibly)  

Book Review: Soul Proprietor by Stephanie Vance

  I saw this book on Net Galley and I loved the concept immediately. It seemed like a great book for upcoming spooky season.  I have been reading a lot of very eerie books, but nothing that had any bit of comedy about them, and this seemed to fit the bill.  Thank you so much to net Galley and Girl Friday for the Advanced Copy! 

I do love a good cover, and this one- has a great cover.  No doubt about it. 

In short, readers meet Tiffani - who is a highly motivated salesperson in the underworld.  What's she selling? Soul rentals. Tiffani is on her way up (or is it down?) as she racks up sales/rentals.  I never quite understood why a human would want to rent a different soul, but it seemed to be so they could gain a different sort of confidence. 

Tiffani, in her rush, accidently rents out a "recalled" soul, and chaos ensues as she attempts to recover the soul. The novel is funny and fast paced with a well imagined world (complete with Hell hounds that must lay on asbestos mats!) and could lead to lots of discussions on capitalism, and values inbetween the giggles. 

  For me this is a great book for spooky season, that balances out all of the unsettling eerie novels, giving readers a fun read that encompasses spooky season with a grin and a laugh. 

STATS

First Published:  9/22/26

Pages: 368

Available as an Audio Book :  Yes

Trigger Warnings: racism, occult, supernatural occurrences, ghosts, witches, alcohol use, incest. 

(this is not a full list, read responsibly)  

Book Review: The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno Garcia

    I have slept on Silvia Moreno-Garcia.  

Snoozed. 

Deep sleep.   Sleep walked. 

I knew her book Mexican Gothic was WILDLY popular, and probably because of that, I avoided it a bit. 

In truth, it became a book that a lot of "book tok girls" pointed to when explaining they read diversely. Mexican Gothic stood there, stalwart, all over book tok, in a pile of otherwise milk-toast books.  So I was a little bit.. skeptical. 

Secondly, Moreno-Garcia blurbed a certain book as a critical book in Mexican Horror history and I loathed that book, so I was sort of questioning a few things there. 

But a friend of mine saw the cover of The Bewitching, stated it was "calling her" and I bought it as a gift for her, and then decided, what the heck- and read it myself as well. 

Holy Heck!  This was a delightful, and easy read!  I can see why Moreno-Garcia's work is popular.  This is definitely a horror story, but, it's horror that is approachable for non- horror readers.  There are elements of historical fiction, multigenerational family sagas, folklore and the true horror of being a graduate student!  And yes, this is a book that Book Clubs across the world would enjoy for the Autumn and Spooky season. It has just enough scariness, to thrill, but not enough to truly unsettle the reader. 

No Spoilers-  Readers are given a generational tale that crosses over time and place starting off at a small New England college in the 1930's, moving to a Mexican farm in the early 1900's and planting itself firmly in recent past. Each story line has a strong and clever female protagonist who must work against the supernatural - and societal expectations.  For me the most enjoyable timeline was the 1930's but I see other reviewers liking others just as well.  I especially appreciated that the moves between times was seamless. Minerva, the main main character in the near present day- is the anchor between the other time lines, as she works to unravel a mystery that involves the college's past and her past as well. 

 While this novel has twists and turns, I do feel like an astute reader can easily see the changes coming as Moreno-Garcia forecasts and foreshadows heavily.  This isn't a book you want to read for "Gotcha" moments. It does have a satisfying ending, and has me interested in reading more of Moreno-Garcia's work. 

My absolute favorite thing about this book - the EASTER EGGS-  Moreno-Garcia playfully has inserted multiple easter eggs- references to multiple contemporary horror authors - you should see how many you can count. I got 5.  I think there are more. 

i did get this on Audio. Gisela Chipe was the narrator.  SHE WAS STELLAR.  I especially enjoyed the particular accents she employed, which made it very easy to tell which timeline I was entering into. She even got the sort of odd 1930-1940's telecaster type accent just right. 

Have you read this one?  let me know in the comments. 

STATS

First Published:  7/15/2025

Pages: 368

Available as an Audio Book :  Yes

Trigger Warnings: racism, occult, supernatural occurrences, ghosts, witches, alcohol use, incest. 

(this is not a full list, read responsibly)  

Book Review: Off the Reservation by Stephen Graham Jones

 I hit request SO FAST On this one, because I am definitely down with anything SGJ creates  (ok withe notable exception of Zombie Bakeoff) . I was thrilled to get an approval from Saga Press on Netgalley. 

This book is definitely classic Stephen Graham Jones, but also- a bit different. 

Its the same grit and real feeling but it moves along at a different pace, so if you were expecting a slow build up to a wild crescendo fo a finish, just get ready for a fast ride most of the way through. 

This is sort of a sequel to The only Good Indians, which seemed fairly complete in itself.  That said, sometimes characters just want to do more in the world, so- Have at it Mr. Jones. 

Nate, our main guy- the one that apparently wanted to do more in the world- is on a mission.  One that seems pretty straightforward. He, and some others, travel cross country to rescue the bones of a Blackfeet boy who was murdered at the Carlisle Indian School. 

So- that hits home for me. I did indeed grow up 11 miles from the Carlisle.  Growing up - it was talked about- lots of stuff in the area is named for Jim Thorpe, and we knew about it. We really didn't KNOW about it however, until later.  So, any time my home area is written about, I tend to feel a certain way, and I do find myself VERY invested in the novel. So, I may not be entirely objective. 

But Nate;s objective is simple... rescue these bones.  Of course... this is a horror novel, and the horror of the Carlisle Indian School is not enough, something horrendous seems to have escaped through the bones. 

What happens next?  Well, reader friends you will want to put this on pre-order to find out. 

 STATS

First Published:  October 13, 2026

Pages: 416

Available as an Audio Book :  Hopefully? 

Trigger Warnings: racism, transphobia, death, violence, death of parent, murder, injury with detail, vomit, body horror 

(this is not a full list, read responsibly)  

Book Review: A Past without Pictures by Jonathan Ames

 

Detective Noir isn't my favorite genre, but- I like to dip into it from time to time. It's a fairly specific type of genre, so it is interesting to see what authors do within the parameters. 

 When I saw this very 1970's looking cover on Net Galley and a new to me author, I thought well, why not? 

Readers are given a tale of Maria, a Cop who's just made Detective.  After a disastrous first night, she wakes to a phone call summoning her to settle the estate of a father she barely knows.   She is one tough cookie, as all noir detectives are, but she's also broken and busted- of course. 

When she arrive in a backwater town, her detective senses tell her immediately that something is fishy about her Dad's passing. She buckles down to figure it out. We are taken on a fast paced wild ride that highlights the foibles and follies of small town living. As Maria sorts through this unpredictable series of events with skill, she comes to realize more and more about her estranged father, and perhaps more about herself as well. 

      I enjoyed this novella. At about 5 hours on audio, I thought it was a perfect "airport book"  one you can easily consume in a typical day through some airports. It has been praised for having a sparse style, and I have to say I didn't find the style to be particularly sparse. I did feel that Ames uses every word with deliberation and each word had a purpose. 

    Dina Perlman narrated and I was SO appreciative of her very smooth narration. She took me through this story without any frills and I hope I get the chance to listen to more of her narration. Excellent. 

 STATS

First Published:  September 2026

Pages: 192

Available as an Audio Book :  Yes ~ 5.5 hrs 

Trigger Warnings: violence, drug use, guns, racism, sexual content, Death of child, death of parent, alcohol use.

(this is not a full list, read responsibly)  

Book Review: Hollow Folk By Andrew K. Clark

 As far as trends go in the Bookish World, we are continuing to see a BOOM in Appalachian Horror. I love it, and no matter what, it really does bring back memories of my Appalachian childhood which was pretty much 98% horror free. (Unless you count "Bible Release" where we were all dropped off at the Brethren Church on Wednesday afternoon to learn Bible Verses while technically at "school" - this of course seemed pretty normal to all of us and I found out later my parents decided it to allow it so we wouldn't be ostracized by the rest of the kids going.) Despite being essentially horror-free, those woods that we played in and constructed our own little kingdoms in, always had an alive feeling that I haven't duplicated anywhere else. 

So when I saw Hollow Folk up on the net-galley's  I kind of went wild for the cover. 

The cover artist is Jonathan Thunder. 

I am enthralled by the cover, and you should check out this artist, he's got some very affordable creations and then some that are amazing and out of my range.  I would really love to own a big print of this cover for the home office.  (The work office might not approve as it is just on that edge of too creepy for my very normal workspace). 

Ok, Ok So... what about the book? you say...

This book was an excellent mash up of history, mystical/magical elements and horror. There's body horror, historic horror, insect horror and the horror of surviving in current day America, all rolled into a story that felt a bit like a fever dream.  I see it's being marketed as a romance, and it does sort of have a HEA of sorts, but I'm not sure this is one that the average romantasy reader is going to enjoy. OK - To be FAIR- I think they would enjoy it, but they would find it doesn't fall into the classic romantic tropes of "who did this to you" or "only one bed". 

No Spoilers- because they are the worst. 

Ethan works the night shift at a fairly fancy hotel in the mountains.  The kind that business people and people on expensive vacations might choose, not the Super 8 or Best Western. This is a classy joint, it's not the Biltmore, but...it seems to have aspired to the Biltmore standards.  

He likes it because he doesn't have to deal with a lot of people, and he can get some grad school reading done if he finishes his work early.  He's sitting outside one hot August night and notes that while the wind seems to be kicking up- everything around him is still- the flag, the trees. There's no animals scuttling around, no bats or night birds. He shrugs it off, after mentioning it to night security guy, Kal. 

Unusual things start to happen.  Time slows. Teresa, another hotel worker shows up unexpectedly to do laundry, and from there, the three must band together to uncover just what is going on at the Holloway Resort.  As the three explore the hotel and surrounding area they encounter sins of the past, the marred history of the hotel's creation, and a deeper botanical horror that surrounds the area.  They all have reasons to want time to return to normal, but can they fix this?  To do so they must explore the mysteries of the Holloway, the mysteries held within themselves, and the mysteries of the old earth, trees and nature of this area. 

This is more than just a haunted hotel. It's more than a historic horror.  It's more than just botanic/body horror.  Put together Clark has managed to really capture the essence of modern Appalachia drawing in the historic and natural events which come together to create this long terrifying night at the hotel. 

   If there is a weakness to this novel, I think it was maybe not tied up exactly as well as I would have liked. The ending is solid, but being a very fact based person, I really wanted to know just a bit more about how Teresa exists, her ties to the earth and insect life, and I really wanted to meet Kal's new bride! 

That said, this is sure to please any horror fan, any fan of folklore novels, and those just looking for a scary story for the season. 

One last thing, Mr. Clark, I'd love to know if you based the title on the 1933 study by Sherman and Henry by the same name? 

 STATS

First Published:  September 2026

Pages: 274

Available as an Audio Book :  No 

Trigger Warnings: violence, ghosts, sexual content, insects, animal gore, religion 

(this is not a full list, read responsibly)  

It's Hugo Award Eve!

 Tomorrow evening at 8Pm Pacific Time, the Hugo Awards will be awarded.  (cue sad trombones, for that very awkward sentence.) 

I'm pleased to say that I have read all 6 of the contenders for best Novel, and also several of the contenders for best Novella.  

Since I have read all 6 of the Nominees, I feel like I really should be making a prediction. Last year I predicted incorrectly, but the novel I would have chosen if I had gone with my heart, won. This year, I am again torn.  Firstly these 6 are all strong contenders.  They were all pretty much bangers, well written, well composed, addressed interesting issues in unusual ways. None of these were novels I finished and forgot about. 

That said, I did have my favorites. If you follow the blog you won't be surprised that I adored Robert Jackson Bennett's book two in the Ana and Din series, Emily Tesh's The Incandescent and also the Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson.  You might be surprised to find that I did not really enjoy Alix Harrow's The Everlasting, and that I was impressed by Okorafor's novel but I honestly didn't enjoy the reading of it. And Tchaikovsky.  Well.  He is a brilliant writer, but I do not think he is exactly the writer for me. Many of his novels seem incredibly inventive, until one has read several and then suddently it's always disgruntled academics, and insectoid creatures (that said Preaching to the Choir, a new novella he put out, has my heart, I loved that one, insects and all) . 

For me my TOP contenders are The Raven Scholar  and A Drop of Corruption. The Incandescent was a book that I really really enjoyed, but when compared to the others in this list, it just didn't pack the same punch as Some Desperate Glory did. If I was giving the award, I think I might just give it to Robert Jackson Bennett, AGAIN.  But honestly if I was giving the award, I might just go with The Raven Scholar, since Mr. Bennett won last year.   I do feel like A Drop of Corruption is superior to the first book, but still... I don't know that people should hog awards year after year.  Looking at Hugo's of the past, I do see that this has occasionally happened, so it could happen again. 

The Raven Scholar was fascinating to me because when I describe it to others, it sounds like a very standard fantasy novel, but at every opportunity Hodgson injects twists that I did not expect, lore that makes the world feel familiar and foreign at the same time, and characters that are hard to forget. 

So frankly, if I had all the power, I would choose Hodgson's The Raven Scholar. 

Do I think the Raven Scholar will win? 

I feel like that may be a No. 

From watching reviews and discussion, I am going to predict that actually Alix Harrow's The Everlasting may take the podium.  I personally do not like time travel and this novel... was heavily time travel. I also sort of got sick of the circular time frame and once I realized that there would be some sort of success in this desperate battle, I mostly wanted the repetitive time loops to just.. cease and desist. Others did not feel as I did and I saw so many 5 star reviews from readers all over the world. Readers who normally read only romantasy were all over this book.  Sci-Fi readers enjoyed  the time bending aspects, and others just thought it was a great story overall.   

I don't think I'll be mad if Harrow's novel takes top spot. It's well written, and although I had issues with it, I was still able to finish it, and I did enjoy many aspects of the novel. 

I look forward to waking up tomorrow evening around 11-12 eastern and finding out who prevailed.  let me know if you have predictions in the comments!!!!