Book Review: Call Me Traitor by Everina Maxwell

 Call Me Traitor by Everina Maxwell is a new release for December from Macmillan/Tor. 

I was so excited about this book coming out that I requested a digital ARC from netgally and Tor.  I did not wait to see if an audiobook was coming, I just could not wait. It did take me... a hot minute to read it with my eyeballs, but I really really enjoyed the pleasure of sinking down into my couch, and opening this one up- instead of consuming this while traversing the highways and by ways. 

      Maxwell did not disappoint!  This book, for me is the whole package. It's Romantasy, but it's romantasy that really is a true fantasy. In other words, this is not a romance with a few castles and dragons added in. It really is a solid fantasy, and a solid romance, either could stand without the other. This book will reward fantasy readers with delicious, detailed unique world building, a plot with a bit of a mystery that slowly unravels and reveals itself, and complex characters that are really easy to fall in love with!  For romance readers, the world building may seem overly detailed, but the yearning between our two love interests in this slow burn will more than make up for any confusion over the world building. And, it's sapphic. 

  Now, with out any spoilers- because of course, spoilers are the worst - here's a synopsis. 

   En is a super soldier imbued with magic and programmed to obey orders no matter the cost. She's sent to support a team that is extracting traitors from a wild, rough area known as the upper peninsula.  Things, of course, do not go as planned! She encounters Tamol, who is also a soldier - who's got magic more of less in her soul. Tamol, in direct opposition to En is not programmed for anything, and seems to be the human embodiment of chaos. As events continue to push this unlikely pair together, they discover that together they have greater power. Can En and Tamol stand against all odds?  You'll want to read to find out. 

   Some readers may note that many of Maxwell's books do contain a steady solemn partner and one who's a bit flighty. Despite this similar set up- the story is wholly original and the characters are wildly different than her previous two books- Ocean's Echo and Winter's Orbit. The strength lies in the deep character development that Maxwell creates.  She doesn't info dump a tragic story over her character, instead her characters show through actions, and little moments how their life has created each flaw or strength possessed.  I felt like I'd recognize not just En and Tamol but a few of the supporting characters as well- if I saw them in line at my local coffee shop.  

On top of being a grand adventure, and romantic story, I did take some inspiration that even when one feels weak or damaged, it's still possible to make good choices and uphold what feels right. I think we need more of this in our world. So Cheers to Call Me Traitor being out in the world soon! 

STATS

First Published: 12/1/26

Pages: 480

Available as an Audio Book :  Yes 

Trigger Warnings:  Violence, magical coercion, mind control, Deception, physical injury and pain 

(this is not a full list, read responsibly)  

 

Book Review: The Winter Folk by Jen Julian

 Appalachian Folk Horror is really seeming to have it's moment in the sun!  I hope that moment never ends, because as a Born and Raised in Appalachia  card carrying member, I love this stuff. 

 And this book, in particular is just really- something else! It pulls on my memories, and introduces new ideas, mixing in with familiar myths involving wishes granted (with additional unseen consequences). 

Jen Julian, a new author to me, really knocks this one out of the part.  I love that she got a degree at a college where I also got a degree.  We're just one degree apart (HA HA HA) 

This cover just screams Appalachia - and without being gruesome, kinda gives me the creeps in a most delicious way. It was designed by

Lisa Marie Pompilio.  Jo Wyckoff did Hand Lettering for the cover. 

    I like that this book allows one to just settle into it while reading.  

No spoilers- just some teasers:  Our main character- Vera Stoker grows up with stories of the Deer King. Her mother warns her off the Deer King, which likely makes him all the more attractive, and Vera- Moth is fascinated by the folks that come and go from Deer Lodge.  Eventually, she lands a contract at Deer Haven- a season of work for a wish granted...  (Could that be a BARGAIN? We all know that when bargains are made things may not go well for humans... at that point I was hooked!  Bringing the modern to the mythical is something that's often tried - with varying success. Julian seems to have melded the two together as we move from former times at Deerlodge to the current day. 

Readers move seamlessly between the reality of Moth's current life and her former situation- throughout the novel the uneasy sensation builds leaving readers with much to think about.  What's real?  Was it always real? Was it never real?  If it wasn't as remembered, what really happened? Moth must come to terms with the past to free her for her future. 

   While reading this, images like this just kept popping up in my head, not as Deer lodge but of the residents of folks like Vera- Moth who live in proximity to , but without access to the lodge. 

United States Resettlement Administration, Mydans, Carl, photographer. Interior of mountain farmhouse, Appalachian Mountains near Marshall, North Carolina. North Carolina United States, 1936. Mar. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2017715156/.

 Now, all the pre-reviews and blurbs note that readers of T. Kingfisher and Alix E. Harrow will enjoy this book and I'd agree, but I also feel that if you're a fan of Seanen McGuire, - Jen Julian is an author you'll want to pick up- especially The Winter Folk. I definitely felt the "Every Heart a Doorway" vibes through this novel. 

This novel doesn't come out until July- but with a wintery kind of theme, it's going to be perfect to bring a chill to that July air. 

 

                                             STATS

First Published: 7/21/26

Pages: 384

Available as an Audio Book :  YES unclear on time at present

 

Trigger Warnings: Body Horror, insects and other wild animals, death

(this is not a full list, read responsibly)  

 

Book Review: Married to the Mafia by Lucy Smoke

 I had a lot of fun with this one!  This is such a fun read and great for folks who have wanted to do their toes into Dark Romance, but didn't maybe want to dive in, without checking out the waters a bit 

I requested this audiobook on Net Galley on an impulsive whim.     

The cover was AMAZING  and I do find it hard to resist a good cover. Like many romance readers, I like a good mafia romance.  I am entirely convinced that any actual crime syndicate doesn't operate like in the romance novels, but...I can suspend reality all the time when I read fantasy novels. If I can enjoy an find a book about an alien snail race taking over the globe, a mafia romance... is not really as far a stretch.  

   Lucy Smoke is a new author to me, and I loved this book. It reminded me of the giggly fun feelings I get when reading Brynne Weaver's series about Serial Killers who fall in love. 

   As a synopsis:  Daisy is a new college graduate and she and her college bestie move to NEW YORK CITY to experience life and make their mark on the world.  New York isn't particularly kind to the girls and they find themselves getting by with temp jobs and a shared loft. Daisy's picked up a shift at a wedding, hoping for tips when she finds herself stuck in a room with a lot of good looking me, and one very very un-alive bride. 

 Julio is a "member of the family" but he's been told it's time to marry if he wants to move up. He's picked his bride and arranged the marriage and is quite put out to find the woman he needed to marry- very very un-alive. 

Readers of romance, know that this wedding must go on, and of course, Daisy, the server fits the dress perfectly. (or ALMOST perfectly) 

Daisy figures she's standing in so the man doesn't lose face, and it's only quite a bit later that realization dawns, she's really and truly married to a stranger- and not just any stranger, one who seems VERY VERY dangerous. 

   What's a girl to do? 

Well- I won't spoil it, readers will want to read- or listen to find out.   The audio book features a smooth, but upbeat dual narration from Gomez Pugh and Lisa Zimmerman.  Gomez took on the sometimes tough job of a stereotypical New York wise guys accent and was able to make it sound natural- with the accent getting stronger and fading at different moments, just as it would in natural speech- never totally gone but sometimes coming out bold, and other times softening. Lisa as Daisy was Hilarious! She injected all the spunk and sassiness that was needed to bring Daisy's inner monologue out to play. 

I loved the audiobook, and my entire reading experience with it. 

This one popped on shelves on April 21- so I hope someone will pick it up because I want so badly to giggle over certain moments, and to discuss predictions- I suspect there's a second book involving Daisy's bestie Michelle.  

STATS

First Published: 4/21/26

Pages: 352

Available as an Audio Book :  YES  ~ 9 hrs

Trigger Warnings:  violence, Death, gun violence, reference to Suicide, Foster Care flashbacks, more death, on page sex, cursing. 

(this is not a full list, read responsibly)  

Book Review: Vowed to the Vulture God by Ruby Dixon

 It's been a banner reading week for me.  Firstly I had my brain rearranged by S.L. Huang. 

Then I finished up Vowed to the Vulture God by Ruby Dixon.   This wasn't life change or a 5 star read for me, but, it was a 4.25 read and I both laughed and cried while reading this, I think it was overall, pretty ok. 

Ruby Dixon is one of my favorite authors.  I started reading her ice Planet Barbarian series as a joke and then fell head over heels in love with it. Her characters are really relatable and Ruby does an excellent job- in my opinion representing a lot of different human conditions- in a relatable way, that has made me feel - at times- less alone in the world. 

Ruby Dixon's Aspect and Anchor series isn't that well known and, it's a bit different from the Ice Planet Barbarians.  I enjoy both series, and I do find that I rather like the odd world building in Aspect and Anchor.  

In the world of Aspect and Anchor, the Gods have fallen out of favor with their Parent and have been cast out to the human realm to learn to be more... human. It's a realm based on Medieval times, and as such, it's messy, full of superstition and a severe lack of communication devices. Indeed it is ALSO disease ridden. Women from current world Chicago seem to be disappearing into this realm and serving as Anchors for various cast out Gods.  Some of the women are falling in love!  Our Sunshine character Elsie makes a bargain to save her Brother's life and poof!  she finds herself in this realm as the anchor for the God of disease in his Apathy aspect.   Apathy is really very apathetic and Elsie must find ways to engage him and move him along, much in the same way a person might work with someone who is severely depressed.  There is a lot of mental health messages that are genuinely positive and understanding of folks who are dealing with mental challenges and trying as hard as they can to overcome. 

This is of course a romance, and thus, I can say there is 100% a happy ending, but I can also say that the way TO the happy ending was utterly devastating. I was sobbing down the highway listening to the last 2 hrs. 

 

This one was a lot of fun!!!  I think it may have healed a portion of Covid -19 trauma. Since it was written in 2025 or so, I take comfort in the fact that the God of Diseases now has Elsie to reign him in! 

So for me, this one's a yes.  I had the audio book and it was narrated by Elle Sonali!  The Narration was clear, and consistent, I never felt like her inflections or intonation distracted me from the story! 

This can be read out of order, but I do suggest at least reading the first before moving on to the Vulture God! 

STATS

First Published: 4/21/26

Pages: 514

Available as an Audio Book :  YES  ~ 15 hrs

Trigger Warnings:  violence, Death, multiple references to sickness, plague, brain cancer, vomiting, blood, on page sexual encounters, ghosts, farm animals

(this is not a full list, read responsibly)  

Book Review: The Language of Liars by S.L. Huang

 This is another book I highly recommend for your TBR.  

I really enjoy S.L Huang.  I liked her retelling of the Chinese tale The Water Margin very much and I was looking forward to a new book from them. 

I have to admit when I saw the cover and the title, I was a little bit... skeptical.  (this is one cover that didn't pass the test for me.) 

For me this cover was maybe a bit too understated. It did not scream out to me - this book may re-arrange your entire thought processes about the way we relate to other humans and animals. 

BUT... hear me out- it might. 

There is a lot to unpack in this novella, and if readers take the time to do so, they will find themselves with a different perspective on colonialism, language and identity. 

Now, this may have some spoilers, but I'm going to try not to spoil it. 

Readers meet Ro, our main character, who's been nicknamed "cheerful disaster" by their elders. Ro seems to be just like me, until I realize Ro has 2 beautiful kind hearts, several stomachs, fur and claws and a hive life that's highly communal. Ro lives in outer space and is training to be a linguist and astral traveler. Ro is mostly wanting to do the right thing, and succeed within society, and one day- poof- Ro does it. 

Ro infiltrates another outer space society- the Star Eaters, and begins to send reports back. Soon, however, our adorable astral traveler starts to see things aren't as they should be. Like the cheerful disaster that Ro is- Ro burns it all down. There might not be a great conflagration, but...it's still.. something to behold in print or spoken word. 

Harris & Ewing, photographer. TORNADO. , None. [Between 1913 and 1917] Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2016853119/.

What follows is an aftermath that cannot be imagined. You'll really have to read this one. 

   What's unique is that there are no actual human characters that I could identify in the novella. None. 

  Readers have a fantastic, imaginative space adventure that removes the human element, and in doing so- gives us mere human readers a space to really examine what happens when we "study" another society, when we colonize, infiltrate and explore- even with the best, most cheerful intentions. Can a society, or an individual ever really- go back home? (and really- what is "home"?)

Narration of the audiobook (Thank you Dreamscape Media!!!!!) was done impeccably by Emily Woo Zeller.  As always I could sink right into the foreign world built by Huang- and Zeller's voice disappeared. At times I felt like I could smell the ozone smell of space! 

100% Recommend. 

STATS

First Published: 4/21/26

Pages: 176

Available as an Audio Book :  YES  ~ 4.5 hrs

Trigger Warnings:  violence, cultural death, outer space torture, bullying 

(this is not a full list, read responsibly)  

Book Review: SoulGazer by Maggie Rapier

 Soulgazer by Maggie Rapier is a full blow Pirate Romantasy that I ate up with no regrets!

  I found the book on NetGalley and decided to give it a go to see if I would enjoy it. I love pirates and I like romance but I've been reading some disappointing romantasy lately so I didn't have high hopes. 

I honestly have no idea why Book Tok hasn't discovered this gem as it is EVERYTHING that Book Tok loves. I LOVED it too! 

   If you are a reader who really enjoyed Fable and Namesake by Adrienne Young, you are going to love Soulgazer! There are a lot of similar themes, as well as boats and pirates and passion, but the two stories aren't copy/paste at all. 

Soulgazer falls out of the YA area and is solidly for adult romance readers, allowing a lot more "romance" to occur on page. Magic and old celtic traditions inspire Soulgazer giving it a distinctly different feel than that of Fable's rough and ready "The Narrows". 

That said, I enjoyed both immensely. 

   

   As a synopsis, Saoirse's been raised to believe she was cursed with a difficult to control magic that causes more harm than good.  Isolated from the world, she dreams of legends- like "the wolf of the wild".  Saoirse longs for acceptance and to contribute to her family and society. She knows she going to have to follow her father's wishes and wed a cruel stone king, but, on the eve of her marriage she seeks out the Wolf,  Faolan, and takes matters into her own hands. Faolan recognizes her magic for the power it is and desperately needs her to help him navigate to an Island of lost souls.  Saoirse knows this is madness, and thus exerts the only power she has by forcing Faolan into a handfasting.  The two- now linked- pursue the isle. Saoirse learns that she's not the only one with a secret blessing or curse and comes into her own to wield her power. By the end of the book I knew I had a new "Book Boyfriend" in Faolan.  

    Readers are left with a Happy for Now ending with clearly more story left for book two.  I can't wait for it to come out in August!

STATS

First Published: 7/8/2025

Pages: 480

Available as an Audio Book :  YES  ~ 12 hrs

Trigger Warnings:  violence, death of sibling, death of child, magic, pirates, on page sexy times, almost forced marriage, almost patricide

(this is not a full list, read responsibly)  

 

Book Review: The Man in the High Castle by Philip K Dick

 

I'm back on the Hugo Awards as I complete a reading prompt for my local bookstore's reading challenge.  This prompt was for a Classic.  While The Man in the High Castle might not come to mind as rapidly as Pride and Prejudice, it is most assuredly a classic of Sci-Fi. 

  Frankly, I am learning I'm not a big fan of early Sci-Fi.  It's really a strange mash up of male insecurity, weird obsessions and a heavy dose of the times in which the writers were living.  These guys were inventive, but it's clear their imagination didn't go as far as I originally thought.  Even with Space Travel as a part of the novel, the entire imagining of space travel was pretty nebulous. And I suppose that's fair, given that travel on airplanes itself was generally priced for only the wealthy and business class at that time.  I can see that imagining a future where cargo was carried all over the place without a blink of an eye wasn't top of mind.  It is always interesting to see how we imagine the future world.  In Dick's case, it's one where Germany can colonize Mars, but secret info is still passed on by Photostat.  Since currently, we can not colonize Mars, but have well outgrown a photostat, the juxtaposition is jarring. 

    I didn't love this book, but I also did not hate it.  Readers follow several main characters who are all pieces of literary art. We have:

 I could likely write a post about the motivations, emotions and representations of all the characters. But, I'm not that kind of book reviewer!  What I found interesting, was that the characters didn't all come together in one defining moment. Instead they all seem to share in common a loss of identity and a seeking for meaning in life. They are all passionate, but- they aren't finding satisfying outlets for their passion. 

Juliana was a fascinating character- at once shallow- concerned about wardrobe, getting a nice meal or hotel, and on another level, literally murderous when protecting people- who are really representatives of ideals she holds dear. She definitely doesn't totally understand her own actions.

The shared passion and seeking is what unites the characters, even though some of them never interact at all. 

  There is no Hero's arc here.  PKD leaves us all sort of feeling drained and fizzled out there at then end, wondering what the point of these semi-intersecting stories was.  I think Dick maybe meant for us to sit and stew in that for a bit.  I definitely have been thinking about the book in the days since I finished it. 

I'm not sure the whole story works for me, but the characters he created are amazing and worth the read.

STATS

First Published  1962

Pages: 240

Available as an Audio Book : ~9 hrs 

Trigger Warnings:  violence, racism, weird I-ching consultations, murder, sexism

(this is not a full list, read responsibly)