Book Review: Mortal Things by Marie Lu

 Marie Lu is an author who is able to continually perform. Have I loved everything she's written?  No, not everything.  Have I seen an audience for everything she has written, Yes assuredly yes. 

   I'm not sure she will ever surpass the magic I felt in my soul when I delved into the Legend Series which came at just the right time in my life for me, but, I'm always going to check out what she's doing. 

So with that said, when I saw Macmillan had Mortal Things on Audio- with an interesting dual narration of Eunice Wong and JiaLing Pan, I hit the request button and was thrilled to have the copy hit my in-box. I had been looking for the audio for Silver Elite, so I wasn't even aware that Mortal Things was cooking! 

Frankly I was hoping the UK cover would be different but it looks like it's going to be this gold foil looking thing. Do I like it? I don't dislike it. 

This novel is somewhat similar to Red City.  Similar themes include our protagonists sacrificing themselves and their dreams for another's safety/well being, Magic used to control/manipulate characters and the world, power imbalances.  Like Red City , it is set in the real world- with "something extra" added in. In Red City it is a spark of magic and in Mortal Things it is the involvement of a pantheon of gods that appear to be kind of generic for this book. (Gods of knowledge, love, death, lies and music etc).

Without any spoilers- our protagonist has been recruited as a harbinger of death.  At some point, she is elevated as a regent candidate and must pass trials- she's challenged by a very cheeky, quite sexy regent of lies and their entanglement is a major plot point of the story. However, mid story- readers will get quite a few surprises, the world will seem topsy turvy. Rose, our protagonist is finding out she's in much much deeper than she thought.  While some readers may not have liked this, I loved that sensation of "What is even going on!" This rush to find out what happens kept me listening for 2 hours into the night to finish up. 

Dare I say it- I think this is BETTER than Red City. It captures the yearning of Legend, and the Magic of Red City- as well as that gritty quality that Red City especially had- without overwhelming the reader with either.  If I have a criticism it might be that the pacing was very slow and could have been a bit more propulsive in the beginning and then very fast in the final chapters- which made the ending feel rushed.  

Eunice Wong and JiaLing Pan did a good job with the Narration. In the beginning I could tell the two narrators apart well, but by the end, I was not sure who was narrating and like all good narration, I sort of "forgot" that they were there! 

I believe this will be marketed as Young Adult. It is appropriate for young adults, though I would likely not purchase it for kids younger than 15. There is no inappropriate activities specifically, but there are some themes that may not work for the 11-14 yr old set. I may also be underestimating the 11-14 yr olds of the world, but...maybe not. 

STATS

First Published: 10/27/2026

Pages: 368

Available as an Audio Book :  YES 11 hrs

               Trigger Warnings: Death, death of parents, death of children, lies, deceptions, adoption, alcohol and drug use, monsters, orphans, capricious gods. 

(this is not a full list, read responsibly)

Book Review: Bogland - The secret world that defies death and protects life by Merritt R Turetsky

 I picked this book up for a prompt for the Hardest Reading Challenge You'll Ever do. 

One of the prompts is Biomes. 

Bogs,  bog people and Bog monsters/spirits/ fairy lights, time travelling via Bogs are all featuring heavily in certain fiction lately. 

I'm a super fan.  SO when I saw that W. W Norton had this volume up on Net Galley, I hoped I'd be approved for it! Since I do not always read a lot of Non-fiction, it was a wee bit iffy there. 

And I WAS! I LOVE THIS COVER. 

  

One of the things that I love about reading is that we can explore all aspects of something, from the mythic to the mundane. 

Turetsky is an ecologist and science communicator.  This book takes a reader on a deep, but engaging and understandable journey to learn and understand boglands, and their place in our environment. Although it is non-fiction, it felt like learning from a particularly enthusiastic friend. Chapters range from the science of bogs and bog life, to the famous bog bodies and even the role that bogs played in history both in the United States and beyond.  

Turetsky had me identifying with  a bog-  quite unusual, as an ecological outsider and somewhat misunderstood over time. 

This is was a very animated book and one that I enjoyed delving into.  For the right reader this would be a perfect gift, especially when paired with fiction like The  Bog Wife (Kay Chronister) or Sarah Mosses Ghost Wall.  (and the holidays are starting to creep upon us. 

Thanks so much to WW Norton for the advanced copy.  My opinions, of course, are my own. 

STATS

First Published: 10/13/2026

Pages:246

Available as an Audio Book :  Maybe? 

               Trigger Warnings: ecological facts, discussion of bog bodies. 

(this is not a full list, read responsibly)

Book Review - Behind the Gate By Amparo Davila

 This collection of short stories is a good one for want-to-be writers in any genre. 

I am not a Want-to-be writer in any sense, but I know what's good... and what offers a unique perspective and shows a reader and a writer a different way to approach things. 

  I'm a little sad to find out the author is deceased, but I am thrilled that her work is getting translated into English! Davila is a Mexican author and her work is so interesting to me as it was created and published from 1950's through the 1970's and beyond.  Such a different time than today, and I think her writing reflects that a bit , but is also somewhat timeless in the way that most great writing can be. 

Behind the gate is a short collection of stories. Each one is a master class in how to create and build tension without chainsaws, extreme gore or jump scares.  It's a great volume for a reader who wants to start to read horror but is not interested in engaging with some of the more familiar tropes. 

Each of these stories was uniquely written in the third person. At first I was a bit confused because the third person is so rarely used. Eventually I got used to it and rather enjoyed the idea that the narrator was telling it as it was, rather than a protagonist telling us their version. Secondly, Davila really economizes with her text. There's nothing flowery, or fluffy about her stories, they get to the meat of the matter, but don't leave a reader feeling like they were missing anything. The atmosphere that these stories create is gothic, creepy and so unsettling.  I felt like it was a master class in getting maximal impact from minimal words. 

If you're looking to add in one more spooky book, this is one I'd recommend. It originally has a pub date on October 13, but I am now seeing November 3 on the website. One to pre-order, perfect for a rainy afternoon. 

STATS

First Published:  Translated volume 11/3/26

Pages: 111

Available as an Audio Book :  Maybe? 

Trigger Warnings: death, insomnia, psychological terror. 

(this is not a full list, read responsibly)

Book Review: The Scarlet Ball by Nghi Vo

 RUN to your bookstore of choice and purchase this book. 

Ok, only if you are interested in some really engaging fantasy, with layers and layers to explore, with some amazing ball gowns to boot. 

So above is the US cover. 

Below is the UK Cover. 

 Which is your preference?  I'm going to tell you mine at the end. 

Set in an alternate gilded age NYC, this novel follows Judith Ban, an immigrant from Paris who is half running from a secret, and half surviving. She's working for a high fashion seamstress/milliner and once night she delivers to a high-society home. She's chased there by a massive storm, and once there, she is surprised by an offer that she can't refuse.  Judith soon enters society as a stand in for a missing relative.  While the novel revolves around the "season", balls, strategic socializing, and politicking amongst the New York powerful and wealthy, it addresses so many more aspects of life.  Judith must confront her own identity, desires and image to decide how much power she wants and what it is worth to her. Her sponsor also must address her shortcomings, and limits as she seeks to maintain appearances (and power). The supernatural elements of the novel expose the underbelly of this gilded age for what it often was- cruel, brutal and rigid - leaving lots of room for discussion- should one want to entertain a book club with this one. 

I want to talk more about the symbols in the writing, the plot, and the use of words in the book - but I am afraid I might... create spoilers. 

 I found it difficult to put this one down, and then regretful when I saw that i was so close to the end. 

    I am grateful to Macmillan audio for the Advanced listener copy. Natalie Naudus  was so good.  I prefer her, Eunice Wong and Sena Breyer above all others.  Highly recommend!

And YES, I prefer 100% for the first time ever- the American Cover!

STATS

First Published:  10/06/2026

Pages: 336

Available as an Audio Book :  Yes~11 hrs

Trigger Warnings: death, murder, storms, coercion, drugging, betrayal, demons, storms, floods, death of horse, death of person. 

(this is not a full list, read responsibly)

Book Review: Cozy Little Christmas, by RaeAnne Thayne

 So

Holiday Romance is not entirely my thing, but I was really leaning in a bit with a need for "CoZy"  so when I got an opportunity to read Cozy Little Christmas from RayAnne Thayne, I jumped at it. 

Narrator Carly Robins made it a smooth  and easy listen.  This is a book you should pick up IF you've ever wanted to read a Hallmark style Holiday movie instead of watch it. 

   We have a second chance romance between a music therapist who's living in her home town, surrounded by family and friends, and a grumpy police officer who's moved away but had to come back for the holidays. There's a second side plot also involving a woman and her father experiencing a second chance.   There is a lot of caroling, cookies, surprises and some snow.  There are no big plot twists or gotcha moments, all of the big reveals are strongly telegraphed so it's easy to guess ahead of time and then feel satisfied you got it right.  It's a very well constructed Cozy. 

And as such... it was a touch...boring for me.  That said, I was undergoing a ton of stress and it was nice to play this on audio as I was commuting to work.  My criticism is a bit unfair as the author really did  set out to write a cozy and did an excellent cozy. This is a book you can gift to your Mom, your aunt, your cousin, your white elephant gift with no fear. It will please those of us who needed something to read that wasn't that serious and didn't have complicated plot points!  

Will I delve into Thayne's whole collection? Probably not, but I will keep her books on speed dial for those moments when I need uncomplicated warm fuzzies. 

Many thanks to Harlequin audio for the Advanced Listener copy- all opinions are my own. 

STATS

First Published:  10/06/2026

Pages: 206

Available as an Audio Book :  Yes~11 hrs

Trigger Warnings: divorce, brain injury, memories of violence, death of parent, dog injury (dog does well), Illness, mention of cancer/chemotherapy and hospital treatment. 

(this is not a full list, read responsibly)

Book Review: Cousins by Aurora Venturini

I picked this one up for the Hardest Reading Challenge You'll Ever Do  - HRCYED 2026 

Once of the challenges is to read books with relatives in the title. Voila. 

THIS is a fantastic book, and I am glad I did have the prompt.  I am overall not finding the HRCYED to really be encouraging me to read more diversely or find new books.  Instead I find I am pocking around seeing what might fit what challenge and that is less fun than I expected.  The challenges involve things like "Weather on the cover"  which... well... isn't really that inspiring.  I hoped this would really lean into reading more diversely, but it's very easy to ignore that part and just read books with weather on the cover that are all romances, set in comfortable cozy small towns, or books with relatives in the title that are not at all diverse. So, will I do it again?  Right now I am thinking No  because I've picked up so many books to fulfill prompts that were particularly bad books. 

However, Cousins  is a wonderfully surprising small novel.  Translated From Spanish, this is an Argentinian author that published this in 2007 at the age of 85. 

I loved it.  The writing style is unique. The story is unique, and dark and funny all at the same time. I found myself alternately troubled, then giggling, then surprised all within about 200 pages. 

Without spoilers, our main character is Yuna and she reflects so many feelings over time that I could heavily relate to. She's disabled by a lisp, but she takes heart that at least she isn't in a chair like her disabled sister.  over time, she takes some art lessons, and while her family scoffs, her teacher sees her promise and sets her on a path towards her own independence through her skills.  Yuna narrates all the events she and her cousins experience in a straightforward and factual manner and her narration style improves as she ages and works to further educate herself.  Along the way, Yuna is witness to numerous tragedies that befall young women across the globe. 

There is SO MUCH to un pack and pick apart in these 200 pages. 

\There are family relations, obligations, friendships. There are power imbalances, and coming of age moments.  There's family expectations, and the behavior of women among themselves... and more. 

I did love this entire experience. I feel it is BEST on Audio book - especially as the unusual punctuation can just drive a person wild.  PERFECT BOOK CLUB BOOK for gen Z, but be cautious of triggers. 

STATS

First Published:  2007

Pages: 206

Available as an Audio Book :  Yes 6 hrs

Trigger Warnings: disability, SA, pregnancy, abortion, Child abuse, poverty, blood, feces, and urine mentions. 

(this is not a full list, read responsibly)

Book Review: Freedom's Daughters by Celeste Headlee

 When I saw That Celeste Headlee had a new book out, and it was on NetGalley- I simply hit the request button. No questions asked. Headlee spoke at one of our infection prevention conferences about how to have difficult conversations- her talk was from her book "We need to talk" of course. She was marvelous and we all still talk about her presentation from time to time.

I am continuing to have some issues with images loading here on Blogger. So if someone can help, that would be great, I am getting no help with the "help articles" 

Moving back to this very important and interesting book!

Headlee’s book brings history to life. The history that she shares is the history is many people are currently trying to erase, ignore or push down into obscurity. All of this is important, but the key piece here is that she makes it readable and relatable. Drawing from a decade of research she skillfully combines relatable family stories with the events of time times and brings it all together for readers.

I was only sad about having a digital copy because I had a lot of notes to take and areas I want to underline with exclamation points. Flatiron, I am so grateful for the e-copy, but I am gonna have to get the physical copy as soon as it comes out, of course!!.

I did receive an advanced listener copy as well from MacMillan Audio and I combined my reading with listening. Narrated by Headlee herself, this was fabulous. Headlee is a great communicator and I felt like the audio did enhance my read of the entire book.  It was great to do an immersive read. Having the author narrate meant that I was sure correct emphasis was placed where the author had intended.  AND, unlike some authors who really aren't also speakers- Headlee is a communicator.  Loved this. 

STATS

First Published:  10/06/2026

Pages: 320

Available as an Audio Book :  Yes 

Trigger Warnings: Education, Feminism (are these triggers?) 

(this is not a full list, read responsibly)