Book Review: The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow

 The Everlasting is one of the 6 books nominated for a Hugo Award this year, so it was high up on my list to complete before the awards are given out. 

I think it's a possible winner. 

That said, it is not going to be my choice for winner, although I have only read 4 of the 6, I am sure that I've read at least two that I enjoyed more.

That said, this was inventive, deeply romantic and tragic in a way that readers of One Dark Window and Wolf Worm are bound to LOVE. 

It's difficult to give a synopsis without spoiling at least one of the gentle surprises. But, I'm game to try. 

    We start our story by meeting Owen Mallory, a misfit and an outcast who's received a medal for bravery that even he feels he didn't deserve, and a discharge from the military with a post at a college teaching and researching literature.  Mallory struggles with family and social relations, but he's on point with his scholarship and is working on a project to provide a definitive translation of the story of a National Hero- Una the Everlasting. One day, he receives a mysterious book in the post. Generally not one to take risks, he risks transporting this book away and to a mysterious address. This action sends him on a journey for the ages. 

  In this novel with a tender love that transcends the ages, knightly battles, some dragons, and a villain who is also a victim. There are political machinations, and manipulation as well as a stubborn time loop. It really is a time bending, gender bending love story for the ages. On top of that, it's well imagined and stunningly well written. 

  For me, I did find it somewhat repetitive which of course can't really be helped in a time looping novel, I suppose.  In addition, it seemed to go ON and ON.  I was shocked to find out after bearing through the audiobook that the print is only 320 pages. The audiobook is 13 hours and 21 min.  An average length of audio book for 320 pages is between 9 and 12 hours.... and thus, after about 9 hours, I was a bit tired of Owen, his father and the woman who would be called Una. It was an honest relief when the story concluded in a masterful and gentle way. 

   I think it's highly possible this is a winner, despite it dragging on quite a bit for me. I think, quite honestly I'd recommend reading this one with the eyes rather than the ears. 

First Published :  10/28/2025

Pages: 320

Available as an Audio Book :  YES

Trigger Warnings: Violence, death, on page sexual content, alcohol use/abuse, war (this is not a full list, read responsibly)

Book Review: Zero Sum Game by S.L. Huang

 Earlier in April I reviewed  The Language of Liars  by S. L. Huang. 

I thought it was a really solid work of Sci-Fi fiction that I decided to check out more of their backlist.  One of the things I enjoy about this author is that they've written lots of books over time and not all are exactly Sci-fi. I know I'll get a good story but what exactly I'll get is a surprise!   

Zero Sum Game popped up as the first in the series, featuring a character named Cas Russell. 

I cannot decide which cover I like better. So I posted images of both, as they both sort of show different aspects of this high octane thriller style novel. 

Without spoiling this one... Cas is a loner, she mostly sticks to the periphery of society. She takes dangerous jobs and has good results- mostly because she is wicked good at math.  Let me tell you, I was ready for a novel where a math genius is also a total badass with a gun, fast motorcycles and an attitude to match.  I loved it. 

Cas takes a job after she was recommended by one person she trusts. Once she's working the job, she can't seem to disentangle herself from the situation. And, the situation is not safe or actually very sane. Has she uncovered a governmental secret agency or a strange society of insanity?  You'll want to read to find out. 

   I did feel this was maybe a bit rough around the edges, here and there, but, I also loved that it felt like I was immersed in an action thriller full of dangerous twists and turns.  This allowed me to overlook some of the uneven characters, and repetitive dialogue. It really didn't matter that much to me, as I was really in it to win it with Cas and her adopted crew.  I will be picking up book 2. 

First Published :  10/2/2018

Pages: 336

Available as an Audio Book :  YES

Trigger Warnings: Violence, death, references to drugs, mind control, LA traffic, guns, Math, vague religious trauma (this is not a full list, read responsibly)

Book Review: Milk, Blood Heat By Dontiel Moniz

 I picked this back list book up for a reading prompt from my local bookstore. I felt like I hadn't really been reading enough diverse books and the cover was beautiful. 

I would like any reader to recall that I am not a literary critic, and that all opinions are just my own when I admit that I really... really did not enjoy this collection of short stories. In part because I am not often a short story fan, and in part because I just...didn't. The writing is good, the stories are well constructed, and they really were self contained nuggets of Florida life.  I still...just kind of got the ick. I missed the electrifying, enchanting and thrilling aspects of a story about a teen suicide, a woman dying of cancer, and depression after a miscarriage. 

         This could be a book for a Book Club, but it would need to be a club with a skilled leader as the topics involve miscarriage, suicide, cheating, death and disease, all of which are extremely relatable in one form or fashion.  It is an excellent read for anyone studying literature or a writer wanting to improve their craft, as Moniz does handle the short story form with ease. 

I'm glad I delved into it, and I was also glad to return it to the library. One more notch on my book challenge done! 

First Published :  2/2/21

Pages: 208

Available as an Audio Book :  YES

Trigger Warnings: Disease, violence, killing/death, SA, Miscarriage, child loss, religious trauma (this is not a full list, read responsibly)

  

Book Review: All Hail Chaos By Sarah Rees Brennan

 I enjoyed this novel via Audiobook from Hachette Audio and Orbit! 

I grabbed this from Net Galley in part because Narrators Moira Quirk and Shane East. I knew they would make the fantasy elements come to life.  It was most surely not because of the cover, which, has a charm to it, but not a charm I was affected by. 

This is book 2 in a series, and I think if you're interested, reading book one is a good idea.  Rae is unwell- literally, but she's found a way to slide into her favorite unfinished fantasy novel. This is the dream of so many readers! In book two, her sister, - who is literally not unwell- notes that the story she remembered is not the same, but she has no idea that it's Rae who's affecting the changes and not her memory. There's a definite Fourth Wall vibe to the book that I was there for! 

   Rae's all in the world of Time of Iron- she believes it may create a cure for her disease. While most readers would jump into a hero role, Rae's solidly embraced the villain. All Hail Chaos begins right where the first book left off, and Rae is left surprised that the plot she remembers is not the plot she is living. 

This novel is tagged as a "Meta-Novel" and it lives up to this with references, and commentary to popular literary tropes, other fiction, and reader behaviors. It's funny, and tender and touching.  I felt like the representation of someone facing a serious illness was spot on, and that his book is worth reading if just for that. 

  The book does seem to fall prey to many second in a series books- lots of snappy lines, twists and some jaw dropping reveals, but not very much movement of the plot. 

That said, I had a good time with this read. The narration helped me move swiftly through the chapters. It might be one for the fantasy reader in your life- which might be you! 

First Published :  5/12/2026

Pages: 480

Available as an Audio Book :  YES

Trigger Warnings: Disease, violence, killing/death, body corruption, body horror. (this is not a full list, read responsibly)

Book Review: The Girl with a Thousand Faces by Sunyi Dean

  I requested this one on Net Galley  mostly on the strength of the cover.  I mean... look... look at this cover! 

Lucky for me, the audiobook was available  and I sunk into  the world, with the narrator Natalie Nadus disappearing in my mind, replaced by the sounds and smells of Post War Kowloon!  I love her narration because it really is transportative. After a few minutes, I am entirely immersed in the world, and forget I'm just sitting with headphones in rush hour commuting. 

  It's advertised as 'Gothic"  but I'm not sure that Gothic really applies that well to this one. While there's a lot of ghostly happenings and some horrible occurrences, I didn't have that creeping feeling of building and growing fear with this novel that I have gotten with other recent "Gothic" reads- WolfWorm (T. Kingfisher) or Japanese Gothic (Kylie lee Baker). It's got something different, a more shimmering quality than creeping dread. 

I'm going to call this the most Book Club Book I've read all year.

What makes it PERFECT for book clubs?  Well, it has a little bit of all the things that will appeal to a broad base of readers. 

Without Spoilers, Dean takes readers through a time pre- and post WWII Hong Kong and some outlying islands. This part of the narrative is meticulously researched and feels very accurate. Over top this is generously layered a dose of the supernatural- where ghosts flit in and out and can only be managed by exorcists and ghost talkers. The ghosts aren't just made entirely out of Dean's imagination, however, they are created and steeped in cultural beliefs about ghosts, and how to treat and interact with them over time. 

So all rolled into one we have historical fiction, a bit of a war drama, some messy family relations, the supernatural, and fiction that highlights cultural ideas and beliefs over time.  If that isn't a perfect book for the Book club to dive into, I don't know what is.  It's only missing a strong romance, and honestly, for the majority of book clubs, strong romances aren't the best for discussion.  (Unless of course it's the Stabby and Smoochy book club because we are all about ROMANCE) 

 I had not read Sunyi Dean before, and I think I'm going to have to pick up the backlist! 

First Published :  5/5/2026

Pages: 320

Available as an Audio Book :  YES

Trigger Warnings: Abuse, trauma, mental health, violence, ghosts, violent ghosts, War, drowning, brief mention of suicide, death, body horror (this is not a full list, read responsibly)

Book Review: Half City By Kate Golden

 I wanted to LOVE this book.  I saw it on Net Galley and decided not to request it as I already had several ARC's to give feedback on, but I popped the audiobook on hold immediately.  The cover was awesome and I wanted to love this. Did I love this?  Did you read it? Did you Love it? 

This promised to be a pretty darn good time. The premise is that a young woman - who is a demon hunter at night and a literal disaster during the day, finds herself unexpectedly invited to attend Harker University, a school for other demon hunters. 

Yes- this is magical academia, for adults. Think Harry Potter, but with adults. Think Fourth Wing without dragons.  Please, though, whatever, you think, don't think you're going to read anything unique or different. 

   This was, frankly, predictable and boring. Viv has a tragic background pasted on her. She has a loyal group of demon hunting besties and one friend who is unawares of all these things.  This friend pretty much exists as a prop. I kept hoping the friend would turn out to be more than what she was made into, but no dice. 

She agrees to attend the school in order to find out more about her tragic backstory, and finds herself attracted to the Hot professor- who's actually... a demon. 

The plot meanders around, with several breaches in the integrity of the schools "impenetrable walls"; a student goes missing, and her own friend group decides it's most appropriate to attend a lacrosse game before looking for clues about her even after they've decided her absence is fishy, and some other various "hints" being dropped as to what's about to happen. There were other odd phrases in there, such as the main character, written as an American consistently saying "I should have rang him back"  which is distinctly not in America's vernacular. In the end yes, the reveal happens and we end on a cliff hanger. 

The more I write this review, the less I like this book. So I think I should cut to the chase.  This is a book for a reader who's read Fourth Wing and really wants something almost exactly like it. I probably would have enjoyed this a lot more but it was OVER 16 HOURS on Audiobook.  It has an appearance of Teddy Hamilton, which- unfortunately for me- his voice is SO distinct now that it took me out of the story as I was like - OH  what's Teddy Hamilton doing here at the Demon Bar? 

  I gave this 3 stars. It was to me a very average book, that will appeal to some readers, but did not really even make me giggle or kick my heels at what was a somewhat cute romance. I reviewed it also for the Social Media so if you want to meander over there and give that a like, I'd appreciate it.   I was just somehow over it at 8 hours into the listen. I wanted to love this. I wanted to suspend reality and go demon hunting. I found I just wasn't up for more "sparring sessions" gates being breached for the first time in never, and the predictability of this one. Hopefully I'll land on something with a bit more substance soon! 

STATS

First Published: 12/1/26

Pages: 496

Available as an Audio Book :  Yes  16.5 hours 

Trigger Warnings:  Violence, Deception, alcohol and drug use, death, supernatural creatures, forbidden romance (professor /student both of age), kidnapping, poison

(this is not a full list, read responsibly)  

 

Hugo Awards nominees!!!

 I am so excited about the Hugo Awards every year! 

There are 6 books in the Best Novel category this year.  I'm  actually not entirely sure how I feel about these selections. I've read 3 of them, and have to get to the other three. 

Because I have read so many of the novels already I think I will branch out into the novella category aw well (As I've already read a few of them also!) 

Here's the rundown for Best Novel! 

BEST NOVEL NOMINEES: 

• A Drop of Corruption, Robert Jackson Bennett (Del Rey; Hodderscape)
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• The Everlasting, Alix E. Harrow (Tor US; Tor UK) 
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• The Raven Scholar, Antonia Hodgson (Orbit US; Hodderscape) 
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• Death of the Author, Nnedi Okorafor (Morrow; Gollancz)
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• Shroud, Adrian Tchaikovsky (Tor UK; Orbit US) 
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• The Incandescent, Emily Tesh (Tor US; Orbit UK) 
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Out of the Six, I've read A drop of Corruption, The Incandescent and Death of the Author.  I have partially read The Raven Scholar, but couldn't finish it in time for my library loan. So I will have to tackle Shroud, The Everlasting and finish up The Raven Scholar. 

From my reading the three are all strong contenders. I enjoyed all three in various ways, but I'll say that Robert Jackson Bennet's Drop of Corruption really tops the list for me. I just don't know that he can win two years in a row.  I don't think Okorafor's book was well liked, despite it being well written, with great presentation and an interesting story. I personally enjoyed it, but didn't love it. The Incandescent was great fun, but didn't have the pull of Some Desperate Glory which won a few years back. So... I've got some reading to do. 

Which ones are on your radar? Will you be joining me inreading all six?