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!!!! 

Book Review: THe Grand Couvert By Eoghan Brunkard

   The Grand Couvert is a surprising novel I picked up because it had a Black Cat on the Cover. 

I'm not extremely into Black Cats or Grand Couverts  BUT, I had a reading prompt to read a book with a Black Cat on the Cover.  NOW.  I am fairly sure the person who did this bookstore reading prompt expected me to pick up some fluffy Halloween themed Rom-Com.  I was down for that, but this popped up on NetGalley and did look infinitely more interesting than a standard Rom -com.  

This was a unique read for me and I was sort of surprised and oddly charmed at every twist and turn in this novel. 

Probably my favorite twist was learning how the cat actually fit in to all of the business goings on at the time of the French Revolution. 

The French Revolution- yes it's the French Revolution, and we have a  reluctant participant- hero Edouard, who crosses paths with Edouard and offers him a chance he can't refuse.  All he has to do is find a secret relic.  And off we go... Edouard, and his team (who are ready for all adventure!) find themselves hot on the relic's trail.  They are, of course pursued by a Comte, or is that a Cat? You'll want to read to find out! 

I enjoyed this novel which was full of wry humor, and twists around every turn. This is a good one to buddy read with your history buff friend, as it's fictional but also highly accurate. 

   STATS

First Published:  05/01/2025

Pages: 332

Available as an Audio Book :  No 

Trigger Warnings: violence, political upheaval, death, troublesome feline, classicism

(this is not a full list, read responsibly)  

Book Review: The Oxygen Farmer, By Colin Holmes

  I found this novel while browsing through my library's audiobook collection. I was itching to get back to some Outer Space reading for my 2026 theme, and I was also looking for books that would fulfill any one of the prompts for the Hardest Reading Challenge You'll Ever Do. Voila. 

I do like the cover. It gives off a very 1980's Sci-Fi Vibe, and the character on the cover, does somehow capture the stubborn, ornery main character of the novel.  Sadly, I cannot find any credit for who designed the cover or did the art work, so I am deeply hoping this isn't AI. 

   

 Millennium Harrison is your typical farmer. He's elderly, crusty, dusty, and ornery. Oh, and he farms oxygen, on the Moon. No matter that he's estranged from much of his family, even grumpy, he would give the shirt off his back (even if it mean being exposed to radiation in immense amounts) to save you if he could. He's also- curious. When he stumbles on an area of the moon that has equipment he isn't expecting, he starts to ask questions. And while he's 
just asking questions- the questions turn out to be rather dangerous. They set into action a series of events that tumble and cascade like a set of dominos. There's a cover -up, decades old governmental secrets, and political scheming - all while Mil and his found and actual family are just trying to live their lives. Who will prevail? You'll want to read to find out. 

Holmes has created a very believable Sci-Fi novel drawing on recent international events. There is a good blending of plot, hard sci-fi elements and character arcs to bring in multiple types of readers. I enjoyed this novel, but, I admit- I didn't find it all consuming. The plot wrapped up maybe a little TOO neatly there at the end, but I can't complain too much as it was very satisfying that way! 

The audiobook was narrated by Keith Szarabajka. He did an amazing job, because 1 day later as I am writing this, I was thinking what an amazing job he did capturing the husk of Mil's 83 yr old voice, while also narrating the story smoothly - and also wondering who voiced the women in the novel.  Yeah.  It was ALSO Keith. He's not one of the narrators well known to me like Eunice Wong or Teddy Hamilton, but I'm a fan of Keith now. 

    STATS

First Published:  December 5, 2023

Pages: 320

Available as an Audio Book : YES!  (9 hrs) 

Trigger Warnings: violence,  nudity, , murder, medical trauma, torture, difficult family relations, Death of spouse, Death of parent. 

(this is not a full list, read responsibly)  

Book Review: Blood Rising by Markus Redmond

   I saw Blood Rising pop up on NetGalley in audio book form and I JUMPED at it. Thank you to RB media.  I was so excited to get approved for this one that I listened to it very quickly!  

This is Book two in The Blood Saga, which I think is going to be a trilogy.  Book One is Blood Slave.

Blood slave is set mostly in 1710 in the Carolinas on a horrific plantation- though one could argue that it was a typical plantation. We meet multiple characters including Rafazi, who is the lone survivor of the Ramanga, an ancient vampire tribe from Africa.  Vampires have very long lives and Rafazi has been enslaved - sort of - since 1407. Rafazi works to build a supernatural following that will challenge the status quo.  

It is a powerful book and highlights the absolute violence of daily plantation life. It's one that really brings up a lot of uncomfortable topics, and as it is historically inspired, and blended with the supernatural, it really opens up so many ideas. I really liked it. 

So of course, I was excited to get Blood Rising.  I've sort of sworn off requesting anything but audiobooks since I am still trying to review 8 regular net galley books. 

Blood Rising is narrated by Akin Omotoso and Waceke Wambaa who are both veteran voice actors- bringing the story to life.  While it isn't a graphic audio, the way that the characters were voices gave it a very "graphic audio" feel to me.  A movie in my head quickly developed and I could really SEE the characters as the audio book was playing. 

Blood Rising pick up on the reclaimed plantation- The Crimson Plantation and works through both external threats that are both human and supernatural, while working to resolve some internal disagreements. The intrigue was intense and I was never sure what was going to come next.  There was a lot of character development, especially for the character Kwadzo as he moves into more of leader position while navigating newly developed supernatural skills.  In addition we see introduction of new characters- both heroes and villains, and a dive into some of the background lore of these vampires, and their skills. 

My biggest sadness... Cliffhanger. There is a massive cliffhanger, that I can't wait to hear what happens in book 3! 

STATS

First Published: August 25, 2026

Pages: 432

Available as an Audio Book : YES! 

Trigger Warnings: violence, gore, slavery, systemic abuse, nudity, kidnapping, murder, medical trauma, torture, mental illness, supernatural abuse. 

(this is not a full list, read responsibly)  

Book Review The Eye of Goliath by Diego Muzzio

 This book has been described as a new, inventive twist on Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but frankly, I didn't see that come through. It may be that my familiarity with Hyde and Jekyll are a bit limited.  

This book was published originally in 2022 in Spanish.  It is now coming out in an English Translation on September 1! 

I've been reading a lot of weird girl books- and I was pretty happy to find this book nearly 90% populated with "weird" men. Also I love this dramatic cover, it was perfect. 

  We start with war  veteran Dr. Edward Pierce. He's a psychiatrist who's specializing in hypnosis, and treating well heeled war veterans with problems that lend themselves to being tucked into a Scottish manor well enough away from major city centers.  Dr. Pierce is attempting to use hypnosis for treatment, while most of the others in his profession are experimenting with electro-shock and other such treatments. Indeed a sort of subplot, or concurrent plot is Pierce's relationships with his colleagues across Europe, as he attempted to establish himself as pre-eminent. 

One day he admits a patient, a fellow war veteran, who had returned to his job as an Engineer, but after a subsequent traumatic experience on the job, has developed mutism and an inability to stop "swimming".

The patient is admitted and Pierce soon becomes fully committed to this unfortunate man, forsaking all other patients, and leaving them for his colleague.

Readers are given an opportunity to delve into the horror of war, and how it mangles all those it touches, and the subsequent horrors awaiting even those who came through that war unscathed.  I enjoyed this book, though I did find it a bit "dense" for only about 197 pages. I was personally a bit disappointed that certain parts of the story seemed to have very abrupt switches with little explanation, but such is the situation when one has multiple unreliable narrators! 

Will the be for everyone?  Maybe not.  But if one is looking for an atmospheric, somewhat terrifying horror novel that ties in both the supernatural and actual horror, this is one to check out.  I would LOVE to have this in an audiobook format, and that might have increased my enjoyment. In addition, reading it as a buddy read with a committed buddy might have also enhanced my enjoyment!  Many Many thanks for Pushkin Press for the advance E-Arc! I hope to see a lot of folks reading this for Spooky Season. 

STATS

First Published  2022  English edition 9/1/26

Pages: 192

Available as an Audio Book : hopefully 

Trigger Warnings: Animal cruelty, war violence, references to murder, actual murder, mental health, drug use, angry animals, hallucination.

(this is not a full list, read responsibly)  

Book Review: Demons and Diplomacy by Megan Frampton

 Oh how I have digressed from my outer space theme!  I sometimes cannot help just reading whatever strikes my fancy.

No fear- I am currently not happily reading an account of the Gemini missions and will report back on that as well.

But I digress. 

I picked this up as a "read now" from Berkley and I found it to be just a perfect summer read! 

Imagine you're living in Victorian England, specifically 1851.  Things aren't quite as the history books instruct. Yes, Prince Albert and Queen Victoria are present.  Yes the great exhibition is going to open. BUT - hear me out-  Victoria is a vampire...and she isn't the only supernatural creature in town! 

Readers meet Cora, who is an Ombudsman to the supernatural community. She's smart, savvy and organized.  She's the glue that holds things together and she enjoys making sure that everyone is treated equally. The Great Exhibition is too tempting for some Supernatural beings and Cora soon finds herself planning for, and escorting the actual Devil  for this event. 

And as luck would have it the Devil, has a devilishly handsome son- Marcellus. 

Sparks fly fairly early on in this novel, and once they do, things are complicated by the discovery of a secret plot to disrupt the peace, and she and Marcellus must join forces to combat this. 

I enjoyed this interesting mix of actual history with obvious "not history"  clearly Queen Victoria was never a vampire, but it's fun to think about what might be if she were! Cora is a fun main character, and I enjoyed her "can do it" attitude. Marcellus was an extremely typical broody, morally gray romance figure and fit very well into this novel. Neither character has a huge amount of depth, but the movel moved along without this character development. 

This was my first novel by Megan Frampton, and I think I would read more from her, especially when seated in a beach chair enjoying the breeze! 

STATS

First Published  August 25 2026 

Pages: 352

Available as an Audio Book : probably!  

Trigger Warnings: moments of questionable consent, insects

(this is not a full list, read responsibly)  

 

Book Review: One Shattered Crown By Rebecca Zanetti

   I picked this audiobook off of NetGalley in order to fulfill a prompt for a "re-re-re-telling" of a fairytale. 

In general I do not like Re-tellings. They just don't do it for me. Other LOVE them, but for me, I want something a little more original.  And YES- I know it's sometimes even more of a challenge to make a well know tale "fresh" or original. 

And thus we have One Shattered Crown

It does come with beautiful sprayed edges and a vibrant cover. Of course, my audiobook did not come with that cover! :) 

This is a Cinderella re-telling that is sure to be a big hit for Book Tok Romance readers.  We meet Ella and Justice, two young folk from two powerful tech companies and add in the Irish Mafia, and you may be seeing where this is going.

Ella is the disowned heir to a social media giant.  She's delicate like a Pixie, and a wild risk taker with a soft heart. She is stubborn and tough, but also of course, tiny and vulnerable. 

Justice is the tough Mob Boss who also heads up a different social media giant.  He's wary of Ella, as she is dangerous, but also- exceedingly attractive, so much so that the fact that she infected his brother with a virus that almost killed him doesn't really phase him. He has to have her. Justice is bound and determined to protect the reckless Ella, even when she requests that he cease and desist.

We can see where this is headed?  If you cannot, you have not read many of these romances. 

I enjoyed this novel.  It fits the mode of the mafia romance without any unusual twists or turns. I felt like the re-telling aspect was more of a nod to the basic Cinderella story, and this remake in the modern world, with  cell phones, high speed cars, and on-line presence really made it stand out as original in that sense. 

The Narration of this book by Emma Wilder and Lance Greenfield made the listen entirely enjoyable.  Both voice actors voiced the characters exactly as I imagined them in my mind!  I don't recall having either of these narrators prior to this book, so I am excited to discover new narrators that I enjoy! 

Readers who enjoy enemies-to-lovers, morally gray characters, and dark romance with power imbalances will want to add this to their shelves.  Many Thanks to RB Media for the Advanced Listener Copy. 

STATS

First Published  July 28, 2026 

Pages: 400

Available as an Audio Book : Yes  

Trigger Warnings: Animal cruelty, death of parent, gore, guns, drugs, kidnapping, assassination attempts, Dub Con.

(this is not a full list, read responsibly)