Book Review: The Dragon Has Some Complaints by John Wiswell

 

Many Thanks to Astra House Publishing/DAW  for an advanced E-galley of this novel. All opinions are my own, of course. 

This novel comes out July 14 in the US and July 16 in the UK. We do have a cover battle situation. I really was a fan of the US cover... and then out of an abundance of curiosity - I looked up the UK cover and now... I'm torn.  Of course, because I had an E-galley, I don't really have any cover at this point in time.  ALAS, AlACK, ALAY. I will eventually remedy that but will I find that UK cover?  I want that UK Cover, and I want that US cover. And I do not have that kind of book money. 

John Wiswell is an author that can really- really tell a tale. I was sure that "Someone you can Build a Nest In"  was going to win the Hugo last year. It did not but it was definitely in contention. 

I then picked up Wearing the Lion- and proceeded to just groan with laughter and love for our main characters. 

So- when I saw this choice from DAW, I was primed to wonder - what the heck is John Wiswell up to with a straight up dragon story. 

Reader friends, this is a dragon story with so much. So So Much, Heart, humor, drama, tragedy and joy that I had a hard time containing my heart.  BUT... it didn't start out that way for me. 

    It starts off with this very cantankerous 3 headed dragon that used to be a 4 headed dragon. As a dragon, our Main dragon character is beastly.  They smell bad, act cowardly and sullen, and are grumpy. Their body is broken and messy. They have terrible breath, and--- no one likes them.  I didn't even like them. They are it seems in some sort of war time situation with some dragons being tamed and pampered battle steeds for a human settlement, and many more resisting working with the humans.  Humans, of course, seem to eff everything up. 

   To be honest, I may have put this one down at this point, but Wiswell, that smart feller- he then hooked me in as our main Dragon character - MDC... finds himself wholly rejected by the Dragon community and in desperation, finds himself rescued by the humans after a battle. Once rescued, he is assigned a DISASTER HUMAN, Raina. 

    Wiswell had the nerve, readers- to write a character that was SO fully relatable that I thus was fully sucked right in and had to know what was going to happen to Raina, even though... she was so relatable-that I had a hard time really LIKING her. I recognized all of the parts of me that I am not particularly proud of- on display, in a book- that was not about me... but yet, was it? I had a couple of uncomfortable chapters there.  

 SO we start off with me feeling like our MDC is so despicable that no dragon will host him, and our MFC Raina is such a disaster that her kind also sort of shun her. 

NORMALLY- as readers, we generally....feel the pangs of sorrow and understanding for those underdogs of the pages.  Wiswell created such wretched creatures that I felt like I'd likely flinch away from both the dragon and the human.  AND THEN... HE MADE ME FALL IN LOVE WITH BOTH OF THEM. 

What the what.  What did he put in this one. 

 Chapter after chapter, I started to love the fantastic disaster that Raina honestly is, and the transformation of our MDC (Garrodigh) from a miserable broken creature into a focused, magnificent fearsome dragon. These two magnificent and imperfect creatures take on invaders who seek to destroy them, and uncover a secret that is even more fantastical. 

I had so many reactions and hot takes that I do wish I'd done a series of "video reactions" as I was reading, but alas, I do work a full time job - not in publishing or media- so you get this word vomit here. 

I was locked in until the very end. I will freely admit, there's something... in this novel.  I laughed, and cringed, and cried enormous tears. I shared one passage with a friend- one passage- and she was suddenly sobbing too. (ONE PASSAGE, not the whole book- she didn't know anything but that one passage).  I'd love to share that with you, but but but the book isn't out yet. 

PUT THIS ONE ON YOUR TBR. 

Firstly because the story - as it unfolds is marvelous.  There is some quirky, amazing worldbuilding and dragon lore which I am sure Wiswell got from somehow real time dragon interaction- no way he just made that all up in his head- (Dragon sleeping habits have to be observed)  An inventive floating city, aloft on dragon magic (I mean, yes please!) and more. 

Secondly because so many of us have said we want to read stories that represent all kinds of people.  And this dragon fantasy- has organic inclusion of disability, trans persons, elderly persons, mental health struggles and more. So many novels attempt to be "representative" and it reads as inaccurate, forced or performative inclusion. Not this one. All of this just flowed in a way that made me say- of course, yes, this is the way of things. 

Will I be lining up on release day?  It will depend on my book money situation, but I will definitely definitely be cheering this one on no matter what. 

First Published :  7/14/26

Pages: 400

Available as an Audio Book :  yes 

Trigger Warnings: death, xenophobia, fire, fire injury, bullying, war, war injury,  Alcohol use, injury, miscommunication "trope", (this is not a full list, read responsibly)

Book Review: Braised Pork By An Yu

 An Yu has been on my radar since I boldly resisted a copy of Ghost Music a while back on Net Galley.

I would gaze at the titles which are tempting indeed and then for whatever reason, sail on by. 

But this time, in a bold effort to meet my reading goal of "books completed" I decided to jump into Braised Pork- a novella that, on audio, lasts about 5.5 hours. 

This was such an interesting read.  I cannot say I had exactly a "good time" with it, but I can say it held my attention, and that days later, I'm still mulling it over.

I admit, I am NOT a fan of the minimalist- abstract-ish cover, but, I also don't hate it. It just didn't do much for me as a reader overall. 

    Weird Girl fiction is ALL THE RAGE  - at least over on the Book Tok.  It seems either one is a romantasy gal, or a weird girl reader- very rarely do the two mix it up.  I kind of like both, and I am going to make the case that Braised Pork is essentially kind of a weird girl novella. 

Set in Beijing and Tibet, we follow Jia Jia, a young woman who married for security it seems.  She was a painter, but hasn't been painting much. He businessman husband is found dead in a bathtub in their apartment. She's surprised but seems to move on from that with a disaffected style- starting an affair with the local bartender, and navigating some complex financial situations. All the while, she occasionally- not too often- starts to think about a drawing and a dream her now deceased husband shared with her. A dream of a man that was half fish with a man's head. 

As she glides through her life, picking up a few art jobs, and seeing the bartender intermittently, she becomes obsessed with the image of a "fish-man" that her husband described and drew for her after a business trip to Tibet. She begins to paint it, but cannot complete it. At this point, she decides the best action is to take a trip-- the same trip-- that her husband did. 

  Readers are taken on a wild ride through Tibet, discovering supernatural moments and a place where time seems to slightly- ever so slightly bend. Jia Jia returns with a better understanding of her world and her place in it. 

I'm still unsure if this is meant to be a piece of literary mood fiction with some magical realism, or a deeply symbolic meditation/depiction of mental illness.  I feel like I could make the argument either way and be ok with it, so I suspect - for readers- it's a "take the interpretation that works best for you at this point in time" kind of conclusion. 

 I loved that so much was packed into this novella that still manages to feel as if one is reading along on a slow moving stream. I was often confused, and left to ponder pieces here and there. This is a good one to savor on a weekend morning at a coffee house. Definitely recommend- especially if you've gone through all the "usual" weird girl recommendations and are hankering for more. 

First Published :  5/14/2020

Pages: 240

Available as an Audio Book :  yes ~ 5 hrs

Trigger Warnings:   alcohol use, death, on page sex (non graphic) , smoking, divorce, (this is not a full list, read responsibly)

Book Review: Dinner with an Astronaut by Leroy Chiao (with Victoria Bruce)

 

If you are following along with me in 2026, you know, I chose Outer Space as a reading theme for this year! I have been straying into some Science Fiction that isn't really space related, and several other genres as I've been offered various reading options.  So, when I saw this book listed on Net Galley, I jumped with joy!  I was even more excited because it was an audio copy, which is always helpful for me with my eye issues.

With this very appealing cover, I was so ready to dive into this one. Leroy notes he is the first "full blooded Chinese" person to go to Space, (his words- not mine!) and his experiences are fascinating. 

   The format of the book is meant to feel as if one is enjoying a meal with Leroy and he's answering some questions that most space enthusiasts have. As the audio is also read by Leroy himself, it has a bit of a homey feel. For me it felt as if I was experiencing one of those  "story worth"  creations where families choose prompts for their loved ones and create their own memoirs.  The main difference of course, is that Leroy has massively interesting stories about going to Space, doing Space Walks, and working with Russian and Chinese Astronauts. 

   I feel like the audio production could have leaned into this some more with an additional narrator to ask the questions and possibly even add in commentary, but- it might have been hard to do that without it drifting into the hokey category. As it is, the audiobook is an effortless read/listen that moved along with perfect pacing. 

    This is a good one for adults and kids to listen to together. Leroy covers his early childhood passions for planes and rockets, his education choices that lead to his astronaut candidacy and qualifications, and his training and missions as an astronaut. He has a lot of "flying" time, and EVA (Extra-vehicular activity) time in Outer Space, and so brings a great perspective - having experienced NASA through several iterations.  Also a good choice for book clubs, and readers who want to include some non-fiction in their reading diet. 

This comes out June 16, and would be a fun one for family listening if you are taking a road trip this year!

First Published :  6/16/2026

Pages: 256

Available as an Audio Book :  yes ~ 8-9 hrs

Trigger Warnings:   discussion of various space missions that resulted in deaths, alcohol use, marital issues, mention of some controversial political figures (this is not a full list, read responsibly)

   

Behind on your reading goals?

 It's June!!!  We are half way through this year! 

It's been a VERY long 6 months and I myself am behind on my reading goals. 

So... Of course reading is not a competition.  There's a content creator who always shows how she has read about 8 books a week, and I'm always a bit annoyed by that, but... I let it go,  let it go... let it go. I do not know how she does it, but, I also...know that she does a great job at promoting all sorts of diverse and interesting books, so... who am I to judge.  

I do wonder though, at a rate of 8 books a week- where is that time to sit with something and absorb and digest it?  But I digress. 

 I could... adjust my reading goal to have fewer books on it, but I decided instead to look for some shorter books, while continuing to read all the others I want to read. I MAY have gone overboard requesting some advanced copies- but there were SO MANY good ones coming out... 

If you are like me and find that life catches up to your reading, I have some recommendations for shorter fiction, that I believe is still meaningful and interesting. Many of them are books in translation, so you can beef up your reading of diverse reads with these!   Most are available at your library, so you can check them out without purchase!

Federal Art Project, S. Curb service 10,000 current books - convenient, free, time saving: Chicago Public Library, Randolph St. corridor. Chicago Illinois, None. [Chicago: illinois wpa art project, between 1936 and 1941] [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/98508385/.

Without Further ado: 

Murder by Memory by Olivia Waite 

This is a complete novella told in 2 hours. A closed room who-dun-it set on a generation ship in space.  For would be writers, this is a lesson in how to quickly build a world, establish a full story with well developed characters and bring that story to a close.  The pacing was Perfection.  She apparently has a few in this series if you start to like them! 

But Not Too Bold by Hache Pueyo

Coming in at just 115 pages, This is a sapphic gothic novella, with an eldritch like spider-monster-woman. It is a unique translated novella, with the translation crafted by the author. 

Cowboy Graves by Roberto Bolano

This is actually a volume with 3 novellas in one.  3 wildly divergent stories, all in translation as well. I honestly feel like, any description would just be wrong. 

Spring Garden  by Tomoka Shibasaki

You may be sensing a theme here with books in translation! This novella focuses on life in modern day Tokyo. Two lonely people come together over a tale of a spring garden. 

The River Swimmer by Jim Harrison

This comes in at 204 pages.  This novella is set in Michigan and follows two men of different ages who are both confronting life challenges in love, and environment. This felt very relatable, and also had some excellent descriptions of the Michigan landscape. 

The Language of Liars  by S. L. Huang is  a new novella. 

I have a Full Review of this one HERE   or if you feel a wild need to hear me chat about it:  Check it out here: 
 I really fully feel like this novella should be in the contention for a Hugo in 2027. Space Opera, with no human characters, just astounding and creative and fun! 

If you are looking for Romance to sweep you away in under 200 pages... Bad Blood by M. Malone may be the one for you. A RITA winner, 

This follows a typical romance format with familiar tropes- an off limits little sister, a broody main male character that's successful, and yet still single and just awaiting that one moment to throw all his morals aside for said off limits little sister.  At 234 pages, it is maybe longer than a typical Novella, but given it won a RITA for Novellas, I'm letting it be in the list!

I admit, I'm not a huge fan of contemporary romance, but.. romance in space?  For some reason, this... always makes me smile. 

Emily Michel creates an action packed novella with an alien on earth! Meretta - the Female lead is a quiet reserved librarian, who notices that this man's photo is most surely part of a 100 yr old collection.  What's going on? In 108 pages, you'll be taken on a wild ride. Emily has a second book coming out.  which is also novella length- so if you are itching to enjoy some alien novellas- these are really quite fun, easy to read and not extremely serious- so perfect for summer! 

  Which novellas have you enjoyed? Let me know your recommendations in the comments!  I am about 10-12 books behind on my reading goals, so... these may show up as full reviews soon! 

Book Review: The Wicked by Rebecca Johnpee

  If you follow my reading escapades.... you know I dip from time to time into utterly dark romance.  I never want to limit my reading to just one genre, and I find that these romances are really enjoyable.    This one, was really something! 

This Mafia romance is set in Italy, which is wildly different from most of the ones I've read. There's also an overarching plot which involves a heist, and a quest for a missing piece of art. 

   Street  is a group of friends who are wildly talented at getting in, getting the goods (be it information, property or something else) and getting out without being seen. All of Street's members have nicknames that link them to terrifically traumatic pasts- Milk, Zahara, Dog, Devil and Upper. (to be frank, I didn't care for either the name "street" or the nicknames, but the book was so engaging I was able to overlook it) 

Elio is a man on a mission- shaped by a cruel background- he's the head of a mafia conglomerate and he refuses to have any weaknesses. This leaves him feeling empty, and alone. He's desperate for someone to care about him, but he's also not about to admit that. 

Worlds collide when Zahara and her team are found by Elio and essentially held hostage until they complete a difficult job. 

As the job unfolds, Elio has to face his growing attraction to Zahara. It's complicated and she's unlike any woman he's met before.  

Seems simple enough, but in fact, there's a complex heist plot that could at times overtake the slow burn romance.  Side characters have well developed pasts and complex issues of their own going on, which make the novel more interesting and engaging, as there's more than just a tortured romance. 

This is the first in a series and does end on a truly wicked cliff hanger. I do find I need book two asap! 

   The writing is good, there is a tendency to use plot devices for information dumping (the entire Street team spends one night telling each other the origin of their nick names- which one would have assumed they would have done earlier) and it is easy to spot the "twists" coming up- BUT- this somehow didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story. 

The characters all have intense trauma in their past and I do recommend looking at trigger warnings before reading or gifting this one. 

I am very appreciative of Macmillan Audio which allowed me to listen and review for you! 

First Published :  11/25/25

Pages: 512

Available as an Audio Book :  yes ~11 hours

Trigger Warnings:   death, violence,  parental loss,  Suicide, references to past SA, Suicidal ideation, drug use, on page sexual encounters,  (this is not a full list, read responsibly)

Book Review: Headlights by CJ Leede

 Headlights is many things, but it is primarily a novel about the reverberations of deep, overwhelming, profound grief and loss.

I am very grateful to Tor for the Advanced reader copy.  I was so excited to read this, I did not even wait to see if an audiobook would be available. I just went for it. I was thrilled at the prospect of a new novel from Leede, and honestly, this one, is so creepy and atmospheric that I am unsure if I could have done the audio without crawling out of my skin.

I would share some photos of new jumpscares I have encountered in my neighborhood, but... they literally are just bushes. Bushes that will NEVER BE THE SAME- thank you CJ Leede! 

                                                                               

Covers sometimes sell books,  and the artist for this one is located HERE   - just in case you are interested, after all.   I love the cover, it really embodies the book. 

Readers meet Daniel - a hard boiled FBI agent whose chosen name is Daniel because of King's The Shining. Daniel has had a harrowing past, full of intense grief. When we encounter him, he's ready to leave it all behind and take on another stint of military service, but then... he gets a message that "It's happening again" He's compelled to return to Colorado- and work through a series of bizarre crimes that had perpetrators that are also somehow victims, and absolutely gruesome details. As an avid reader of old school detective/murder novels I was ready for this. I quickly became a "ride or die" for Danny- which is maybe why the twists and turns in the second and third act were pretty devastating for this reader.

When he suddenly finds himself a potential suspect- things start to go absolutely sideways - not only is Danny running from his law colleagues, he appears to also be running from his own past demons. Of course, these aren't all mental demons, because this is CJ Leede. We've got mental demons but also... ones that manifest out the night - Voom!

What he finds unearths a reckoning with himself and others, and a final solution that honestly I am not so sure I loved.- the last - 3rd act if you will felt a little forced, and possibly not quite as clear/neat as I  would have preferred. But, honestly in some ways, the way that it devolved into utter supernatural chaos fit the novel and I found myself just sitting, staring into space, wondering how on earth I could review this one with elements of Splatter punk, horror, myth and legend,  all tied up in a bit of a hair. I feel like the chaos and confusion really drove home the chaos and confusion of Daniel and his crew as the supernatural collided with reality. 

It this a book for book clubs?  Probably not your Mom's local library book club. Definitely not my local library book club! 

But readers who enjoy horror, splatterpunk, and a good detective story will find that this one offers a chaotic but well crafted multilayered and elegant meditation on extreme grief- and those reverberations of such grief through a life. 

                        First Published :  6/9/26

                    Pages: 400

Available as an Audio Book:  yes ~ 9-12 hrs 

Trigger Warnings:  Violence, body horror, loss of parents, parental incarceration, divorce, alcohol use, accidental and on purpose cannibalism, more body horror, ghosts  (this is not a full list, read responsibly)

Book Review: Palaces of the Crows by Ray Nayler

 I had the opportunity to read/listen and review the Palaces of the Crows by Ray Nayler - produced by Macmillan Audio. 

   This was my first book by Ray Nayler, and it was INTENSE. I am not entirely sure it is representative of his other works, but I do intend to check out more from him. 

This book is really quite unique and I noted several folks doing reviews didn't finish it. Crows, and Crow friends are kind of a hot commodity in the Book tok world  So perhaps readers were expecting one thing, and got something different. I personally initially ignored this one because I am wholly exhausted from the onslaught of World War Two historic fiction. In the current climate, it makes me feel some kind of way. that said, I'm glad that I took this one on, because it fed a piece of my soul. 

For me, this was a book that grew on me. The initial chapters- which introduced us to the main characters were admittedly not the most engaging/easy to follow, AND, they introduced readers to a bit of a bleak landscape and situation, which at times overwhelmed me with a sense of doom, and dread. As much as I didn't enjoy that, I have to hand it to Nayler.  I was immersed.  I listened to this as part of my daily commute and at the beginning found that I often walked into my house after my commute home with a severe sense of dread.  I finally fully comprehended that my entire sense of dread was Audiobook induced, and I started to enjoy Nayler's work more. 

     The basic premise - without any spoilers-  is 4 young people find themselves sandwiched between the German troops,  and the Red Army troops in a forest during WWII. They didn't know each other "before"  and their alliance seems to be one of the most unlikely ever. These children band together and are helped by a variety flora, fauna, and some humans.  But they are especially helped by a band of highly intelligent crows that one of them had befriended over the years. This survival story unfolds into a panorama of survival through mutual aid, loyalty, storytelling and a unique human/animal relationship. 

I stuck with this book, despite also not really vibing with the first part because I was curious about why Nayler had taken on this topic and decided to tell this story. I feel that it's worth it for the "third act" if you will which shows the eventual resolution of the desperate situation the characters began in and gave me a unique view on power, people in power, and the motivations of those who seek, obtain and maintain power. The choices made by the young persons- if they can be called choices- were heart wrenching. If someone had told me I'd be sobbing at any time reading a Ray Nayler novel, I would not have believed it, but I actually did shed a tear or two. The third portion of the novel really hits home. 

 This was narrated by Eunice Wong,  who showcased her talent to take on this project and deliver a reading that was clear, but also reflected many difficult emotions throughout the novel. 

This is a unique book, one that transported me to a very uncomfortable spot, but also left me with many small gifts and realizations.  I recommend it for readers particularly interested in difficult choices, mutual aid, and of course, human/animal relationships. 

First Published :  5/19/26

Pages: 384

Available as an Audio Book :  yes ~ 8 hours

Trigger Warnings:  War, death, violence, extreme cold, parental loss, loss of identity  (this is not a full list, read responsibly)