Review: Butterfly Effects

Butterfly Effects by Seanan McGuire
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Tor for the pre-release copy of Seanan McGuire's Butterfly Effects. Below is my honest review.

It's no secret that Seanan McGuire is one of my absolute favorite authors. I'll shout about her works from the mountain tops. She's so good! And this one is further proof that she walks around on the daily with ENTIRE WORLDS living in her head. I have no idea how she gets anything done when all of these stories and characters and alternate dimensions and storylines all take up space in her noggin!

But she gets them down on paper and shares them with us, and I'm thankful for that.

This one picks up some of the threads left behind after Sarah's books and weaves them back into the main story again, and I am absolutely thrilled with how this one went down. What a ride!

I can't say too much without spoiling things, but I think if you've read the rest of the series, the payoff of some longstanding story threads will really satisfy you.

Five stars, highly recommended, but you're going to spoil most of the rest of the series if you pick this one up first. It's a culmination of so many character storylines that it's a bad place to start.

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Review: The Fox and the Devil

The Fox and the Devil by Kiersten White
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Del Rey for the pre-release copy of The Fox and the Devil by Kiersten White. Below is my honest review.

I'm gonna be completely honest. I saw Kiersten White and I clicked request. I'm not even entirely sure I read the blurb before starting this one, because the farther I went in, my brain was like, "did you know this was a Van Helsing/Vampire-esque novel?"

And it was exactly what I needed. I love vampy stuff, so I was pleasantly surprised.

I really liked the side characters, especially Maher and Mama, and really enjoyed watching the team track and hunt a killer over the course of a few years. It was a fun ride.

Definitely recommend to horror-ish mystery fans.

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Review: When I Was Death

When I Was Death by Alexis Henderson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for the pre-release copy of When I Was Death by Alexis Henderson. Below is my honest review.

When I Was Death is about a lot of things. It's about a girl getting roped into a deal with Death to travel with a group of other girls who made deals and reaping souls for him. It's about a girl dealing with the death of her sister and putting her life back together. It's about a girl coming into her own. It's about forming friendships and realizing that people aren't perfect.

Where it shines though? It's a book about grief and processing loss and finding ways to move forward in a world that isn't the same any more.

Absolutely loved this book. I read it in 2 sittings, as it was very compelling and hard to put down.

Definitely recommend this to Henderson fans, but also recommended to YA-adjacent fans, horror-adjacent fans (I definitely wouldn't label this horror, but it's a little dark), and people who just like good compelling stories.

Five stars.

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Review: Trust No One

Trust No One by James Rollins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and William Morrow for the advance copy of Trust No One by James Rollins. Here's my honest review.

What a rollercoaster! It's been a while since we've had a James Rollins standalone. He's got Sigma Force, going on forever now. He's got fantasy stuff. He's got some side stories about Tucker and Kane, but it's been since what, Altar of Eden, that we've gotten a new standalone? And it was worth the wait.

This one does not disappoint. A small group of college students is thrust into a very dangerous power struggle between two factions that have been warring for generations - the Brotherhood and the Guardians. What are they fighting over, you ask? The treasures of a historical figure, the last of which supposedly includes the secret to extending life far past the normal limits.

Alas, the evil Brotherhood didn't foresee this group of meddling kids getting in their way.

Trust No One was a LOT of fun, and I highly recommend it to thriller fans, Dan Brown fans, fans of Rollins' other work, Steve Berry fans, etc.

Five stars.

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Review: How to Get Away with Murder

How to Get Away with Murder by Rebecca Philipson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's for the pre-release copy of Rebecca Philipson's debut novel, How to Get Away with Murder. Below is my honest review.

What a way to start off 2026... with a banger of a five star read. One of the best debut novels I've ever read (and I read a lot of those!), so Rebecca Philipson, you've got my attention!! I can't wait to see what you do next.

I will say there are a LOT of potential triggers in this book, mostly from the chapters discussing the cold cases/Denver Grady speaking on his past murders, which involve all sorts of content warnings. But also because the main character is dealing with the fallout of a colleague in her office SAing her. So be warned going in, this could trigger you. Philipson doesn't go into much detail on that, and the emotional arc for the main character is overcoming the trauma this has caused her and regaining her strength, and it's done with aplomb and power.

Hard to put down, compelling, and really, really, really good.

Five stars. First read of the year and I highly HIGHLY recommend picking it up if you read mystery/thriller and are okay with some grit.

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Review: Nowhere Burning

Nowhere Burning by Catriona Ward
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Tor Nightfire for the pre-release copy of Nowhere Burning by Catriona Ward. You'll find my honest review below.

Wow. Just... wow. This book slammed straight into my heart. I absolutely loved this one. The twists, the turns, the traumas, the triumphs, the devastation of abuse and being powerless, loss, grief, hope, finding strength... so many big feels and big psychological explorations.

This is my first Catriona Ward, beyond a little shortie through Amazon's Original Stories (Night and Day in Misery, part of The Shivers collection) that I really enjoyed, but this will not be my last.

I really don't want to spoil things, because the synopsis does a fantastic job of giving you a picture of the plot setup, but it doesn't really prepare you for what's to come. And the "what's to come" was what really pushed this novel into becoming one of my favorite reads of 2025.

Five stars, highly recommended, but gird yourself - there are potential trigger warnings all over with this one.

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Review: First Sign of Danger

First Sign of Danger by Kelley Armstrong
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's for the pre-release copy of First Sign of Danger by Kelley Armstrong. Below you'll find my honest review.

ALL the stars. Extra if I could.

I love love love this series (from Rockton #1 all the way through until this one, Haven's Rock #4), and this one was no exception. Twists and turns and a dark mystery to solve.

There were some touch and go moments in this one that were hard to process, but I can't spoil anything so I won't say what they were.

All in all, another fantastic entry into Armstrong's delectable Yukon settlement series. I was super sad to see the note at the end that said to look out for Casey and Eric's final installment in February 2027. I don't want another one of my favorite series to end. Sad.

Five stars, highly recommended, but please don't start here. This is like 11 books deep into a series and its spinoff. You'll spoil so much for yourself if you start here. The series is entirely bingeworthy, so do yourself the favor and start at the beginning.

Sad to see the note at the end saying the final Haven’s Rock book will be Feb 2027. Another of my favorites ending :(

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