Review: We Are for the Dark

We Are for the Dark by Gretchen McNeil
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and DAW for the pre-release copy of We Are For the Dark by Gretchen McNeil. Below is my honest review.

Let's start with the pros:

Awesome setting - creepy, atmospheric, mysterious, gives that preternatural eerie feeling of dread from the start.

Good characters - the two MCs are developed and have some depth to them

Twisty plot with decent pacing

And the cons:

Predictable, unsatisfying ending

I like this author a lot, having enjoyed her YA horror/thriller TEN and absolutely loving her 2025 adult horror release They Fear Not Men in the Woods, which is an epic banger of a novel and you need to go read it immediately.

I'm glad she's branched into adult horror (get it, branched, after I just mentioned the book with "in the Woods" in the title???), and I hope she keeps going with it. But alas, this one wasn't my favorite of hers.

3.5 stars, rounded down to 3.

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Review: Blightfall

Blightfall by Brandon Sanderson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Delacorte for the pre-release copy of Brandon Sanderson and Janci Patterson's Blightfall, book one in the new Skyward sequel series Riftwake.

This is my second BrandoSando collab book this year, and boy was this one a winner (especially compared to the other *sad face*).

I had a hard time even realizing it was mostly written by someone OTHER than Sanderson, because they worked so closely together on the previous three Skyward side tales.

I had a blast with this one. Arturo and Sadie were fun POV characters, and the remaining cast really rounded out nicely. My favorite was Suki, the kitsen xenoanthropologist who was intrigued by and trying to document every little detail. And of course, I adored the slugs. The taynix always steal the show for me, but even more so because in this book they had their own little interlude chapters!

Can't wait for more in this world, as this one set up the next phase of Skyward universe so well.

Five stars, highly recommend (but please read the first series beforehand, or you'll be massively spoiled).

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Review: The Calamities

The Calamities by Chuck Wendig
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Del Rey for the pre-release copy of Chuck Wendig's The Calamities. Below is my honest review.

Ughhhh, Chuck, the majority of the time, your books are big wins for me, but this one didn't work for me at all.

The characters weren't really likeable or root-for-able, though I am hoping Key completes her quest and Silas was a creepy yet interesting POV. The plot was kinda messy and all over the place with a lot of extraneous complications, and the pacing was just off. I felt like there was a lot of potential that was spent on making things gruesome for shock value rather than put into the main storyline.

There was a lot of build up at the end, leading to something huge, but then it just kind of abruptly stops and you're left feeling like "that's it? that?" and that was disappointing.

I did like the concept of the soul-bargaining and the elixir, but I felt like it took a massive back burner to the convoluted plot.

I didn't hate it overall though, and I'll consider reading the second/final book of the duology when it comes out, to see if it picks up and utilizes all the potential built in this one.

I give it 2.5 stars, rounded up to three for a "didn't love it, didn't hate it, liked it I guess."

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Review: Dreamland

Dreamland by Olivie Blake
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Tor for the pre-release copy of Olivie Blake's Dreamland. Below is my honest review.

This is a hard one to review because it was VERY convoluted at the beginning, which made it hard for me to get into. But I pushed through, and I'm glad I did. Turns out, it was weird and confusing with unlikeable characters, but also compelling to watch things fall apart.

I'm not really sure how to explain my feelings, because I was drawn to the circling of the drain that Anya seemed unable to shake - she was drawn to the chaos like a moth to a flame, and I was drawn to watching her sink further and further like the call of the void.

But again, no one was really likeable in this one. No one made me root for them, not even the tortured Julian, even though he was probably the one I rooted for the most, as much as I could, I guess.

What a weird, confusing, but even still, entertaining book. 3.5 stars rounded up.

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Review: The House That Eats the Dead

The House That Eats the Dead by Max Doty
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Bantam for the pre-release copy of The House That Eats the Dead by Max Doty. Below is my honest review.

I love haunted house stories, and this is definitely haunted house adjacent. After the family moves in, the weirdest things start to happen and every member of the family begins to change.

I really enjoyed watching Claire grow to understand the house and its hunger. I felt like the pacing was on point, and I felt that the revelations along the way made total sense.

There were some really sad parts, especially due to the house's influence over the world after it eats.

I had to knock off a half a star because, well, Max Doty, you know what you did (hint: there is a dog in this book.)

All in all, a fantastic story. This is the second thing I've read this year that started as a reddit serial, the other being We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer, which was also top notch. Publishers take note, there are some badass writers on reddit and you guys should be stalking subreddits like "nosleep" and finding these gems.

Highly recommended for horror fans and haunted house (or haunted house adjacent!) stories. Four and a half stars, rounded down.

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Review: Reliquary

Reliquary by Hannah Whitten
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Orbit for the pre-release copy of Reliquary by Hannah Whitten. Below is my honest review.

What happens when you take a character desperate for a place in the world and adrift, a rich family with everything to lose, and smush the two together in a Lovecraftian isolated oceanside castle? You get this book, and I. WAS. HERE. FOR. IT.

No matter how many warning signs we see or the creeping sense of dread, it's impossible to put this one down. The saltwater tale seeps into your skin, into your organs, into your soul, and you just have to keep going to see what's going to happen next.

Absolute gem of a book. Five stars. Highly recommended for fans of horror, Lovecraft, isolated settings, creepy cultish vibes.

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Review: A Family Affair

A Family Affair by Jodi Taylor
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Headline for the pre-release copy of A Family Affair by Jodi Taylor. Below is my honest review.

Warning: Please note that this novel is the second in the Smallhope & Pennyroyal series, which is a spinoff of the Chronicles of St. Mary's and The Time Police series. It does have spoilers for some of the events of St. Mary's and the events of Time Police 6, in addition to the obvious references to the events of The Ballad of Smallhope and Pennyroyal.

I loved this one, which is par for the course for everything in the St. Mary's-verse. This one sees both of our main characters dealing with issues with their respective families, and jumps around a bit. It's nearly impossible to say much without giving massive spoilers, but I will say - Pennyroyal's story is a bit of a tearjerker, and Amelia's family dealings are quite a hoot to read, mostly because Smallhope is the queen of petty pre-emptive strikes and I'm here for it.

Highly recommended, but do take note of my warning above. This one does discuss the events of the rest of the St. Mary's universe books, especially the recent events of Time Police 6.

Five stars. GIMME MORE JODI! I NEED MOOOOOOOORE!

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