Weekly recap - 2 Aug 2026

Happy Sunday, all! Welcome to the weekly recap. 

This week, I reviewed

Gingerbread Bones - survival horror becomes fairytale horror

A Reader's Guide to Terry Pratchett - from the great man's earliest beginnings to 1999

The Killing of a Chestnut Tree - the gay Sherlock Holmes we always deserved

How to find a Nameless Fae - middle aged heroine is competent, film at eleven

This week, I read

There and Back Again - the history of the best films ever

Morfran, Dark Lord Reformed - sounds like a Tumblr prompt, is actually really good

The Killing of a Chestnut Tree - yeah, I got a bit close to posting date there

Daggerbound - Angry immortal sword spirit meets marshmallow scholar

It was cosies and fun this week!

Coming up 

Cosy, romance and heartfelt, what else could you ask for?

TBR check in 

Because I've been on holiday, my TBR is at 38 (it'll probably shoot back up when I go back to work next week!) Fantasy is still the biggest, but comtemp, romcom, sci fi and horror are all hanging in there, and I expect horror to grow a little over the next month!

How to Find a Nameless Fae by A J Lancaster

What happens when a first-born bargain goes wrong?

Princess Gisele was pledged in payment before she was even born, after her mother failed to guess a fae sorcerer’s true name. Gisele has spent her life dutifully preparing for the day that fearsome mage will return to claim her.

But it’s been decades, and he still hasn’t shown up.

Which would be great, if the unfulfilled fairytale-debt wasn’t wreaking increasing havoc on her life. When it reaches unbearable levels, Gisele takes matters into her own hands. Terrifying sorcerer or not, she’ll hunt him down and force him to relinquish the debt.

But instead of the evil mastermind she expects, she finds a nameless lord of a magical house. He wants nothing to do with the angry knife-wielding spinster on his doorstep, but the fairytale-debt has other ideas.

Now magically bound to her lifelong nemesis, the only way to break the magic between them is to work together to find the nameless lord’s lost name. Assuming they don’t strangle each other first.

The Killing of a Chestnut Tree by Oliver K Langmead

Everyone in England knows Havelock Harper, the celebrated consulting detective, from the cases published in the papers. If any of them read his secret files, they would discover a very different man. His most fantastical cases must never reach the public eye, and nor must the love he shares with his stalwart companion, the formidable Major Sebastian Wright.

The Duke of Farleigh has been killed, and Havelock Harper summoned to the secluded Farleigh Forest to solve his murder. When he and Sebastian arrive, they discover a greater mystery. The trees of Farleigh have begun to speak, writing words into their leaves and bark. The victim is one of those an ancient chestnut, cruelly chopped down.

Why has the forest begun to speak? Why would anyone cut down the Duke? And how can Farleigh’s gentle, quiet paradise survive this crime?

Blog Tour: Finding Arthur Whittle

Hi all! We're taking part in the blog tour for Finding Arthur Whittle today. Follow the jump for an extract and all the details of this exciting read!

Happy #BoookBirthday! 30 July 2026

Happy Thursday! This week there are FOUR books on our lists publishing!

A Reader's Guide to Terry Pratchett by Marc Burrows

Terry Pratchett sold over 100 million books worldwide, was translated into forty languages, and became one of the most widely loved writers of the twentieth century. His work, including the Discworld series, is often praised for its wit and invention, but less often examined for what it really is: one of the most sustained and coherent philosophical projects in modern popular fiction.

From the author of The Magic of Terry Pratchett, the Locus Award-winning first biography of Sir Terry, The Terry Pratchett Reader’s Guide takes Pratchett seriously as a literary figure without taking the fun out of him. Moving chronologically from his earliest short stories through to 1999’s The Fifth Elephant, this first volume charts how an angry young journalist from Beaconsfield turned genre parody into something far more ambitious: a body of work concerned with belief, power, identity, and what happens when enough people believe the same thing at once. A second volume will cover The Truth (2000) through to Pratchett’s final novel, The Shepherd’s Crown.

A reader’s guide written for readers, not academics, complete with jokes and footnotes of its own, each chapter explores a book’s themes, cultural context, and place in Pratchett’s development, tracing the connections between the man, the work, and the world around him.

Whether you’ve read every Discworld novel multiple times or are wondering where to begin, the Readers Guide is a new way to understand what Pratchett achieved: a serious meditation on justice, belief, and what it means to be human — with terrible puns, endless cups of tea, and the occasional joke about bums.

Gingerbread Bones by Lindsay Lovise

They're being hunted…

When sixteen-year-old Georgie and her troublemaking brother are shipped off to the wilderness for their stepmother’s newest reality show, Georgie is convinced it’ll be the worst experience of her life. Two weeks. No phones. Hiking. Camping. Cameras catching every humiliating second.

Then she meets Mack Gray. Tattooed, unreadable, and―among a cast of kids already branded as trouble―he’s the one she’s sure is dangerous.

One night, the counselors are chanting affirmations around the fire. By morning, they’re gone.

But the kids are not alone.

Georgie can feel it, stalking them from the shadows―watching, waiting, picking them off one by one. Whatever it is, it isn’t just hunting.

It’s playing.

And in this game, there seems to be only one ending: no one gets out alive.

Weekly recap - 26 Jul 2026

Happy Sunday, all! Welcome to the weekly recap. 

This week, I reviewed

Just as long as we're Together - classic teen story that still hits today

Here's to you, Rachel Robinson - the companion to the above

and then we screamed - teen anger is visceral 

The Imagitorium - Sarah Beth Durst's new triumph

This week, I read

Gingerbread Bones - a teen horror with a great fairytale link

Tendrils - the follow up to the story based on an 80s cartoon

How to Find a Nameless Fae - fantasy with a great fairytale link

I am the Night - a close look at the creation of the animated Batman show

Sunny Days - a look at Sesame Street and its contemporaries

Apparently I just wanted to read things based on other things this week

Coming up 

It's back to cosy fantasy while I'm on my holiday!

The Imagitorium by Sarah Beth Durst

It’s really very impolite to ask anyone to risk life, limb, and extra limbs without giving them a choice.

Shy daydreamer Amelia has been looking forward to this day for as long as she can the day she, as a ten-year-old, finally gets to enter the magical Imagitorium and create her very own imaginary friend.

But when she walks out of the Creation Room with Ruru, a fluffy, bearlike being with butterfly wings who gives excellent hugs, and into a scene of pure chaos, she quickly realizes that something’s gone very wrong. The Imagitorium is so much bigger than anyone outside knows, filled with dragons and sea monsters and candy cyclones, and now it’s starting to fall apart. The Caretaker is missing, and it’s up to Amelia to find her.

Amelia knows that she’s never been a hero, but… maybe she can still help?

and then we screamed by Holly Bourne

Everything was perfect in the small town of Maple Lakes...until the cheerleaders started screaming.

Clover wishes something would happen in her boring high school - so she can spend more time with her crush Brody, covering it for the school newspaper. But she never wished for this...

When cheerleader Abigail starts screaming in the middle of an exam, people laugh. But as more girls start breaking into uncontrollable screaming fits, it's clear something is seriously wrong. The authorities don't have a clue what's happening - so it's up to Clover and Brody to investigate. What they discover is a darkness beneath the perfect veneer of Maple Lakes - and it is spreading fast.

Happy #BookBirthday! 23 July 2026

Happy Thursday! This week there are TWO books on our lists publishing!

Here's to you, Rachel Robinson by Judy Blume

Trouble in Rachel's family is spelled with a capital C—for Charles.

From the outside, Rachel looks like the perfect daughter in the perfect family. She’s a straight-A student, a gifted musician, and a good friend. But her older brother, Charles, seems determined to ruin everything. Rachel feels as if it’s all falling apart. Her best friends, Stephanie and Alison, find Charles funny. They urge Rachel to lighten up and enjoy the end of seventh grade. Easy for them to say. Not so easy for Rachel. Not even when Jeremy Dragon, the coolest boy in ninth grade, notices her. Is it possible that perfection isn’t the key to an exciting life?

Just as long as we're Together by Judy Blume

Stephanie and Rachel have been best friends for years, in spite of their differences. Alison is new in town, and immediately becomes an integral part of their group. But is it possible to have two best friends? And how can you call anyone a friend if you can't tell them your most painful secrets?

Weekly recap - 19th July 2026

Happy Sunday, all! Welcome to the weekly recap. 

This week, I reviewed

Natural Selection - boy vs bear has never been so literal

Dead Teenager Movie - horror that's aware of its own tropes

You Only Live Twice - romance that's genuinely different

Alex, by Proxy - a difficult read, but worth it

This week, I read

and then we screamed - Holly Bourne being angry as only Holly Bourne can

The Imagitorium - I can't even talk about this yet

A Reader's Guide to Terry Pratchett - a look at the first half of his career, from schoolboy writings to halfway through the Disc

Coming up 

It'll depend on whether Edelweiss approves me, but I'm hoping for a media themed week!

Alex, by Proxy by Karen Cantor

HARROWING NEW DETAILS IN ‘MONSTER MOMMY’ CASE… SHOCKING INFORMATION SURFACES AS ‘MONSTER MOMMY’ CASE HEADS TO TRIAL… HOW COULD A MOTHER POISON HER SON?

Welcome to sixteen-year-old Alex’s life, ripped straight from the headlines.

Alex is a victim of Munchausen by proxy, but he’s also a witty, sarcastic kid with unusually good crossword skills and a penchant for astronomy. At least he used to be. Now that he’s recovered from years of illness induced by his mother, he sort of has to figure out who he is all over again… And most importantly, he’ll have to decide if he can testify against the woman who gave birth to him.

As Alex awaits the trial, his friends convince him to start a podcast as a way to tell his story. Together, they create “Lethal Lullaby.” The podcast brings Alex closer to his old life—hanging out with friends, cracking jokes, having fun… At the same time, new memories surface and disturbing revelations come out, forcing Alex to acknowledge that the podcast could be making things worse. It seems like he’s got deeper issues than he’d like to admit–and this time, he can’t blame them on his mom.

Day by day, Alex’s mental health crumbles, until he can no longer distinguish between truth and fiction. Should he trust himself to testify? And if he gets up there, what version of the truth will he share?

You Only Live Twice by Autumn Allen

Barely one week into senior year of high school, Boston native Zakiyyah is making her 2012-2013 Get Free Plan.

Step one: quit high school. (PSA: There are other ways to get to college!)

Step two: live like it’s Ramadan year-round.

As she gets deeper into her Plan, she starts to wonder if there’s someone out there who would be a good companion. To everyone’s surprise, Zakiyyah decides she wants to get married. But there are some complications.

Problem one: she’s never met a guy she liked. Zakiyyah’s family (reluctantly) and friends (eagerly) agree to support the search.

Problem two: what’s the secret to choosing a good life partner?

Enter Musa, by way of mutual friends. With marriage in mind, Zakiyyah and Musa get to know each other, progressing from email to instant messaging to phone calls. Things are going well… thrillingly well… until tragedy strikes Boston. In a moment of heightened emotion and stress, Zakiyyah and Musa have their first major disagreement.

Zakiyyah can call the whole thing off. But with or without Musa, what does it mean to live on her own terms?

Happy #BookBirthday! 16 July 2026

Happy Thursday! This week there are FIVE books on our lists publishing!

Dead Teenager Movie by Cethan Leahy

She loved scary movies… until she had the starring role.

A spree of murders is haunting Cork city, leaving behind stories of ghost parties and dismembered janitors, of dead diner owners and folkloric entities.

Die-hard horror buff April ignores it all for one perfect weekend of debauchery with Carl and his group of rich, hot and dangerously irresistible friends.

Together, they head to the West Cork countryside for an unforgettable trip before college begins. But in a remote mountainside house with views to die for, the dream party turns into a nightmare. Because some stories don't stay stories. And someone, or something, inside the house wants more than fear. They want blood.

Natural Selection by Clare Edge

When it comes to boys and bears, always choose the bear.

The girls of Riverside are raised to grin and bear it. Until three of them can’t anymore.

Megan Lawless (aka Outlaw): Riverside born and raised. Lettered in volleyball, basketball, and track. HATES Kevin Johnson, but tolerates him for her best friend, Megan.

Megan Deloria: Outlaw’s ride or die. Riverside royalty and soon to be valedictorian. Shoo-in for the homecoming crown alongside her boyfriend, Kevin.

Meghan Bach (aka Bee): Moved to Riverside last year. Still the “new girl.” Pulls tarot cards daily. Just wants to forget what happened last summer at that party with Kevin.

And then there’s Kevin Johnson: Riverside’s Golden Boy. Only scared of two things—the dark and bears. Soon, he’ll be scared of three more.

Because Megan, Megan, and Meghan are done with Kevin, and they’re about to teach everyone in their tiny rural town the new natural order: Predator, meet prey.

Weekly recap 12th Jul 2026

Happy Sunday, all! Welcome to the weekly recap. 

This week, I reviewed

Moss'd in Space - Firefly vibes, botany based tech

Where Lost Girls Go - is it a cult? Is it not a cult?

Unsilent Heart - Death takes a vacation. Or, more accurately, dies.

Not with a Bang - family struggles with issues during apocalypse

This week, I read

Dead Teenager Movie - teen dances on the edge of meta awareness

 Alex, by Proxy - a Munchasen's victim attempts to understand why

just as long as we're together AND Here's to You, Rachel Robinson - reissues of Judy Blume's classics

Coming up 

Teen angst, cosy fantasy and mystery.

Not with a Bang by Temi Oh

When the world finally ends, will you see it coming? Will you be prepared?

In the summer sky, a celestial object is fast approaching, due to slingshot around the Earth and disappear again. And everyone has their own theory on what it is – a meteor, a planet, aliens?

Meanwhile, the Minton family is in crisis. Briar Minton can't stop thinking about the girl who went missing six months ago. Investigating her disappearance takes her down a rabbit hole, deep into the world of a cult and the extraterrestrial intelligence they claim is communicating with them.

At the same time, her father Marcus is becoming more unhinged after losing his job as a policeman, becoming obsessed with doomsday prepping and forcing his wife and four daughters along for the ride. He is completely convinced, and maybe even a little bit hopeful, that the apocalypse is imminent.

As the celestial object approaches, the Mintons reach breaking point.

Can they find their way back to each other, at the end of the world?

Unsilent Heart by Conrad Walters

A novel about death that’s full of life

Something strange is happening in Australia. People who should be dying, aren’t – even a tourist dismembered by dingoes. The non-deaths create havoc across the country, but sixteen-year-old Nick Hartford just feels relief. His terminally ill grandfather can now live forever.

But Nick soon realizes eternal life can bring eternal suffering.

Determined to help his beloved grandfather, Nick investigates a phenomenon that traps people between life and death, leaving them unable to communicate with the living or join the dead. What he discovers is linked to the last person to die: a reclusive neighbor who may be Death himself.

As his grandfather’s condition worsens, Nick and three classmates race to unravel the mystery. Their urgency grows when he learns one of those friends could be next to enter the chasm between living and dying.

Darkly funny and deftly paced, Unsilent Heart is a coming-of-age novel about what death adds to life, the demands of loyalty, and how to find love when time is short.

Happy #Bookbirthday! 9th Jul 2026

Happy Thursday! This week there are THREE books on our lists publishing!

Where Lost Girls Go by Kody Keplinger

There are many reasons why five girls have ended up living with Sol in a cabin in the Kentucky mountains. But the girls don't talk about what has brought each of them here or who they were before. They have become sisters and are grateful to have a place to call home. 

Iris knows she owes everything to Sol. He has promised to keep them safe from their pasts. All he asks in return is for their loyalty, which Iris freely gives. With her sisters and Sol as her family, she feels happier than she has in a long time. 

Until a new girl arrives and everything changes. Sol christens her Rose and the sisters are quick to welcome her. Iris is drawn to Rose, but as they grow closer, Rose has Iris questioning things about this life in the woods. When Sol notices, he challenges Iris to prove her commitment to their family. 

Her sisters tell her that she should be willing to do anything for the man who saved her. But with each new ask, Iris realizes there is more to Sol - and her sisters - than she knows and some secrets should stay buried deep.

Moss'd in Space by Rebecca Thorne

Her starship gave her freedom.

But could it also become a friend?

Torian thought she was getting a bargain: a century-old alien starship, abandoned and covered in moss. It was her ticket away from a smuggling past and her overbearing ex . . . ah, ex-captain, Amelia. But the moss has a mind of its own.

As the ship’s ‘organic computer,’ Moss is lonely, snarky and harbouring serious abandonment issues. And when Torian journeys onward, she encounters the immortal alien who built the craft, then just left it behind – with Moss inside. The ship he’s now accusing Torian of stealing. Charting a new course across the galaxy, Torian finds an unexpected ally in Amelia, who might help her find the safe haven she craves. Torian can pilot a starship. But can she uncover ancient secrets and connect with a computer that just wants to belong?

Weekly recap - 5 July 2026

Happy Sunday, all! Welcome to the weekly recap. 

This week, I reviewed

Ukrainian Spiritual Traditions - a beautiful mix of recipes, stories and beliefs

It's for your own Good - survival thriller with teens

If we Survive the Night - zombie survival with teens

Highlander - the novel of the original 80s movie. So eighties.

The Quickening - if you're a Highlander fan, you know why this one is here

Labyrinth Illustrated Novelisation - a sneaky addition I absolutely had to get in as soon as possible!

This week, I read

Not with a Bang - family drama in the middle of an implausible apocalypse

Natural Selection - teen girls chose the bear over the boys

Labyrinth - see above

Coming up 

It's all teen adventure for the next while!

TBR check in 

I'm feeling a bit ambitious, with 50 titles on my TBR! Fantasy is still far and away my busiest category, but there's a good mix below that with horror, mystery, romance and sci fi all showing up.

Labyrinth by Liz Braswell and Andrea Guardino

Enter the labyrinth in this illustrated novelization of the classic film that will transport you to a world where nothing is what it seems . . .

Welcome to the realm of the Goblin King, where walls are doors, doors will lie to you, up is sometimes down, and left is rarely right. Join Sarah in her hero's quest through the Labyrinth with her band of adventurous new friends as they make their way to the castle beyond the Goblin City in this illustrated movie adaptation the whole family can enjoy. This brand-new edition, adapted by New York Times bestselling author Liz Braswell, brings Jim Henson's iconic story to life with vibrant art by Andrea Guardino featuring all the imaginative characters and creatures that call the Labyrinth home.

The Quickening by Claire McGowan

Your body. Their Choice.

The Hope Party's new laws have transformed Great Britain: the countryside rewilded, children's rights prioritised, and births on the rise. But freedom is fading.

Karen has learned to navigate this new world, keeping her head down as her fertility is constantly monitored. As her husband's career thrives, while hers stalls. As her son is drawn into misogynist groups. Like everyone else, she's too frightened to speak up.

Until her teenage daughter reveals a life-changing secret: she's pregnant. With abortion and contraception banned, her future has gone up in flames. But Karen won't let this happen - Charlotte is going to have the life she lost.

Karen turns to her sister Isobel, a doctor who's initially reluctant to help. But when they learn Charlotte's pregnancy is ectopic and life-threatening, the stakes skyrocket. The three women go on the run, getting deeper into danger with every hour that passes. With powerful enemies on their tail, they will risk everything in a desperate fight for freedom, and for life.

Highlander by Garry Kilworth

'There Can Be Only One'

The battle rages across the centuries, from the wind-scoured Sahara to the wild Russian steppes to the rocky crags of Scotland. And only one Immortal can survive.

MacLeod is the Highlander. A Scottish clan warrior from the 16th century, he was taught the deadly arts by an ancient mentor, who then suffered the only wound that can end an Immortal's life: decapitation.

Now, seven lifetimes later, MacLeod faces the final test. The Kurgan, his ancient adversary, has tracked him all the way to the streets of New York City.

The fight will be the same: blade to blade. Only the outcome is in doubt. Will the Highlander win? Or will the Kurgan's scimitar stop him with a blow that will plunge the earth itself into an era of darkness and chaos?

Happy #BookBirthday! 2 July 2026

Happy Thursday! This week there are FIVE books on our lists publishing!

If We Survive the Night by Jo Salazar

Sixteen-year-old Quinn is used to being told that what she feels inside isn't quite right. After getting kicked out of multiple foster homes and narrowly escaping juvenile detention, she's undergoing therapy at a residential treatment center for "troubled" girls. Looking for a night of freedom, Quinn sneaks onto the roof with her best friend Keisha, and what she sees changes everything…

She witnesses the start of the zombie apocalypse.

As zombies, or "carriers" as the news calls them, infiltrate the treatment center, escape becomes crucial. Quinn and Keisha make a pact to leave together, but several unexpected complications screw up their plans.

As the girls battle the carriers and wrestle with their doubts about each other, Quinn realizes she has never felt more alive. Maybe this is exactly the kind of world she was built for. And part of thriving in this cutthroat environment means cutting off the dead weight – even if that means putting other lives at risk…But even if she's willing to sacrifice everything, can anyone really outlive the apocalypse?

It's For your Own Good by Kate Francis

In the middle of the night, Liv Walker is kidnapped from her bedroom by two masked figures. As she's dragged into an unmarked van, she's met with an even more horrifying sight: her family are waving goodbye...

Camp Smiling Skies is a wilderness therapy camp for "troubled teens". At least, that's what it says in the brochure. In truth, it's filled with dark secrets, cruel counsellors and no chance of escape.

Things seem as bad as they can get...until, one by one, people start to die.

Liv has already been betrayed by her family, but it seems like they're not the only traitors in her life.

There's a murderer in the camp, and everyone's a suspect.

Ukrainian Spiritual Traditions by Tania Andrushko

Discover the sacred wisdom of Ukraine through ceremony, myth, and magic.

Step into the heart of Ukrainian folk wisdom with this inspiring guide to seasonal rituals, earth-centered practices, and the sacred symbols of an enduring spiritual culture. Ukrainian Spiritual Traditions invites you to honor the elements, celebrate the turning of the year, and infuse your life with meaning through nature-based ceremony and connection.

Inside you’ll find a plethora of practices based around the seasonal year, including herbal lore, seasonal recipes, sacred songs and chants, and traditional rites, and much more. Explore the symbolic language of animals, birds, and natural forces; discover Ukraine’s folk deities; and learn divination practices that offer guidance through the seasons.

With rites for love, protection, renewal, and transformation, this book helps you align with the energies of the land and bring intention to everyday life. Whether you’re seeking spiritual depth, cultural insight, or simply a closer bond with nature, these teachings offer a beautiful and practical path forward.

Folklore here is not just preserved—it’s lived. Let these traditions inspire your own sacred practices, and rediscover the magic of a world where spirit and season speak as one.

Weekly recap - 28 June 2026

Happy Sunday, all! Welcome to the weekly recap. 

This week, I reviewed

It's a Spellshop reread to celebrate receiving the new ARC!

The Spellshop - Kiela and Caz begin this series

The Enchanted Greenhouse - Terlu gets her focus 

The Sea of Charms - Marin sails in for her story

The Magical Cheese Emporium - Eloren finds her passion again

And for a while, I really thought each title would have one more word than the one before...sigh.

This week, I read

Moss'd in Space - it's pitched as Firefly-like. I'm only human.

Where Lost Girls Go - it's Kody Keplinger. I'm only human.

Unsilent Heart - it's about Death dying. I'm only human.

Coming up 

Things might slow down a bit because I'm not very well, but I have a backlog of reviews, so you'll still have plenty to read!

The Magical Cheese Emporium by Sarah Beth Durst

When Eloren joined the revolution against the empire, she didn't expect to lose everything -- her job, her purpose, and her closest friend.

After the Great Library burned down and her position as Assistant Librarian burned down with it, she had no other choice but to return to the only home that will have her: her grandmother's shop.

Now, Eloren is stuck at the Magical Cheese Emporium in the remote island town of Dew, struggling to become the cheesemonger heiress she never wanted to be. But the unicorns won't let her milk them, there's a monster in the cheese caves, and Eloren is more into books than cheese. The only good thing about coming home is reuniting with Garyn, the childhood friend and clever inventor who, at some point, got a whole lot taller.

When Dew's governor imposes impossible taxes on small business owners like her grandmother, Eloren knows one thing: she didn't take down the emperor just so someone else could exploit good people.

Eloren, Garyn, a mouse made of cheese, and Garyn's (mostly) helpful contraptions set off to rescue the cheese emporium and all the other local businesses. And in saving her community, Eloren might finally agree to call it home.

Reread: The Sea of Charms by Sarah Beth Durst

Marin has always belonged on the great blue sea. When the man she thought was the love of her life schemed to ruin her parents' business, she did what her heart knew best: she fled to the sea.

Now working as a supply runner on her own boat, Marin sails from island to island, delivering a varied array of goods: letters, flour, stories, and even the occasional enchanted statue. It's a lonely life, but it's hers. Besides, she's got the company of Perri the sea serpent and Ree the sailor shrub. They're the best crew she could ask for.

On one of her routine trips to the capital of the Crescent Islands Empire, Alyssium, Marin finds the city on fire and a revolution underway -- so she offers transportation to Dax, a composer friend who refuses to leave behind his instruments. What starts as a rescue evolves into a deal: Marin will keep Dax on as a (temporary) member of her crew if he becomes her pretend boyfriend at the End-of-Harvest Festival back home.

Against her better judgment, Marin finds herself intrigued by his stubbornness, his passion for stories, his charming smile -- and realizes that perhaps she isn't saving him. Maybe it's the other way around.

Happy #BookBirthday! 25 June 2026

Happy Thursday! This week there is ONE book on our lists publishing!

Reread: The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst

Terlu Perna broke the law because she was lonely. She cast a spell and created a magically sentient spider plant. As punishment, she was turned into a wooden statue and tucked away into an alcove in the North Reading Room of the Great Library of Alyssium.

This should have been the end of her story . . . Yet one day, Terlu wakes in the cold of winter on a nearly-deserted island full of hundreds of magical greenhouses. She's starving and freezing, and the only other human on the island is a grumpy gardener. To her surprise, he offers Terlu a place to sleep, clean clothes, and freshly baked honey cakes -- at least until she's ready to sail home.

But Terlu can't return home and doesn't want to -- the greenhouses are a dream come true, each more wondrous than the next. As she grows closer with the unwittingly charming gardener, Yarrow, she learns that the magic that sustains them is failing -- causing the death of everything within them. Terlu knows she must help, even if that means breaking the law. Again.

This time, though, she isn't alone. Assisted by Yarrow and a sentient rose, Terlu must unravel the secrets of a long-dead sorcerer if she wants to save the island -- and have a fresh chance at happiness and love.

Reread: The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst

Kiela has always had trouble dealing with people. Thankfully, as librarian at the Great Library of Alyssium, she hasn't had to.

She and her assistant, Caz, a magically sentient spider plant, have spent the last eleven years sequestered among the empire's most precious spellbooks, preserving their magic for the city's elite. But when a revolution begins and the library goes up in flames, she and Caz save as many books as they can carry and flee to a faraway island Kiela was sure she'd never return to: her childhood home. Kiela hopes to lay low in the overgrown and rundown cottage her late parents left her and figure out a way to survive without drawing the attention of either the empire or the revolutionaries. Much to her dismay, in addition to a nosy -- and very handsome -- neighbor, she finds the town neglected and in a state of disrepair.

The empire, for all its magic and power, has been neglecting for years the people who depend on magical intervention to maintain healthy livestock and crops. Not only that, but the very magic that should be helping them has been creating destructive storms that have taken a toll on the island. Due to her past role at the library, Kiela feels partially responsible for this, and now she's determined to find a way to make things right: by opening the island's first-ever secret spellshop.

Her plan comes with risks -- the consequence of sharing magic with commoners is death. And as Kiela comes to make a place for herself among the kind and quirky townspeople of her former home, she realizes that in order to make a life for herself, she must learn to break down the walls she has built up so high.

Weekly recap 21 Jun 26

Happy Sunday, all! Welcome to the weekly recap. 

This week, I reviewed

The Little House that Needed a Witch - a gorgeous picture book

Cursed Ever After - Curses, magic and an awful lot of snark

The Princess Diaries Graphic Novel - A new version of the story we all know

Princess (Apparently) - Rags to riches in the Caribbean

This week, I read

It's for your own Good - teen thriller

If we Survive the Night - zombies and teens in care

Highlander - yes, the awesome movie

The Quickening - laws meant to protect babies go too far

Apparently I wanted All The Kinds Of Survival this week. Also, I deliberately put two of these together, and if you know which two and why you get an internet cookie. 🍪

Coming up 

Sci fi? Teen games? There's a mix this time.

Princess (Apparently) by Siren Knight

Two weeks ago and a few thousand miles away, Della was just a normal teenage girl. She didn't fit in at her posh school in London, she didn't think her crush would ever like her back, and she certainly didn't know anything about a Caribbean royal family.

But when a video of her protesting goes viral, she receives a royal invitation that changes everything. Now, she's at a lavish ball in a Caribbean palace, caught in a love triangle with her best friend and a dreamy islander, and discovering dangerous royal secrets.

With so much at stake, the last thing Della needs is to find out that her connection to the royal family runs far deeper than she ever imagined...

The Princess Diaries Graphic Novel by Meg Cabot and Bethany Crandail

Mia Thermopolis is pretty sure there's nothing worse than being a five-foot-nine frizzy-haired freshman, who also happens to be flunking algebra.

A frizzy-haired freshman who is flunking algebra, and also happens to be a PRINCESS.

Is she ever in for a surprise.

Happy #BookBirthday! 18 June 2026

Happy Thursday! This week there are THREE books on our lists publishing!

Cursed Ever After by Andy C Naranjo

Risa Porto is a Bad Thing born on a Bad Day and cursed with Bad Luck.

After years of taking the blame for every calamity, mishap, and minor inconvenience that befalls the townspeople of Barrow, she longs for escape. And on her seventeenth birthday, her wish is granted.

Sort of.

Risa owes a (very annoying) witch a favor, and it comes in the form of a quest: escort Prince Javi—the youngest, handsomest, and least significant prince— through the dark (and deadly) Woods to his wedding. This measly errand quickly spirals into a struggle against greedy assassins, a murderous cult, a vicious tyrant – and Risa’s own curse.

Most unfortunate of all...

She is not immune to Javi’s charms and has a highly irritating urge to kiss the prince. Though, surviving the darkest corners of the Woods is only the beginning. If Risa is to hold up her end of a witch’s bargain, she’ll need a lot more than luck on her side to untangle the web of lies threatening the kingdom. Is Risa willing to pay the price of happily ever after? What if the only person she’s meant to save is herself?

The Little House that Needed a Witch by Sophie Pluim

Deep in the forest sat a little house, empty and alone. The old witch who'd lived there had gone for good. The little house felt empty and alone.

The little house decided it needed a new witch. So, creaking and squeaking, it stood up! And went in search of a witch in need of a house.

When the witch who lived in a little house deep in the forest is gone, the house decides the obvious solution is to find itself a new witch.

---

📚 Pre-Reading Thoughts

There's something immediately appealing about a premise where a house is the one taking action. Houses in children's stories are often places of safety, but they're usually passive. This little house has other ideas.

Also, any story that begins with a lonely, mobile house wandering through the forest looking for a purpose already has my attention.

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📖 Post-Reading

As I thought…

• This is a wonderfully gentle story. Even though it begins with loss, it never feels sad in a frightening or overwhelming way.
• The house itself is immediately lovable. Its determination to solve its own problem gives the story warmth and humour from the very first pages.
• The tone strikes a lovely balance between magical and matter-of-fact. A house deciding to stand up and go for a walk is treated as entirely reasonable, which somehow makes it feel even more magical.

It surprised me by...

• How comforting the story's view of change is. The old witch's departure is clearly significant, but the book focuses on what comes next rather than what has been lost.
• The reactions of the characters the house meets. Nobody seems especially alarmed that a house is wandering around the forest looking for a witch, which creates the delightful impression that this sort of thing happens all the time.
• The ending. I particularly loved that the new witch settles where the house originally stood rather than forcing the house to relocate permanently. It gives the story a lovely sense of continuity and belonging.

And perhaps my favourite detail of all is tucked into the artwork. The illustrations suggest that the old witch becomes a tree rather than simply dying and disappearing. As the seasons pass, the tree grows and flourishes, quietly remaining part of the landscape.

It's such a gentle, beautiful way of depicting the idea that someone can be gone and still remain part of the world around us.

---

🌈 Vibe Check

• Colour Palette: moss green, mushroom brown, warm wood, autumn gold
• Season: all four seasons turning quietly through the forest
• Mood: comforting, whimsical, hopeful
• Scent: damp earth, fallen leaves, woodsmoke drifting through trees
• Setting: the sort of forest where magical things happen so regularly that nobody bothers to mention it

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👀 For fans of

• The House in the Cerulean Sea for its gentle kindness and found-family spirit
• stories where homes are just as important as the people who live in them
• cosy fantasy that feels like a warm blanket on a rainy afternoon

This is a story about endings, new beginnings, and finding where you belong—but wrapped in such warmth and gentleness that it never feels heavy. Just sweet, thoughtful, and quietly magical. The sort of picture book that lingers long after you've closed it.

The Little House that Needed a Witch publishes on the 15th of September, 2026. I am giving an honest review.

Weekly recap 14th June 2026

Happy Sunday, all! Welcome to the weekly recap. The weather's getting a bit better here.

This week, I read

The Summer my Wishes came true - tween magic and friendships

The Inheritance - terrifying thriller

50 True Stories that will Scare you to Death - real life stories that will leave you gasping

If Books Could Kill - meta fun with genre conventions

This week, I read

It's a Spellshop reread because - drumroll please - I got an ARC of the fourth book! Look out for the reviews coming up soon.

Coming up 

It's a mix of genres and a pun that makes me laugh every time.

If Books Could Kill by Kate Eberle

When Roxie makes a tongue-in-cheek wish to live out the plot of her favorite author's next novel, she has romance in mind -- namely, the sweet, safe, swoon-worthy storylines Anna Matthews is known for. It should be a dream come true when her wish is granted by a mysterious busker, and she finds herself swept into a fairytale first date with a dashing stranger who seems destined to take her breath away.

Except for one little hiccup: that dashing stranger tries to take her breath away. Literally. With a knife. The thing is, Roxie may be the new Anna Matthews protagonist -- but this time, Anna is writing a crime thriller.

Thrown into a perilous genre she's never read, Roxie is desperate for help. So, when her escape from a potential murderer takes her straight into the path of Grant Hoffman -- an anxious English professor with a convenient love of crime novels -- she decides a little light kidnapping is a small price to pay for survival. Together, Roxie and Grant team up to navigate a madcap story where the lines between fiction and reality blur and find out if they have what it takes to make it to The End -- or maybe even Happily Ever After.

50 True Stories that will Scare you to Death by Sebastian Krahl

This deeply horrifying collection of 50 chilling stories is not for the faint of heart. Collected and told by viral true crime storyteller Sebastian Krahl, these true tales dive into the unexplained, the unsettling, and the unimaginable, with frightening and gruesome real-life accounts of murder, mystery, abduction, hauntings, and so much more.

From popular creator Sebastian Krahl—With over 9.5 million total followers, Sebastian Krahl (@Sebastiank22) is known for his well-researched and detailed recountings of true crime, paranormal encounters, unsolved mysteries, and more.

True, and truly scary—These stories don't shy away from the darkest corners of reality—read them with the lights on.

Discover stories like:

A set of haunted bunk beds who turned a family's dreams into a nightmare.

A woman whose ghost solved her own murder.

A kidnapping victim who was kept in a box for years.

An alien encounter from one of the real-life men in black.

A murderer who lived in his victims' home for days.

A set of creepy reincarnated twins.

Are you scared yet?

Happy #BookBirthday! 11 Jun 2026

Happy Thursday! This week there are THREE books on our lists publishing!

The Inheritance by Gemma Denham

A dream home. A fresh start. A nightmare waiting inside?

Kate and Patrick are struggling through life. After living on one wage since the birth of their son, Riley, Patrick is suddenly unemployed.

Bouncing from one bad interview to the next, the family are offered a lifeline when Kate receives a phone call. She has inherited a house on the northeast coast from her late aunt.

A beautiful Victorian townhouse. A new beginning.

Excited for the change, the family move hundreds of miles from their Beaconsfield home to the northeast coast. The house needs a lot of work, but that doesn't deter Kate. She is determined to make it work for them.

But from the first night, Kate notices something isn't right. Things are moved or go missing. Objects vanish... then reappear. At first Kate tells herself it's stress. The disarray of the move. Her young son.

Until night falls and she hears footsteps upstairs.

Terrified, Kate becomes convinced there is someone in the house. Upon searching, the house is empty. All the doors and windows are secure.

Night after night Kate hears these noises...and then she starts to receive messages.

Is someone really in the house, could it be haunted, or is she losing her sanity?

The Summer my Wishes Came True by Radhika Sanghani

Ayesha can't wait for summer camp, it's going to be the best two weeks ever with her best friend Nikki. But Nikki's changed over the summer and things don't feel the same between them. When Ayesha overhears Nikki telling their roommates she's immature, Ayesha is embarrassed and wishes her life could be different.

The next day Ayesha realizes everything she wishes for is coming true. Lie-in in the morning? Tick! Pizza for lunch? Tick! Nikki to be her best friend? Tick! Suddenly Nikki's hanging out with her again, and then Ayesha wishes for Nikki to get a part in the camp's musical, and now she's playing the lead role.

But their friendship still isn't the same. Ayesha thinks she needs a part in the musical too, so she makes another wish, even if her actions have taken a role in the musical from someone else who would really love it. She's got everything she's ever wished for, but will her wishes really make her happy? This summer isn't turning out to be everything she hoped for...

Weekly recap 7th June 2026

Happy Sunday, all! Welcome to the weekly recap. It's been wet and miserable here, hope it's better where you are!

This week I read

The Reimagining of Thornwood House - patience, found family and a house that's gone walkabout

No one Leaves the Manor - terror and mystery in a decadent manor

All we Have Left - romance and paperwork after the apocalypse

Five Total Strangers - claustrophobic driving through a snowstorm with a killer

This week, I read

The Summer My Wishes came True - magic powers fix all tween problems, right?

If Books Could Kill - meta fun with genres

My brain absolutely refused to settle on a Thing this week, which is perfectly fine. Completely fine. Not frustrating at all.

Coming up 

Oh, it's a fun reread! I'm so excited for this.

My Maybe List is currently sitting at 47 books. That's about average for me! My quest to read every cosy fantasy novel published continues, with 19 Fantasy books on the list. There's also 8 Contemporaries, 7 Horror — Halloween is coming, y'all! — 5 Mysteries, 4 Sci Fi, 2 Non-Fiction and 2 Romance.

So yes, we can clearly see where my reading heart lies. Ironically, it isn't in Romance.

Five Total Strangers by Natalie D Richards

She thought being stranded was the worst thing that could happen. She was wrong.

Mira needs to get home for the holidays. Badly. But when an incoming blizzard results in a canceled connecting flight, it looks like she might get stuck at the airport indefinitely.

And then Harper, Mira's glamorous seatmate from her initial flight, offers her a ride. Harper and her three friends can drop Mira off on their way home. But as they set off, Mira realizes fellow travelers are all total strangers. And every one of them is hiding something.

Soon, roads go from slippery to terrifying. People's belongings are mysteriously disappearing. Someone in the car is clearly lying, and may even be sabotaging the trip—but why? And can Mira make it home alive, or will this nightmare drive turn fatal?

All we Have Left by Emily Paxman

Thirty years after the end of the world, a young woman enters into a marriage of convenience with a man she hardly knows so she can secure vital medical care for her beloved younger sister.

The world might not have ended all at once. But end it did.

Kayla Hollins is a survivor. Living in the fragmented wasteland of the Canadian Pacific Northwest, she's outlived a colony, a cult, a paramilitary group, and most of her family. So when her younger sister April falls seriously ill, Kayla will do anything to save her. They trek to Salt Spring Island, a beacon of hope in their otherwise brutalized world, which is rumoured to still have a hospital. But Salt Spring's utopia comes with a price. Not just anyone can enter paradise or access their medical care, and Kayla's past is chequered.

Desperate, Kayla makes a deal with Sid Charles, an aspiring politician with whom she had a chance encounter before arriving on Salt Spring. If Kayla and Sid get married, it will boost Sid's chances of election, and grant April automatic access to the medical treatment she desperately needs. And in two years, when Kayla is eligible for citizenship herself, they can get a divorce. Simple, right?

Sid is distant and cranky, but Kayla comes to learn he is also shockingly kind. The more time she spends with him and his ragtag group of rescued boys, the more she comes to admire him. But with April's treatment and Sid's election on the line—and the constant terror of her past being discovered—Kayla isn't sure she can risk trying to change their arrangement.

Trapped together in the closest thing left to paradise, Kayla and Sid both know what it means for the world to end. But as they try to rebuild with the people of Salt Spring Island, there may be time left to save—if not the world—themselves.

Happy #BookBirthday! 4th Jun 26

Happy Thursday! This week there are TEN books on our lists publishing!

No One Leaves the Manor by Kelly McWilliams

It’s 1921, and Mrs. Caroline Reginald Kane, the last surviving descendant of a family of oil barons, has invited four young debutantes to visit her at Greystone Manor. There, they'll compete for the ultimate prize: to become heir to her unspeakably vast fortune. But only one girl can win. And the manor is watching. 

Dorothea is a thief, and the best liar in the American Northeast. Her mother vanished at Greystone years ago, and she’s determined to find out why—so long as no one uncovers her secrets first. 

Vaughn isn’t crazy. She was born for this life—and she won’t let anyone come between her and the fortune she deserves. 

Birdie doesn’t know why she’s been invited, but she believes everything happens for a reason…and that reason just might be divine. 

Elspeth is called “pretty as a peach, dim as a doorknob.” But she sees things that the others can't: whispering birds, shifting doors, and a language that should never be spoken. 

And there’s something else hidden behind these walls. Something sinister. It doesn’t plan to let them leave alive.

The Reimagining of Thornwood House by Jaleigh Johnson

A witch and her young ward discover a magical, walking house and learn the true meaning of home in this cozy, enchanting novel from New York Times bestselling author Jaleigh Johnson.

Evelyn Sharpe is accustomed to dealing with natural disasters as a land witch, but she longs for a life with a little less danger for her and her adopted daughter, Ruby. So when the opportunity to take over as Caretaker of Thornwood House—a sentient home that acts as the magical heart of the village of Iskendra—arises, it seems almost fated.

When they arrive in sunny Iskendra, Evie and Ruby find the house is nothing like what they expected: First of all, it has walked away from the address. Thornwood House is also grumpy, guarded, and extremely hesitant to allow the two witches through its doors.

Armed with gentle hearts and wild magic, Evie and Ruby begin to form tentative bonds with the house and the citizens of the small town. But there’s something deeply damaged about the building seeping into the forests surrounding Iskendra, and Evie will have to use all her power to protect the roots she’s started to grow.

Weekly recap, 31st May 2026

Welcome to the weekly recap! It's been very warm here this week, perfect for reading snowy books.

This week I posted

The Thing about Giants - breaking assumptions and making friends

Being Aro - you mean romance isn't the be all and end all?

The Tiny Magic Bookshop - the magic of books and found family

The Someday Garden - grief, gardening and a goose named Damnit

This week I read

Five Total Strangers - claustrophobic danger in the snow

The Inheritance - growing terror in an inherited house

Clearly I just wanted to scare myself before spending the weekend alone in a strange house.

Coming up

Tween wish fulfillment and meta commentary on genres!