Ungodly Rich

 

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Julia falls for a gorgeous guy who loves adventure and a good adrenaline rush. Turns out he's the god of war, his family runs a global empire, and his mom wants Julia gone.

Ungodly Rich by Katharine McGee reimagines the gods and goddesses of Olympus as the ultra rich, ultra powerful family behind a worldwide corporation. Think Succession, but everyone has magic powers and nobody has ever been to therapy. 

The whole thing is a romp. Hera is the scheming future mother in law determined to end her son's romance. Aphrodite is the jealous sister in law happy to help her do it. And Hades is off in a corner running his own quiet plan to topple Zeus.

Saskia Maarleveld narrates, which was a good sign before I ever hit play. She gives Hera a voice that cuts like glass, and I never once lost track of who was who, which is no small thing with a cast this size.

This is a fun pick for a lot of different readers, especially if you love romance, retellings, or watching a wealthy family come apart at the seams. Word is there's a sequel in the works and I'm here for it. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Out now.

Grab a copy from Bookshop.org and help out an indie bookstore while you're at it.

If you liked this review, you might be interested in my review of  The Witch's Heart.

About the Author

Katharine McGee is the New York Times bestselling of the American Royals series, The Thousandth Floor trilogy, and A Queen’s Game. She studied English and French literature at Princeton and has an MBA from Stanford. Follow Katharine on Instagram and visit her website for more news and information about her books.

Little Red Death

 

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A killer premise. A hot mess ending.

Little Red Death by Alexandra Benedict had an intriguing premises. A thriller writer gets kidnapped and told to write gruesome murders based on classic fairytales, murders her captor then acts out in real life. So much promise in the premise. Meanwhile DI Lyla Rondell is working the case, tying the killings to fairytales and connecting them to her best friend’s disappearance 25 years ago. Great setup. But the execution just did not hold up for me. 

I’ve read a lot of UK police procedurals and Lyla’s investigation felt off from the jump. She’s relentless, I’ll give her that, but she breaks chain of evidence, goes rogue constantly, and her boss talks and acts nothing like an actual supervising inspector would. It read amateurish in a genre that usually gets these details right. And then the back half. The murders keep escalating, the kidnapped writer is scrambling to save herself, and it all tips into pure absurdity. By the ending I wasn’t along for the ride anymore. I was just along for the wreck. If the goal was a meta, mind bending finale, then mission accomplished. But it cost the story my suspension of disbelief and, unfortunately, my enjoyment too. 

If you want a fast paced mashup of mystery, thriller, fairytale horror and existential chaos, this might be exactly your book. It just wasn’t mine. 

Thank you Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the gifted ARC. Little Red Death is out Sept. 8. 

You can preorder a copy of Little Read Death at Bookshop.org and help out an indie bookstore while you're at it. 

If you're interested in folktale-based thriller, read my review of The Hat Man by Greg Marchand.

About the Author

Alexandra Benedict is a bestselling, award-winning writer of short stories, novels and scripts. She she writes acclaimed short stories, high-concept novels and award-winning audio drama for Big Finish, Audible UK, Audible US and BBC Sounds among others. She won the Scribe Award for her Doctor Who radio drama, The Calendar Man, and was shortlisted for the eDunnit Novel Award for The Beauty of Murder and the BBC Audio Drama Podcast Award for Children of the Stones. Her Christmas mysteries, The Christmas Murder Game and Murder on the Christmas Express, were both bestsellers, and The Christmas Murder Game was longlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger. Follow Alexandra on Instagram or visit her website for more news and information about her books.

Death and Other Occupational Hazards

 

What if Death clocked out and everything started to unravel?

In Death and Other Occupational Hazards, Veronika Duount gives us a sharp, darkly funny twist on the ultimate job burnout story. Death—yes, thatDeath—decides she’s had enough of ushering souls into the afterlife and takes a much-needed sabbatical as a human on Earth. Predictably, things do not go smoothly.

Trying to pass as human, Death lands a job at a law office and immediately runs headfirst into the mundane annoyances of mortal life: needing money, eating actual food, and navigating social norms she’s never had to care about before. But her break is cut short when she discovers an unplanned death. It’s one that wasn’t approved by the Boss and definitely wasn’t supposed to happen. That single mistake could threaten the balance of the universe itself, forcing Death back into investigative mode to figure out who—or what—is messing with the cosmic order.

What makes this novel shine is its balance. Duount leans hard into the humor. Death’s bafflement at human routines is genuinely funny, but there’s real heart here too. Life and Death are sisters, and their squabbling relationship is familiar, grounded in rivalry and resentment, and deep affection. As Death spends more time among humans, she slowly begins to appreciate the small things she once dismissed: good food, unexpected friendships, and moments of connection that give life its meaning.

Beneath the wit and irreverence, the book quietly explores big ideas about purpose, free will, religion, and what makes existence worth sticking around for. Duount never lets the existential weight crush the fun, striking a smart balance between dark comedy and emotional insight.

Funny, thoughtful, and surprisingly touching, Death and Other Occupational Hazards is a clever reminder that even Death herself might need a reminder of why life matters.

TW for animal lovers: There is a dog in this story. The dog is rescued, befriended, and loved—and later dies. It’s meaningful to the plot, but if animal death is a dealbreaker for you, I wanted to give you a heads-up. Out now. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

QOTD: how do you feel about books that mix humor with big, existential questions?

#darkhumorbooks

#speculativefiction

#bookreview #fantasyreads

#thoughtfulreads

About the Author

Veronika Dapunt is a British-Austrian writer. Her debut novel, Death and Other Occupational Hazards, was a runner-up for the 2023 Comedy Women in Print Prize. She has always had a love of the darkly comic and the absurd, quite possibly the reason why her first career was in law. Veronika holds a degree from the University of Oxford and currently lives in London.

Shield of Sparrows

 

Author: Devney Perry

Narrator: Samantha Brentmoor

Publisher: Tantor Media

Year: 2025

Happy Tuesday book people! You guys know I don’t read a lot of fantasy. Shield of Sparrows was a total bookstagram made me read it book for me. It’s been all over my feed. When I opened Libby last week and saw the audiobook was available, I figured that was a sign to give it a go. Here’s the full summary from the publisher: 

The gods sent monsters to the five kingdoms to remind mortals they must kneel.

I’ve spent my life kneeling―to their will and to my father's. As a princess, my only duty is to wear the crown and obey the king.

I was never meant to rule. Never meant to fight. And I was never supposed to be the daughter who sealed an ancient treaty with her own blood.

But that changed the fateful day I stepped into my father’s throne room. The day a legendary monster hunter sailed to our shores. The day a prince ruined my life.

Now I’m crossing treacherous lands beside a warrior who despises me as much as I despise him―bound to a future I didn’t choose and a husband I barely know.

Everyone wants me to be something I’m not―a queen, a spy, a sacrifice.

But what if I refused the role chosen for me? What if I made my own rules? What if there’s power in being underestimated?

And what if―for the first time―I reached for it?

I ended up liking it. For a fantasy, I thought the world building was very accessible. That’s a big plus for someone like me who’s not that into fantasy. The lead characters didn’t have odd names, so I could easily keep track of who was who. Even the names of the monsters weren’t too outrageous. The landscapes of the kingdoms didn’t seem too alien either.  I liked Odessa, the FMC. She was smart and feisty. I totally called the twists about the Guardian and the marriage right off the bat. So I wasn’t shocked by those twists. My only quibble was that it was a bit too long for my taste and there were a few spots that dragged for me. I liked Samantha Brentmoor’s narration. Her narration to me sounded like Odessa was telling her crazy life story to her new best friend. I thought it made the audiobook a fun and enjoyable listen. 

Did this book turn me into a full fledged fantasy reader? No, but I’ll probably read the sequel. 

Have you read this book? Is it on your tbr? What’s the last book you read outside your usual reading zone?

About the Author

Devney Perry is a #1 New York Times, USA Today and Amazon bestselling author of over fifty romance novels. She was born and raised in Montana and now lives in Washington with her husband and two sons.

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil

 

Author: V.E. Schwab 

Narrators: Julia Whelan, Marisa Calin, Katie Leung

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Year: 2025

Happy Thursday book pals! This book needs no introduction since it’s been one of this year’s biggest releases. Of course, there’s been the inevitable comparison between Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. Do they have the same vibe? Maybe a little. I think the difference is Addie worked to keep her humanity in spite of her loneliness, while Sabine lost hers all together. I’ve seen some mixed reviews of Bury Our Bones. I really enjoyed it. Did I love it like I loved Addie LaRue? No, but that’s ok. Bones pulled me right in. Schwab’s writing is beautiful and atmospheric. The characters were great. I loved the shifting timeline and how it all came crashing together at the end. The narration by Julia Whelan, Marisa Calin, and Katie Leung was excellent. This is a big sweeping story that spans generations and pulls the reader along for the ride. 

I would really love a sequel to find out how Alice copes with being a vampire. Unlike Sabine and Lottie, Alice wasn’t desperate to escape a marriage or change her life. What book do you think needs a sequel because you want to know what happens to a character beyond the original story? 

About the Author

Victoria “V. E.” Schwab is the #1 New York Timesbestselling author of more than twenty books. Schwab's series and standalone titles for readers of all ages have made her a major literary figure, whose notable works include the Villains series, the Shades of Magic universe, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, and Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil. When not haunting Paris streets or writing in the corner of her favorite coffee shop, she lives in Edinburgh, Scotland.

The Last Dragon on Mars

 

Author: Scott Reintgen

Narrator: Landon Woodson

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Year: 2024

A space adventure featuring dragons? Yes, please! Space is filled with dragons. Every planet, moon, and star has one- except Mars. Mars’s dragon was killed long ago when mankind tried to make Mars habitable, and the planet has been dying since then. 

Lunar Jones is a Martian- born and raised on the red planet. He and his friends eke out a living finding scrap metal left over from a long ago war. While out scrapping, Lunar escapes a deadly storm by going underground and discovers a secret that will change not only his life, but also all of Mars. Swipe for the full synopsis. 

I really enjoyed this book. I loved Lunar Jones. He’s thoughtful, kind, brave, and loyal. I loved Dread and how he and Lunar bonded together. The pace moves along at a good clip which is so important to hold the attention of young readers. This is a great mix of fantasy and science fiction and it really works well. Even though this is a middle grade book, older teen readers can certainly enjoy it.

Landon Woodson does an excellent job with the narration. There are a lot of characters, but I had no trouble keeping track of who was who thanks to Woodson’s talents. 

This is great mix of action, adventure, and humor will appeal to readers of all ages. Shoutout to @ohiobookgirl for putting this book on my radar! 

About the Author

Scott Reintgen is a former public school teacher from North Carolina. When he’s not writing, he uses his imagination to entertain his wife, Katie, and their three children. Scott is the New York Times bestselling author of the Waxways series, the Nyxia trilogy, the Dragonships series, and the Celia Cleary series for younger readers.

September Reading Wrap Up

 

𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗪𝗿𝗮𝗽 𝗨𝗽

I can’t believe September is over. It flew by for me. As for reading, it was a good month. My two favorites this month were Stephen King’s Fairy Tale and Richard Osman’s The Bullet that Missed (3rd book in the Thursday Murder Club series.) Thank you to Simon & Schuster Audio for the gifted copies of Fairy Tale, The Furies, and Bad Day Breaking. Thank you to Harper Teen and author Robin Roe for the digital review copy of Dark Room Etiquette. 

QOTD: what was your favorite September read? 

Here’s my September break down.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️- loved them! 

🎧 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝗿𝘆 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗲- a adventure story about a boy and a dog to a magical land. The narration is incredible. 

🎧 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝘂𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱 - this series keeps getting better! I love the characters especially Joyce. She’s a star. The narration is perfection. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️- really liked these! 

🎧𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝘁𝗼 𝗜𝘀 𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸- a retired tennis champ mounts a comeback. Features an unapologetically competitive female athlete. Perfect choice for sports fans. 

📖 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱𝘀- a solid debut featuring an interesting female detective who investigates the brutal murder of a childhood friend. 

🎧 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀- the latest in John Connolly’s long running Charlie Parker series. A PI investigates two different cases infused with the supernatural. 

🎧 𝗕𝗮𝗱 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴- the latest in John Galligan’s Bad Axe County series. Sheriff Heidi Kick has her hands full when a sketchy religious group moves in & the local community starts calling it a cult. 

📖 𝗗𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗥𝗼𝗼𝗺 𝗘𝘁𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲- a rich high school boy is kidnapped by a man claiming to be his biological father. A raw look at the effects of trauma on teens and families. 

📖 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗚𝗵𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝗺𝗲- a sheriff, running for re-election, investigates the murder of a local man who was killed at the community’s small airport on the same night a mysterious plane landed and was then abandoned. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️- just ok for me but lots of love from other readers

📖 𝗛𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗣𝗶𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀- a young woman in recovery is hired as a nanny to a precocious little boy. She soon discovers the boy’s imaginary friend may not be so imaginary after all. 

#monthlywrapup #readingwrapup #crimefiction #audiobooks #bookstagram #speculativefiction #tennis #historicalfiction 

Fairy Tale

 

Author: Stephen King 

Narrator: Seth Numrich

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Year: 2022

🎧 𝐀𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 🎧

You guys- I broke one of my cardinal rules of reading with this one. 

That rule is never, ever read a book that features a dog. Because it’s usually heartbreaking. (Thanks Where the Red Fern Grows!)

But this audiobook was so worth my rule breaking! This isn’t a classic Stephen King horror story. As the title says, it’s a fairy tale. But King reminds readers that the original fairy tales were dark and violent stories before Disney rewrote them. This is a hero’s journey to a magical land that’s been taken over by evil & cruelty. Main character Charlie is a high school kid who only wants to save the life of an old dog. This desire leads Charlie to another world, an ancient evil, and an epic adventure. 

The storytelling and plotting are masterful. The characters are familiar amalgamations of classic fairy tale characters. Charlie is a great kid-smart, helpful, and kind. But he’s not perfect and he knows it.  And Radar, the dog, is perfection. 

This story is pure escapist fun. The audiobook is excellent and I highly recommend listening to it. Seth Numrich’s narration is pitch perfect and superb. This is definitely in my top ten books for the year. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Many thanks to @simon.audio for the gifted copy. Fairy Tale is available from all your favorite retailers. 

#fairytale #stephenking #simonaudio #sethnumrich #audiobook #audiobookreview #audiobookstagram #fivestarread #fantasyfiction #herosjourney #epicjourney #dog #magic #evilkingdom #bookstagram #giftedcopy #monarch #alwaysreading #booksbooksbooks #readerlife #bibliophile #bookworm #thedogdoesntdieinthisone 

The Cartographers

 

Author: Peng Shepherd 

Publisher: William Morrow Books 

Year: 2022

📖 𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 📖

Last week I went to the public library and came home with this book. I’ve seen so much bookstagram love for this one and it deserves it. It’s so good! Won’t be surprised if this one is in my top ten favs for the the year. Here are the bullet points: 

🗺 great plot

🗺 past and present timelines

🗺 short bursts of multiple POV

🗺 excellent writing 

🗺 features the NY Public Library 

If you haven’t read it yet, get to it! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Last week I also came home from the library with a job. I’m the new outreach coordinator. I’ll be selecting and dropping off books at the library’s off site locations throughout the county so people who can’t get to the main library still have access to books. Today was my first day of training. It’s a part time job and I’m happy to be back in a library. 😀 

QOTD: what’s going on with y’all? Anything new? 

#thecartographers #pengshepherd #williammorrowbooks #collegefriends #mysteryfiction #fantasyfiction #maps #crimefiction #phantomsettlement #obsession #bookstagram #igreads #booknerd #cartography #gasstationmap 

The Witch's Heart

 

“𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑠𝑎𝑦 𝑎 𝑤𝑖𝑡𝑐ℎ 𝑢𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑠𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑜𝑑𝑠, 𝑎 𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑎𝑔𝑜, 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑔𝑎𝑛. 𝐴𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑙𝑒 𝑔𝑖𝑟𝑙 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑙 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑛 𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑓𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑜 𝑐𝑎𝑚𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑔𝑜𝑛𝑒.” 

The Witch’s Heart by Genevieve Gornichec is an engrossing retelling of Norse mythology. Angrboda, a witch, refused to give Odin the knowledge he desperately wanted. He burned her on a pyre three times and cut out her heart. But somehow she survived. Hiding out in a far corner of the Iron Wood, Angrboda just wants to be left alone and heal. But since she’s a woman, we know that can’t happen. Loki the trickster found her heart and wants to return it. As she recovers, Angrboda begins making her potions and spells again and starts a relationship with Loki. Even if you only know Loki from the Marvel Universe, you know he’s kind of a jerk. He keeps leaving Angrboda and their three children in the forest, going back home to his other wife and children when it suits him. 

Angrboda uses her witch powers to learn that her children (a half dead girl, a enormous wolf, and a gigantic snake) will somehow be involved with the end of the world. Will she sacrifice all to save them? 

I only knew the very basics of Norse mythology going into this book, so I didn’t really know what to expect. But I really enjoyed this story. Angrboda is a wonderful character. I really liked seeing her courage and determination grow thanks to her relationship with Skadi the huntress.  The drama pulled me right in and I quickly get lost in this epic story of love, betrayal, and sacrifice. This is perfect for fans mythology, or the supernatural, or any reader looking for a feminist take on an ancient tale. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️