The Wondrous Life and Loves of Nella Carter by Brionni Nwosu

November 12, 2025 By Leave a Comment


The Wondrous Life and Loves of Nella Carter by Brionni Nwosu
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Romance, LGBTQ, Paranormal, Historical, Contemporary
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Most humans cower in the face of Death. Not Nella May Carter. She sees him. She doesn’t hide. Instead, she bargains.

Born enslaved in eighteenth-century Georgia, Nella still believes in the will to survive amid the most untenable of conditions, in the glory of life, and in the ultimate goodness of the human race. She asks that Death, doubtful and curious, allow her to live long enough to prove it. He’s giving Nella all the time in the world.

Challenged, Nella embarks on an epic journey across the globe and centuries. Each new incarnation records the joys and losses, and the friendships and heartbreaks, throughout her lifetimes. When she meets handsome and passionate professor Sebastian Moore―the first man to whom she has ever revealed her secrets―Nella yearns for the mortality that escapes her. She can’t bear to leave this love behind.

As Death keeps watch, has Nella’s journey come to an end? Or is a new one just beginning?

Love is eternal.

Some of my favourite passages in this book were the ones that debated the true nature of humanity and whether our collective good deeds make up for the horrific things we’ve done to one another throughout the generations. While I tended to agree more with Nella, both protagonists made intelligent points with their arguments, and it was quite interesting to see them go back and forth with evidence for their positions. This is something I’m saying as a reader who generally shies away from philosophical works. Ms. Nwosu did a wonderful job of blending philosophy into an exciting story in ways that made those scenes feel natural and encouraged me to think critically about every argument that was made and refuted.

I would have preferred to see stronger world building in this novel. Some of the settings were easy to visualize, especially the first one in 1774 as well as Nella’s experiences during World War II, but other ones like France didn’t include enough descriptions for me to easily imagine what the main character’s life was like there. Had this been included, a five-star rating would have been a strong possibility from me!

The complex relationship between Nella and Death made it difficult for me to stop reading. It was delightful to see how her reactions to him evolved over the centuries as she grew accustomed to her immortality and began to question some of the rules that Death had put into place about what she could and couldn’t do during her quest. Without sharing too many spoilers, these developments made the last hundred pages or so incredibly rewarding for me as a reader.

The Wondrous Life and Loves of Nella Carter was beautiful.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith

November 4, 2025 By Leave a Comment


Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Private Detective Cormoran Strike is visiting his family in Cornwall when he is approached by a woman asking for help finding her mother, Margot Bamborough—who went missing in mysterious circumstances in 1974.

Strike has never tackled a cold case before, let alone one forty years old. But despite the slim chance of success, he is intrigued and takes it on; adding to the long list of cases that he and his partner in the agency, Robin Ellacott, are currently working on. And Robin herself is also juggling a messy divorce and unwanted male attention, as well as battling her own feelings about Strike.

As Strike and Robin investigate Margot’s disappearance, they come up against a fiendishly complex case with leads that include tarot cards, a psychopathic serial killer and witnesses who cannot all be trusted. And they learn that even cases decades old can prove to be deadly . . .

Private Detective Cormoran Strike is back in Cornwell visiting sick family when a stranger approaches him outside the pub. The woman is asking for answers and help to discover what happened nearly forty years ago to her mother. Having never taken on a cold case Strike admits he is curious, and both he and his business partner Robin Ellacott soon find the case brings them more questions than answers. With a year to solve this case in amongst all their other more usual cases, can Strike and Robin give the woman the longed for answers she seeks?

While I greatly enjoy the Strike series the previous book in particular was very weighty to my mind and I had a few qualms about continuing. I am vastly relieved to learn that – in my opinion at least – this book handled the evolving friendship/business relationship between Strike and Robin far, far better and the author really has begun to get a good pace going with juggling the multiple main characters in the detective agency as well as the multiple cases/plotlines all rolling around at once. I enjoyed this book far more than I expected to – though that partly might have been due to my not-overly-high expectations.

Yes, there is still the will they/won’t they bubbling between Strike and Robin, but I truly felt they both turned a corner with each other in this book. They didn’t guard their private lives as fiercely as they did previously, seeming to finally trust each other a bit better which is a critical item for both their friendship and more importantly their business relationship. Also they didn’t miscommunicate anywhere near as badly as I felt they have in all the previous books – but the one before this most particularly. I was thrilled that they both seem to have screwed their heads on a little straighter now, and equally they are both taking small but meaningful steps into a more healthy working relationship. Indeed, toward the end of the book I even began to feel they might really round a corner and start acting like best friends and business partners and not being quite so block-headed around each other. A girl can hope.

Before reading this book I was also quite worried that – at very nearly 1100 pages for the paperback copy I personally own – the book would be overly bloated and dragging at times with far too much weight. I was so relieved this wasn’t the case. At any given point in the story both Robin and Strike had personal life stuff they were dealing with, plus the agency was normally juggling about four different cases with all the work, staking out and following down leads and people that any case would require. With only an admin and four to five detectives in the whole business this was no small feat and there was ample detective work/cases to carry the plots of the story along at a decent pace. Readers should note this is not an action-orientated or fast moving book, but equally I did not feel at any point like the book was dragging on or just bloated under it’s own massive weight. I felt the author did a really good job with this.

The main plot – that of the 40 year old cold case of the missing person – was threaded very well through the exceptionally long book. I was pleased that this case was strongly present throughout almost the whole of the book and unlike what could have happened the other plots didn’t ever really overtake this main plotline to my mind. A lot went on in both Strike’s and Robin’s personal lives, so it wasn’t like these took a back seat either, but at no point did I find myself wondering or skipping ahead to when they reverted back to this case. It was quite prominent throughout the whole book and I was grateful for that.

While I still really wish the whole “will they/won’t they” aspect to Robin and Strike’s private relationship would get a shuffle on and move forward – I now have a strong feeling we won’t get proper closure (one way or the other) for quite some time, potentially even in the last book or two when the series is coming to a close. Overall I’m pretty happy with this book and definitely more enthusiastic about the next in the series.

A ginormous book that’s more of a marathon than a sprint, this is nevertheless a solid mystery with interesting characters and a lot of layers. Recommended.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

The Mountain of Dempsey Molehill by Julie Stroebel Barichello

November 4, 2025 By Leave a Comment


The Mountain of Dempsey Molehill by Julie Stroebel Barichello
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.), Contemporary
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Molehill starts with M. Mischief starts with Molehills. Dempsey Molehill and his siblings – practically-a-grownup Brom, responsible Tilly, pesky little brother Penn, and wild child Bandi – don’t mean to cause mischief. But somehow, they always find themselves smack dab in the middle of it. When Dempsey’s dad decides to run for mayor of Pickettstown, the five Molehill kids try to be on their best behavior. Unfortunately for Dempsey and his siblings, their “best behavior” includes luring bullies in muddy mayhem, casting Halloween curses, exploding appliances, and terrorizing classmates with Scrap the one-eared cat. Will their antics cost their dad the election? Or can the family band together to put the best Molehill foot forward? The Mountain of Dempsey Molehill is a humorous middle grade novel about life in rural Illinois, small-town politics, and growing up in a big, wild family.

There’s never a dull moment in a big family.

I liked the realistic approach to handling bullies and dealing with small town politics. Dempsey had been dealing with his bully for years, and he was just old enough to realize the sometimes more subtle ways adults can bully each other, too. Ms. Stroebel Barichello trusted her audience to make these connections and come up with our own conclusions about the downsides of living in a small town where some families are considered to be more important than other ones. That’s a complex topic that middle grade readers should have a chance to explore, and this is a great place to start.

There were a few times when I wished that Dempsey, his friends and his siblings had faced stricter consequences for their actions. While most of their hijinks were silly and harmless, there was an incident involving gunpowder being ignited that made me raise an eyebrow. This is something I’m saying as a reader who otherwise loved this tale, but that scene is a topic I’d want to have a frank discussion about with the elementary-school-aged kids in my life so that they’d know why the characters’ choices weren’t good ones.

There was a playful sense of humor in this book that made it just about impossible to put down. I couldn’t wait to see what sorts of mischief the Molehill children would get into next. From digging a pit in their backyard in the hopes of trapping any stray elephants that may be wandering around rural Illinois to kidnapping a pet rabbit, these kids were never short on wacky ideas to keep life interesting.

The Mountain of Dempsey Molehill was a wild ride.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , ,

Murder in the Monashee Mountains by JP Behrens

October 29, 2025 By Leave a Comment


Murder in the Monashee Mountains by JP Behrens
Publisher: Crystal Lake Publishing
Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Paranormal, Historical
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

After barely escaping the haunted streets of Arkham and Miskatonic University, Travis Daniels is on the run with his ward, Leslie Owens. Seeking refuge in the remote woods of Monashee Mountain, their lives take another dark turn when they witness a brutal, savage murder. Now, they’re thrust into a web of deceit, danger, and old grudges as they are drawn into a conflict between warring factions in the small town of Tonasket.

Travis must navigate the escalating tension between the town’s residents, the Native American tribes, and the ancient, shadowy creatures that dwell in the wilderness. The clock is ticking as dangerous rivalries between Sasquatch and werewolves threaten to erupt, and the local logging operations are sabotaged by forces more sinister than anyone can imagine.

As Travis works to uncover the truth behind the murder, he must decide who he can trust before it’s too late. With danger closing in, only one thing is certain: the truth will come at a cost.

Power is never given away freely.

In my review of Missing of Miskatonic earlier this year I wished for a stronger storyline and am happy to report that this second instalment in the series was well rounded in this area. As someone who loves reading about Sasquatch, I immersed myself in all of the details about this famous and mysterious cryptid that the narrator provided. It’s difficult to dig into the details of what Bigfoot is like in this universe except to say that it fits in well with other mythologies about them while also providing new layers of information about what their culture, language, and beliefs were like.

It would have been helpful to have more character development, especially for the characters who were introduced for the first time here. This is such a plot-focused series that I wouldn’t expect pages of introspection or anything, but a few more sentences here and there would go a long way in helping me to get to know everyone better. Here’s hoping that future books that follow Travis’ adventures, if any are in the works, will dive more deeply into this.

The strong pacing kept my interest levels high as I read. I especially enjoyed the action scenes that included both physical and verbal conflicts as they were well written and kept the storyline moving forward at a steady pace. It was easy to imagine what was happening in these scenes due to how clearly they were written and how much effort was put into describing what all of the main characters were doing in those tense but generally brief moments. This isn’t always an easy thing to accomplish, so I must tip my cap to the author for not only pulling it off but also making it look effortless.

This series should be read in order for character and plot development reasons.

Murder in the Monashee Mountains kept me guessing until the end.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , ,

The Nameless Land by M. Laszlo

October 28, 2025 By 1 Comment


The Nameless Land by M. Laszlo
Publisher: Alkira Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Psychological Drama
Rated: 4 stars
Review by Rose

This metaphysical novel, like its predecessor, Anastasia’s Midnight Song, is a mix of stream of consciousness narration and imaginary happenings. Mystical and mysterious, The Nameless Land follows the misadventures of Rupert Lux and Anastasia T Grace.

Rupert, a young New Zealander working as a night clerk in a hotel in Sinai, is beset by a daemon that inhabits his eye. His delusion is much the same as Anastasia’s was when she was tormented by the Arctic fox and the diadem spider in the earlier book.

Anastasia, now blind, travels to Sinai at the behest of a Spiritualist Society to seek hidden treasure by dowsing. She longs to find someone she can heal and love. Perhaps Rupert is the one she can save and thereby save herself.

But Rupert is plagued by females who seem to blend into one another and appear and disappear at will. Traumatised by childhood abuse, he worries that he is not worthy of love. He races headlong through many strange encounters, while Anastasia maintains a calmer stance, though troubled by what she is being coerced into doing. She has been urged to find lost Egyptian treasure and, though reluctant, manages to do so. A sense of menace attends the discovery.

Both protagonists are troubled by wild imaginings and beset by odd visions, smells, sounds, and touches as the pair descend into hallucinatory madness. This is a fast-paced metaphysical adventure, the events hiding many layers of emotional turmoil and insanity. The reader is whisked through a dreamlike landscape, disoriented, and made to experience a kind of madness themselves.

THE NAMELESS LAND is the second book in Anastasia’s travels and begins shortly after the incidents in ANASTASIA’S MIDNIGHT SONG (see our review here). However, if you haven’t read the first book, no worries. It definitely can be read alone.

Anastasia, now blind, falls victim to a group of spiritualists who use her in their pursuit of treasure. She very much wants to be free…that is her overriding pursuit during the course of the book, but she escapes from one group only to fall victim to yet another. She wonders if perhaps Rupert Lux, a hotel clerk in Sinai will be the one to set her free.

Rupert has longed to meet Anastasia but has his one daemon to face – and this leads him to not know what to do. Overcome with different hallucinations and dreamlike episodes, he is beset on all sides.

Mr. Laszlo brings his readers into this world and invites them to join the madness and the dreams that surround Anastasia and Rupert. Beautifully written, you never quite know what is real and what the characters have imagined. This leads to a big of tension during the reading, and that’s not a bad thing. There is definitely a depth to his writing that can take more than one reading to completely dive into.

Filed Under: Mainstream Fiction, Mystery/Suspense, Other, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Silversong by Rhonda Parrish

October 28, 2025 By Leave a Comment


Silversong by Rhonda Parrish
Publisher: Poise and Pen Publishing
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Historical
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Growing up in The Warren — gnomish slums in a big, human, city — Garryn Silversong has one goal. He wants to become a powerful wizard and use that power to rescue himself, his mother and his best friend from the dream-destroying poverty they are forced to exist in.

Armed with only a harp, a stolen book about arcane theory, and single-minded determination, Garryn claws his way up from obscurity, becoming a household name.

But when unimaginable tragedy comes to The Warren, Garryn discovers there are things that fame and money can not buy. Will he find a way to protect those who are most important to him or he will spiral down into oblivion, taking them with him?

Friendship is forever.

Garryn and Lildira had a beautiful lifelong friendship that I deeply enjoyed reading about. They were an excellent example of how family ties can be built between people who aren’t related through typical means like blood, marriage, or adoption. I loved the friendly banter between them and seeing how they fussed over each other when one or both of them were going through hard times. Their genuine platonic love for one another made it hard for me to stop reading this story because of how emotionally invested I was in what would happen to them next.

The pacing did feel a little slow to me at times due to how much world building and character development was sandwiched between more action-oriented scenes. This was especially true in the beginning, and it did become less noticeable as I moved closer to the ending. While it was definitely worth it for me to keep going, it is something I wanted to mention for readers who tend to prefer faster pacing styles.

Being familiar with Dungeons and Dragons isn’t necessary in order to enjoy this book, but readers who have played that game may notice some fun references to it as well as to roleplaying games in general. I sure enjoyed picking them out and trying to guess what might happen to the characters next. It was especially interesting to find out what the various races of intelligent, human-like creatures thought of each other and how they got along – or sometimes didn’t get along – in the cramped quarters of their city.

Silversong made me yearn for more.

Filed Under: Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , ,

The Curator by M.W. Craven

October 22, 2025 By Leave a Comment


The Curator by M.W. Craven
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

It’s Christmas and a serial killer is leaving displayed body parts all over Cumbria. A strange message is left at each scene: #BSC6

Called in to investigate, the National Crime Agency’s Washington Poe and Tilly Bradshaw are faced with a case that makes no sense. Why were some victims anaesthetized, while others died in appalling agony? Why is their only suspect denying what they can irrefutably prove but admitting to things they weren’t even aware of? And why did the victims all take the same two weeks off work three years earlier?

And when a disgraced FBI agent gets in touch things take an even darker turn. Because she doesn’t think Poe is dealing with a serial killer at all; she thinks he’s dealing with someone far, far worse – a man who calls himself the Curator.

And nothing will ever be the same again . . .

It’s Christmas, but when what appears to be a serial killer leaves a pair of severed fingers from three victims all over Cumbria Washington Poe, Tilly and their team are called in to try and work out what’s really going on. And while their boss, Stephanie Flynn is heavily pregnant and refusing to start her maternity leave, there are more than a few things on each of their minds. Can Poe and Tilly figure out who is behind everything before their time runs out?

I have been greatly enjoying this series but found this to be a particularly strong addition. While I don’t feel it necessary to have read both the previous books to thoroughly enjoy this third outing, I must admit I feel I enjoyed the deeper emotional connection I had knowing about Poe, Tilly and Flynn’s previous cases and shared working history. I believe I would have still thoroughly enjoyed this story had I picked it up alone – but I’m glad I’ve read the previous two and can strongly recommend them as well.

I also absolutely loved how about halfway through the book the entire plot was pretty much thrown on its head. I thought the author wrote this part exceptionally well as it fundamentally changed the whole plotline without making Poe or any of the police officers seem like idiots. I can’t recall reading a book previously where such a massive twist occurred without much forewarning and wasn’t due to severe ineptitude on the detective’s part, so I really thought this was an excellent twist and made the second half of the book even more intense to my mind.

While many British police procedurals have a slow and steady pace – as this one does also – I absolutely feel there is a steady ramping up of the intensity and I admit I had to stay up past my bedtime (on a work night too!) to read the last 10% of the story because I simply couldn’t put it down and go to sleep, I needed to know how it all unfolded.

An excellent book and a brilliant series, one I am happily and thoroughly addicted to.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Movie Review: 28 Years Later

October 20, 2025 By Leave a Comment


28 Years Later
Writers: Alex Garland
Director: Danny Boyle
Starring: Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jack O’Connell, Alfie Williams, and Ralph Fiennes
Publisher: Columbia Pictures
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Horror, Contemporary
Rating: 4 Stars (8 Stars on IMDB)
Reviewed by Astilbe

A group of survivors of the rage virus live on a small island. When one of the group leaves the island on a mission into the mainland, he discovers secrets, wonders, and horrors that have mutated not only the infected but other survivors.

Survival takes on many different meanings after a few decades of zombies running around.

One of the cool things about this film was that it didn’t require any knowledge of the first three instalments in order to understand what was going on during it. Obviously, there were a few interesting callbacks for fans who did start at the beginning, but this otherwise felt like an introduction to a new horror series which I found refreshing and surprising.

The plot twists were pretty easy to spot ahead of time for me given how often I watch zombie films, so I would have liked to see a little more development there given how long this was set after the original outbreak. A new generation of people had been born into and grown up on an island filled with zombies by the time this tale began. Even something as simple as discussing the rules they had grown up following about how to stay safe in such a dangerous environment could have given the storyline creative ways to flourish if a few more scenes had been dedicated to the topic. The possibilities were endless.

With that being said, I enjoyed the plot development that had taken place over twenty-eight years, especially when it came to the tense but sometimes also complex relationships between various characters of both human and zombie origin. This film had some poignant things to say about the meaning of life and how to push through a day, often literally, while dealing with painful emotions like grief or uncertainty. The deeper layers of the storyline were what encouraged me to choose a higher rating and have made me incredibly curious to see what happens in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple once it is also released.

28 Years Later was a grisly but thoughtful adventure.

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Musings, Movie Review, Television Show Tagged With: , , , , ,

19 Doors by Rob Roy O’Keefe

October 15, 2025 By Leave a Comment


19 Doors by Rob Roy O’Keefe
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Paranormal, Contemporary
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

From the author of Small Stories: A Perfectly Absurd Novel, shortlisted by the Chanticleer International Book Awards, 19 Doors ranges far and wide, diving into magical realism and science fiction, then adding a dash of steampunk and surrealism for extra flavor. The collection of short stories and flash fiction ricochets from the poignant to the comically absurd, each story a work of imaginative fiction.

• A community remembers the lives they have yet to live.
• An intergalactic tour bus arrives in Hollywood … Montana.
• A shopping network super-fan relives every infomercial scenario he watches.
• The first sentient being in the universe applies for a job as a sous chef.
• A preternatural wind comes to collect a long-owed debt.

Through 19 Doors, we are immersed in the unraveling lives of characters who are just like us and nothing like us. Whether they succeed or succumb, conform or rebel, we are treated to a compilation of stories that are frequently fraught, often fun, and always fantastic.

Balance will be restored eventually.

Dylan loved taking late night walks by herself, but she ended up in a mysterious diner instead of at home in “We were beautiful.” I loved the paranormal elements of this tale and how the main character reacted to things that shouldn’t have been possible. She had such a curious and upbeat personality that I couldn’t help but to like her and wish I could read more about her adventures.

I found myself wishing for more plot development in some of these tales, one of which was “Borrowed time”. It followed a man who figured out how to manipulate time so that he could sell pieces of it to people who had enough money. There were some plot holes involving the storage and use of time that I sure would have liked to see explained more thoroughly. With that being said, I still enjoyed the reading process and would love to hear if other readers had the same experience with this portion and other ones like it.

Buying a new home often includes a few surprises, but “The untethered house” took that to an entirely different level when the characters realized their purchase was doing things that a building should never be capable of doing. I appreciated the playful sense of humor in this piece and the way the characters reacted to what the average person would consider to be deeply unsettling at best. The conclusion, too , was filled with funny moments that only made me like the protagonists even more than I already did.

19 Doors was a whimsical and thought-provoking collection.

Filed Under: Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , ,

Parlor Poetry-A Victorian Versification Abecedary by Lori Alden Holuta

October 9, 2025 By Leave a Comment


Parlor Poetry-A Victorian Versification Abecedary by Lori Alden Holuta
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Non-Fiction, Historical
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

An illustrated A-to-Z (plus an ampersand) poetry collection celebrating Victorian life.
From Ada Lovelace to the Zoetrope (plus a bonus ampersand), this alphabet of verse captures the innovations and oddities of the Victorian era in poetic form. A witty, whimsical celebration of one of the most imaginative eras of all time. Includes color illustrations by Olivia Wylie.

Sometimes the past is a wondrous place.

There was a nice assortment of topics included here, from people like Lewis Carroll who are still well-known and well-read today to reticules which were an early form of what we’d now call a purse that I wasn’t actually aware of until I read this book. Even when I did already have knowledge on a specific subject, I still sometimes found myself surprised by new or additional details about it. This kept me on my toes as I read and made me glad I gave this title a try.

It would have been nice to have more attention paid to the diets of Victorians given how much medical knowledge and advice evolved during this century. Tea was mentioned, but there was a lot else going on in the 1800s when it came to early scientific research about how food impacts health and the various scandals involving tainted milk, rotten meat, or additives in food that weren’t actually safe for human consumption. Had this been given more space, I would have happily gone with a higher rating!

I enjoyed the fact that none of the entries took up more than a few pages. They were meant to provide a jumping-off point for readers to do further research on the various highlights, or, in a few cases, low points, of this era depending on which specific inventions, people, or social conventions one might find most entertaining. There is definitely something to be said for offering this sort of sampling platter, especially for the sections that covered events that aren’t typically taught in school.

Parlor Poetry: A Victorian Versification Abecedary was a versatile and amusing introduction to this time period.

Filed Under: Non-Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,
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