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A Season of Monstrous Conceptions by Lina Rather
160 Pages
Fiction/Fantasy/Historical
Release Date: October 31, 2023
3/5*
Formats available: Book
“In 17th-century London, unnatural babies are being born: some with eyes made for the dark, others with webbed fingers and toes better suited to the sea.
Sarah Davis is intimately familiar with such strangeness—she herself was born marked by uncanniness. Having hidden her nature all her life and fled to London under suspicious circumstances, Sarah starts over as a midwife’s apprentice, hoping to carve out for herself an independent life. As a member of the illegal Worshipful Company of Midwives, Sarah learns to reach across the thinning boundary between her world and another, drawing on its power to heal and protect the women she serves.
When the wealthy Lady Wren hires her to see her through her pregnancy, Sarah quickly becomes a favorite of her husband, the famous architect Lord Christopher Wren, whose interest in the uncanny borders on obsession. Sarah soon finds herself caught in a web of magic and intrigue created by those who would use the magic of the Other World to gain power for themselves, and whose pursuits threaten to unmake the earth itself.”
This is a story of gothic horror and dark historical fiction. I would compare the atmosphere of this novella to T. Kingfisher’s What Moves the Dead (insert hyper link here). These two books also share similar themes and main character experiences. I started this novella with the assumption that I would be reading something that expanded specifically on the births of what the author refers to as “uncanny” babies. These babies are born with weird adaptions on their bodies such as gills, feathers, wings, and talons due to a crossover between our realm and another magical or celestial realm. Reading deeper into the novella I realized that I was experiencing the uncanny life of the main character Sarah. More and more I understood that the author was giving me a character study; Sarah’s life at this point in the story was more important than the external conflict of monstrous children being born around her. Lina Rather does a great job drawing you into this intriguing tale then refocusing your attention. As you read you learn that the center of this tale asks the question, “How does one fit in when they exist between two worlds and thus belong to neither?” My only suggestion would be to shorten the synopsis and not give so much away because the draw and shock value is more important here than a summary. Definitely give this book a shot if you’re looking for a quick, disturbing, and interesting read.
For more book recommendations please tune in to Off the Books with B&S Podcast on any of your preferred podcasting platforms; new episodes air every other Thursday.
Bethann
Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher
128 pages
Fic/Fantasy/Action/Adventure
Release Date: August 15, 2023
5/5*
Formats available: Book, Libby eBook, Libby eAudiobook
“There's a princess trapped in a tower. This isn't her story.
Meet Toadling. On the day of her birth, she was stolen from her family by the fairies, but she grew up safe and loved in the warm waters of faerieland. Once an adult though, the fae ask a favor of Toadling: return to the human world and offer a blessing of protection to a newborn child. Simple, right?
But nothing with fairies is ever simple.
Centuries later, a knight approaches a towering wall of brambles, where the thorns are as thick as your arm and as sharp as swords. He's heard there's a curse here that needs breaking, but it's a curse Toadling will do anything to uphold…”
“I can’t fight stories.” This is the sentence I knew this tale spun before me would be fantastic because stories are the way we pass down history, our lives. T. Kingfisher has a way with fairy tales the likes I never witnessed anywhere else. She has a way of making me yearn to hear them repeatedly like a child by a fire listening to elders speak of past dragon tales. I love a fairy tale, but I love the way she speaks them even more, with something past the edge of passion as if these stories are part of herself. Within Thornhedge, Kingfisher’s beautiful fairy is more than glittering fae and sensual luring beauty; this small and mighty character is curious and I feel if I sit still in the forest long enough that I may see her flitting about speaking to the wagtails. As a reader, you may think you have read this story multiple times and have grown tired of its retellings but I assure you that you never have heard this. This tale grips you with the horror of the unknown and makes me crave the rough and bloody world of fairies. Read her story so that your heartbreaks and you long to hear it again. This is a masterful tale that is written boldly and with a beauty that few people recognize because it goes beyond skin deep. This is something that will be added to my list to be reread over and over. Entirely impressive, T. Kingfisher has shattered my expectations and I am in heartbroken love! Highly recommended.
For more book recommendations please tune in to Off the Books with B&S on any of your preferred podcasting platforms; new episodes air every other Thursday.
Bethann
Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix
248 Pages
Fic/Horror/Humor
4.5/5*
Formats available: Hoopla eAudiobook, Libby eBook, Libby eAudiobook
“Something strange is happening at the Orsk furniture superstore in Cleveland, Ohio. Every morning, employees arrive to find broken Kjerring bookshelves, shattered Glans water goblets, and smashed Liripip wardrobes. Sales are down, security cameras reveal nothing, and store managers are panicking.
To unravel the mystery, three employees volunteer to work a nine-hour dusk-till-dawn shift. In the dead of the night, they’ll patrol the empty showroom floor, investigate strange sights and sounds, and encounter horrors that defy the imagination.
A traditional haunted house story in a thoroughly contemporary setting, Horrorstör is designed to retain its luster and natural appearance for a lifetime of use. Pleasingly proportioned with generous French flaps and a softcover binding, Horrorstör delivers the psychological terror you need in the elegant package you deserve.”
This book was a rollercoaster of emotions and horror and I really loved all of it. If you're looking for something unique, satirical, and still able to scare you to death, this is your next read. Horrorstor is a Hieronymus Bosch painting and Dante's Nine Circles of Hell rolled up into an Ikea with you trapped inside. I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, but it delivered the gore and every fear I could think of. I read this more for the scare factor than the character development, but I must say that throughout this torturous captivity inside Orska, I found myself rooting for the main characters in all their flawed glory. Open this book and buckle up because things are going to go from bad to worse and you'll love the illustrations. I was skeptical that this would be worth the read and now I am sad that I put it off for so long. This is definitely the Grady Hendrix book to start with if you haven’t read his books yet. Happy shopping!
For more book recommendations please tune in to Off the Books with B&S on any of your preferred podcasting platforms; new episodes air every other Thursday.
Bethann
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
432 pages
Fantasy/Romance Fiction
5/5*
Formats available: Book, Playaway, Hoopla Graphic Audio, Hoopla Audiobook, Libby eBook, Libby Audiobook, Libby Graphic Audio
When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a terrifying creature arrives to demand retribution. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she knows about only from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not truly a beast, but one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled her world.
At least, he's not a beast all the time.
As she adapts to her new home, her feelings for the faerie, Tamlin, transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But something is not right in the faerie lands. An ancient, wicked shadow is growing, and Feyre must find a way to stop it, or doom Tamlin-and his world-forever.
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas got ALL of the stars from me…seriously…I loved it like I have never loved a book before.
This Beauty and the Beast retelling tells the story of huntress, Feyre Archeron and what happens to her and her family when she ends up “accidentally” (cough, cough…sure, Feyre) killing a fae in its wolf form. To pay for what she did, Feyre is swept off by a handsome beast known as Tamlin to live the rest of her life in the Spring Court, located in the fae land of Prythian. I know what you are thinking…how does this even remotely sound like a bad deal? What you need to do is pick up the book and find out!
I was very hesitant to pick up this book since I do not normally read fantasy, but after reading A Court of Thorns and Roses, my relationship with fantasy books took off like a dragon flying into the night sky. Okay, calm down Samantha. I can honestly say once I started reading the book my eyes were glued to the pages until it was finished. I was worried since this book is technically a retelling of Beauty and the Beast that it would be like any other retelling and have absolutely nothing new to bring to the table. However, there was so much uniqueness to the story. I love that Maas added the concept of the mask curse that was placed on everyone for years and that everyone’s beast form in the fae lands was not due to the curse. I would definitely say this was my favorite retelling and fantasy series that I have yet to read!
As soon as I finished the story, I immediately checked out the next book to the series which is A Court of Mist and Fury. I believe I could probably say that I am Sarah J. Maas’s number one fan, and I will continue to persuade everyone I know to pick up these books. Overall, I really enjoyed the entire book and have continued to enjoy the rest of Maas’s books just as much!
For more book recommendations please tune in to Off the Books with B&S Podcast on any of your preferred podcasting platforms; new episodes air every other Thursday.
-Samantha
Nineteen Claws and a Black bird by Agustina Bazterrica
176 Pages
Short Story/ Horror
4.5/5*
Formats available: Book, Libby eAudiobook
“A collection of nineteen dark, wildly imaginative short stories from the author of the award-winning TikTok sensation Tender Is the Flesh.
From celebrated author Agustina Bazterrica, this collection of nineteen brutal, darkly funny short stories takes into our deepest fears and through our most disturbing fantasies. Through stories about violence, alienation, and dystopia, Bazterrica’s vision of the human experience emerges in complex, unexpected ways—often unsettling, sometimes thrilling, and always profound. In “Roberto,” a girl claims to have a rabbit between her legs. A woman’s neighbor jumps to his death in “A Light, Swift, and Monstrous Sound,” and in “Candy Pink,” a woman fails to contend with a difficult breakup in five easy steps.
Written in Bazterrica’s signature clever, vivid style, these stories question love, friendship, family relationships, and unspeakable desires.”
I always wonder what goes through the mind of a horror writer on a day-to-day basis; what compels them to pen words that seem normal to them and make shiver the rest of the population. Nineteen Claws and a Blackbird gave me a window into the soul of a horror writer, uncovering the way that they see the world and its droning day to day. Does Bazterrica see the world uncovered for what it truly is while we see it through tinted glasses? Most definitely, yes. I find I enjoy the way that Bazterrica uses the macabre and the shock of things to address humanity and its ailments; they do so in a tasteful and thought-provoking way without stunning their audience simply to stun them. I don’t enjoy it when ugly is presented without showing the beauty in the ugly as well. I always feel like there should be a point to all this and with this compilation there are millions of tiny world-exposing points. There is purpose in the horror here. It is also evident that this was written with a deep cultural intent and that alone makes this darker and more stunning. It is fierce, and I enjoyed even the unsettling revelations of humanity. The horror here is that Bazterrica takes your real human emotion and reaction and turns it into the monster in your closet, ready to devour you. I recommend this book in all its pieces and its entirety. If you are looking to step foot into this world, read one or two and make your way through the list; savor each story and process the way Bazterrica makes you feel. If you simply love the genre, this is a book you must pick up and consume as it consumes you back.
You can find Nineteen Claws and a Black Bird in our physical library as Hardback and on Libby as an eBook and an eAudiobook for checkout. For more book recommendations please tune in to Off the Books with B&S Podcast on any of your preferred podcasting platforms; new episodes air every other Thursday.
Bethann
A Psalm for the Wild-Built (A Monk and Robot Book 1) by Becky Chambers
151 pages/4 hours and 8 minutes
Sci-Fi/Cozy/Realism
4.8/5
Formats available: Book, Libby eAudiobook, Libby eBook
“It's been centuries since the robots of Panga gained self-awareness and laid down their tools; centuries since they wandered, en masse, into the wilderness, never to be seen again; centuries since they faded into myth and urban legend.
One day, the life of a tea monk is upended by the arrival of a robot, there to honor the old promise of checking in. The robot cannot go back until the question of "what do people need?" is answered.
But the answer to that question depends on who you ask, and how.
They're going to need to ask it a lot.”
I cannot remember where I came across this book as a recommendation for myself and I did not anticipate going into this novella that it would be, in a way, soul shaking or something that I would desire to read again and enjoy like my favorite meal or carry with me like a comfort item. The beautiful thing about this book, for me, is that this story has something for everyone. Yes, this is the most cliché thing I could say but it is the most correct and concise way to present you this book. Becky Chambers did something masterful writing this book and accomplished something that I feel that very few authors have; she wrote to an audience and also to every individual in it. Being a novella one would assume that the world building would be mediocre and leave you unfilled yet with this mini epic I found myself knowing this world and the characters in it without needing to be drowned in details; I became a part of this place instantly and felt peaceful in it, as if I had always known it. I have recommended this book repeatedly to different people that share different lifestyles than myself and we each have found things in this book to share with one another and we all have an appreciation for the discussion that it has created. I highly recommend this book as one of my favorite reads this year. If you are a sci-fi fantasy lover and love a little slice of life done right, this is the book you shouldn’t hesitate to pick up next.
You can find A Psalm for the Wild-Built in our physical library as a Hardback, on Libby as an eBook and an eAudiobook, and Hoopla as an eAudiobook for checkout. For more book recommendations please tune in to Off the Books with B&S on any of your preferred podcasting platforms; new episodes air every other Thursday.
Bethann