phantasticreads
phantasticreads
Phantastic Reads
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reviews and general book nerdery
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phantasticreads · 11 days ago
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Hello Sunshine
Hello Sunshine, by Keezy Young Alex disappears after having a public breakdown.  Everyone is convinced he’s a runaway and has stopped looking for him.  It’s up to his friends, his secret boyfriend, and his twin brother to figure out what happened and try to find him.  Hello Sunshine is a totally immersive experience, starting out as a mystery and gradually sinking into fantasy horror.  Some of…
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phantasticreads · 13 days ago
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How to Survive Camping
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phantasticreads · 14 days ago
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Hobtown Mystery Stories: The Cursed Hermit
Hobtown Mystery Stories: The Cursed Hermit, by Kris Bertin and Alexander Forbes It’s Christmas break and Sam is still trying to find his dad. Dana forces her own father to take her on vacation to recuperate from the events of The Missing Men. With the Mystery Club’s leader out of the way, Hobtown’s powers that be continue to divide and conquer, selecting Brennan and Pauline to attend a special…
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phantasticreads · 15 days ago
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Ascension
Ascension, by S.T. Gibson A few months after the events of Evocation Rhys is drowning in his duties as High Priest. His anxiety and ambition are at war, leaving him very little time to navigate the complexities of his polyamorous relationships. Despite my personal problems with Rhys, this book is where the series really picks up and draws you in. The poly drama gets intense in this one, without…
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phantasticreads · 16 days ago
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Having People Over
Having People Over: A Modern Guide to Planning, Throwing, and Attending Every Type of Party, by Chelsea Fagan There’s the meme about how everyone expected to encounter more quicksand after television and Bill Wallace made such a big deal out of it when we were kids.   I honestly thought there’d be more cocktail parties, though the lack may have more to do with my circle than the times (though…
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phantasticreads · 19 days ago
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Which Witch?
Which Witch?, by Simon R. Green Diana is cast as Lady Macbeth, but this production is beset by more than the usual bad luck. She calls in Alistair, reuniting the Holy Terrors to get to the bottom of things and save the play—and her income. But their investigation spurs the saboteur to greater heights. A strong start and I loved the theatre drama, but the mystery’s conclusion felt rushed.…
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phantasticreads · 20 days ago
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This Place Kills Me
This Place Kills Me, by Mariko Tamaki and Nicole Goux In the wake of scandal, Abby’s parents ship her off to the prestigious Wilberton Academy. Abby doesn’t fit in and is still processing the betrayal that led her there when one of her classmates dies unexpectedly. Now Abby, as the “undesirable element” is getting all the attention she never wanted. Can she figure out what really…
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phantasticreads · 21 days ago
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A Girl Walks into the Forest
A Girl Walks into the Forest, by Madeleine Roux Valla is chosen to be the Count’s bride, her beauty exchanged for food and fur to keep her village safe. But the way through the forest is long, and things at the castle aren’t as they appear. It starts like a fairytale and the path leads to a gothic castle, filled with lies and experiments and unspeakable cruelty. Roux’s gorgeous prose and…
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phantasticreads · 22 days ago
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The Bone Drenched Woods
The Bone Drenched Woods, by L.V. Russell A story of one girl’s struggle to survive in a folk horror world ruled over by ancient, hungry entities and the power-mad men who serve them. Russell certainly has a way with words, evoking a haunting atmosphere around a rural cult, while highlighting the greed and abuse of those in power. The setting is gory and gorgeous, the descriptions lush and…
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phantasticreads · 23 days ago
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Hotblood! Volume 1: The Land of Promise
Hotblood! Volume 1: The Land of Promise, by Toril Orlesky In an alternate past where mythic creatures roam the US alongside humans, centaur Rook is hired to kill Asa Langley. But how can he turn on the only kind hand extended to him? The story is a lot cleaner and more focused than I remember from the webcomic, though just as beautiful and complicated. Orlesky’s art is gorgeous, emotive-lines…
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phantasticreads · 24 days ago
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Black Flame
Black Flame, by Gretchen Felker-Martin When a surviving copy of Bartok’s transgressive, queer horror film is brought to Ellen’s employer for restoration, it makes her uneasy.  She’s spent the last fifteen years hiding from that part of herself, keeping her head down and doing the job her father got her restoring old films.  Ellen is assigned work on the project, being the only Jewish employee,…
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phantasticreads · 25 days ago
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Silver and Lead
Silver and Lead, by Seanan McGuire While Titania had all of Faerie marching to the cruel beat of her drum, someone robbed Muir Woods of all the rare and dangerous artifacts left in the queen’s keeping.   The danger is too urgent to wait for Toby to give birth before sending her off hunting for stolen treasure and besides, how much trouble can she get into anyway? I was going to wait until…
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phantasticreads · 26 days ago
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The Farmhouse
The Farmhouse, by Chelsea Conradt Six months after the sudden loss of her mother, Emily and her husband move to rural Nebraska to start over.  But something is wrong, and the more Emily learns about the family who lived in the house before them, the more invested she becomes in figuring out what’s going on in her new home. I didn’t love the pacing, and there are a lot of jarring sentence…
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phantasticreads · 28 days ago
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The Autumn Kingdom Vol. 1: Through the Blight
The Autumn Kingdom Vol. 1: Through the Blight, by Cullen Bunn and Christopher Mitten Fantasy novelist Andrew Kier takes his family on vacation to a cabin in the Swedish forest, only for he and his wife to be abducted by tolls and other fey folk. It’s up to his twin daughters to save them. A promising start to a new faerie comic series, I look forward to seeing how Winter and Sommer’s story…
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phantasticreads · 29 days ago
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Heavenly Tyrant
Heavenly Tyrant, by Xiran Jay Zhao AAAAAARRRRRRGH!!! Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, on to the review! Beware there are spoilers for Iron Widow by necessity. After the events of Iron Widow, Huaxia is reeling from the destruction of the old regime and the resurrection of legendary emperor Qin Zheng. More importantly, they hate Wu Zetian for inciting this change and the…
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phantasticreads · 1 month ago
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Calavera, P.I.
Calavera, P.I., by Marco Finnegan Our story begins in 1920s Los Angeles, where our action hero investigor, Juan Calavera, thwarts a human trafficking ring in collaboration with reporter Maria Valdez. Unfortunately, Juan dies later the same day. Five years pass, and someone kidnaps Maria’s son, promising to free him if Maria can bring the dead detective back. When she manages to summon him in…
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phantasticreads · 1 month ago
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Overgrowth
Overgrowth, by Mira Grant At three years old Anastasia Miller went missing and came back changed, insisting she was actually a plantlike alien in a human shape and that her people will come for her and invade Earth. Thirty-two years later she’s consistent in her story and people assume she’s crazy, if harmless, until an observatory picks up a message from Anastasia’s people. I don’t read a ton…
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