#macmillan tor forge

[lilibetbombshell]

[brightbeautifulthings]

Little Eve by Catriona Ward

"'Right and wrong--they are just words. When we are standing in the dark, holding a flaming poker, there is only one thing to consider and that is ourselves. Can we hold such an act within us, without being irrevocably changed?'"

Year Read: 2022

Rating: 2/5

About: Eve has been raised on the island of Altnaharra, her Uncle the Adder in a cultish religion that predicts the end of the world by giant serpent. For Eve and her family, it's very real, and Eve would do anything to inherit the Adder's power. When Chief Inspector Black arrives to investigate a murder in the nearby town, he puts doubt in Eve's heart for the first time. When their sacred ceremony goes badly wrong, her sister Dinah is the only one left standing to tell the story. I received a free e-ARC through NetGalley from the publishers at Macmillan-Tor/Forge. Trigger warnings: character/family death, drowning, rape, pedophilia, child abuse/abusive households (graphic, on-page), cults, eye horror, body horror, starvation, severe injury, violence, drugging, manipulation, snakes, sexism, guilt, strong religious themes.

Thoughts: I realized a while back that I was hardly ever making use of two stars in my reviews, instead lumping most books into three stars for various reasons, so I decided to change my strategy a little. When I finish a book, I ask myself the simple question, "Did you enjoy it?" If the answer is "No," then it's not a three-star book, no matter how well-written it might be. I didn't enjoy this book. It is well-written. My rating is a reflection of my enjoyment, not necessarily its goodness, so take that with a grain of salt.

Ward is excellent at layering mysteries so that we think we know what's going on, only for her to pull the rug out from under us at the end and show us what we should have been looking at all along. The answers were there, but with a little sleight of hand, she managed to misdirect us into looking somewhere else. I enjoyed that aspect of the novel and, indeed, the mystery of what happened and how it happened was one of few things that kept me going throughout the novel. The discrepancies in the past and present accounts were an itch in my brain. I had to know who was lying.

But goddamn, is it hard to read. I don't enjoy historical novels, and I don't enjoy novels about cults, and Little Eve is both. The thing about cults is that they only make sense from the inside, so any outsider (like the reader) is going to look at it and go: that is batshit crazy, why are you staying? And since I'm on the outside, I could never shake that question as I was reading. It's not that Ward doesn't do a good job of putting us in Eve's mindset, because she does. It's completely understandable why she thinks and acts the way she does, having such limited experience with the outside world.

But wow, that's a lot of abuse for a lot of pages, and it's an absolute drag to get through her chapters with her family. Her conversations with Chief Inspector Black were the only reprieve, and I couldn't summon a lot of feelings for any of the other characters besides horror or pity, depending. Black is a breath of fresh air, and I enjoyed his Sherlock Holmes-style appeals to reason, and all the little cracks he puts in Eve's belief in her family's magic. The novel does an expert job in walking the line between real or not-real, and for once, the answers are as satisfying as the questions. I’ll never be tempted to pick it up again though.

[the-novel-approach-reviews]

Review: Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo

Title: Summer Sons Author: Lee Mandelo Publisher: Tor Books/Macmillan Length: 336 Pages Category: Southern Gothic, Horror Rating: 4.5 Stars At a Glance: Lee Mandelo’s writing is evocative and provocative, and they tell a complex story with plenty of chills for Horror fans. Summer Sons is some taut and tantalizing Southern Gothic. Reviewed By: Lisa Blurb: Andrew and Eddie did everything…

[whimsicaldragonette]

ARC & Audio ARC Review: Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh

Order

Add to Goodreads

Publication Date: April 11, 2023

Synopsis:

While we live, the enemy shall fear us. All her life Kyr has trained for the day she can avenge the murder of planet Earth. Raised in the bowels of Gaea Station alongside the last scraps of humanity, she readies herself to face the Wisdom, the all-powerful, reality-shaping weapon that gave the Majoda their victory over humanity. They are what’s left. They are what must survive. Kyr is one of the best warriors of her generation, the sword of a dead planet. But when Command assigns her brother to certain death and relegates her to the nursery to bear sons until she dies trying, she knows she must take humanity’s revenge into her own hands. Alongside her brother’s brilliant but seditious friend and a lonely, captive alien, she escapes from everything she’s ever known into a universe far more complicated than she was taught and far more wondrous than she could have imagined. A thrillingly told queer space opera about the wreckage of war, the family you find, and who you must become when every choice is stripped from you, Some Desperate Glory is award-winning author Emily Tesh’s highly anticipated debut novel.

My Rating: ★★★★★

*My Review below the cut.

My Review:

This was truly epic and stunning. It's one of those times I wish I could give an extra star or two on top of the usual 5 because this story deserves it. Kyr is SO hard to like at the beginning. She's completely brainwashed and has 100% bought in to the narrative her "uncle" Joel is selling: that they're a resistance determined to get revenge and glory for humanity -- rather than a barbaric cult in the middle of nowhere. And yet by the end, you find yourself completely on her side, rooting for her every step of the way and feeling everything she feels. Watching events play out, feeling the layers of brainwashing being stripped away as the narrative progresses, was incredible. The twists were shocking, the characters endlessly compelling, and the plot was truly stunning, once you get to the end of it and look back. I LOVED it. The audiobook narrator did a phenomenal job giving all the characters unique voices and capturing the pain and trauma they have lived, and the transformation Kyr undergoes. Absolutely one of the best books of the year. *Thanks to NetGalley, Tor/Forge, and Macmillan Audio for providing an early copy and early audio copy for review.

[cathygeha]

REVIEW

A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher

 This book is NOT what I was expecting. To be honest, I nearly gave up on it as it moved almost sluggishly along setting the scene for a very quick action-packed ending. Nettle & Bone was my introduction to this author and that book was the reason I requested reading this one. It is my guess that the two books I have read so far are two extremes of the author’s writing. I might need to read a third to come to a conclusion on what I really think of this author’s work.

 What I liked:

* Samantha “Sam” Myrtle Montgomery: 32 years old, PhD in archaeonentomology, bugs are her thing, had a weird childhood, comes from a strange background, claims she is fat and embraces it as her heredity, learns more about her ancestry and abilities as the story progresses

* Edie: Sam’s mother, resilient, had a rather crazy backstory, widowed young, worked hard to provide for her son and daughter, anxious for a reason that becomes apparent at the story progresses

* The creep-factor and where it led…lots of crumbs sprinkled in the slow start that led to the conclusion

* Gail: neighbor to Edie and Edie’s mother, disliked by Gran Mae (Edie’s mother), wildlife rehabilitator, referred to as a witch

* Phil and his grandfather – played parts in the story

* The elements of paranormal and magic – would have liked more of this and perhaps earlier in the story

* Brad: Sam’s brother and a man who seems strong and willing to be there for his mother, sister, and wife

* Finally reaching the last page

 What I didn’t like:

* Who and what I was meant not to like

* Wished it had been a bit faster paced in the beginning and that I could have better related to Sam

 Did I enjoy this book? On the fence about this one

Would I read more by this author? I think so, if the synopsis caught my eye

 Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Tor/Forge for the ARC – This is my honest review.

 Star rating is difficult. I felt it should be published so a 4 with NetGalley and 2 for it being ‘okay’ to me and that leaves an average of 3 overall.

    BLURB

 A haunting Southern Gothic from an award-winning master of suspense, A House With Good Bones explores the dark, twisted roots lurking just beneath the veneer of a perfect home and family. "Mom seems off." Her brother's words echo in Sam Montgomery's ear as she turns onto the quiet North Carolina street where their mother lives alone. She brushes the thought away as she climbs the front steps. Sam's excited for this rare extended visit, and looking forward to nights with just the two of them, drinking boxed wine, watching murder mystery shows, and guessing who the killer is long before the characters figure it out. But stepping inside, she quickly realizes home isn’t what it used to be. Gone is the warm, cluttered charm her mom is known for; now the walls are painted a sterile white. Her mom jumps at the smallest noises and looks over her shoulder even when she’s the only person in the room. And when Sam steps out back to clear her head, she finds a jar of teeth hidden beneath the magazine-worthy rose bushes, and vultures are circling the garden from above. To find out what’s got her mom so frightened in her own home, Sam will go digging for the truth. But some secrets are better left buried.

[literarysiren]

A fictional look at how comfort and terror in life and writing can bleed together inseparably.

[joelchaimholtzman]

Book Cover I was commissioned to paint by Tor Books / Macmillan.

Forge of the High Mage: A Novel of the Malazan Empire, written by Ian C Esslemont.

The book was actually released before I got to work on it, and the cover was initially made with stock imagery before I was asked to paint it from scratch.

A bit different than my usual work, but hope you still like it,

Cheers!

[lindseybyrd]

Book announcement!

I have been REALLY impatient to talk about this. I found out in October 2023 this was happening, and could only say it officially now.

It is with great joy in my heart that I let everyone know: I'm publishing a new duology via Tor UK and Random House Canada to come out in May 2025!!!!

On a hotly-contested battlefield, a prince whose touch creates life meets a soldier chosen by death. But can they forge a future together, from opposite sides of a great war? This is a lyrical and character-driven queer fantasy for those who loved She Who Became the Sun, The Song of Achilles and Lucy Holland's Sistersong. Prince Elician is a Giver. With a touch he can heal any wound and bring the dead back to life. He also can't be killed, so is cursed to watch his country fight an endless war he can do nothing to stop. Reapers can kill with a single touch. And when one attacks Prince Elician near the battlefield, but fails, the Reaper expects to harshly punished. Instead, Elician offers him a chance at a new life and a new name on enemy territory. The Reaper didn’t realise he could still find something, or someone, to make life worth living - until Elician. And the prince is unaware that his kindness is part of his enemy’s plan, until danger engulfs him in turn. As the pieces of a deadly plot come together, featuring abduction, treachery and forbidden magic, the stakes rise and tensions escalate at court and on the battlefield. As the fires of conflict burst into new flame, who will wield the powers of life and death? And could love really change a world and stop a war? A powerful and richly-imagined tale from a bold new voice in fantasy fiction. [x]

****

I can't wait to talk to you all about this more in the coming months!

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 5/5

Book Blurb: A magical detective dives into the affairs of Chicago's divine monsters to secure a future with the love of her life. This sapphic period piece will dazzle anyone looking for mystery, intrigue, romance, magic, or all of the above. An exiled augur who sold her soul to save her brother's life is offered one last job before serving an eternity in hell. When she turns it down, her client sweetens the pot by offering up the one payment she can't resist—the chance to have a future where she grows old with the woman she loves. To succeed, she is given three days to track down the White City Vampire, Chicago's most notorious serial killer. If she fails, only hell and heartbreak await.

Review:

A magical detective, deals with the devil, murders, and sapphic romance? Perfection. Helen is a magical private investigator who’s latest job has her entangled in a famous killer. When her client offers her the deal of a lifetime: find the murderer and alert her and in exchange she’ll get her soul back Helen can’t resist. Helen made a deal to trade her soul for the life of her brother... and she only has ten years to live... and her clock is running out with only a few days left. So with the clock ticking Helen is hellbent on finding the killer to get her soul back because the only thing she wants is to live a happy life with her partner Edith... yet Edith is hiding her own secrets that could impact the case. The more Helen follows the clues the more her life is endangered, yet the case may be much bigger than she ever imagined. Can she get her soul back and stop the killer before it’s too late? This was such a fantastic read! The world was so much fun and the mystery was interesting, I loved how short and sweet it was while also creating an interesting world. fleshed out characters, and one heck of a fun mystery! 

*Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Tordotcom for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[the-worlds-between-pages]

The scourge Between Stars by: Ness Brown

Published by: Macmillan Tor/Forge This was such a good read!! I saw the cover, read the blurb and was hooked!! And the book absolutely delivered! Right off the bat, I’m going to tell people to read this. If you’re a fan of the Alien franchise, then you’ll enjoy this. We follow a ship with a farm set up, a med bay, a captain, crew, civilians, all that stuff. And they’re trying to get back to…

[theheelerbooklifereads]

𝙍𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜: 𝟮.𝟱/𝟱

𝐷𝑖𝑠𝑐𝑙𝑎𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑟: I may have not enjoyed this book, but this does not mean you will not. Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for providing me this arc in exchange for an honest review.

The murder of planet Earth must be avenged and Kyr has trained for days to do so. Kyr has been raised in Grea Station that encompasses the last pieces of humanity. She has been preparing herself for a while to face the Wisdom, which just happens to be an all-powerful and a reality-shaping weapon that allowed the Mejoda to win against humanity. Kyr's brother becomes assigned by the The Command to certain death and on top of that, The Command assigns her to the nursery so she can bear sons. The only thing Kyr can do is plan to avenge humanity and will escape into a universe that she does not know and does not understand.

✨When I first heard about this book, I knew I just needed to read it. I do not read much sci-fi and want to get more into it and I had a feeling this would be one to add to my tbr so I can explore more of this generation.

✨I really, really wanted to like Some Desperate Glory, but I just feel very indifferent about it.

✨Some Desperate Glory has a lot of potential, but I feel like it did not go into full depth into what it really wanted to be and to take some risks to elevate the plot, world, and characters.

✨I really love this premise about Kyr wanting to avenge humanity and to become a warrior. I felt like the first quarter of the book does engage you and feels fast paced. Then, the queer representation was great as well.

✨For Kyr, I feel like she was an unlikeable character, but her development was good and made her feel real based off of the circumstances she was going through.

✨However, as I kept reading, I kept feeling like I was being transported out of the book and not really liking the characters or really caring what was going on. Plus, I kept just wanting to be done reading this book.

⁉️QOTD: If you had to choose: would you rather read more fantasy or more sci-fi?

[lilibetbombshell]

[brightbeautifulthings]

What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher

"The dead don't walk. Except, sometimes, when they do."

Year Read: 2022

Rating: 4/5

About: When retired soldier Alex Easton receives word that kan childhood friend, Madeline Usher, is dying, ka rushes to Ruritania and the crumbling Usher manor to attend her and her brother, Roderick, who is unraveling under the strain of his sister's illness. There, Easton finds a stout-hearted British mycologist, a bewildered American doctor, possessed wildlife, and a tarn that pulses with an eerie glow. The secret to Maddy's illness is deeply rooted in the Usher home, but it may be too late to save any of them. Note: Easton uses the pronouns ka/kan, reserved specifically for soldiers in kan culture, so my review will likewise reflect those. I received a free e-ARC through NetGalley from the publishers at Macmillan-Tor/Forge. Trigger warnings: character death, animal death, body horror, some gore, broken bones, severe illness.

Thoughts: I commented in my review of The Hollow Places that the narrators of that novel and The Twisted Ones sounded almost interchangeable, so it's nice to see Kingfisher mixing it up in What Moves the Dead. Easton's voice caught me immediately, and I found myself underlining so many of kan lines. Ka is observant and funny, confident in kan skills but self-deprecating in other ways. It was fascinating to read about Easton's experiences as a soldier and the little bits of Gallacian culture, which enriches the story without overwhelming the current plot. I didn't have strong feelings about anyone else besides the redoubtable Miss Potter, queen of mycology, who I loved, but as it's a rather short book, there isn't really time to develop anyone else.

If I had a complaint about this novella, it's exactly that: it's too short. While everything is well-fleshed out in under two hundred pages, all plot threads neatly wrapped up, I wanted more time to sink into these characters and this world and Easton's charming narrative voice. That being said, it is adapted from a short story, so it's a wonder Kingfisher managed to do even this much with it. It's an imaginative take on the original story, with some delightfully creepy moments with Madeline and the hares, and a fascinatingly original explanation for what may have happened at Usher. It's less gory than the previous novels and, like the original, gets its horror mainly from its well-crafted atmosphere. Although it's more streamlined and far less flowery, fans of Mexican Gothic should find a lot to appreciate about it. I really loved this, and I can't wait to have a copy on my shelf.

[whimsicaldragonette]

ARC Review: The Bell in the Fog by Lev AC Rosen

Order Add to Goodreads Publication Date: October 10, 2023

Synopsis:

The Bell in the Fog , a dazzling historical mystery by Lev AC Rosen, asks―once you have finally found a family, how far would you go to prove yourself to them? San Francisco, 1952. Detective Evander “Andy” Mills has started a new life for himself as a private detective―but his business hasn’t exactly taken off. It turns out that word spreads fast when you have a bad reputation, and no one in the queer community trusts him enough to ask an ex-cop for help. When James, an old flame from the war who had mysteriously disappeared, arrives in his offices above the Ruby, Andy wants to kick him out. But the job seems to be a simple case of blackmail, and Andy’s debts are piling up. He agrees to investigate, despite everything it stirs up. The case will take him back to the shadowy, closeted world of the Navy, and then out into the gay bars of the city, where the past rises up to meet him, like the swell of the ocean under a warship. Missing people, violent strangers, and scandalous photos that could destroy lives are a whirlpool around him, and Andy better make sense of it all before someone pulls him under for good.

My Rating: ★★★★★

*My Review below the cut

My Review:

I was so impressed with Lavender House that I wasn't sure this second book could really stand up to it, especially given the way the story played out. To my surprise, it did.

Andy Mills is a compelling protagonist who has had a hard life and you just want him to succeed and have some good things and learn to enjoy himself and believe he's worth those good things. The other characters are vibrant and complicated and the way they push and pull Andy makes the overarching mystery more intriguing.

This is very much a novel about the way the past can drag at you, holding you back and trying to pull you under. And the way it would be so, so easy to let it. To let yourself be submerged into the memories and the glow of nostalgia and let your future fade away.

Andy is haunted by his memories and his past in this novel. It clouds his judgement and complicates his case, and he really struggles to break free of them.

The mystery twists and loops and as Andy investigates one suspect and then another you really wonder who could be behind it all. It's very well-crafted and satisfying.

I really love that this is very much a story about queer characters in a time where being queer is basically illegal and can easily get you beaten up or killed and no one would bat an eye. There is a danger that darkens all the shadows, but at the same time that just makes the light of their joy shine brighter in defiance.

The setting and the characters and the queerness of it all is captivating and as a queer reader is both painful and beautiful. I've never read anything quite like it before.

I was sucked in by the story as it unfolded and couldn't tear myself away. I will definitely be reading future novels about Andy and his friends.

*Thanks to Bookishfirst and Macmillan Tor/Forge for providing an early copy for review.

[cathygeha]

REVIEW

The Mimicking of Known Success by Malka Older

Moss & Pleiti #1

 Whew…took me a LONG time to get into this book and am still not sure what to think. Why did it take time? Well, the writing felt rather stilted and old fashioned and as if I was reading a book written over a century ago although I am sure the time must have been far distant in the future as it takes place several generations after humans left earth after making it inhabitable. Add in the rather highbrow terms that felt erudite but archaic, a setting devoid of much common on earth and a Gaslamp steampunk feel to it and people I had trouble understanding or warming up to…well…I am scratching my head trying to remember if reading an original Sherlock Holmes story would read like this or not.

I was intrigued by the book description since sci-fi sometimes grabs my interest and this plot sounded intriguing. The main characters were easily visualized but difficult to warm up to and I wondered if that was due to what had happened since humans left earth or if it was their basic characters. I also felt that I didn’t get to KNOW them. I wasn’t sure how long it had been since Mossa and Pleita had seen one another, what their relationship was like in college, or what they might have in common later that would draw them together again. Were the two in their late twenties, thirties or even older? My guess is late twenties but am not sure.

 The descriptions of Jupiter were well done, the characters easy to visualize if not warm to, and the mystery solving easy to follow. As this is the first in a series, there will be books to follow and perhaps through following them I will find out more about Mossa and Pleita in the past as they work together in the future.

 I am glad I did not give up at chapter eight as the story did begin to grow on me and I now feel that I would like to read more to find out what happens next. Will Mossa and Pleita work together and form more than a working relationship? Will progress be made concerning the future of humans living on Pluto? Will the humans ever be able to return to earth? How did they actually manage to get to Pluto and make it habitable? I think those and other questions that I have would be worth finding out…maybe.

 Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Tor/Forge for the ARC – This is my honest review.

 3-4 Stars

       BLURB

 The Mimicking of Known Successes presents a cozy Holmesian murder mystery and sapphic romance, set on Jupiter, by Malka Older, author of the critically-acclaimed Centenal Cycle. On a remote, gas-wreathed outpost of a human colony on Jupiter, a man goes missing. The enigmatic Investigator Mossa follows his trail to Valdegeld, home to the colony’s erudite university—and Mossa’s former girlfriend, a scholar of Earth’s pre-collapse ecosystems. Pleiti has dedicated her research and her career to aiding the larger effort towards a possible return to Earth. When Mossa unexpectedly arrives and requests Pleiti’s assistance in her latest investigation, the two of them embark on a twisting path in which the future of life on Earth is at stake—and, perhaps, their futures, together.

[literarysiren]

Daniel Kraus's Living Dead is a tome and a half, able to double as a self defense weapon, but it is also a remarkably hopeful piece of work for being about the undead. and quite the loving tribute to George Romero to boot.