"Halla of Rutger's Howe had just inherited a great deal of money and was therefore spending her evening trying to figure out how to kill herself." Halla's quiet life of gentle struggle should have been improved immensely when her husband's uncle leaves her his entire estate. Alas, the rest of the family has other ideas, … Continue reading Swordheart – T Kingfisher
"The barber paused, flicking water droplets from his razor with a brisk snap of his wrist." Having already fallen in love with the Cycle of the Singing Hills, it's nothing but joy to be back on the road with Cleric Chih and - yay! - Almost Brilliant. We start with a bar fight, where the … Continue reading Into the Riverlands – Nghi Vo
"Everyone has a talent, and these days, mine is running." Conned into fighting a duel with the vicious Vixen, Damelas Shademantaigne tries his luck with an archaic loophole that says actors can't be forced to duel. The company takes pity on him and soon his new life involves bit parts in historic plays - until … Continue reading Play of Shadows – Sebastien de Castell
"'Is there no other way?'" When a deadly fog spreads across the globe, killing everyone it touches, one small group of survivors make it to a remote island. Years later and life there is idyllic and harmonious, a real commune working together for the common good. That is, until one of the elders - a … Continue reading The Last Murder at the End of the World – Stuart Turton
"They say never start a story with a waking, but when you've been hard asleep for thirty years it's difficult to know where else to begin." Welcome to Kiln. The greatest discovery in mankind's history of exploring the stars is here: evidence of alien civilisation. But, where are the builders? There's no shortage of life … Continue reading Alien Clay – Adrian Tchaikovsky
"Dear wonderful, brave, and beautiful creator" I have at this point owned a set of watercolour paints - more than one, if I'm honest - for more years decades than I care to put into print. I love the colours, and the ethereal nature that can be achieved... if only I was brave enough to … Continue reading Watercolor Your Way – Sarah Cray
"I hadn't seen Juan in years, not since I left the commune." Sometimes a combination of genres is just enough to make me squee, 'oh yes!' and here we have them: a futuristic, dystopian mystery, techno-thriller noir. Then layer that with the theme of being trans, not fitting in for other reasons, throw in some … Continue reading These Fragile Graces, This Fugitive Heart – Izzy Wasserstein
"It was not yet dawn when they came for her." When soldiers come to take Veris to the castle of the Tyrant, all of the awful reasons that she can dream up don't prepare her for the truth: she's about to be made to relieve her worst nightmare. The Tyrant's children have gone missing, tracked … Continue reading The Butcher of the Forest – Premee Mohamad
"Dear Writer - yes, that's you." Getting back to writing more is a pretty constant goal for me and I was hoping this book would provide some good inspiration. I liked the concept of a short, daily writing exercise (the intro's suggestion is to see what you can come up with in 15 minutes), and … Continue reading One Creative Writing Prompt a Day – Lita Kurth
"The month of January brought out all the many facets of my psyche." Writer and accidental bookshop owner Jen is back for a fourth instalment of this cosy mystery series. As her writing career progresses, it looks like the bookstore - inherited from a friend - might be in danger from more than one source. … Continue reading A Cover for Murder – Sue Minix
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