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Monday, March 9, 2026

Review: The Floating World by Axie Oh

Title:
The Floating World
Author: Axie Oh
Series: The Floating World #1
Genre: Mythology/Fantasy/Mystery
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Publication Date: April 29, 2025
Edition: 358 pages, Kindle Edition
Source: Library
Purchase: Amazon US | Barnes & Noble | BAM | Bookshop | Kobo | Powell's
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
Synopsis:
   Sunho lives in the Under World, a land of perpetual darkness. An ex-soldier, he can remember little of his life from before two years ago, when he woke up alone with only his name and his sword. Now he does odd-jobs to scrape by, until he comes across the score of a lifetime—a chest of coins for any mercenary who can hunt down a girl who wields silver light.
   Meanwhile, far to the east, Ren is a cheerful and spirited acrobat traveling with her adoptive family and performing at villages. But everything changes during one of their festival performances when the village is attacked by a horrific humanlike demon. In a moment of fear and rage, Ren releases a blast of silver light—a power she has kept hidden since childhood—and kills the monster. But her efforts are not in time to prevent her adoptive family from suffering a devastating loss, or to save her beloved uncle from being grievously wounded.
   Determined to save him from succumbing to the poisoned wound, Ren sets off over the mountains, where the creature came from—and from where Ren herself fled ten years ago. Her path sets her on a collision course with Sunho, but he doesn't realize she's the girl that he—and a hundred other swords-for-hire—is looking for. As the two grow closer through their travels, they come to realize that their pasts—and destinies—are far more entwined than either of them could have imagined.

From Axie Oh, the New York Times-bestselling author of The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea, Final Fantasy meets Shadow and Bone in this romantic fantasy re-imagining the Korean legend of Celestial Maidens.
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Sunday, March 8, 2026

ARC Review: Our Wicked Gifts by Kathryn Foxfield

Title:
Our Wicked Gifts
Author: Kathryn Foxfield
Series: Standalone (I think)
Genre: Mystery/Thriller/YA Fantasy
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: July 7, 2026
Edition: eBook
Source: NetGalley
Pre-Order: Amazon US | Barnes & Noble | BAM | Bookshop | Kobo  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Synopsis:
   Cicely is the black sheep daughter of the powerful Winter family, who made a deal with the devil in exchange for riches and ruthless magic. Soren is the boy her family banished to the underworld. Their fates intertwine when Cicely's loathsome Uncle Dorian winds up dead at a masquerade ball.
   Once overlooked for her lowly gift of discovering secrets, Cicely is now her family's only chance at survival, tasked with finding the killer before he takes out every last Winter. With time running out, Cicely narrows her sights on Soren, who she suspects is back for vengeance.
   Yet the more Cicely investigates Soren--and gets to know him--the more she begins to question how much family loyalty is worth. After all, when it comes to being a Winter, one can have love or power, but rarely both.

The daughter of a sinister magical family who made a deal with the devil must stop the man killing them off, one by one, in this deliciously dark fantasy thriller that’s House of Hollow meets Succession, laced with a kiss-or-kill romance.
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Monday, February 23, 2026

ARC Review: In Stormy Weather by Chelsea Curto

Title:
 In Stormy Weather
Author: Chelsea Curto
Series: (unknown, might be a series)
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Atria Books
Publication Date: July 16, 2026
Edition: eBook
Source: NetGalley
Pre-Order: Amazon US | Barnes & Noble | BAM | Bookshop | Kobo | Powell's | 







Synopsis:
   Nothing can rain on Quincy Monroe’s parade. She’s a woman-in-STEM with a PhD in atmospheric sciences, the host of a successful online weather show, and has one million followers on her meteorology Instagram.
   Quincy has spent endless hours forging her path in this male-dominated field, becoming one of the best in the industry. And with a new job opportunity, nothing can derail her success. Except for the ill-timed arrival of Sebastian Dunn.
   Sebastian is her best friend’s brother, her long-suffering academic and professional rival, and a flashy TV weatherman from New York City that everyone swoons over. Everyone but Quincy.
   Over a scorching Florida summer and record-breaking hurricane season, Sebastian and Quincy are forced into close proximity. Setting aside their grudges to chase storms and stay alive is one thing, but can they weather the inevitable collision of their hearts?
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Monday, February 16, 2026

ARC Review: Burn the Kingdom Down by Addie Thorley


Title:
Burn the Kingdom Down
Author: Addie Thorley 
Series: Standalone (?)
Genre: YA Fantasy/Mystery/Romance
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Publication Date: April 7, 2026
Edition: 448 pages eBook
Source: NetGalley
Pre-Order: Amazon US | Barnes & Noble | BAM | Bookshop | Kobo | Powell's
 
 
 
 
 
 
Synopsis:
   One year ago, Rowenna Harrack, the crown princess of Tashir, left her homeland in a wedding dress of chains—sent away to the enemy nation of Vanzador as a captive bride.
   Now, Rowenna is dead. Brought home in a coffin after an alleged fall from a cliff.
Second-born princess, Indira, knows her sister's death was no accident. Desperate for truth and vengeance, Indira agrees to wed the prince so she can infiltrate Vanzador, find Rowenna's murderer, and burn their kingdom to the ground.
   Indira's plan is simple, she will make nice until she can find out how to avenge her sister and free her country from the rival nation's stranglehold. But when Indira arrives, nothing is as terrible as Rowenna described. As Indira grows closer to her new husband, Prince Alaric, and uncovers more about Vanzador, the source of its powers, and what happened during Rowenna's final days, she's no longer sure what—and who—to believe. Because everyone, even her sister, has secrets. Deadly ones
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Tuesday, February 3, 2026

ARC Review: Smoke and Scar by Gretchen Powell Fox

Title:
Smoke and Scar
Author: Gretchen Powell Fox 
Series: Shattered Crown #1
Genre: Fantasy/Romance/Action
Publisher: Scarlett Press
Publication Date: Apr 07 2026
Edition: Ebook
Source: NetGalley
Pre-Order: Amazon US | Barnes & Noble | BAM | Bookshop | Kobo | Powell's
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
Synopsis:
    A Splintered Kingdom 
 An ancient grudge has kept humans and the magical races of Arcanis at odds for centuries. The Arcane Crucible, a legendary series of trials that occurs every 25 years, offers a chance for peace. 
   A Haunted Warrior 
 Elyria Lightbreaker, once a celebrated fae war hero, is a shadow of her former self. Drowning in grief after losing the man she loved to the previous Crucible, now she must rise to stop his sister from falling to the same fate. 
   A Vengeful Knight 
 Hardened by loss and fueled by hate, Cedric Thorne’s lifelong goal to conquer the Crucible on humanity’s behalf is finally within reach. The only problem? Getting through the trials alive means working with Elyria—the very fae he blames for his parents’ deaths. 
   An Unwinnable Challenge 
 With alliances fragile as spun glass and betrayal lurking at every turn, Elyria and Cedric must navigate deadly trials that test their strength, spirit, and magic… as well as their increasingly complex feelings for each other. 
   This is the Arcane Crucible.

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