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THE PRICE OF EVERYTHING by Jon McGoran

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Jon McGoran’s new thriller is out today, and I recommend it if you’re looking for a wild ride in a cyberpunk setting.   Armand Pierce is a member of the Courier’s Guild, a group that connects their attaché cases to titanium cuffs grafted into the bones of their wrists. The Guild is the only means of delivery since the Cyber Wars took the internet out. Business depends on the Guild’s deliveries, so when one of Pierce’s high stakes deliveries disappears from his attaché case, he has to figure out what the hell is going on before he gets killed…either by his client, or by the Guild. Turns out, Pierce isn’t the only courier whose payload has disappeared and the people with all the money and power are about to take a big hit… At the risk of sounding cliche, THE PRICE OF EVERYTHING is a real page-turner. If I hadn’t used it as my nighttime book, I could have read it in one or two sittings. Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of the book to read and review. Rating: ⭐️⭐...
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AMERICAN RAPTURE by C.J. Leede

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In AMERICAN RAPTURE by C.J. Leede, a virus is spreading across the U.S., leaving its victims violent with lust. Unfortunately for teenaged Sophie, the virus comes at a time when she is just beginning to recognize her own sexual desires and is beginning to question her devout Catholic upbringing and beliefs. In the midst of all the chaos, Sophie is forced to leave her sheltered life behind to travel across the Midwest in search of her twin brother. The things she sees and learns along the way force her to confront everything she was taught and thought she knew. AMERICAN RAPTURE explores themes of religious trauma, sexuality, survival, and redemption. Whew, I read this book for  Zombruary  and it was  intense . This is the second zombie book I’ve read that involves zombies who sexually assault their victims, and some fates are for sure worse than death. And it would be one thing to  know  what is happening and to be able to somewhat prepare for it (at least mental...
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Book Haul #1

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I took the day off from work today so I can have a long(er) weekend. I went book shopping in a physical bookstore, which I haven’t done in a while. I wanted to get the second book in the   Alex Stern   duology by Leigh Bardugo and the first two books in Tracy Deonn’s   Legendborn Cycle   series to reread before the third book comes out in March. Mission accomplished! There were a ton of other books I could have purchased if I’d allowed myself, but I reminded myself that I work in a library five days a week and can read them for free. I definitely don’t need to purchase every book I read, heh.
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THE WELL OF LOST PLOTS by Jasper Fforde

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THE WELL OF LOST PLOTS by Jasper Fforde is the third book in Fforde’s Thursday Next series and follows Thursday as she hides away from the real world inside an unpublished book titled   Caversham Heights . While working with Jurisfiction and her mentor Miss Havisham, she discovers a conspiracy involving the release of UltraWord™, a new book operating system with hidden functionality that threatens the integrity of fiction itself. Thursday must also contend with her memory loss concerning her husband Landen, as well as the threat of the villainous Aornis Hades. I’m rereading the Thursday Next series with some folks in  r/Fantasy  in the leadup to Fforde’s newest addition to the series being released later this year, and it’s been really fun to revisit Thursday’s world. The series is set in an alternate history version of Great Britain in the 1980s and includes a lot of literary allusions and witty wordplay. I’m a big fan of Fforde’s writing–British humor always makes me la...
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THE BEAR by Andrew Krivak

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THE BEAR by Andrew Krivak is set in a post-apocalyptic world where a father and his daughter are the last surviving humans, living in harmony with nature. After her father’s death, the girl is forced to find her way home through the wilderness alone, but is guided by a bear and other creatures who help her survive and connect with the world around her. THE BEAR explores the themes of grief, resilience, and humanity’s relationship to nature. At a little over 200 pages, this was a quick read, but that didn’t make it any less impactful. It made me think a lot about how we deal with grief and loss, as well as the ways in which we commune (or not) with nature. I’m one of those people who loves nature from a distance, so it’s always nice to connect deeply with nature vicariously through someone else. I would recommend this to readers who enjoy literary fiction, speculative fiction, and/or post-apocalyptic fiction. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4.5/5)
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THE UNBROKEN by C.L. Clark

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THE UNBROKEN by C.L. Clark is a political fantasy novel that takes place in a setting inspired by North Africa. Touraine was stolen as a child by the Balladairan Empire and conscripted into the army. She’s now back in her homeland to help squash a rebellion. Luca is the heir to the Balladairan throne and hopes that ending the Quazali rebellion will convince her uncle that she’s worthy of that throne. Luca saves Touraine from a military execution and makes Touraine a personal assistant of sorts, and Touraine begins to question her loyalties. THE UNBROKEN’s major themes are opposing loyalties, colonialism, and oppression. It was interesting to see how Touraine navigated her loyalties to both the colonizer and the colonized. I like the way the magic in this world works, too. I’m looking forward to reading the second book in the series (THE FAITHLESS). ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5)
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BOOKSHOPS & BONEDUST by Travis Baldree

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First read of 2025: BOOKSHOPS & BONEDUST by Travis Baldree. This is a prequel to LEGENDS & LATTES that takes place many years before Viv makes her way to Thune and opens her coffee shop. As with LEGENDS & LATTES, this is a cozy fantasy novel with lovable characters and a baddie for Viv and her friends to fight. BOOKSHOPS & BONEDUST is especially great because it centers on a…bookshop…and the newfound love of reading discovered by more than one character. I enjoyed BOOKSHOPS & BONEDUST a lot—it was just the right cozy story to kick off 2025. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5)
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