book-review
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Review — ‘Verity Guild’ by Mai Corland
What do you think of when someone says the word “romantasy”? Medieval worlds full of castles? Dragons and magical creatures? Warriors and queens? The popular subgenre that combines fantasy and romance has slowly become a monolith that promotes a singular aesthetic vision; yet, Verity Guild veers away and paves its own path. Written by Mai…
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REVIEW — ‘Orange Island’ by Vanessa Frances
In the world we’re living in today, we can all relate to the feeling of doom we get from watching the news. We’re surrounded by endless reports of the devastation felt around the world, and then we turn to social media, drowning out the noise with our favorite influencer’s newest vacation vlog. We watch the…
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REVIEW — ‘Shield of Sparrows’ by Devney Perry
Over the course of this decade, the subgenre of “romantasy” has soared in popularity. Specifically on BookTok, novels that fall under the fantasy-romance hybrid category are pushed to the forefront of viewers’ feeds and social media doomscrolling. Despite the mainstream quality of romantasy, the style itself is uniquely beloved by indie writers and young artists. …
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In conversation with Sophie Riley: self-publishing and character-driven storytelling in ‘It’s Not the End of the World’
Writers get inspiration from a variety of sources: their personal lives, the news, movies, television shows, or even writing prompts. Sophie Riley got hers from a 2014 Tumblr post. “I had saved that [post] so long ago and just put it in my brain,” Riley said. “I just got this idea for a book about…
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REVIEW — ‘Murder at the Hotel Orient’ by Alessandra Ranelli
Alessandra Ranelli’s debut novel, Murder at the Hotel Orient, delivers sex, humor, mystery, and intrigue all bottled up like top-shelf champagne about to pop. The flirty fever dream opens the night that two guests are murdered at the Hotel Orient, one of Vienna’s most mystifying attractions. Sterling Lockwood is the alluring and ever-loyal concierge at…
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REVIEW — ‘Heart the Lover’ by Lily King
With no pun intended, I am a lover of Lily King. She is the ultimate indie literary darling, frequently appearing on the Indie Next List and loudly supporting independent booksellers; King provides a proud voice within the multifaceted community of indie writers. So, naturally, I needed my hands on Heart the Lover as quickly as…
