The Perfect New Friend

Another has everything you could ask for in a creepy read—a child who feels lost and alone; parents who don’t, or won’t, seem to get it; an out-of-place old rotary phone; and Morel, who seems like the perfect new friend, then becomes, well—you’ll have to read it and find that out. 

This book was a quick and easy read, and is certainly a middle school read. And while it could be scary for the younger set, I don’t think any of it would be too threatening. It is more strange and unsettling, but nothing as dark or twisted as Tremblay’s usual fare. I’m giving it a 4-star, but it really is closer to a three-and-a-half for me. I think I would have liked it more if there had been more about why his parents acted the way they did. AmIright? AmIwrong? I’d love to hear what someone from the intended audience thinks.   

⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Another

by Paul Tremblay

Published by Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins

July 22, 2025

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 9780063396357

256 pages

#Another #NetGalley

    

Amazing Tales

Combat Monsters: Untold Tales of World War II is like most anthologies — some stories are good, and some just didn’t speak to me. That’s not to say that they aren’t good. The stories in this anthology are all well written, but a few didn’t grab me. I listened to the audiobook, and while the various narrators were generally wonderful, I did have trouble understanding a few. The accents were too heavy. That said, I may be the oddball, but I love anthologies. They have introduced me to many fine authors, and Combat Monsters is no exception. 

Now for the stories. Editor Henry Herz assembled a veritable who’s who from today’s speculative fiction all-stars. The stories are as varied as the names in the table of contents, but they all work together quite well. Herz contributes, too, with the entertaining ‘Das Mammut.’ His is one of the short stories and poems. The authors incorporated many battles, some well-known and some downright obscure. I learned a thing or two reading these stories.

The monsters were many. You’ll find the horror staple of werewolves and vampires, but even still, they might not be what you expect. One of my favs was Jonathan Maberry’s ‘A Terrible Aspect.’ In this one, we have a rescue mission with a young(er) Deacon (Mr. Church from the Joe Ledger series.) Lee Murray unleashes a tale of the Nazis Afrika Korps as they tracking down their own giant serpent. “Nachthexen” is Bishop O’Connell’s (no relation that I am aware of) tale of a Russian squadron of witches. Scott Sigler adds an air of cosmic horror and what kind of alternate history anthology would this be if something from the great Harry Turtledove? And boy, is this something! His story, “Gorgopotamos Bridge” has the Germans using a troll to try to hold some strategic ground. If those monsters aren’t enough for you, how about Catherine Stine’s genetically altered attack bears? There’s more. Much more.   

Combat Monsters: Untold Tales of World War II

by Various Authors (Author), 

Henry Herz (Editor)

Published by Blackstone Publishing, Inc.

February 11, 2025

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8874748432

384 pages

#CombatMonsters #NetGalley

    

The Night Birds

 The premise hooked me before I started reading. A decrepit, ancient freighter stuck off the coast of Houston in the Gulf of Mexico during a tropical storm. Witches. And night birds. Scientists. And Christopher Golden?! What follows may be a little spoilery. 

The protagonist, Charlie Book? Hmmm. I liked his character but wonder about him. Is he that gullible and accepting of WHATEVER life throws at him? Or that in love that nothing matters. The love of his life ditched him without explanation, then returns, with her sister’s lover and a baby and needs a safe place to hide—again with very little explanation? He either needed to be the indifferent or skeptical scientist or not. I liked the secondary characters and would have liked a little more from all of them. Perhaps that is a good thing. The storm itself had me thinking Golden had never been through a tropical storm. Being from Florida, the storm scenes seemed far too tamed, especially if this one was also had supernatural enhancement. The night birds came and went much too easily as the storm raged on. While they, too, were not entirely of this world, I would imagine that they would have been splattering against the ship as they desperately tried to keep an eye on things. Then, there are the mangroves. Again, I don’t believe the author has ever really looked closely at one of those trees, let alone climbed through a tangled mangrove forest. They are beautiful but muddy, claustrophobic messes. Their organized chaos is actually a great metaphor for the story. 

Who else has read it? What did you think?

 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Night Birds

by Christopher Golden

Published by St. Martin's Press/McMillan Publishers

May 6, 2025

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1250285911

304 pages

#TheNightBirds #NetGalley

As always. I encourage you to buy from independent bookstores. 

A Palace Near the Wind

There was much to like but some to dislike in this one for me. It is imaginative to be sure. I wanted to know more about the Feng, the part plant?/tree?, humanoid race to which the main character, Liu Lufeng, belongs. They are certainly an exotic and unique race, as are the others in the story, but it felt like something was missing. 

Worldbuilding can be quite difficult, especially creating something totally new. The author has succeeded in crafting a compelling new world and interesting races, however, some of A Palace Near the Wind could have benefited from less exposition. For instance, I found myself rushing past the description of the embroidery. The characters themselves were not developed as much as I would have liked. Granted, this is a novella, but most of the characters felt too one dimensional.

Crazy, right? On one hand I'm asking for more, and with the other I want less. So which is it? I'd challenge you to pick it up and make up your own mind. It is a quick read and the author, Ai Jiang, id wildly talented.

I did finally settle in and began to enjoy this story of family loyalty, subjugation, and rebellion, but then it was over. The ending was abrupt without any closure. It’s hard to say without reading the concluding novella, but I think it would have been better to publish this a a novel. A Palace Near the Wind is the first book of the Natural Engines series. 

#APalaceNeartheWind #NetGalley

⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

A Palace Near the Wind

by Ai Jiang

Published by Titan Books

April 15, 2025

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 9781668075081

192 pages

#BHH #NetGalley

As always. I encourage you to buy from independent bookstores.