The River She Became: A Revolutionary Romance

 

Author: Emily Varga

Genre: Fantasy, romantasy, dystopia, BIPOC rep

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Format: Ebook (NetGalley Copy)

Release Date: August 18th, 2026

TW: Death, child death (on page) racism, body horror, torture

 

This book was blurbed as 'The Mummy meets the Cruel Prince,' and I can see why. This was a fun read, but some aspects were weaker than others. 

But first, the plot: Yasmeena works as a relic hunter-scholar (think archaeologist) for the Citadel, the conquering empire currently oppressing her people. They've been using her knowledge to dig up her people's sacred land rejuvenating relics. These relics (of fey make) will be shipped out of her country, and put into a private museum that her people don't have access to. In addition to this, the Citadel has banned self-expression among Yasmeena's people; they can't wear their traditional clothing or bury their dead. Yasmeena has spent years trying to find the Crown of the Fae Queen, an artifact that will reverse the ravages of her land and take it before the citadel does. But when she crosses the river to escape the Citadel after discovering the vault, she ends up in the fae realm, and ends up in a whole other oppressive regime. Will she be able to survive in this new realm? And who is Kiyan, the handsome and intense captain of the guard, that Yasmeena is drawn to? 

The worldbuilding in this book is amazing (on the fae side). I love the fae, and this book spends eighty percent of its time in the fae realm. We spend a lot of time setting up the intricacies of the fey Courts and their powers. There is a very cool parallel between the Citadel and the Court of Salt, where they both extract resources (the Court of Salt steals powers, and the Citadel takes relics), but their speed is different. The Court of Salt can take people's language and powers, whereas the Citadel takes culture, and is just as brutal, if slower. I felt the fae's pain, and was easily abler to connect them back to the human realm due to the tight worldbuilding for the fae. 

The characters are also quite compelling.  The MMC, the captain Kiyan, is a wonderful character, and is a part of his rebellion while secretly working for the villain. He is complex and grapples with a lot of moral questions, which I enjoyed. His power set is also very cool, and is a result of adaptation rather than 'new powers.' Yasmeena is a brilliant character as well, and very competent. I appreciate the BIPOC representation, as both Kiyan and Yasmeena are dark skinned, which is sadly rare in mainstream romantacy. 

As this is a romantasy, the central relationship is nice. There are a few sex scenes that were competently written, and the leads have chemistry. Also, consent is emphasized, and power dynamics are negotiated and discussed.  

However, for a book blurbed as 'The Mummy' Yasmeena didn't really do much relic hunting outside of the inciting incident. I wish that we could've seen the cultural strata of the fae realm, and would've connected with Yasmeena's work in her world. 

Speaking of her world, the human world is not given much focus after the inciting incident. There is enough there to draw the above-mentioned parallel, but the world feels sketched-in, and very clearly didn't get the worldbuilding the fae realm did, outside of a few things. Yasmeena cares deeply about her people, but the reader doesn't have much of a chance to, aside from basic empathy. (I like that there are unique possibly Middle Eastern inspired elements to their culture, but I want more.)

I hope that Yasmeena's people will get their time to shine  in the sequel which I will definitely be reading. If you like a story of revolution and can forgive some thready worldbuilding, this could be a wonderful read for you.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC! 

Final Rating: 4 of 5 stars 

Drink Paring: Darjeeling tea for the sweet bite

 

  

The Divine Gardener's Handbook: A Rollicking Ride With A Rocky Start

 

Author: Eli Snow

Genre: Fantasy, science fiction, cozy (?) thriller, political thriller

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Format: Ebook (NetGalley Copy)

Release Date: August 18th, 2026

Author: Eli Snow

Genre: Fantasy, science fiction, cozy (?) thriller, political thriller

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Format: Ebook (NetGalley Copy)

Release Date: August 18th, 2026

TW: Death, child imprisonment, death of a parent (On page), mass riots

 

I was pleasantly surprised  with this novel, even after a bit of a frantic first chapter. 

But first, the plot: Cyprin lives in a megacity, where rats are some of her best friends (she doesn't have many). She desperately wants to leave her sunless existence, and dreams of working for The Petaled Divine in his Garden, and in the meantime, find her father. To accomplish this, she steals a flower from the Head Gardener of the Garden. However, the Head Gardener Purcell doesn't appreciate this (hot and infuriating) upstart coming in and wrecking things. Can she keep the garden from this new threat? Can Cyprin find her guardian? And what is with the secret area of the Garden no one is allowed to go to? 

The setting makes this book. The massive not built for humans after several layers of habitation city contrasts with the perfect Gardens. Anyone who doesn't work in the Gardens is both physically and mentally trapped. However, the city does contrast with the Garden, and that contrast, also shows the Garden to be a gilded age, which is reflected in its perfect environment. Since flowers and plants are a huge part of the book, the language is suitably vivid. 

 I also appreciate the queer representation, as both Cyprin and Purcell are queer. Their relationship was believable to me. There was a lot of humor in their reactions with one another, and I found myself laughing aloud a few times. This  is not a romance novel, but Purcell and Cyprin both have erotic fantasies so be warned. As an ace person, they were well written and okay to read. 

The first chapter had a breakneck pace, dropping you right into the action. However, this can be a problem, as I had to page back and forth between PoVs because the pacing was very quick. However, once you get the names straight, the story moves forward in a very flowing way. I could also see the characters being very divisive. Purcell starts the story hating Cyprin, and she is quite nasty to her at the start. She does improve later (this is a genuine enemies to lovers story) but be warned. 

Ultimately, if you want a relatively cozy read with some bite,  The Divine Gardener's Handbook is your bouquet of flowers.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC! 

 

Final Rating: 4 out of 5 stars 

Drink Paring: Rose infused black tea (for the flowers)

Ascendants: Should've Been A Show

Author: Don Schechter

Genre: Science fiction, character drama, thriller, general fiction

Publisher: GHB

Format: Ebook (NetGalley Copy)

Release Date: March 24th, 2026

TW: death, mental deterioration (Alzheimer's like disease) rape (implied), medical experimentation, unwilling drug use, rioting, military occupation, threat of a child, death of a child (mentioned on page)

 

I really, really wanted to like this book, but there were several fatal flaws that ruined a fantastic premise. 

But first, the plot: In the far future year of 2060, there is scientific proof of life after death. The only ones who have access to this afterlife are the Ascendants, the people genetically destined to for a life after death. Everyone else will decay and rot in the earth, becoming Biomass. With the machinations of The Jacobs Institute, the shadowy organization that found discovered Ascendance puppeting everyone behind the scenes, will our characters (the scientist who discovered ascendance, a grieving husband and a firebrand daughter who's just fed up with it all) be able to survive in this new world? 

I loved the central premise of this book. Ascendance is pure genetic inequality, which gives a bleakness that is very rare (I've only seen GATTACA do the same). I loved that the author included clerical characters to show how this kind of discovery impacted major wold religions.

However, this was the only compliment I could give this book. The dialog was detached and clinical, which made a certain amount of sense for some of the characters, but not everyone. However, everyone spoke in this clinical style (including a supposed to be seen year old child), which was jarring, and hard to follow. 

The setting was non-existent. There were no descriptions that really stuck because everything was, again, in this clinical style. (Third person limited is usallyu fine, but this didn't help the feeling in this case.)  Apparently the book took place in Boston, which was news to me. Nothing distinguished the city from every other city. There were a few significant locations that had more than a modicum of description but other than that, there was no significant vivid description. (Everything read like a script.)

The plot was hard to follow as I'd regularly confuse characters with one another, and  I thought that the third act reveal was unnecessary, set up for a sequel that didn't wrap up the story. 

All in all, I hope to see this as a show one day, but honestly would've DNF'd it if this wasn't an ARC.  Maybe others would enjoy it where I couldn't. 

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC! 

Final rating: 2.5 (rounded up to 3) Stars

Drink paring: oolong style green tea tea for musings on life

Seasons of Glass and Iron: A Dream of an Anthology, From a Favorite Author

Author: Amal El-Mohtar

Genre: Fantasy, romance, romance elements, short story collection, BIPOC rep, literary fiction, erotic elements, science fiction

Publisher: Macmillian Audio

Format: Audiobook (NetGalley Copy)

Narrator:  Rachel Elizabeth Smith

Release Date: March 24th, 2026

TW: spousal abuse, death, war, racism (Islamophobia and others), body horror, Alzheimer's disease, gaslighting 

I encourage you to look at reviews by Arab/Lebanese//Middle Eastern reviewers, as I am a white American and have definitely missed the nuance in some of these stories.

I loved almost every story in this collection (even the ones I didn't understand, that were in Arabic) and several of them made me cry. 

I aspire to craft prose like Amal El-Mohtar. El-Mohtar's language is so vivid and rich, which lends itself to both novels and short stories. Because of her language, each story was like a fig fresh from the tree, bursting with sweetness and sensation. Every time she described a place, it was like I was there. Every time she described a character, it was like I could see them. However, just as the sweetness is sharp, the sadness cuts just as much.

I love that from the outset, this collection is about women. Women with complicated histories with their families, women fighting back from abuse, women finding comfort in one another, both platonic and romantic.  Women who are not good at all as well. And all different genres too! 

El-Mohtar is Canadian but is of Lebanese decent, and a lot of these short stories have a theme of something not fitting in to society or it's expectations and having to carve out a path for themselves through tragedy. I relate to this, and it was interesting to see her perspective on that displacement. There are also themes of sexual assault and abuse and the trauma of war running through some of the stories, which are pretty explicit, so be aware.

There is one story here that is erotically explicit ('To Follow the Waves') so be warned. The erotic elements of this story were as well done as everything else, even if the main character was reprehensible in her actions. 

I personally can't stop thinking about 'And Their Lips Rang With the Sun' and  'The Truth About Owls' and 'Florilegia, or, Some Lies About Flowers,' but every story was a joy to listen to. 

I would be doing as great disservice if I didn't mention the fantastic narration by Rachel Elizabeth Smith. Her voice had this flowing quality, and she especially was good at speaking Arabic, making the language sing. 

I'm so glad El-Mohtar gave us this anthology. I can't wait to read what she gives to us next!

Final rating: 5 out of 5 stars 

Drink paring: Jasmine tea, for Damascus and women made of flowers

 

   

 

 

Witch Season: An Uneven But Compelling Read

Author: Julia Bianco

Genre: Urban fantasy, adult fiction, romance, romantasy, BIPOC rep

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Format: Ebook (NetGalley Copy)

Release Date: March 3rd, 2026

TW:  murder, death of a teen (on page), arson, cutting of the body, drug use, addiction

I really really wanted to love this book, but there were a few glaring flaws that caused me to only 'like' it.  

But first, the plot: Kathrine is a witch, who puts her blood-cut powers to use serving as the enforcer of the L.A. based Aestas coven. Aestas protects unsettled witches like her-witches that weren't born into a magical family, and instead awaken to their powers in tragedy-from prejudice and discrimination, and gives them community. However, that community is threatened when Silas Khatri, leader of the powerful coven Noctis comes to inspect them, looking for any excuse to bring the wayward coven to heel. At the same time that she must deal with the infuriatingly handsome rich boy, Kathrine must also deal with an insidious threat eating her coven alive from the inside, and may be forced to work with her enemy to save it. 

The world-building was the best part of this novel. I loved the distinction between old magic (magic relying on ritual and reagents, which doesn't work half the time, or worse works too well) and the new magic that Kathrine and her coterie do (storing runes inside themselves through meditation, and using their blood to cast); it really felt like an evolving system. I am also a sucker for political jousting and I loved seeing how the covens reacted to and pushed against each other. (Libertad rules!) The settings were vivid and believable enough as well (I love Aestas's restaurant). The language was snappy and easy to read, matching such a vibrant setting, as well.  (Although, are there not bloodborne diseases in this world? Cool if true.)

However, this was a character piece, and the characters fell flat to me. Katherine was fine, however, her self-flagellation became tiresome after a while. I outright  hated the MMC. Silas was a whiny rich boy, and his actions were reprehensible. I hadn't forgiven him by the end of the book, even after he 'atones.' I cannot say more about his actions due to spoilers, but every time he was on page, I wanted to scream at him. It is a shame, because I love that he is a PoC too, it's just his constant 'oh pity me' routine was so grating. The side characters were a bit better; all of Kathrine's friends (including the head of the Libertad coven, my favorite character) were very cool and very diverse (queer rep, and more BIPOC rep, yay!), but they weren't enough to override my disdain for Silas. I do appreciate that there were multiple POV's however, and that kept me trucking along.  

The romance was a bit on the rushed side for me as well. This isn't really an enemies-to-lovers book, more like 'distrustful colleagues to lovers' which is fine. It's the speed at which they fell for each other that I can't get over. The entire novel takes place over a very short period of time (a week or two in October) and so everything was way too fast. Kathrine and Silas were instantly attracted to each other (which I'm fine with; sometimes that happens) but then almost immediately fell for each other and started having sex, despite their fraught positions. It was unbelievable and took me out of the novel. However, the sex scenes were well written, if abrupt, and there was definite heat coming off the page that had nothing to do with L.A. They were plentiful and explicit, so be aware of that.  

I may seem harsh on this book, but I still want to read a sequel. I hope that Silas can truly improve, and that the romance can be fleshed out a bit more in the future. If not, I'll still be here for the fantastic world-building and Libertad in specific. 

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

Final rating: 3.5 (rounded up to 4) stars 

Drink paring:  Light smoke lapsang to think of fire

 

Ignore All Previous Instructions: Great Representation in a Sci-Fi Heist Romp (Also, Screw Gen AI)

 

Author: Ada Hoffman

Genre: Adult fiction, dystopian fiction, romance, queer lit, BIPOC rep, heist fiction, pirates (although de-emphasised)

Publisher: Tachyon Publications

Format: Ebook (NetGalley Copy)

Release Date: May 12th, 2026

TW: ableism, arson, suicide (teenager, discussed, not depicted on page) homophobia, transphobia (societal)

I encourage you to look at reviews by Autistic and ADHD reviewers, as I am (as far as I know) neurotypical, even though I live with an AuDHD partner.

This book stuck with me, and its prescience is something that I hope will come top pass, even if the main character often made me frustrated. 

Kelli is one of the 10 percent of people who still have a job. She works for Inspiration as a script editor and AI prompter, where she makes sure that her show (Ship of Fools) and it's main character (Orlando) follows company guidelines, and that her own creativity doesn't contrast with the AI scripting too much. Inspiration's shows are basic, shallow and flat, made to be as marketable as possible to a common mean, and Kelli sometimes does struggle to reign herself in, even when she always follows the rules. When she takes a call from her former partner and current pirate (smuggler), Rowan (a trans man), this careful routine is destroyed. Rowan is in trouble, and Kelli is the only one who can help him. Her task is simple: Talk to a superfan of the show, and Rowan gets out of debt with the fan's mob boss mother. But of course, nothing is that simple. When she;'s drafted into stealing her own work from her company; she must make a choice. Will Kelli be able to make it out of this in one piece? Will she ever sort out her feelings for Rowan?

This is primarily a character drama, with the heist taking a distant second, as the ostensible driver of the plot. The characters were very vivid, even painfully so. The third person POV follows Kelly and Kelly and Rowan/AM  as children. There are also points where there are written prompts from Kelly's point of view. So, I do like that you get a portrait of both characters that is incredibly detailed. I hated Kelly as a character, but I really understood her. Kelly is a pathological rule follower, incredibly naive, but also has a strong sense of justice. So when she immediately tries to turn Rowan in, I hated her for it. However. I understood why she tried to turn Rowan in, and because of the intimate POV, there was no choice but to sympathize with her. I also did aside from the POV, as it was very clear that Kelli was raised by a robot who taught her the most basic and milquetoast ways to interact socially. If you can stick with her, the ending is worth it.

Rowan is the other half of this duo, and I love him. He very clearly has ADHD, even if his parents don't want to label it  and as Am, was the first person to really break Kelli's shell. I enjoyed reading about his coming of age journey, and also, seeing how deep his friendship went with Kelli. When you finally learn what tore the two apart, it is devastating. I also appreciate that through him we see how queerness is suppressed (you can't talk about it for fear of influencing the youth/complicating a simple algorithmically fed society, but are 'allowed' to be queer in private) and how he hacks the system. He was a bit of a scoundrel as well, and later in the book, you see why. I was rooting for him from the get-go. 

The side characters were also compelling, and you could tell that they had their own problems and reasons for  joining the heist. (I really liked the representation in this group of side characters as well.) The representation was also well researched, and realistic. 

Aside from the characters, the worldbuilding was serviceable, and somewhat realistic. Kelli lives on Callisto, and travels in a ship to other places, and the nitty-gritty of space travel isn't glossed over. It was a great backdrop to a story of self discovery. The heist was also serviceable, but definitely did take a backseat to the character's lives. 

All in all, despite the fact that I didn't enjoy the main character, I really enjoyed and appreciated this book. If you want a queer space romp with great representation, I'd say go for it. It was a great read.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC! 

Final Rating: 4.5 (rounded up to 5) out of 5 stars

Drink paring: Young darjeeling for queer love resparked (maybe)  

To Cage a Wild Bird (Deluxe Limited Edition): A Shaky Start To A Suspenseful Prison Break

Author: Brooke Fast

Genre: Adult fiction, dystopian fiction, romance, queer themes, BIPOC rep

Publisher: Avon and Harper Voyager

Format: Ebook (NetGalley Copy)

Release Date: March 3rd, 2026

TW:  murder, sexual assault, surveillance, death, harm to children, death of children (on page, but not dwelled on), starvation, state oppression, ambush beat downs, attempted rape, incarceration, police/guard brutality

Despite some clunky exposition and shallow worldbuilding at the beginning of the novel, I enjoyed this story. Beware of spoilers, as the romance is prominent here, and the best parts of this book are in Endlock. Check out my final rating below!

But first, the plot: Raven Thorne is a bounty hunter in the city of Dividium, where she is paid to turn in criminals to be locked up in Dividium's prison, Endlock. Endlock is a hunting ground-rich citizens of the city can pay to hunt prisoners and keep their body parts as trophies. (There is a whole industry of taking the teeth from these prisoners and fashioning them into jewelry.) When Raven's brother Jed gets thrown into the prison for punching one of the city's councilors, she resolve to get him out by any means necessary. To that end, she goes to The Collective, a resistance group her parents were a part of. They give her a mission: break a prisoner out of Endlock and the siblings will go with them to the neutral Northern Settlement, away from Dividium. However, a prison guard named Vale takes an interest in Raven. Will this blow her cover? Why does she feel attracted to him? Will Ravenm will be able to survive Endlock? 

The characters carry this book. Raven was actually a delight, as she reckons with what she did before coming to Endlock, and learns how to open up in turn. I do appreciate that she is haunted by  the people she sent to this terrible place. I appreciate that everyone was standoffish with her or even hate her at the beginning. I also appreciate that Raven doesn't feel like she deserves good things for a while.   

I was also here for the side characters. Jed, August and Kit and Yara and Momo make a perfect found family. I like that they are more of a significant part of the book that you would expect, as they keep Raven sane in this prison. I also appreciate the diverse representation of this friend-group, as Kit and Yara are a couple together (and have to deal with realistic expectations and trials of being in a prison) and all of them with the exception of Jed seem to be people of color. I also appreciate that everyone gets a few scenes where their characters shine, and you can tell they have their own lives and dreams outside of the prison. Jed and Raven's bond is very sibling realistic, and I also appreciate that. This makes a later gut punch all the more impactful, which made me cry.  

I really appreciate how the romance was done here. Thank fuck this wasn't oppressor/oppressed. (I genuinely hate that trope so much, as it's a terrible outgrowth of 'I can fix him'.) Vale is on side, even if it doesn't seem like it at first.(if a reader He and Raven do have chemistry, which deepens when she is in close proximity with him. (He also does say 'Who did this to you?" but doesn't fly off the handle at the culprit, or get extremely angry, which I appreciate.)

Speaking of 'close proximity', there are explicit sex scenes in this book, that a         re woman centered. I appreciate that Vale knows where the clit is, acknowledges the power dynamic between them, and is actively looking for consent. Raven is an active participant in her own  pleasure which I also appreciate. As an Ace person, I appreciate that, as the scenes were well written and also tense, as they could be caught at any moment by the other guards of Endlock. (The PIV scenes were fine as well, but as an Ace person, I once again, skimmed over them, but they're competently written fro what they are.)

With all of this good, there is also bad. First, the setting. Dividium as a place is incredibly generic. There are three levels that are 'divided' (Upper, Middle and Lower) and they are going through a famine, which fuels the prison dynamics of Endlock. This setting is only really distinguished by the 'trophy hunting', which makes the setting outside of Endlock feel sketchy. Even Endlock reminds me of the Hunger Games, down to the traps placed later in the book. This will not be a dealbreaker for a lot of readers but I couldn't stop making comparisons in my head. (This in turn made me worry that this was a Young Adult book, which considering the level of erotic and explicit scenes, it shouldn't be.)

Second, the expository prose at the beginning of the book almost made me stop reading. Raven starts the  book pursuing a criminal, and what should be a thrilling chase scene gets stopped dead by expository prose barely related to the task at hand. This stops after the first 20 or so pages, but it was so jarring that it took me out of the story very quickly. 

However, I am glad I stuck through it. Mind the trigger warnings, and if you could get through a really clunky first chapter, you will enjoy this book. I will be looking for a sequel, and hoping the author writes one.  

Thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager and Netgalley for the ARC! 

Final Rating: 3.75 (rounded up to 4) out of 5 stars 

Drink Paring:  Dark roast da hong pao in a dark room