Horseman by Christina Henry

Title: Horseman

Author: Christina Henry

Publisher: Berkley 2021

Genre: Horror

Pages: 302

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; Books to Movies

Where I Got It: HPB December 2024

Everyone in Sleepy Hollow knows about the Horseman, but no one really believes in him. Not even Ben Van Brunt's grandfather, Brom Bones, who was there when it was said the Horseman chased the upstart Crane out of town. Brom says that's just legend, the village gossips talking.

More than thirty years after those storied events, the village is a quiet place. Fourteen-year-old Ben loves to play "Sleepy Hollow boys," reenacting the events Brom once lived through. But then Ben and a friend stumble across the headless body of a child in the woods near the village, and the discovery makes Ben question everything the adults in Sleepy Hollow have ever said. Could the Horseman be real after all? Or does something even more sinister stalk the woods?

Somehow I missed that Christina Henry published a book based on Sleepy Hollow. I got very excited seeing this in the used book store and immediately bought it. The book did not disappoint. We get a story set about 30 after the events in Washington Irving’s story. We are thrown back into the town of Sleepy Hollow and have to parse out what is real and what is legend. In the course of the book, we see the world through Ben’s eyes, a young man who does not fit into society’s conventions. There was a timeless quality to the book that really sucked me in and creeped me out at the same time. As the story slowly unfolds, I was eager to the turn the pages and learn more. I could not put this one down at all.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Scythe and Sparrow by Brynne Weaver

Title: Scythe and Sparrow (Ruinous Love #3)

Author: Brynne Weaver

Publisher: Zando 2025

Genre: Romance

Pages: 416

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; Read Around the USA - Nebraska

Where I Got It: Amazon February 2025

Spice Rating: 5

Doctor Fionn Kane is running from a broken heart, one he hopes to mend in small-town Nebraska, far away from his almost-fiancé and his derailed surgical career. It’s a simpler life: head down, hard work, and absolutely no romantic relationships. He wants none of the circus he left behind in Boston.

But then the real circus finds him.

Motorcycle performer Rose Evans has spent a decade on the road with the Silveria Circus, and it suits her just fine, especially when she has the urge to indulge in a little murder when she’s not in the spotlight. But when a kill goes awry and she ends up with an injured leg, Rose finds herself stuck in Nebraska, at the home of the adorably nerdy town doctor.

The problem is, not every broken heart can be sewn back together.

. . . And the longer you stay in one place, the more likely your ghosts are to catch up.

I was highly looking forward to this release; so much so that I preordered it. I hardly ever preorder books, but I had to have this one the week it released. I got it, dove in, and was slightly disappointed. I absolutely adored Butcher and Blackbird and was hoping to recapture that feeling with this one. Instead, there’s a bit of filler in this one. I wasn’t a huge fan of the time jumps and recapping of events that happened in the first two books. It made this volume feel a bit bloated. But it was redeemed by the characters. I really love Fionn and Rose is a firecracker. I just wanted to see more and more of them together. It took a bit too long for them to get together in any way. Once we got there, I was all in on the story. I just wish this volume had a bit more editing.

Ruinous Love

Next up on the TBR pile:

The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders

Title: The City in the Middle of the Night

Author: Charlie Jane Anders

Publisher: Tor Books 2019

Genre: Scifi

Pages: 366

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; In Case You Missed It - 2019

"If you control our sleep, then you can own our dreams... And from there, it's easy to control our entire lives."

January is a dying planet—divided between a permanently frozen darkness on one side, and blazing endless sunshine on the other. Humanity clings to life, spread across two archaic cities built in the sliver of habitable dusk.

But life inside the cities is just as dangerous as the uninhabitable wastelands outside.

Sophie, a student and reluctant revolutionary, is supposed to be dead after being exiled into the night. Saved only by forming an unusual bond with the enigmatic beasts who roam the ice, Sophie vows to stay hidden from the world, hoping she can heal.

But fate has other plans—and Sophie's ensuing odyssey and the ragtag family she finds will change the entire world.

This was my choice for our Nerdy Bookish Friends selection. It’s been sitting on my library floor for years now and I thought it would be a good choice for us to discuss. Unfortunately, this one just didn’t completely land for me. I had a big problem getting into this story. It just didn’t hold me very well. I found it difficult to connect to any of the characters. It felt very young adult to me throughout. And Bianca’s obsession with Sophy really annoyed me. At times the story was confusing and hard to follow. I wanted to know more about the crocodiles, but the story just meandered away at times. I’m interested in our discussion on Sunday. I’m hoping that some of my fellow book clubbers have some interesting topics to discuss.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Night Ship by Jess Kidd

Title: The Night Ship

Author: Jess Kidd

Publisher: Atria Books 2022

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 400

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; Spring TBR

1629: A newly orphaned young girl named Mayken is bound for the Dutch East Indies on the Batavia, one of the greatest ships of the Dutch Golden Age. Curious and mischievous, Mayken spends the long journey going on misadventures above and below the deck, searching for a mythical monster. But the true monsters might be closer than she thinks.

1989: A lonely boy named Gil is sent to live off the coast of Western Australia among the seasonal fishing community where his late mother once resided. There, on the tiny reef-shrouded island, he discovers the story of an infamous shipwreck…

I grabbed this book right after Christmas and was so excited to read it after living Kidd’s previous book, Things in Jars. This one is a very different book from that and I just didn’t enjoy it as much. This one alternates between two pretty dire situations and time periods. There’s not a light or hope in this book. It’s very dark and depressing. Two main characters are set adrift in the world, one very literally. Both characters have experienced horrors in life and they seem to be continuing. I was really rooting for each of those characters (and many of the side characters) even while knowing that the story of the Batavia doesn’t really have a happy ending. My favorite part was the weaving of the mythology and folklore into the two storylines. We get to hear snippets of stories throughout the journeys. In some passages, it really felt like those stories had come to life and were stalking the characters. You’re never really certain what’s real and what’s imaginary. That play between real and unreal lifted this book from just a sad story to something mystical.

star-rating-remains-the-most-important-part-of-a-review-cad0047.cad0047.png

Next up on the TBR pile:

Lady Mechanika Vol. 7

Title: Lady Mechanika Vol. 7

Author: Joe Benitez, Beth Sotelo

Publisher: Benitez Productions 2022

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 106

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Winter TBR; UnRead Shelf

In a Victorian asylum full of grotesque inmates, sadistic guards, and a fanatical doctor, a young lady wakes to find her arms and legs have been replaced with mechanical limbs. But who among this gruesome menagerie is the true Monster of the Ministry of Hell? The origins of the notorious adventuress known as Lady Mechanika!

Collects LADY MECHANIKA: THE MONSTER OF THE MINISTRY OF HELL #1-4

Oooff This was such a hard trade. We finally get to see part of Lady Mechanika’s past; the trauma that she endured as a child. There were a few panels where I literally gasped out loud at the events depicted. So tough! And yet, it was get to explore her background to inform her current life and outlook. Plus we get some important information about a big bad in the universe. I cannot wait to see what happens next.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Ariadne by Jennifer Saint

Title: Ariadne

Author: Jennifer Saint

Publisher: Flatiron Books 2021

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 320

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Seasonal TBR; Unread Shelf Project; Unread Shelf Project RC - March (Biography - heehee)

Ariadne, Princess of Crete, grows up greeting the dawn from her beautiful dancing floor and listening to her nursemaid’s stories of gods and heroes. But beneath her golden palace echo the ever-present hoofbeats of her brother, the Minotaur, a monster who demands blood sacrifice.

When Theseus, Prince of Athens, arrives to vanquish the beast, Ariadne sees in his green eyes not a threat but an escape. Defying the gods, betraying her family and country, and risking everything for love, Ariadne helps Theseus kill the Minotaur. But will Ariadne’s decision ensure her happy ending? And what of Phaedra, the beloved younger sister she leaves behind?

I absolutely had to get this book when it showed up in the Book of the Month selections. But then I let it languish on my shelves for a year. Finally picked it up this week and dove into this retelling of Ariadne and Phaedra’s stories. We start slowly, setting up the world on Crete and the family dynamic. I found the first part of the book to be a little slow. Once Ariadne is left on the island, I sped through the rest of the pages desperate to see how the story ends. Saint does not disappoint in giving us a Greek myth told from a feminist perspective. There’s nothing ground breaking here, but we do get a good story full of interesting characters. The writing isn’t quite as strong as Madeline Miller’s Circe, but I still found it very compelling and clear. I enjoyed my trip back to ancient Crete and Greece even if I always wish for a much happier ending for the female characters.

Next up on the TBR pile:

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

Title: A Gentleman in Moscow

Author: Amor Towles

Publisher: Penguin 2019

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 462

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; Unread Shelf RC - January (Putting Off Reading)

In 1922, Count Alexander Rostov is deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal, and is sentenced to house arrest in the Metropol, a grand hotel across the street from the Kremlin. Rostov, an indomitable man of erudition and wit, has never worked a day in his life, and must now live in an attic room while some of the most tumultuous decades in Russian history are unfolding outside the hotel’s doors. Unexpectedly, his reduced circumstances provide him entry into a much larger world of emotional discovery.

Brimming with humor, a glittering cast of characters, and one beautifully rendered scene after another, this singular novel casts a spell as it relates the count’s endeavor to gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be a man of purpose.

I waited so long to read this! Already this is going onto my Top 10 of 2022 list at the end of the year, it’s that good! Towles has crafted a beautiful story of love, loss, human connection, and change. We get to journey with the Count through 30 years of his life under hotel arrest. We see him share in the joy and pain of others he encounters. We see him develop strong bonds with many others. We see him notate the changes happening in his beloved home country all while not being to experience them outside of the building. Within the plot, Towles sprinkles passages of philosophy and culture and life lessons. I have marked so many passages in my book that it just looks silly. I found myself rereading certain passages over and over again, committing them to memory (the coffee making paragraph is a particular favorite). I was so incredibly sad when I reached the last page, but also so glad that I was able to spend so much time with a wonderful and interesting human being.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Lady Mechanika Vol. 6

Title: Lady Mechanika Vol. 6: Sangre

Author: Joe Benitez, M.M. Chen, Martin Montiel, Brian Ching

Publisher: Benitez Productions 2020

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 144

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: UnRead Shelf; Seasonal TBR

Lady Mechanika accepts a job in Spain protecting a Barón's son who was allegedly attacked by a demonic entity, but she quickly begins to suspect the young man's condition was actually caused by illicit experiments forced upon him by his narrow-minded father. As she investigates further, Lady Mechanika gradually uncovers the sinister truth, leaving her entangled in a dangerous situation which seems to have unexpected ties to her own past. A dark tale that exposes the devastating power of love...and hate. Collects the entire five-issue Sangre mini-series, featuring a main story by guest artist Brian Ching (Supergirl, Star Wars) and a prologue story by Joe Benitez and Martin Montiel.

Oh… this was turned much darker than I thought it would. I really did enjoy seeing Lady Mechanika grapple with a problem that she may not succeed at defeating. Plus we get a call back to a previous character incarnation from another volume. I’m still really loving this series and cannot wait to see what happens next.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Lady Mechanika Vol. 5

Title: Lady Mechanika Vol. 5: La Belle Dame Sans Merci

Author: Joe Benitez, M.M. Chen, Martin Montiel, Beth Sotelo

Publisher: Benitez Productions 2019

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 104

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: UnRead Shelf; Seasonal TBR

Lady Mechanika's investigation into her forgotten past is overshadowed by concern for her associate Mr. Lewis when he becomes enamored of a beautiful and enigmatic young widow, whose own past seems disturbingly linked to the untimely deaths of several creative geniuses. Will Mr. Lewis be next?

Another great volume of comics. I totally predicted where this storyline was going, but it was definitely fun to tag along on the ride.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Revenge of Lord Eberlin by Julia London

Title: The Revenge of Lord Eberlin (The Secrets of Hadley Green #2)

Author: Julia London

Publisher: Pocket Books 2012

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 404

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: UnRead Shelf; Monthly Theme - February; Goodreads Random

Tobin Scott, otherwise known as Count Eberlin of Denmark, has returned to Hadley Green, the site of his father’s hanging for thievery fifteen years ago. He has but one goal in mind, and that is to avenge his father, who he believes was innocent of stealing the Countess of Ashwood jewels. Now a wealthy man, Tobin intends to exact his revenge by destroying the Ashwood estate and the Countess of Ashwood, who as a young girl testified against his father.

Lily Boudine has become the Countess of Ashwood through a very surprising twist of fate. She is even more surprised when a vaguely familiar looking man calls and tells her he is Tobin Scott, whom she knew as a boy, and that he intends to destroy her or Ashwood. He leaves the choice to her. Because so many people depend on Ashwood, Lily chooses herself, thinking that she can hold him at bay long enough to remove Ashwood from his clutches. But as they play the game of seduction, and she slowly discovers that he is not the cold, heartless man he would like to present to her, she also believes that Tobin is right—his father did not steal the jewels. And if she can find them, she can help restore his family’s honor—but not before she discovers another shocking secret.

An enjoyable Regency romance. I did really like Lily and Tobin as a couple. And the overall mystery of the missing jewels is a great connection. These novels really are my comfort reads. I just wished that we got a bit more of the resolution. But it’s that what I say about all these romance novels? Yes, yes it is.

The Secrets of Hadley Green

#1 The Year o fLiving Scandalously
#1.5 The Christmas Secret
#2 The Revenge of Lord Eberlin
#3 The Seduction of Lady X
#4 The Last Debutante

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Year of Living Scandalously by Julia London

Title: The Year of Living Scandalously (The Secrets of Hadley Green #1)

Author: Julia London

Publisher: Pocket Books 2010

Genre: Fiction - Romance

Pages: 423

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: UnRead Shelf; Monthly Theme - February

When Declan O’Connor, Earl of Donnelly, arrives at Hadley Green to meet with Lily Boudine, the new countess of Ashwood, he knows instantly that the lovely woman who welcomes him is not who she pretends to be. In an attempt to avoid an unwanted marriage, Keira Hannigan has assumed her cousin’s identity and is staying at the estate while Lily is abroad. When Declan threatens to expose her, Keira convinces him to guard her secret, then enlists him in her investigation of the missing jewels, for she now believes an innocent man was hanged.

Unable to deny the beautiful, exasperating Keira—or their simmering passion—Declan reluctantly agrees. But neither is prepared for the dangerous stranger who threatens to reveal Keira’s lies . . . and Declan knows he must protect Keira at all costs, for she is the woman who now owns his heart.

I started another Regency romance series from my shelves. I definitely enjoyed the overall story and characters. Keira and Declan are a great couple. I love the Pride and Prejudice vibes I got from this book. Great dislike to love story. I was less enamored with the overall deception Keira engages in throughout the book. Things were not going to end well, and Keira’s insistence that they would got a bit annoying. Beyond that bit, I did enjoy the overall mystery set up in this volume. And the side characters were interesting. Most definitely I’ll be reading the rest of the series.

The Secrets of Hadley Green

#1 The Year of Living Scandalously
#1.5 The Christmas Secret
#2 The Revenge of Lord Eberlin
#3 The Seduction of Lady X
#4 The Last Debutante

Next up on the TBR pile:

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

Title: Ninth House

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Publisher: Flatiron Books 2019

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 480

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: UnRead Shelf

Galaxy “Alex” Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale’s freshman class. Raised in the Los Angeles hinterlands by a hippie mom, Alex dropped out of school early and into a world of shady drug-dealer boyfriends, dead-end jobs, and much, much worse. In fact, by age twenty, she is the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved multiple homicide. Some might say she’s thrown her life away. But at her hospital bed, Alex is offered a second chance: to attend one of the world’s most prestigious universities on a full ride. What’s the catch, and why her?

Still searching for answers, Alex arrives in New Haven tasked by her mysterious benefactors with monitoring the activities of Yale’s secret societies. Their eight windowless “tombs” are the well-known haunts of the rich and powerful, from high-ranking politicos to Wall Street’s biggest players. But their occult activities are more sinister and more extraordinary than any paranoid imagination might conceive. They tamper with forbidden magic. They raise the dead. And, sometimes, they prey on the living.

I picked this as my BOTM selection for November and I’m finally getting around to reading it. The first few chapters were a bit slow (don’t love starting the book near the end of the story and then flashing back), but once I was in, I loved this book so much. This is right up my alley with dark fantasy full of murder, ghosts, and the occult. I loved the premise of the book and then really grew to love the characters. Alex is not an easy character to love, but by the end of the book, you understand her and are rooting for her to succeed. Dawes was a huge surprise for me. I loved how she became more and more a part of the story as the chapters sped. by. I had hoped to see more of Darlington, but obviously we will circle back to him in the next book. I loved setting the book on Yale’s campus. Apparently I really enjoy books set at schools or at college. New Haven adds such great atmosphere to the story. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series! Definitely a keeper for my shelf.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Lady Mechanika Vol. 4

Title: Lady Mechanika Vol. 4: Clockwork Assassin

Author: Joe Benitez, M.M. Chen, Peter Steigerwald, Mike Garcia, Beth Sotelo

Publisher: Benitez Productions 2018

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 88

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: UnRead Shelf

When a series of brutal murders linked to Mr. Lewis' past leads Detective Inspector Singh to Lady Mechanika's doorstep, the Inspector is finally forced to consider: is Lady Mechanika a crime-fighting hero or a cold blooded killer?

Oooohhhh… this volume was amazing. I loved reading the further adventures of Lady Mechanika. I got really wrapped up in her relationship with Mr. Lewis. I love the interplay between those two. I am also interested in the ongoing involvement of Inspector Singh. I can’t wait to pick up volume 5.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Lady Mechanika La Dama de la Muerte

Title: Lady Mechanika La Dama de la Muerte

Author: Joe Benitez, M.M. Chen, Peter Steigerwald, Mike Garcia, Beth Sotelo

Publisher: Benitez Productions 2017

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 88

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: UnRead Shelf

After suffering a tragic loss, Lady Mechanika takes a trip to a small Mexican village just in time for their Día de los Muertos celebration. But the festivities turn truly deadly after the arrival of the Jinetes del Infierno, the mythical Hell Riders. Collects the complete Lady Mechanika Day of the Dead special, La Dama de la Muerte.

Ooohhh… I love this series so much. And this side adventure was perfect. The art was absolutely amazing. We get the trademark action sequences. Plus we learn just a bit more about Lady Mechanika. I must dive into the next volume quickly.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell

Title: The Family Upstairs

Author: Lisa Jewell

Publisher: Atria Book s2019

Genre: Thriller

Pages: 352

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: UnRead Shelf

Be careful who you let in.

Soon after her twenty-fifth birthday, Libby Jones returns home from work to find the letter she’s been waiting for her entire life. She rips it open with one driving thought: I am finally going to know who I am.

She soon learns not only the identity of her birth parents, but also that she is the sole inheritor of their abandoned mansion on the banks of the Thames in London’s fashionable Chelsea neighborhood, worth millions. Everything in Libby’s life is about to change. But what she can’t possibly know is that others have been waiting for this day as well—and she is on a collision course to meet them.

Twenty-five years ago, police were called to 16 Cheyne Walk with reports of a baby crying. When they arrived, they found a healthy ten-month-old happily cooing in her crib in the bedroom. Downstairs in the kitchen lay three dead bodies, all dressed in black, next to a hastily scrawled note. And the four other children reported to live at Cheyne Walk were gone.

First read from my UnRead Shelf and I was a bit disappointed. The story moves along at a fast clip, but I wasn’t super invested in the characters and the ending left much to be desired. I was intrigued by the family mystery and the identity of the baby. wanted to know what happened in the house on Cheyne Walk. I kept reading because I really wanted to find out what happened. And yet, I found myself not really caring about the book after I finished it. Libby was a bit of a limp noodle throughout causing me to not quite care about her. As for the ending, I’m not a fan of the very sinister last chapter. I don’t need my books to always have a happy ending, but this ending was a little too dark. I won’t be keeping this book on my shelf.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Clockmaker's Daughter by Kate Morton

Title: The Clockmaker’s Daughter

Author: Kate Morton

Publisher: Atria 2018

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 485

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: UnRead Shelf; Women Authors; Dancing with SciFi and Fantasy - Ghosts

In the summer of 1862, a group of young artists led by the passionate and talented Edward Radcliffe descends upon Birchwood Manor on the banks of the Upper Thames. Their plan: to spend a secluded summer month in a haze of inspiration and creativity. But by the time their stay is over, one woman has been shot dead while another has disappeared; a priceless heirloom is missing; and Edward Radcliffe's life is in ruins.

Over one hundred and fifty years later, Elodie Winslow, a young archivist in London, uncovers a leather satchel containing two seemingly unrelated items: a sepia photograph of an arresting-looking woman in Victorian clothing, and an artist's sketchbook containing the drawing of a twin-gabled house on the bend of a river.

Why does Birchwood Manor feel so familiar to Elodie? And who is the beautiful woman in the photograph? Will she ever give up her secrets?

I’ve enjoyed a few of Morton’s previous works, so I had to have this one when it came up for Book of the Month last October. I finally picked it up to dive in last week and immediately fell into another world. I love how Morton creates an entire atmosphere surrounding her setting. The house is just fantastic and beautiful and mysterious and enchanting. I love how Morton connects all the different characters and ad time periods to create one epic story. The murder mystery was actually one fo the least interesting aspects. I really wanted to hear more about many of the other characters like Ada and Leonard. In fact, I think Ada was my favorite character. Overall, I took my time with this book and loved every page of it.

Next up on the TBR pile: