• THE LIBRARY AT HELLEBORE by Cassandra Khaw. This is a forthcoming title that I was very excited to be able to read early. I've only read one of Khaw's books before (THE SALT GROWS HEAVY) and wasn't sure what to expect going in. The answer is a lot of gore, but to such a fantastical extreme it's almost jaw-droppingly otherworldly. There are a few works coming this year (THE INCANDESCENT by Emily Tesh is another, excellent in a completely different way) that are ostensibly an answer to the dark academia trend in SFF and are thus often comped to me, but ultimately feel more like an answer to Harry Potter—that answer being, very specifically, fuck you. But also, many aspects of Hellebore reminded me of the deathday party or the Headless Hunt, back when HP was middle grade and Joanne leaned a bit harder into the darkness of the school. This book is a full scale battle royale that makes you marvel a bit at the sheer ballsiness of Khaw's imagination.

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• STARTER VILLAIN by John Scalzi. This is my first venture into the Scalzi-verse (I know, I know) and I sincerely enjoyed my time here. STARTER VILLAIN feels like a book that's begging to be adapted, so I can only assume we'll watch this film soon, as directed by Rian Johnson in the style of Knives Out. It's incredibly readable, genuinely funny, warm without being kneecapped by "cozy" (if I'm being honest I can't abide cozy) and ends perfectly, in my opinion. A quick, fun read that I highly recommend, whether you're in a slump or just want something fast-paced and enjoyable. 

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• THE GOD OF THE WOODS by Liz Moore. I really like domestic thrillers and while this one is richly atmospheric in such a way to evade the obvious umbrella of domesticity, it is basically about generations of family discord and falls under the same category as Liane Moriarty or Lucy Foley for me (though my love of Moriarty will always transcend all others because of her sense of humor). I expected something a bit more... literary, maybe, or even more speculative, given the cover? It's propulsive for sure, but ultimately straightforward. The dominant conversation here is about class subjugation and WASP misogyny, dynamics I pondered for a long time after finishing the book.

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• OATHBOUND by Tracy Deonn. Yesssssss you heard me! I'm doing an event with Tracy in March that I don't think has been announced yet (lol, if anyone asks I said nothing) and I'm, like, basically the first normie in the world to get to read this one. I personally think Tracy's overstating the influence I had on this book, but I was involved in a few conversations about how to make certain emotional arcs impactful (put it this way: I love a crown prince archetype, so one of these characters in particular is my catnip). I am so, so excited to dive into the finished product, though I will be saying NOTHING. On account of her publisher maybe releasing the hounds if I do.