Book Review: Town of Shadows (Slanted London #1) by Jessica Scarlett

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Historical Fantasy Romance
Length: 381 pages
Author: Jessica Scarlett
Publisher: Oliver Heber Books
Release Date: July 1st, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

In Victorian London, magic earns you a noose.

Eighteen-year-old Dorothy St. James can’t control her magic. To avoid arrest, she locks herself at home and buries her nose in her experiments. But a kidnapper called the Rook is on the loose, and his victims keep turning up insane. When Dorothy’s father is taken, she must exchange her beakers for bravery and find the Rook’s trail—the problem is, only one person ever has: a mysterious masked hero.

Ashley Gardner unabashedly casts illusions, using his charm to flit between the upper ton and the magical underbelly below. When Dorothy accuses him of knowing the masked hero’s identity, he flatly denies it. Until the clever beauty intercepts a communique he desperately needs.

They strike a bargain: she’ll give him the message in exchange for three clues to point her in the right direction. But Ashley won’t make them easy. In fact, he’ll make them impossible, because he has his own dangerous reasons for keeping Dorothy away—and Ashley always gets what he wants.

Through dazzling ballets, wild carnivals, and death-defying train rides, Dorothy must use her wits and magic to solve Ashley’s riddles and unravel her budding feelings for the illusionist mastermind behind them. The masked hero isn’t who she believes, and the Rook is closer than she suspects. While the game was always rigged against her, returning her father—mind intact—might just cheat her out of a heart too.

I LIKED IT.

I’ve read Scarlett’s regency books and was excited to hear she was trying out historical fantasy and I am here to say I am sat and ready for the next book. This was a lot of fun and an easy read to pick up.

I liked that it was multiple POV. While I’m still curious about a few of the additions besides the true MC’s, I think that will come in book two and look forward to getting to know all of them better. I really loved all of the sass and banter in the romance(s). It’s cheeky and swoony and a delight.

Some of the magic system components didn’t feel fully fleshed out and once again, I’m hopeful book two is a little more clear. There seemed to be a lack of boundaries overall.

Any who, solid historical fantasy. Definitely recommend!

Overall audience notes:

  • Historical fantasy + romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: mild – moderate

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Book Review: She Knows All the Names (Throne of Khetara #2) by Michelle Jabes Corpora

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: NA Historical Fantasy
Length: 437 pages
Author: Michelle Jabes Corpora
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Release Date: May 5th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Magic, adventure, romance, and horror collide in this lush, epic, Ancient Egyptian inspired trilogy perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo, Tahereh Mafi, and Sabaa Tahir.

Fresh to the throne, the cunning new pharaoh schemes to bring unprecedented power to the Kingdom of Khetara. He commands absolute allegiance, leaving bloodshed in his wake as he searches for the missing Princess Sitamun, and at his side, the young priestess Nefermaat serves as divine counsel. Having witnessed the king’s merciless acts, Neff furtively plots to free the kingdom from his grip, though she knows the heavy price of treason.

Meanwhile, the rebellion in Low Khetara grows, and Raetawy, a courageous farm girl, leads the resistance. Her quest is clear: infiltrate the capital and free the imprisoned rebels—including her beloved father. Yet in her desperation, Rae agrees to a plan that could destroy all she is fighting for….

In the Red Lands, the thief Karim grapples with the new life he’s been given. Is it a blessing or a curse? He fears what lurks within him, yet he and his unlikely companion, Princess Sita, grow ever closer as they search for a lost city believed to harbor the secret to saving Khetara from destruction.

The ancient oracle that once whispered to these four strangers now speaks with an urgency as powerful as the mighty Iteru. The current of destiny is strengthening, but will it bring redemption…or annihilation?

FANTASTIC SEQUEL.

Oh I had a good time with this one!! I am hooked on this series. I can’t wait for the finale!!

Everything increased. The action and intrigue. The mystery and betrayals. Even got a little more romance. The progression from book one to book two is exactly what I’m after. I still love all of the mythology moments and how the gods are starting to meddle.

I’m really attached to all of the main characters and loving the journey. The rotating POV’s are working for me. It keeps things moving and I don’t think there’s a weak link. I like not being able to tell just quite what’s going to happen next and the brutal world that’s been built.

Amped for the third book.

Overall audience notes:

  • Upper YA historical fantasy
  • Language: mild
  • Romance: closed door
  • Violence: high
  • Content warnings: many executions, loss of life, near death experiences

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Book Review: Our Strange Duet by Erin A. Craig

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Fantasy Romance Retelling
Length: 390 pages
Author: Erin A. Craig
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Release Date: September 1st, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A reimagining of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera, spotlighting Christine Daaé as she rises to fame while torn between love, ambition, and the haunting secrets of the opera house from #1 New York Times bestselling author Erin A. Craig, in a deluxe hardcover edition.

Inspired by Gaston Leroux’s 1910 novel, Le Fantôme de L’Opéra, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera tells the story of a mysterious masked figure who lurks beneath the Paris Opera House, exercising a reign of terror over all who inhabit it. He falls madly in love with a young soprano, Christine Daaé, and devotes himself to nurturing her extraordinary talents, employing all of the devious methods at his command. Our Strange Duet centers Christine’s emotional journey and her agency within this sweeping, atmospheric opera.

Thank you to Get Underlined for the gifted copy.

WELL I LIKED IT.

Now, this review is coming from someone who knows the general plot of Phantom but has only seen the movie once in middle school choir SOOOOO. Take that for what you will.

To me it felt like a pretty true to form retelling. I especially liked the audiobook because there were multiple narrators and it read like a graphic audiobook and even added in moments of singing the songs from the play and ambient background sounds really made this book. Since I didn’t know many of the details I had a good time listening and not quite knowing where the story was going to go. It’s definitely chaos, but a kind you want to be involved in.

I think I would have liked more POV’s but I enjoyed having this only from Christine’s POV well enough. The back and forth between Eric and Raoul is complicated and a love triangle I didn’t mind. The ending felt just right for this kind of story and I’m glad I read this!

Overall audience notes:

  • Upper YA Historical/Fantasy Romance Retelling
  • Language: low
  • Romance: one fade to black
  • Violence: moderate
  • Content warnings: murder, loss of life, near death experiences, stalking, attempted murder, child abuse, parental abandonment

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Book Review: Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Thriller
Length: 392 pages
Author: Holly Jackson
Publisher: Bantam
Release Date: July 22nd, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A twisty thriller about a young woman trying to solve her own murder.

In seven days Jet Mason will be dead.

Jet is the daughter of one of the wealthiest families in Woodstock, Vermont. Twenty-seven years old, she’s still waiting for her life to begin. I’ll do it later, she always says. She has time.

Until Halloween night, when Jet is violently attacked by an unseen intruder.

She suffers a catastrophic head injury. The doctor is certain that within a week, the injury will trigger a deadly aneurysm.

Jet has never thought of herself as having enemies. But now she looks at everyone in a new light: her family, her former best friend turned sister-in-law, her ex-boyfriend.

She has at most seven days, and as her condition deteriorates she has only her childhood friend Billy for help. But nevertheless, she’s absolutely determined to finally finish something:

Jet is going to solve her own murder.

WELL THAT HURT.

This absolutely triggered my medical anxiety but I also was intrigued by the unique plot line. Someone solving their own murder?? Tell me more.

[I will say the audiobook wasn’t totally my favorite. Some of the character voices weren’t great. I did like Jet’s voice at least.]

I read probably 1-2 thrillers a year and I’m happy that I picked up my tried and true favorite, Holly Jackson, because she always delivers and this was no different. I was curious and worried and as a romance reader this made me sad too. Good twists and reveals, this non-thriller girl approves.

Overall audience notes:

  • Thriller
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: high
  • Content warnings: murder, attempted murder, traumatic head injury

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