NetGalley Review: Viper & Lilies by Lexie Axon

Viper & Lilies by Lexie Axon

My Rating: ✩✩✩✩✩

I thoroughly enjoyed the act of reading this book, but found it in total a mid-pack romantasy with lots of chances to grow.

All my notes are a real "rose, then the thorn" vibe regarding this debut novel
-The world building is interesting, but the author uses lots of exposition...trust the reader to pick up what you are showing and creating.
-The three POVs provided interesting insight into the fantasy mythos and how each characters experiences magic and their role in the world. However, it makes for a long book where not much happens.
-This is a solid introduction into what will be at least a duology or more, but the cliff hanger feels a bit more "I ran out of space" and not so much "here is a climactic moment to set up the upcoming plot development."
-The romance aspect is very slow burn and doesn't generate much chemistry nor further the narrative. Here Axon is happy to leave us without too much exposition in sharp contrast to how much of the book is deeply explained.

Now, it was a fun almost 500 pages of meandering through magical regency. Setting up the first in a series requires a full world-build, character development AND set up for more books worth of interconnected narrative. Here the reader is certainly equipped to continue. I would like to see the next in the series, there is so much potential here even though this one was not a perfect romantasy for me.

Published on 2 February 2027 by Grand Central Publishing

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NetGalley Review: Wench by Erynne Rivers

Wench by Erynne Rivers

My Rating: ✩✩✩✩✩ 

The best way to describe this book is "trope madlibs."

Before I get into all the parts that did not work for me, I want to give an immense amount of praise to the prose. The world building is solid. The descriptions of the forest world are beautiful and drop you right into the magical atmosphere. Rivers can write, the issue is everything else.

The tropes go pretty hard here, to the point that no real plot or character development happens. She is "not like other girls" while secretly being the chosen one (the mystery here is anything but). He is a brooding, all powerful being with a tragic past. Together they must save the magical world while falling in love with, apparently, zero chemist 
I really loved the premise here, but the execution just did not hit the mark for me.

Published on 13 October 2026 by Harper 360

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NetGalley Review: Falling for a Villainous Vampire: A Novel by Charlotte Stein

Falling for a Villainous Vampire: A Novel by Charlotte Stein

My Rating: ✩✩✩✩✩

I have enjoyed Stein's books to varying degrees across two series, but this one was a miss for me.

My overarching issue with the series is that there doesn't feel like enough world building. I don't mind when an author drops you in and teaches the mythos by immersion, but here I feel like I am adrift in a sea of magic with no guide. Each book has hinted as some of "how it all works," but other than some witches paring off with supernatural love interests and talking appliances, there just isn't enough to make the stories fit together.

As for this book specifically, it was all telling and very little showing. We see the story through the eyes of our MMC, but don't get much from her about herself. She doesn't really grow or change and the only reason this life doesn't end the same way as the others is almost accidental. The MMC doesn't really pass the "lamp test" (especially given that sentient lamp as love-interest is 100% on the table with this mythos). The ending just happens. The "mystery," that the reader didn't even know existed in this form, is resolved...just because the right combination of poorly performed spells? When all was said and done, it didn't really feel like a story.

Other ratings vary, so this may be just a bad fit for me and exactly perfect for another reader, but I think this series has run its course for my reading preferences.

Published on 27 October 2026 by St. Martins Press

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NetGalley Review: As the Snow Gathers by Mere Joyce

As the Snow Gathers by Mere Joyce

My Rating: ✩✩✩✩✩

So much of this book was amazing. I liked the characters and the setting. It is very immersive and while it is your standard "Puritan-village" trope the vibe was appropriately spooky. The characters were interesting and could have served to really hammer home the notion of "other" being outcast and how the real monster is the bigotry we met along the way. The soft sub-plot of queer romance was lovely without detracting from the genre being horror (as often the romance can feel a little shoehorned in when death is circling). The conclusion of the story as revenge fantasy was an interesting way to wrap up the book.

My main complaint that made the book a hard read for me was the pacing and exposition. Sometimes the plot tools along and stuff is happening and bits of the mystery are coming together. Other times we are plodding through glacial telling-not-showing. It was very hard to feel the ending was a resolution when it happens all in a rush, having not really been explained by the clues along the way and so much explaining with little cohesion.

It was a twist on "The Village" with the lingering, simmering dread of "The Turn of the Screw" an a "Sleepy Hollow" vibe, but sadly without the follow-through to really bring it home for me.

Published on 1 September 2026 by Poisoned Pen Press

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NetGalley Review: She Haunts Me Still by De Elizabeth

She Haunts Me Still by De Elizabeth

My Rating: ✩✩✩✩✩

I was so excited for a "Down a Dark Hall" vibed book with local lore and spooky academia. What I got was...not quite that.

I enjoyed the local lore. As a transplant to Rhode Island I loved the little hat-tips to local legends and historical sites. Playing "do you think this is Salve or URI?" was a pleasant way to spend time. Bouncing off some TB-Vampire lore, referencing Mercy Brown and the local witch myths was great. I even really like the slight twist on the story to add some new elements for the novel. It was atmospheric, and spooky and had all the hallmarks of a creepy romantasy-meets-horror story that would have been perfect for its fall (ish) release date.

However, the book just never really "took off" for me. The characters were decidedly YA (granted, they are college kids), but in a very "first day on earth" way, not a "coming of age" way. What could have been a very neat melding of historical events and a new element turned tedious because there was so much exposition. Just when you get into the tale, and feel some pieces of the puzzle coming together-it is like four pages of hand holding. The resolution is tidy to the point of triteness after so much over-explained backstory.

So five-stars for premise and spooky factor, one-star for too many other factors.

Published on 11 August 2026 by Dutton

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NetGalley Review: Maggie and Arthur's Magic Moment by Leslie René

Maggie and Arthur's Magic Moment by Leslie René

My Rating: ✩✩✩✩✩

This cozy romantasy was such a pleasant break from the dark-angsty style stories that seem to be the bulk of the genre. While I like those books, it was very refreshing to read a romantasy that didn't involve a gritty battle surrounding the one chosen (not-like-other-girls) girl and a brooding age-inappropriate supernatural being.

The world building is great. Rene drops you right into the magic school and trusts the reader to pick up what they need to know from context while also creating a comprehensive magical mythos. The conflict the FMC and MMC face (both in the world and between each other) is significant enough to drive the plot, but not ridiculous. Applying a magical world to otherwise mundane relationships and academic challenges made for very enjoyable reading. The characters do grow and learn about themselves and each other, miscommunications are resolved and everyone gets an HEA without having to act completely out of character.

I would 100% add this one to your end of summer beach reads list, or hold it as a very cozy kick-off to spooky romance season. With this being Rene's first book, I cant wait to see more from this author.

Published on 28 July 2026 by  Berkley Publishing Group

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NetGalley Review: Tillinghast by Clare Cavenagh

Tillinghast by Clare Cavenagh

My Rating: ✩✩✩✩✩

As a fan of home-state vampire lore and gothic character studies, I was so excited to read this. Overall however, it just wasn't a good read for me.

In the books favor:

• Good use of said lore. Solid references to the Exeter, RI vampire freak out (I would like to say the town has improved since then, but alas, I deeply feel the plight of the poor doctor friend begging the town to get on board with science even here in 2026, but I do digress).
• An interesting take on the vampire trope that removes the whole siring new vampires dynamic from the equation.
• Solid writing, though the style was somewhat choppy, it made sense with the character arc. The imagery and atmosphere are well honed.

Working hard against the book:

• Even as a character study, this is slow and doesn't follow through on some key parts of the world's mythos. I appreciate the trust put in the reader to just jump in a figure out the implied plot, but nothing happens. Not even in a metaphorical "nothing happens, but everything happens" way, just...nothing.

In short: loved the gothic vibes and local legend, couldn't get into the groove of the narrative.

Published on 23 June 2026 by Viking Penguin

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