dawn.vogel | August 3, 2022
Sandy Esene’s book, Daughter of Maat (Blue Benu Press, 2018), is an intriguing look at a world in which the Egyptian gods have persisted throughout the centuries, and the ways in which their machinations and schemes impact the modern world. Alex Philothea, an archaeologist, is swept up into this world because she signed up for […]
dawn.vogel | July 13, 2022
Heather Rose Jones’ book, The Language of Roses (Queen of Swords Press, 2022), is a retelling of the story of Beauty and the Beast with a series of interesting twists on the original fairy tale. This version of the story goes into some detail about how the Beast character wound up in his state, and […]
dawn.vogel | June 29, 2022
Catherine Lundoff’s collection, Unfinished Business (Queen of Swords Press, 2019) is a beautifully dark bunch of short stories. Within the pages, you’ll find historical horror, literary horror, dark sci-fi, and more. My favorite stories of the bunch were ones in conversation with works of literature. “The Mask and the Amontillado” lets you know the twist […]
dawn.vogel | June 22, 2022
Brambles: A Thorn Short Story by Intisar Khanani (Purple Monkey Press, 2020) serves as a prequel story to Khanani’s Dauntless Path series of fairy tale inspired fantasy books. This story gives the background for Princess Alyrra, explaining just how she has come to earn her family’s wrath and disdain. Coming into this story prior to […]
dawn.vogel | June 15, 2022
The Devil Walks in Blood by David Green (Eerie River Publishing, 2021) combines the first two books in this supernatural private investigator series into a single volume, giving the reader a fuller picture of the fascinating world and characters. Nick Halloran died while on a case, but the intervention of a passerby made sure he […]
dawn.vogel | June 1, 2022
Rati Mehrotra’s Night of the Raven, Dawn of the Dove (Wednesday Books, 2022) is a gorgeously crafted story of a young woman learning the truth of her background and family while also discovering important things about herself and those she loves. Katyani, the protagonist, has been bound to the Queen of Chandela for as long as […]
dawn.vogel | May 11, 2022
Lost in the Archives by E. Saxey (Lethe Press, 2022) is a collection of the author’s short stories, many of which have been previously published. The stories include several in historic settings with speculative elements, as well as modern and future settings, all rendered with exquisite characterization and inventive plot elements. Some of the stories […]
dawn.vogel | April 20, 2022
Ghost Pirate Gambit is the first book in Jessie Kwak’s Nanshe Chronicles, named after the ship her protagonists travel on. This new series is a prequel of sorts to Kwak’s first Durga System book, Starfall, with a strong focus on the interpersonal relationships of the crew and others onboard the Nanshe, as well as the […]
dawn.vogel | March 9, 2022
Dark Cheer: Cryptids Emerging Volume Blue edited by Atlin Merrick (Improbable Press, 2021) is a great collection of stories featuring an enormous variety of cryptid characters. With cryptids ranging from the familiar to one-of-a-kind, readers will certainly find stories that appeal to them. I found several stories in the anthology that I enjoyed. The lead […]
dawn.vogel | February 16, 2022
Against the Grain by Melanie Harding-Shaw is a lovely urban fantasy novella about magic, romance, and celiac/coeliac disease. Told from the perspective of Trinity, a coeliac witch who believes she’s cursed when it comes to matters of love and romance, it’s a quick-paced story set against a glorious New Zealand backdrop. Trinity has always has […]
