Seven Faceless Saints by M K Lobb

🏳️‍🌈🧠

TW: murder, death, PTSD, parental death, violence, suicidal ideation, child death, eye horror, fire

The world building of this book was meticulous, laying the groundwork for what promises to be an interesting series. In particular, Lobb sets a lot of time into building up the political and magic systems, both of which play a key role in the book. I found the whole concept of the seven Saints deeply fascinating and seeing the different powers manifest on the page was wonderful. When this is combined with some political manoeuvring, plenty of intrigue and a few dead bodies, you have a definite recipe for success. 

Full review here.

This Time It’s Real by Ann Liang

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠

TW:  racism, bullying, self-image discussions, injury detail

If You Could See the Sun was an incredibly addictive, immersive and thrilling read. It was academic rivals to lovers excellence, mixed with a searing exploration of power and privilege. This Time It’s Real lived up to my sky-high expectations with a fake romance plot that is just exquisite, as well as exploring family, following your dreams and the pure joy that can be found in love. 

Full review here.

Don’t Fear the Reaper by Stephen Graham Jones

⭐️🧠

TW: murder, death, gore, blood, violence, sexual assault, misogyny, death of parent, pedophilia, stalking, suicidal thoughts, racism, fire, ableism, injury/injury detail, torture, gun violence, sexual harassment, alcoholism, racial slurs, addiction, medical trauma, animal cruelty, classism, child death, police brutality, forced institutionalisation, self harm, drug abuse, domestic abuse, trafficking, emotional abuse, lynching, residential schools, drowning, car accident

My Heart is a Chainsaw was another home-run from a horror mastermind. He expertly weaved truly terrifying moments with a socially conscious and fiercely intelligent tale that you won’t be able to forget. Jade Daniels was an instant icon for me, a Final Girl like no other. I was so, so excited to continue her story in Don’t Fear the Reaper and boy, Jones does not hold back. This is an even more blood drenched, gory, madcap mess of a book. The mayhem is sky-high and so is the body count. This is horror at its best, with the gore and the blood and the guts on full display. 

Full review here.

Freeze by Kate Simants

TW: abuse, stalking, violence, death, murder

This takes locked in thrillers to a whole new level. I was sold on the concept of a reality TV show that turns into a murder mystery and stayed for the layered, intriguing and incredibly tense story that came after.

Full review here.

Last Violent Call by Chloe Gong

TW: death, murder, brainwashing, suicide, self-harm, blood, needles, violence

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠

This is the closest we will get to the cosy Chloe pit stop in the series that brings all the strands together. It combines romance, humour, political thrillers and a murder mystery into one maelstrom of a book. The powder keg is set; now we wait for Gong to light the fuse once more.

Full review here.

Lies We Sing To The Sea by Sarah Underwood

TW: rape, attempted rape, murder, PTSD, sexual assault, violence, death, suicide

🏳️‍🌈🧠

I actually really enjoyed this tragically beautiful story. This is based on a partial fragment of the Odyssey, with Penelope’s hanged maids, but generations later. For me, the characters sparkled and made me fall in love with them, only to cleave my heart in two.

Full review here.

Murder Your Employer by Rupert Holmes

TW: murder, death, violence, suicide, sexual harassment, rape, abuse, drugging, manipulation, blood, gore

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠

This is a maniacal little gem of a book. I loved how Holmes really sat with the ethical considerations of our three would-be murderers and how every “thesis” must demonstrate why their target deserves to die. We encounter some depths of human depravity, with manipulation and stomach-churning behaviour. For me, this was a mystery like no other. Trying to piece together the whys and hows was fascinating, as were our central three characters. 

Full review here.

The Book of Eve by Meg Clothier

TW: body horror, sexual harassment, blood, violence, torture, misogyny, illness, death

This took a little while for me to fully fall into the book, but once I did, I was absolutely hooked. It is a slow burner, building up that dread and suspense in a fantastic way. Also its depiction of religion and the threats it tries to squash, particularly those that threaten patriarchal order, was really interesting.

HappyHead by Josh Silver

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠

TW: indoctrination, homophobia, violence, torture, emotional abuse, physical abuse, blood, injury detail

This was a force of nature. Silver has smashed it out of the park with a tense, ominous and addictive thriller. His Q & A at the end is a must read. All I know for certain is that I need the next book in my life immediately.

Full review here.

Dear Medusa by Olivia A Cole

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠

TW: slut shaming, sexual assault, racism, slurs, family issues, biphobia, lesbophobia, grooming, molestation, drug use, alcohol, teacher-student assault

This was a firestorm of a book. It was incredibly impactful and powerful, but was difficult at points to read because of the heavy subject matter. Novels in verse always have a heightened emotional element for me and this really hit home.

Full review here.

Enter the Body by Joy McCullough

⭐️🧠

TW: sexual assault, violence, death, suicide, murder, blood, misogyny

This was an early contender for one of my favourite reads of this month. It was such a brilliant exploration of Shakespeare’s female characters, giving nuance and light to each of their stories. McCullough gives them the spotlight in this incisive, fierce and fantastic read.

Full review here.

Missing Clarissa by Ripley Jones

🏳️‍🌈🧠

TW: death, murder, gun violence, missing person, sexual assault, grooming, violence

I really liked how much Jones sat with the ethics of true crime and how easily the reality of these people and cases can be forgotten in the sensationalism. On top of this, it was a genuinely shocking and layered thriller that I absolutely sped through.

Full review here.

Good for Nothing by Mariam Ansar

⭐️🧠

TW: Islamophobia, racism, police brutality, violence, death, car crash, grief

I loved this contemporary YA debut, which focuses in on the stereotypes associated often with underprivileged areas and not seeing the potential more affluent areas are perceived as having. Ansar mixes the different languages spoken by each of the characters and street slang into authentic dialogue that sounds like real teenagers.

The Headmaster’s List by Melissa de la Cruz

⭐️🧠

TW: death, murder, car accident, drug addiction, gun violence, traumatic flashbacks, PTSD

This was a highly entertaining, riveting read that I raced through in around one sitting. I loved the way the narrative slowly built up to an explosive conclusion, full of so many twists and turns.

Where Darkness Blooms by Andrea Hannah

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠

TW: rape, violence, abuse, death, murder, gaslighting, stabbing

I’m such a sucker for these type of books soaked in a supernatural, Gothic, eerie atmosphere. It follows an intriguing slow burner of a mystery, deeply invested in personal connections and entanglements. This is a haunting whisper of a book.

Full review here.

Tell Me What Really Happened by Chelsea Sedoti

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠

TW: death, violence, racism, shooting, murder, blood

I really enjoyed the narrative style of this mystery, as it was all told through police interview (or really interrogation?) transcripts. My thoughts were everywhere and my suspicions kept changing. Sedoti had me utterly hooked.

Full review here.