Review: The Angel Maker, by Alex North

Title: The Angel Maker

Author: Alex North

Series: none

Publisher: Celadon Books

Publication Date: February 28th, 2023

Genres: Thriller, Crime, Adult

Growing up in a beautiful house in the English countryside, Katie Shaw lived a charmed life. At the cusp of graduation, she had big dreams, a devoted boyfriend, and a little brother she protected fiercely. Until the day a violent stranger changed the fate of her family forever. Years later, still unable to live down the guilt surrounding what happened to her brother, Chris, and now with a child of her own to protect, Katie struggles to separate the real threats from the imagined. Then she gets the phone call: Chris has gone missing and needs his big sister once more. Meanwhile, Detective Laurence Page is facing a particularly gruesome crime. A distinguished professor of fate and free will has been brutally murdered just hours after firing his staff. All the leads point back to two old cases: the gruesome attack on teenager Christopher Shaw, and the despicable crimes of a notorious serial killer who, legend had it, could see the future.

Review: The Deep, by Nick Cutter

Title: The Deep

Author: Nick Cutter

Series: none

Publisher: Gallery Books

Publication Date: January 13th, 2015

Genres: Horror, Science Fiction, Adult

A strange plague called the ’Gets is decimating humanity on a global scale. It causes people to forget—small things at first, like where they left their keys…then the not-so-small things like how to drive, or the letters of the alphabet. Then their bodies forget how to function involuntarily…and there is no cure. But now, far below the surface of the Pacific Ocean, deep in the Marianas Trench, an heretofore unknown substance hailed as “ambrosia” has been discovered—a universal healer, from initial reports. It may just be the key to a universal cure. In order to study this phenomenon, a special research lab, the Trieste, has been built eight miles under the sea’s surface. But now the station is incommunicado, and it’s up to a brave few to descend through the lightless fathoms in hopes of unraveling the mysteries lurking at those crushing depths…and perhaps to encounter an evil blacker than anything one could possibly imagine.

Most Anticipated Fantasy Releases of 2024

Fantasy was the genre that initially fostered my love of reading, and many of the staple series from my childhood were some of the fantasy greats – Harry Potter, Eragon, Redwall, and the list could go on indefinitely. While I’ve transitioned almost entirely to novels marketed toward adult audiences, fantasy remains one of my most frequently read genres, and I’ve jumped into too many series to count! These days, I tend to prefer fantasy series rather than standalone novels. If I’m investing the time to learn about an entirely new world, magic system, and political setup, I want to spend more time enjoying those aspects. Fantasy often touts complex casts of characters with innumerable perspectives and timelines, and I prefer spending additional time with each of these characters rather than having brief, abbreviated glimpses into their lives within a single standalone installment. The stakes and payoff tend to feel higher in a large series, and there’s a sense of comfort when starting a new series that there are three or more multi-hundred page books waiting for me in that universe. I know what I’m signing up for when I embark on a new fantasy series, and I enjoy that inherent reliability and predictability found in later installments within the series. With that being said, I’m always in search of new standalone fantasy novels, even if they are few and far between! I have a fairly long list of trusted, beloved fantasy authors whose publications I will automatically purchase and read without a second thought. However, I’m always trying to branch out and discover new favorites and debut authors within the genre, so I’m keeping an eye on some of those upcoming publications, as well!

Below is a list of some of my most anticipated fantasy releases throughout 2024 – it’s a combination of standalone books and series, brand new series and later installments within a series, and authors that I’ve read from before as well as those that are new to me. My hope is that there’s something for everyone in the list below, and I’m excited to hear your thoughts on any of these books! What fantasy releases are you most excited about for 2024?

Review: Spin a Black Yarn, by Josh Malerman

Title: Spin a Black Yarn

Author: Josh Malerman

Series: none

Publisher: Del Rey

Publication Date: August 15th, 2023

Genres: Horror, Science Fiction, Adult, Novellas

Josh Malerman is a master weaver of stories–and in this spine-chilling collection he spins five twisted tales from the shadows of the human soul: A sister insists to her little brother that “Half the House Is Haunted” by a strange presence. But is it the house that’s haunted–or their childhoods? In “Argyle,” a dying man confesses to homicides he never committed, and he reveals long-kept secrets far more sinister than murder. A tourist takes the ultimate trip to outer space in “The Jupiter Drop,” but the real journey is into his own dark past. In “Doug and Judy Buy the House Washer(TM),” a trendy married couple buys the latest home gadget only to find themselves trapped by their possessions, their history . . . and each other. And in “Egorov,” a wealthy old cretin murders a young man, not knowing the victim was a triplet. The two surviving brothers stage a savage faux-haunting–playing the ghost of their slain brother–with the aim of driving the old murderer mad.

Review: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, by J.K. Rowling

Title: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Author: J.K. Rowling

Series: Harry Potter #4

Publisher: Scholastic

Publication Date: July 8th, 2000

Genres: Fantasy, Children’s Literature

It is the summer holidays and soon Harry Potter will be starting his fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry is counting the days: there are new spells to be learnt, more Quidditch to be played, and Hogwarts castle to continue exploring. But Harry needs to be careful – there are unexpected dangers lurking…

Review: Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six, by Lisa Unger

Title: Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six

Author: Lisa Unger

Series: none

Publisher: Park Row

Publication Date: November 8th, 2022

Genres: Thriller, Adult

Three couples rent a luxury cabin in the woods for a weekend getaway to die for in this chilling locked-room thriller. What could be more restful than a weekend getaway with family and friends? An isolated luxury cabin in the woods, spectacular views, a hot tub and a personal chef. Hannah’s generous brother found the listing online. The reviews are stellar. It’ll be three couples on this trip with good food, good company and lots of R & R. But the dreamy weekend is about to turn into a nightmare. A deadly storm is brewing. The rental host seems just a little too present. The personal chef reveals that their beautiful house has a spine-tingling history. And the friends have their own complicated past, with secrets that run blood deep. How well does Hannah know her brother, her own husband? Can she trust her best friend? Meanwhile, someone is determined to ruin the weekend, looking to exact a payback for deeds long buried. Who is the stranger among them?

Review: The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas

Title: The Count of Monte Cristo

Author: Alexandre Dumas

Series: none

Publisher: Penguin Classics

Publication Date: August 28th, 1844

Genres: Classic, Fiction, Adult

Thrown in prison for a crime he has not committed, Edmond Dantès is confined to the grim fortress of If. There he learns of a great hoard of treasure hidden on the Isle of Monte Cristo and he becomes determined not only to escape, but also to unearth the treasure and use it to plot the destruction of the three men responsible for his incarceration. Dumas’ epic tale of suffering and retribution, inspired by a real-life case of wrongful imprisonment, was a huge popular success when it was first serialized in the 1840s.

Review: Survivor Song, by Paul Tremblay

Title: Survivor Song

Author: Paul Tremblay

Series: none

Publisher: William Morrow

Publication Date: July 7th, 2020

Genres: Horror, Adult

In a matter of weeks, Massachusetts has been overrun by an insidious rabies-like virus that is spread by saliva. But unlike rabies, the disease has a terrifyingly short incubation period of an hour or less. Those infected quickly lose their minds and are driven to bite and infect as many others as they can before they inevitably succumb. Hospitals are inundated with the sick and dying, and hysteria has taken hold. To try to limit its spread, the commonwealth is under quarantine and curfew. But society is breaking down and the government’s emergency protocols are faltering. Dr. Ramola “Rams” Sherman, a soft-spoken pediatrician in her mid-thirties, receives a frantic phone call from Natalie, a friend who is eight months pregnant. Natalie’s husband has been killed—viciously attacked by an infected neighbor—and in a failed attempt to save him, Natalie, too, was bitten. Natalie’s only chance of survival is to get to a hospital as quickly as possible to receive a rabies vaccine. The clock is ticking for her and for her unborn child. Natalie’s fight for life becomes a desperate odyssey as she and Rams make their way through a hostile landscape filled with dangers beyond their worst nightmares—terrifying, strange, and sometimes deadly challenges that push them to the brink.

Review and Readathon Update: The Assassin’s Blade, by Sarah J. Maas

Title: The Assassin’s Blade

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Series: Throne of Glass #0.1-0.5

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Publication Date: March 4th, 2014

Genres: Fantasy, Romantasy, Young Adult

Celaena Sardothien owes her reputation to Arobynn Hamel. He gave her a home at the Assassins’ Guild and taught her the skills she needed to survive. Arobynn’s enemies stretch far and wide – from Adarlan’s rooftops and its filthy dens, to remote islands and hostile deserts. Celaena is duty-bound to hunt them down. But behind her assignments lies a dark truth that will seal her fate – and cut her heart in two forever… Explore the dark underworld of this kick-ass heroine and find out how the legend begins in the five page-turning prequel novellas to the New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass series.

Most Anticipated Horror Releases of 2024

2023 was an excellent year for me in terms of the horror books that I read – I loved almost everything that I picked up, found quite a few 5 star reads, and even added some new authors to my favorites list! I’m hoping to continue this momentum throughout 2024 and be a little more selective and intentional about the horror books that I’m reading. For example, one of my goals is staying away from horror tropes that I don’t enjoy or find frustrating to no end (picture unreliable characters, particularly in domestic thrillers where alcohol or drugs are posited as the reason for their untrustworthy narration). Instead, I’m hoping to focus on some of the tropes that I’ve come to love over the years. I’m also hoping to stumble across some unique and original premises that I’ve not read previously. I’m also planning to incorporate a combination of books from trusted favorite authors within the genre, as well as debut and new-to-me authors. Below are a few of the 2024 publications that I’m very excited to pick up throughout the year!

Let me know in the comments below if any of these books made it to your most anticipated horror releases of 2024! If you’ve read any of my anticipated releases, let me know your thoughts on the book. And as always, I would love to hear any of the horror books that you’re excited about picking up during 2024 – my TBR can always use some new additions!

Review: Bird Box, by Josh Malerman

Title: Bird Box

Author: Josh Malerman

Series: Bird Box #1

Publisher: Ecco

Publication Date: March 27th, 2014

Genres: Horror, Adult

Something is out there… Something terrifying that must not be seen. One glimpse and a person is driven to deadly violence. No one knows what it is or where it came from. Five years after it began, a handful of scattered survivors remain, including Malorie and her two young children. Living in an abandoned house near the river, she has dreamed of fleeing to a place where they might be safe. Now, that the boy and girl are four, it is time to go. But the journey ahead will be terrifying: twenty miles downriver in a rowboat—blindfolded—with nothing to rely on but her wits and the children’s trained ears. One wrong choice and they will die. And something is following them. But is it man, animal, or monster? Engulfed in darkness, surrounded by sounds both familiar and frightening, Malorie embarks on a harrowing odyssey—a trip that takes her into an unseen world and back into the past, to the companions who once saved her. Under the guidance of the stalwart Tom, a motley group of strangers banded together against the unseen terror, creating order from the chaos. But when supplies ran low, they were forced to venture outside—and confront the ultimate question: in a world gone mad, who can really be trusted?

Review and Readathon Update: Crown of Midnight, by Sarah J. Maas

Title: Crown of Midnight

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Series: Throne of Glass #2

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Publication Date: August 15th, 2013

Genres: Fantasy, Romantasy, Young Adult

From the throne of glass rules a king with a fist of iron and a soul as black as pitch. Assassin Celaena Sardothien won a brutal contest to become his Champion. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown. She hides her secret vigilantly; she knows that the man she serves is bent on evil. Keeping up the deadly charade becomes increasingly difficult when Celaena realizes she is not the only one seeking justice. As she tries to untangle the mysteries buried deep within the glass castle, her closest relationships suffer. It seems no one is above questioning her allegiances—not the Crown Prince Dorian; not Chaol, the Captain of the Guard; not even her best friend, Nehemia, a foreign princess with a rebel heart. Then one terrible night, the secrets they have all been keeping lead to an unspeakable tragedy. As Celaena’s world shatters, she will be forced to give up the very thing most precious to her and decide once and for all where her true loyalties lie… and whom she is ultimately willing to fight for. Engulfed in darkness, surrounded by sounds both familiar and frightening, Malorie embarks on a harrowing odyssey—a trip that takes her into an unseen world and back into the past, to the companions who once saved her. Under the guidance of the stalwart Tom, a motley group of strangers banded together against the unseen terror, creating order from the chaos. But when supplies ran low, they were forced to venture outside—and confront the ultimate question: in a world gone mad, who can really be trusted?

Review: Bridge of Clay, by Markus Zusak

Title: Bridge of Clay

Author: Markus Zusak

Series: none

Publisher: Doubleday

Publication Date: October 8th, 2018

Genres: Literary Fiction, Adult

The breathtaking story of five brothers who bring each other up in a world run by their own rules. As the Dunbar boys love and fight and learn to reckon with the adult world, they discover the moving secret behind their father’s disappearance. At the center of the Dunbar family is Clay, a boy who will build a bridge—for his family, for his past, for greatness, for his sins, for a miracle. The question is, how far is Clay willing to go? And how much can he overcome?

Review: Home Before Dark, by Riley Sager

Title: Home Before Dark

Author: Riley Sager

Series: none

Publisher: Dutton Books

Publication Date: June 30th, 2020

Genres: Thriller, Adult

What was it like? Living in that house. Maggie Holt is used to such questions. Twenty-five years ago, she and her parents, Ewan and Jess, moved into Baneberry Hall, a rambling Victorian estate in the Vermont woods. They spent three weeks there before fleeing in the dead of night, an ordeal Ewan later recounted in a nonfiction book called House of Horrors. His tale of ghostly happenings and encounters with malevolent spirits became a worldwide phenomenon, rivaling The Amityville Horror in popularity—and skepticism. Today, Maggie is a restorer of old homes and too young to remember any of the events mentioned in her father’s book. But she also doesn’t believe a word of it. Ghosts, after all, don’t exist. When Maggie inherits Baneberry Hall after her father’s death, she returns to renovate the place to prepare it for sale. But her homecoming is anything but warm. People from the past, chronicled in House of Horrors, lurk in the shadows. And locals aren’t thrilled that their small town has been made infamous thanks to Maggie’s father. Even more unnerving is Baneberry Hall itself—a place filled with relics from another era that hint at a history of dark deeds. As Maggie experiences strange occurrences straight out of her father’s book, she starts to believe that what he wrote was more fact than fiction.

Review: Cujo, by Stephen King

Title: Cujo

Author: Stephen King

Series: none

Publisher: Viking Press

Publication Date: September 8th, 1981

Genres: Horror, Adult

The #1 national bestseller for Stephen King’s rabid fans, Cujo “hits the jugular” (The New York Times) with the story of a friendly Saint Bernard that is bitten by a sick bat. Get ready to meet the most hideous menace ever to savage the flesh and devour the mind. Outside a peaceful town in central Maine, a monster is waiting. Cujo is a two-hundred-pound Saint Bernard, the best friend Brett Camber has ever had. One day, Cujo chases a rabbit into a cave inhabited by sick bats and emerges as something new altogether. Meanwhile, Vic and Donna Trenton, and their young son Tad, move to Maine. They are seeking peace and quiet, but life in this small town is not what it seems. As Tad tries to fend off the terror that comes to him at night from his bedroom closet, and as Vic and Donna face their own nightmare of a marriage on the rocks, there is no way they can know that a monster, infinitely sinister, waits in the daylight. What happens to Cujo, how he becomes a horrifying vortex inescapably drawing in all the people around him, makes for one of the most heart-stopping novels Stephen King has ever written.

Most Anticipated Thriller Releases of 2024

The thriller genre was one of my most commonly read genres during 2023, and that trend has continued into 2024. Quite a few of my favorite thriller authors are publishing new works in 2024, and I’m excited to revisit their writing and mix in some debut thriller authors throughout the year! I always find these posts helpful to add additional books to my radar for the upcoming year, so I hope you’re able to find a few books from the list below to add to your TBR. If there are any thriller publications in 2024 that I’ve missed from the list, feel free to leave your recommendations in a comment below!

Review: My Sister, the Serial Killer, by Oyinkan Braithwaite

Title: My Sister, the Serial Killer

Author: Oyinkan Braithwaite

Series: none

Publisher: Doubleday

Publication Date: July 17th, 2018

Genres: Thriller, Adult

When Korede’s dinner is interrupted one night by a distress call from her sister, Ayoola, she knows what’s expected of her: bleach, rubber gloves, nerves of steel and a strong stomach. This’ll be the third boyfriend Ayoola’s dispatched in, quote, self-defence and the third mess that her lethal little sibling has left Korede to clear away. She should probably go to the police for the good of the menfolk of Nigeria, but she loves her sister and, as they say, family always comes first. Until, that is, Ayoola starts dating the doctor where Korede works as a nurse. Korede’s long been in love with him, and isn’t prepared to see him wind up with a knife in his back: but to save one would mean sacrificing the other…

Review and Readathon Update: Throne of Glass, by Sarah J. Maas

Title: Throne of Glass

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Series: Throne of Glass #1

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Publication Date: August 7th, 2012

Genres: Fantasy, Romantasy, Young Adult

In a land without magic, where the king rules with an iron hand, an assassin is summoned to the castle. She comes not to kill the king, but to win her freedom. If she defeats twenty-three killers, thieves, and warriors in a competition, she is released from prison to serve as the king’s champion. Her name is Celaena Sardothien. The Crown Prince will provoke her. The Captain of the Guard will protect her. But something evil dwells in the castle of glass—and it’s there to kill. When her competitors start dying one by one, Celaena’s fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival, and a desperate quest to root out the evil before it destroys her world.

Review: To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, by Christopher Paolini

Title: To Sleep in a Sea of Stars

Author: Christopher Paolini

Series: Fractalverse #1

Publisher: Tor Books

Publication Date: September 15th, 2020

Genres: Science Fiction, Adult

Kira Navárez dreamed of life on new worlds. Now she’s awakened a nightmare. During a routine survey mission on an uncolonized planet, Kira finds an alien relic. At first she’s delighted, but elation turns to terror when the ancient dust around her begins to move. As war erupts among the stars, Kira is launched into a galaxy-spanning odyssey of discovery and transformation. First contact isn’t at all what she imagined, and events push her to the very limits of what it means to be human. While Kira faces her own horrors, Earth and its colonies stand upon the brink of annihilation. Now, Kira might be humanity’s greatest and final hope…

Review: Final Girls, by Riley Sager

Title: Final Girls

Author: Riley Sager

Series: none

Publisher: Dutton

Publication Date: July 11th, 2017

Genres: Thriller, Adult

Ten years ago, college student Quincy Carpenter went on vacation with five friends and came back alone, the only survivor of a horror movie–scale massacre. In an instant, she became a member of a club no one wants to belong to—a group of similar survivors known in the press as the Final Girls. Lisa, who lost nine sorority sisters to a college dropout’s knife; Sam, who went up against the Sack Man during her shift at the Nightlight Inn; and now Quincy, who ran bleeding through the woods to escape Pine Cottage and the man she refers to only as Him. The three girls are all attempting to put their nightmares behind them, and, with that, one another. Despite the media’s attempts, they never meet. Now, Quincy is doing well—maybe even great, thanks to her Xanax prescription. She has a caring almost-fiancé, Jeff; a popular baking blog; a beautiful apartment; and a therapeutic presence in Coop, the police officer who saved her life all those years ago. Her memory won’t even allow her to recall the events of that night; the past is in the past. That is, until Lisa, the first Final Girl, is found dead in her bathtub, wrists slit, and Sam, the second, appears on Quincy’s doorstep. Blowing through Quincy’s life like a whirlwind, Sam seems intent on making Quincy relive the past, with increasingly dire consequences, all of which makes Quincy question why Sam is really seeking her out. And when new details about Lisa’s death come to light, Quincy’s life becomes a race against time as she tries to unravel Sam’s truths from her lies, evade the police and hungry reporters, and, most crucially, remember what really happened at Pine Cottage, before what was started ten years ago is finished.