With 2024 just around the corner, we have a whole new batch of book releases to look forward to. The lineup looks stacked and it was difficult to narrow my list down, but here are some of the SFF, horror, and historical books that I'm most excited to read. This Wretched Valley by Jenny Kiefer Release: January 16, 2024 This trip is going to be Dylan’s big break. Her geologist friend Clay has discovered an untouched cliff face in the Kentucky wilderness, and she is going to be the first person to climb it. Together with Clay, his research assistant Sylvia, and Dylan’s boyfriend Luke, Dylan is going to document her achievement on Instagram and finally cement her place as the next rising star in rock climbing. Seven months later, three bodies are discovered in the trees just off the highway. All are in various states of decay: one a stark, white skeleton; the second emptied of its organs; and the third a mutilated corpse with the tongue, eyes, ears, and fingers removed. But Dylan is s
When the Lord of the Underworld, Erlik Khan, possesses Zerryn’s childhood friend, the two strike a bargain. If she can win a series of trials and Erlik’s hand in marriage, he’ll release her friend or else her friend will die before winter. The Bride of Death by F.M. Aden weaves a flawed but enthralling tale inspired by Turkish folklore. Let's start with what I liked about the book. I think this is actually the first fantasy book I’ve read that includes Turkish folklore and mythological creatures, so it was a refreshing departure from all the Nordic and Greek-inspired fantasies that are so prolific. The romance itself is deliciously swoonworthy. That part was great! I mean, the main love interest has extra arms ... for hugging, and I’m sure it’ll delight fans of Death and the Maiden trope, I-offer-the-world-at-your-feet dynamics. However, there were certain rushed plot developments towards the end that I felt undid so many of the themes the story had built up, and, for me to dive i