whimsydearest

Professor Arton Daghdev is a xenobiologist who is shipped out (along with other political dissenters) on an expedition mission to the strange and deadly planet of Kiln. There he’s tasked with investigating the ruins of an alien civilization whose inhabitants mysteriously vanished without a trace. Alien Clay  is Adrian Tchaikovsky’s newest and mind-blowingly brilliant sci-fi novel that further solidifies him as a titan of the genre. In line with his previous works, the worldbuilding is extensive and well-thought out, which comes as a bit of a double-edged sword. On one hand, Tchaikovsky excels at creating believable planets and complex politics. On the other hand, the info-dumping does break up the story's momentum at times. As a result, the story gets off to a slower start. It's not until roughly a quarter in that we get a terrifying glimpse of the body horror and cosmic horror of the planet. Then it takes around half of the novel to finally get to the exploration of the ruins.

The Mystery of the Pale King  by Sam Flynn paints a dread-inducing flintlock fantasy novella. It centers around Faron, a page who recounts a mission gone awry. He was sent with a church retinue to the city of Hathur—where a heretic had been holding performances for a bizarre play. However, upon their arrival, they discovered that children were going mysteriously missing and a sinister force may be at work. The story weaves an undercurrent of faith, politics, and gothic and cosmic horror and takes place in a decaying world reminiscent of  Bloodborne  or  The Gutter Prayer . The atmosphere is fantastic and we get some lyrically lovely descriptive passages like the following: ".... I too beheld a city in the sky. Did I gaze upon heaven, I wondered? But I saw no beauty in the crumbling temples and desecrated tombs, the detritus of a thousand civilizations, devoid of life, howling and empty, save for milk-white shadows masked in cloud and fog, the residents of an ersatz realm that rese

Lucy Undying  by Kiersten White introduces a  Dracula  reimagining where Lucy does not die but instead spends a century trying to find a way to kill her maker. Since gothic literature holds a place near and dear to my heart, this was one of my most highly anticipated reads of the year. But oh, boy! This book suffers from inconsistent writing—both in terms of quality and characters' voices. It felt almost like I was reading two different novels that were haphazardly stitched together, and the tonal whiplash kept throwing me off. It vacillates between gorgeous, biting prose and some of the most juvenile, cringe-inducing dialogue scenes I've had the misfortune to read (like who on Earth calls their partner "my little butter chicken")? It's a shame because the book's cover is a breathtaking masterpiece. I just wished that the interior reflected that. Thank you, NetGalley and Del Rey, for providing with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Girl with No Reflection  by Keshe Chow spins a surreal Chinese-inspired fantasy about a new bride who switches places with her reflection in order to escape her cruel husband. Conceptually, I love the idea of mirror worlds and sentient reflections, and I loved the moments of dreamy, creepy gothic-like atmosphere. Those parts were wonderful! However, I feel like the story is so focused on moving its plot forward that it neglects to stop to establish its characters first. For instance, Ying and the Mirror prince's relationship felt incredibly rushed. They're googly eyed and fawning over after only knowing each other a day, and I wish they had more time to grow feelings for one another because their romance doesn't feel genuine or earned within the story. On a similar note, the betrayals and plot twists that occur in the story don't hit as hard since relationships were hardly developed in the first place. All in all, I think the story suffers from its fast pacing and I

Crypt of the Moon Spider by Nathan Ballingrud weaves a unique lunar space gothic that's like nothing I've ever read. The story takes place at a mental asylum on the moon during a retro-futuristic version of the 1920's. It follows Veronica, a new patient there, who’s promised that an experimental surgery involving removing parts of her brain and replacing them with spider silk will cure her melancholy. Now, I typically love bizarre medical horror along the lines of A Cure for Wellness . However, this novella suffers from serious pacing and structural issues. The first half feels incredibly rushed and disjointed. It's riddled with so many scene breaks to the point that I feel like scenes weren't properly built up to create suspense. Then there’s an abrupt POV switch in the second half. Here we finally get necessary background context for the story that I really wish had been foreshadowed in the first half so that the later plot twists feel earned within the story. It&

Karys Eska is a deathspeaker hired to investigate the death of smugglers in a mysterious tower. However, what killed them may still be inside, and, to make matters worse, she finds a dying man. She has few options, so, desperate, she puts him in a Time Lapse and binds him to her shadow. This type of magic has unintended consequences though. Now she must find a way to undo the binding before he either takes control over her body or their warring minds accidently split her body in two. Asunder by Kerstin Hall delivers a heart-pounding dark fantasy that'll keep you turning the pages and make you fall in love with the genre again. First off, I loved how the religion in this book wasn’t just quasi, watered down Catholicism. It’s intricate with in-depth lore and grief rituals and gods with distinct personalities. In this world, there exists two warring pantheons of gods. On one hand, there’s the grotesque, eldritch Usurpers who require a human tether to access the mortal realm. One of wh

On the streets of Damerel, a serial killer is on the loose, targeting non-magic users known as Unblooded, so the Eternal King tasks two individuals with tracking the killer down. - Shan, an ambitious Blood Worker who has recently stepped into power by murdering the head of her family. - Samuel, a bastard with an unusual talent. After he stumbles across a drained body, he unwittingly gets pulled into the investigation and the machinations of the Crown. Mistress of Lies  by K.M. Enright paints an alluring dark fantasy filled with glittering political intrigue and conniving characters. One of the most interesting parts of the worldbuilding in this book for me is its caste system—where Unblooded are treated as lesser and forced to donate blood quarterly as a part of a blood tax to fuel Blood Worker’s powers. This, of course, leads to the growing civil unrest that we see progress throughout the novel. However, I think my biggest gripe though is that the actual murder mystery subplot tended