Welcome to Litsy!

In an effort to break free from her parents, Saraswati joins the galaxy wide show Interstellar Megachef. Things get complicated when she gets swept up in a programmer‘s dream of simulated food.

This really shouldn‘t have been marketed as Masterchef in space. The show takes place over less than 10%. There are some interesting discussions of simulation & manipulating the brain, & what food really means, but this tried to do too much.🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑

Set mainly in Paris at the beginning of the twentieth century, this alternate history murder mystery fantasy novel packs a lot into it's nearly 400 pages.

Working for the Royal Society for the Study of Abnormal Phenomena Samantha Harker (yes, the daughter of Dracula's killer) and Dr Helena Moriarty (yes, her father is the Moriarty) are teamed up to solve why werewolf-like beasts attack men in Paris, France. ⬇️

#NetGalley #ARC #MountARC

Not sure how to review this book. I was annoyed by the historical inaccuracies and anachronistic dialogue. I didn't care for the over-the-top brutality of some plot elements and absolutely didn't understand why some of the culprits weren't held accountable for their actions. Why add it to the plot in the first place? Shock-value? What really brought this novel down to just one star was the show-down and its aftermath at the end of the book. ⬇️

Paris, 1866, two sisters, mediums, work together to do one more job to raise enough money for their father's medical bills. Sylvie, meanwhile married to a baron, cannot ask her husband for financial aid, since he doesn't know about her family. Charlotte begrudges her sister getting out of the family business and out of the circumstances they lived in, and is happy to rope her sister into this new con.
⬇️
#NetGalley #ARC #MountARC

Kembral is a new mother who takes a tiny break from motherhood to join and hopefully enjoy an end of the year party. She used to work as retrieval agent, but has been on maternity leave. When the party turns into a "Groundhog Day" scenario Kembral seems to be the only one who recognises that the party/the mansion is slowly sinking into the echoes (parallel worlds that are similar, but not the same as the "prime" world).

⬇️

#NetGalley #ARC

I loved this quite a lot. Black Cake was better but that was going to be hard to outdo.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

Pub date is 1/25/25
#ARC #Netgalley

3 authors join forces to write a novel to defy all expectations. When they arrive at their Scottish castle retreat, the American in charge mysteriously drops dead. W/ everybody hiding something, it‘s up to the 3 of them to clear their names.

Was this a little ridiculous? Yes. Did it still make me laugh? Also yes. The characters are pretty flat & a slow start, until the body drops. Then everything became a lot more interesting. 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑

Starting this #arc. So excited to read it!

Dani‘s life is destroyed when the man she loves gets her arrested for murder & treason against the emperor. When she escapes from prison, she only has one thing on her mind: revenge.

This was so well done. Huge world building without being overwhelming. Had a few really unusual twists that I appreciated! I really liked Dani, even when I was yelling at her. A bit disappointed in the ending. Felt like parts were in the wrong order. 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑

A low so-so for me.

Thorns, Lust, and Glory: The Betrayal of Anne Boleyn by Estelle Paranque is a biography. Boleyn was the second wife of Henry VIII. I have always wanted to know more about Anne Boleyn, so I was happy when I got approved to read this book.

Paranque tells the reader in the introduction that she has taken the liberty to write what she thinks Anne Boleyn thought about certain things. Anne Boleyn's papers were destroyed ⬇️