Here are some books that have released in the final week of February, or will release in the upcoming first week of March! They haven’t anything in common, so… just read about them!

Extasia by Claire Legrand
Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin
The Lost Dreamer by Lizz Huerta
Tell Me an Ending by Jo Harkin
The Paradox Hotel by Rob Hart

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Extasia by Claire Legrand
Published by Katherine Tegen Books on February 22, 2022
Pages: 496
Format:eARC
Source:Copy provided by publisher for review, via Netgalley

**One of BuzzFeed's Great LGBTQ+ YA novels to Warm up Your Winter**

From New York Times bestselling author Claire Legrand comes a new, bone-chilling YA horror novel about a girl who joins a coven to root out a vicious evil that's stalking her village. Perfect for fans of The Handmaid's Tale and The Grace Year.

Her name is unimportant.

All you must know is that today she will become one of the four saints of Haven. The elders will mark her and place the red hood on her head. With her sisters, she will stand against the evil power that lives beneath the black mountain--an evil which has already killed nine of her village's men.

She will tell no one of the white-eyed beasts that follow her. Or the faceless gray women tall as houses. Or the girls she saw kissing in the elm grove.

Today she will be a saint of Haven. She will rid her family of her mother's shame at last and save her people from destruction. She is not afraid. Are you?

This searing and lyrically written novel by the critically acclaimed author of Sawkill Girls beckons readers to follow its fierce heroine into a world filled with secrets and blood--where the truth is buried in lies and a devastating power waits, seething, for someone brave enough to use it.

Extasia was really quite an interesting story. It contained so many elements that I hadn’t necessarily expected to see together, but not in a way that made it feel clunky or overwhelming, but rather in a way that fit well. Impressive, really. We have a cultish religion, a dystopia sort of scene, a really rude patriarchy, witches, magic, sister bonds, great female friendships, great female-female romances. It kind of has it all.

Of course, there is quite a journey to unfurl any of it, as when we first meet main character Amity, she’s…. well, she’s clearly consumed all the Kool-Aid. Which, of course she has! It’s all she’s known. The reader is infuriated, obviously, that this young woman’s mind has been so warped by the adults who are supposed to have cared for and nurtured her, but isn’t that the key to any cult? Brainwash the generations to come? Anyway, it is hard to watch her suffer at the hands of the community she’s put her faith in, but I think it’s clear to see from the themes of this book that she’s not going to blindly accept living like this forever.

I loved her journey, every bit of it. Trying to figure out who was worthy of her trust and her love, versus who was using her for their own gains was a lot. And trying to figure out what the heck was going on in her community was exciting for both reader and character. The atmosphere of this town and the woods surrounding it were incredibly on point. I absolutely felt the sinister vibes lurking in the shadows, the unknown elements hidden behind the façade. Quite impressive that the author was able to do this so well.

Without saying much about the mystery aspect of the plot, I absolutely loved the direction the story went. I was so excited by the twists and turns- many of which I did not see coming, at least in the way they did, that I could not put the book down. Though I will say, one of my disappointments does stem from this, in a sense. Keeping it vague, there was a bit at the end that seemed as though it was lending itself to a setup for a sequel? And I was so bummed to find that this is listed as a standalone.

The only other minor issue I had was that I didn’t quite get the witches/magic aspect. I loved the witches as characters, no question. They were morally gray, and I think their presence was so helpful to Amity and her friends in a myriad of ways (again, vague for spoilers), but the magic part went over my head, honestly. Small qualm, didn’t really impact my enjoyment too much, but there it is.

My favorite part for sure was the character and world building. I adored learning the girls’ stories, and watching them connect and build relationships with one another. They were all flawed, no question, but because of that, more relatable and likable for me. I also found the world so great. Beyond just the atmosphere, I love a good cult, and I loved some of the places we saw later in the book that I can’t mention but promise are worth reading for!

Bottom Line: This was a unique story, incredibly atmospheric, with characters who I became really invested in.

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Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin
Published by Nightfire on February 22, 2022
Pages: 304
Format:eARC
Source:Copy provided by publisher for review, via Netgalley

Y: The Last Man meets The Girl With All the Gifts in Gretchen Felker-Martin's Manhunt, an explosive post-apocalyptic novel that follows trans women and men on a grotesque journey of survival.

Beth and Fran spend their days traveling the ravaged New England coast, hunting feral men and harvesting their organs in a gruesome effort to ensure they'll never face the same fate.

Robbie lives by his gun and one hard-learned motto: other people aren't safe.

After a brutal accident entwines the three of them, this found family of survivors must navigate murderous TERFs, a sociopathic billionaire bunker brat, and awkward relationship dynamics―all while outrunning packs of feral men, and their own demons.

Manhunt is a timely, powerful response to every gender-based apocalypse story that failed to consider the existence of transgender and non-binary people, from a powerful new voice in horror.

I tried to find some official content warning for this but could not, so I’ll just give you my own: It contains a lot of stuff that would be upsetting if you had certain sensitivities, including, but definitely not limited to, rape and sexual assault, murder, trauma of pretty much any kind you can imagine, consumption of human organs, transphobia of course… the list could go on, but the point is, this is not for the faint of heart, yeah? Great. Let’s move on!

I really loved a lot of things about this one! Though I will also say that I did have a couple of issues that kept it from being a complete home run for me. So I wanted to break it down, as I tend to do!

What I Loved:

• I mean, the whole concept and world-building! I am always here for an apocalypse, and messed up apocalypses are even better, because they feel more honest. And an apocalypse in which the survivors are literally fighting each other? Yeah, that is the most realistic of all, let’s be real. Of course hate will be our downfall as a species. Hasn’t it been so far? And it made me so angry that instead of just, Idk, helping Beth and Fran and anyone else who is left of the human race, the fact that the TERFs decided to declare war is… yeah, it tracks, sadly. The world was so horrifically plausible- nay, probable- that it made an already compelling story even more so.
• The characters were just going through so much, they were very well developed even as they fought for their lives. I mean, honestly my heart was breaking from the start, and I knew it wasn’t going to stop breaking until long after the end, and I was right about that. Pre-apocalypse, the world did not treat Beth or Fran kindly, not by a long shot. They both had gone through a lot of trauma before the world ever even started to end, nevermind what they were having to deal with now. It felt an extra level of unfair that these women had gone through so much in the pre-apocalypse just to face an even greater torment in the apocalypse.
• Tons of awful choices and gray morality. Oh look, it’s my fave! There were, quite simply, no good choices here. Do Beth and Fran have to eat severed testicles for estrogen to survive? Sure! Can you blame them? Nope, not even almost. Look, it’s a dark, dark world and sometimes, you have to do some terrible things. Interestingly, even the TERFs seemed to have some moral dilemma at certain times (out of their own selfish attachments, not because they weren’t terrible people, but still) when it came to harming trans and nonbinary folks, which painted them in a bit of a more complex light. I still hated them, but it made them far more interesting and multifaceted villains.
• The Demise of J.K. Rowling was both hilariously fabulous, and a great commentary. Look, it added a tiny bit of levity in a very dark book, yes, and I think that was important. But, even more important, I love how it showed why someone like her is so dangerous. Someone with a little bit of influence in a time where people are looking for leader comes along preaching hate and it’s a recipe for disaster. An entire group of TERFs are born from her rhetoric. And yes, many would have felt the same anyway, but giving said hate a platform and a method of organization makes it that much more deadly, as we see in this novel.

What I Didn’t:

• Okay, this might just be a “me” issue, but some things seemed a bit outlandish, and maybe like the purpose felt more there for shock value than to actually move the story forward. In fact, there were a few instances that took me out of the story because they felt jarring in a way that didn’t fit for me. There’s a whole bit about characters feeling… frisky (that is not at all the terms used, it was way more graphic, but for our purposes, let’s go with it) at a funeral and I just was so completely lost. Like maybe I am a prude but I have quite literally never felt anything but sadness at a funeral? This is just one example, but it illustrates what I mean- sort of an outlandish response that made me forget all about the event that was taking place and made me question what it even had to do with the story, other than to perhaps shock or appall the reader.
• It started to drag a little for me at parts. I think this is, in part, because there is so much misery, so much pain and horror, that I think maybe my brain was rejecting it or something? I don’t know but I found myself having a bit of a hard time for some reason, even though I obviously wanted to keep reading, and to find out what would happen to the characters and the world.

Bottom Line: If you can handle the gore and violence, it is absolutely worth taking this journey with Beth and Fran, for both the characters, and the horrific plausibility of this apocalyptic hellscape.

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The Lost Dreamer by Lizz Huerta
Published by Farrar on March 1, 2022
Pages: 384
Format:eARC
Source:Copy provided by publisher for review, via Netgalley

A stunning YA fantasy inspired by ancient Mesoamerica, this gripping debut introduces us to a lineage of seers defiantly resisting the shifting patriarchal state that would see them destroyed—perfect for fans of Tomi Adeyemi and Sabaa Tahir.

Indir is a Dreamer, descended from a long line of seers; able to see beyond reality, she carries the rare gift of Dreaming truth. But when the beloved king dies, his son has no respect for this time-honored tradition. King Alcan wants an opportunity to bring the Dreamers to a permanent end—an opportunity Indir will give him if he discovers the two secrets she is struggling to keep. As violent change shakes Indir’s world to its core, she is forced to make an impossible choice: fight for her home or fight to survive.

Saya is a seer, but not a Dreamer—she has never been formally trained. Her mother exploits her daughter’s gift, passing it off as her own as they travel from village to village, never staying in one place too long. Almost as if they’re running from something. Almost as if they’re being hunted. When Saya loses the necklace she’s worn since birth, she discovers that seeing isn’t her only gift—and begins to suspect that everything she knows about her life has been a carefully-constructed lie. As she comes to distrust the only family she’s ever known, Saya will do what she’s never done before, go where she’s never been, and risk it all in the search of answers.

With a detailed, supernaturally-charged setting and topical themes of patriarchal power and female strength, Lizz Huerta's The Lost Dreamer brings an ancient world to life, mirroring the challenges of our modern one.

So what we have here is a case of the Mixed Feelings™, friends! But before we get to said feelings, let’s take a moment and appreciate the gorgeousness of the cover, shall we? My eyes have been blessed. I am so torn about this one, and frankly, sad to be torn about it, because I was so excited for it. And truly, some of the aspects I was looking forward to did deliver (for example, I was one million percent here for the Mesoamerican inspiration, which was awesome). But in other areas, the story fell flat. So let’s see what happened:

What I Enjoyed:

• The aforementioned Mesoamerican influence was on point, as was the atmosphere. The world felt so very lush, and so intricately described, I was definitely a fan. And I also loved the bits we learned about the cultures and societies that each main character grew up in, I found those really fascinating and well-done.
• The main characters were great. I liked them a lot, even if I had a hard time deciphering who was who around them or what was going on. Indir very clearly loves her family and her people, and will do whatever she must to protect them. Saya, on the other hand, is dealing with her mother who is kind of awful, and when she finally gets some autonomy, she begins to see her own strength, which is quite lovely. I enjoyed both girls’ journeys.
• I really enjoyed the last quarter of the story. By this point, I was kind of picking up on what was happening a bit more, and the plots began to pick up and get more exciting. Some twists were happening, and basically, this was by far my favorite part of the book. Sadly, because it is the end, it is also the part I can say the least about, but I had been pushing on in hopes it would get better by the end, and it did indeed.

What Fell Short

• There were so many characters introduced (especially in the first few chapters) that my head was spinning. And look, maybe I ought to have worked harder to keep them all straight, perhaps that is on me. But I am just tired and I don’t have that much to give, sorry. At one point, I highlighted a passage where there were 8 names of people/groups in one paragraph and I just could not remember who at least half of them were supposed to be. It was a lot.
• Speaking of being overwhelmed, there was a lot of information given in the first few chapters– even more because there are two main characters in two different places, we’re getting double the info. Add that to the literal dozens of characters we meet and… yep, consider me overwhelmed.
• I didn’t quite understand the magic system. Or the dreaming, at first, anyway. I will admit, in the early chapters when the dreams were being discussed, my initial reaction was “not to be rude, but who cares about other people’s dreams?” It wasn’t until later that I realized the dreams were of a prophetic nature, which at least made them make sense, but there was still a lot about the magic system that went over my head. I mostly just tried to ignore it and focus on the other stuff.
• Perhaps because of a mix of all of the above, I just felt emotionally underwhelmed. For example, if something happened to a side character, I just didn’t care. Or maybe, wasn’t even sure they were actually harmed? The stakes, for whatever reason, felt somewhat low to me, even though I can’t pinpoint exactly why. I do think the sheer number of characters to keep track of in a fairly small number of pages adds to it.

Bottom Line: Amazing premise and very cool world-building, but perhaps a little overwhelming in execution despite two enjoyable main characters.

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Tell Me an Ending by Jo Harkin
Published by Scribner on March 1, 2022
Pages: 448
Format:eARC
Source:Copy provided by publisher for review, via Netgalley

Dystopian debut about a tech company that deletes unwanted memories, the consequences for those forced to contend with what they tried to forget, and the dissenting doctor who seeks to protect her patients from further harm.

What if you once had a painful memory removed? And what if you were offered the chance to get it back?

Tell Me an Ending follows four characters grappling with the question of what to remember—and what they hoped to forget forever.

Finn, an Irish architect living in the Arizona desert, begins to suspect his charming wife of having an affair.

Mei, a troubled grad school drop-out in Kuala Lumpur, wonders why she remembers a city she’s never visited.

William, a former police inspector in England, struggles with PTSD, the breakdown of his marriage, and his own secret family history.

Oscar, a handsome young man with almost no memories at all, travels the world in a constant state of fear.

Into these characters lives comes Noor, an emotionally closed-off psychologist at the memory removal clinic in London, who begins to suspect her glamorous boss Louise of serious wrongdoing.

Ohh boy did Tell Me an Ending feel like something that could actually happen! A for-profit company messing with people’s minds and then having to backtrack, further messing up people’s minds when the government throws their nonsense into the ring? Oh yes. I can see this!

I really found this book incredibly emotive and thought provoking. This is certainly a character driven story, though the plot is certainly not lacking either. The concept of erasing, then potentially recovering memories is endlessly fascinating to me, and I can never help but ponder it on a personal level, which I certainly did here. There are multiple points of view, but you will soon see that all of these people have had some connection to the memory removal process.

I loved getting to take a journey into the pasts of each of the characters. Of course, in some cases, even the characters themselves had no idea what sort of secrets were lurking in their pasts, which ups the tension. I really became quite invested in all the characters, even if the pacing was at times slower. I was invested in their current lives as well as their hidden pasts, and what the outcome of their decisions would mean for them going forward.

I don’t want to give too much away, since this one is certainly the kind of story you ought to experience for yourself. But suffice it to say, the characters were well developed, and the plot imaginative enough to keep me excited to keep reading.

Bottom Line:  The characters were engaging, the story thought-provoking, and while it was a slower, quieter story, I absolutely enjoyed it.

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The Paradox Hotel by Rob Hart
Published by Ballantine Books on February 22, 2022
Pages: 336
Format:eARC
Source:Copy provided by publisher for review, via Netgalley

An impossible crime. A detective on the edge of madness. The future of time travel at stake. From the author of The Warehouse.

January Cole’s job just got a whole lot harder.

Not that running security at the Paradox was ever really easy. Nothing’s simple at a hotel where the ultra-wealthy tourists arrive costumed for a dozen different time periods, all eagerly waiting to catch their “flights” to the past.

Or where proximity to the timeport makes the clocks run backward on occasion—and, rumor has it, allows ghosts to stroll the halls.

None of that compares to the corpse in room 526. The one that seems to be both there and not there. The one that somehow only January can see.

On top of that, some very important new guests have just checked in. Because the U.S. government is about to privatize time-travel technology—and the world’s most powerful people are on hand to stake their claims.

January is sure the timing isn’t a coincidence. Neither are those “accidents” that start stalking their bidders.

There’s a reason January can glimpse what others can’t. A reason why she’s the only one who can catch a killer who’s operating invisibly and in plain sight, all at once.

But her ability is also destroying her grip on reality—and as her past, present, and future collide, she finds herself confronting not just the hotel’s dark secrets but her own.

At once a dazzlingly time-twisting murder mystery and a story about grief, memory, and what it means to—literally—come face-to-face with our ghosts, The Paradox Hotel is another unforgettable speculative thrill ride from acclaimed author Rob Hart.

I was interested in this one when I saw the premise, and am so glad I decided to take a chance on it! I will say this: if you are in it for the time traveling only, you won’t really find much of that here. What you will find, though, is an exciting story about the ramifications of time travel, through the eyes of a curmudgeonly but quite sympathetic detective who is feeling those ramifications firsthand, all while trying to save the hotel- and the world- from an utter catastrophe.

January has been a traveler, and it’s caused some pretty severe effects on her body and mind. So severe that she’s basically on her way out, but she’s determined to stay on the job (as a detective at the hotel, rather than a traveler, which would kill her faster) so that she can catch glimpses of her dead partner. It’s so heartbreaking, but you also totally feel for her. She doesn’t feel like there’s anything left for her on the outside, so she’s willing to stay until the bitter end.

There is just so much to like here. I will try to note a few things that really pulled me in:

• The characters are fabulous. I loved the gang at the hotel. From January, to her AI (they snark back and forth non-stop and I loved every second), to the other employees who have basically become the closest thing January has to family at this point, I found them all really realistic and flawed but ultimately decent people (you know, except the ones who weren’t heh).
• Speaking of characters, there is a ton of character growth. I loved that, seeing as I loved January even when she was acting like an old man yelling “get off my lawn”. It was really great though to see how much she grew over the course of the book.
• Mega-rich meet political bigwigs in a power battle? Sounds legit! Obviously, this is exactly how this would go down. Some absolute dolt from congress would be fighting with whatever 2072’s TikTok owner is for the rights to be the first douchecanoe in the Mesozoic or whatever. Of course this turns into a pissing contest, and the actual scientific ramifications, needs of the common citizen, and obviously, safety, go right out the window. It is all just so… exhaustingly realistic.
• The humor is fabulous. Over and over in my Kindle, I have highlighted funny passages with just a little “ha!” or whatever- I loved the humor in this book. Small moments that bring some levity to a rough situation- especially when you realize how rough things are for January personally, too.
• Great pacing, and lots of excitement. I just needed to know how it would end! There was a lot of tension, the stakes were sky high, and I could not wait to see how it all played out!
• It was honestly just so heartfelt. Between January’s struggles, and some of the things that happened with other characters (purposely being vague, sorry), it just felt like the book had a lot of heart at its core. I love that.

Bottom Line: Loved the concept and the characters, and was hooked from the start!

Have you read any of these books? Plan to? Let us chat about them!