Review: Seven Sisters by Veronica Buckley

Seven Sisters: Captives and Rebels in Revolutionary Europe's First Family

by Veronica Buckley

Release Date: March 24, 2026

2026 Viking

Ebook ARC; 528 Pages

ISBN: 978-0525561903

ASIN: B0FFGM6R6T

Audiobook: B0FGJXWQ2P

Genre: Non-Fiction / Europe / History / 18th Century

Source: Review copy from publisher

 

4 / 5 Stars

 

Summary

For three centuries, the astute positioning of their many princesses and princes had kept the Habsburgs at the peak of European power. By 1764, after a generation of costly war, confronted by shaken alliances, immense debts, and restive subjects, the Empress Maria Theresia was seeking once again to assert the dynasty’s power through strategic marriages. Her arsenal was her seven daughters were to serve as her pawns in the ruthless game of eighteenth-century dynastic politicking.  

Delivered to the grandest or dingiest courts in Europe, they made their difficult and even dangerous Marianna the seeker; the grande dame Marie Christine; Elisabeth, the malicious, disfigured beauty; fractious and wayward Amalie of Parma; the tragic bride Josepha; Carolina of Naples, Napoleon’s relentless enemy; and Antonia, youngest of the seven, sacrificial offering to the gods of revolution, better known to history as Marie Antoinette.

My Thoughts

Seven Sisters is one of those books I chose to read from the viewpoint of someone who may be new to the genre or doesn't have a lot of familiarity with Empress Maria Theresia and the legacy of her children during the 18th century. I have quite a bit of knowledge so it wouldn't be fair to judge the book based on my own personal knowledge, nor was the book intended for someone like me. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed it and thought the research was well done; however, it was the execution that I personally enjoyed as this was a monumental task and I thought the author did a great job with the time lines as well as keeping all the names as easy as possible for those who were not as familiar with them.

 

This book was actually quite engaging, even if ambitious in nature, and it was nice to see the daughters of Maria Theresia have their moment and not merely explained away as appendages to the men who were the rulers as they certainly were influential in their own ways. This book explores the family in its intimate moments, from the way some of the sisters got along to how some of them tried to avoid one of them because she was a pest and a nuisance, all realities of large families. The author made you empathize with them and feel the pain and frustration at the limitations of their roles and how some of them must have suffered. There are a lot of fairy tales out there that show how great it would be to be a princess, but I wouldn't trade my lot in life to be any one of these women considering the fates of Marie Antoinette as well as what Carolina of Naples suffered through the years with her husband's infidelity and subsequent health problems with syphilis that infected her and her children. 

 

Personally, I thought the strength of this book was the fact the author was able to clearly demonstrate a distinct personality from each of the sisters, to show their individual strengths and weaknesses, and how their personalities affected the lives of those around them through the choices they made. Yes, they were princesses who became queens, some of them, but that didn't mean they were necessarily prepared for the roles they were given.  All of these women experienced loss, suffering, death, miscarriage, and so on, while the world around them erupted in revolution and their fortunes and roles changed drastically.  The author was able to infuse the story of their lives with a human aspect that made their stories so much more poignant and tragic.  

 

Verdict

Seven Sisters is one of those books I enjoyed because the execution was fantastic and the rigorous research is clearly showing through the gripping accounts of each women we are shown. The author clearly demonstrates how their strengths and weaknesses affected their lives and their choices, sometimes for good, sometimes ending in tragedy. And while the political and religious aspects of the time period are clearly delineated, the book is not just about dynastic might and privilege, but about the human aspect and how these women were affected and how it affected their children, their marriages, their lives, their health, and their deaths.  While I didn't necessarily learn anything new from this book, I still enjoyed it  tremendously and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a place to start reading about the Habsburgs as I know the amount of literature out there can be daunting for those looking for a starting place. 

 

Review: A Voice in the Dark by Barbara Nickless

A Voice in the Dark (Benedict Hoffman & Helen Belle, #1)

by Barbara Nickless

Release Date: July 1st, 2026

2026 Thomas & Mercer

Ebook ARC; 359 Pages

ISBN: 978-1662533730

ASIN: B0FTGGHSWL

Audiobook: B0G2CZXLZT

Genre: Fiction / Mystery

Source: Review copy from publisher

 

3 / 5 Stars

 

Summary 

When a husband, wife, and son are murdered in their Denver home and the family’s teenage twins vanish, the case draws the attention of FBI profilers Helen Belle and Benedict Hoffman. It triggers more than professional alarm. It mirrors a horrific case they investigated five years ago, when a boy slaughtered his family and went mute after speaking only a handful of haunting words. Among them: Midnight Man.

Then, nearly thirteen hundred miles away, one of the twins is found dead in a snowy Ohio field, and the parallels between the past and present cases grow more disturbing. Identical suicide notes. The same symbolic blood imagery. And a shared obsession with an online fantasy game. Its mastermind is an influencer who manipulates his most vulnerable and alienated players into killing the people they love most.

The Midnight Man is back.

 

My Thoughts

A Voice in the Dark had an interesting premise and I definitely enjoyed the discussion around the dangers of the internet, gaming, and how predatory it can be for those who are vulnerable, but I quickly got bored with the endless repetition and the constant back and forth between the teams and what was going on. And let me clear, I love a good police procedural, right down to the tiniest detail, but this one felt more like filler, it was unclear as to the actual jobs/roles of the protagonists, and overall, it was a bit messy in its execution.

 

First of all, the main characters were mostly one-dimensional and while I enjoyed them, there was nothing that really stands out about them. Even after looking back at this book a month after reading it, the characters feel almost non-existent and I had to look over my notes to really remember who was who and who did what, which is not like me as I have a pretty good memory for books and stories.  Benedict and Helen have a history (of course they do) and this is reflected in a lot of the story line (completely unimportant to the story) and some of the plot deviates to whatever happened between them, but really it was so fluffy as to be laughable.  Some development of their personalities would have been nice, but I really can't distinguish much between them at this point.

 

I did enjoy the discussion around the dangers around the internet, lurking, and gaming, but some of the terminology regarding gaming was not correct and this irked me to no end.  I am not a huge gamer, but I do know that NPC does not stand for non-character player, but actually stands for non-player character. And the whole discussion around the game master bothered me as well as they don't have control of people's lives like it was discussed in this book. Can people become so involved in video games they lose track of time? Absolutely. Can people become addicted to certain video games? Definitely. Can they have an averse affect on people? For sure. But, to have a game master control your game? No, I don't think so as it sounds more sci-fi to me. However, a group of toxic people interacting in a game can definitely be problematic, but that was not what was presented in this book. 

 

However, that being said, I did find the actual mystery and crimes to be interesting and there was certainly a lot to discuss surrounding the themes of mental health in this book, that's for sure.  I actually don't think the author went far enough in defending some of the mental health issues that were presented in this book, but a good attempt was certainly made and I appreciated that aspect of this story. The author does make some good arguments with regards to how society views mental health and how we respond to it in general, showing how much work still needs to be done.  Unfortunately, I struggled with the execution of the plot as well as the constant repetitiveness of events and explanations every time a new character was introduced and I started flipping the pages to get to the more interesting stuff. 

 

Verdict 

A Voice in the Dark definitely had potential and there were certainly a lot of very interesting, and valid, themes to be discussed within its pages. With the onset of video game therapy, this book presented a scary viewpoint to what could happen when things go sideways or when corporations are looking to monetize solutions that could be potentially harmful if abused. However, I did think the book suffered from lack of character development as they all felt bland and one-dimensional and I did think the execution of the plot was somewhat uneven leading me to become a bit bored by the halfway point.  There was enough in this book however, that I would definitely be interested in seeing what this author will put out in the next book in this series so I will be reading the next one when it is published. 

 

Review: The Invisible Spy by Thomas Maier

The Invisible Spy: Churchill's Rockefeller Center Spy Ring and America's First Secret Agent of World War II

by Thomas Maier

Release Date: March 25, 2025

2025 Hanover Square Press

Ebook ARC; 480 Pages

ISBN: 978-1335000606

ASIN: B0CW1HKMXV

Audiobook: B0D3RYDG1V

Genre: Non-Fiction / WWII

Source: Review copy from publisher

 

2.5 / 5 Stars

 

Summary

As a tough but smart Italian American kid, Ernest Cuneo played Ivy League football at Columbia University and was in the old Brooklyn Dodgers NFL franchise before becoming a City Hall lawyer and “Brain Trust'' aide to President Roosevelt. He was on the payroll of national radio columnist Walter Winchell and mingled with the famous and powerful. But his status as a spy remained a secret, hiding in plain sight.

During this time, Cuneo began a love affair with one of Churchill's agents at Rockefeller Center—Margaret Watson, a beautiful Canadian woman with a photographic memory ideal for spycraft. In one nighttime attack, Watson was nearly smothered to death by a Nazi assassin inside her women’s dormitory near Rockfeller Center. Cuneo’s transformation from a gridiron athlete into a high-stakes intelligence go-between and political influencer is one of the great untold stories of American espionage. He has remained “invisible” in the public eye—until now, with this unveiled look into his life.

 

My Thoughts

The Invisible Spy was a tough read for me and I actually had to put it down the first time as I couldn't finish it, but picked it back up again this year and was finally able to push through.  I actually felt the word 'spy' was used rather loosely for the tale being told in relation to Cuneo which is why I had such a problem with this book. In all honesty, I was much more interested in the rest of the people the book discussed because I felt like it was more of who Cuneo knew and associated with than what he actually did.  The overall information is good, but what Cuneo did was more in the veins of misinformation and redirection than actually spying.

 

As always with such a novel, we get a look into Cuneo's early life and how he developed his connections that would enable him to do some of the things he did during the war. And for pretty much three-quarters of the book, this is what we got.  Yes, some interesting historical figures popped into the book from time to time and although the book wasn't about them, I wish more details had been given about them as they were much more interesting and definitely had an impact on what happened with Cuneo's social circle of people.  There was actually a lot of good information that was included, but it got wrapped up in the mundane details of things going on in New York City as well as repetitive and commonplace goings-on that it was a challenge to push through at times. I think a lot of it could have been edited out to make for a tighter timeline of events that would have been more interesting for a reader. And I have a history background, taught it for over thirty years, and love this kind of stuff.  But when you introduce a person, you don't need to remind the reader over and over again who they are and what they do as it gets old, fast.  

 

The book was very detailed and I appreciated that, but I am not sure it really gave the reader the impression that was intended as the execution was uneven and sort of jumps around in a way that does not make it easy for readers who are not familiar with events to get a good grasp.  Although I am familiar with a lot of things from this book, there was some new information for me and I enjoyed learning about some of these things. However, I was always skeptical throughout the book as the author maintained it was because of his association with Cuneo that influenced Ian Fleming with regards to his 'Bond' books, but having read several biographies on Fleming, I feel like this information is not necessarily factual and nothing in this book convinced me otherwise.  However, the last quarter of the book was probably the best part and I did enjoy reading about the Cold War and the roles both Cuneo and Fleming played although the parts about Fleming were not new to me, Cuneo's role definitely was and I did appreciate learning more about that.  

 

Verdict

The Invisible Spy definitely had its moments and there were a lot of very interesting sections in this book, things that I learned in more detail and things that were new to me so I very much appreciated the amount of research and detail that were into those descriptions.  I'm still not convinced that Cuneo had a role to play with regards to Fleming and the influence he had on his writing the Bond books, but the last quarter of this book was the most fascinating and I wish the author had used that style throughout the book.  For the most part, I found the flow of the earlier sections to be quite different and tough to get through and the good information seemed to be shoved between unnecessary descriptions that could have been edited out. All in all, this really wasn't about a spy but more about spying, Cuneo's manipulations, his associations with actual spies and the people who ran the spy networks, and a very loose association with Fleming.  

 

Review: The Enigma Challenge by S.C. Godfrey

The Enigma Challenge

by S.C. Godfrey

Release Date: August 11, 2026

2026 Pamela Dorman Books

Ebook ARC; 336 Pages

ISBN: 979-8217059676 

ASIN: B0G1X3L12N

Audiobook: B0G1XPLKHF

Genre: Fiction / Thriller / Romance

Source: Review copy from publisher

 

3 / 5 Stars

 

Summary

Zoe Wilder has the unflashy, solitary life of an academic, studying ciphers in literature at a California university. When her research takes her to a cryptology conference in Madrid, she’s not expecting to trigger the Enigma Challenge, a clandestine puzzle competition few dare to enter.

The Enigma Challenge is an infamous competition with impossibly high stakes: Lose, and your identity is wiped forever. It doesn’t take long for Zoe to realize that she’s in over her head. Enter Dane Seaver: the mysterious hacker who insists they team up. Dane knows the Enigma Challenge—its secrets, its players—and Zoe knows ciphers. For better or worse, they need each other.

Six days, five puzzles, three countries, and innumerable rivals. What’s more, the spark of attraction between them becomes harder to ignore, but distractions are dangerous. With twelve million dollars and multiple lives on the line, the Enigma Challenge is anyone’s game.

 

My Thoughts

The Enigma Challenge was a decent book and I did enjoy the actual challenge even if I found the romance cringey and didn't really feel the connection romantically between the two main characters. I definitely enjoyed the descriptions of the different locales having visited most of them (except Madrid), and could picture myself in each of the locations. And while I did enjoy the puzzles, I wish they had been a bit more challenging considering this was supposed to be a really difficult competition and only the best cryptographers would have a chance at winning. How difficult is it if someone can solve it in less than an hour?

 

I can't say the plot moved along that quickly as there were definitely some slower parts to this story, but while I was hoping for more thrills and action, I didn't necessarily find it boring. However Zoe's teenage crush on Dane quickly became annoying and the constant crushing on him grew old fast. The Enigma Challenge is supposed to be very difficult and people get hurt, and while Zoe and Dane did have a couple of close calls, most of those were avoided due to convenience and I never felt like they were in any danger. And in the wilds of Scotland, the author never really explained how Zoe, who has never hiked a day in her life, managed to get to the location in the wilds even if she was with someone else. As someone who hikes a lot, this sort of bothered me because this would not be easy to do and she was injured on top of it. So yeah, a bit of suspension of belief was necessary for some parts of this book.  

 

So, let's talk about Zoe, a woman who wants to play the enigma challenge, but really has no clue what it is or what the consequences of the game could be. Yet, she goes along with a man she has just met and trusts him with her life to complete a challenge she really knows nothing about.  And gets upset when this same person doesn't reveal his whole life to her as they compete because you know, he should definitely trust a stranger with all his information as well as 'trust is so important'. Holy hell! You're in a game with someone you don't know, the stakes are super high, and you get 'mad' because this person doesn't trust you. I felt like we were in high school all over again.  And don't even get me started on the underwear thing. So cringey I almost DNF the book at that point.  What kept me going were the puzzles and the descriptions of the locations. But then, once they get the puzzles, they dine in public locations to solve the puzzles. The only good thing about this was the descriptions of the food. Considering Dane had played this game before you would thing he would be a lot more aware of how dangerous it could be and know how to take precautions in public areas. But no. Let's just take stroll down a road and hope no one else finds us on this busy street with cameras everywhere. 

 

Verdict

The Enigma Challenge was an okay book and I did enjoy the challenges even if I thought the romance was cringey at best and the suspense and thrills were somewhat lacking. There was little description of the other players in the game except for a couple of them so I have no idea about the game itself, its global power or anything else and for a corporation that is supposed to be everywhere, this information was seriously lacking in this book.  The puzzles were interesting but anyone fascinated with cryptology may find them not as difficult as they should have been considering the prize at the end of the game.  I don't really know to whom I would recommend this book as it's not really a romance, and personally, I hate stupid miscommunications as a trope and they were used a lot in this book, and I don't think there is enough action in it for action/thriller readers.  Perhaps this would be perfect for those readers just looking to start reading the action/thriller genre and are feeling overwhelmed. 

 

Review: The Doll House by D.W. Gillespie

The Doll House

by D.W. Gillespie

Release Date: July 28, 2026

2026 Delacorte Press

Ebook ARC; 288 Pages

ISBN: 978-0593814925

ASIN:B0FY4YDMJS

Audiobook: B0FY51QT9P

Genre: Fiction / Horror / Middle Grade

Source: Review copy from publisher

 

4 / 5 Stars

 

Summary

Garrett never met his grandfather, Burke, but he’s heard the stories from his mother. Burke was an enormously successful writer, but he was also notoriously cruel, especially to his family. After he passes away suddenly, Garrett and his mother are told that his enormous fortune is hers…if they agree to spend a week at his estate.

The house is a monument to Burke’s obsession with puppet-like dolls, and the attic is packed with cryptic notes and ancient books. It’s clear that his grandfather was up to something, but Garrett can only guess what, and his fear only deepens when he finds a creepily detailed doll with 'Marion' written on the foot.  

As the week progresses, Garrett realizes that the house isn’t what it seems. An old typewriter clicks away on its own. There are sounds in the night that come from the basement. And strangest of all is Marion, who always seems to be watching...

 

My Thoughts

The Doll House was a lot of fun to read and for a middle grade horror novel, it definitely had its creepy moments. I know one of the things that has always creeped me out over the years has been dolls, especially the Bisque Porcelain era starting in the 1850s. I can handle a lot of things in horror novels, but keep those dolls away from me. Even as a kid I didn't like to play with dolls as I found them creepy. 

 

One of the things I really enjoyed in this book was the relationship between Garrett and his mom. Because it has always been the two of them, you could sense the easy camaraderie between them as well as the open lines of communication. So when things start getting a little weird around the house, Garrett doesn't feel afraid to tell his mom about what he sees or hears even though her response is somewhat lukewarm. I did really like that Garrett behaved like a twelve-year-old boy, full of curiosity, and disobeyed his mother once in a while even if it was not necessarily open rebellion. When you have this big, creepy old house that was lived in by a grandfather you did not know, what would any kid do? Explore, naturally. And if they explored in areas that shouldn't be explored? Well, that happens, doesn't it? I would have done the same. I explored my memere's basement even though I was told not to go into certain areas. A big creepy house would have been a gold mine for someone who was curious and wanted answers like Garrett. 

 

The plot moved along rapidly which is something I would expect in a middle grade novel in order to keep a young person engaged, but it certainly kept me engaged as well. There were definitely some creepy moments, and some things that happened to Garrett that were somewhat dangerous, but still at the level of a middle grade novel.  There were quite a few themes running through this book that an adult could unpack quite easily, but may be somewhat of a reach for younger children which is fine as they would enjoy the story quite easily regardless. Some of the themes were: childhood abuse, death, control, generational trauma, spousal abuse, communication, friendship, loyalty, parenting, family, and the list goes on. Most of the themes were not delved into too deeply and were at the level of this book, but they are still great launching pads for those who wish to have deeper discussions with their children. My only negative on this book is there are dozens of MG books that have dolls and a haunted house, so I would like to read something with a different take once a while, like maybe haunted technology or any other haunted item that does not feature dolls. Just a personal thought and this in no way reflects my enjoyment of this book. 

 

Verdict

The Doll House was a creepy MG novel with a fun plot and interesting characters. I did really like the setting as it was atmospheric and haunting, and definitely a kid's playground, especially for one looking for adventure and mayhem like Garrett.  I enjoyed the ending to the book and thought it all tied in nicely in the end although I did feel like the explanation for the motive for Garrett's grandfather was a bit loose and not fully explained.  However, the tension of the story was kept up throughout and I had a difficult time putting this book down. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is nostalgic for that Goosebumps creepiness or, not having read those books, just want a fun creepy book. 

 

 

 

Review: This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews

This Kingdom Will not Kill Me (Maggie the Undying, #1)

by Ilona Andrews

Release Date: March 31, 2026

2026 Tor Books

Ebook ARC; 470 Pages

ISBN: 978-1250377265

ASIN: B0F5PCSRGN

Audiobook: B0F6G5TRHV

Genre: Fiction / Fantasy / Portal

Source: Review copy from publisher

 

3 / 5 Stars

 

Summary

When Maggie wakes up cold, filthy, and naked in a gutter, it doesn't take her long to recognize Kair Toren, a city she knows intimately from the pages of the famously unfinished dark fantasy series she's been obsessively reading and re-reading while waiting years for the final novel. Her only tools for navigating this gritty world of rival warlords, magic, and mayhem? Her encyclopedic knowledge of the plot, the setting, and the characters' ambitions and fates. But while she quickly discovers she cannot be killed (though many will try!), the same cannot be said for the living, breathing characters she's coming to love—a motley band that includes a former lady’s maid, a deadly assassin, various outrageous magical creatures, and a dangerously appealing soldier. Soon, instead of trying to get home, she finds herself enmeshed in the schemes—and attentions—of dueling princes, dukes, and villains, all while trying to save them and the kingdom of Rellas from the way she knows their stories will end: in a cataclysmic war.

 

My Thoughts

This Kingdom Will not Kill Me was a pleasantly enjoyable book, but that's not necessarily a surprise to me as I have enjoyed most of these authors' previous works although usually in the urban paranormal genre rather than portal fantasy. So it was an interesting surprise to see them expand to this type of fantasy, and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed the world-building. I was not as big of a fan of the actual plot and although I did enjoy the main character, she did get on my nerves some of the time due to her reliance on the 'bestest book in the world'. I also think if you are a long-time reader of portal fantasies, you could see a lot of the twists coming, and you could definitely see the many tropes that were used to propel the story forward.

 

I thought Maggie was a fairly strong character and I liked her character development quite a bit. I liked how she thought things through before deciding on a mission, but didn't necessarily trust everyone around her. Even though she relied on the book-within-a-book situation, she realized quite quickly that things had changed with her entrance into this world and adapted by thinking her way through situations and strategizing. Yes, she made mistakes, big ones, but one of the things I liked about her was that she was quick to learn and didn't make the same mistakes over and over again, nauseatingly.  Because this is an isekai portal fantasy, Maggie does have the ability to speak, read, and write languages in the new world. However, one of the things that did annoy me was how much the authors used the 'book' trope to get Maggie out of situations as I found it a bit convenient at times and this did get to be irritating. Naturally, when a new person enters the fray, everything changes so Maggie should no longer be able to use that when dealing with situations. The world would become more unpredictable and those little changes create ripples that cause massive changes. This was not addressed as much in this book. 

 

This book is definitely not a cozy fantasy book as the MC does die violently several times in this book and I am not really giving anything away at this point. The world is grim, dark, and dangerous, but that is what I like in fantasy so this appealed to me. What can I say? I've been reading fantasy for over forty-five years. and have drifted to LitRPG for this reason.  The authors did a great job highlighting the fact there are dangerous tyrants and petty lords who do some awful things to people, including children.  But, the friendships and storylines in this book are decent and make up for some of the things that happen in this book, and the twists and turns kept me turning the pages quickly.  Yes, there are parts that are predictable, but those didn't bother me, and I even figured out the identity of one of the main characters quite early on.  This book is full of tropes, yes, and the authors did rely a lot on convenience (such as a person showing up to save the day or Maggie using something from the book where that should no longer be possible because the timeline changed), but they were used in such a way that allowed Maggie the time and freedom to develop what she needed in order to survive in this new world even if I wasn't necessarily a fan of how that was achieved some of the time. 

 

Verdict

This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me was a decent book and I did enjoy it. To be fair, I did listen to the audiobook at a fairly fast speed so I don't know how I would have reacted had I been reading it although I think I would have been more annoyed at the uneven pacing.  I did enjoy the main characters as well as the secondary characters and thought they were the most interesting part of this book. I wasn't a fan of the tropes propelling this story forward as using a convenient event to get your MC out of trouble just speaks of lazy writing to me, but the story did move fairly quickly most of the time and I appreciated that. I don't particularly care about the ending having a cliffhanger ending as a lot of LitRPG books (here's looking at you HWFWM or DOTF) do the same thing, but at this point I will probably pick up the next book to see what happens, not necessarily to Maggie, but to another character I really like. 

 

Review: The Story Keeper by Kelly Rimmer

The Story Keeper

by Kelly Rimmer

Release Date: July 21, 2026 (First published July 30, 2025)

2026 MIRA

Ebook ARC; 352 Pages

ISBN: 978-1525805110

ASIN: B0CW1JH195

Audiobook:  ‎ B0D3RPCN1P

Genre: Fiction / Historical / Mystery 

Source: Review copy from publisher

 

3 / 5 Stars

 

Summary

In the aftermath of a tumultuous year, Fiona Winslow finds solace in the decaying grandeur of Wurimbirra, the rambling family estate she once called home. Intent on restoring it, she discovers the keys to more than just the dilapidated mansion—beneath the crumbling plaster and dust are secrets that have been buried for a generation.

When a curious book, The Midnight Estate, catches her attention in her late uncle’s library, Fiona is plunged into a tale that mirrors her own—a story of love, loss and betrayal. But as the lines between fiction and reality blur, Fiona must ask herself: Is the true mystery the one hidden within the walls of her ancestral home, or is it within the pages of a book that chose her as much as she chose it?

 

My Thoughts

The Story Keeper definitely had a premise that I have fascinating for over forty years, but this one lost its fizzle and oomph around the forty percent mark and I had to push myself to push through towards the end. It's too bad as it had everything that I like in a story including an old house, a mystery, a story within a story, a strained relationship between mother and daughter, a woman trying to figure out what she wants in life after divorce, and secrets, lots of secrets. And while I didn't mind the predictability of the story as you could see where this was going quite early on in the book, the execution fell flat for me, particularly about half way through.

 

I didn't really know what to think about Fiona as a character as I don't think her character development was particularly strong, one-dimensional at best. She had just come through a divorce, a nasty one from the sounds of it, but I found it difficult to empathize with her situation because the writing style didn't really make me feel like I could empathize with her too much.  Yes, she had a complicated relationship with her mother and it was only at the end of the story that I actually felt a stirring of compassion for the two of them as the 'secret' was revealed and Fiona finally understood a bit about what her mother went through. But still, as I think about her character, I can't really come up with too many adjectives to describe her.  Was she determined? To a certain extent, I guess. However, the best I can come up with is that she is bland. There just wasn't enough detail or context about Fiona to develop an idea about her personality for me to even think I have a handle on her personality.

 

The plot was interesting until perhaps about the forty percent mark even though it was predictable and I could easily sense where it was going.  However, the predictable part was not the problem as I can live with that; it's the fact that the details around the house, the secondary characters, the past, and other important things were noticeably missing as the story progressed and to me, this is more of an execution issue. I didn't have an issue with the story-within-a-story trope as I thought it was interesting and I did think the way the author highlighted the difficulties of spousal abuse in the 1950s was well done and quite accurate, but again, it lacked emotional depth.  

 

Verdict

The Story Keeper is not my favourite book from this author, but it was an okay read. I thought both the plot and the character development were one-dimensional and flat and the pacing was a bit uneven. I did like the descriptions of the house however, and I liked how the author highlighted the themes of generational trauma as well as abuse as they were well done.  Overall, this book had a lot of potential, but the uneven execution and the lack of character development did not really do it for me.  

 

Review: Time to Play by Erin Ampersand

Time to Play (Apocalypse Parenting, #1)

by Erin Ampersand

Release Date: August 18, 2026 (Originally published independently in 2022)

2026 HarperCollins 

Ebook & Hardcover Editions; 375 Pages

ISBN: 978-0008857172

ASIN: B0H1DTBVXJ

Audiobook: B0BRBSG6BL

Genre: Fiction / Fantasy / LitRPG

Source: Review copy from publisher

 

4 / 5 Stars 

 

Summary

Congratulations! Your planet has been selected!

And just like that, Earth becomes the newest unwilling participant in a high-stakes intergalactic game show competition. What that means becomes terrifyingly clear as monsters drop onto the front lawn, an interface appears in your field of vision, and you—and your nine- and six-year-old sons and three-year-old daughter—are each offered a choice of supernatural abilities.

Part of you wants to laugh. Your husband’s away on business, coming home late tonight. Well, he was. But you clamp down on your rising panic. It doesn’t matter how much harder it will be. You’re a mom. Your kids need you; it’s up to you to keep them safe. You can do this.

Then, in quick succession, you discover: 1) your toddler has unilaterally decided her supernatural power should be for her beloved turtle stuffie to come alive. 2) every person on Earth will have to fight, no matter their age. You're going to have to teach your kids to stand on their own—and yourself to let them.

 

My Thoughts

Time to Play is one of those LitRPG book I've been meaning to read since it was first published several years ago, but never really had the time to read so when the publisher reached out and offered the first three books in the series, I was thrilled. And the first one did not disappoint.  And while I definitely enjoyed the LitRPG elements to the story, what I especially enjoyed was the way the MC navigated some difficult times while trying to keep her young children alive and healthy. 

 

Megan is the MC and everything is told through her perspective.  Personally I couldn't even imagine the terror and the other thoughts ripping through her head when the apocalypse happened and she lost all of the technology in her house and in the neighbourhood. Megan is tough, resourceful, a problem solver, and one who is willing to help others, but at the same time, she is cautious and doesn't take unnecessary risks. I like how she interacts with her kids and the conversations feel natural and at their level, but she doesn't accept everything at face value as we often see with her interactions with Pointy, a stuffed AI turtle who has an interesting story line with her three-year-old daughter. The secondary characters were interesting and I definitely hope to see more of them in the next couple of books as I would like to learn more about their backgrounds as well as what they are capable of in the context of this story. 

 

The plot moved rather quickly and I was glad it wasn't overwhelmed with stats and other things that can be typical in LitRPG books. It's not that I dislike stats as I find them fascinating, but the relationship between Megan and her children as well as how Megan interacts with the neighbourhood was the focus of this book and I liked that it wasn't overwhelmed with too many stats. There was just the right amount of tension in this book and there were some secondary story lines building within the main one that could prove interesting as the story progresses. There were lots of twists and turns, and I liked the countdown to when the next dangerous creature would be released as it raised the tension and the interest as I was reading. The actual skills were interesting and I liked how confusing they were for everyone. And there were some funny moments that occurred because of those skills.  Megan was far more stoic than I would have been by then as I think I would have sat down and just bawled my eyes out with frustration.  There were some things happening that do make you realize that indicate future events will be quite serious and potentially dangerous so I am curious as to how it will all play out.

 

Verdict

Time to Play was a fun book to read and while it was serious in tone, there were definitely some comic relief moments that made me laugh out loud.  The MC was somewhat sarcastic and I loved the snide comments that were made when her children laughed at her for the things she said, did, or wore. Kids will be kids even in a moment of crisis!!  While there were elements in the story that did slow down the overall pace and tension, overall I really enjoyed watching Megan struggle to figure out how to protect her family and interact with her neighbours while learning how to navigate the new system. I'm definitely looking forward to reading the next book in this series.