Book Reviews

By Susan Stokes-Chapman
1/17/23
416 pages
$17
Harper Perennial

‘Pandora’

This cozy and atmospheric delight was just what I needed for a post-holiday mental vacation. Rich with historical details, copious references to Greek mythology and effervescent characters, this sweet story left me with the kind of light-hearted feeling that’s hard to find in the middle of dreary winter.

Pandora is the daughter of famous explorers and antiquity dealers who has fallen on hard times. Her parents were killed in a freak accident, and now she’s at the mercy of her vile and greedy uncle. Her budding artistic talent may save her, but Georgian England is not an easy era in which to be a talented, single woman. Enter a dashing, but sad, young man named Edward, eager to make a name for himself as a scholar. Together, the two discover magic and wonder among the lies and betrayals that plague them at every turn. 

This is a simple but beautifully written tale that captivated me in spite of myself — a bit like a fairy tale that you can’t help but love, even when you’re a bit jaded. Pick it up if you’re looking for a bit of joy. ♦

— Review by Julie Goodrich

By Alison Rumfitt
1/17/23
272 pages
$17.99
Tor Nightfire

‘Tell Me I’m Worthless’

Horror isn’t a genre for everyone, and, to be very clear, this is one terrifying book, and there is a very apt content warning in it for a reason. If you’re willing to take the risk, though, you will be amply rewarded with a true piece of art. The author’s poetic background is on full display in the rich, profound writing that almost sings — even as it’s singing of bloody, violent awfulness.

Alice and Ila are former friends dealing with a shared trauma in very different ways. Alice is scared of everything, despondent and tortured by the past. Ila has chosen a skewed, angry path of hatred instead. Both are haunted by a third character — a bitter, creeping evil in the form of an old house. They will face themselves and a reality neither are prepared for when they are forced to confront the evil that twisted them both so cruelly.

With lovingly crafted echoes of Shirley Jackson, Clive Barker, Helen Oyeyemi and many more, this book dazzles with wry humor, existential dread and a powerful lesson on the seductively destructive power of fascism. If you can handle powerful themes drenched in a truly horrifying package, you are in for something incredible that will haunt you long after it’s over. ♦

— Review by Julie Goodrich