book reviews

Review: Platform Decay – The Murderbot Diaries

First, I have LOVED The Murderbot Diaries. Even before the Apple TV series came out, it has been a comfort read for me.

Platform Decay is the eighth installment in The Murderbot Diaries, but it could easily stand alone if you really wanted it to (I recommend reading all of them, though).

Murderbot is on another dangerous rescue mission, on a large space station full of corporate corruption. It’s tasked with protecting familiar allies, and unexpectedly, children (much to its dismay).

Murderbot is funny as always with its banter, and Wells does a wonderful job of showing its character growth.
The pacing feels awkward towards the end, and the ending feels abrupt.
Overall, Platform Decay is entertaining and a great addition to The Murderbot Diaries.

Thank you to Tor and Netgalley for the eARC! Platform Decay is out on May 5.

10.14.25 | leave a comment

Review: Cello’s Gate by Maurice Africh

Cello’s Gate by Maurice Africh

“No one ever said being a sky pirate would involve so much math.”

Captain Grey and his crew of sky pirates get hired by an immortal to find the fabled Stones of Indigo, said to hold godlike power. In seeking the first stone, they go to an unfamiliar island where danger awaits. Their treasure hunt quickly turns into a fight for survival.

I picked up Cello’s Gate because of the premise (sky pirates!), the stunning cover, the anticipation of a debut sci-fi/fantasy novel, and a random tiktok I saw about it.

The novel’s paced is even, and the dialogue feels natural. I feel many first novels in series have an info-dumping problem when it comes to world building, but did not feel that so much in this one, even with Africh’s detailed description. Dot was my favorite, with Mars close behind.

Cello’s Gate is a fantastic debut that nails action, humor, and found-family charm. I can’t wait to see where the hunt for the stones goes in the next book!

11.13.24 | leave a comment

Review – The Thirteenth Child by Erin A. Craig

“I don’t wish for people to die. It’s just…death is a part of the journey, isn’t it? A balance. If you have a beginning — birth — you must have an ending – me.”

This retelling of Grimm’s Godfather Death is haunting in the best way.

Hazel, the thirteenth child in her negligent family, becomes the goddaughter of Death. She was so unloved and neglected, but such a wonderful character with so much depth.

Craig’s writing is incredible. The pacing felt just right, and every scene felt imperitive, at least by the ending. I couldn’t put it down and read this book in a day, nearly in one sitting. I felt some One Dark Window vibes reading it.

The first book I read by Erin A. Craig was Small Favors, and it’s stuck with me after almost three years. I expect The Thirteenth Child to do the same.

If you like YA fantasy, single POV, gothic dark fairytale retellings with morally gray characters, you may like this one.

“Because no matter how big and overwhelming the present felt, no matter how my heart ached or rallied or sank again, no matter how I tried to wish myself out of the moment I was in, I knew that was all it was. A moment. One tiny moment in a life destined to have far too many.”

from goodreads:
This is the story of Hazel, a young healer navigating a ruthless court to save the life of the king, grappling with a pantheon of gods with questionable agendas as she fights for agency and true love in her own life as the goddaughter of none other than Death himself.
All gifts come with a price.

Hazel Trépas has always known she wasn’t like the rest of her siblings. A thirteenth child, promised away to one of the gods, she spends her childhood waiting for her godfather—Merrick, the Dreaded End—to arrive.

When he does, he lays out exactly how he’s planned Hazel’s future. She will become a great healer, known throughout the kingdom for her precision and skill. To aid her endeavors, Merrick blesses Hazel with a gift, the ability to instantly deduce the exact cure needed to treat the sick.

But all gifts come with a price. Hazel can see when Death has claimed a patient—when all hope is gone—and is tasked to end their suffering, permanently. Haunted by the ghosts of those she’s killed, Hazel longs to run. But destiny brings her to the royal court, where she meets Leo, a rakish prince with a disdain for everything and everyone. And it’s where Hazel faces her biggest dilemma yet—to save the life of a king marked to die. Hazel knows what she is meant to do and knows what her heart is urging her toward, but what will happen if she goes against the will of Death?