Others: Overwhelmingly positive As the daughter of a rancher in 1840s Mexico, Nena knows a thing or two about monsters—her home has long been threatened by tensions with Anglo settlers from the north. But something more sinister lurks near the ranch at night, something that drains men of their blood and leaves them for dead. Something that once attacked Nena nine years ago. Believing Nena dead, Néstor has been on the run from his grief ever since, moving from ranch to ranch working as a vaquero. But no amount of drink can dispel the night terrors of sharp teeth; no woman can erase his childhood sweetheart from his mind. When the United States invades Mexico in 1846, the two are brought abruptly together on the road to war: Nena as a curandera, a healer striving to prove her worth to her father so that he does not marry her off to a stranger, and Néstor as a member of the auxiliary cavalry of ranchers and vaqueros. But the shock of their reunion—and Nena’s rage at Néstor for seemingly abandoning her long ago—is quickly overshadowed by the appearance of a nightmare made flesh. And unless Nena and Néstor work through their past and face the future together, neither will survive to see the dawn.
Genres: fantasy, romance, horror, historical fiction
Lists: …
Alexis Henderson
2022 · 12 reviews
Others: Overwhelmingly positiveHouse of Hunger by Alexis Henderson is a thrilling page-turner that keeps you enthralled. This riveting tale navigates a realm teeming with darkness and enchantment. Boasting captivating characters and engrossing narrative, it's a must-read for fantasy and suspense enthusiasts. Enjoy it in paperback, ideal for cozy nights in.
What made the match, strongest first
V. E. Schwab
2025 · 544 pages · 19 reviews
Others: Leaning positiveThis is a story about hunger. 1532. Santo Domingo de la Calzada. A young girl grows up wild and wily—her beauty is only outmatched by her dreams of escape. But María knows she can only ever be a prize, or a pawn, in the games played by men. When an alluring stranger offers an alternate path, María makes a desperate choice. She vows to have no regrets. This is a story about love. 1827. London. A young woman lives an idyllic but cloistered life on her family’s estate, until a moment of forbidden intimacy sees her shipped off to London. Charlotte’s tender heart and seemingly impossible wishes are swept away by an invitation from a beautiful widow—but the price of freedom is higher than she could have imagined. This is a story about rage. 2019. Boston. College was supposed to be her chance to be someone new. That’s why Alice moved halfway across the world, leaving her old life behind. But after an out-of-character one-night stand leaves her questioning her past, her present, and her future, Alice throws herself into the hunt for answers . . . and revenge. This is a story about life— how it ends, and how it starts.
What made the match, strongest first
Paul Tremblay
2022 · 288 pages · 11 reviews
Others: Leaning positive10 hours 46 minutes A cleverly voiced psychological thriller about an unforgettable - and unsettling - friendship, with blood-chilling twists, crackling wit, and a thrumming pulse in its veins - from the nationally best-selling author of 'The Cabin at the End of the World' and 'Survivor Song'. What if the coolest girl you’ve ever met decided to be your friend? Art Barbara was so not cool. He was a seventeen-year-old high school loner in the late 1980s who listened to hair metal, had to wear a monstrous back-brace at night for his scoliosis, and started an extracurricular club for volunteer pallbearers at poorly attended funerals. But his new friend thought the Pallbearers’ Club was cool. And she brought along her Polaroid camera to take pictures of the corpses. Okay, that part was a little weird. So was her obsessive knowledge of a notorious bit of New England folklore that involved digging up the dead. And there were other strange things – terrifying things – that happened when she was around, usually at night. But she was his friend, so it was okay, right? Decades later, Art tries to make sense of it all by writing 'The Pallbearers’ Club: A Memoir'. But somehow this friend got her hands on the manuscript and, well, she has some issues with it. And now she’s making cuts. Seamlessly blurring the lines between fiction and memory, the supernatural and the mundane, 'THE PALLBEARERS CLUB' is an immersive, suspenseful portrait of an unforgettable and unsettling friendship. ©2022 Paul Tremblay (P)2022 HarperCollins Publishers
What made the match, strongest first
Chloe Gong
2023 · 384 pages · 5 reviews
Others: Leaning positiveChloe Gong’s adult epic fantasy debut, inspired by Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra , is a “smart, imaginative, and brutal” (Wesley Chu, New York Times bestselling author of The War Arts Saga) collision of power plays, spilled blood, and romance amidst a set of deadly games. Every year, thousands in the kingdom of Talin flock to its capital twin cities, San-Er, where the palace hosts a set of games. For those confident enough in their ability to jump between bodies, competitors across San-Er fight to the death to win unimaginable riches. Princess Calla Tuoleimi lurks in hiding. Five years ago, a massacre killed her parents and left the palace of Er empty…and she was the one who did it. Before King Kasa’s forces in San can catch her, she plans to finish the job and bring down the monarchy. Her reclusive uncle always greets the victor of the games, so if she wins, she finally gets her opportunity to kill him. Enter Anton Makusa, an exiled aristocrat. His childhood love has lain in a coma since they were both ousted from the palace, and he’s deep in debt trying to keep her alive. Thankfully, he’s one of the best jumpers in the kingdom, flitting from body to body at will. His last chance at saving her is entering the games and winning. Calla finds both an unexpected alliance with Anton and help from King Kasa’s adopted son, August, who wants to mend Talin’s ills. But the three of them have very different goals, even as Calla and Anton’s partnership spirals into something all-consuming. Before the games close, Calla must decide what she’s playing for—her lover or her kingdom.
What made the match, strongest first
Gwendolyn Kiste
2022 · 1 review
Others: NegativeFor fans of Mexican Gothic, from three-time Bram Stoker Award–winning author Gwendolyn Kiste comes a novel inspired by the untold stories of forgotten women in classic literature--from Lucy Westenra, a victim of Stoker’s Dracula, and Bertha Mason, from Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre--as they band together to combat the toxic men bent on destroying their lives, set against the backdrop of the Summer of Love, Haight-Ashbury, 1967.Reluctant Immortals is a historical horror novel that looks at two men of classic literature, Dracula and Mr. Rochester, and the two women who survived them, Bertha and Lucy, who are now undead immortals residing in Los Angeles in 1967 when Dracula and Rochester make a shocking return in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco. Combining elements of historical and gothic fiction with a modern perspective, in a tale of love and betrayal and coercion, Reluctant Immortals is the lyrical and harrowing journey of two women from classic literature as they bravely claim their own destiny in a man’s world.
What made the match, strongest first
Jacqueline Holland
2023 · 480 pages · 3 reviews
Others: Overwhelmingly positiveCollette LeSange has been hiding a dark secret: She is immortal. In 1834, Collette’s grandfather granted her the gift of eternal life and since then, she has endured centuries of turmoil and heartache. Now, almost 150 years later, Collette is a lonely artist running an elite fine art school for children in upstate New York. But her life is suddenly upended by the arrival of a gifted child from a troubled home, the return of a stalking presence from her past, and her own mysteriously growing hunger for blood.
What made the match, strongest first
Loved itVampires of El Norte, perfect example of like a romance horror that fits into that trope because the characters are separated for a large amount of their lives, maybe not even knowing the other one is still around or still loves them and whatnot.
Loved itI read this in like two days and it was so fun and I think about reading it often.
MixedI enjoyed it. It's not my favorite, mostly because I didn't love the writing. It was extremely repetitive at times. ... So, I gave this one 3.25 out of five stars.
Loved itthe best combination of horror vampires and like the angstiest most dramatic romance that I was on the edge of my seat for like I need all of my horror stories to have just the most delicious historical romance too and this author just knows how to combine those things incredible 10 out of 10
Loved itI really appreciated the way that it speculative elements supported the romance I will say that as a romance it has a couple of elements that are not going to be for everyone
