Let’s start by saying that, even though this is a YA horror dystopian novel, so you expect a certain amount of violence and trauma, I highly recommend you read the authors note before giving this book to a younger reader. That’s not to say that what’s in these pages isn’t necessary, isn’t beautiful, because it is. But the religious trauma is brutal, the deadnaming is devastating, the body horror is exquisite but terrifying, the themes in this book are heavy and in today’s world, that might be too much for a younger reader. I still would be cautious on giving this to my sixteen-year-old nephew for that reason, not because the authors words shouldn’t be read, they absolutely should. But protecting a young person’s peace of mind in this world is equally as important. Now, let’s talk about this incredible book’s content.

In a lot of ways, “The Bone Witch” reminded me of traditional geisha or geji culture, but with magic. Tea lives in a world where witches do more than just practice their rune-based magic—they are also entertainers and performers with elaborate clothing that signifies their personality and accomplishments. The traditional witch’s presence is highly sought after in tea houses and parties and expected to entertain their guests all for a fee. That’s on top of their elemental magic which they use to heal or serve as body guards. Except bone witches, who are a type of necromancer and who slowly drain themselves to nothing to put down terrible monsters that rise from the dead every so often. They are revered and feared and generally not liked because of their relationship to the Dark, and our main character Tea just happens to be one of the most powerful in the nation. Except you are mostly told that, and rarely see it until the very end.

While I have a hard time classifying “Sadie” as the thriller it’s listed as, it’s such a heart wrenching and beautifully told mystery that I’m going to mostly ignore the lack of “thriller” aspects. Sadie is a young woman on a crusade to find her sister’s killer, and perhaps heal a teeny tiny bit from her own horrific abuse (trigger warning for child sexual assault and pedophilia). Sadie has been through the worst life has to offer, but she lives for Mattie, her younger sister. Sadie develops the fierce maternal instincts she wishes she had in return from her own mother, who was absent at best due to her alcohol and drug addiction. So, when Mattie is brutally taken from Sadie, she believes there is nothing left of her; her heart, her soul, her LIFE, have been torn out and the only option she sees is to find the person responsible and give them a bit of an “eye for an eye” style justice. Sadie knows, when she starts out on this quest that, if she succeeds, she’ll never be the same, that the hunt for the truth and justice and retribution will change her forever. But she also knows success isn’t guaranteed. And while it took me a bit to appreciate the podcast style duel POV, I absolutely adored the way Sadie’s trauma and grief were presented (and yes, I know that sounds weird).

This book took me a minute to get really immersed into it. I blame that mainly on the start of the story focusing a lot on the High School social politics that Darius is dealing with. I have a hard time connecting to a lot of High School drama as an adult these days. But the voice with which the author uses to portray Darius, how Darius’ depression is always there, but not the loudest thing in the room, how the author portrayed the relationship between Darius and his dad, and how Darius struggles to fit into a heritage he always felt on the periphery from… now THAT really got to me. I probably should have been more mindful of what I was going through emotionally before picking up this book, because the end had me in tears. But that’s a good thing, I promise!

The dark, coastal vibes, the Welsh inspired fairy tale, the feminist commentary (down with the patriarchy), and the mystery around “what is real? Am I going crazy?”, are all immaculate in “A Study of Drowning”. In this dark academia story, our main girl, Effy, is struggling with PTSD around a sexual assault while attending a prestigious architecture college. The only problem is she doesn’t want to be there, she’d rather be in the literature school but no women are permitted into the school of her dreams. When an opportunity that looks too good to be true pops up that allows her to design a home for her favorite, recently deceased, author, Effy jumps at the chance without looking. She’s so desperate to escape a place full of snide whispers, to prove that she’s not “crazy” to an emotionally abusive mother, that Effy doesn’t question why she was selected to design this house until it’s too late. Even writing that has me so in love with the concept of this story. And yet…