Aug 11 2026
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DNF Q&A: The Winged Game by Sophie Kim

Title: The Winged Game

Author: Sophie Kim

Series: N/A

Genre: Romantacy

Rating: 1/5 stars

The Overview: Fantasy meets sports romance in this sizzling slow-burn novel from the #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of The God and the Gumiho, in which the disgraced star of a brutal magical sport must team up with the rival who destroyed her career. Carriwitchet, the violent, rugby-esque game played atop winged beasts, was once Taissa Cho’s whole life, and she was once the United Kingdom’s most promising player. Until her nemesis, rival player Kion Locke, destroyed her career in a single moment. Expelled from the sport in disgrace, Taissa has spent the last two years dreaming of nothing but revenge and relishing watching Kion’s team plummet to the bottom of the league.So when Taissa is offered the chance to redeem herself and her career, she can’t refuse—even if the offer is coming from the very man who ruined everything in the first place. It’s close to a dream come true . . . except for that pesky clause in her contract that demands she and Kion enter a fake relationship in order to garner some much-needed positive PR for the team. This could not be a worse match. Taissa and Kion only have two things in their love of the game, and their undying hatred for each other.Yet as a mysterious illness befalls the winged creatures of the entire league—putting both the beasts’ lives and the very sport itself at stake—the athletes find themselves partnering up in other ways, determined to crack the case of the eerie sickness. As their investigation takes them on a whirlwind adventure, Kion and Taissa are prepared for anything . . . Anything, that is, but their fake-for-the-cameras relationship to maybe, just maybe, become something real after all. –Goodreads

The Q&A:

Did you really give The Winged Game a chance?

I made it about 25% into the book before calling it quits, and actually read a good bit longer after I realized it wasn’t working for me. I held out hope, but it just kept getting worse…

Have you enjoyed other books in the same genre before?

The answer here is kind of. I love fantasy and I like romance, but not together. I’ve read the Fourth Wing series and love the dragons and the school settings, but could’ve done without all of the other things that qualified that book as a Romantacy. I definitely don’t think this genre is for me, but I was hoping the sports and competition aspect of this book would’ve been good enough for me to overlook the elements I don’t like. Here are the romances I actually like, by contrast (a few contemporaries and one fantasy with a great love story): 

Did you have certain expectations before starting it?

I was naive and hopeful. I knew going in that it was going to have a heavy romance component (which by the way I don’t always mind as long as it’s done well), so I was expecting that. But I didn’t expect it to take on almost all of the page count. Since the sports and competition angle was being pitched so hard, I thought that would take on a more prominent role that it did (up to where I read, anyway).

What ultimately made you stop reading?

I hated the relationship. And the characters, if I’m honest. I don’t throw around the word “hate” very often, but this book really got under my skin.

First of all, The relationship and the characters are incredibly immature. If their ages hadn’t been shared in the book (her 24, him 30), I would’ve said they read exactly like a 16 year old and a 19 year old, respectively. The entire basis behind the conflict is blaming someone else for your very poor decisions and then perpetuating the negativity with very poor behavior. 90% of what I read was the characters throwing venom back and forth to emphasize just how much they hate each other (but with a few awkward sexual attraction references thrown in, because let’s not make it too weird). Everything about this reads like high school drama, so other than aforementioned sexual references and an F-Bomb on every page, it was incredibly YA in tone and spirit.

I know we’re going for an enemies to lovers angle. That’s a trope I actually quite liked in Emily Henry’s Book Lovers. But the downright viciousness exhibited here, especially from the female lead, was excessive. But then immaturity compounds with this ridiculous farce of a plot where the characters have to pretend to date each other for the sake of a public image (some very loose reasoning about sports dynamics), but in reality it’s just a plot device to have the characters touch intimately as often as possible “for the sake of the cameras.” Gee, how romantic.

The book lost me entirely when they started jumping on the bed together and moaning to simulate an intimate moment.

Stupid. I thought the whole thing was stupid. I hated how vicious they were to each other. I hated how no one seemed to care about taking responsibility for their own actions. I hated the forced physical interactions (which didn’t do anything to build chemistry, it was just icky). And honestly the whole thing read to me a bit trashy. I really did not like this book.

Was there anything you liked about The Winged Game?

The sport was cool – kind of a Quidditch knock-off where they ride magical creatures (a specific one for each team, like giant birds. And dragons.) and compete to collect treasures from each other’s strongholds. If I got some of the details wrong, it’s because the book didn’t really spend much time on it up to where I stopped reading. It was 5% fun sports, 95% senseless drama.

Oh, yes, I liked the grumpy old mount. If I were to have continued reading, it would’ve been out of curiosity for that creature.

Would you read anything else by this author?

No, it’s clear that the genre and story isn’t my jam, and what the author finds “hot” will definitely not work for me. This is a case of going our separate ways. I’m sure the author would prefer I refrain from bashing her books in the future.

So you DNF’d the book – would you still recommend it?

Absolutely not, even as a “I didn’t like this, but you might still want to try it.” But here’s the thing, this book has SOO many positive reviews on Goodreads. To the point where I’m like… is this what women are finding romantic these days? And are we collectively okay with how much venom the female lead was allowed to spit at him without repercussion? Idk but the entire thing sits very uneasily with me. I’m glad to leave this book behind.

Thank you to my Patrons: Dave, Katrin, Frank, Jen, Karen, Sonja, Staci, Kat, Betsy, Eliss, Mike, Elizabeth, Bee, Poochtee, Kinsey, Alysa, Derek, Kelly, Grace, Carmen, and Leticia! <3

This DNF review format was borrowed with permission from Nikki @ There Were Books Involved (who doesn’t blog anymore, but she still gets all the credit).

by Niki Hawkes

Aug 9 2026
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Book Review: The City & the City by China Miéville

Title: The City & the City

Author: China Miéville

Series: N/A

Genre: Science Fiction

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

The Overview: When a murdered woman is found in the city of Beszel, somewhere at the edge of Europe, it looks to be a routine case for Inspector Tyador Borlú of the Extreme Crime Squad. But as he investigates, the evidence points to conspiracies far stranger and more deadly than anything he could have imagined. Borlú must travel from the decaying Beszel to the only metropolis on Earth as strange as his own. This is a border crossing like no other, a journey as psychic as it is physical, a shift in perception, a seeing of the unseen. His destination is Beszel’s equal, rival, and intimate neighbor, the rich and vibrant city of Ul Qoma. With Ul Qoman detective Qussim Dhatt, and struggling with his own transition, Borlú is enmeshed in a sordid underworld of rabid nationalists intent on destroying their neighboring city, and unificationists who dream of dissolving the two into one. As the detectives uncover the dead woman’s secrets, they begin to suspect a truth that could cost them and those they care about more than their lives. What stands against them are murderous powers in Beszel and in Ul Qoma: and, most terrifying of all, that which lies between these two cities. Casting shades of Kafka and Philip K. Dick, Raymond Chandler and 1984, The City & the City is a murder mystery taken to dazzling metaphysical and artistic heights. –Goodreads

Dave’s Review:

The City & the City, like most of Miéville’s writing, is one of the most original novels I have read recently. The central premise is so unusual that it is difficult to describe in a cogent manner. Blending a noir detective story with speculative fiction, Miéville creates a world that is truly unique. Even when I wasn’t completely invested in the story, I remained fascinated by the ideas behind it.

The novel follows Inspector Tyador Borlú as he investigates a murder spanning two cities. The bizarre element is that these cities occupy the same physical space, while their inhabitants are conditioned to perceive them as separate. It may be difficult to describe, but the concept is brilliant, and the strange atmosphere of these intertwined cities is probably the book’s greatest strength. The mystery itself is fairly engaging, but it often feels secondary to the exploration of the setting and the social structure around it. I have said before that the setting is the most memorable character in a Miéville story.

For all of its creativity, however, the novel can also be frustrating at times. Although I found this to be one of the easier Miéville settings to wrap my head around, a good bit of effort is nevertheless requires to understand the world. The complexity of the world ramps up in certain ways as the story progresses, to where I occasionally found myself struggling to follow exactly what was happening in the latter parts. Borlú is a competent detective and protagonist, but he never develops into a very memorable character, and many of the others blend together or take a backseat to the setting and the ideas. The ending also left me wanting a bit more, resolving the central mystery but without the emotional or thematic payoff I had hoped for.

Despite those shortcomings, The City & the City is well worth reading for its originality alone. It reminded me of Robert Jackson Bennett’s The Tainted Cup (which, coincidentally, I had read just prior to this book) in the way it uses an inventive speculative setting to elevate a detective story into something far more unique. Both books also won the Hugo Award for best novel, perhaps fitting given the way that they creatively blend speculative fiction and mystery. I may not consider it to be a perfect novel, but it will certainly stay with me for a long time to come.

Aug 7 2026
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Novella Review: To Blackfyre Keep by Anthony Ryan

Title: To Blackfyre Keep

Author: Anthony Ryan

Series: Seven Swords #4

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

The Overview: Guyime – Demon Cursed wielder of the nameless blade – follows the trail of the fabled seven swords into the troubled northlands, a realm where he was once called king… and ravager. Magically guided to enlist in the retinue of a lovesick knight, Guyime and his companions journey to the haunted ruin of Blackfyre Keep, a castle legend tells cannot be held. But a far deadlier threat than mere ghosts awaits. An ancient evil has been conjured and to defeat it Guyime may be forced to become the monster he used to be—the Ravager reborn. –Goodreads

Niki’s Review:

Another entertaining installment! We’re at the point in the series now where momentum is starting to build and patterns are emerging – I’m thoroughly enjoying every step.

My favorite thing about the series is the incredibly expansive world-building. These rich settings have such depth, and all the books so far have made me feel like I’ve consumed a full-length series rather than a couple of meager novellas. It’s amazing to me that he’s able to pack so much into such a small page count. I’ve compared the first book to the atmosphere and expansiveness that I felt in my read of the first few Malazan books, and I still stand by that comparison. It has that X factor. And as world-building draws me to stories more than anything else, you can see why I’m enamored (even if my rating for this specific book is a bit conservative).

These books are more than the sum of their parts, and I’m there for all of it. This one in particular told a story I feel I’ve read before, missing a bit of the novelty from previous books. Also, as rad as I think the cover is, it does kind of let the cat out of the bag on this “great big mystery” of what’s going on around this keep. I read mostly for the discovery process, so knowing what was coming before it was revealed definitely affected my enjoyment (and therefore my rating) a bit. Even so, this is a highly recommendable little snack of a series, and I can’t wait to find out what happens next!

Thank you to my Patrons: Dave, Katrin, Frank, Jen, Karen, Sonja, Staci, Kat, Betsy, Eliss, Mike, Elizabeth, Bee, Poochtee, Kinsey, Alysa, Derek, Kelly, Grace, Carmen, and Leticia! <3

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by Niki Hawkes

Aug 1 2026
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Book Review: Heaven’s River by Dennis E. Taylor

Title: Heaven’s River

Author: Dennis E. Taylor

Series: Bobiverse #4

Genre: Science Fiction

The Overview: More than a hundred years ago, Bender set out for the stars and was never heard from again. There has been no trace of him despite numerous searches by his clone-mates. Now Bob is determined to organize an expedition to learn Bender’s fate—whatever the cost. But nothing is ever simple in the Bobiverse. Bob’s descendants are out to the 24th generation now, and replicative drift has produced individuals who can barely be considered Bobs anymore. Some of them oppose Bob’s plan; others have plans of their own. The out-of-control moots are the least of the Bobiverse’s problems. Undaunted, Bob and his allies follow Bender’s trail. But what they discover out in deep space is so unexpected and so complex that it could either save the universe—or pose an existential threat the likes of which the Bobiverse has never faced. –Goodreads

Niki’s Review [3/5 stars]:

Heaven’s River was a departure from the storytelling format I’ve come to expect from Taylor, and I’m not sure the change did it any favors.

One word: pacing. One of the best things about the Bob books is that they clip along at a great pace. Maybe even too fast in some instances, which makes the moments where he decides to deep dive into a specific story thread even more satisfying and immersive. This entire book was an immersive deep dive that honestly read to me as though it were originally planned as two separate short novels that ultimately got mashed into one.

And here’s the thing: I actually LIKED the direction the story took because it reminded me of my favorite thread from the original trilogy (basking within a cool alien culture). No, my issues lie in execution. Diving in, we had a clear idea on what the objective was, however it was unclear through most of the book how the characters’ actions were actually helping them towards their objective. It felt more like stumbling around and getting fortunate a few times more than successful executions of a plan. And I mentioned pacing… oh my gosh move it along already. There were too many repeating elements and encounters that made the book feel like a lot more of a drag than it needed to be. And what’s more, the aliens they spent time with resembled a completely separate alien species we’d already encountered (the Pav). Call me crazy, but since all the main characters are basically the same, you’d think that would leave enough creativity behind to diversify the aliens just a bit more. Maybe he thinks the universe just needs more otters…

But I rant.

The book has some issues, but I’d say overall I’m still glad I read it to continue the series. I’ve been thoroughly enjoying my time with these books this year, and I look forward to reading the next one. The good new is, it’s much shorter. And even though I have a rant to spare for this book, it was still something I enjoyed reading from start to finish. It’s just wasn’t as good as it COULD’VE been, you know?

Pick this series up if you enjoy the cheekier side of scifi. It’s fun without being dumb. Most of the time.

Thank you to my Patrons: Dave, Katrin, Frank, Jen, Karen, Sonja, Staci, Kat, Betsy, Eliss, Mike, Elizabeth, Bee, Poochtee, Kinsey, Alysa, Derek, Kelly, Grace, Carmen, and Leticia! <3

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

Dave’s Review [2.5/5 stars]:

Having enjoyed the first three Bobiverse novels for the most part, I went into Heaven’s River expecting more of the same. While I still found things to like, this is the first book in the series that left me feeling somewhat disappointed. It retains much of the charm and creativity that made the earlier books so much fun, but it also shows some signs that the formula is beginning to wear thin.

The biggest issue is the length. At over 500 pages, Heaven’s River feels considerably longer than the story it has to tell. The central mission is interesting enough, but it is stretched across too many detours and repetitive scenes, causing the pacing to drag for long stretches. Likewise, the series’ trademark humor, which was one of its greatest strengths early on, no longer lands with the same consistency. The pop culture references and self-aware wit are still present, but they have become predictable more often than not, rather than truly amusing.

That said, the novel has its merits. One of the main plot lines of the novel involves the exploration of the Quinlan civilization, which is imaginative and can be fascinating at times, even if the exploration is more drawn out than necessary. Perhaps the most interesting aspect is watching the Bobs continue to diverge into distinct individuals with competing philosophies and priorities. The growing ideological conflicts between different factions add genuine depth to the series and suggest that the greatest challenges facing the Bobiverse may ultimately come from within rather than from external threats. It sets up what I feel would be the most interesting direction for future installments in the series.

Although Heaven’s River still contains flashes of the imagination and charm that hooked me in the first book, it feels overextended at this point. I remain interested in seeing where the Bobiverse goes next, but I hope future installments recapture some of the tighter pacing and freshness of the first couple of novels.

Jul 27 2026
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Book Review: The Modigliani Scandal by Ken Follett

Title: The Modigliani Scandal

Author: Ken Follett

Series: N/A

Genre: Thriller

Rating: 2.5/5 stars

The Overview: A fabulous “lost masterpiece” becomes the ultimate prize–for an art historian whose ambition consumes everyone around her, an angry young painter with a plan for revenge on the art establishment, and a desperate gallery owner who may have double-crossed his own life away. Behind the elegance and glamour of the art world, anything goes–theft, forgery, betrayal, and maybe even murder. . . . –Goodreads

Dave’s Review:

I have read quite a few Ken Follett novels over the years – mostly historical fiction, but a couple of thrillers as well. While they do begin to feel somewhat formulaic after having read enough of them, I still generally find them enjoyable to read. The Modigliani Scandal is one of the few exceptions. It is an early Follett novel that contains moments of the talent he would later become known for, but ultimately feels underdeveloped and unsatisfying.

The central premise, which is a frantic search for a valuable lost Modigliani painting, sounds intriguing, but the execution never quite comes together. One of the biggest problems I had was the sheer number of characters introduced in such a short novel. The first half jumps rapidly between artists, dealers, collectors, and others, making it difficult to keep track of who is who or to become invested in any of their underdeveloped stories or backgrounds. Just as one plotline gains some momentum, the focus jumps elsewhere and does not return for some time.

Despite being not even 300 pages long, the novel often feels overcrowded. The author packs in so many plot threads, relationships, and twists that very little has time to develop properly. Many scenes feel rushed, leaving the characters flat and unmemorable. This is not at all like the enormous books that he would go on to write, which at times can swing too far in the opposite direction. I feel that this one would have benefited from another hundred pages or so to give the characters and plot development more time to breathe. The strongest writing comes later in the book, where some of the characters have become more familiar to the reader and it benefits from the strong momentum of the chase.

There are glimpses of the fast-paced suspense and the broad cast of characters that would dominate his writing, but The Modigliani Scandal reads more like an outline or a rough draft than a completed thriller. 2.5 stars.

Jul 25 2026
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Book Review: Blind Date with a Werewolf by Patricia Briggs

Title: Blind Date with a Werewolf

Author: Patricia Briggs

Series: Mercy Thompson World #whatever.5

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Rating: 2.5/5 stars

The Overview: When the formidable werewolf Asil finds himself set up on five blind dates by unknown ‘friends’, his solitary life undergoes a dramatic change, in this captivating collection of stories by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Mercy Thompson series. -Goodreads

The Review:

I had some reservations before diving into Blind Date with a Werewolf. For starters, I’m not much for short stories, so I was a bit wary of wasting time not feeling engaged. But since there was a strong through-line between them, it read more like a novel “in stories” as the cover tag puts it rather than stand-alone snippets. That helped a lot. I also wasn’t sure if I was in the mood for a romance, which the title leads you to believe this book is going to be. But I’m such a big fan of the Mercy Thompson/Alpha & Omega world that I knew I didn’t want to miss anything potentially plot-advancing, even on a minor scale… so here we are.

As it happens, I liked it better than I thought I would. The book was nothing like I expected. The blind date aspect was clever and cheeky, acting more as setups for fun supernatural mysteries than legit romantic encounters. There was indeed a romance angle – a very slight one that served more to set things up for future books than as any sort of major highlight within this one.

Was the story a bit too silly? Perhaps. I’ve always liked Asil as an enigma character. He’s a bit scary because we don’t really know much about him or why everyone in this world fears him. And he’s old.. as the book puts it, “Not quite as old as dirt,” which always made me picture a grizzled, cranky old man. But because everything has to be over-sexualized, I was informed many times while reading this that despite his age, he actually has the appearance of a much younger man. Of course he does. Because apparently werewolves don’t age. Anyway I amused myself by continuing to picture him as an old man on all of the dates/adventures. What’s more, the story took away a lot of Asil’s mystery – having him act very out of character (by my reckoning) for the sake of adhering to the book’s theme. Nothing about his mannerisms drew me back to that scary werewolf with history and depth. Briggs often likes to take these big bad wolves and show the reader their softer sides. Like, they’re deadly beasts to everyone else, but you’re special so they can behave like puppy dogs for you. Sometimes it’s charming. In this case it kind of wrecked a character I’ve spent several books wanting to know more about. At least his wolf is still a badass.

That said, I’m sure there’s a good reason for all of this setup. And the composition of the book itself was creatively done. The structure of the stories, the strong thematic elements throughout, the tie-backs, the series-relevant supernatural mysteries, the fun cameos, and the setup for what will likely be a somewhat important addition to the series going forward were major merits. The whole time I was reading it I was marveling at how cleverly done it was, even if I didn’t absolutely love the plot.

As the book has spoilers for things that happened in some of the most recent Alpha & Omega books, I would not recommend picking this up on a whim as a taste-test of the world. It’s very much for the fans, and it’s clear its purpose is to advance the plot of some of the more secondary characters in this world. As a big fan, I am very eager to find out how all of this will play into the next main book in the series.

Thank you to my Patrons: Dave, Katrin, Frank, Jen, Karen, Sonja, Staci, Kat, Betsy, Eliss, Mike, Elizabeth, Bee, Poochtee, Kinsey, Alysa, Derek, Kelly, Grace, Carmen, and Leticia! <3

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by Niki Hawkes