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Sometimes when people hurt for a long time, they start to think that hurting is part of who they are: Reviewing What Stalks the Deep (Book 3 of the Sworn Soldier Series) by T. Kingfisher

Hi everyone! I hope you are all surviving the intense summer heat. I can barely focus most days. Anyways, I wanted to give a nice short review while I put off the longer books that I am reading currently. I promise that I’ll get there eventually. Before I begin this review, I recommend that you check out my review of the previous two books in this series, as well as the rest of my T. Kingfisher reviews. Now, let’s talk about What Stalks the Deep.

Content Warning: Distrubing Imagery, Animal Death, Violence, Gore

Former soldier Alex Easton has seen enough for a lifetime. They have no desire to venture into any more strange and mysterious places where God-only-knows-what lurks in the dark. It seems that fate has a sick sense of humor. When a good friend asks for Alex’s help finding his lost cousin, they can’t bring themself to say no. Unfortunately, that means having to go to America, of all places. Even worse, his friend’s cousin went missing deep in the mines of West Virginia. Alex is a soldier, though, and will find this missing man, even if it means facing the otherworldly once again.

T. Kingfisher’s newest entry in this horror novella series is an utterly fascinating and thrilling read in a rather quirky way. I personally think that eco-horror is an underrated genre, so getting a book like this feels like a breath of fresh air in the current literary scene. Kingfisher is great at creating distinctive character voices that feel close enough to realistic to make the characters relatable. As the narrative voice, Alex Easton is a bemusing main character with actual survival instincts (which is kind of rare in horror novels). What I love about Kingfisher’s horror novels is just how creative the actual horror is. At no point in the novel did I figure out what the twist was, which made it all the more enjoyable. With that being said, if you need a quick chilling read during these hot summer days then definitely read The Sworn Soldier series.

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If it used to be okay, but it’s not okay anymore, then maybe you should do something about it: Reviewing Carl’s Doomsday Scenario (Book 2 of the Dungeon Crawler Carl Series) by Matt Dinniman

Hello everyone! I promised I would be back, didn’t I? If you want, you can check out my review of the first book in this series, Dungeon Crawler Carl. After this, I’m planning to finish the Mistborn Saga, and then I’ll be reading more standalone books for a bit. I’m holding off on getting any new books for a little bit because I need to finish what I have. I have no self-control when it comes to buying books. You all understand. Now, it’s time to talk about Carl’s Doomsday Scenario.

Content Warning: Violence, Gore, Crude Humor, Strong Language, Disturbing Imagery

Aliens have taken over Earth and have turned it into their own personal TV show: Dungeon Crawler World. Carl, an ex-Coast Guard engineer, and Princess Donut, his ex-girlfriend’s cat (the cat talks now), have quickly become the fan favorites across the galaxy. Now on dungeon level three, they face a whole host of new challenges and quests. This level, known as the Over City, is a cesspit for all kinds of dark magic. A cursed circus lies on the outside of the border. Dead women have been falling from the sky. All the while, a curse of unimaginable power is slowly growing stronger. Carl and Donut are the unlucky crawlers tasked with solving these mysteries. Only (a very limited) amount of time will tell if they can save the city and if Carl will finally get pants.

Carl’s Doomsday Scenario was a pleasant surprise as far as this series goes. I know it’s only book two, but I quickly saw a major difference between this book and its predecessor. The best compliment I can give this book is that it is more subversive than I thought it would be. Most of the book was a fun and energetic adventure that involved a bunch of weird creatures and shenanigans. The last third of the book, though, was surprisingly gruesome. Despite all of the strangeness of the book and the crude humor, there is heart to it and a message about not letting oppressive systems destroy one’s hope. It’s not cheesy, which I appreciate. Matt Dinniman clearly has a vision and a strong narrative voice throughout these books, which makes me appreciate them. There’s a good balance between the absurdity of the plot and the self-awareness of the prose itself. In conclusion, this series has quickly grown on me and I look forward to reading more of Dungeon Crawler Carl.

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All I want is more. Even if it burns me at the end: Reviewing Tender Cruely (Book 9 of the Dark Olympus Series) by Katee Robert

Hello everyone! I hope you are all doing well. In my previous post, I promised I would post something on Substack, but I am feeling creatively bankrupt at the moment. More than likely, I’ll start with a book review and go from there. For now, I’m sticking with this blog because I have been posting about this series for a bit now. Before you read this review, feel free to read all of my other reviews for this series. I’m unnecessarily committed to seeing the Dark Olympus series through. I figured that I’m in this deep, so I might as well talk about it. Dark romance and/or erotica is a tricky genre to navigate in general. I, however, believe in exploring all genres. I hope that this post resonates to someone in some capacity. It’s important to read for fun, even if its spicy. With that being said, let’s talk about the latest entry in this ongoing series.

Content Warning: Explicit Sexual Content, Violence, Strong Language

Olympus’ barrier has finally fallen. Circe’s people have breached the city and forced the citizens to evacuate their homes. The Thirteen are struggling to protect themselves and, in doing so, are tearing each other apart. Hera knows that she must kill her husband, Zeus, if she wants to survive this war. Zeus, however, finds himself drawn to Hera’s fiery personality. The two are forced to set aside their differences if they want to defeat their mutual enemies. As the city begins to crumble, Zeus and Hera find unlikely allies in each other. There might be something real in their arranged marriage after all. This might be the beginning of something new, or it could be the end of everything they have ever known.

After nine books, we are finally getting to the “war” part that Katee Robert has promised us. With that being said, Tender Cruelty has been one of the more engaging entries in this ongoing series. As for the romance aspect of this novel, I found Zeus and Hera to be much more compelling than I had initially thought. While the plot went where I thought it would, I appreciated that there was a slight element of uncertainty sprinkled throughout the novel. This book was significantly more tense than its predecessors in more ways than one, which made it all the more entertaining. As for the erotica elements, it was a tiny bit more on the tame side, but still immensely enjoyable. I liked the “will they, won’t they” element that Katee Robert adds to this particular relationship. Overall, I am happy to say that Tender Cruelty is one of the stronger novels in the Dark Olympus series. I hopelessly hooked to this series and have no intention of quitting any time soon.