Oct 11 2026
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Book Review: Lonesome Dove

Title: Lonesome Dove

Author: Larry McMurtry

Series: Lonesome Dove #1

Genre: Literary Fiction/Western

Rating: 5/5 stars

The Overview: A love story, an adventure, and an epic of the frontier, Larry McMurtry’s Pulitzer Prize-winning classic, Lonesome Dove, the third book in the Lonesome Dove tetralogy, is the grandest novel ever written about the last defiant wilderness of America. Journey to the dusty little Texas town of Lonesome Dove and meet an unforgettable assortment of heroes and outlaws, whores and ladies, Indians and settlers. Richly authentic, beautifully written, always dramatic, Lonesome Dove is a book to make us laugh, weep, dream, and remember. –Goodreads

The Review:

Lonesome Dove is an enormous book, and it is not a fast-paced one. McMurtry takes his time developing the story, allowing the characters and their relationships to evolve at a leisurely pace. However, despite its length and deliberate pacing, I never found it a chore to read. Quite the opposite, actually. I was happy to spend time in this world, following these characters wherever the journey took them.

Having seen the television miniseries years ago, I was already familiar with the main characters, even if I no longer remembered many of the details of the plot. Revisiting Gus, Call, Deets, and the others in the novel was a pleasure. McMurtry creates an impressive cast of characters, and what struck me most was how many of them are memorable and endearing, even those who only appear briefly. They feel like real people, with their own quirks, flaws, and motivations, rather than simply serving a purpose in the story.

The book also offers a fairly unromantic view of life in the American West. There is plenty of adventure, humor, and camaraderie, but McMurtry never loses sight of how difficult and often brutal life could be. The journey is filled with hardship, violence, and loss, and the author is not afraid to let events unfold in ways that are uncomfortable or heartbreaking. In that respect, I found the novel considerably harsher at times than I remembered the miniseries being. Perhaps that is partly because the television adaptation may have been softened to some degree for prime-time network audiences, but the book certainly does not pull any punches.

Ultimately, what makes Lonesome Dove so good is not any single event or plot development, but the characters and the time spent with them. McMurtry has created a wonderfully rich and lived-in world that feels both compelling and authentic. Despite its considerable length, I was never eager for it to end. This is a remarkable novel that absolutely deserves its reputation as a classic of the Western genre and the Pulitzer Prize it received.

Oct 10 2026
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Book Review: Monster, Monarch, Maiden by Rae Carson

Title: Monster, Monarch, Maiden

Author: Rae Carson

Series: N/A

Genre: YA Romantacy

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

The Overview: Bria Angarsold isn’t supposed to be a hero. She’s just a mountain girl. A mountain girl with a near useless Gift, living an idyllic life with her sister and her parents, running the family’s thriving inn. But then the raiders come, and Bria’s family is destroyed. One of the last survivors of the raid, Bria isn’t sure she’ll live to see where the captors are taking her. Until the caravan crosses paths with a mysterious traveler and Bria’s luck changes again. With no family or home to return to, Bria swears her life to this moody, secretive young man. Titus has been chosen to complete a perilous quest—one that will make Bria question everything she’s ever believed, from the magic that weaves through their world to the very gods themselves. As the journey unfolds, Bria realizes she has something—someone—new to believe in. She’d follow Titus to the Edge of the World, sworn oath or not, even if neither of them stands a chance at returning from it. But Bria Angarsold is a survivor. She isn’t useless, and neither is her Gift. And this is her story. –Goodreads

The Review:

If anyone was going to write a wholesome, organic romantacy, it’s Rae Carson. I’ve long admired her approach to love stories and her character profiles in general because they always feel more realistic. More relatable. Where the romantic bonds are formed based on way more than just physical attraction and plot convenience.

Even so, I wish the fantasy elements in the book had been stronger. They provided the backbone objective to the story and some fun moments involving personal magical “talents,” but for the majority of the book, I forgot I was reading a fantasy. The elements were definitely a bit more subtle than I usually prefer. What’s more, a lot of the richer world-building components took place “off-screen.” There’s only so much page count, and this was a romance-first story. I think had the intent been to make it a fantasy-forward tale, all of those cool elements would’ve been featured instead of getting pushed to the periphery in favor of relationship development… and I probably would’ve liked it more. The ending felt a little rushed (regarding the fantasy plot points, not the romance, which was perfectly paced), which made the rest of the book feel too drawn-out in retrospect (because omgsh we spent a lot of time trudging through the snow), which is why I think I finished it feeling a bit dissatisfied. This is definitely an instance of the book being a wonderful representation of its genre, but me not being the intended audience.

I need to rant about romantasy in general for a minute and then explain why I liked this one better than most I’ve read. Do you ever find it ridiculous how signs of attraction between characters are written in at the absolute stupidest times? Like during life or death situations where the last thing you’d be thinking about is how hot the other person is, especially in the WAY those scenes are written where time seems to slow down, the danger subsides for a minute, and we get a couple of pages describing in detail the other person’s physique. These moments irritate me to no end because they are so obviously pushing a plot agenda, and they effectively steal away all tension and sense of danger from the scene.

What’s cool is that Carson’s books never have any of the things that irritate me about how romances are often written. The relationships are always slowly developed, based on mutual respect and gradually increasing regard for one another that comes from going through difficult things together and consistently showing up for one another. So good. I give that aspect of the story a solid A+.

I know this review is weird. I’m not a romantasy fan who is trying to fairly evaluate a romantasy book. But I AM a big Rae Carson fan and have read and will continue to read anything she comes out with. And if like me you like love stories that feel more organic and wholesome, she’s a great recommend. For the record, this romantasy contains zero spice and is a perfectly lovely little love story.

I’d like to thank HarperAudio Children’s, Rae Carson, and Netgalley for the chance to listen to and review an early audiobook copy of this book!

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, Leticia, and Leah! <3

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

Sep 29 2026
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Book Review: Fall of Night by Rachel Caine

Title: Fall of Night

Author: Rachel Caine

Series: Morganville Vampires #14

Genre: YA Paranormal

Rating: 4/5 stars

The Overview: Thanks to its unique combination of human and vampire residents, Morganville, Texas, is a small college town with big-time problems. When student Claire Danvers gets the chance to experience life on the outside, she takes it. But Morganville isn’t the only town with vampire trouble… Claire never thought she’d leave Morganville, but when she gets accepted into the graduate program at MIT, she can’t pass up the opportunity. Saying goodbye to her friends is bittersweet, especially since things are still raw and unsettled between Claire and her boyfriend, Shane. Her new life at MIT is scary and exciting, but Morganville is never really far from Claire’s mind. Enrolled in a special advanced study program with Professor Irene Anderson, a former Morganville native, Claire is able to work on her machine, which is designed to cancel the mental abilities of vampires. But when she begins testing her machine on live subjects, things quickly spiral out of control, and Claire starts to wonder whether leaving Morganville was the last mistake she’ll ever make. –Goodreads

The Review:

It has been at least six years since I picked up the previous book in this series. I was worried about going into the penultimate book without clear memory of past events. But as it happens, this was kind of a reset book after the end of an arc, so I went in with a relatively clean slate and enough memory of all the key players to pick up as if I’d never left off. Awesome – one of the few times my scattered reading didn’t cost me.

Fall of Night offered a reset of sorts to the series as we’ve known it, and I appreciated the introduction of a few new characters (one of which I wish we’d seen earlier in the series – I liked her that much). It also amped up the stakes (ha) decently for what’s going to be the final book. Although I will say the villain seemed a bit out of left field (as if I’d remember if they were mentioned previously, anyway), but there was lots of action, excitement, and a few hair-raising moments. Legit – it triggered a fear response from me, which is something I wasn’t expecting or braced for from a YA.

The objectives in the second half of the book all hinged on a single point that I found incredibly debatable on it’s plausibility… but I guess how else are we supposed to get from point A to point B? But for the record I didn’t find it believable in the slightest. Also, there’s a new technology of sorts in this book that is so hilariously under-developed that the characters may as well be walking around pointing sticks at each other for how poorly the mechanics have been described. Basically, there’s a thing that does a thing and the characters involved are smart enough to know how it works… we mere peons don’t need an explanation. Our motto: Just go with it!

In contrast to that though, you know how some fantasy books read a lot like YA even though they have very adult themes? There’s something about the character work and delivery that resonates with long-time YA readers that transcends genre labels. As it happens, this book read to me more like an adult urban fantasy than a YA, despite the themes. It has been many years since I read the bulk of this series, so there’s a chance that not all the books read similarly, [Edit: after I wrote this I investigated my review of #13 back in 2020 and was mostly ranting about the toxic relationships, teen angst, and not much else driving the plot at that point, so maybe #14 is just special], but for this book, it seemed to have levelled up… well, with the exception of a character named Eve. I’ve long thought her profile and dialogue were majorly overdone and immature. But the rest of it benefitted from Caine’s forays into the many adult genre books (not “adult” in that sense… you know what I mean) she’s written (the Weather Warden series was particularly fun) and felt just a little more robust. It’s also worth noting that we might finally be past the point in the series where teen angst is the driving point of the plot (mostly), so I’m sure that helps as well. Regardless, this might be a fun set to pick up for someone craving those nostalgic YA paranormal vibes but wants something more palatable to slightly older tastes.

Most of the books in this series are good, but I don’t endorse it often because the love interest and the relationships in general have always struck me as a bit toxic. Obviously it didn’t keep me from more or less enjoying the entire series so far, but I feel it’s worth mentioning. Even so, this particular volume was a great installment, and I’m excited to finally see how the series ends!

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, Leticia, and Leah! <3

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

Sep 23 2026
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Book Review: Bodies of Magic by Freya Marske

Title: Bodies of Magic

Author: Freya Marske

Series: N/A

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 5/5 stars!

The Overview: At the Academie of the Grand Duchy of Sieuxerr, every mage with the healer’s gift has five years to master their power and to prepare for the infamous Grand Exam—a five-day trial whose results will determine their entire future.

The list of exam rules includes:
• You will perform five practical cases.
• Your exam group is chosen at random.
• You pass together, or fail together.

It does not include:
• On the first day, your exam group will find a classmate’s dead body in the exam hall.

And as they will soon discover, this particular group all have something to hide… and all have a connection with the dead girl, a brilliant scholar who would have been first in their class.

Five scholars. Five secrets. Five days in which to solve a murder, pass the most important exam of their lives, and uncover a secret larger than all of their own combined. One with the potential to change the world.

Are you ready?

Let’s begin. –Goodreads (isn’t that a killer overview?!)

Niki’s Review:

One of my favorite books of the year!

I know better than to fall for the “for fans of X: this ridiculously popular book” spiel, generally. But in this case what is being advertised (A Deadly Education meets Grey’s Anatomy) is exactly what Bodies of Magic delivers! I’ve never come across a medical fantasy, let alone one with and academic framework, so I knew the moment I first saw it that I needed to read it ASAP. And you know what? It was fantastic.

Here’s the thing, when I pick up a book like this I’m expecting the medical school to play a strong role in the story (it did), I want a lot of detailed magical workings included (there were), and I want the mystery to be satisfying (it was decent). The author really delivered on all of the promises made, producing one of the best books I’ve read all year (and definitely one of my top academic books). It’s worth highlighting specifically what made the medical magic school aspect of this story so freaking good. You really get into the nitty gritty of how the magic works – everything from training on cadavers to experimenting with untested industry-advancing medical magic theory. Then we also get these complete case studies as part of their final exam where we get to follow the process all the way from symptom presentations to diagnosis to treatment plans. These students are brilliant, most at the top of their graduating class, and the amount of detail they get into during these final exams is so satisfying. It ticks all my boxes, and I’ll long remember this book for how perfectly it presented this aspect of the story. It was phenomenal.

So now I’ve explained how completely into the story I was for the medical magic, I’ll admit that the rest of the book was good, more than passable to be fair, but a bit more focused on the interpersonal relationship of the variety of “who is sleeping with who” than I usually prefer in books. It’s part of the reason the book is being likened to Grey’s Anatomy. And I think the main reason it worked for me where other books of the same vein may have not was because of how pertinent all of the social happenings were to solving the murder-mystery case. It felt very fitting and appropriate to include and also enhanced the collegiate atmosphere the story. I also found I was a bit more emotionally invested in the characters than I might have been otherwise. It worked because it was balanced so well with the magic aspect of the story, and the author never forgot to hone back in on the elements that were making the book special. Add to all of that some great pacing, a nice variety of focus, and an incredible momentum to the end of the book, and you can see why I’m so enamored.

Overall this was a huge success for me and I think it has a strong recommendability factor to those who love dark academia, to those who like mysteries in their fantasy books, all the way to the romantasy crowd. It hit a lot of good notes without diving too far into one thing, and I’m sure I’ll be recommending it often for years to come.

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, Leticia, and Leah! <3

I’d like to thank Freya Marske, Macmillan Audio, and Netgalley for the chance to read an early audiobook copy of this book!

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

Sep 20 2026
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Novella Reviews: Finally Finishing the Seven Swords by Anthony Ryan (Books #5-7)

It’s kind of a running joke on my Youtube channel that I’ve been saying I’m going to “finally finish this series” for several years now. After all, they are so short, why on earth have I not been able to find time to read them?! As it turns out, the real issue involves overcomplicating my reading life for the sake of delivering on a bunch of arbitrary expectations I put on myself as a content creator.. but that is beyond the scope of this post. Either way, we’ve finally arrived at completion. Here are my thoughts on the remaining books in a short series I initially started in 2021…

Across the Sorrow Sea (#5) [3/5 stars]

I was worried that reading through this series more back to back would dilute the experience I had with each book, and I feel that happened a bit here. I don’t generally get on well with short stories or novellas because it doesn’t give me enough time to get really invested in the story. That said, I loved the world-building here, considering it another great installment in that regard for the series. I also liked the new character introduced, although I didn’t feel as much a connection to her as a few of the others we’ve met along the way. One thing I found satisfying is that the pivotal moment of this particular story moved things forward for me significantly. I finally feel like I understand where we are going and exactly what the stakes are, so now it’s just a matter of enjoying the ride!

The Road of Storms (#6) [3/5 stars]

I’ll admit I initially found this volume to be a lot more mundane than the previous novellas, likely because the setting was much less exotic and we seemed to almost have backtracked. I think it also prudent to admit that because of that, I had trouble staying focused while listening to the audiobook. I’d tell you the first half was dry and directionless, but that could feasibly be because I wasn’t as engaged as I should have been. As soon as I switched to the physical edition though, everything changed and suddenly the series was exciting again… although that could have been more to do with the massive conflict that took place rather than the format switch, but it’s hard to say. At the very least I was able to finish the novella fully engaged and very invested in seeing how the entire thing ends with the next book. The characters are all great profiles, some more favored (developed) than others, but other than sympathy for their plights, I’ve felt no really emotional connection to them. Is that due to the shorter page count? Ryan sure does manage to pack in a TON of things with such a small package, and the focus has been heavy on world-building (love). But at this point in the series I wish I felt just a tiny bit more invested. We’ll see what the final novella has in store.

The Infernus Gate (#7) [4.5/5 stars]

It has been my experience with each of these later books that it takes a hot minute for the story to get going. But once it does, hold on to your seat!! This finale was everything I’d hoped it would be and delivered a killer ending. Weirdly, halfway through I was wondering how we’d ever get to anything satisfying with so much ground to cover and so little time left, but I shouldn’t have doubted. The book had a ton of action sequences, some excellent backstory moments, and a lot of emotionally compelling situations. I didn’t have too terribly long to dwell on any of the things that happened, but I will still long remember the “punchline” of the story, which is probably more important, anyway.

Overall this series has been an absolute delight. I’m not sure it was quite worth how much I invested in the signed and numbered Subterranean Press hardcovers I’ve collected, but seeing as Anthony Ryan is an all-time favorite from reading his Draconius Memoria series, I’m still glad I have them. It created a unique and memorable atmosphere with its expansive world-building that is difficult to find even in full-length novels. I can’t wait to dive into my still unread books from this author!

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, Leticia, and Leah! <3

Other books you might like:

By Niki Hawkes

Sep 13 2026
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Book Review: The Infinite State by Richard Swan

Title: The Infinite State

Author: Richard Swan

Series: Decurion #1

Genre: Science Fiction

Rating: 5/5 stars!

The Overview: In this blistering science fiction epic, international bestselling author Richard Swan presents a th rilling tale of survival and an eviscerating examination of totalitarianism.THE INFINITE STATE begins at a flashpoint in the lives of a widowed party member, a disgraced investigator, and a hypersled pilot—entangled in a plot to escape the suffocating authority of a fascist state.

WHO GIVES YOU LIFE?
PATER AETERNUS.

Katherine Fuller’s husband is dead. As an esteemed member of Pater Aeternus—governing party of the fascist, galaxy-spanning Decurion Empire—he has left behind an estate of immeasurable wealth. And Katherine is going to inherit it.

WHO GIVES YOU PURPOSE?
PATER AETERNUS.

Life under the Eternal Father is rigidly stratified, surveilled, and controlled—each new day to be endured, not lived. But with Katherine’s newfound fortune, she is presented with a rare and dangerous opportunity: purchase a virgin world, and create a better, fairer society.

WHO GIVES YOU JOY?
PATER AETERNUS.

But the Empire cannot allow its wayward daughter to succeed. And as Katherine works in secret, recruiting allies she’s not even sure she can trust, she will discover exactly how far Pater Aeternus is willing to go to stop her. Because Katherine is going to create something nobody has seen for many years. A democracy. –Goodreads

Niki’s Review:

If this isn’t already on your TBR, it should be.

I wasn’t sure I was going to like this going in, having a particular aversion to fanaticism in any form. But since Swan had dazzled me before with Tyranny of Faith, I took a leap of faith and dove in anyway.

I was hooked from the first page.

There were a lot of brilliant things going on in this book. World-building that felt expansive. Characters who were anything but perfect but more endearing for it. An ominous overtone to the entire book that made my skin crawl. Superb use of pacing – this thing started with a slow burn and eventually amped up to the point where I lost sleep… I had such an experience with this book even though parts of it were really uncomfortable to read.

There’s something slightly unconventional about the way Swan tells his stories. And it really works for me. The way all three POVs were woven together to give the reader the broader picture of what’s going on in this empire was superb. I can’t think of many books I’ve read lately where I felt a genuine fear and suspense for the characters’ survival. I cannot wait to see where the story goes next in Guerrilla Republic (coming out sometime August 2027) – I need it yesterday!

I listened to this on audio and thought the narrators chosen were a perfect match for their characters. They definitely enhanced the story with their precise delivery and cadence. I think the immersive experience they offered is partly why I was able to lose myself so entirely into the story while tandem-reading (where you read the book while the audio plays in the background). Occasionally it was a bit jarring to hear the same character represented by a different narrator, as is common with multiple narrators for a story when POVs start to merge, but it didn’t take long to acclimate. Highly recommend!

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, Leticia, and Leah! <3

Also, I’d like to thank Richard Swan, Macmillian Audio, and Netgalley for the chance to read and review an early copy of this audiobook.

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes