Writer and Editor C.B. Calsing/ G.G. Royale

Anbara Salam’s “The Salvage” is a cold but cozy horror novel set on a small Scottish island in the 1960s.  Marta Khoury is a Syrian-Scottish marine archaeologist in a decade where most of those positions are taken by men. When she arrives on Cairnroch to survey the wreck of a Victorian whaling ship that has recently been repatriated to local waters, everyone expects her to be a man. She generally shrugs this off and goes about her job, diving into the icy water to catalog what remains on the ship. Between dives, however, many of the priceless relics of Auld James, celebrated native son and captain, go missing. Marta must find the pieces to save her career and, she thinks, the island. This task is muddled by several factors: the Cold War, the death of a friend, her pending divorce from her boss, an intense winter, and (maybe) a ghost.  Marta is an unreliable narrator, full of contradictions. She is insecure in her relationships but confident in her work. She is a scientist trai...

What do I love best about T. Kingfisher? One, she retells fairy tales. Sure, a lot of people do that, but not in same way she does. She doesn't just "fracture" them or tell the story from a different perspective of a character you already know. She takes the kernel of the story and goes off in an entirely new direction with it.  Take "Hemlock and Silver," for instance. From the title, you'd have no idea it was inspired by Snow White. There is, in fact, a character named Snow and another named Rose, and a mirror is definitely involved, and maybe there is a reference to a heart getting cut out. None of these tropes, however, appear in the way the reader expects. The story is told from a fresh, new perspective as well. Anja is a poisons expert who is called in by the king to diagnosis and hopefully cure what ails his daughter, Snow. I love that the main character is a woman who has spent her life perusing a passion rather than a man. She maybe thinks love is of...

Did we all have one of those best friends? The kind that captivated us when we were young, but slowly the veil was lifted and reality set in. Then, years later, you reunite. Is the new dynamic just growing up or…something else?  In Nicky Gonzalez’s “Mayra,” the narrator, Ingrid, is invited to a mysterious house in the Florida Everglades to reunite with her best friend from school, the titular character. They’ve drifted apart over the years, each blaming the other for changing. Reunited by Mayra’s boyfriend, Benji, the two women alternately bond and fight about the past and how they’ve changed. Slowly, Ingrid realizes there is something else going on in the house, not just their shifting relationship dynamics. Why is this strange window in this room? How come Ingrid seems to get turned around so easily in the surrounding swamp? Why is Benji doing THAT? The mysteries compound until Ingrid learns a terrible truth.  I would peg this is a great horror beach read. It’s gripping and ...

Silvia Moreno-Garcia is definitely rising to the top of my must-read authors list. Each story I've read of hers has not disappointed. They are historic, atmospheric, and scary. The latest I've read, "The Bewitching," stacks up well against my previous favorites.  This horror novel is told from three points of view. First, there is Minerva in a close third. She is a college student in the 1990s, studying New England's stories of witches and ghosts for her thesis. Then, there is the narrative of her great-grandmother Alba (who had a hand in raising her), told in third person in the early 1900s. She lives on a farm in Mexico. Finally, there is the story told through diary entries in the first person of Beatrice Tremblay, a writer who attended the same school as Minerva during the Great Depression. Both Alba and Beatrice face a mystery and a malicious, existential threat to themselves or loved ones, and their knowledge helps Minerva face her own peril in her time.  Li...

Where were these books when I was a teenager? “The Dream Mirrors: A Metaphysical Mystery of Magic/ Witches of Maple Hollow/ Book 2” by Megan Mary feels like a metaphysical self-help book in the form of a cozy mystery. I definitely could have benefited from both the female protagonist and the message of self-discovery and strength the story shares.  Two years have passed since Hannah Skye moved to Maple Hollow to live with her aunt. On September 9, 2009, a portal will open, and Aunt Jewelia has gathered a party of six to take advantage of this auspicious night. During the ceremony, however, something goes terribly wrong. One visitor falls into a mysterious coma, and another disappears. Hannah, with the help of her aunt and friends (both human and cat), must solve the puzzle before it’s too late.  This was a quick, fun read. Like the previous book in the series, “The Dream Haunters,” this book would make for a great fall vacation read or listen. The setting is cozy and nostalgic...

Robert Jackson Bennett’s “A Drop of Corruption” is the follow-up to “The Tainted Cup.” In this sequel, we return to the world of detective Ana Dolabra and her assistant , Dinios Kol.   This time, they are investigating a disappearance, theft, and murder in Yarrowdale , an outlying kingdom which may soon join the empire. Ana is put to the test by the mechinations of the criminal, and Dinios has a hard time keeping up but proves himself again and again . “Will we ever solve this mystery?” is the question hanging over the story from beginning to end , and the reader feels the weight o f it.   Like “The Tainted Cup,” I loved “A Drop of Corruption.” It is very true to the original world-building , and mystery keeps one intrigued throughout the book. The supporting cast is interesting, and as always, Ana, through the eyes of Dinios , is an engaging and enticing character.   Author Bennett has definitely found his genre, and I look forward to following these two on m...