An unpredictable vampire thriller with just enough action, romance, and politics to keep readers on the hook.
In Linde’s supernatural novel, a young woman narrowly escapes from her vampire captor only to discover worse trouble brewing as a new threat bears down on the human world.
This second book in the Blood Type series continues the story of Reyna Carpenter, a human living in a world largely run by vampires. She is held captive and forced to act as a personal blood bag by the sadistic William Harrington, president and CEO of Visage, a vampire-run company that pairs vampires with matching blood donors (AKA “blood escorts”). After being terrorized by another one of Harrington’s captives—a seemingly crazed vampire known only as “B”—Reyna is rescued by members of Elle, an underground rebel group intent upon taking down Visage once and for all. During her escape, Reyna insists on also rescuing Jodie, a young woman whose blood is used to create an antidote that prevents vampires from having to rely on blood matches (a “huge leap for vamp-kind”). Finally reunited with her vampire lover, Beckham Anderson, Reyna dives deeper into Elle’s mission…and unwittingly stumbles across a horrifying plot. Attempting to stop it will put those whom Reyna loves the most—including her brothers and Beckham himself—at risk. A twisty continuation of Reyna’s ill-fated adventures in blood-escorting and love, this novel leans into its political undertones as the underground rebel group also deals with a new mayor who may or may not have their best intentions in mind. While some readers may balk at yet another unabashed cliffhanger that essentially forces them to read the next book if they have any hope for a satisfying conclusion, Linde includes enough genuinely surprising twists (including the identity of B and the ending itself) to make the reading experience worthwhile. The confident prose, steamy vampire–human sex scenes, and a rebellion worth rooting for ultimately result in a compelling page-turner that will more than satisfy fans of the genre.
An unpredictable vampire thriller with just enough action, romance, and politics to keep readers on the hook.Pub Date: Oct. 21, 2025
ISBN: 9781649379726
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Entangled: Red Tower Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 8, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A cleverly titled, cozy SF romance that marks Thorne as a writer to watch.
After purchasing a dilapidated, century-old starship called the Destitute, Torian Razner discovers that the moss covering it is, in fact, a deeply sarcastic sentient computer with abandonment issues.
Torian’s sister, Celise, is dying. Determined to save her life by getting her to a distant planet with air she can breathe, Torian ignores her former captain Amelia Perrosk’s warning that it’s an impossible task (along with any romantic feelings she might have for Amelia). Using the only ionite bars she has to her name, Torian purchases an ancient, moss-covered alien starship that appears to be on its last legs, so to speak. She hardly expected the moss to be a sentient computer or for it to hold a century-old grudge against its former alien captain. Moss quickly proves itself to be acerbic, intelligent, and rightly angry after being having been left behind for 100 years by its former captain. The two form a reluctant and surprising alliance, Torian proving to Moss that not all captains are “dog-turd fungus,” and they both gradually evolve into the best versions of themselves, human or otherwise. It’s obvious from the early pages that Thorne has crafted a story tailored to fans of Becky Chambers’ Monk & Robot series and Martha Wells’ Murderbot Diaries. Falling somewhere between the two, this is a delightful mashup of romance, found family, and a touch of violence as Moss grapples with its feelings about its former captain and the unexpected kindness that Torian shows. Sweet without being overly saccharine, it’s a book for readers who want the adventure that comes with the vastness of outer space without its harsher realities.
A cleverly titled, cozy SF romance that marks Thorne as a writer to watch.Pub Date: July 7, 2026
ISBN: 9781250414144
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Bramble Books
Review Posted Online: April 20, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
Though it falters a bit under its own weight, this series still has plenty of fight left.
In this long-awaited fifth installment of Shannon’s Bone Season series, the threat to the clairvoyant community spreads like a plague across Europe.
After extending her fight against the Republic of Scion to Paris, Paige Mahoney, leader of London’s clairvoyant underworld and a spy for the resistance movement, finds herself further outside her comfort zone when she wakes up in a foreign place with no recollection of getting there. More disturbing than her last definitive memory, in which her ally-turned-lover Arcturus seems to betray her, is that her dreamscape—the very soul of her clairvoyance—has been altered, as if there’s a veil shrouding both her memories and abilities. Paige manages to escape and learns she’s been missing and presumed dead for six months. Even more shocking is that she’s somehow outside of Scion’s borders, in the free world where clairvoyants are accepted citizens. She gets in touch with other resistance fighters and journeys to Italy to reconnect with the Domino Programme intelligence network. In stark contrast to the potential of life in the free world is the reality that Scion continues to stretch its influence, with Norway recently falling and Italy a likely next target. Paige is enlisted to discover how Scion is bending free-world political leaders to its will, but before Paige can commit to her mission, she has her own mystery to solve: Where in the world is Arcturus? Paige’s loyalty to Arcturus is tested as she decides how much to trust in their connection and how much information to reveal to the Domino Programme about the Rephaite—the race of immortals from the Netherworld, Arcturus’ people—and their connection to the founding of Scion, as well as the presence of clairvoyant abilities on Earth. While the book is impressively multilayered, the matter-of-fact way in which details from the past are sprinkled throughout will have readers constantly flipping to the glossary. As the series’ scope and the implications of the war against Scion expand, Shannon’s narrative style reads more action-thriller than fantasy. Paige’s powers as a dreamwalker are rarely used here, but when clairvoyance is at play, the story shines.
Though it falters a bit under its own weight, this series still has plenty of fight left.Pub Date: Feb. 25, 2025
ISBN: 9781639733965
Page Count: 576
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
