by MK French
Speculative fiction is an umbrella genre. It encompasses all genres that deviate from reality: fantasy, mythology, dystopian, science fiction, magical realism, etc. This is a fun genre as it lets us explore what-ifs and dig deeper into sensitive issues that might be more difficult to address in real life.
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The God and the Gwisin by Sophie Kim
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| June 2025; Del Rey; 978-0593599686 audio, ebook, print (416 pages); mythology |
Hoping to find Hana again, Seokga is working on bettering himself. He has a therapist and works tirelessly to be good. When the red thread of fate finds him, he unfortunately doesn't find Hana. Yoo Kisa has no memory of him, and all she knows is that she's working off a massive karmic debt aboard the SRC Flatliner. When the heavenly emperor is murdered aboard the ship, Seokga and Kisa must solve the crime as well as decide what they truly mean to each other. But something aboard holds the key to Kisa and Seokga’s fated connection as well as the fate of the mortal and heavenly realms.
This is the sequel to The God And The Gumiho, the second book in the Fate's Thread series. Seokga isn't as surly as he was in the first novel, since he's had a therapist working with him for thirty-three years. He searched for Hana's reincarnation and is at once delighted and frustrated with Kisa. Some mannerisms are the same, and some are completely different. She's whip smart and had been a doctor, working with the supernatural maternity ward prior to her death. The two are drawn together not just by the red thread of fate, but the murder investigation on the ship. Memories and attraction between them are high, as are tensions from trying to solve the murder.
I liked seeing this side of Seokga. I guessed the murderer, though I had really hoped to be wrong. Seokga had been through a lot over the course of his life, and the betrayal and manipulation involved are painful to think about. He takes it much more gracefully than I would, and the novel ends with a brighter future for him. Kisa is such a fun character, nerding out on the thread, reincarnation, and the theory behind the supernatural. I would have done that, too! I enjoyed seeing the pair fall in love again and get closure for some of the events of the first book. I hope we get to see them again in future novels.
Buy The God and the Gwisin at Amazon
Awakened by Laura Elliott
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| June 2025; Angry Robot; 978-1915998903 audio, ebook, print (400 pages); dystopian sci-fi |
In a dystopian future, scientists found a way to take away sleep in order to make people more productive. This led to people instead becoming feral monsters. Three scientists remain in the Tower of London searching for a way to reverse the damage done. Two survivors enter the tower, but are they really the answer to this problem?
Thea Chares, the Professor, and Edgar are all that remains of the main team hired on by millionaires and an Anonymous Donor. The Tower of London was purchased and repurposed into the company labs where the neuralchip was developed and implanted, a procedure repeated by other countries across the world, beginning with the military. The chips abruptly failed, leading to zombie behaviors, increased healing and strength, another row of teeth, and loss of reason in addition to the inability to sleep.
The novel is told as Thea's journal, so we get not only her perspective and guilt for her role in this, but also her history, her love for her mother, and resentment at the myalgic encephalitis that meant she was belittled by doctors and unable to be the mother that Thea wanted. The other survivors in the Tower of London complex were auxiliary staff, all normal humans, and some also resented the doctors who invented the chip. The two arriving at the complex have the chips and aren't mindless in the same way, unending what the Professor and Edgar thought about the chips, sleep, and feasibility of a cure. The arrival ultimately causes Thea to really ponder her grief and roles in life. She wanted a cure for her mother’s illness and a place in the world, but the world is a changed one, and she no longer fits in it.
The concepts of more time, better quality sleep, and what makes us human are common ones to explore. There are common cruelties in the world for those considered other, and Thea is just aware enough of her own hypocrisy and contradiction to feel even more guilty when called out on it. She genuinely wanted to do good, which helps us sympathize with her and accompany her throughout the months of study. The small details build up, and the end of the novel is full of additional shocks and confusion. Helplessness is her greatest fear, and we see how little control she has, even among her colleagues. They use her discoveries to further their ideas, and don't allow others autonomy. The medical horrors here aren't just how utterly inhuman (and inhumane) medical research can be, but in how the best of intentions are able to become monstrous dystopian worlds.
Buy Awakened at Amazon
This Princess Kills Monsters by Ry Herman
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| June 2025; Dial Press; 978-0593733080 audio, ebook, print (416 pages); fantasy |
Melilot is often sent on dangerous quests by her stepmother, then must be rescued by her more magically talented stepsisters. Now she is commanded to marry a king she’s never met. En route, spider-wolves attack. Twelve masked huntsmen rescue her, but there are other assassination attempts, a talking lion giving out gender tests, and a king who doesn't recognize her when she puts on a pair of trousers. Even worse, she is attracted to one of the huntsmen and her fiancé’s attractive sister. If Melilot can't rescue herself from peril, kingdoms will fall. Worse, she could end up married to someone she doesn’t love.
The Kingdom of Skella is laced with magic and ruled by a powerful Sorceress, Melilot's stepmother. She's the middle of three girls and not as good as her sisters in magic, and always feels less than. She's selected to marry and is attacked en route. She pretends to be her own handmaid, and realizes that this new kingdom doesn't have magic. They find her experiences and past quests impossible, though the twelve identical huntsmen all have different talents, such as heightened vision, the ability to blow things over with a nostril exhalation, or causing a snowstorm if not wearing a hat. Tradition is important, especially to the magical talking lion that serves as the advisor for the kingdom for generations. Someone is targeting the royal family, and Melilot is tangled in the entire mess. She's drawn to Princess Angelique, but more so to Sam, one of the twelve hunters.
I love the mention of myths and fairy tales that pepper Skella and its environs. It was fun to pick out the mentions and see how it was adapted into the novel. I also enjoyed seeing Melilot grow over the course of the story. She resented her stepmother from the start, and feeling weak compared to her sisters, but never saw what she could do. By the end of the novel, she has a greater appreciation for herself and understands the dynamics of her family much better. We also see the truth that healing isn't just rebuilding destroyed castle walls and saying someone is free, it's asking what people actually need and trying to get them there. Melilot might be the discarded fiancée of the Twelve Huntsman story, but she's ready for her own happily ever after.
Buy This Princess Kills Monsters at Amazon
The Lady, The Tiger, and the Girl Who Loved Death by Helen Marshall
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| June 2025; Titan Books; Titan Books audio, ebook, print (432 pages); fantasy |
Sara Sidorova was visited by Amba, the tiger god, who gave her a glimpse into the future. Years later, her granddaughter Irenda will grow up in a war-torn country where survival means obedience. When a devastating attack orphans her, she travels to Hrana City. Within the circus, staff will teach Irenda how to tame death. It's dangerous to carry out a revenge decades in the making, but it will bring justice into the world for herself and for her family.
The book is structured as stories within stories, a sleepy once upon a time built on the bones of an Eastern European countryside. Sara was widowed and shot in the same area where her granddaughter Irenda will grow up. The town is one where neighbors watch and inform on each other, and a bomb turns victims into heroes. Grief carries a currency and cachet in this world, and Irenda still carries it with her when she meets Sara. It's a little more muted when she's in the circus, but hovers throughout her actions. The oppressive government sponsors the circus, so its dread fills the members. She starts off caring for the tiger, seen as the personification of death, and the revenge that Sara sought is a convoluted one after Irenda has her own sorrow and pain to deal with.
The novel takes us behind the scenes of a circus, with the acts and magic shows watched very closely by the military in charge. The tense undercurrent and grief carry Irenda forward, with Sara's viewpoint at intervals. The wars tear the ordinary people apart, and opportunities for justice or survival are sometimes few and only within the realm of story. The lyrical writing makes this feel like a modern fairy tale.
Buy The Lady, The Tiger, and the Girl Who Loved Death at Amazon
A Magic Deep and Drowning by Hester Fox
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| June 2025; Graydon House; 978-1525831652 audio, eboo, print (352 pages); historical fantasy |
In 1650, Friesland, Clara van Wieren ignores superstition to accept the proposal from a wealthy merchant and escape her overbearing mother. She tries to run his household, and is drawn to a young man named Maurits. As enamored as she is, Clara realizes that Maurits isn’t who he seems to be, and his secrets are dangerous. An ancient bargain between the mythical people of the sea and the rulers of the land begins to unravel, and Clara finds herself at the heart of a deadly struggle for power.
The story is heavily influenced by The Little Mermaid, both the original Hans Christian Andersen and the Disney version. We have a collection of human artifacts scavenged from shipwrecks, a hidden grotto, and stolen voices. The need for sacrifice and the different kinds of supernatural creatures are straight out of classic fairy tales of the region. It was interesting to see those stories in the interludes, so we know more when we see the creatures actually showing up. In addition to concern about the supernatural, there's also commentary on human greed, the drive to extract resources for profit without concern for the future, and the willingness to sacrifice children to that greed.
Clara's mother isn't just overbearing, but abusive and dismissive. She is desperate for affection, which she gets from her nurse. The love between Clara and Maurits feels sudden, like the instant falling in love at first sight trope. Clara defies convention to see him before her marriage, despite the knowledge that he lied about who he was every time he met her. As a prince of the merpeople, he tended to shirk his duties to be on land and then to be near Clara. Even when punished, his thoughts are of her. She similarly thinks of him, even after discovering the truth. Their story is a little convoluted, as Clara wants to try saving humanity by telling people the truth. Humans no longer believe in magic, which makes it hard to change their ways. Interesting twists in characters at the end, and I hope that the future will be better for them. The story is ultimately a romance novel, but there's a price to that happily ever after.
Buy A Magic Deep and Drowning at Amazon
Born and raised in New York City, M.K. French started writing stories when very young, dreaming of different worlds and places to visit. She always had an interest in folklore, fairy tales, and the macabre, which has definitely influenced her work. She currently lives in the Midwest with her husband, three young children, and a golden retriever.
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