Home of the Alpha Showdown, and one-stop shop for urban fantasy, paranormal romance and fantasy news and reviews.
Rosewater (The Wormwood Trilogy #1) Tade Thompson Published: Sept. 18, 2018 (Orbit) Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon Review source: purchased Reviewed by: Amy Rating (out of 5): 4 stars Rosewater is a city in a near-future Nigeria that formed around a mysterious alien biodome that appeared eleven years ago. Every year, the dome opens and releases healing to those gathered around the dome. This is known... 
84K Claire North Published: May 24, 2018 (Orbit) Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon Review Source: copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review Reviewed by: Beth Rating (out of 5): 2 stars Life in our world has changed—it’s become nothing but a number, an amount of worth. Everyone has worth—except for those who don’t. And in this world, any crime is ok, as long as those who commit it can... 
The Dark Calling (Arcana Chronicles #5) Kresley Cole Published: Feb. 13, 2018 Purchase at: Amazon Review source: purchased Reviewed by: Chelsea Rating (out of 5): 4.5 stars Note: This review will be spoiler free (and it’s a challenge!), but will assume you are already familiar with the series. If you haven’t started the Arcana Chronicles, we suggest reading our review of Poison Princess. If you’re a... 
Win It Wednesday is back, and we have a just-released sci-fi goodness up for grabs today with Sarah Tarkoff’s Sinless. It’s the first in her Eye of the Beholder series, and sounds super good. In Grace Luther’s world, morality is physically enforced. Those who are “good” are blessed with beauty, while those who are not suffer horrifying consequences—disfigurement or even death. The daughter of a cleric,... 
Bannerless (Bannerless Saga #1) Carrie Vaughn Published: July 11, 2017 (John Joseph Adams) Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon Review source: copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review Reviewed by: Beth Rating (out of 5): 2 stars Enid lives in the United States—or what remain of them, decades after civilization fell and was virtually destroyed. A time where girls get birth control... 
Win It Wednesday is back, because who doesn’t love awesome books for free? You might remember me gushing over Ann Aguirre’s Vanguard not too long ago. It was a companion novel to her post-apocalyptic young adult Razorland trilogy. While my Vanguard review focused on the relationship that made the book sing (and the best first kiss scene I’ve read in some time), I discovered many of you hadn’t read the... 
Raid K.S. Merbeth Published: Jul. 25, 2017 (Orbit) Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon Review source: copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review Reviewed by: Margaret Rating (out of 5): 3 stars Clementine is a bounty hunter in the post-apocalyptic land known as the wastes. It’s a desert landscape dotted with small, ramshackle villages that survive on scavenged bottled water and canned... 
Vanguard (Razorland #4) Ann Aguirre Published: July 25, 2017 (Feiwel & Friends) Purchase at: Book Depository or Amazon Review source: copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review Reviewed by: Chelsea Rating (out of 5): 4.5 stars It’s been several years since I read the original Razorland trilogy, but still when someone brings up Enclave I can’t wait to talk about the fascinating... 
It’s been a hot minute since we gave away a young adult book in Win It Wednesday. I didn’t forget about everyone who loves their YA fixes (myself included!), and I have an excellent book for you this week: Glitter by Aprilynne Pike. Despite the name, don’t expect Mariah Carey at all. We’re talking Breaking Bad meets Marie Antoinette. Royalty going drug dealer in a dystopian setting with bonus points for... 
Metaltown Kristen Simmons Published: September 20, 2016 (Tor Teen) Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon Review Source: copy purchased by reviewer Reviewed by: Beth Rating (out of 5): 4 stars In Metaltown war—and the factories that feed it—is a constant. So is disease, starvation, and brutal rule by a cadre of “officials” who are all in the back pocket of the wealthiest family in the area. This world is... 
