We Who Will Die  by Stacie Stark is a fast-paced, immersive fantasy story. Although it is the first installment in a trilogy, it feels like it would have made an excellent second book. The reader is immediately thrown into an ancient Roman-inspired fantasy world, beginning in a tavern where we meet Arvelle, who is working as a bodyguard. From the start, we learn about her strong sense of family and her keen eye for detail, traits that carry throughout the book. In the tavern,

There are some books you can read passively, and others that demand your full attention—where missing even a single line can disrupt the entire experience. Water Moon is firmly in the latter category. It’s an active, immersive read that requires you to stay present. The story follows Hana, a new pawnshop owner, and Kei, one of her clients, as they search for Hana’s missing father. But this is not a journey through our world. Hana’s pawnshop deals not in objects, but in choice

This felt like the longest 300-page book I’ve ever read. It was slow to start, difficult to get into, and overly drawn out for the amount of story it told. That said, I appreciated that it wasn’t a copy-and-paste romantasy novel. The story felt original, and the writing style was unique, which helped it stand apart from others in the genre. Unfortunately, I struggled with the characters. I wanted to root for them, but I just couldn’t connect. It felt like the story was bein