Hecate Reads – Because I just can't seem to keep my opinions to myself

The author kindly allowed me to be an ARC reader for this book. The hero who thinks they are just a normal person until their history is revealed is a major trope in fantasy – Luke Skywalker anyone? Main character Sif Lanthor is exactly such a person. She thinks she is just a “normal girl” […]

Fantasy

Bone Blight by Morgan Quaid

March 7, 2026

Hecate

The author offered this novella as a freebie for signing up for his newsletter. The description sounded interesting so I signed up. The book is a quick read, only a dozen chapters. It’s a prequel to the main events of the Petra Graves Chronicles, a 10-book series, (complete if I’m not mistaken) and serves as […]

Fantasy

Ashes of the Revolution by Nathan G Alexander

March 1, 2026

Hecate

I recently started reaching out to authors who post on Instagram that they are looking for ARC readers and it’s been a fascinating experience. All of the books I have received fall within the fantasy genre, but they could not be more different from each other. Ashes of the Revolution falls on the more realistic […]

Fantasy

Zodiac Academy: The Awakening by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti

February 21, 2026

Hecate

I am genuinely unsure what to make of this book. So first of all, it has a lot of pretty well-worn tropes. I don’t usually hold that against a writer, some of my favourite stories are re-imaginings of older works. But the “re-imagining” part is definitely not playing a role here, the main characters are […]

Romantasy

Alchemised by SenLinYu

February 16, 2026

Hecate

Oh my Gods, I loved this book so much. Normally when I read I have a notepad next to me and I note down points that I want to mention later. For this book, I made zero notes – I was glued to the story from the very first page. There are parts of the […]

Fantasy

.dot/slash(magic) by Liz Shipton

February 8, 2026

Hecate

This was a thoroughly enjoyable story. I put it in the “fantasy” section because although there is romance, it’s not the main focus of the story. And although it deals with computers, I wouldn’t call it science fiction either. Instead it fits into that “fantastical science” category inhabited by stories like Matrix and Stargate. The […]

Romantasy

This Is How You Lose The Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

January 25, 2026

Hecate

I had to think about which category this book belongs in before finally deciding on Romantasy. The romance is absolutely the central focus of the book, but do I call it a fantasy? Eventually I decided that the world-building is “fantastic” enough to count, but if I run into any more like this I may […]

Paranormal Romance

The Primal of Blood and Bone by Jennifer L Armentrout

January 15, 2026

Hecate

I really enjoyed the first four books of the series, but I have to admit that this one disappointed me. It felt really disjointed, like Armentrout didn’t really have a clear view of where the plot was going and she just kept throwing in extra characters to make things happen. First of all it took […]

Romantasy

Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J Maas

January 3, 2026

Hecate

This book is honkin’ huge. Which makes sense because there is a lot of ground to cover. The team is scattered across the map, each group with a different task to accomplish and all facing incredible odds against success. Doing their respective stories justice is bound to take a lot of pages. Another character reappears […]

Romantasy

Tower of Dawn by Sarah J Maas

December 25, 2025

Hecate

I am ashamed to admit how long it took me to notice the pun in the name of this book – Yrene’s last name is towers and her magic looks like white light. I never claimed to be smart. So this entire book takes place in the city of Antica in the Southern Kingdom. The […]