King Sorrow by Joe Hill

I've liked Joe Hill's previous novels and short stories, but with his latest novel, King Sorrow, I've been converted to a full-on fan. This book, an epic tale of greed, ambition, and friendship, is his best yet. 

Arthur, Colin, Allie, Van, Donna, and Gwen are college friends who enjoy experimenting with the occult. When Arthur is blackmailed into stealing rare books from the college library, they band together to summon a dragon, King Sorrow from the Long Dark. Little do they realize that their seemingly innocent act will have grave consequences, as they find themselves in a lifelong pact with the dragon--they must choose a sacrifice every year or one of them will be the next victim. This burden weighs heavily on their shoulders. 

Spanning decades, the book follows the friends as they mature and go their separate ways. Bound by the pact with King Sorrow, they face a never-ending commitment to finding a yearly sacrifice, often with innocent individuals as collateral damage. Arthur explores ways to end the Faustian agreement, but not all his friends are willing to relinquish their power. As the rift among the friends deepens, they each face a moral dilemma that strains their relationships, inviting the reader to empathize with their predicament. If you enjoy horror stories with great characters facing morally dubious situations, I recommend this book. 

5/5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and William Morrow, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is October 21, 2025.

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The Black Bird Oracle by Deborah Harkness

 I loved the first three books in this series*; even the fourth one, which read like a standalone, was good. This book is my least favorite. It had a good story, but it did drag in parts—nothing that a good editor couldn't have fixed.

This story is set a few years after the end of the third book, The Book of Life. The twins are now seven years old, and Mathew and Diana live most of the year in the US, where Diana teaches at Yale and Mathew is continuing his creature DNA research.

The school year is over, and the family is preparing to spend the summer in England when a letter arrives from the Congregation, notifying Mathew and Diana that it is time for the twins' magical abilities to be tested. At the same time, Diana receives a message from her great-aunt, Gwyneth Proctor, telling her that she must come to the Proctor family home of Ravenswood. Once at Ravenswood, Diana learns it is time to develop her higher magic skills, with Aunt Gwyneth as her tutor.

This story is good because it explores an area of magic viewed as dangerous in the previous books. Diana and Mathew must come to terms with the fact that Diana is an even more powerful witch than they previously believed. Overall, I did like the book, but I found the pacing uneven and got bogged down in places. 

3.5/5 stars.

* The previous books in the series, in order, are A Discovery of Witches, Shadow of Night, The Book of Life, and Time's Convert.

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