Spotlight on Cabaret in Flames by Hache Pueyo

Hache Pueyo returns to Tordotcom with her latest dark fantasy novella set in alternate Brazil: CABARET IN FLAMES (on-sale 3/10/26). As brutal as it is beautiful, CABARET IN FLAMES is perfect for fans of Interview With the Vampire and Certain Dark Things

Guls can be brutal. Few know this better than Ariadne, who lost half her body to their appetites, but their brutality is a predictable constant amid Brazil’s political chaos. Now, she treats them in the specialized clinic she inherited from Erik Yurkov—the mentor who rescued her as a child, trained her in medicine, built her prostheses, and disappeared without a trace.

Ariadne’s routine is disturbed when Quaint knocks on her door: a charming, tattooed gul claiming to be Erik’s oldest friend. Quaint suspects foul play in Erik’s disappearance, and they soon discover Erik sought asylum at Cabaré, an infamous club in Rio de Janeiro frequented by the gul elite.

 Together, Ariadne and Quaint will unravel the conspiracy behind their friend’s disappearance, navigate the labyrinthine world of Ariadne’s memories, and discover what Erik means to them—and what they are starting to mean to each other.

Lauded as “a glittering neo-noir that reinvigorates vampire lore” in a starred review from Publishers Weekly, CABARET IN FLAMES by Hache Pueyo is not to be missed. 

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a purchasing link below.#CommissionsEarned

Dog Person by Camille Pagán

This is posted here as well as on Pick of the Literate.  My reasoning is as the book's narrator is a dog, that is fantasy.  

Dog Person by Camille Pagán   

I’m annoyed, I didn’t expect to like this book, and I didn’t!  I loved the darn thing.  This is a romance novel disguised as a dog book, or that was what I expected.  It was a disgustingly sweet book about a lonely guy and his dog.

The setting is a bookstore.  Harold is the dog, and Miguel is the guy. Miguel’s wife passed away.  He is not coping well. Harold is trying to take care of his human, who isn’t terribly cooperative.   

Bookstore events, a tween, and a mysterious author combine to add complications to the story.  

It is a book about feelings, acceptance, grief, love, and understanding.

Begrudgingly, it was a wonderful book, and I highly recommend it. 

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a purchasing link below.#CommissionsEarned

The Nameless Land by Kate Elliott

 This is the sequel to the Witch Roads. 

Elen, a deputy courier in service to the Empire, is still on the road.   The road is determined by Prince Gevulin, who is plotting to take the throne. 

 The plot is filled with strange creatures, often stranger allies, and abundant mysteries.  The camaraderie and loyalty of the Wardens are admirable. Palace intrigue follows the Prince’s small party through the Pall and back.

 The story is filled with treachery and magic.  El’s nephew, Kem, who isn’t really a nephew but for all intents and purposes is her nephew, had an opportunity to grow in this book.

 Elliot crafts an adventure that is difficult to put down. 

 I really enjoyed this book and hope for a sequel.

 

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a purchasing link below.#CommissionsEarned

Thank You Dwarf Readers

I just got my StatCounter report for January.  I am thrilled to see the number of folks who have come to Azure Dwarf.  With those numbers in mind, I'd like to recommend that we, collectively, try to be kind to one another.  So many things are going on in reality that I, and perhaps you, are finding refuge in other worlds and other places.  

At the moment, I'm personally immersed in the Nameless Land by Kate Elliot. It will be reviewed here as soon as I finish it.  I just finished a Jeffery Deaver book, and last week I reveled in Storm Warning by James Byrne. If you haven't discovered Byrne yet, I strongly recommend that if you enjoy abundant action and a robust, yet humble protagonist, check out Byrne.  

Also last week, Timothy Zahn's Icarus Hunt may be old but it reads well.  A good mystery surrounded by implacable aliens hell-bent on protecting their transportation monopoly. 

Again, thank you! I appreciate you visiting my blog. 

Gemini AI rendition of Azure Dwarf

 

Mageborn by Michael DeAngelo

My only complaint would be I'd like to see a little more detail The dialogue was fine, but a little more detail would have made it better. 

The story is a good start for the series, and I enjoyed the characters. It is definitely a young adult story; it would be appropriate for kids even in the third and fourth grade. 

I recommend it.

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a purchasing link below.#CommissionsEarned

Detour by Jeff Rake and Rob Hart

Detour by Jeff Rake; Rob Hart

 

This book starts out as a normal “reach for the stars” book.  A billionaire recruits three astronauts and three civilians to fly his “starship” to Titan.   If this seems familiar that is due to the fact that similar situations are occurring as I write this. From Google, “The most prominent billionaires with space companies include Elon Musk (SpaceX), focused on Mars colonization and Starlink; Jeff Bezos (Blue Origin), aiming for space industry and tourism; and Richard Branson (Virgin Galactic), specializing in suborbital tourism, while others like Fatih & Eren Ozmen (Sierra Nevada Corp) and Kam Ghaffarian (Intuitive Machines) also have significant space ventures.”

 

John Ward is a billionaire following the footsteps of real-life billionaires.  His goal seems reasonable.  He wants to see if Titan can be colonized as Earth is in jeopardy due to climate change. Of course, it would be interesting with just that premise, but the authors throw in intrigue, deception, betrayal, and more.

 

This book stops dead just as it gets interesting.  It shows the roots or being related to the TV work of the authors.  Keeping them hanging until the next episode is a typical TV producer’s strategy. A nice wrap-up with more to come is preferable to a cliff hanger, in my opinion.

 

Detour is a good book, with interesting, flawed characters that is worth reading.

I only hope they don’t take forever to provide us with the sequel.

 

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a purchasing link below.#CommissionsEarned

Lies Weeping by Glen Cook

Lies Weeping by Glen Cook

 

I found the book confusing. On checking my database, I have read 34 Glen Cook books.  I am a fan. This book takes the Black Company or its remnants back to the Glittering Stones.  

 

I guess it has been ten years since I last read one of Cook’s books, and frankly, I have minimal recollection of the stories.  Some of the characters are vaguely familiar but vagueness just doesn’t cut it.

 

If you want to read this book, I suggest you read the Black Company books first.  I suspect that if I had better recollection of the past books, I might have enjoyed this one.
 

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a purchasing link below.#CommissionsEarned