Month: July 2026

Angelo Sapiens and the Serpent’s Stone by Keerthana Balamurugan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Great world building, but suffers in comparison with Harry Potter

I’m giving this one 3.5 stars out of 5. There’s a lot to like here. The Christian mythology is an interesting take on fantasy, the world-building is excellent, and the characters have depth. The illustrations scattered throughout enrich the experience. However, I found the book somewhat long, and the constant use of ellipses off-putting. The similarity to Harry Potter is also distracting, because one can’t help but compare, even though the story does stand up well on its own.





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The Tulip Shirt Murders by Heather Weidner

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


A Satisfying Cozy Private Eye Story

Yes, I know… A true cozy has an amateur sleuth, and Delanie Fitzgerald is a card-carrying PI. But The Tulip Shirt Murders has a cozy soul. Quirky characters, off-screen violence, and nothing you wouldn’t mind if your Mama caught you reading. It’s in the spirit of Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone, a cracking good mystery with a complex plot, authentic PI tradecraft, an excellent setting (Greater Richmond Va.); in short, everything you need to curl up for a few hours and forget your troubles. Who could ask for more?



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