Here at Once Upon a Book Club, we love checking in to see what everyone is reading. To be honest, that question, “So…what are you reading at the moment?” has a small but bookishly happy downside! I just know my TBR list is about to get just that much longer!

You’re in for a treat this month as our team just breathes diversity! This is quite a range. We have everything from dark academia and atmospheric horror through to fantasy battles, feminist witches, and historical adventures.

Just a quick warning before you venture any further, your TBR list might just not survive this one!

 

Logan: Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

“I missed the hype when it initially came out, so I'm glad to finally be experiencing it. I'm so excited for more to be revealed as I continue to read!”

About the Book

After receiving a frantic letter from her newly married cousin begging to be saved from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada travels to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. Glamorous, smart, and definitely more suited to cocktail parties than creepy investigations, Noemí may not seem like the obvious rescuer, but she is tough, determined, and not easily frightened.

Inside High Place, she finds a strange and unsettling world filled with family secrets, faded wealth, dark dreams, and whispered stories of violence and madness. As the house begins to invade her dreams, Noemí must uncover what is really happening before High Place refuses to let her go. 

 

Sydney: The Women of Wild Hill by Kirsten Miller

“I absolutely loved Kirsten Miller's previous novels, and I was immediately interested in this feminist story about modern-day witches. This book is character-driven, so it's a little slower, but I'm loving the story and don't want to put it down.”

About the Book

The Women of Wild Hill is a witty, timely story about modern-day witches, family legacy, and women waging war on the patriarchy. Wild Hill, located on the tip of Long Island, is a place where nature’s powers gather, and girls raised there inherit strange gifts. For generations, the Duncan women called Wild Hill home, each generation becoming more powerful than the last.

Now, Brigid, Phoebe, and Sibyl are brought back to Wild Hill to discover their family legacy. With old grievances, powerful gifts, and a furious ancient force choosing them to help turn the tide, these women must come together as a family. 

 

Teri: Deathbringer by Sonia Tagliareni

“I really just can't resist a book with a magical academy that's hiding a dark secret. I like the writing style and the descriptions of the magic system.”

About the Book

Deathbringer is a dark academia romantasy filled with necromancy, forbidden love, and a murder mystery inside the dangerous halls of a magical institute. Viola inherited the ability to speak with the dead, but she hates her magic. It killed her sister, Olivia, and if Viola cannot learn why, she fears it will kill her too.

Her search for answers leads her to Gorhail Institute of Magic, where she clashes with Sylas, a poison mage connected to three magical snakes. When a magical bond ties them together, they are forced into an uneasy alliance as students begin turning up dead.

 

Ryan: This Inevitable Ruin by Matt Dinniman

“This is the 7th book in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series. I love this series; each book is crazier than the last. This book is the big battle and the riskiest for the characters, and I'm nervous but excited to see what happens.”

About the Book

In the seventh book of the Dungeon Crawler Carl series, Carl and Princess Donut have reached the ninth floor, where nine armies, led by powerful aliens from across the galaxy, battle to capture and hold the castle at the centre of the battlefield. Usually, this sort of televised war is all strategy, alliances, betrayal, and entertainment, because the powerful aliens do not really die.

Except this time, they do.

As the AI continues to decline, Carl and company take advantage of the chaos and, for the first time, the crawlers are fighting back as one of the nine teams. With self-aware NPCs forming a tenth army and the stakes higher than ever for Donut and Katia, this is war in every sense. 

 

Nicole: A Parade of Horribles by Matt Dinniman

“I'm so happy to be back in this world! Especially with Jeff Hayes as narrator! I'm already loving the setup for this level because it's kind of deathly Mario Kart 👀”

About the Book

The eighth book in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series sends Carl and Donut to the tenth floor, where they must compete in what sounds like a surprisingly normal set of tasks. Well, normal for the dungeon, which means we are already suspicious.

This time, it is all about races: get from point A to point B and do not come in last. After each race, they upgrade their vehicle, and the track becomes more difficult. Simple enough, right? Not quite. Glitches are increasing, whispers are spreading about the mysterious eleventh floor, and the system AI has ominously named it A Parade of Horribles. Carl, naturally, hates that the rules have taken away his agency, so he begins planning something dangerous, secret, and possibly disastrous. “Deathly Mario Kart” suddenly feels very accurate.

 

Tristan: Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus

“It is based on the true story of Manjiro Nakahama and his journey sounds absolutely incredible, so I'm very excited to learn more!”

About the Book

Heart of a Samurai begins in 1841, when a Japanese fishing vessel sinks, and its crew is forced to swim to a small, unknown island. They are rescued by a passing American ship, but because Japan’s borders remain closed to Western nations, the crew sets off for America, learning English along the way.

Fourteen-year-old Manjiro is curious, eager to learn, and fascinated by this new culture. He is eventually adopted by the ship’s captain and brought to New England, later travelling to San Francisco to pan for gold. After years away, Manjiro returns to Japan, only to be imprisoned as an outsider. Yet his hard-won knowledge of the West places him in a unique position to help persuade the shogun to ease open Japan’s boundaries. His dream of becoming a samurai may even be within reach.

The Final Bookmark

And there we have it, our team’s bookshelf. We have a bit of everything: haunted houses, modern witches, magical murder mysteries, dungeon warfare, and one incredible true story of courage and adventure.

Here at Once Upon a Book Club, everyone brings something different to the table. That is why our reading lists feel a bit more exciting, if not a little mysterious, and possibly a little more out of control. Exactly how we like it!

And, of course, if you love books that come with a little extra magic, our Once Upon a Book Club subscriptions are ready to bring stories to life with wrapped gifts you open as you read. Because reading is already wonderful, but with added surprise gifts, it's captivating!

Summer vacations are just around the corner, and if you’re looking to read something on the go but still experience that Once Upon a Book Club magic, then our mini boxes were made for you!