Shadow Balls, Fading Frogs, and a Lonely Genius Looking for Connection

by Abigail Manning

The Shadow Realm retells The Invisible Man, Pinocchio, and Dracula around one event, the Silver Shadow Ball in the kingdom of Umbria, where a princess and her two noble friends are counting down the minutes. Readers mention gender bent plots, hidden identities, and enemies to lovers, and the story rotates between Garnet, Aethera, and Ebony, which keeps the anthology moving. It's sitting at 4.5 with 52 ratings, so it's well liked, and it's a good pick if you want your Halloween reading to feel more like a ballgown than a haunted house.

“༄˖°..ೃ࿔*:･༄˖°..ೃ࿔*:･༄˖°..ೃ࿔*:･༄˖°..ೃ࿔*:･༄˖° 🍂~Genres~🍂 Fantasy/Retelling/Romance/Gender bent/Hidden identity/Enemies to lovers/Anthology... kinda A Shadowy Retelling of The Invisible Man, Pinocchio, and Dracula... 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚟𝚒𝚜𝚒𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚗 🫥~Characters~🫥 (Aethera "Talia") FMC I really lik”

by Adelle Summers

A Kiss to Break the Spell gives us Roland, a prince turned frog who is fading fast and honestly fine with it, because forgetting what he lost hurts less. Then Clara shows up with a plan and a kingdom is in peril. One reviewer admitted the Frog Prince is one of her least favorite fairy tales and still gave this a go, which tells me it might win over skeptics. It holds a 4.03 from 39 readers, and I'd hand it to anyone who likes their fairy tales sarcastic and a little sad.

by Rich Marcello

Rich Marcello's The Connection in Everything follows a lonely sixteen-year-old genius who believes everything is linked. A mysterious mentor and an enchanting young artist turn that theory into something personal. This is the quiet, thoughtful pick of the week. Reviewers call it a book for a cup of tea or a glass of wine in your favorite cozy spot, and long-time Marcello fans are already praising his big ideas. A 4.39 from 18 ratings is a small sample, but a happy one, and it's for readers who like coming-of-age stories that think hard about family, first love, and vulnerability.

“I have read, reviewed, and loved several of Rich Marcello’s novels, and I am always happy to hear he has a new book out. His are novels of big ideas populated by interesting characters, and they make readers ponder and reconsider things that perhaps they have never given much thought to. This novel ”