Category: Features
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Interview with Alex Woodroe, author of The Night Ship
This week, I’m excited to invite Alex Woodroe onto the blog to discuss her latest horror novel, The Night Ship! The Night Ship is a survival story set in 1980s Romania. After a mysterious message is heard from the radio, the whole world goes dark. Rosi and the other survivors must rely on each other… Read more
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Goodbye 2025! End of the Year Wrap Up
Happy holidays! 2025 was a big year, so I’m excited to recap everything! This year I celebrated the 5th anniversary of Word Wilderness in April followed by a summer blog makeover. I’m still really happy with how everything looks and functions, so I’m so glad I took time to refresh everything. I also had my… Read more
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My Book Review Writing Process
Writing book reviews is hard! I have stressed about review length, consistency, why I like or dislike a book, whether I should like or dislike a book, and on and on. Then I have to come up with coherent thoughts about what I read! I’ve found a lot of great advice from other book bloggers,… Read more
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Has The StoryGraph Surpassed Goodreads in 2025?
I compared The StoryGraph to Goodreads back in 2022 when the platform was still pretty new. I promised an update after many of the changes The StoryGraph team planned were implemented. It’s been more than a year, but I wanted to see how the new platform would grow. A big issue I had with it… Read more
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Word Wilderness 2025 Revamp
Hello readers! I mentioned at the end of Wyrd and Wonder that I was taking a short break from posting to do some maintenance. You might have noticed… Word Wilderness got a makeover! I had to do some backend work on the website at the end of May through the beginning of June, so it… Read more
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Safe Harbor: Wyrd and Wonder 2025 Wrap Up
It’s time to say goodbye to Wyrd and Wonder 2025. This year, I was a little surprised at how much I was able to participate. April was a busy month for me, so when I hadn’t even started the readalong book, Voyage of the Damned by Frances White, almost a week into May, I worried… Read more
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Review: Voyage of the Damned by Frances White
Week 5 of the Voyage of the Damned Readalong is meant for final thoughts, so I wanted to review the book overall. I’m glad I read this book as a readalong, because the most fun part was getting to discuss theories for how the book would end. For those just tuning in: Ariana with The… Read more
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W&W 2025 Fantastic Five: Port Town
If this year’s Wyrd and Wonder theme has taught me anything, it’s that I do not read a lot of sea themed fantasy. I’ve read cozy fantasy, epic fantasy, horror fantasy, graphic novels and more, but I had such a hard time thinking of books to fit this year’s theme! After deep diving into my… Read more
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W&W 2025 Day 29: Deep Dive: The Kingdom of the Gods by N.K. Jemisin
I picked The Kingdom of the Gods for the Wyrd and Wonder day 29 prompt, Deep Dive, because it concludes such a vast epic fantasy series that spans multiple human generations. Beginning The Inheritance Trilogy is like taking a deep dive into N.K. Jemisin’s fantasy realm. I have a lot of feelings after completing The… Read more
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Voyage of the Damned Readalong Week 4
I have a much needed 3 day weekend this week, so I’ve been spending my extra time cleaning, reading, and lounging around in my pajamas all morning. The only disturbance to my peace was spilling coffee in my carpet this morning! After much blotting and scrubbing, I’ve avoided a nasty stain. Now I just have… Read more
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W&W 2025 Day 19: Albatross: The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon is a cross-continental epic fantasy standalone. I chose it for the Wyrd and Wonder day 19 prompt, Albatross, because the story centers around a powerful dragon prophesied to emerge from his imprisonment under the sea to destroy the world. Wyrd and Wonder is an annual month-long… Read more
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Voyage of the Damned Readalong Week 3
In week 3 of The Voyage of the Damned readalong we’re discussing chapters 15-21. A lot happened in this section of the books, and I feel more uncertain than ever! For those just tuning in: Ariana with The Book Nook is leading this year’s Wyrd and Wonder readalong of The Voyage of the Damned by Frances White: a… Read more
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Voyage of the Damned Readalong Week 2
Now that the scene is set, the mystery unfolding on The Voyage of the Damned is underway! I’m excited to see if I was right about any of my predictions from week 1. So far, I am already wrong about some, yikes! For those just tuning in: Ariana with The Book Nook is leading this… Read more
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Voyage of the Damned Read Along Week 1
It’s here!!! Wyrd and Wonder 2025 has finally arrived, and I’m ready to join in on the celebration! Ariana with The Book Nook is leading this year’s readalong of The Voyage of the Damned by Frances White: a magical cruise ship murder mystery. Wyrd and Wonder is an annual month-long fantasy celebration held every May.… Read more
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5th Anniversary of Word Wilderness
Word Wilderness turns 5 this year! I created Word Wilderness in April of 2020, and every year since I like to look at my blog overall and reflect on things I like or want to change. This year, I was surprised to see it would be Word Wilderness’s 5th Anniversary! Thank you to all of… Read more
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10 Standalone Fantasy Novels for the Commitment-Free Fantasy Lover
In 2022 I created a list of my top 5 standalone fantasy novels as part of Wyrd & Wonder, and my love of commitment-free fantasy has only grown since. Over the past couple years, I’ve been aiming to finish more series than I start, which means that when I’m craving something new I need to… Read more
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Hello 2025! Updating my Goals for 2025
Happy New Year! 2024 brought a lot of changes to my life (good and bad), and I expect 2025 to bring even more (hopefully all good). Most notably, I was accepted into medical school! I have been working towards this goal for years and am still in disbelief that it’s finally happening. Last year, I… Read more
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Goodbye 2024! End of the Year Reading Wrap-Up
Happy holidays! 2024 was a big year for me, and with how busy I was the first half of the year I didn’t expect to read as much as I did. Not only did I reach my reading goal of 40 books, I blew past it by 13 books! I wanted to start my reading… Read more
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Spooktastic Review: My Darling Dreadful Thing by Johanna van Veen
In the spirit of Halloween, I knew I needed to finish at least one horror book before the end of October, and my search for lesbian horror led me to My Darling Dreadful Thing by Johanna van Veen. Reading the climax of this eerie and vivid ghost story on a rainy night before Halloween felt… Read more
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Spooktastic Review: Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid
This year, I’m excited to take part in the Spooktastic Reads event hosted by Imyril at There’s Always Room for One More, Annemieke at A Dance With Books, Ariana at The Book Nook, Jorie Loves A Story, Lisa at Dear Geek Place. Spooktastic Reads is a casual spinnoff of Wyrd and Wonder celebrating spooky fantasy in honor of Halloween. This week, I’m reviewing… Read more