Mini Reviews – March 2026

Some March reviews that I’ve shared on Instagram, so far! I’m determined to get caught up this month and actually share some reviews here again.

I’ll keep these in groups of three so that the posts don’t get too long and ridiculous.

CABARET IN FLAMES – Hache Pueyo (Released March 10th, 2026 – Thanks to Tordotcom Publishing for the gifted copy)

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.

My Thoughts: 4/5 stars – A novella that packs a punch. The brutality of the Guls is spine tingling. Ariadne learned in the worst possible way and lost half of her body to their cravings. Things change when her mentor, Erik, goes missing and a gul, Quaint, knocks on her door suspecting foul play. Trusting the gul claiming to be Erik’s oldest friend, together they try to find answers in the last place he was seen, Cabare. The opulent club in Rio de Janeiro for the gul elite. 

This was such a quick, ruthless, and mesmerizing novella. Adriadne is a truly fascinating, complex, and emotional character. What she’s endured. Trying to navigate her own trauma and her new partnership with Quaint. I loved meeting the gul and the brutality of this alternate Brazil.

YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN NICER TO MY MOM – Vincent Triado (Released March 10th, 2026 – Thanks to William Morrow for the gifted copy)

Demons clash with inheritance claims as secrets unfold and violence is unleashed over twelve harrowing hours trapped in a house with the worst thing imaginable: family.

When Papi Ramon, the patriarch of the wealthy Abreu family dies, he gives the family one last message in the will: “One of you is el bacà, the demon that I made a deal with. Get rid of them or you will be damned.” Xiomara, the uncontested favorite of Papi Ramon (and therefore the least liked in the family), watches as everyone dismisses this as the joke of a senile old man and demands the lawyer obtain the previous will Papi wrote.

While the lawyer drives back to his office, a storm breaks out, forcing the entire family—Xiomara’s aunts and uncles and cousins—to remain in the house. And the words of Papi’s will hangs over their heads even heavier than the rain clouds. Over the course of the night, scandal after scandal is revealed to the public about the family. Suddenly a tense few hours of surviving her family turns into a vicious night of recrimination, violence, accusations…and murder.

Xiomara is faced with an impossible task: uproot a demon and somehow kill it or excise the ghosts that linger within her own family.

And the clock is ticking…

My Thoughts: 3.5/5 stars – Man, you haven’t seen family dysfunction like this before. Trapped in a house with your family while waiting to hear the fate of an inheritance AND someone is a demon? Get ready for some drama, backstabbing, secrets, and all the chaos. This is a slower build and lighter on the horror, so its going to be great for most horror fans! Personally, I don’t know if I’d believe the will. BUT there might be a family member or two I’d give the side eye and wonder. The premise is great, just prepare for slower pacing. This is a gothic horror, after all. 

SIX MUST DIE – Victoria Wlosok (Released March 10th, 2026 – Thanks to Penguin Teen for the gifted copy)

An escape room turns deadly after an estranged group of friends reunites on the anniversary of the accidental death of their friend (also in an escape room). Steffi is determined to take this opportunity to piece together what happened that night.

Unreliable narrators, multiple POVs, and a locked room thriller. While this might not have completely worked for me, it was still a quick read and plenty of other readers are absolutely loving it!

My Thoughts: 3/5 stars – An escape room turns deadly after an estranged group of friends reunites on the anniversary of the accidental death of their friend (also in an escape room). Steffi is determined to take this opportunity to piece together what happened that night. Unreliable narrators, multiple POVs, and a locked room thriller. While this might not have completely worked for me, it was still a quick read and plenty of other readers are absolutely loving it!