Spooky season is calling! 🎃📚 Ten books are competing to become Cyn’s Workshop’s October Book of the Month. From The Murder Party and Nightcurse to Scorpion Deep, The End of Us, and more, cast your vote and help decide which book gets a featured review and month-long spotlight! Continue reading October Book of the Month Poll | Vote for Cyn’s Workshop’s October 2026 Pick
The votes are in! 🦅✨ Hawk & Sparrow by Ayana Gray is Cyn’s Workshop’s September Book of the Month. With a Gilded Age murder mystery, magical class politics, fake dating, and rivals-to-lovers romance, September’s winning read promises plenty of mystery, magic, and romantic tension. Continue reading September Book of the Month: Hawk & Sparrow by Ayana Gray
Leviathan Wakes starts slow but delivers one hell of a payoff with gripping space politics, compelling characters, mystery, and some seriously unsettling sci-fi horror. I’m officially ready to dive deeper into The Expanse. Continue reading Leviathan Wakes Review | Sci-Fi Horror, Space Politics & The Expanse
Today I’m reviewing The Verdant Cage—an atmospheric story where lush beauty hides something far more dangerous. Blending mystery, survival, dangerous power struggles, and compelling character dynamics, this one explores control, identity, and what happens when the place meant to protect you becomes your prison. 🌿🖤 Continue reading The Verdant Cage Podcast Review 🌿 | Nature, Power, Control & Survival
The Verdant Cage by Jess Lourey was such a pleasant surprise! Atmospheric, mysterious, and packed with tension, this YA dystopian thriller pulled me into Noah’s Valley and its increasingly sinister secrets. With compelling characters, dangerous discoveries, and an ending that left me very happy there’s a sequel coming, this one was far more captivating than I expected. 🌿🖤 Continue reading The Verdant Cage Review 🌿 | Dark Dystopian Fantasy, Mystery & Deadly Secrets
The Poisons We Drink uses a Witcher-inspired fantasy concept to explore systemic racism, corruption, and power in compelling ways, even if its flawed heroine sometimes makes the journey frustrating. Continue reading The Poisons We Drink Review | Dark Fantasy, Racism & Corruption
The Poisons We Drink by Bethany Baptiste has a fascinating magic system and powerful things to say about prejudice, politics, injustice, grief, and family—but Venus was a frustrating protagonist for me. There was so much about this story I appreciated, even when I wanted to shake the main character. 🧪💖 Continue reading The Poisons We Drink Review 🧪 | Powerful Themes, Magic & a Frustrating Heroine
Today I’m reviewing A Thousand Perfect Lies by Monica Murphy—a gripping, character-driven YA mystery built on secrets, deception, family loyalty, and the fragile nature of truth. With an elite boarding school, a secret identity, and plenty of suspicious characters, this one surprised me in the best way. Continue reading A Thousand Perfect Lies Podcast Review | Secrets, Deception & a Twisty YA Mystery
A Thousand Perfect Lies by Monica Murphy completely surprised me. This twisty YA mystery combines an elite boarding school, a secret identity, complicated family dynamics, romance, and enough secrets to make nearly everyone suspicious. As someone who can be picky about contemporary YA mysteries, I ended up enjoying this one so much more than I expected. 🖤🔪📚 Continue reading A Thousand Perfect Lies Review | Twisted Secrets, Dark Academia & a Mystery That Delivers
August is shaping up to be my most ambitious reading month yet! From dragons and dark academia to cozy fantasy, mysteries, and highly anticipated ARCs, here’s a look at the 20 books I’m hoping to read this month. Will I finish them all? Probably not—but it’s going to be fun trying! Continue reading August 2026 TBR | 20 Fantasy, Sci-Fi & Mystery Books I Hope to Read This Month
