The Unread Library

Neuromancer by William Gibson defined the cyberpunk genre. But is it actually a good book? Laura and Tom discuss.

Welcome back to dark academia, this time starring Richard, studying the classics, who, um, accidentally joins a cult, and despite the giant shiny red flags, sticks it out. Let's go!

Did we have enough of Death and Signa? Not yet, so we are reading the sequel where we add another immortal love hunk to the mix - Fate. Turns out this really is just a YA drama disguised as a murder mystery!

Let's dive into the original vampires! Carmilla is credited as one of the first vampire novels, even before Dracula, and since it is a short novella, we decided to read both! Let's read about some old vampires and see how the lore has evolved.

It's book 5, the final book, of the Violet Eden saga! Jessica Shirvington strikes again in Laura's favorite YA series. Is it a fitting finale to the series, and will Violet and Lincoln get their happy ever after?

The fact this episode has a length indicates the book might not, in fact, be endless. But let's see what is going on here as Laura and Tom delve into the next Violet Eden novel!

Indeed, Emblaze by Jessica Shirvington has a volcano - but is that enough to raise this book's rating? We will find out as Laura tells Tom the continued story of Violet and Lincoln.

We continue the Embrace series by Jessica Shirvington with the second novel (of five), Entice! We return to Violet and Lincoln's dysfunctional but slightly healing relationship, Phoenix's weird shenanigans, and beating some exiles up. What is so enticing? Listen and learn with us.

Today we are going back to one of Laura's favorite YA novels (and series), Embrace by Jessica Shirvington. Does it hold up? Um... maybe. However, we accept mediocre YA novels and teenagers who make bad decisions, as is their right.

We're testing out Tom's abilities to guess everything that is going to happen in the plot! Is it just noting the foreshadowing, or will he be able to figure out the murderer of Belladonna by Adalyn Grace before it is revealed? We will see...

Laura is telling Tom about Babel by R F Kuang in this episode, a darker, gothic novel with more themes than a lot of YA could imagine!

Tom and Kat again join Laura to hear about the end of the original Grishverse trilogy! Alina and Mal are in a tough spot, but they must once and for all face the Darkling. Do they deserve the ending they get? We'll see.

Kat returns at a special guest to continue reading the Grishaverse! This week Laura takes Tom and Kat through Siege and Storm, the sequel to Shadow and Bone. And while this book may suffer from middle child syndrome, we always love the antics between Alina and the Darkling.

Laura, Tom, and guest Kat come on to read Shadow and Bone! How many shadows and bones are present in the novel? We shall see.

On this episode Laura and Tom dive back into Elisa's world of godstones and queen-ery (because she is finally the queen). Will Elisa be a good queen or will this book go down in flames?

Today we are reading through The Girl of Fire and Thorns, a fantasy starring Elisa as she lives through life as the bearer of a godstone. We have thoughts. Strong thoughts.

We're reading Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune, the sequel to The House in the Cerulean Sea! Themes of anxious dads and satirized evil governments abound.

Welcome in as Laura tells Tom about The House in the Cerulean Sea, a cozy (?) fantasy about Linus and some kids with magic powers.