Gateway Reviews

New month, new books for our TBRs! The publishing world might be winding down for the season, but that doesn't mean there aren't some great books hitting the shelves for the holidays! There are still more books than I've got time to review, and here are just a few that I'll be adding to my TBR (and maybe to my Christmas list, too).  The Obsession Natasha Preston From the Publisher: Connie never asked to be famous—but thanks to her mother’s relentless vlogging, she and her sister Isla have spent their lives under a virtual microscope. Every smile, every moment curated for clicks. Every stranger online thinking they know them. Then local girls—girls who look just like Connie—start dying. One by one. As the bodies pile up and the spotlight turns sinister, Connie is forced to confront the terrifying truth: someone isn’t just watching. They’re planning. Secrets, Spells,...

WHERE THERE'S ROOM FOR US When her brother unexpectedly inherits an English estate, infamous poetess Ivy leaves her New York life behind to help him settle in (and find a wife, which he needs by year-end in order to keep the estate). Prim and proper high society life in England proves quite different from the more relaxed traditions of the New World, however... especially when a certain Prime Minister wrote a think piece condemning your latest sapphic poetry collection. But Ivy's determined to make a life for herself here, even if that means taking on the help of a neighboring socialite: Freya Tallon. Freya's whole life has been mapped out for her. As one of only two of her father's daughters who favors men, of course she's going to marry a wealthy lord and produce an heir. That's what her father needs from her. And there's a lord or two interested already. That's what charm and wit will get you. The only time she...

MY ROOMMATE FROM HELL Owen heard about the whole "portal to another dimension" thing. Of course he did. Everybody did. And he new about the interdimensional exchange program, too. He just didn't think he'd be turning up to his first semester of college to find out his new roommate is the prince of Hell. Owen is a serious student, and Prince Zarmenus is... decidedly not. But there's a lot hinging on the first-ever Earth/Hell exchange program going well. Including a personal incentive for Owen. If he can make this work with Zarmenus for the semester, there might be a shiny internship (and the key to his future career) within his reach. But living with Zarmenus is hard. Really hard. And not just when it comes to wild parties, unexpected overnight guests, and messy roommate problems. Brimstone, ghoul hauntings, and random assassins out for all demonkind kind of hard. It's threatening Owen's semester, his future, and...

RED AS ROYAL BLOOD Ruby has spent her whole life as a palace maid, and that's how she likes it. It's a good life for an orphan like her. But when the king dies, everything changes. Because for some reason, the king has named her his successor. Not his heir apparent. Not any of his living children. Her . Ruby doesn't know how to be a queen. She doesn't know how to lead a nation, especially not one as volatile as this. And she is starting to feel like she's been set up for failure... especially when she stumbles across evidence that the king was murdered. And his murderers might have their eyes on her next. THOUGHTS This book really gives nothing. Absolutely nothing. Is it court fantasy? No, it isn't. There's no magic. There's no real sense that it is set in a secondary world. There's... nothing. So is it historical, then? Absolutely no...

GILDED IN VENGEANCE Two years ago, two girls attended a magical ball. One was given the sponsorship of a lifetime. The other was never seen again. But she's been waiting. Two years after being framed for fraud by the Society of the Charmed, Emmy Vallilo waits in her magic-proof cell plotting revenge. Because it wasn't just a coincidence or bad luck that the wealthy turned on her that night. She thought Grace was her best friend, but now she knows that Grace is the one who ruined her life, who took everything away from her. When her cell wall explodes one evening, Emmy jumps at the chance to be free. To seek vengeance, perhaps. She knows she should run and not look back, but... Jack Fontaine, one of the Society's (former) favorite sons, is waiting for her. He was framed, too, or so he tells her. And he needs her help for the revenge he has in mind. THOUGHTS This book was...

November 2025 New month, new books for our TBRs! The weather's getting colder where I am, and that means book people stockpiling new releases and recommendations for the winter weather that's on the horizon. (Weather that never seems to snow us in long enough to finish our TBRs - alas!) This month's reviews contain some great highs and terrible lows, but there are even more new releases I'm excited about stockpiling for my TBR in the coming cold! Coldwire Chloe Gong From the Publisher: To escape rising seas and rampant epidemics, most of society lives “upcountry” in glistening virtual reality, while those who can’t afford the subscription are forced to remain in crumbling “downcountry.” But upcountry isn’t perfect. A cold war rages between two powerful nations, Medaluo and Atahua—and no one suffers for it more than the Medan orphans in Atahua. Their enrollment at Nile Military Acade...