Synopsis:

New York Times bestselling author Sarah Beth Durst invites you to her new standalone novel nestled on a far-away island brimming with singing flowers, honey cakes, and honeyed love. The hardcover edition features beautiful sprayed edges.

Terlu Perna broke the law because she was lonely. She cast a spell and created a magically sentient spider plant. As punishment, she was turned into a wooden statue and tucked away into an alcove in the North Reading Room of the Great Library of Alyssium.

This should have been the end of her story . . . Yet one day, Terlu wakes in the cold of winter on a nearly-deserted island full of hundreds of magical greenhouses. She’s starving and freezing, and the only other human on the island is a grumpy gardener. To her surprise, he offers Terlu a place to sleep, clean clothes, and freshly baked honey cakes—at least until she’s ready to sail home.

But Terlu can’t return home and doesn’t want to—the greenhouses are a dream come true, each more wondrous than the next. When she learns that the magic that sustains them is failing—causing the death of everything within them—Terlu knows she must help. Even if that means breaking the law again.

This time, though, she isn’t alone. Assisted by the gardener and a sentient rose, Terlu must unravel the secrets of a long-dead sorcerer if she wants to save the island—and have a fresh chance at happiness and love.

Funny, kind, and forgiving, The Enchanted Greenhouse is a story about giving second chances—to others and to yourself.

Review:

I was sent an early copy by Tor in exchange for an honest review.

For me a 3-stars is a good rating, it means I enjoyed it and would recommend it, but it didn’t stand out, or had some issues to me

This was an enjoyable read, but I had a few things that didn’t quite make it a 4/5-star read. I haven’t read The Spellshop, but this isn’t a direct sequel and while it is set in the same universe you can read this as a standalone. I went in expecting a romantasy, but I somehow never quite connected with the romance.

He’s a grumpy gardener used to spending all of time alone. She got turned into a statue for years as a punishment for using magic when she wasn’t allowed to. She gets sent to his greenhouse-filled island so she can try and help stop the enchanted greenhouses’ from failing. Overall it’s a good story, with the various enchanted greenhouses providing wonder and interesting backdrops. It’s set in Winter, an odd choice for a Summer release, so I’d argue that you should hold off reading this until the colder months arrive!

I wanted to be invested in the romance but I just… wasn’t. With this genre of books you know who going to be the couple, and yet I still didn’t really see the romance blossoming, and when it was I just wasn’t all that sold? The middle dragged a bit and I think this is when the romance should’ve been in full bloom, but somehow it didn’t do it for me.

I enjoyed the storyline of the long-dead sorcerer, the exploration of the island, the theme of family and forgiveness. It all comes together to make a good story that just dragged on a tiiiiny bit too long. As the cover suggests there is indeed a flying cat, but Emeral stops being a bit part of the story fairly early on, which was quite the shame!

A good story with a romance that just didn’t quite capture me. This is a book for cosying up with in the winter months and for dreaming of your own enchanted greenhouse.

Synopsis:

A collection of eight stories, Digital Extremities shines a spotlight on ordinary people in a callous yet hopeful future. Set across small towns and remote islands, where neon flickers against old buildings and oaks, this collection paints a unique view of a traditionally cyberpunk setting.

In 2089, a woman miscarries and seeks a way to find peace amidst overwhelming grief. Years later, a young man must find a way to pay rent outside of his job at the glassblowing studio. A pair of students, excited to go to college, install new hardware that promises to improve their cognitive functions. A private investigator searches for a missing child who has a reputation for embarking on risky adventures. Each tale is shaped by love, loss, and perseverance, weaving a vision of life outside of the megacities.

Review:

Digital Extremities is a delightful and interesting collection of stories from the future. Bassett gives us small snippets of people’s lives and how they go about navigating the world and maneuvering through dilemmas.

Stylistically, this book kept reminding me of World War Z. Each story was set in the same world, around the same time, featuring the same technology. This made it easy to carry over information and continue picturing a world where people modified themselves with enhancements and shiny chrome.

The stories typically focused on one person and ranged from a major dilemma to a slice of their life. I enjoyed familiarizing myself with each character and getting to know the world around them. The best part was probably what was unspoken. While characters faced decisions or hardships, I often found thought-provoking questions nagging at me about what else could go wrong with the current technology or what would happen if they had made a different decision. This did not make the stories feel lacking, just opened up my mind to more possibilities.

While Bassett does a wonderful job digging in with tension, he has mastered the slower, quieter moments: playful banter, reminiscing about times past, and ruminating over a hobby.

I listened to this one on audio, and I found the narrators to be excellent. No bias at all. With a wide cast of characters from all over the world, the accents were impeccable, and the differentiation was excellent.

Digital Extremities offers a glimpse into a world we may know someday, which brings excitement over technological advancements to assist in helping the elderly or finding a lost child. It also quietly lays out the ways in which this tech could fail us.

If you enjoy cyberpunk adventures, short sci-fi stories, and tales that say more with fewer words, this one is for you.

Synopis:

The Saxons have returned and their war bands stalk the land. The lords of Britain look only to their own survival, unable or unwilling to unite as they once did under Arthur.

And in a monastery hidden in the marshlands of Avalon, a novice monk prepares to take his vows. However, two strangers – the wild-spirited, Saxon-killing Iselle and the ageing warrior Gawain – will pluck him from his sheltered existence and his world will be turned upside down.

Together they will go in search of the last druid, to find the cauldron of a god, and to raise an army to hold the darkness at bay.

And as they journey, so the novice will cast aside his training and embrace his legacy.

For he is a warrior born.

His name is Galahad. And he is the son of Lancelot . . .

Review:

Lancelot, by Giles Kristian, was one of my most unanticipated favorite reads of early 2025. I’d heard glowing reviews, but even so, I wasn’t expecting to love it as much as I did. The beauty of the prose and the power of the story carried me away, and the ending lines still consume my thoughts as some of my favorite of all time.

I’ll confess I approached the sequel: Camelot, with some trepidation. Lancelot was written as a standalone novel that told a full and complete story. Sure, there were some loose ends that could be wrapped up, but none were truly meaningful, and certainly nothing that demanded a sequel.

But at the same time, I was excited to return to Kristian’s vivid world and deep characters. I certainly didn’t wait long before cracking open the second book of the trilogy and diving in.

I was greeted by a story even more unexpected than the first, a story that pulled me in and kept the pages turning until the very last sentence.

In an attempt to avoid spoilers, I will say little about the plot. The story takes place in the same brutal world as the first, in which the remnants of Arthur’s army and allies struggle against the never-ending waves of the Saxon invasion. Camelot focuses on Galahad, the son of Lancelot, as he finds his way through a murderous and dangerous environment.

Much of what I said about Kristian’s first story remains true here. The prose is rich in both style and description, painting a vivid world that lives and breathes as its characters suffer. The names and places of the Arthurian legends are familiar, though their roles are largely of Kristian’s invention. This story, by its nature, is even more a reimagining of the Arthurian tale than a retelling. It takes us in directions Mallory never would have considered.

There are strong themes of legacy and consequence running throughout these pages. Galahad is a character of contradictions, and his journey of resolving those contradictions forms the beating heart of the story. The choices of the first novel are analyzed anew from a future perspective, reminding the reader constantly that a person’s legacy is rarely as straightforward as history makes us think it is.

It’s a powerful tale, and one that has lingered in my mind these last few weeks. Kristian is cementing himself as one of my favorite new (to me) writers, and I’m tremendously excited to tackle the third book in the series soon.

Bella Dunn returns to the Eileeran Saga to follow up The Sorrow of the Wise Man. Book two, Darkness Unleashed comes out November 27th but you can get a teaser here and now at Fanfiaddict!

3 …

2 …

1 …

Let’s do this.

Release date & time: November 27th 2025

Blurb:
The war between the Eileerean sisters left a legacy far worse than the corpses of the fallen soldiers. The peace forged by Daelyn’s grandmother is crumbling.
Callandra was left under the rule of a tyrant, and while Gaelyr and Lyhtana brace for another war, tragedy strikes Vaedora, in an ominous turn of the Wheel of Fate.
To save Atheatis, Daelyn must protect her only child, Elara, even if it means sacrificing her whole Queendom.

Thrust into a fate she was not prepared for, Elara will be forced to watch her world burn.

New alliances will be forged. New enemies will rise.
Elara will learn the darkest secret of the Eileerean House, and yet the greatest mystery of all remains stubbornly out of reach.
Your fate will find you.

Pre-order link: https://books2read.com/darknessunleashed

ARC Sign-up: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1BzY4KilpdDQyWuOm18d-H7znNlcwWekUBi69XPVZ6JU/edit

GoodReads link:https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/232466317-darkness-unleashed

Author Bio:

When she was a child, Bella believed she could control the wind.

One day, when she was about 6 years old, she read The Snow Queen and fell in love with books. She wrote her first “award winning” story in 2^nd class (her teacher used her story as a reading test. Not sure her peers were very happy…)

After that, she never stopped writing, particularly enjoying creating chronicles and short stories, as well as “theatre plays” to perform with her childhood friends.

Bella graduated in Biology and joined a postgraduate school, decided to pursue a career in Science, but her passion for the written word never dimmed and she continued to scribble here and there, drafting several novels and short stories in the past years. Although her preferred genre is fantasy, she dips into other genres as the stories “finds her”.

If you enjoy Bella’s books and stories, consider supporting her writing: buy her a cup of tea!

Bella Dunn – Embrace the magic of reading.

Synopsis

Light dims on humanity’s reign over the galaxy.

Charlus Vaughn, a teenage refugee, escapes deadly machine justice with her penitent mother.

Rescued by a data-pirate crew, she falls into the path of ancient arachnid machinations that propel her back towards her mysterious origins and the heart of her unknown heritage.

Review

I haven’t been able to read books in the last few months due to personal circumstances in my life. But there is nothing like a good DB Rook, book to hook you back into the world of reading, and damn did he not disappoint.

DB Rook is back and has bodly stepped into the world of Sci-fi, and it’s absolutely fantastic. Residuum is a novella from what looks to be a future series release A Darkening Dawn. And if the series is anything like this visceral dark short beauty, I can’t wait.

Residuum reminds me of a mash up between Gaurdians of the Galaxy and The Terminator, where the good guys versus robots programed to wipe out the human population across the galaxy. For the authors’ first time writing sci-fi, it shows that he is a master of his craftsmanship.

I love DB Rooks writing, with each book he releases, they go from strength to strength. His prose are wonderful to digest. His world-building and setting are brilliant. From start to finish, you are hooked and drawn into a dark tale that fills you with chills. Residuum is fast-paced, action-packed, and beautifully character driven.

What i loved about this story is that it’s really dark and that the author is able to mix in hilarious and humorous moments when things are looking very bleak for the characters. My favourite characters were Tapedeck and Shadwell, a robotic hero and an Insectoid limb ripper, and the other characters are just as lovable.

In this story, DB Rook throws you straight into a massacre. Our main protagonist, Charlus, and her mother, Merrian, are on the run after night of terror from the black bots sent into terminate the human population. Deposited on a strange planet, they are running blind into chaos and only have each other. With kept secrets and betrayal, will they survive from being hunted down. Only time will tell.

If you haven’t read or checked out DB Rooks books or Novellas. His Callus and Crow book from The Wayward World Chronicles is excellent, a fantasy dystopian dark tale full of goodness. I very highly recommend for all fantasy lovers…

Synopsis:

Druss, Captain of the Ax, is the stuff of legends. Tales of his battles are told throughout the land, and the stories expand with each telling. But Druss himself grows older, until finally, the warrior turns his back on glory and retreats to his mountain lair. There he awaits his old enemy: death. 

But far below, the barbarian Nadir hordes are on the march. All that stands between them and the Drenai people is a mighty six-walled fortress, Dros Delnoch—a great citadel that seems destined to fall. If it does, the Nadir will sweep inexorably across the land, killing all who oppose them.

Reluctantly Druss agrees to come down from his mountaintop to lead this last, hopeless fight. Lost causes mean nothing to him—he has fought in such battles a thousand times in a thousand lands. And he is a hero to inspire a new generation of warriors. He is Druss the Legend.

Thus begins David Gemmell’s most celebrated novel—an unrivaled classic of mythic heroism and magnificent adventure. . . .

Review:

I’ve officially had people telling me to read David Gemmell for years now. He’s a writing legend best known for his Heroic Fantasy tales. Legend is his first novel and probably one of his best-known works, and often recommended for newcomers to Gemmell’s work. I chose it mostly on a whim, but I’m glad that I did.

Of the plot summary, there is little to say. The story focuses almost exclusively on the siege of the walled city of Dros Delnoch by the Nadir invaders. An aging legend named Druss, Captain of the Ax, is convinced to fight one last time against truly hopeless odds. What follows is very much a classic siege story, filled with action, betrayal, page-turning tension, and magic.

It wasn’t the plot, though, that seized my attention. It was the characters and the heart with which they’re written. These are hard men and women, shaped by hard times and constant strife. They’re not as complex as what we’ve come to expect in more modern fantasy, but they’re compelling all the same.

The Siege of Dros Delnoch is a tale of bravery, courage, and honor, and I’ll confess, is exactly the sort of story I’m a sucker for. Gemmel is rightfully considered one of the foundational voices in Heroic Fantasy, and after reading Legend I better understand why.

Legend was published in 1984, and while it still largely holds up, there are some signs of its age. The very ending of the story, in particular, incorporates a fair amount of deus ex machina that probably wouldn’t survive a developmental editor these days. That being said, I was enjoying the characters enough that I was in a pretty forgiving mood.

If you’re looking for a tale of honor in warfare, loads of action, and compelling characters, Legend is a great book to crack open.

Synopsis:

An outlaw lost at the edge of the galaxy and an honorable commander who will have to risk everything to save her, Parallax is a heart-pounding, slow burn space opera romance packed with action, adventure, banter, and found family.

The tenuous alliances of the United Tribal Axis have fractured, breaking humanity into warring factions. Hinata finds himself fighting a losing war against an opponent that doesn’t play by the rules. While Freyja focuses all of her efforts on uncovering the origin of the signal that she is convinced is the key to revealing the source of the chaos ripping their society apart. Upon returning from an outer rim mission, Freyja realizes that Skyla hasn’t received a single communication they’ve sent in months and must convince Hinata to abandon his post to mount a rescue mission in search of the missing captain. But there are forces at play larger than any of them realize.

Review:

With Umbra last year and now Parallax, which released just last month, Amber Toro has created a fascinating sci-fi universe with deep and layered protagonists who I will be following as long as she decides to keep writing books. 

I read the first book in the Sentient Stars series a couple of months back and then dove into Parallax once the summer hit. Both share a slow-burn romance quality that permeates throughout, but there is more than just love stories here. Toro has set up multiple sci-fi storylines that keep the plot moving forward along with compelling and blood-pounding action. 

When I saw the “Romance” angle was a selling feature and that there were three main point-of-view characters, I was initially worried it would be a love triangle. I’m happy to see that Toro didn’t go the easy route, instead crafting interesting backstories to set the three leads up with separate motivations and desires. 

Umbra set everything up with Freyja, Skyla, and Hinata sharing the spotlight. Throughout these books, Toro weaves their stories together — literally — with each of them as POV characters, bouncing from one to the other with each chapter. Even then, the narrative keeps pushing forward, almost willing the characters to stay involved in each other’s lives in the process. 

With just a few books under her belt, Toro is already establishing herself as a writer to pay attention to. I’m looking forward to seeing what she does next in the Sentient Stars books and what mysteries our characters solve in their futuristic look at humanity. In fact, the title of the series gives us even more. Some of the vessels in Toro’s universe have advanced artificial intelligences, imprinting on a few of our characters basically at birth. So that means the ships themselves are their own characters with their own unique motivations, providing a little more sauce to the wonderfully plated meal put before us. 

Now, she does a lot right, but Parallax isn’t perfect. I dinged the final score just a little based on supporting characters and the greater storyline. Our main three characters are expertly crafted, but unfortunately that means that some of the side characters are left a little one-dimensional. The strength of our leads definitely covers it up, but a little more backstory on a few of them would be helpful, I think. Also, since the entirety of the book is from three characters’ perspective, we sometimes don’t see what’s happening in the rest of the universe until our characters get there. That isn’t always a bad thing, but with an expansive space empire, it seems a little smallish at times. 

But those are very small nitpicks. I had a great time with Parallax, especially seeing our characters separate at the end of Umbra and how that affects them and ultimately brings them back together in this sequel. Toro expertly leaves us wanting more at the end, and I will be waiting for book 3, whenever it shows up on my Kindle. 

Krystle Matar’s Legacy of the Brightwash is a book I’ve slept on for too long, but I’m glad I finally read it.

It’s increasingly hard to find good fantasy reads these days, as it almost seems that I’ve exhausted the trove of good ones, only now struggling through the genre’s dregs. So, it makes me happy when, once in a while, I stumble upon good recommendations such as this.

Synopsis

Legacy of the Brightwash is a dark fantasy story mainly told from the eyes of Tashue, a war hero turned cop of a Dominion that uses the supernatural talents of a special category of its populace to power its steam industry.

All is well in Tashue’s city until the day the corpse of a youth washes up on the banks of the Brightwash. What happens afterward is a chain of grim events, each more significant than the last, that will shake Tashue’s formerly unwavering faith in his government and the law.

And, what will he do, caught between his desire to free his son from the Rift, a cornerstone of the institution he helped build, and the proddings of the elite seeking to use him for political gain, even as revelation after revelation makes him question everything he stands for?

Review

Legacy of the Brightwash is a delightfully written, grimdark, steampunk story with a surprisingly well-written romance subplot.

Dark fantasy isn’t typically synonymous with dewy-eyed characters, but the author cleverly positions this element as a much-welcome backstory alongside the expectedly tenuous and grim main plot.

It’s all so brilliantly done!

The romance between Tashue Blackwood and Stella Whiterock aside, the story is quite engrossing for the first half of the book until things slow for a bit before the climax in the final few chapters. That’s not bad pacing, in my opinion, but I felt that there was more than enough going on for the author to weave the threads of intrigue as thickly from start to finish without slowing down the intensity.

Still, it’s a great read!

The author’s writing style is dialogue rather than narrative-heavy, which, coupled with the relatively simple writing style, makes for a very easy read, especially with the mushier scenes.

There are also a number of interesting secondary characters, even if I feel that we ought to have seen more of Ismael Saeati.

Final Thoughts

As good as Legacy of the Brightwash is, you get the feeling the closer you come to the end of the read, that everything in the book is but a teaser of more exciting things to come in the next book. I’ll certainly be reading it!

About the Reviewer

Ojo Akinwale is a budding writer, editor, and literary community builder who holds a degree in Archaeology and is an avid fan of the Chelsea football club and the Wheel of Time series (the books). A student of war, when not reading about dark lords and mercenary bands, he can be found poring over texts on history, politics, science, and technology.
Ojo is also the editor-in-chief of Littafi – Africa’s biggest digital literary and art interface. Honest critic, reviews, insights, news and recommendations from all genres.

Book and Movie Reviews, News, Recommendations and Merch

Synopsis:

In this Lovecraftian tale of horror and espionage, Tomb of the Black Pharaoh follows Robert B. Danforth, a former Miskatonic University scholar still reeling from the horrific events At the Mountains of Madness. Now part of the newly formed Office of the Coordinator of Information (COI) – the predecessor of the famed Office of Strategic Services (OSS) – Danforth is dispatched to Cairo to thwart a Nazi plot to recover the Talisman of Nephren-ka, buried deep within the lost tomb of Black Pharaoh. Said to grant unspeakable power, the artifact could tip the scales of World War II in the Nazis’ favor. As Danforth delves into the ancient tomb, he faces cults devoted to Nephren-ka, Nazi occultists, and cosmic horrors that strain the limits of his sanity.

Danforth must battle not only the looming threat of the Nazis but also the terrifying implications of the Amulet’s power. As eldritch forces close in and the boundaries between reality and madness begin to crumble, Danforth realizes the cost of failure may be far greater than even the war—humanity itself may be at stake.

This heart-pounding mix of Lovecraftian horror and historical espionage will captivate fans of cosmic terror and WWII thrillers alike. It immerses readers in a world where ancient gods and modern warfare collide in a fight for ultimate power.

Review:

Lovecraft is an author I haven’t dabbled in much, but over the past year, I read At the Mountains of Madness to acquaint myself with the writer beloved by so many. Being familiar with that story—and its characters—was the perfect lead-in to Tomb of the Black Pharaoh by Christopher Michael.

This tale follows Robert B. Danforth, who survived the harrowing Antarctic expedition in At the Mountains of Madness. Though those events were both treacherous and horrifying, Danforth finds himself longing for more of the unknown. So when he’s sent to Egypt to uncover secrets of hidden, dangerous power, he accepts without question.

The most compelling aspect of Danforth’s character is the tension between his nobility and his obsession. While he is committed to doing the right thing, he’s also mesmerized—perhaps fatally so—by the eldritch horrors he encounters. That fascination consumes him, and his descent into obsession is both disturbing and deeply human.

The story moves at a strong pace, especially once the initial groundwork is laid. The action is tight and purposeful, and the characters Danforth meets are a blend of intriguing, informative, and, at times, utterly monstrous.

Where this story truly shines is in the way its world is rendered—rich in dread, thick with mystery, and painted with a thoroughly Lovecraftian brush. Each scene drips with decadent vocabulary and vivid atmosphere.

Christopher Michael masterfully weaves historical detail into the narrative without weighing it down. The backstory of Nephren-Ka, a figure borrowed from Lovecraft’s own mythos, is especially gripping. And, true to form, the story leaves readers with the central, haunting question that defines cosmic horror: Why?

Filled with the mythology, madness, and occultism that define Lovecraft’s legacy, Tomb of the Black Pharaoh is a harrowing continuation that fans of the genre will appreciate.

I had the pleasure of experiencing this book on audio, and narrator J.T. Verona brings the characters to life with impressive skill, delivering pitch-perfect accents, suspenseful monologues, and a voice that’s easy to listen to for hours. If you enjoy poetic horror, historical adventures, and obsessive journeys into the unknown, Tomb of the Black Pharaoh is a must-read (or must-listen).

It’s the off-season in the seaside resort town of Blackpool, where Tommy never imagined he would return. His relationship has broken down, so he returns home to keep an eye on his widowed father. While counting down the hours before attending the funeral of a well-loved friend, a mysterious group turns up on the seafront. One by one, the locals are entranced by their presence until Tommy and his father can no longer resist the allure.

Tommy soon discovers a secret desire his father has been harbouring for his entire life.

A story of what it means to be family with a light touch of magic and healing.

A quiet, wonderful, eerie addition to Wild Hunt Books’ outstanding “Northern Weird Project,” Jodie Robins’ “The Off-Season,” is a novella that reminds us to live in the present. With the backdrop of Blackpool (the most charmingly bedraggled seaside town in Britain) during, funnily enough, the off season, Robins’ writing is dripping with a distinctly northern ennui and a postcard melancholy. Gorgeously and mindfully written, “The Off-Season,” says a lot, despite being very little, and like this reviewer,  is oh so Northern. With some masterful character work, and an atmosphere so vivid you can almost smell the vinegar, this series continues to delight me.

We follow Tommy who moved back to Blackpool to be with his father Al. A tourist hotspot in the summer months, once the Big One closes for the off-season and the weather turns things are quiet. The morning of Joe’s funeral, Tommy and Al are in Pat’s cafe, along with David and Mark, Alicia, and B&B owners, Sheila and George. The frosty atmosphere, in anticipation of what will undeniably be a somber affair, shifts however when the charabanc appears, and out of it hop a strange group indeed. 

There was a particular thrill for me in the pages of “The Off-Season,” considering I have personally been jostled senseless by “The Big Dipper,” and had the shit scared out of me by the haunted house next to the entrance. That being said, for the bulk of the novella the Blackpool Robins writes about is one that most will find alien. A Blackpool not of hen dos and hot dogs but of peeling paint and shuttered buildings. There’s a real bleakness in the opening scene, where we meet the clearly rather bored cast. A coastal malaise, a drabness that radiates off of the page, a weariness and tedium within each of the characters during the off-season. This is however quickly juxtaposed by an almost jarring vibrancy, noise and lights and performance. Robins’ command of setting is genius, and almost puppeteer-like, twisting and sagging and shimmering and pivoting. 

Of course that’s something that refers directly to the title, and the big metaphor. What I took from this novella is that we are stuck in the present, so we may as well live in it. “The Off-Season,” reminded me that all good things, take the on-season, or relationships, or anything really, must come to an end- and that’s not necessarily a pessimistic message, but a reminder to appreciate what I have now, dance in the rain instead of waiting for the sun- resist the tide. YOLO, as I believe they say. 

A story that is reassuring and sinister in equal measure, depending perhaps upon how you’re feeling on the day, Jodie Robins’ “The Off-Season,” is a must read. Delightfully strange and strangely tender- it sure is weird up North.