Fire & Water

author: Alexis Hall

Trigger warning: Lots of violence, death of major characters

Fire & Water is the third urban fantasy novel featuring Kate Kane, Paranormal Investigator. I have not read the previous books in this series, but I had no trouble finding my way into Kane’s world – she provides the necessary backstory in her laconic, humorous style, and it’s enough. Having said that, I’m not sure that it stands alone, precisely – the end, while not a cliff-hanger, does leave some pretty crucial things unresolved.

The absolute strength of this book is Kate. She is a private investigator in the hard boiled (and lightly-pickled) mold, and her voice is dry, witty, and self-deprecating. She makes a lot of bad decisions and she knows she makes a lot of bad decisions, and she has a tendency, upon finding herself in yet another sticky situation, to comment to herself:

Here lies Kate Kane. Something creepy with mirrors. Beloved daughter, sorely missed.

Or

Here lies Kate Kane: really walked into that one. Beloved daughter, sorely missed.

Or perhaps:

Here lies Kate Kane, fucked to death in a cellar because she thought it was a good idea to trust a succubus. Beloved daughter, sorely missed.

You get the picture.

The ensemble of characters with whom Kate surrounds herself is great. There is Elise, her sidekick, an animated statue, abandoned by her creator and still figuring out how to be human-ish; Julian, Kate’s vampire girlfriend, a Prince of Pleasure who is inclined to bemoan Kate’s “silly rules about not killing your ex-girlfriends”; Nimue, the mystical Queen of London, who is one of the ex-girlfriends in question; Tara, a posh werewolf, who finds all these machinations for control of London just too common for words (and who is also trying to get Kate into bed); Ash, a celibate incubus; and Sofia, an accidental oracle. I loved them, and their existence made the stakes very high… because for all the humour, this is a pretty dark book.

There are pretty strong hints of this up front – Kate refers in passing to the recent deaths of several friends and colleagues, and this is a story about a mystical war for the magical control of London, so there is going to be bloodshed and violence and loss. Do not be seduced by the humour into expecting sunshine and roses and happy endings.

On the other hand, if you like well-written urban fantasy with strong characters, plenty of queerness, humour, and a touch of darkness (think Seanan McGuire’s October Daye series, only with 100% more lesbians), I think you’ll enjoy this.

I liked this book a lot – I’m a sucker for a strong narrative voice, and we definitely have that here. However, I found the ending very upsetting, and the fact that it also left something I desperately cared about hanging really bothered me. I can’t quite give this an A – to me, the ending makes this feel like a chapter, not a full story, and I feel that a book needs to be more self-contained to get a top grade. But it’s an entertaining, well-written story in a well-realised fantasy London. I’m giving it a B.

– Catherine Heloise

LGBTQIA, Urban Fantasy

From Alaska with Love

author: Ally James

You’re going to see the DNF and think that this is a terrible book but the heartbreaking reality is that this is actually a good book with some bad moments.

On a whim, Sara takes part in a project that sends cards to the troops for Easter. Her card ends up on Major Gabriel Randall’s desk. Cue an adorable conversation of emails, messages and FaceTime conversations. And I do mean ADORABLE. But Sara is conflicted; for the past three years she has worked as her brother’s nanny, taking care of her niece. Her mother is a narcissist and emotionally manipulates Sara into taking care of her too. Sara could just say no. But will she? Will she choose her family or herself?

It’s a romance, so we all know how it ends, but I’m still sad I didn’t get to enjoy what promised to be an emotionally satisfying conclusion. The sadness is also caused in part by the gratuitous slut shaming and casual sexism in the book. I can kind of understand sexism as a plot device, but when it serves no purpose in the plot, why does it need to be there? Each instance of slut-shaming, (for example: “since when is it a bad thing not to be a bed-hopping party girl?”) and ‘locker room talk’ (for example: “Dude, I hope she’s hot, because she’s obviously not the sharpest crayon in the pack”) would bounce me out of the story and I would struggle to find my way back into it.

Plot-wise we’re in new territory for me too; this is my first military hero book and I wasn’t sure what to expect. I appreciated the political neutrality, but personally the argument that “I’m just doing my job” doesn’t sit well with me. Obviously this is a combination of culture (being in the army isn’t as significant in South Africa as it is in the States) and personal opinion (I veer towards pacifism).

I’ve realised two key things. First, I’m no good with military heroes and I’m not going to do a book with a military MC any justice. Second, and more importantly, casual sexism is now so jarring to me that even a few instances of it is enough to put me off a book. While I don’t want to change this about myself, it does close the cover on this book.

– Lara

Contemporary Romance, Romance

World War I Love Stories

author: Gill Paul

I used to write a column for The Bitches called ‘Real Life Romance.’ Due to time constraints, that column is on indefinite hold, but those who miss it may want to check out the historical love stories books by Gill Paul. World War I Love Stories: Real-Life Romances From the War that Shook the World is a documentation of history made personal, marred by an inexcusable lack of inclusion. The same series contains the books WWII Love Stories, Royal Love Stories, and Civil War Love Stories (all by Gill Paul). The list of books in this series seems to go on and on, but you may have to do some digging to find them. WWI Love Stories is available on Amazon as a Kindle book, and a VERY overpriced hardcover, with some reasonably-priced used copies.

This book uses simple language and short snippets of extra history placed with photos and art. It doesn’t go very in depth into the war or the lives of the people chronicled, but it still manages to give a lot of interesting details about WWI in general, as well as about the lives of the couples portrayed. Each chapter highlights a different couple (sadly, all m/f and all White) for whom the war played a pivotal role in their romance. There are some famous couples, such as J.R.R. Tolkien and Edith Bratt. However, most of the couples are ordinary people. These were my favorite chapters, and many end happily. Of course, some do not, so be prepared for some tragedy.

This is not a deep book, but it’s moving, it’s interesting, and it demonstrates that romance takes place in all times and places, not just in romance novels. I’d have given it a higher grade were it not for the exclusion of any non-White couples and same-gender couples. All through the book I just figured there’d be some inclusion eventually. Then I finished it, went to bed, woke up at 3 AM and went, “WAIT A MINUTE.” I liked that it brought the experiences of ordinary people to light, and enjoyed the photos of people and letters and objects, all of which made history just a bit more alive, but was angry at the lack of inclusion in any of the stories.

– Carrie S

Nonfiction