Okay, so first of all, I need us all to understand that I’m going to write this review without telling you much about what actually happens in the book. That’s because, and I’m not exaggerating when I say this, every single event is a spoiler. The plot of this series is a giant Gordian knot where each new revelation changes everything else you think you know, so you really can’t discuss any part of it … Continue reading Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
a.k.a. Pandagate: A Drama In Three Acts Act One: That Bear Has Seen Some Shit Interior, day. Smart Bitches HQ. It’s a large room filled floor to ceiling with books, like the library in Beauty and the Beast. Many of them are pink. Between shelves, there is an occasional tasteful painting of nipples shaped like fruit. The Bitchery are draped across various large fluffy chairs, reading or napping. Elyse is curled up on a sofa … Continue reading The Writer’s Baby Bear by Sophie Stern
There are two things you need to know right up front when deciding if this book is for you. It’s the first in a trilogy, and the author has stated that the HEA won’t be happening until book three. It worked for me, but if you’re feeling the lack of satisfying emotional resolutions in your real life and need one in your fiction? Yeah, hold off on this one. The plot hinges on a weaponized … Continue reading Slippery Creatures by K.J. Charles
The first time I read Paladin’s Grace, I finished it, turned back to the beginning, and immediately read it again. This is partly because it’s very good, which I’ll get into later, and partly because for me, it was the right book at the right time. I’ve been having a hard time reading this year because of, you know … (*jazz hands*) everything. It’s hard to connect with Happily-Ever-After when we’re in the middle of … Continue reading Paladin’s Grace by T. Kingfisher
Do you ever read a Georgette Heyer novel and think, “Man, that was great but I wish it had magic and also, like, maybe some diversity in the main characters”? If so, do I have a book for you! Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho is the first book in a series of the same name. It’s half Regency romance, half political intrigue, and half biting commentary on British colonialism. (Yes, I know that’s … Continue reading Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho
I am a simple human. I like robots. I like tea. I like reading about people falling in love, especially if they’re gay. So when I heard there was an f/f romance about a robot that runs a tea shop, I one-clicked so hard Jeff Bezos got a bruise. The Cybernetic Tea Shop is a novella set in future-ish Seattle. The year is never specified, but it’s mentioned that AI was invented 300 years ago, … Continue reading The Cybernetic Tea Shop by Meredith Katz
This is a joint review by Carrie and AJ. Wayward Son is the second book in a spinoff series — you might also want to check out Carrie’s review for the previous book, Carry On, and Sarah’s review for the book that started it all, Fangirl. Carrie: Wayward Son is the sequel to Carry On, by Rainbow Rowell. If you haven’t read Carry On yet, go do that. I’ll try to avoid spoilers for Carry On … Continue reading Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell
Once in a while, you find a book that does exactly what it said it was going to do. The Queen of Ieflaria is one of those books. I bought it based on a Tumblr post which had the following summary, verbatim: “two princesses attempt to fight dragons and get married.” That’s what I wanted, and that’s exactly what I got. If you stopped reading and one-clicked based solely on that description, you won’t be … Continue reading The Queen of Ieflaria by Effie Calvin
