The Midnight Bargain reminded me why I love fantasy novels, and then wrecked me with its social commentary about a Regency-inspired world. This is a story about women feeling trapped by social constraints, scrambling to escape, and discovering along the way that transforming a society is more satisfying than just saving oneself. I loved the book’s drawing room politics, djinn-inspired magic, chosen family, and the way the story didn’t shy away from the heroine’s ambition, … Continue reading The Midnight Bargain by C.L. Polk →
Fame Adjacent is, for the most part, a good book, but not a very good romance. This story addresses the addictive nature of the internet and the toxic effects of fame through the narration of Holly Danner, who finds love on a road trip with Thom, a fellow internet addict. The story is more rom-com than romance novel, but even by the standards of rom-com the romance part of the book is pretty weak. Back … Continue reading Fame Adjacent by Sarah Skilton →
One of my recent joys has been discovering Malinda Lo’s fantasy YA books. In her novel, Ash, Lo creates a beautiful Queer re-imagining of the Cinderella fairytale, complete with a complex main character, a fresh take on the plot, and gorgeous use of language, description, and world-building. Huntress is sort of a prequel to Ash, but it was written after Ash was published; you don’t have to have read it to read Ash. Here is … Continue reading Ash by Malinda Lo →
How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse was a fable space adventure, a homage to both space opera and to fairy tales. The sequel, How the Multiverse Got Its Revenge is not that book. It’s very good, but it’s also very different tonally from the first. This is a sequel which absolutely demands that not only do you read the first book first (I did) but also that either you have a good memory (I don’t) … Continue reading How the Multiverse Got Its Revenge by K. Eason →
I read the first chapter of Spoiler Alert and was sucked into a compulsive reading vortex, becoming annoyed when work or sleep tried to distract me from gobbling up the book. It’s a delightful celebrity romance that treats writing sexy fanfiction as a worthy creative pursuit. It also has a classic falling for your penpal storyline, without the slow burn over correspondence that tends to annoy me. This story of a fanfiction writer who falls … Continue reading Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade →
I am so in love with The Next World Tarot. This deck is perfect for our current moment of national and planetary turmoil. In concept and execution, it is inspiring on a personal and political scale. The creator, Christy C. Road, describes the deck thus: Featuring body outlaws, endangered cultures, and anti-colonial belief systems, THE NEXT WORLD TAROT envisions a world where justice relies on respect and revolutionary love. The Fool’s Journey is about smashing … Continue reading The Next World Tarot by Cristy C. Road →
With thanks to Tara. The Love Study is a romance between Declan, who swore off romance after leaving his boyfriend at the altar six years ago, and Sidney, who has no interest in dating, but who does have a YouTube channel called ‘Your Spinster Uncle’ where they provide relationship advice. (Sidney is gender nonconforming and prefers they/them pronouns). Declan might be commitment-phobic, but he is also 29 and beginning to wonder if he would, in … Continue reading The Love Study by Kris Ripper →
Naomi Novik knows how to write a freaking good fantasy novel. I’ve been thinking nonstop about A Deadly Education for the past week and have been frantically messaging speculation/theories to other readers. It’s the type of story that will exist rent-free in my brain for the foreseeable future. No matter how much I try, I can’t scrub it out because exciting details keep invading my mundane day-to-day thoughts. So let’s get right to it! I … Continue reading A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik →
CW: Suicide, Mental Illness Spooky season is upon us (my favorite season BTW) and if you are in the mood for something delightfully Gothic with horror elements, I recommend The Nesting. This book works perfectly as a Gothic thriller, is deeply creepy, and has an interesting take on environmentalism. The only thing that I wasn’t certain of was the treatment of the heroines’ mental illness. First of all, this is a very spooky book, so … Continue reading The Nesting by CJ Cooke →
Content warnings: Everyone in this book is reacting, one way or another, to the death of Susan’s mother at the start of the book. There is a character with disordered eating and she plays a large role in the book. Another character has untreated anxiety which manifests itself as hypochondria. There is also an enormous amount of snobbery and classism. 2020 seems to be the year for food-themed, contemporary re-tellings of Jane Austen’s Persuasion, and … Continue reading All Stirred Up by Brianne Moore →
TW: Catfishing It’s a bad sign when I look at my list of things to read and review for the month, and think to myself, “I need to read that book next,” and then realize that I’ve already read it. Well Played did not leave a lasting mark upon me. It was an enjoyable book to read and it gave me the chance to attend a Renaissance Faire via imagination in a year when the … Continue reading Well Played by Jen DeLuca →
