A magical school story, a political critique, a dragon rider fantasy: so many of my favourite things! Book 1 of the Nampeshiweisit series was one of my favourite books of the year and contained probably my most memorable reading moment, in which Anequs makes an incredible discovery that rewrites her understanding of her dragon and ofRead More
An Absorbing Fantasy Series Opener: To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose
Dragons seem to be having a pop culture moment once again, whether it’s on your TV or on your bookshelf, as alluring shapeshifters or war steeds. In a crowded field, Moniquill Blackgoose’s To Shape a Dragon’s Breath holds its own as a unique take on classic fantasy tropes. Set in an alternate version of 1800s Massachusetts, theRead More
7 Transfeminine Sapphic Books I Read In 2025
It’s a tough time to be trans, more so with the socio-cultural complicity and transmisogyny one witnesses even within supposedly progressive queer circles these days. However, as a trans masc author myself, I want to emphasize that while it is alright to call for the boycott of bigoted authors, it is equally—if not more—important toRead More
A Two-Spirit Journey by Ma-Nee Chacaby with Mary Louisa Plummer Review
A Two-Spirit Journey: The Autobiography of a Lesbian Ojibwa-Cree Elder by Ma-Nee Chacaby with Mary Louisa Plummer was this year’s winner of Canada Reads, and if you’re not Canadian, I can tell you that’s a big deal. It’s a TV/radio program where five “personalities” (celebrities of some kind) debate which book the country should beRead More
A Race Between Witches and Witch Hunters: VenCo by Cherie Dimaline Review
From the award-winning author of The Marrow Thieves (2017) comes a novel about queer community, survival, and joy—with a twist. Cherie Dimaline’s VenCo (2023) is a compelling story about the (super)natural powers of women. VenCo follows orphan Lucky St. James, the daughter of a bad-ass Métis woman living with her grandmother, Stella, in Toronto. When Lucky discovers that the twoRead More
A Compelling Queer Indigenous Fantasy: To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose Review
I love a magic school book, and I love a dragon book, and I especially love a dragon school book. To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose was such a great entry to the genre. I couldn’t put it down, and I keep thinking about its innovative world-building. Anequs is the protagonist I didn’t know I’veRead More
A Lush Horror Novella Embracing Death and Renewal: Green Fuse Burning by Tiffany Morris Review
“Why did people need to be in nature to process the things that happened to them? Maybe it was because what was thought of as wild did not require a veil—it saw you as you truly were: an animal skulking among animals.” Though I haven’t read a lot of horror, there is plenty of horrorRead More
Memoir of a Queer Coast Salish Punk: Red Paint by Sasha taqʷšəblu LaPointe
Buy this from Bookshop.org to support local bookstores and the Lesbrary! “I no longer wish to be called resilient. Call me reckless, impatient, and emotional. Even Indigenous. Call my anything other than survivor. I am so many more things than brave.” One of my favourite books I’ve read this year is Thunder Song, LaPointe’s newestRead More
A Sapphic and Metis Secret Garden: Into the Bright Open by Cherie Dimaline
Buy this from Bookshop.org to support local bookstores and the Lesbrary! Into the Bright Open by Cherie Dimaline is part of MacMillan’s Remixed Classics series, which has diverse authors reimagine beloved classics through their own perspective. In this offering, Dimaline remixes The Secret Garden, setting it in Canada and filling it with Metis characters andRead More
The Song the World Needs: Thunder Song by Sasha taqwšəblu LaPointe
Buy this from Bookshop.org to support local bookstores and the Lesbrary! This was one of my five star predictions for the year, and I’m happy to say it lived up to that expectation. Thunder Song is a collection of essays about being a queer Indigenous women in the U.S. today. It begins with LaPointe talkingRead More