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
Girls Gangs with Fire Magic: When They Burned the Butterfly by Wen-yi Lee
Wen-yi Lee’s debut, The Dark We Know, a YA horror, was one of my favorite books of last year. So, when I learned she had an adult fantasy coming out, I was already excited, but the premise of a lesbian girl gang in 1970s Singapore (with magic!) made this one of my most anticipated releases ofRead More
The Diversity of the Ace Experience: Kiss Me, Maybe by Gabriella Gamez
Picture this: you’re me, enjoying your whirlwind first-ever trip to the iconic Powell’s Books in Portland, and you spot a staff recommendation tag with the words “asexual lesbian” prominently featured. You are, in fact, an ace lesbian, so you’re certainly not used to accidentally finding representation in the bookstore. Naturally, you immediately pick up the book inRead More
Family Matters: Next Time Will Be Our Turn by Jesse Q Sutanto
Next Time Will Be Our Turn was the perfect book to read on an airplane, because so much of it involves characters travelling from one country to another, reflecting on what makes a home a home and what it means to live somewhere that doesn’t have room for their whole self. Fair warning, though: itRead More
A Claustrophobic Sapphic Gothic: The Salvage by Anbara Salam Review
Before I get into it, I will say that my favourite part of this book was how information was slowly revealed, so I recommend going into this without knowing much about it. If you’re in the mood for a claustrophobic gothic novel set on a small, frozen-over island, pick this one up and skip overRead More
A Lesbian Vampire Classic: The Gilda Stories by Jewelle Gomez
I picked up The Gilda Stories a few years ago after it was published as a Vintage Classic in 2023: 32 years after its release. I was curious to see what book had been blurbed by Sarah Waters and excited by the fact it was a black lesbian vampire story. To describe it with thoseRead More
A Dread-Filled Gothic Thriller: The Salvage by Anbara Salam
The Salvage by Anbara Salam is a gothic literary thriller set on a small Scottish island in the midst of the Cuban Missile Crisis. The protagonist is Marta, a trailblazing marine archaeologist sent to investigate a Victorian shipwreck on behalf of a local wealthy family descended from the ship’s captain. On her first dive, she seesRead More
Old Gods, New Cities, and An Arsonist’s Lullaby: When They Burned the Butterfly by Wen-Yi Lee
One of my favorite tropes in fantasy is magic linked to body horror. Especially more so when it is treated as a volatile resource, calling into question the price of chasing power. Naturally, I had a fantastic time with Wen-Yi Lee’s When They Burned the Butterfly (October 21, 2025): a bloody, fiery saga about the horror andRead More
Haunted in Every Sense: The Sentence by Louise Erdrich
Louise Erdrich’s The Sentence highlights the power of words. As it is set in a bookstore and the author herself owns Birchbark Books, I anticipated a richly detailed sense of place and community as well as a clear love of books. The Sentence delivers those things along with a complex look at what it means to be haunted. (ContentRead More
- 1
- 2
- 3
- …
- 22
- Next Page »