In I’ll Make a Spectacle of You, we meet Zora Robinson, an ambitious graduate student and Hoodoo practitioner, as she enters her first year at the most respected HBCU in the country. Bricksbury University has a long and storied history, with more than a few secrets, the biggest of all involving a beast that roams theRead More
Conversion Camp is Hell: Cuckoo by Gretchen Felker-Martin
Cuckoo opens in 1995 with a true-to-life horror situation: seven queer kids being sent to a conversion camp in the middle of the desert. The camp is your classic nightmare: brutal labor conditions under the supervision of uber-religious and questionable leadership. Physical punishment from both counsellors and fellow campers. Truly mystifying lessons that are both boringRead 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
Hunger at the End of the World: Land of Milk and Honey by C Pam Zhang Review
Land of Milk and Honey is a literary science fiction novel that brings to life a dystopian world in which a smog has killed off food crops. The unnamed main character is a chef that is invited to take a job at a mountaintop colony in Italy, established by an enigmatic man and his visionary,Read More
Mushrooms, Magic, Pirates, and More: The Dawnhounds by Sascha Stronach
The Dawnhounds by Sascha Stronach is a Maori-inspired, queer, biopunk fantasy novel. It’s pitched as Gideon the Ninth meets Black Sun, so be prepared for very expansive and detailed world-building that doesn’t really stop to explain as you dive into it. That world-building is incredibly unique. In the port city of Hainak, metal is taboo,Read More
A Delightful Historical Romp: An Island Princess Starts a Scandal by Adriana Herrera Review
An Island Princess Starts a Scandal is the second book in the Las Leonas historical romance series by Adriana Herrera. Fortunately, it can be easily read as a standalone if you’re interested. Sadly, it is the only sapphic entry in the series, but I’m so happy I picked it up! The novel is set primarilyRead More
Power, Politics, and Passion: Black Salt Queen by Samantha Bansil Review
Black Salt Queen had everything I want out of a fantasy novel right now. It’s a story steeped in political intrigue, lush world-building, and dynamic characters who feel as real as they are formidable. At the center of the story, we’ve got Hara Duja Gatdula, the aging queen of Maynara who can literally move theRead More
An Inverse Handmaid’s Tale: Eleven Percent by Maren Uthaug Review
Eleven Percent has been marketed as an “inverse Handmaid’s Tale”—a world where women are in control and only 11% of men remain (kept under lock and key for reproduction and such). But while that pitch might catch your attention, what Maren Uthaug actually delivers is a much more unsettling and layered exploration of power, gender,Read More