Sarvat Hasin’s Strange Girls delves into the complexity and fervor of the codependent female friendships that bloom, burn, and scar in adolescence. Told in two perspectives and two timelines, the novel reveals the truths behind the stories each woman told themselves about a life-altering relationship. Aliya and Ava were once inseparable, but after a ten-year silence, theirRead More
Grief and Found Family in Alexis Henderson’s Young Adult Debut
Newly released this month, Alexis Henderson’s young adult debut, When I Was Death, brings the author’s signature fantastical horror to a meditation on grief and coming of age. In the year since protagonist Roslyn lost her sister, Adeline, she’s almost completely disconnected from her life. The mysterious circumstances surrounding Adeline’s loss have cast an even longerRead More
Southern Gothic Horror Meets Sapphic Romance in On Sundays She Picked Flowers
On Sundays She Picked Flowers is Yah-Yah Scholfield’s incredible southern gothic horror debut. Middle-aged protagonist Judith Rice flees her childhood home, desperate to escape the grasp of her abusive mother. Without a plan or resources, she lands in a tiny town in southern Georgia and there is offered refuge. Jude takes shelter in a dilapidated plantation,Read More
Between Devotion and Obsession: Lonely Crowds by Stephanie Wambugu Review
In “Lonely Crowds,” we follow the complex relationship between protagonists Ruth and Maria. The two meet as children at their all-girls Catholic school in New England and become fast friends. Ruth is the only child of recent immigrants, and Maria is an orphan under the care of her mentally ill aunt, and the two are someRead More
Southern Gothic Horror Meets Dark Academia: I’ll Make a Spectacle of You by Beatrice Winifred Iker Review
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