Buy this from Bookshop.org to support local bookstores and the Lesbrary! When I finished The Unbroken by C. L. Clark, I wasn’t sure I was going to continue with the series. It was brilliant, yes: thought-provoking and gut-wrenching, with commentary on colonialism and a passionate, doomed F/F romantic subplot. The strengths of the book, though—theRead More
Vic reviews The Unbroken by C.L. Clark
Amazon Affiliate Link | Bookshop.org Affiliate Link C.L. Clark’s The Unbroken is a gripping novel of empire and revolution, set in the fantasy country Qazāl, which has been colonized by the empire of Balladaire. Filled with complex world-building, magic, and betrayal, it follows the soldier Touraine, born in Qazāl and stolen as a child to serve inRead More
Larkie reviews “The Effluent Engine” by NK Jemisin
Amazon Affiliate Link | Bookshop.org Affiliate Link I listened to this short story as part of the audiobook How Long ’til Black Future Month, but it can be found for free online at Lightspeed Magazine. I’ll start this review off by saying that I think NK Jemisin is an incredible writer. Her Broken Earth trilogy wasRead More
Danika reviews The Unbroken by C.L. Clark
Amazon Affiliate Link | Bookshop.org Affiliate Link This is a thought-provoking, complex book that I’m still mulling over. The Unbroken is a military fantasy about a colonial occupation. It’s based on French on occupation of North Africa, though it’s not–of course–an exact match. There isn’t a lot of sexism in this world: women serve alongside menRead More
Danika reviews Butter Honey Pig Bread by Francesca Ekwuyasi
This was such an impressive book that I have been intimidated to write about it! It was longlisted for the Giller Prize, and it was on Canada Reads! (If you’re not Canadian: this is a big deal.) Trigger warnings for suicide and suicide ideation, miscarriage and child death, as well as rape and child sexualRead More
Danika reviews Under the Udala Trees by Chinelo Okparanta
Under the Udala Trees is set in Nigeria during and in the aftermath of the civil war. Ijeoma is sent to live in a safer area of the country with people she’s never meant. She acts as a servant to earn her keep. When she befriends a girl from another ethnic group–in fact, from theRead More
Maryam reviewed Reclaiming the L-Word: Sappho’s Daughters Out in Africa edited by Allyn Diesel
I just finished Reclaiming the L-Word: Sappho’s Daughters Out in Africa, edited by Allyn Diesel. It is a wonderful anthology of personal essays, poetry, and photographs, each African woman telling the tale of what it is to be queer in South Africa. They range from the heartwarming – Yulinda Noortman’s description of shopping for wedding fabricRead More
Allysse reviews The World Unseen by Shamim Sarif
The World Unseen is set in South Africa in the 1950’s and relates the story of two women – Miriam and Amina – and the way their lives impact each others. Let me start this review by saying that I love this book. After a lot of trouble to get it from my library IRead More