So… before we get started, there are a few things I want to make perfectly clear: The main character in The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is a cis male. The author of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is a cis male. The original Swedish title of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is Men Who Hate Women. Does The Girl WithRead More
Laura Mandanas reviewed “Blazing Star” by Marie Carlson
Title: “Blazing Star” Author: Marie Carlson Genre: Urban Fantasy Erotic Romance Length: 9,800 words / 20 pages Initial Release: Cast the Cards anthologyPublisher’s Blurb: Bea is a mind reader, weary of battle, but still with the Star in her eyes. Her lover, Hope, returns to Bea’s sanctuary in need of comfort and guidance, which Bea is onlyRead More
Laura Mandanas reviews Ash by Malinda Lo
The first chapter of Ash by Malinda Lo stopped me in my tracks. Lo’s writing here is not the type that should be read hurriedly — speed reading here would be like sprinting through the Taj Mahal, blindfolded, and calling it sightseeing. Such a waste! No, readers will do best to advance slowly. Pause. Ponder.Read More
Laura reviews Fist of the Spider Woman edited by Amber Dawn
Fist of the Spider Woman, edited by Amber Dawn, is an anthology of 16 poems and short stories written in the queer space where fear meets desire. With subject matter ranging from vampires to pubic lice, this coolly creepy collection is the perfect paperback to pick up as Halloween draws near. As Dawn notes in the introduction,Read More
Laura Mandanas reviews “Gigglepuss” by Giselle Renarde
I have to say: I was a bit concerned when, four paragraphs in, the main love interest was characterized as a “Japanese anime schoolgirl.” (Like, really people. Can we just stop with the racist Asian exotification and extraordinarily sleazy fetishization of teenage girls? That would be great.) Normally I would have stopped reading there, butRead More
Laura Mandanas reviews Fearless by Erin O’Reilly
Fearless by Erin O’Reilly is a work of historical fiction about the brave members of the Auxiliary Transport Authority who ferried planes during World War II. Delivering aircraft from the factories to Royal Air Force stations throughout the United Kingdom, ATA pilots flew in the face of danger on a daily basis. This book follows pilotsRead More
Laura Mandanas reviews Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
A darker tale than one might expect, Sarah Waters’ Fingersmith is a story of deception, double-dealing, and dysfunction. Opening in 1862 in a dilapidated London slum known as the Borough, we meet heroine #1: 17-year-old Susan Trinder. Orphaned at a young age, Sue has been raised as a fingersmith (pickpocket) by Mrs. Sucksby, a crookedRead More
Laura Mandanas reviews Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg
A few weeks ago, I decided to bring a book into the tub for a relaxing bubble bath. When the temperature was right, I gingerly picked up the paperback and eased my way into the frothy suds, cautiously avoiding the slightest splash. I took careful pains to hold the book a deliberate 6-8 inches outRead More
Laura Mandanas and Nichole review Sleeping with the Frenemy by KT Grant
Nichole: I absolutely loved this book. Deborah is possibly one of the most relatable characters I’ve come across in a long time and still she is raw and sweet and a bit of a bitch. She’s been through hell and manages to come out on top and I know I spent the entire book rootingRead More
Laura Mandanas reviews Forbidden Passages
Forbidden Passages: Writings Banned in Canada is a book of essays, short stories, and excerpts of texts that have been seized and censored in Canada. The collection features a broad range of perspectives and does not shy away from any subject. (Due, unfortunately, to the fact that Canadian censors shy away from just about everything.)Read More