[this review contains plot spoilers and discussion of rape] The first half of this novel reads like a landscape painting and the second half reads like a murder mystery featuring an emotional climax, with a sweet but slightly underdeveloped romance sprinkled throughout. In a town on a small nondescript island, magic and salt are alwaysRead More
Mars reviews Hocus Pocus and The All-New Sequel by A. W. Jantha
All her life, Poppy Dennison has known the story of the frightening and magical events that took place in Salem on Halloween night back in 1993. It’s otherwise known as the day her parents really met, or alternatively as the one time her cool Aunt Dani got kidnapped and almost eaten by witches. To beRead More
Mars reviews Ascension: A Tangled Axon Novel by Jaqueline Koyanagi
Please be aware that although I’ve tried to keep it minimal, this review contains spoilers. Alana Quick is one of the best starship surgeons the non-gentrified City of Heliodor has to offer, or she would be if only someone gave her the chance to prove herself on a real starship. Unhappily trapped in the dustyRead More
Marthese reviews Wish Our Hearts Away by E.J. Phillips
”If nothing is right, then you have the freedom to change anything” This week is pride week in Malta, and I’m going to share a very queer read that I enjoyed a lot. The book has a diversity of queer characters. It’s not just sapphic but has two boys (well, youth) that are fond ofRead More
Sponsored Review: Danika reviews A Lake of Feathers and Moonbeams by Dax Murray
A Lake of Feathers and Moonbeams is a queer Swan Lake retelling, and honestly, it just had to live up to that premise to win me over. I may not be incredibly familiar with the ballet, but I grew up watching Swan Princess constantly. Besides, queer fairy tale(-esque) retellings are one of my favourite thingsRead More
Quinn Jean reviews Reign of the Fallen by Sarah Glenn Marsh
[this review contains minor spoilers and discusses depictions of violence and substance abuse in the novel, particularly in paragraph three] Reign of the Fallen is a refreshing and original addition to both the fantasy and the queer YA genres, a welcome departure from more formulaic and predictable novels that populate both areas. Sarah Glenn Marsh’sRead More
Mary reviews The Queen of Ieflaria by Effie Calvin
Fantasy was the genre that got me to love books, but I fell out of love with it as I couldn’t find any books with characters that weren’t straight or cisgender. I was browsing through recent LGBT releases and found The Queen of Ieflaria by Effie Calvin, which has turned out to be everything I was lookingRead More
Marthese reviews Pegasi and Prefects (Scholars and Sorcery #1) by Eleanor Beresford
“I take my questions and shining little badges with me” Keeping in line with my recent reviews, I read another short fantasy book. This time, I read Pegasi and Prefects which is the first in the Scholars and Sorcery series. I found it to be a somewhat good introduction but it focuses more on theRead More
Laura reviews Red Falcon’s District by Leilani Beck
Red Falcon’s District is a historical fantasy novel by Leilani Beck. The story follows Bridget Caswell — a plucky young woman who has been on the run her entire life — as she takes sanctuary in an unusual, little known London district. A capable work by an emerging author, this book is an excellent choiceRead More
Danika reviews Hellebore & Rue edited by JoSelle Vanderhooft and Catherine Lundoff
I’m going to be honest: the only thing I was really looking for in Hellebore & Rue: Tales of Queer Women and Magic was for it to live up to its cover. I mean, look at that cover! It’s definitely one of my favourites. The good news is, it does! It seems like every review ofRead More