The Siren’s Kiss by Leslie Vedder (out September 1) is a book I was hoping would break a reading slump, and it did just that. e follow Rayleigh, who has been cursed to captain the ghost ship of the famed pirate Red-Handed Roger unless she can retrieve his heart from the Sea Witch, and Maren,Read More
Tea with a Spoonful of Swashbuckling: A Pirate’s Life for Tea by Rebecca Thorne
Recently, I returned to the world of Rebecca Thorne’s Tomes and Tea series with the second book in the series, A Pirate’s Life for Tea. This sequel to the wildly popular Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea follows Kianthe and Reyna, our mage and retired bodyguard couple, as they leave the confines of their beloved teaRead More
A Fictional Account of a (Maybe) Real Pirate: The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye by Briony Cameron
Briony Cameron’s The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye takes the story of the legendary pirate Jacquotte Delahaye and imagines her rise to captain of a fleet of over a hundred pirates. While her existence is debated, her legacy nonetheless makes for a fascinating story, one that deserves to be shared as widely as any other historical (or semi-historical)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 Sapphic Take on a Classic: Tink and Wendy by Kelly Ann Jacobson Review
Tink and Wendy sets the story of Peter Pan with a small twist that changes everything: instead of bringing the Darling siblings into their world, Peter and Tink stay in our world. As Peter brings his chaotic brand of fun to their dour lives, Tink grows more and more concerned over the impact this will haveRead More
We Have Always Been Here: 3 Essential Historical Sapphic Reads
As Pride Month draws to a close here in the states, here are three historical fiction books that blend insightful writing with action/adventure, twisty thriller tension, and bon-mot brilliance, respectively. So much of history is about teaching us what has been possible, about what sorts of lives have survived, been mythologized, codified, recognized as worthyRead More
A Bisexual Disaster Romantasy: Hunt on Dark Waters (Crimson Sails #1) by Katee Robert
Buy this from Bookshop.org to support local bookstores and the Lesbrary! I have been slow to jump on board the romantasy bandwagon, partly because I am particular when it comes to romances, and partly because the subgenre has been pretty cis and straight. When I heard that Tiktok favourite Katee Robert had a new fantasyRead More
Sea Monsters and Lesbian Pirates: The Abyss Surrounds Us & The Edge of the Abyss by Emily Skrutskie
Bookshop.org Affiliate Link The Abyss Surrounds Us and The Edge of the Abyss feel like one book that’s been split in two. And I mean that in the best way possible—one of my biggest frustrations with young adult fiction is when it doesn’t take the time to slowly and properly develop its themes, characters, narrativeRead More
Nat reviews the Pirates of Aletharia by Britney Jackson
Amazon Affiliate Link | Bookshop.org Affiliate Link Get ready to don your trusty tricorns for a high seas adventure full to the brim with pirates, betrayal, forbidden magic, and the plotting of sweet revenge. Pirates of Aletharia is so much fun I can’t wait to read it again. An equal parts cocktail of fluff andRead More
Nat reviews The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea by Maggie Tokuda-Hall
Amazon Affiliate Link | Bookshop.org Affiliate Link Sometimes we pick up a book with certain expectations – sometimes we also discover that those expectations are way off the mark. When I set out to read The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea I knew this: it was a YA book with romance, it was gaaay,Read More