A magical school story, a political critique, a dragon rider fantasy: so many of my favourite things! Book 1 of the Nampeshiweisit series was one of my favourite books of the year and contained probably my most memorable reading moment, in which Anequs makes an incredible discovery that rewrites her understanding of her dragon and ofRead More
It’s All in the Cards: Saturn Returning by Kim Narby
Saturn Returning centres around three friends (Trace, Silvia, and Jordan) who we follow in two timelines, past and present. In the past, we see how they first meet at college, how Jordan begins to come out of her shell and explores her sexuality; how Trace is a sucker for girls and falls hard when she fallsRead More
A Wild Dystopian Ride: Road to Ruin by Hana Lee
This is a post-apocalyptic ride of a novel with many a comparison to the Mad Max movies. Desert wastelands, thrilling motorcycle rides, and dinosaur-like creatures await in these pages! Jin-Lu, our main character, is a mage-bike courier, which means she has an aesthetically cool and extremely dangerous job taking messages and cargo across the wastelandsRead More
Motorcycles, Magic, Monsters, and Love Letters: Road to Ruin by Hana Lee Review
Road to Ruin by Hana Lee was described to me as a Max Max: Fury Road-inspired fantasy with magic-fueled motorcycles, a dangerous wasteland, and romantic letter writing, and it lives up to the hype. I was instantly drawn in, and the whole thing was a romp that left me excited for the sequel. Not only does ourRead More
A Bisexual Tudor Retelling Fantasy Series: Six Wild Crowns by Holly Race
Holly Race’s Six Wild Crowns is a fantasy retelling of Henry VIII’s six wives, specifically focusing on the second and third wives, Anne Boleyn and Jane Seymour. In Race’s retelling, it was decreed by a god that the king of Elben must have six wives in order to keep the kingdom strong and protected, and Boleyn isRead More
A Sincere Satire — Spent: A Comic Novel by Alison Bechdel Review
Fun Home is one of my all-time favourite books, but I haven’t enjoyed Alison Bechdel’s subsequent memoirs as much, and I’ve only read bits and pieces of Dykes to Watch Out For. So I wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked up her newest graphic novel, Spent. It stars a graphic memoirist named AlisonRead More
The Most Sapphic of Romance Novels: Cosmic Love at the Multiverse Hair Salon by Annie Mare Review
When Tressa Fay gets a text from a wrong number, it’s not long before they’re flirting. In fact, they decide to meet up that night. But when she arrives at the bar, Tressa Fay is disappointed to realize the cute engineer is not there, despite Meryl’s continual texts insisting she is. Soon, Tressa Fay learnsRead More
A Tough But Necessary Read: Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah Review
Content warnings for pretty much everything: violence, gore, racism, incarceration, solitary confinement, self harm, cutting At the time of writing this, it’s barely been three weeks since the 2024 presidential election in the United States, which Donald Trump won by a handy margin. Although Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah came out over a yearRead More
A Sizzling Polyamorous Rom-Com: Triple Sec by TJ Alexander
A jaded bartender is wooed by a charmingly quirky couple in this fresh and sizzling polyamorous rom-com, set in the exclusive world of high-end cocktail bars. As a bartender at Terror & Virtue, a swanky New York City cocktail lounge known for its romantic atmosphere and Insta-worthy drinks, Mel has witnessed plenty of disastrous dates.Read More
Shakespeare, Fae, and Orisha: That Self-Same Metal by Brittany N. Williams
Bookshop.org Affiliate Link At the age of sixteen, Joan Sands possesses exceptional craftsmanship skills that she employs to create and maintain the stage blades for The King’s Men, a theatrical troupe led by William Shakespeare. Joan’s remarkable blade-crafting ability is rooted in her magical power to manipulate metal, bestowed upon her by her guiding deity,Read More