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A Disabled Jewish Lesbian Time Loop Story: Time and Time Again by Chatham Greenfield

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Time and Time Again by Chatham Greenfield cover

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I love a time loop story, so I had to pick up up this sapphic YA take on the trope—especially one with with fat and disabled characters on the cover!

In the first chapter, Phoebe is living August 6th for the 26th time in a row. Every day is the same, and every day she does the same thing, including eating pancakes with her mom, playing Scrabble at her dad’s place, researching time loop stories, and ending the day with a painful IBS flare-up. Then, one August 6th goes a little differently: she steps off the curb a little later than usual and is hit by a car—gently. Jess is driving, and now they’re stuck looping with Phoebe.

Phoebe and Jess used to be close childhood friends until their fathers argued and they stopped being allowed to see each other. Now, they’re the only out lesbians at their school. They’re also both Jewish and disabled, and they immediately settle into their old friendship again—but Phoebe worries if Jess will have time for her after they return to real life.

This is the most relaxed time loop story I’ve ever read. Neither of them seem particularly worried or in a hurry about breaking the loop. They do talk about it, but they don’t panic. In fact, they sometimes are reluctant to return to their time, though Phoebe is counting down the days until she can see a doctor who might actually by able to help with her health problems and not just tell her to lose weight.

They also don’t do what I associate with time loop stories, where they have a montage of whacky or deadly experiences they would never do in real life. They do get revenge on a bully at one point, but it’s not a big departure from typical teen activities. They drive to a different state or go to a concert or shave their heads—all pretty mild reactions to having endless do-overs.

That’s not a complaint, to be clear! Part of what I liked about Time and Time Again is how it used the time loop format in a different way. (The ending also resolved timelines in a way I haven’t seen before, and it explains some other choices in the plot.) It makes perfect sense that Phoebe is stuck in time, because she already feels lost and aimless. The end of high school approaches, and she doesn’t know what she wants to do afterwards. Her anxiety prevents her from taking chances and trying new things, including driving. (Same.) It doesn’t feel like a sci-fi story as much as a metaphor for what’s already going on in her life.

As you’d expect, then, the focus is much more on the characters and their relationship to each other. It’s so nice to read a book with a romance between disabled Jewish lesbians: that kind of representation is still pretty rare, and especially when it’s both main characters. (Jess is also nonbinary.)

If you like time loop stories and don’t need them to be action-packed sci-fi stories, I definitely recommend this one. I’m happy to see this book came out of a fellowship from Reese’s Book Club: I’ll definitely be watching to see which other books are published through LitUp! Hopefully this means that stories like Time and Time Again get the marketing push to put them into more readers’ hands.

The Queer Graphic Novel That Had Me Sobbing at 3 A.M.: The Deep Dark by Molly Knox Ostertag

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The Deep Dark cover

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You’re all fired for not tell me how good this is.

I liked The Girl From the Sea, so I put a hold on Ostertag’s newest sapphic graphic novel, but I hadn’t heard anything about it, so I my expectations were pretty grounded. I definitely didn’t realize it was almost 500 pages; not the one-sitting read I was expecting… or so I thought.

I started reading this before bed, fully intending to get through a chapter or two before going to sleep. Instead, I was glued to the page until I finished it, after which I fully started not just crying but sobbing to myself. (It probably wasn’t 3 A.M., but give me some creative liberty here.) My roommate had to patiently listen to me weepily describe how good this book was. And then he offered me a chocolate chip cookie, which I definitely needed.

This review will have minor spoilers: the back doesn’t tell you what it is that happens in the basement every night, but it’s revealed early in the story. This is about Mags, a teenager who is trying to balance being the primary caregiver to her ailing grandmother, going to school, holding down a part-time job—and feeding her monster. Every night, she descends into the basement, offering her hand for the monster to feed from. It means she doesn’t get a lot of sleep on top of everything else, and it means she feels isolated: how could she ever have a real relationship, when she has such a terrible secret?

Mags is sleepwalking through life, as we can tell from the washed-out colour palette. She’s sleeping with a classmate from school who has a boyfriend. She doesn’t have a social life outside of these secret hook ups. Then, a childhood friend reappears: Nessa. Nessa is bisexual and trans, and she knows Mags’s secret already, because Mags told her when they were kids… except Nessa thinks she imagined it all. As Mags and Nessa spend more time together, Mags begins to wish for more from her life.

My heart broke for Mags, who is carrying so much on her shoulders. Her mother is horrified by her monster and stays distant from her. She thinks, “Mom says I’m so mature. And that’s code for not her problem anymore.” Her abuela is the one who forced her to start feeding her monster as a kid and to keep it a locked away secret. Her uncle, who was the other person in her family in the same situation, ran away with his monster and was never heard from again. She feels alone and like she doesn’t deserve real connection or support. She’s so tired that she’s beginning to faint at random times, and it’s obvious she can’t keep this up forever.

Ultimately, this is a story about accepting and loving the darkest, angriest parts of yourself—and allowing other people to love you in your entirety. Nessa offers Mags a glimpse of a possibility outside of just isolating herself. It’s painful and difficult, but it’s worth it.

As the title warns, this isn’t a light read. On top of Mags’s difficult emotional state and the discussions of intergenerational trauma, Nessa is also recovering from an abusive relationship, one that turned into stalking after they broke up. I also want to give content warnings for violence, death, child death, gun violence, and threatening suicide.

I did not mean to read this in one sitting, but I’m glad I did. I was immersed in this story, and I felt so deeply for Mags. It made the ending cathartic—hence the sobbing. This was obviously written from a personal place, and it’s so effective. This is a new favourite.

When Duty and Love Conflict and Coincide: 3 Sapphic Bodyguard Romances

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There are few dynamics more swoon-worthy to me than a bodyguard romance: all of the pining of star-crossed lovers constantly at each other’s side, intense trust and protection, and often some sort of courtly intrigue. To make this sort of relationship work, the characters must be achingly careful and ultimately go through a drastic status quo change, which makes these stories compelling to me. Their genre can vary, so today, I’m doing a lightning round of reviews of three bodyguard romances: one sci-fi, one historical fantasy, and one contemporary.

Glorious Day by Skye Kilaen

Glorious Day cover

My most recent read was Skye Kilaen’s Glorious Day, a low heat sci-fi romance novella. Elsenna Hazen used to be the princess’s bodyguard, until two years ago, when they shared a kiss in the gardens. Since then, she has failed to forget her hopeless love, but she has focused on feeding information to a revolutionary group trying to topple the tyrannical king. Meanwhile, the princess’s life is being controlled by ableist caretakers. She must keep up the facade that she is helpless in order to survive her political situation, but Elsenna knows her better than that. When the princess reassigns her as her bodyguard, their romance rekindles while the revolution comes to a head.

This story is ultimately about being willing to fight—for one’s beliefs, one’s love, and one’s self. Due to her own role in a corrupt system, as well as the danger she has put herself in by betraying it, Elsenna considers her life and conscience forfeit. In order to not see her love as hopeless, she has to be able to imagine a future for herself. I enjoyed the arc for the princess (who is referred to with various titles and names over time, which had a significance I liked) and the role she ends up playing, as well as how this is gradually revealed through Elsenna’s perspective.

Considering this book was under 100 pages, I didn’t expect in-depth worldbuilding, and I liked the balance of plot and relationship development. That being said, though the writing was clear and polished, I would have appreciated more description. I often knew little about the character’s surroundings, which feels like a missed opportunity, given that this is set in a sci-fi monarchy featuring both high-tech equipment and extravagant ballrooms.

I recommend this book to those looking for a fast-paced read with a good balance of star-crossed romance and political maneuvering. 

You can find in-depth content warnings on the author’s website.

Daughter of Mystery by Heather Rose Jones

Daughter of Mystery cover

Earlier this year, I read Daughter of Mystery by Heather Rose Jones. This book takes place in an alternate regency setting with a magic system based in divine rituals. When Margarit Sovitre gains an unexpected inheritance, it includes a fortune but not a title, making her a target for the new baron. To remain safe, she has to rely on Barbara, a bodyguard included in the terms of the inheritance. They develop a slow burn romance while trying to navigate their new lives, which may be wrapped up in more layers of conspiracy than they realize.

Given that Barbara has been included in Margarit’s inheritance as if she were an object, there is obviously quite a large power differential that must be addressed, so the slow burn is appropriate as the characters have a lot to navigate. I appreciated the respect and care they showed for each other, and the way they were able to bond over their interests and abilities, as they both study the divine rituals despite others’ opposition. Both characters appealed to me for their wits, drive, and heart—and it’s hard to resist a lady with a sword.

I had been highly anticipating trying the Alpennia series, as I am a fan of unusual genre combinations, and the mix of historical fantasy, romance, and mystery that this promised seemed right up my alley. Unfortunately, I found myself wanting more of all of these elements. While I enjoyed the beginning and ending, the middle dragged a little for me because some of the plot elements promised in the official synopsis (re: royal conspiracies and the divine rituals) aren’t developed until late in the story. Instead, there is a lot of focus on the restrictions women faced in this time period, especially within the social politics of high society. This obviously isn’t a criticism, but rather a matter of personal expectations. If this sort of story appeals to you, and you want to read one with a sapphic romance and a touch of fantasy, I recommend this book. Personally, I was invested in enough characters, including the two who star in the second book, that I am interested in continuing in the series.

One of my main content warnings unfortunately comes with an additional caveat. There is an instance in this book of attempted sexual assault and incest that, while taken seriously in the moment, is brushed aside later to a degree that I found uncomfortable. I would have preferred this element to be followed up differently.

In addition to the already mentioned elements, this book contains brief instances of homophobia and violence.

How to Find a Princess by Alyssa Cole

the cover of How to Find a Princess

Though I read it in a past year, I can’t write about this trope without including one of my favorite contemporary romances, How to Find a Princess by Alyssa Cole. Though it is the second book in the Runaway Royals series, I understood and enjoyed it as a standalone. This is an Anastasia retelling about Makeda Hicks, whose life has been run by her mother’s obsession with the idea that Makeda is secretly the princess of a fictitious country. Makeda thus tries to avoid the whole business, even—especially—when Beznaria Chetchevaliere, an investigator from the World Federation of Monarchies, shows up to convince her to make the trek to Ibarania to prove she is the true heir. 

This book is, in a word, entertaining. I was drawn instantly to Bez, who subverts the concept of the stoic bodyguard by being eccentric, dramatic, and chaotic. Makeda is such a people pleaser that it ruined her latest relationship, but she finds herself bucking against Bez’s attempts to tell her how to live her life, managing to be just as stubborn as this whirlwind of a woman as she learns how to prioritize her own wants. Their push and pull as they grow to understand each other and become partners was the highlight of the book for me. I liked the emphasis on the idea that you can’t fix someone else; you can only try to be your best selves together, one step at a time. 

If you’re someone whose tastes lead more toward the fantastical but who is interested in trying more contemporary romance, I recommend this book, as its at times outright whacky circumstances, along with the bodyguard element, give it that edge of surreality. I also appreciated the inclusion of Bez’s neurodivergence and of sapphic Black love. 

I’ll continue to keep my eyes peeled for other bodyguard romances, and I hope that at least one of these three options suits everyone else who loves this trope.

Queer Cozy Fantasy with Magical Animal Shenanigans: The Phoenix Keeper by S.A. MacLean

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The Phoenix Keeper cover

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I’m animal lover who’s always looking for more cozy queer fantasy, so this book seemed tailor made for me. It follows Aila, a phoenix keeper at a magical zoo who is trying to restart their phoenix breeding program to help bring the phoenixes back from the brink of extinction. In classic cozy fantasy fashion, that’s pretty much the whole plot, though there is a romance subplot or two.

In some ways, this was exactly what I wanted. There are magical animal shenanigans. There are fairly low stakes—though the threat of poachers was enough stress for me. There’s an adorable supportive friendship between Aila and fellow zookeeper Tanya, a Black trans woman with a golden retriever (…not literally) boyfriend who works at an animal rescue. There’s a queernorm world. Even though this is close to 500 pages and doesn’t have a lot of plot, I didn’t mind: I loved being immersed in the world of these magical creatures. I may feel conflicted about zoos in real life, but it was easy to fall in love with this version. I also liked the romance between Aila and Luciana: they were rivals in university and have continued that animosity years later, but after working together on the phoenix program, they begin to realize they may have misunderstood each other. I would have liked to see more of this romance—maybe even a steamy scene—but I enjoyed what we have. The rivalry turned affectionate teasing is cute.

Other elements didn’t work as well for me. The writing could be overly descriptive, especially in describing every biome in this fantasy world. I also saw the ending/reveal coming about 400 pages away, which is particularly distracting when there isn’t much plot to begin with and I usually am terrible at spotting clues, so it felt way too heavily hinted at. Also, call me overly leftist, but I don’t want guns and police in my cozy fantasy novel, especially the police as saviors.

I ended up being most distracted by Aila herself. I liked her character, but she seemed heavily coded as autistic to me, and there’s no mention of that on the page—though she is diagnosed with anxiety, and the marketing emphasizes the anxiety representation. Aila has an intense special interest: she spends almost every waking moment thinking about phoenixes. She not only has trouble with social situations but is confused by social norms. She bounces when she’s excited or emotional. Looking through reviews, many people felt the same way, including autistic readers. To me, it seems strange to have her character discuss and be diagnosed with anxiety without mentioning autism.

That’s just a slightly confusing choice by the author, though, and not necessarily a negative. I enjoyed Aila’s character growth over the course of the book. She is so focused on the phoenixes that she can get tunnel vision, forgetting that there are other things going on—like Tanya’s volunteer project proposal, which she is working on while helping Aila with her project. She also is judgmental about Luciana’s griffin show, which she finds gaudy, not recognizing that donations and zoo membership are crucial to keeping programs like hers going. Slowly, she begins to realize these things and make up for them. She also takes a few tentative steps towards embracing the public-facing role of a zookeeper, while never being magically cured of her social anxiety.

As part of this character growth, Aila—who would always rather hide in a corner with her animals than do something social—begins to accept that she is part of a social network. She strives to better take care of her friendships and to recognize the value of professional relationships, even if she feels awkward about it. At the same time, she gains self-confidence, no longer taking as personally the judgments of her as shy, childish, “too much”, or awkward—especially after a short-lived romance with the dragon keeper had her doubting herself.

This isn’t a perfect book, but I still really enjoyed reading it, and I recommend it for fans of cozy fantasy. I look forward to seeing what S.A. Maclean writes next.

Love and Rebellion: We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia

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We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia cover

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We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia is a young adult novel that follows teenager Daniela as she navigates becoming one of the wives to a vicious up-and-coming young man while simultaneously becoming a secret member of the rebel group La Voz that undermines him and those like him on his way to the top. The girls at the Medio School for Girls are trained for five years to either be perfect Primeras or Segundas. Every rich, distinguished young man gets assigned two wives at the Medio School’s graduation ceremony: one Primera, to be his equal and his defender, and one Segunda, to bear his children and support him emotionally. In Medio, this is considered the norm. Though the privileged claim that this is a decree by the Sun God who himself chose two wives to stand opposite each other, Dani, the best Primera the Medio School for Girls has ever produced, soon finds out the truth: that the rich and powerful will use whatever they can to get and keep what they want, no matter the cost to those less privileged who live on the other side of the wall.

The world Mejia builds is so detailed and expansive. The book opens with a prologue detailing the story of how the Sun God attained his two wives through a fight with his brother the Salt God, and at the end of it, you find out that this is the introduction to the rulebook that the girls at the school have to follow. After that, each chapter opens with a different rule for Primeras from the Medio School for Girls Handbook, 14th edition. Each rule applies to the chapter in which it appears, and the reader gets to watch as Dani starts to bend them or use them in ways the Medio School never would have approved of the more she gets involved with La Voz. As it turns out, a lot of her Primera training makes her a good spy. She is quiet, determined, able to hide her emotions, and knows how to look someone over for weaknesses. As Sota, the leader of La Voz, says at one point, Dani is “a hundred shades of a girl.” She knows how to hide her true emotions and layer another emotion or façade on top of it that she wants other people to see. She’s been able to keep her real pedigree a secret for years by becoming the best Primera she can be. She has to be the best; her parents risked everything to get her onto this side of the wall that separates the powerful from the weak. Her identification papers are fake, and she has been able to get by until the night of her graduation when Sota comes into the Medio School for Girls and starts Dani on the path to becoming more than a Primera or a girl trying to live a life only her parents wanted for her.

Dani’s growing relationship with Carmen, the Segunda to the man Dani marries, is another strong point of the book. The novel’s first chapters paint a picture of Carmen and Dani’s tumultuous relationship as girls who were almost friends until Carmen chose to be her bully instead, and I read that and immediately thought, Yep, that’s the love interest. I couldn’t wait to see how things would change for them, and Mejia did not disappoint. There’s a sweet quote later in the book from Carmen to Dani that had me texting my friend because it hit so well. They are two girls in a bad situation finding comfort in each other. Even when Dani isn’t sure who she can trust or who knows the truth about her, she decides to trust Carmen. Anyone who reads sapphic literature would be able to see Dani’s repressed feelings miles before she figures them out herself. Carmen knows she likes girls and tells Dani a whole story about how she figured it out in her youth, but liking anybody is new for Dani, since Primeras aren’t supposed to care about things like love or lust. Those emotions are saved for the Segundas, so even kissing is new for Dani. She waxes poetic several times about Carmen’s kisses, and it’s so sweet every time.

My only real criticism of the book is with their husband, Mateo. He is very one-dimensional. There’s no such thing as a redeeming quality to be found in the guy. He’s controlling, he doesn’t believe in letting his Primera do what she spent her teen years perfecting for the day she would become a wife, and he plays a central role in getting Dani’s ex-roommate arrested as a sympathizer to the resistance. You’re not supposed to like him, not even for a second. From his first entrance in the book, Dani dislikes how he treats her, and it just gets worse from there. This fell flat for me a couple times, simply because he’s supposed to be this suave rich boy intent on becoming president someday. A man trying to reach that level and be elected by his people would probably have a few qualities worth voting for, but Mateo simply doesn’t. He’s a villain, and that’s all he is. I wish he’d been given the opportunity to grow a little bit as a character, even if that growth was backwards, but he’s the same at the start of the book as he is at the end of it. Carmen and Dani both change so much, but Mateo is static. I guess it makes the decision Dani comes to about officially joining the rebellion more black and white, but I would have loved to see Mateo slowly slip into the person Dani knows him to be instead of Mateo being insufferable and awful from the jump.

Despite that, I’m really glad I read this book again. I remembered liking it a lot the first time I read it years ago but had forgotten too much to jump into the sequel. Everything I did remember still hit, and everything I didn’t made me love the book more and more. Mejia captured me from the first page, and I read the entire novel in a day. Her world is so vivid, and I cared about Dani and Carmen almost immediately. I have the sequel, We Unleash the Merciless Storm, on my desk right now and am looking forward to diving headlong into it. I’m desperate to know how things turn out for Dani and Carmen after the heart wrenching reveal at the end of We Set the Dark on Fire, and I’m so excited to see where Mejia takes them.

Trigger warnings for: death, a graphic depiction of Dani getting burned, and violence.

Cult Leader, Zealot, or Savior?: The Genesis of Misery by Neon Yang

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the cover of The Genesis of Misery by Neon Yang

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Misery Nomaki (she/they) wields the power to manipulate holystone, an ability only saints or those void-touched have. She believes she is void mad, while the angel that guides her, Ruin, tells her she is the next Messiah. But regardless of what is the truth, Misery only knows they want to get out of their small town and search for freedom. The powers that be have other plans for them though. As she continues to use her wits to find a way out of her predicament, Misery is led down a path that may reveal the truth about her true identity as Messiah.

Yang’s world-building is overwhelming for the first few chapters. The story drops you right in the middle of the action with jargon that, while it stems from English, makes zero sense if you don’t already know this world. And presumably, you don’t know this world, because it’s the first in what may be meant to be a series. Once you pick up the lingo, though, things start to roll.

A theocratic government rules Misery’s world, but it is at war with the Heretics, those who believe in science over religion. Misery couldn’t care less about either school of thought. Having grown up poor in the forgotten outskirts of the empire trapped by the Faith, no matter what, she wants a place in the world for herself. But every move they make brings them closer to their destiny.

Part of Yang’s world-building includes the normalization of sharing one’s pronouns. It’s part of everyone’s profile when a character downloads the information constantly coming in through a chip in their brains. If someone’s pronouns are not known, it simply states unknown. None of this is made a big deal and neopronouns are quite common. This gender fluidity leads to a standard of queer relationships.

When the throne wants to come after Misery, Lady Lee Alodia Lightning, the empire’s princess, takes it upon herself to capture them. Their relationship starts with contention, to say the least, as Lady Lee wants to kill Misery. But as the story unfolds, their paths come closer together, leading to a romantic relationship. However, there isn’t enough time spent on the page showing just how this comes to happen. Their dynamic never breaches the surface, so it’s hard to believe them coming together.

The story takes an interesting trajectory, as Misery’s character arc doesn’t follow a typical hero’s journey. At least, not the one readers may expect. As she dives further into her lie of being a Messiah, events and signs point to it being true. They become a zealot, making it hard as a reader to continue having compassion for them. I didn’t come to hate Misery, but she started to make me uncomfortable.

The end leaves readers with more questions than answers. It certainly made me intrigued and wanting another book to continue the story.

Lesbians in Space: Cosmoknights, Vol. 1 by Hannah Templer

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the cover of Cosmoknights by Hannah Templer

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In this queer space adventure, our main character Pan has grown up alongside her best friend Tara, a princess who is soon to be married off to the winner of the interplanetary jousting game that’s about to take place in their town. Tara can’t stand the thought of accepting her fate and allowing herself to become “claimed”. So, with Pan’s help, she escapes. A few years later, two strangers appear at the door of Pan’s family home, injured and needing medical attention. When Pan discovers that these two women are undercover Cosmoknights who win tournaments and help the princesses escape the patriarchal system they’re being forced into, our main character realizes that this is her chance to get off her planet, discover what the world has to offer outside of her father’s mechanic shop, and maybe… find her best friend again.

This graphic novel is, first and foremost, absolutely stunning. The art style is really wonderful and Templer does an incredible job with colour. I took pictures of multiple panels because I was so in awe of the cosmic landscapes, the character designs, the colour schemes. Before even getting into the story itself, the book is worth opening simply for the sake of appreciating the beauty that is within its pages. It without a doubt reignited a love for graphic novels within me and reminded me just how powerful of an effect amazing art can have on a person’s state of mind and emotions.

Regarding the story itself, I really did enjoy the premise. I think it’s unique, it fits well within the sci-fi setting while still feeling contemporary and relatable. Even though it’s a quick read, each of the characters felt well-developed, including the ones that were in the story only for a short amount of time. I think the friendship (*cough* unspoken romance *cough*) between Pan and Tara was incredibly sweet. We only got a short snippet of them together at the beginning of the story and a few moments of sapphic yearning later on, and it was still enough to get me to root for them so intensely.

Of course, the queer found family aspect of this is also great. Cass and Bee as mentors or parental figures for Pan is so effective. Pan does seem to have a decent relationship with her actual parents, but you can tell that the way that she feels and acts around them is a quieter version of who she actually is. Although they aren’t bad parents per se, they do inherently force her to exist and live within a society that punishes her for trying to save her friend, that belittles her, that disrespects her, and it all clearly takes a toll on her—which is exactly why creating that parallel relationship between her and Cass and Bee was so powerful. Your parents not actively harming you isn’t necessarily enough. Having a support system that really allows you to grow and stand up for yourself is so important, especially for young people who are already struggling to understand who they are and to assert themselves within the world. Cass and Bee taking Pan under their wing and allowing her to participate in the dismantling of the Cosmiknights system while simultaneously exploring the world and maybe finding her purpose is such a beautiful representation of what found family actually means, especially to queer people.

But by far, my absolute favourite part of this book was the butch representation. Cass as a butch lesbian was phenomenal, both in character design and for her role within the story. If you know me then you know I adore a beefy butch lesbian. The fact that she is genuinely muscular and not simply toned is so wonderful. She’s tall and broad-shouldered, she dresses in a very masculine way, she’s strong and puts up a real fight for the other Cosmoknights—which is incredibly satisfying to witness. She has that smirk and that charm and that slight cockiness that makes me weak in the knees, and there is not a single thing about her that exists to placate her masculinity. Of course, people can exist within whatever bounds of femininity and masculinity they want to, and gender expression is something so personal to every single individual. But there is a habit, in media and art as a whole, to “feminize” butch lesbians so as to not make them “too masculine”. It is so refreshing to come across a character that embraces her masculinity, that loves the way that she is, that proudly rejects the femininity that was forced upon her—not because she looks down upon feminine traits, but simply because it is not who she is, and she will not let anyone take her masculinity away from her.

The other great thing about Cass is that Templer uses her character to perfectly exemplify butchness as being a protector. It is more than just dressing a certain way or keeping your hair short: butches hold an actual role in butch/femme communities and history, and I think it is so beautifully showcased in this story. I loved her not just as a character but as a representation of all the butches I’ve known and loved.

Her relationship with Bee is also fantastic. Bee is sort of the brains behind their operation; she’s incredibly cunning and does a lot of the planning and strategizing. She’s very tech savvy and she supports Cass in the battlefield a ton. Their relationship is so heartwarming and works so well as a whole. They balance each other out perfectly and every panel where you see them simply holding hands made my heart instantly melt.

I am so excited to pick up the second volume for this and I cannot wait to see how their story continues. If you’re a fan of graphic novels or sci-fi stories, or taking down the patriarchy, or pretty colours, or lesbians, then I wholeheartedly recommend this to you.

Representation: sapphic MC, lesbian couple, butch lesbian, Black lesbian

Content warnings: blood, violence, injury, misogyny, sexism

Check Out This Intricate and Fast-Paced Sapphic Fantasy: Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett

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Foundryside cover

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After I finished devouring this year’s stunning fantasy murder mystery The Tainted Cup over the course of about three days, I knew that I had to dive into Robert Jackson Bennett’s back catalog immediately. Foundryside happened to be the one my library had the shortest hold list on, and I was delighted to find out that not only was it as well crafted, but it was also queer. In Foundryside, Bennett combines intricate world-building, nonstop action, and surprise sapphic feelings into a thrilling first book of a fantasy trilogy that I can’t wait to finish.

We open in the slums of Tevanne, where Sancia works as a highly skilled thief with a hidden power to read objects she touches to earn a living. Despite being so highly skilled, Sancia lives in a ramshackle, poorly-furnished room by herself. I was immediately interested in Sancia because she was so highly skilled but also, unusually for a thief character, she wasn’t too cocky. She didn’t take unnecessary risks because she simply wanted to save enough money to escape her Tragic Backstory that gave her the unique sensing ability. Not even the accepted magic users in universe can do what she does, and what she would really like is to turn it off. Bennett has created an entire intricately-crafted society around his unique magic system, called scriving. Scriving uses symbols and their relationships with each other to cast a new state of reality on objects. For, example one could scriv a wall to believe it’s a strong as the day it was built or a door to only open if it meets the correct key. It’s a system that can be dangerous: scriv with gravity in the wrong way and suddenly a body turns into paste. With such a system, Tevanne has come to be ruled by a series of Merchant Houses, each with its own proprietary scrivings. No government can be allowed to exist that could puncture the Merchant Houses’ sovereignty, and so if you are not attached to the Houses and live in their campos, there is only slums and scraps for you, which is where Sancia operates. I found the implications of scriving—limited only by ones imagination and logic—to be fascinating and compelling, and it made for a series of Mad Max-esque heist and action scenes, as various characters had tools, weapons, and abilities that were essentially welding together from unpredictable elements, which I found very fun.

When Sancia is hired to steal an artifact from a safe, she is dropped into the midst of a vast conspiracy that will change Tevanne forever, if it survives. What I enjoyed about this story was the dramatic flip: after her semi-successful theft, Sancia runs up against Gregor, a Merchant House man with a burning desire to actually bring justice to Tevanne, and it’s a typical cop/thief dynamic. However, circumstances force them to flee back to Gregor’s campo together, and Sancia comes to meet Orso, the campo’s head scriver, and Berenice, his ultra-competent and practical assistant. Suddenly, we’re in a split in the Merchant Houses, trying to expose who wants to steal power and illegal scrivings for themselves. Sancia, being an outsider, at first doesn’t want to work with any of them—any more than they trust her as someone from the slums instead of the campos—but they have to if they want to both stay alive and prevent magical catastrophe. It was such an interesting dynamic for a band of protagonists, and Berenice’s immediate interest in Sancia was even more welcome.

Berenice, unlike the men with more obvious status, never dithered and quickly established herself as out to get things done. When she meets Sancia and is attracted to her both looks and talent, she expresses her interest with a kiss and then makes it clear that the next move is Sancia’s. Sancia, traumatized and operating on the edges of society, has not had a lot of opportunities to think of love or sexuality in relation to herself, but is pleased with this development. Being the first book of a trilogy, there isn’t a ton of time devoted to their budding relationship, but it does provide absolutely critical and adorable motivation to Sancia at a pivotal action point.

In conclusion, if you are looking for a well-crafted and intricate fantasy book with a rules-based magic system and girlfriends instead of a straight romance, you can do worse than Foundryside. I found it to be an engaging and speedy read, and I put the second book on hold right away.

Meet Your New Favorite Sapphic Sci-Fi Book: The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson 

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The Space Between Worlds cover

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The Space Between Worlds is one of the best stories I have ever read, and I’m not even exaggerating. This novel follows Cara, a poor girl from Ashtown who is trying to make it in rich Wiley City long enough to become a permanent citizen. Her job? To traverse through different worlds like her own, snagging information that the higher ups at Eldridge need to anticipate the disasters that happened on those worlds before they can happen on Earth 0. Cara is one of a select few who is able to traverse these different realities—because she is dead on most of them. Out of all the worlds open to traversing, Cara is only alive on eight, and if you’re alive on a world you jump to, you usually die because the world cannot handle it. Being alive on only eight worlds makes her a great asset. 

This is revealed pretty soon into the novel, so I’ll just say it: the Cara who narrates the novel is not actually the Cara that came from Earth 0. Caramenta, the original Cara, landed on a world where she thought she had died only for Caralee, that Earth’s Cara, to still be alive: close to dead, but not actually dead. Caralee took the chance when she saw Caramenta’s mangled corpse and assumed Caramenta’s identity, and she’s been the one traversing ever since. 

Johnson does a great job with the pacing of this novel. Every new bit of information came at the right time and with just the right amount of foreshadowing. Even when I knew what was coming next, Johnson still surprised me, because it happened so much faster than I expected it to. Reading this book was like getting punched in the gut over and over and over again in such a good way. There was never a moment or a plot point that I thought should have been cut or changed. Johnson never shied away from a surprise twist; instead, she went full throttle into it and simply expected the reader to catch up. The novel kept its pace until it ended, and I had to sit there for a moment after I was done and just figure out how to breathe again. 

As someone who loves stories with alternate timelines and dimensions, this is such a unique and refreshing way to read it. On Caralee’s Earth, she knew Emperor Nik Nik, and she was his plaything to do with as he pleased. She has seen the Emperor across different worlds, and he is the same on all of them…except for Earth 175, the newest Earth Caralee is tasked with traversing. Johnson did such a good job showing how different this Nik Nik is from the rest of them. Cara’s trauma follows her, and she assumes that this Nik Nik is the same as all the others, only for him to be likeable, and funny, and kind. Going with Caralee through that emotional minefield kept the pages turning, and I cared so deeply about Cara’s relationship with that Nik Nik that I wound up crying when he added her picture to a necklace that held pictures of his dead loved ones. He’s so different from the Nik Nik that Caralee remembers, and I don’t know that I’ve read a story that skips around timelines before this one that lets a character be that different from the other versions of himself. Earth 175 Nik Nik helps heal Caralee’s trauma, and it was so cathartic to read as she started to believe he really could be that much better than the one she left behind. The world of the story is also so large and detailed. Ashtown and Wiley City come to life on the page, no matter what timeline or Earth we are on. 

I’m not usually a slow burn kind of person, but Johnson might have changed my tune. The romance between Cara and Dell, the coworker who sends her to the other Earths, was a delightful mix of yearning and miscommunication that I found myself enjoying! Cara is head over heels for Dell from the start of the book, and she flirts with her every moment she can because she thinks Dell will never like her back. When the details of their relationship that Carelee has been missing finally come out, it hits like a train, and every interaction at the beginning of the book makes that much more sense. Cara never shies away from her feelings for Dell. Even when she spends time with Earth 175 Nik Nik, she always makes sure to separate her feelings for Nik Nik from her feelings for Dell. Nik Nik is her ex, but Dell is the love of her life. 

I am also a big fan of stories that explore relationships between siblings, and Johnson also did a great job with that. Caralee cares so much about Caramenta’s little sister Esther and about the other members of a family Caralee never got to have, and it is one of the best relationships in the entire novel. The relationship between Nik Nik and a brother who died in most worlds is also something Johnson explores more than once, and I found myself caring about them all so, so much. Johnson’s characters are so rich, no matter what Earth they are on, and I can see myself rereading this book soon just to get a glimpse of them again. 

Trigger warnings for: death, gore, domestic abuse, traumatic experiences/memories, and violence. 

A Brutal and Brilliant Space Opera: Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh

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the cover of Some Desperate Glory

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I thought about reviewing Emily Tesh’s Some Desperate Glory on here last month, right after I finished reading it, but I decided against it because I couldn’t figure out how to talk about in any sort of coherent way. My initial Goodreads review was mostly swearing and enthusiastic nonsense, because that is what this book did to my brain. But I thought about it more, and I decided that since I try to use my Lesbrary reviews to highlight sapphic books I love, it felt almost wrong not to talk about this one.

So what is this book about? To put it simply, it is a space opera that follows a teenage soldier who has spent her entire life training to avenge planet Earth’s destruction. After she is assigned not to fight but to instead spend her life bearing children, she ventures off the station she was raised on and discovers there is much more to the universe than she ever knew. This book is not simple at all, though—not even a little bit. This story almost never went where I expected it to go. I was hooked right from the beginning, but by the halfway point, I could not have put it down for anything. The best word I can think of to describe my experience is wild.

For all its wildness, however, nothing in this book felt random, or like it was only meant to shock the reader. Tightly plotted and visceral as hell, this book had me screaming because it went exactly where it needed to go, even if I never could have predicted it myself.

Perhaps the most impressive thing about this very impressive book, more than the world-building or the tight plot, is the protagonist’s journey. At the risk of saying too much, Emily Tesh managed to take Kyr from a head I could not stand being in, full of instilled prejudices and an utter unwillingness to believe she was wrong, to someone I was genuinely proud of in only 400 pages.

I’m leaving this review shorter and vaguer than I normally would because while I don’t think this is a book that can be ruined by talking about it too much, I do think the best way to experience it is knowing as little as possible going in (while being safe: this is a heavy one, and I highly recommend looking at trigger warnings beforehand).  Simply put, Emily Tesh’s Some Desperate Glory is a masterpiece, and one that, for all its brutality, I know I will be reading again.