Sally Bend's Blog, page 18

Can’t-Wait Wednesday: The Moonstone Covenant by Jill Hammer (fantasy)

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted here to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they’re books that have yet to be released. Find out more here.

My choice for this week looks and sounds like a classic fantasy throwback, the story of four women who set out to uncover the secret origins of an intricate, magical city.

The Moonstone Covenant

by Jill Hammer
Fantasy, Lesbian
409 pages, Paperback
November 12, 2024 by Ayin Press

The story of four women who set out to uncover the secret origins of an intricate, magical city—and to change its fate.

Istehar Sha’an, whose unique powers allow her to communicate with trees and books, has led her community of refugee forest people to a remarkable place. In the archipelago-city of Moonstone, the Sha’an people find themselves in an extraordinary, multicultural metropolis that houses the the world’s all-encompassing repository of wisdom. But in their search for a new home, the refugees soon garner the suspicion of Moonstone’s locals, who forbid their magical practices. And when a hostile prince makes a bid to inherit the city’s rule from his father, Istehar and her people realize they may be faced with exile—or worse.

Meanwhile, Istehar has married three wives of Moonstone—a brave warrior librarian, a subtle-minded former concubine, and a tenacious apothecary who has spent years trying to solve her parents’ murder. Driven by magical intuition and guided by a mysterious book, Istehar and her wives embark on a journey that will transform not only their lives, but the city of Moonstone itself.

Goodreads

Book Review: The Pillars of Gynarchy by Viola Voltairine (nonfiction)

Title: The Pillars of Gynarchy
Author: Viola Voltairine
Publication Date: October 21, 2023 by Artvamp Books
Genres: Non-fiction

If you want to know where gynarchy (and the patriarchy) have come from, what’s at the root of feminist ideals, and how women can move forward, then Ms. Viola Voltairine is required reading. Her first book, 150 Years of Gynarchy, is a wonderful introduction to her philosophy, the story of why gynarchy matters, while The Pillars of Gynarchy takes that philosophy deeper and extends it into practical application, a story of how it can be lived.

The book is divided into 5 sections:

The Reasons explores what gynarchy is, how it’s been depicted in literature, and what’s behind men’s fears.The Foundations opens with the 8 pillars of gynarchy and then goes into arguing against the gender binary before delving into the nature of the feminine.Gynarchy-Aligned Education is the heart of the book, walking the reader through everything from history and biology to psychology, sociology, and religion. The Devi Doctrine extends femdom as religion into spirituality.Shadow and Virus acknowledges the darkness and violence in the world, but ends by praising the value of positive networking.

I won’t attempt to review everything in the book, because so much of it is interconnected, and it’s structured in such a way as to lead the reader from topic to topic, building upon the themes as it goes. What I will do is take note of just a few things that really resonated with me.

The 8 Pillars of Gynarchy are just that – pillars upon which everything else depends. We start with the individual and how women can be empowered, then move on to communities and how women can empower others.

The Gender Binary is a chapter that I wish every gender-critical TERF would read, as it’s as simple as it is powerful, talking about the transitional concepts of the thing, its opposite, that which is related but neither, that which is related but both, that which floats between, and the freedom to move between them. It also talks about how arbitrary gender classification is when we could just as easily have classified ourselves based on height or birth month. It then goes on to explore the long history of third genders like Hijra Bissu and the six genders of the Talmud, and how the anti-trans argument is “a well-disguised misogynistic trap.”

While I’ve never considered myself religious, I’ve always been fascinated by non-Judeo-Christian mythologies, so the chapters on World Religions and Femdom As Religion were utterly fascinating. Some of those mythologies were familiar, and some were excitingly new to me, but what actually intrigued me the most was learning how women have been erased and dismissed from so much of Judeo-Christian mythology. Not only does it steal from the mythologies it conquers, but does so with a patriarchal prejudice.

Finally, as someone who values yoga and meditation in dealing with my anxiety, the reapplication of familiar terms and concepts in The Devi Doctrine made its weaving of old and new into a gynarchic religion comfortably relevant. It’s not just valid and valuable, it’s absolutely beautiful. The challenges, the remedies, and the steps set it up; the behaviors of the living goddess bring it all together; and the sacred rights and practices put it all into action.

Finally, it’s worth noting that while The Pillars of Gynarchy is about women and for women, it doesn’t exclude or devalue men. In fact, it goes to great lengths to warn against fictional dystopias and show how simply flipping the gender paradigm (without changing patriarchal behavior) does more harm than good. Men have a place in gynarchy, and it can be a place of purpose and respect, should they choose to honor it.

Rating:

Freebie Friday – Putting the TG in TGIF!

Well, if it’s Friday, then it must be time to bend our way into the weekend with Freebie Friday!

Every Friday I search through the free titles on Amazon, looking for those that might be of interest to similarly bent readers, fans, and lovers. Even if you don’t have a Kindle, you can still download the titles through one of Amazon’s free reading applications.

Please do be sure to check the price before downloading anything, as most freebies are limited time offers, and some are specific to certain regions.

Enjoy!

Can’t-Wait Wednesday: Guy Gavriel Kay & Tanya Huff (fantasy)

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted here to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they’re books that have yet to be released. Find out more here.

My choices for this week are 2025 releases from a pair of my favorite Canadians, with Guy Gavriel Kay evoking the drama and turbulence of medieval France, and Tanya Huff offering up cozy horror and queer romance!

Direct Descendant

by Tanya Huff
Horror, Queer
336 pages, Hardcover
April 1, 2025 by DAW

This cozy horror novel set in modern-day Toronto includes phenomenal characters, fantastic writing, and a queer romance—the perfect balance of dark and delightful

This stand-alone novel from the bestselling author of the Peacekeeper novels mixes the creepy with the charming for plenty of snarky, queer fun—for fans of T. Kingfisher, Grady Hendrix, and Darcy Coates

Generations ago, the founders of the idyllic town of Lake Argen made a deal with a dark force. In exchange for their service, the town will stay prosperous and successful, and keep outsiders out. And for generations, it’s worked out great. Until a visitor goes missing, and his wealthy family sends a private investigator to find him, and everything abruptly goes sideways.

Now, Cassidy Prewitt, town baker and part-time servant of the dark force (it’s a family business) has to contend with a rising army of darkness, a very frustrated town, and a very cute PI who she might just be falling for…and who might just be falling for her. And if they can survive their own home-grown apocalypse, they might even just find happiness together.

Queer, cozy, and with a touch of eldritch horror mixed in just for fun, this is a charming love story about a small-town baker, a quick-witted PI, and, yes, an ancient evil.

Goodreads

Written on the Dark

by Guy Gavriel Kay
Fantasy – Historical / Fantasy – Romance / Action & Adventure
336 pages, Hardcover
May 27, 2025 by Penguin Canada

From the internationally bestselling author of Tigana, All the Seas of the World, and A Brightness Long Ago comes a majestic new novel of love and war that brilliantly evokes the drama and turbulence of medieval France.

Book Review: Summertime DNF Roundup

Whether it’s the struggle of picking the perfect book for a road trip, the right book for a day at the beach, or just something to distract me through the tender hours of a tattoo, this summer has been just that – a struggle. While there have been some solid reads (The Last Shield) and pleasant surprises (King’s Dragon), the struggle to find something worthy of following them is never easy. Sometimes a book gets put back on the shelf for when I’m ready, but these are the ones that will not be getting a second chance.

Title: Kagen the Damned
Author: Jonathan Maberry
Genres: Fantasy

I liked his Pine Deep series (although it’s been close to 15 years since I read it), and the prospect of dark fantasy mixed with cosmic horror really appealed to me, but I DNF’d it once as a wrong-time, wrong-place, wrong-mood e-ARC, so I thought I’d give it another chance as a trade paperback (as I tend to enjoy physical reads more).

Spoiler alert, it didn’t make a difference.

This is everything I find distasteful about grimdark. It’s sensationalized violence that sees despicable things done to men, women, and children. If there were more than 2-3 pages that went by without a depiction of or reference to women being raped, I must have missed it. Also, I get that Kagen is the hero, but how and why he is the sole survivor of the opening massacre is never even questioned, much less addressed, and the woe-is-me drunkenness gets tired real quick.

And don’t get me started on the exposition! It seemed like every conversation was just there to convey awkward, forced, bland exposition – especially when women were involved. I was clinging to hope that Miri and Ryssa might become protagonists of note, both to counter the misogynistic misery and drunken despair, but they’re wasted – and worse, misused. Just not for me.

Title: The Sapling Cage
Author: Margaret Killjoy
Genres: Fantasy

Oh, how I wanted to enjoy this! Epic fantasy with transgender themes? Yes, please. Sign me up! Unfortunately, this fell flat right from the start, and just couldn’t recover. It felt like a YA novel, leaping so awkwardly into the central conflict, without introduction, framing, or context, that it felt like being hit over the head with the gender element.

On top of that, it’s addressed and dismissed off the page, with the main character’s mother accepting a dangerous, foolish scheme for no other reason than she doesn’t see a way to argue it. It was like literary whiplash, and even in a fantasy world, it just seemed preposterous . . . and, unfortunately, never recovered.

My sincere thanks to the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Title: A Bluestocking’s Guide to Decadence
Author: Jess Everlee
Genres: Romance

This wasn’t the worst romance I’ve ever read, but given my experience with A Liaison with Her Leading Lady, it seems Harlequin may simply not be the romance imprint for me. I didn’t really connect with the characters (Emily especially), and I didn’t feel any chemistry between them.

The story itself was very slow, without much to really draw me in. When I skimmed ahead to at least see if the romance was fulfilled, what I found were the barest, skimpiest, slimmest of paragraphs that were almost apologetic in how they depicted the love between women.

My sincere thanks to the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Title: How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying
Author: Django Wexler
Genres: Fantasy

Even though I tend to find humorous fantasy . . . well, not hit-or-miss, but perhaps middling-or-miss, I had high hopes for this because I enjoyed the Burningblade & Silvereye trilogy. I mean, who doesn’t want to read about an oft-defeated hero of legend basically saying “screw it, if you can’t beat him, become them” and switching sides from good to evil.

The problem is that without all the prophecies and chosen-one tropes, moral injustices to rail against, social or political betrayals to avenge, or any of the other staples of the genre, this just feels selfish and insignificant. It’s a fun read, equal parts silly and sordid, crass and clever, but it’s hardly the kind of fantasy you find yourself getting lost in. It relies heavily on the novelty of the premise to carry the story, but that novelty wears thin before the fantasy pays off.

Perhaps the biggest stumbling block for me was that there’s always an ‘out’ or a narrative ‘reset’ to the story, where death doesn’t mean the end of the story, just a chance at a do-over. That robs the story of any tension, and while it lends itself to an air of mystery, wondering when the next reset might occur, the resulting lack of stakes is what kept me at more of a distance than I’d like.

My sincere thanks to the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Can’t-Wait Wednesday: Bull Moon Rising by Ruby Dixon (romantasy)

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted here to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they’re books that have yet to be released. Find out more here.

My choice for this week is a fun romantasy with about a curvy Artifactual adventurer heroine and her minotaur love!

Bull Moon Rising

by Ruby Dixon
Fantasy Romance
432 pages, Hardcover
October 15, 2024 by Ace

The special first edition hardcover will include a gorgeous, shimmering jacket with effects, brilliantly illustrated four-color endpapers, striking and detailed-stained edges, and a beautiful foil-stamped case.

In a world of magical artifacts and fantastical beings, a woman determined to save her family joins forces with an unlikely partner, in this steamy romantasy by USA Today bestselling author Ruby Dixon.

As a Holder’s daughter, Aspeth Honori knows the importance of magical artifacts . . . which is why it’s a disaster that her father has gambled all theirs away. Now that her family is in danger of losing their hold—and their heads—if anyone finds out the truth, Aspeth decides to do something about it. She’ll join the Royal Artifactual Guild and the adventurers who explore ancient underground ruins to retrieve the coveted arcane items.

It’s a great plan—with one big problem. The guild won’t let her train because she’s a woman. Aspeth needs a chaperone of some kind. The best way to get around this problem? Marry someone who will let her become an apprentice. Who better than a surly guild member who requires a favor of his own? He’s a minotaur (it’s fine) who is her teacher (also fine) . . . and he’s about to go into rut (which is where it gets tricky). He also has no idea she’s a noble (oops), and he’ll want nothing to do with her if he discovers her real identity.

Now Aspeth just has to pass the guild tests, thwart a fortune hunter, and save her hold—oh, and survive a rut with her monstrous, horned husband, whom she might be falling in love with.

It’s time to dig deep. Literally.

Goodreads

Book Review: A Change of Place by Julie E. Czerneda (fantasy)

Title: A Change of Place
Author: Julie E. Czerneda
Publication Date: September 17, 2024 by DAW
Genres: Fantasy
Protagonist Gender: Various

My goodness, has it really been 5 years since our last brief visit to Marrowdell, and a full 10 years since the last full novel (A Play of Shadow)? So indeed it is, but some worlds just stick with you, the magic of their authors effortlessly bridging time and space, and that’s what Julie E. Czerneda does here, welcoming us back to a story that immediately feels like home.

A home, mind you, that’s facing catastrophe. There’s a flood swallowing Marrowdell, which may be caused by more than just snowmelt and ice-jams, and a massive, monstrous toad queen who threatens more than just Jenn Nalynn and the people of the edge.

If you’re new to the series, you’re probably a tad confused right now, but what you need to know is that every home along the edge has a house toad, and for all that they look like simple little amphibians, they are creatures of magic, wise guardians who are far more fearsome than they appear. They’ve been a curious enigma throughout the series, hoarding white pebbles for their queen’s throne, but here we finally learn their purpose – and without getting into spoilers, surprises abound.

A Change of Place is just that, a story of change, accepting change, being fearful of change, and facing the consequences of change. It’s a story of the turning of seasons and the season the of turn-born . . . and it’s a story of shifting families and family secrets. Like the first two books, it’s a cozy fantasy, a romantic fantasy, and a traditional fantasy, all intertwined. There’s something of a fairy tale feel to it, but here the princess is also the heroine, and while she’s pining for her love, she’s also going to save him – and everyone else.

While the adventure begins in Marrowdell, the story takes us far beyond, both to new lands we haven’t seen and to familiar realms we’ve only glimpsed. It’s also the most magical of the series so far, complete with sei, turn-born, toads, dragons, waalum, and more. Despite clocking in at nearly 500 pages, the story races along, taking us across the world and back in just a few short days. There are so many questions along the way, and so many opportunities for it all to go wrong, but the story takes us precisely where we need to go.

Night’s Edge is one of my all-time favorite series, and being back in the world of Marrowdell, alongside Jenn and Bannan and Wisp again, is like seeing your favorite family members after a long absence. Be warned, the three spend most of the book apart, each following their own quests, but they’re fantastic stories, and Bannan and Wisp get to grow and shine all on their own.

The only thing happier than the finale is knowing that there’s more coming.

Rating:

My sincere thanks to the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Freebie Friday – Putting the TG in TGIF!

Well, if it’s Friday, then it must be time to bend our way into the weekend with Freebie Friday!

Every Friday I search through the free titles on Amazon, looking for those that might be of interest to similarly bent readers, fans, and lovers. Even if you don’t have a Kindle, you can still download the titles through one of Amazon’s free reading applications.

Please do be sure to check the price before downloading anything, as most freebies are limited time offers, and some are specific to certain regions.

Enjoy!

Can’t-Wait Wednesday: Sargassa by Sophie Burnham (fantasy)

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted here to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they’re books that have yet to be released. Find out more here.

My choice for this week is a historical fantasy about knowledge, secrets, conspiracy, and the stirrings of an underground independence movement!

Sargassa

by Sophie Burnham
Fantasy, Queer Fiction, Alternate History
416 pages, Hardcover
October 8, 2024 by DAW

In a world where Rome never fell, an unlikely group of protagonists are ready to burn down the empire in the first of this new speculative trilogy.

Selah Kleios is twenty-two years old and suddenly one of the most important women in the empires. The role of Imperial Historian is her birthright, something she’s been preparing for since birth–but she was supposed to have more time to learn the role from her father, the previous Historian. In the wake of her father’s sudden and shocking assassination, Selah finds herself custodian of more than just the Imperial Archives, the towering central library that safeguards all collective knowledge of the Roman Imperium and its client empires. There’s also the question of the two puzzling classified items her father left in her care—an ancient atlas filled with landscapes that don’t exist, and a carved piece of stone that seems to do nothing at all.

Soon, though, it becomes clear that the Iveroa Stone is more than just a slab of rock. With the reappearance of an old lost love who’s been blackmailed into stealing it for an unknown entity, Selah finds herself in a race to uncover the mysteries the Stone holds. But she isn’t the only one with an interest in it—she’ll have to contend with the deputy chief of police, an undercover spy, and her own beloved half brother along the way. What begins as an act of atonement and devotion ultimately pulls her into the crosshairs of deep state conspiracy, the stirrings of an underground independence movement, and questions that threaten to shake the foundational legitimacy of Roma Sargassa’s past, present, and future.

Goodreads

Freebie Friday – Putting the TG in TGIF!

Well, if it’s Friday, then it must be time to bend our way into the weekend with Freebie Friday!

Every Friday I search through the free titles on Amazon, looking for those that might be of interest to similarly bent readers, fans, and lovers. Even if you don’t have a Kindle, you can still download the titles through one of Amazon’s free reading applications.

Please do be sure to check the price before downloading anything, as most freebies are limited time offers, and some are specific to certain regions.

Enjoy!