Sally Bend's Blog, page 29
January 29, 2024
Book Review: Warhost of Vastmark by Janny Wurts (fantasy)
Author: Janny Wurts
Publication Date: August 1, 1995
Genres: Fantasy
Protagonist Gender: Male
With Song of the Mysteries, the final volume of Wars of Light and Shadow, due out this year, I’ve found myself drawn back to the series. I know I’m unlikely to catch up by May, but I’m enjoying my return to the world of Janny Wurts.
Warhost of Vastmark is the third book of the series and the last book of the second arc (the series is divided into arcs of 1, 2, 5, 2, and 1 book each), which means big things happen, both in terms of plot and character development. Without getting into spoilers, we’ve seen a core antagonistic relationship completely transformed and the curse-driven enmity between Lysaer and Arithon deepened further; a cunning (and bloody) plot to avoid further bloodshed; a truly catastrophic battle between opposing forces; and the resolution of an underlying magical plot line . . . along with the birth of another.
What amazes me about this saga is just how much drama, pathos, and empathy Wurts can draw from Lysaer and Arithon. In another saga, either or both would be heroes, champions of good, but the Mistwraith’s curse is as blurry as the lines between them. The more the story develops, the more we see how that curse affects those around them, with Lysaer definitely coming out on the losing side in this arc. You want to be frustrated with him, to lose patience and force him to see what he’s doing, but the curse leaves him blind to all but his hatred for his half-brother.
While the last book was a bit of a slower story without much action until the end, this volume picks up the pace, sees several conflicts come to a head, and explores both the catastrophic battle I mentioned above and the consequences of it. There are several pivotal moments in that battle, and at least one of them set my heart at ease.
Wars of Light and Shadow is not your typical epic fantasy. It’s something deeper, more thoughtful, and more layered than you can expect. The whole series is a literary work of art, and one that you find fresh appreciation for in each new chapter. I’ll be moving on to Fugitive Prince next, likely a vacation read for me in February, and keeping an eye on the finale’s release date.
Rating: 
January 26, 2024
Fetish & Fantasy 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 Fetish & Fantasy 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.
While you’re on Amazon, if you’d like to support my stories, could I kindly ask that you give these a read/review?
Enjoy!
January 25, 2024
Book Review: Lap Dance Lust by Rachel Kramer Bussel (erotica)
Author: Rachel Kramer Bussel
Publication Date: February 13, 2024 by Cleis Press
Genres: Erotica
Protagonist Gender: Various
It’s no secret that Rachel Kramer Bussel has long been one of my favorite erotica editors. Books like Crossdressing (2007) and Yes, Ma’am (2008) were as much comfort as inspiration for me as I navigated my identity and sexuality, and having a story of mine accepted for Coming Soon (2021) is one of my proudest accomplishments.
Despite all of that, I’m almost ashamed to say I’ve read far more of what she’s edited than written, so Lap Dance Lust was the perfect excuse to indulge and enjoy. There’s a wide range of stories here covering various fetishes and pairings, different POVs, and even different writing styles. Rachel has a voice that carries through them all – a sex-positive voice of acceptance and empowerment – but no two stories read alike. There’s a variety there, a uniqueness to each story, that really needs to be celebrated.
I won’t review all 20 stories in the book, but it would be a sin not to call attention to a few of my favorites. The opening story, Lap Dance Lust, is just wonderful, and almost guaranteed not to be what you’re expecting from the title. Doing the Dishes was a masterpiece of fetish, a story that manages to make an ordinary chore extraordinarily erotic. spoke deeply to the submissive in me, an entirely captivating story that doesn’t contain a lick of dialogue.
The End is, far and away, the most emotionally powerful story in the collection, a story quite unlike anything I expected – it gutted me and made me pause. Special Request completely turned the tables though, a delightfully hedonistic story where appearances, expectations, and roles are fluid. Better Late Than Never was a delightful surprise, a coming-out story of realization and discovery that felt genuine and exciting.
My absolute favorite, though, was Secretary’s Day, a story of fantasy, daydreams, perseverance, wish fulfillment, and female domination. Caught in the Act was a close second, a bookstore exhibitionist story with more than a little domination. Between the two, I want to go book shopping and change careers!
That’s only scratching the surface, though, and hardly even paying the cover charge for a little Lap Dance Lust. If you already know Rachel’s tastes, then you’ll love this, and if you’re just discovering here, what a wonderful place to start!
Rating:
My sincere thanks to the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
January 24, 2024
Can’t-Wait Wednesday: The Sky on Fire by Jenn Lyons
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 not only being called Dragonriders of Pern for a modern audience, but it’s from the author of the Chorus of Dragons series, which I loved to death!
The Sky on Fire by Jenn Lyons
Adult, High Fantasy
Hardcover and eBook, 448 pages
July 9, 2024
Enter a world ruled by dragons…
Anahrod lives only for survival, preferring to thrive in the jungles of the Deep with the titan drake she keeps by her side. When an adventuring party saves her from capture by the local warlord, Sicaryon, she is eager to return to her solitary life, but this is no ordinary rescue. Anahrod’s past has caught up with her. And these cunning misfits intend to spirit her away to the cloud cities, where they need her help to steal from a dragon’s hoard.
There’s only one in the cloud cities, dragons rule, and the hoard in question belongs to the current regent, Neveranimas―and she wants Anahrod dead.
Fans of Naomi Novik’s Temeraire series and Rebecca Yarros’s The Fourth Wing will enjoy this page-turning adventure with conniving dragons, high-stakes intrigue, a daring heist, and a little bit of heat.
Curious about what you’ve been missing? Read my previous reviews of Jenn’s work HERE.
January 22, 2024
Book Review: The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djèlí Clark (fantasy)
Author: P. Djèlí Clark
Publication Date: April 23, 2024
Genres: Fantasy
Protagonist Gender: Female
The Dead Cat Tail Assassins was exactly what I expected, precisely what I was hoping for, and most certainly everything I could have asked. P. Djèlí Clark’s novella is somehow fantastic fun and incredibly dark at the same time, the first driven by the characters, and the latter by the story.
For a woman who has no memory of anything before she was resurrected as an assassin, Eveen is a surprisingly deep character. She’s an assassin with principles, a woman who’s not afraid to break the three unbreakable vows if it means doing the right thing – a fact that has already gotten her in trouble once before. She is lonely, with only a work-friend to count on, but she has her penny dreadfuls, stories of heroic daring and monstrous enemies that she hoards and quotes from on a regular basis.
I can’t say much about Sky without spoiling some key aspects of the plot, but she’s one of those characters who grow on you, a plot device who reveals a personality that makes her a match for Eveen. Their weird, awkward, impossible friendship is what exposes the heart of Eveen, inviting us to understand who and how she is.
The world-building here is fabulous, with a wealth of cultural elements, some interesting bits of geography, and a depth of magic and mythology that’s more real and more immediate than many readers may be used to. We see that especially in the events leading up to the climax, but I’ll say no more for fear of spoilers.
Okay, so I’ll say one thing more. There’s a character involved in that climax who speaks in a phonetic dialect that I really struggled to read, so much so that I found myself skipping half conversations and trusting the other half to provide context. It’s the only thing keeping this from being a full 5-star read, but irritating and distracting enough to pull it down to 4.5 stars.
As I was reading The Dead Cat Tail Assassins, I had two theories in mind as to what was happening and how it would all be resolved. As it turns out, I guessed right on the what, but could never have anticipated how crazy the how would end up being. Definitely worth a read!
Rating: 1/2
My sincere thanks to the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
January 19, 2024
Fetish & Fantasy 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 Fetish & Fantasy 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.
While you’re on Amazon, if you’d like to support my stories, could I kindly ask that you give these a read/review?
Enjoy!
January 17, 2024
Can’t-Wait Wednesday: The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst
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 cozy new romantic fantasy novel from one of the most delightful voices in fantasy.
The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst
Fantasy Romance
Hardcover and eBook, 384 pages
July 11, 2024 by Tor
The Spellshop is a cottagecore cosy fantasy following a woman’s unexpected journey through the low-stakes market of illegal spell-selling and the high-risk business of starting over . . .
Kiela has always had trouble dealing with people, and as librarian at the Great Library of Alyssium, she hasn’t had to.
She and her assistant, Caz, a sentient spider plant, have spent most of the last eleven years sequestered among the empire’s precious spellbooks, protecting the magic for the city’s elite. But a revolution is brewing and when the library goes up in flames, she and Caz steal whatever books they can and flee to the faraway island where she grew up. She’s hoping to lay low and figure out a way to survive before the revolution comes looking for her. To her dismay, in addition to a nosy—and very handsome—neighbor, she finds the town in disarray.
The empire with its magic spellbooks has slowly been draining power from the island, something that Kiela is indirectly responsible for, and now she’s determined to find a way to make things right. Opening up a spell shop comes with its own risks—the consequence of sharing magic with commoners is death. And as Kiela comes to make a place for herself among the quirky townspeople, she realizes that in order to make a life for herself, she must break down the walls she has kept so high.
Perfect for fans of Travis Baldree and TJ Klune, The Spellshop is a romantic and cosy fantasy.
Curious about what you’ve been missing? Read my previous reviews of Sarah’s work HERE.
January 14, 2024
Book Review: Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell (horror fantasy)
Title: Someone You Can Build a Nest In
Author: John Wiswell
Publication Date: April 2, 2024
Publisher: DAW
Genres: Horror, Fantasy
Protagonist Gender: Female
Judging by the blurb, I was expecting Someone You Can Build a Nest In to be a weird, creepy-cute, original bit of literary fun. The concept sounded great, and the story sounded like it might offer something truly different than from what we normally see coming out of mainstream SFF publishers. It was most definitely weird and original, more creepy than cute, but I’m afraid fun is a word I can’t use to describe it.
Critically, I’m sure John Wiswell’s debut will receive all sorts of accolades for its originality and its messaging. It is indeed like nothing I’ve ever read before, and I’m pleased that DAW took a chance on such a book. Shesheshen is a well-developed monster, a truly ‘other’ creature whose biology is like nothing we’re familiar with. Initially, she even seems to think differently, which I admire, but it made it hard to connect with her as a narrator. Eventually, Wiswell does fall into the trap of simply putting familiar thoughts into unfamiliar bodies, making the story more accessible, but there are still shadows of that otherness.
Personally, I regret to say I didn’t enjoy it. The narration didn’t engage me, the pacing made it difficult to get invested in the story, and I never really connected with any of the characters. As for the romance, I never bought into it, never felt anything between the characters, and that’s a huge disconnect for me. There was so much potential, so many other ways Wiswell could have approached it, but I freely admit those choices would have taken away from the otherness of the book. It didn’t work for me, didn’t engage me as the fun read I expected, but I can see how others (especially sci-fi fans who are used to alien otherness) might have a far different reaction.
Someone You Can Build a Nest In didn’t work for me. I struggled to keep reading, and found myself reluctantly returning to the story. That’s just me, though. It’s admirable in what it does, and other readers have given it rave reviews, so give it a chance – if it works for you, it’ll likely work very well.
Rating:
My sincere thanks to the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
January 13, 2024
Book Review: The Ishtar Ignition by Timothy Black (scifi, lesbian)
Title: The Ishtar Ignition
Author: Timothy Black
Publication Date: July 14, 2023
Publisher: Deep Desires Press
Genres: Sci-fi
Protagonist Gender: Female
Sexuality: Lesbian
Picking up immediately where The Clockwork Courtesan left off, Timothy Black slows the pace with The Ishtar Ignition and delves deeper (quite literally) into the history of the Matriarchy and the magic of its Tantric Aviatrixes.
Where the first book was swashbuckling sci-fi, this one is more pulp sci-fi adventure, taking us beneath the sands and into the ruins of the long-buried Temple of Ishtar. It’s a dark, dangerous place, complete with a magical suppression field that drains the life from both Captain Charlotte Frost and the Doll – in both its forms. With evidence of past Matriarchy involvement, the ruins of artificial monstrosities, and strange writings everywhere, we’re presented with a locked room puzzle that Charlotte must risk hastening her own death to solve.
Black explores various levels of his world-building and mythology in this second volume, exposing myths and secrets along the way. Not all of the answers are ones Charlotte will want to hear, especially the final one that leads into an even better cliffhanger than the first, and we’re left with enough doubt to trust any of the answers. We learn more about the Doll as well, with Arlan’s identity suppressing Tash for much of the story, and it both evokes new sympathies and fresh fears. Again, the answers are couched in doubts and secrets, but even the questions we’re left with are huge.
Two books in, and I can confidently say the Tales of the Tantric Aviatrix saga is well worth the read. It’s a wonderful blend of adventure, science fiction, and erotica, with a pulp/steampunk feel . . . except it’s magic, not steam. I’m still hoping the see the story open up a bit and give us more insight into the other Aviatrixes, but that’s a desire, not a complaint.
Rating:
My sincere thanks to the author for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
January 12, 2024
Fetish & Fantasy 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 Fetish & Fantasy 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.
While you’re on Amazon, if you’d like to support my stories, could I kindly ask that you give these a read/review?
Enjoy!
