Sage Nestler's Blog, page 7

Cover Reveal: The Darkest Stars by Kristy Gardner

I am excited to share with today the cover reveal for The Darkest Stars by Kristy Gardner! This queer, sci-fi novel is the sequel to The Stars in Their Eyes. If you love haunting sci-fi with queer themes, you can’t go wrong with either of these books!

THE DARKEST STARS BY KRISTY GARDNER

Coming 9/19/2023

Book 2 in the Broken Stars series

The most terrifying monsters are the ones that lurk inside…

After discovering everything she’s ever known has been a lie, Calay understands humanity’s brutality firsthand. Now, depleted rations, unexplained aberrations, and an ecosystem in collapse have driven her to the brink of madness–even with Jacob by her side. When a mysterious woman sent from the stars promises to grant every desire she’s ever locked away in her shattered heart, she’s forced to make an impossible decision: remain on a dying Earth or journey to a planet two-billion lightyears away in an effort to save them all. Clinging to the dream she might yet find somewhere to call home, she agrees. After all, how much worse could it get?

When she arrives on the shimmering, glass-city planet Téras, Calay desperately want to believe in a better future. Despite being haunted by the past she’ll never escape, her hope is buoyed by the reunion with the mother she thought long-dead and the possibility of uniting their civilizations. The reality, however, is more horrifying than anything she could have imagined.

As the universe descends into darkness, she finds herself trapped in the far reaches of deep space, face to face with dangerous forces, unyielding truths, and feral monsters that will force her to confront the darkest parts of herself, pushing her to the very limits of what it means to be human.

In this gripping queer sci-fi odyssey, Calay’s journey through love, betrayal, and self-discovery becomes a fight not only for her life, but the survival of Earth itself.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kristy Gardner is a queer sci-fi fantasy and horror writer. Furnished with degrees in Gender Studies and Sociology, she crafts queer characters that adventure through space, time, and emotional maelstroms questioning what identity – and home – really mean. 

She is the author of the queer dark sci-fi novel, THE STARS IN THEIR EYES, and the award-winning cookbook, COOKING WITH COCKTAILS. 

When she’s not jet-setting words on her laptop, she’s chasing stars, mountain adventures, belly laughs, curating playlists for her books, and packing her carry-on for another escape to SE Asia. She resides in Vancouver B.C. with her partner.

Website: https://kristygardner.comEmail: krislgardner0@gmail.comNewsletter: kristygardner.com/newsletterGoodReads:Author – https://www.goodreads.com/kristy_gardnerBook – https://bit.ly/darkest-stars-goodreadsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristy_gardner/Tag: @kristy_gardnerTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kristy_gardnerTag: @kristy_gardnerThreads: https://www.threads.net/@kristy_gardnerTag: @kristy_gardnerSigned author copies: https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/AuthorKristyGardner

Book Review: A Brutal and Brilliant Book That Eats You Alive

Authors June Hayward and Athena Liu were supposed to be twin rising stars: same year at Yale, same debut year in publishing. But Athena’s a cross-genre literary darling, and June didn’t even get a paperback release. Nobody wants stories about basic white girls, June thinks.

So when June witnesses Athena’s death in a freak accident, she acts on impulse: she steals Athena’s just-finished masterpiece, an experimental novel about the unsung contributions of Chinese laborers to the British and French war efforts during World War I.

So what if June edits Athena’s novel and sends it to her agent as her own work? So what if she lets her new publisher rebrand her as Juniper Song–complete with an ambiguously ethnic author photo? Doesn’t this piece of history deserve to be told, whoever the teller? That’s what June claims, and the New York Times bestseller list seems to agree.

But June can’t get away from Athena’s shadow, and emerging evidence threatens to bring June’s (stolen) success down around her. As June races to protect her secret, she discovers exactly how far she will go to keep what she thinks she deserves.

With its totally immersive first-person voice, Yellowface takes on questions of diversity, racism, and cultural appropriation not only in the publishing industry but the persistent erasure of Asian-American voices and history by Western white society. R. F. Kuang’s novel is timely, razor-sharp, and eminently readable.

Goodreads Synopsis

Overall Rating

5/5

Quick Take

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang is an absolutely brilliant look at the problematic publishing industry, plagiarism, and racism. It raises questions about what authors are allowed to write based on their identities and challenges the readers’ biases. At times the book was cringey, but in the absolute best way. It is in my top reads of 2023, and if you would rather not read the rest of my review, just know this: YOU NEED TO PICK UP THIS BOOK NOW!

Tell Me More

Seldom does a novel come along that infuriates me, makes me want to throw it across the room, and yet, I cannot put it down! Yellowface by R.F. Kuang is a rare gem, and it is one of the only novels I have ever read that I have absolutely no qualms with. The writing was beautiful, but more than that, the concepts involved were almost taboo and I applaud how Kuang shoved the reader’s face in them.

Yellowface discusses the publishing industry and its faults, especially how authors are treated and what certain authors are “allowed to write” as opposed to others. It also shows us the inside world of an unsuccessful author who steals her dead friend’s manuscript and publishes it as her own – despite the fact that she is not Chinese and does not know the historical background behind the book she claims as her own. What ensues is a nail-biting story about identity and fame that swallows you whole.

I must admit that I was very conflicted while reading this novel. Athena, the author who ends up dying, was pretentious and wholly unlikable. Of course, June was jealous of her for her fame as they were both supposed to get successful at the same time based on their education and graduation times. However, Athena’s work ended up skyrocketing while June fell into literary obscurity and blamed her lack of fame on the idea that “no one wants stories about white girls anymore.” We see the story from June’s perspective, and it only gets more and more racist from there. I almost wonder if my distaste with Athena was because the story was from June’s perspective and that is how she saw her “friend.”

There are many times throughout this novel that you find yourself siding with June before realizing just how wrong she is. Kuang was sneaky by putting the reader in June’s shoes, but it helped to bring to light some of my own biases as well, and I haven’t stopped thinking about them sense. Yellowface is like a therapy session for the soul, and while the journey it takes you on is uncomfortable, it is so needed.

I guarantee you that if you pick this book up out of a casual interest, you will helplessly fall into its clutches. When I bought it, I hadn’t planned on reading it right away, but after reading the first page I couldn’t help but get trapped within the words. Yellowface by R.F. Kuang is one of those rare, enrapturing tomes that comes along and defines a generation. I can’t say enough about this magnificent novel, other than that you must go out and buy your copy NOW.

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3 Books to Expel Fear and Anxiety

I struggle with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), and I have found that reading can be beneficial when it comes to helping me relax, which is why I became a bibliotherapist. However, there are specific books and genres that actively help me to expel my anxiety and fear. The horror genre is excellent for this because it can help to raise your anxiety and fear before banishing it. It is important to note that this process can be intense and painful, so please proceed with caution.

The following are three horror books that have helped me when I need to find some relief from my anxiety. I hope that they bring you some relief as well!

Beguiled by Night by Nicole Eigener Spooky Rating: 3/5

Louis de Vauquelin is an ancient French vampire created in 1668 and now living in present-day Los Angeles. His life in self-imposed exile has become peaceful and relatively carefree until time suddenly begins to unravel, forcing him to navigate the already chartered waters of his past.

Vauquelin fumbles his way through history in reverse, ripping the scabs off of old wounds and mourning the loss of his futurepast joys, while attempting to keep certain skeletons firmly locked in their closets where they belong.

But the past has a way of making its presence known, especially when one is reliving it. Vauquelin’s mundane modern existence is systematically erased, compelling him to confront all his missteps over the last three centuries and acknowledge his defeats.

As he regresses through time, he surrenders to his brutal nature and faces an unexpected choice that could alter his life completely, and in turn, extinguish the only true happiness he ever knew.

Beguiled by Night is a complex tapestry of time, horror, and beauty deftly woven with gore and redemption, returning the vampire genre to its proper roots of elegant violence.

Goodreads Synopsis

While this is a horror novel, it is also fantasy and historical. The writing is fluid, and it does have an air of “elegant violence”. This pick is probably more on the tame side, so it will help with expelling your anxiety, but in a more subtle way. If you love vampires, this one is perfect for you!

This One’s Gonna Hurt by Cody J. Thompson Spooky Rating: 5/5 (Proceed with caution)

As five friends travel through the isolated California desert towards a popular music festival, their trip is interrupted thanks to our modern world’s ever-evolving state of technology… Stranded and alone needing to recharge their electric vehicle. When the group of teenagers settle on a remote parking lot in the middle of nowhere, it isn’t only a charging station they find. They also uncover pure, unrelenting evil.

Hiding in the shadows is a maniac. Searching endlessly and without discrimination for victims to satisfy a hunger, viciously hunting down anyone that comes near.

As they fight for survival, the maniac works to outsmart and hunt them one by one, with a goal in mind that is so heinous and vile that the truth behind his actions will rattle the very foundation of the deepest caverns in hell.

As the heartfelt ties that bind the friends together unravel, they each will learn not only what it takes to love, but how to survive. While coping with past heartbreak, loss and abandonment, they must band together to get out alive. Or die one by one under the most excruciating circumstances imaginable.

One thing is certain, the desert is no place to hide.

Goodreads Synopsis

This pick is on the more extreme side of horror. It has The Texas Chainsaw Massacre vibes, and once it takes you in a chokehold, it does not let go. I highly recommend this novel if you have a higher tolerance for horror, because of its extreme, splatterpunk nature. It is not for everyone.

The Hunger by Alma Katsu Spooky Rating: 3/5

Evil is invisible, and it is everywhere.

Tamsen Donner must be a witch. That is the only way to explain the series of misfortunes that have plagued the wagon train known as the Donner Party. Depleted rations, bitter quarrels, and the mysterious death of a little boy have driven the pioneers to the brink of madness. They cannot escape the feeling that someone–or something–is stalking them. Whether it was a curse from the beautiful Tamsen, the choice to follow a disastrous experimental route West, or just plain bad luck–the 90 men, women, and children of the Donner Party are at the brink of one of the deadliest and most disastrous western adventures in American history.

While the ill-fated group struggles to survive in the treacherous mountain conditions–searing heat that turns the sand into bubbling stew; snows that freeze the oxen where they stand–evil begins to grow around them, and within them. As members of the party begin to disappear, they must ask themselves “What if there is something waiting in the mountains? Something disturbing and diseased…and very hungry?”

Goodreads Synopsis

If you like historical fiction with your horror, The Hunger by Alma Katsu is the way to go. It surrounds the Donner Party and keeps you on edge as you read it. It is not very extreme, but it is dreadful and disturbing.

These three books feature a different range of horror that will help to raise your anxiety, before ultimately expelling it. I hope that you will choose to add them to your bibliotherapy toolkit.

Getting Started with Practicing Bibliotherapy at Home

Bibiotherapy is a form of therapy that utilizes books to treat different things, such as anxiety, depression, grief, etc. It is a supplemental form of therapy that can be used at any age and is usually used in conjunction with other forms of therapy in a treatment plan.

However, it is possible to practice bibliotherapy yourself while at home. The main goal of bibliotherapy is to help you work through your emotions as you read a book to better understand and manage your emotions day to day. It can also help you to work through more difficult periods, such as a period of grief, so that you can work through what you are feeling and find some relief. I do have to mention, though, that practicing solitary bibliotherapy at home is not a substitute for treatment with a therapist and/or psychiatrist. This form of therapy at home can be helpful to work through more minor concerns, or larger concerns as a form of supplemental therapy if you already have a treatment team. But if you are experiencing suicidal ideation, self-harm urges, or urges to harm others, please do call the suicide & crisis hotline at 988.

While doing bibliotherapy at home, it is important to utilize journaling while you are reading. I always recommend having one journal dedicated for your bibliotherapy practice. In your journal is where you can document how certain parts of a book made you feel, and what may be coming up for you. Documenting these moments will help you to go back once you finish the book to find patterns in what you were feeling. Writing down specifics quotes from a part of the book that really impacted you will also be helpful.

But to get started, you first need to choose a book. Below are some of my book suggestions for working through anxiety, depression, and grief. These books range between young adult and adult fiction but are ideal for all ages.

DepressionEverything I Never Told You by Celeste NgThe Bell Jar by Sylvia PlathLooking for Alaska by John GreenAnxietyTurtles All the Way Down by John GreenFangirl by Rainbow RowellThe Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky GriefA Monster Calls by Patrick NessThe Fault in Our Stars by John Green Still Alice by Lisa Genova

*Note: These books may be sensitive for some readers due to their subject matter. Please read with caution.

When choosing a book, you do not have to find one that addresses exactly what you are going through. Sometimes it is just about picking a book that brings up the emotions you may be experiencing, such as sadness.

If this is your first time trying out bibliotherapy, I would advise you to choose one of the books above and journal while reading through it to get a feel for how this form of therapy works – especially when it is self-directed. It can be quite the journey, and it might take you awhile to get a feel for how this therapy will work for you. Just be patient with yourself and go with the flow. You’ve got this.

Book Review: An Important Look at Civilian Life Amidst Military Conflict in Ukraine

Everyday War: The Conflict Over Donbas, Ukraine by Greta Lynn Uehling

Everyday War provides an accessible lens through which to understand what non-combatant civilians go through in a country at war. What goes through the mind of a mother who must send her child to school across a mined field? In Ukraine, such questions have been part of the daily calculus of life. Greta Uehling engages with the lives of ordinary people living in and around the armed conflict over Donbas that began in 2014 and shows how conventional understandings of war are incomplete.

In Ukraine, landscapes filled with death and destruction prompted attentiveness to human vulnerabilities and the cultivation of everyday, interpersonal peace. Uehling explores a constellation of social practices where ethics of care were in operation. People were also drawn into the conflict in an everyday form of war that included provisioning fighters with military equipment they purchased themselves, smuggling insulin, and cutting ties to former friends. Each chapter considers a different site where care can produce interpersonal peace or its antipode, everyday war.

Bridging the fields of political geography, international relations, peace and conflict studies, and anthropology, Everyday War considers a different site where peace can be cultivated at an everyday level.

Goodreads Synopsis

Overall Rating: 5/5Quick Take

Everyday War: The Conflict Over Donbas, Ukraine by Greta Lynn Uehling is an essential read for understanding what civilian life has been like in a land where warfare and military activity have altered daily life. Uehling’s research is phenomenal, and she covers a variety of social aspects that have been changed by ongoing destruction. While this is not light reading, the topic is well explored and is ideal for anyone looking to learn more about the conflict in Ukraine and its impact on civilians.

Tell Me More

Military activity has been ongoing in Ukraine, and while the conflict has been widely publicized, the daily life of civilians has not received as much press as it should. Greta Lynn Uehling’s book, Everyday War: The Conflict Over Donbas, Ukraine, fills that gap. Impeccably researched, Uehling’s writing focuses on what everyday life has been like for the civilians of Donbas, Ukraine, and goes as far to explore how such relationships as friendships and marriage have been impacted.

But the insight does not stop there. One harrowing section of the book focuses on a group of civilians called The Black Tulips who have volunteered to retrieve the dead. This section does not sugarcoat the atrocities that this group faces, and it tears the reader apart.

While the book is highly educational and reads like college material, it is engaging and ideal for anyone looking to learn more about the conflicts in Ukraine. Uehling writes with a caring hand, and while much of the book is difficult to digest, she writes in such a way that it is easy for the reader to understand and absorb.

Everyday War: The Conflict Over Donbas, Ukraine by Greta Lynn Uehling is a current read about a historical event that is perfect for readers of history and nonfiction. It is searing, blunt, and compassionate in the best of ways. This is not a book to miss.

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5 LGBTQIA+ Reads to Celebrate Pride Month

June is Pride Month, a time to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community, diversity, and acceptance in all of its forms. In recent years, there have been a plethora of LGBTQIA+ focused novels and memoirs that have been released, and I wanted to share with you five of my favorites. As a part of the LGBTQIA+ community myself, I am always looking to find solace in novels and memoirs that resonate with me. These five novels did just that, and I hope that these beautiful books will resonate with you too.

I have chosen novels that offer a wide variety of LGBTQIA+ identities, but these are only the tipping point. The LGBTQIA+ literary world is becoming so vast, and there are so many great books to discover. Let these five novels start you on your journey of exploring LGBTQIA+ fiction and memoirs.

[image error]Dear Mothman by Robin Gow

Genre: Middle Grade Fiction in Verse

Representations: Transgender

A moving middle-grade novel in verse, about a young trans boy dealing with the loss of his friend by writing to his favorite cryptid, Mothman

Halfway through sixth grade, Noah’s best friend and the only other trans boy in his school, Lewis, passed away in a car accident. Lewis was adventurous and curious, always bringing a new paranormal story to share with Noah. Together they daydreamed about cryptids and shared discovering their genders and names. After his death, lonely and yearning for someone who could understand him like Lewis once did, Noah starts writing letters to Mothman, wondering if he would understand how Noah feels and also looking for evidence of Mothman’s existence in the vast woods surrounding his small Poconos town. Noah becomes determined to make his science fair project about Mothman, despite his teachers and parents urging him to make a project about something “real.”

Meanwhile, as Noah tries to find Mothman, Noah also starts to make friends with a group of girls in his grade, Hanna, Molly, and Alice, with whom he’d been friendly, but never close to. Now, they welcome him, and he starts to open up to each of them, especially Hanna, who Noah has a crush on. But as strange things start to happen and Noah becomes sure of Mothman’s existence, his parents and teachers don’t believe him. Noah decides it’s up to him to risk everything, trek into the woods, and find Mothman himself.

Horse Barbie by Geena Rocero

Genre: Memoir

Representation: Transgender

The heartfelt memoir of a trans pageant queen from the Philippines who went back into the closet to model in New York City—until she realized that living her truth was the only way to step into her full power.

As a young femme in 1990s Manila, Geena Rocero heard, “ Bakla, bakla! ,” a taunt aimed at her feminine sway, whenever she left the tiny universe of her eskinita . Eventually, she found her place in trans pageants, the Philippines’ informal national sport. When her competitors mocked her as a “horse Barbie” due to her statuesque physique, tumbling hair, long neck, and dark skin, she leaned into the epithet. By seventeen, she was the Philippines’ highest-earning trans pageant queen.

A year later, Geena moved to the United States where she could change her name and gender marker on her documents. But legal recognition didn’t mean safety. In order to survive, Geena went stealth and hid her trans identity, gaining one type of freedom at the expense of another. For a while, it worked. She became an in-demand model. But as her star rose, her sense of self eroded. She craved acceptance as her authentic self yet had to remain vigilant in order to protect her dream career. The high-stakes double life finally forced Geena to decide herself if she wanted to reclaim the power of Horse Barbie once and for radiant, head held high, and unabashedly herself.

A dazzling testimony from an icon who sits at the center of transgender history and activism, Horse Barbie is a celebratory and universal story of survival, love, and pure joy.

Pageboy by Elliot Page

Genre: Memoir

Representation: Transgender

Pageboy is a groundbreaking coming-of-age memoir from the Academy Award-nominated actor Elliot Page. A generation-defining actor and one of the most famous trans advocates of our time, Elliot will now be known as an uncommon literary talent, as he shares never-before-heard details and intimate interrogations on gender, love, mental health, relationships, and Hollywood.

When Katie Met Cassidy by Camille Perri

Genre: Romance

Representations: Sapphic

From the acclaimed author of The Assistants comes another gutsy book about the importance of women taking the reins—except this time, when it comes to finding sexuality, pleasure, and love sometimes where you least expect it.

Katie Daniels is a perfection-seeking 28-year-old lawyer living the New York dream. She’s engaged to charming art curator Paul Michael, has successfully made her way up the ladder at a multinational law firm and has a hold on apartments in Soho and the West Village. Suffice it to say, she has come a long way from her Kentucky upbringing.

But the rug is swept from under Katie when she is suddenly dumped by her fiance, Paul Michael, leaving her devastated and completely lost. On a whim, she agrees to have a drink with Cassidy Price-a self-assured, sexually promiscuous woman she meets at work. The two form a newfound friendship, which soon brings into question everything Katie thought she knew about sex—and love.

When Katie Met Cassidy is a romantic comedy that explores how, as a culture, while we may have come a long way in terms of gender equality, a woman’s capacity for an entitlement to sexual pleasure still remain entirely taboo. This novel tackles the question: Why, when it comes to female sexuality, are so few women figuring out what they want and then going out and doing it?

Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kann

Genre: Young Adult

Representations: Asexual

Alice had her whole summer planned. Non-stop all-you-can-eat buffets while marathoning her favorite TV shows (best friends totally included) with the smallest dash of adulting–working at the library to pay her share of the rent. The only thing missing from her perfect plan? Her girlfriend (who ended things when Alice confessed she’s asexual). Alice is done with dating–no thank you, do not pass go, stick a fork in her, done.

But then Alice meets Takumi and she can’t stop thinking about him or the rom com-grade romance feels she did not ask for (uncertainty, butterflies, and swoons, oh my!).

When her blissful summer takes an unexpected turn, and Takumi becomes her knight with a shiny library employee badge (close enough), Alice has to decide if she’s willing to risk their friendship for a love that might not be reciprocated—or understood.

Are there any other LGBTQIA+ focused books that you would like to recommend? Let me know in the comments!

Book Review: A Privileged and Infuriating Take on Trauma, Mental Illness, and Relationship Abuse

For twenty-six-year-old Adelaide Williams, an American living in dreamy London, meeting Rory Hughes was like a lightning bolt out of the blue: this charming Englishman was The One she wasn’t even looking for.

Is it enough?

Does he respond to texts? Honor his commitments? Make advance plans? Sometimes, rarely, and no, not at all. But when he shines his light on her, the world makes sense, and Adelaide is convinced that, in his heart, he’s fallen just as deeply as she has. Then, when Rory is rocked by an unexpected tragedy, Adelaide does everything in her power to hold him together—even if it means losing herself in the process.

When love asks too much of us, how do we find the strength to put ourselves first?

With unflinching honesty and heart, this relatable debut from a fresh new voice explores grief and mental health while capturing the timeless nature of what it’s like to be young and in love—with your friends, with your city, and with a person who cannot, will not, love you back.

Goodreads Synopsis

Overall Rating

2/5

Quick Take

Adelaide by Genevieve Wheeler had me in a trance from the start. The writing felt beautiful and intense, and with a history of relationship abuse, I felt like this book might be cathartic for me. However, it quickly became clear that this was a book that featured privileged and unlikeable characters, underhanded political messages, and a harmful message about how only certain types of women can be “truly” victimized. As I continued on, the writing ended up feeling childish and pretentious, as though the author were trying to copy the literary greats to no avail – even though it was clear that she does take herself too seriously and sees herself in the same caliber as authors such as Charles Dickens. I was left feeling angry and tricked. I know that this book has received a plethora of positive reviews, but I feel that it is a dangerous book. It stigmatizes true victims of relationship abuse as well as those who struggle with mental illness, and it screams “poor privileged white girl” in the worst way possible.

Tell Me More

Sometimes a book comes along that feels like a trick. The writing appears enchanting, and the reader feels as though they are reading a truly remarkable and life changing story. There are numerous quotable segments and insights galore. However, as the story progresses, the reader begins to realize that these “insights” and the “enchanting writing” are actually quite juvenile and generic. They are simply tricks to cover up a basic story with problematic elements that is trying to imitate classic literature, but ultimately fails.

This was exactly my experience with reading Adelaide by Genevieve Wheeler.

I must admit that I went into reading this novel expecting too much. I have a history of relationship abuse, and I am frequently searching for books that touch on this topic. I find that the right books often help me to explore my trauma and heal, and I expected Adelaide to be cathartic in this manner. Unfortunately, the story became quite pretentious, and the characters were completely and utterly unlikeable.

The namesake character, Adelaide, was quite possibly one of the worst characters I have read in literature. She was privileged, whiny, flighty, and self-absorbed. She fell in love with a man who clearly was not in a place where he could have a relationship because he was mourning the loss of his supposed “love of his life”. But Adelaide constantly talks about how he looks like a “Disney Prince” and how this made her fall head over heels in love with him – which seemed very basic to me. He is clearly an unstable, abusive jerk, but Adelaide constantly goes overboard trying to impress him and “earn his love.” The emotional abuse he projects onto her is absolutely inappropriate and harmful, but I had a hard time empathizing with Adelaide because her character was so flat and unlikeable. I do understand that Adelaide’s experience is common when it comes to toxic men and toxic relationships, but the themes were so basic and laughable that I could not take her pain seriously.

Unfortunately, Wheeler also makes the mistake of projecting her political ideals onto the reader, which was unnecessary and harmful. She also talks constantly about how “frail” and “cute” Adelaide is, which insinuates the idea that only women who are girlish, thin, white, and cute can be “true” victims and worthy of sympathy.

The theme of female friendship was also lost on me, as I found Adelaide’s friends to be insufferable, unlikeable, and – you guessed it – privileged. Privilege was a huge toxic theme in this novel, and the last thing we need is another novel that focuses on privileged white women who are unable or unwilling to step outside of their comfort zone and empathize with those who do not have this type of privilege.

Lastly, the mental health and illness aspects were poorly executed. While Adelaide does discuss her family’s history of mental illness and is ultimately diagnosed with bipolar disorder herself, her presentation of bipolar disorder was poor and stigmatizing. There were also numerous comments throughout about us “Americans and our pills” which was insulting. As someone who has to take multiple mental health medications to be able to function, I felt like this was a direct hit.

Some readers might find solace in Adelaide by Genevieve Wheeler, and that is fine. However, it was a harmful read for me, and I did not appreciate how worse off I felt upon finishing it. There were too many problem areas, and while I was going to give this book 5 stars in the beginning, my rating quickly fell to 2 stars due to the stigmatizing language and themes and realizing how I had been tricked with the supposed “beautiful writing”. Please proceed with caution.

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Book Review: A Vivid and Nuanced Take on Serial Killer Culture

A work of literary suspense that deconstructs the story of a serial killer on death row, told primarily through the eyes of the women in his life.

Ansel Packer is scheduled to die in twelve hours. He knows what he’s done, and now awaits execution, the same chilling fate he forced on those girls, years ago. But Ansel doesn’t want to die; he wants to be celebrated, understood. He hoped it wouldn’t end like this, not for him.

Through a kaleidoscope of women—a mother, a sister, a homicide detective—we learn the story of Ansel’s life. We meet his mother, Lavender, a seventeen-year-old girl pushed to desperation; Hazel, twin sister to Ansel’s wife, inseparable since birth, forced to watch helplessly as her sister’s relationship threatens to devour them all; and finally, Saffy, the homicide detective hot on his trail, who has devoted herself to bringing bad men to justice but struggles to see her own life clearly. As the clock ticks down, these three women sift through the choices that culminate in tragedy, exploring the rippling fissures that such destruction inevitably leaves in its wake.

Goodreads Synopsis

Overall Rating

5/5

Quick Take

Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka is one of the most impactful books that I have ever read. Kukafka’s writing introduces a poetic and unique voice in literature that instantly grips the reader. I still think about the characters that Kukafka introduced me to, and I know that this is one novel that I will be re-reading many a time.

Tell Me More

As an avid reader, I have found that I rarely find books that can shake me to the core anymore. So many books feel like they are just variations of similar storylines, and it becomes tiresome. When Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka was recommended to me, I expected it to be an interesting story about a serial killer – but it became so much more than that. It was a beautiful examination of the impact of violent men on the women in their lives, and it shredded me to the core. Serial killers have long been a fascination in popular culture, but Notes on an Execution turns that fascination on its head and gives voices to the women who are so often silenced.

Ansel is awaiting execution, and his chapters are told in the second person. This fresh take puts the reader in his shoes, almost as though they can experience what Ansel is experiencing firsthand. While this could be used as a tactic for the reader to empathize with Ansel, it does the complete opposite. Putting the reader in Ansel’s shoes reveals how narcissistic he is, and how he views those around him (particularly women and animals) as lesser and worthy of manipulation and abuse. Between Ansel’s chapters, there are chapters that focus on three different women who are paramount in his life – his mother, his wife’s sister, and the detective who was on his tail for years (and who also happened to share a foster home with him when they were children). Each chapter reveals the impact that Ansel’s actions had on others, and how all of their lives have been ultimately changed.

Kukafka’s prose is some of the best that I have ever read. She uses a lot of metaphors, which can become tiresome for some readers, but I found them to be extremely poetic and heart wrenching. I did have to read certain passages over again to fully grasp them due to the level of intensity and depth that Kukafka’s uses, but this only made me feel closer to the women in Ansel’s life. For such a short novel, Notes on an Execution is filled to the brim with pain, loss, beauty, and most of all, strength – despite the violence that many of us endure in our lives.

I can’t remember the last time I read a novel where I was scared to finish is too quickly, because I didn’t want it to end. Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka had me snared from the first chapter, and I still think about the beauty of the story on a daily basis. This is one novel that wormed its way into my soul, and I can only say that about maybe two other books. Please, drop what you are doing right now, and pick this book up. Whether you like the style of writing or not, I guarantee that the story will leave a lasting impression on you.

Content Warnings: Animal abuse, emotional abuse, domestic abuse, substance abuse

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New Release: A Sultry Gothic Horror Novel from Author Nicole Eigener

I am a frequent fan of gothic horror, and I am always up for anything that involves vampires and is part of the LGBTQIA+ community. I met Nicole Eigener through Instagram a few months ago, and I was excited to learn about their queer vampire novel, Beguiled by Night. Upon reading it, I felt like I had found an important and delicious new voice in the gothic horror genre. Eigener’s vampire, Vauquelin, is classic and groundbreaking in all of the right ways, and their inclusion of French culture and language is utterly tantalizing. While the horror aspects are light, the story is disturbing, painful, and erotic. It is a must-read for fans of classic gothic horror, and I can’t praise it enough.

Today, Eigener released their follow-up to Beguiled by Night, and it is just as delicious, horrific, romantic, and all-consuming as its predecessor. Both books are some of the most beautiful tomes of gothic horror that I have read, and I cannot recommend them enough. Be sure to check them out!



Citizens of Shadow

"A chance to live life over, to correct one’s mistakes — is it a blessing or a curse? In Beguiled by Night, Vauquelin, an ancient, queer vampire living in present-day Los Angeles, finds his time unwinding like a spool of dirty thread til he’s re-deposited into seventeenth century France: he seizes the chance for redemption. In Citizens of Shadow, he clings frightfully to his aim — until he learns the hidden costs of tampering with fate. Centuries of self-exile and isolation claim their due. What glory might unfold when you open your heart to what else is to come … and what rewards will you reap when you embrace your authentic self?

Lush, gothic horror unfolds in Citizens of Shadow, a queer dark fantasy of vampires, time travel, and sinister secrets threatening to unravel an eternal existence."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR



Nicole Eigener is the author of Beguiled by Night: A Vampire Tale (Polidori Press, 2020) and CITIZENS OF SHADOW: Beguiled by Night Book Two, in which Vauquelin’s story continues. They are also co-author, with Beverley Lee, of Crimson is the Night: A Vampire Novelette featuring a meeting of characters from Lee’s Gabriel Davenport series and Beguiled By Night. Nicole is a lifelong student of French history and the macabre. Their love for haemovores became a beautiful marriage to their obsession with French culture, specifically of the seventeenth-century, which features prominently in their work. Nicole lives in Southern California. Visit their website for book extras including French pronunciations and a soundtrack.

Visit: https://thevampire.org/

Book Review: A Treat for Middle-Grade Readers

The Search for Synergy by Brett Salter

“The Search For Synergy” is the first book in The Talisman Series by author Brett Salter. It follows the exploits of two middle-school boys, Rome Lockheed and Julian Rider, as they transition from normal kids into epic warriors fighting for the existence of the Earth realm. Rome is secretly a fire dragon from the Den of Volcana placed under a spell which hides his true form. Julian is an oddball, up-and-coming knight with a case of the “try-hards”. Together, they perform an ancient pact which bonds their lives and souls forever. Under the tutelage and guidance of an eccentric, local librarian, Mr. Jones, the two learn of an impending invasion from an archaic evil desperate to invade from the other side of The Void.

Goodreads Synopsis

Overall Rating

4/5

Quick Take

The Search for Synergy by Brett Salter is a dragon filled fantasy with relatable characters that will appeal to middle grade readers.

Tell Me More

Middle grade books can often feel like they are dumbed down, or do not contain a story that is complex and worthy of middle grade readers. But this was not the case with The Search for Synergy. Brett Salter brought forth a fantasy adventure that was one of a kind and a joy to read – even as an adult! He is clearly a new and important voice in middle grade literature, and he is sure to make avid fans of his readers.

The Search for Synergy focuses on two middle-school boys – Rome and Julian. Rome is a secret fire dragon, while Julian is a knight, and they perform an ancient pact that bonds their souls forever. Both boys are guided by Mr. Jones, a local librarian, who teaches them how to fight evil. What ensues is the adventure of a lifetime.

Salter’s writing is easy to understand and appropriate for middle grade readers. His characters were fun and complex, and I am positive that readers of all genders will relate to them and find solace in their story. I found the story to be comical while heartfelt, and it was an enjoyable read.

However, some of the dialogue did seem a little unrealistic. At times I felt like Salter was trying too hard to capture the voices of middle grade characters. This detracted from the story for me, but since I am not the target audience, it may not bother other readers.

The Search for Synergy is an engaging and fun fantasy adventure that is a welcome addition to the middle grade market. I look forward to seeing where Salter takes this story, and I think that young readers will find solace in the world that he created.

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