Siavahda's Blog, page 17

Sunday Soupçons #32

soupçon/ˈsuːpsɒn,ˈsuːpsɒ̃/ noun
1. a very small quantity of something; a slight trace, as of a particular taste or flavor

Sunday Soupçons is where I scribble mini-reviews for books I don’t have the brainspace/eloquence/smarts to write about in depth – or if I just don’t have anything interesting to say beyond I LIKED IT AND YOU SHOULD READ IT TOO!

Two books I loved, which I have nothing smart to say about beyond GO READ THEM!

The City in Glass by Nghi Vo
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Secondary World Fantasy
Representation: Minor trans characters
PoV: Third-person, past-tense
Published on: 1st October 2024
ISBN: 1250348285
Goodreads

In this new standalone, Hugo Award-winning author Nghi Vo introduces a beguiling fantasy city in the tradition of Calvino, Mieville, and Le Guin.
A demon. An angel. A city that burns at the heart of the world.

The demon Vitrine—immortal, powerful, and capricious—loves the dazzling city of Azril. She has mothered, married, and maddened the city and its people for generations, and built it into a place of joy and desire, revelry and riot.

And then the angels come, and the city falls.

Vitrine is left with nothing but memories and a book containing the names of those she has lost—and an angel, now bound by her mad, grief-stricken curse to haunt the city he burned.

She mourns her dead and rages against the angel she longs to destroy. Made to be each other’s devastation, angel and demon are destined for eternal battle. Instead, they find themselves locked in a devouring fascination that will change them both forever.

Together, they unearth the past of the lost city and begin to shape its future. But when war threatens Azril and everything they have built, Vitrine and her angel must decide whether they will let the city fall again.

The City in Glass is both a brilliantly constructed history and an epic love story, of death and resurrection, memory and transformation, redemption and desire strong enough to burn a world to ashes and build it anew.

I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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Vo’s prose and imagination are always breathtaking, but what struck me about City in Glass was the delicate precision of every detail. More than anything else I’ve read of Vo’s, this book felt like a deliberate work of art, something that has been created so carefully, so exactingly, over a long period of time. The picture it conjures in my head is of a watchmaker using tweezers and a loupe to put every minuscule gear exactly where it needs to be.

(I don’t, at ALL, mean that City in Glass feels manufactured – there’s no sense that this is synthetic, false. Only that it’s the work of a master craftsperson, and you can almost glimpse, or understand, how much craft and skill went into making it.)

From the topmost tower of the observatory to the floating docks on the beach, the city of Azril lit up with paper lanterns, with candles, with girls throwing flaming knives and boys in firefly crowns, with passion, with desire, with hatred, and with delight.

Beyond that, I don’t have much to say about it. It’s beautiful, of course. My breath caught in my throat on the very first page, as we see the angels coming to the city. I enjoyed reading it immensely. But I don’t feel like I got it – maybe my head’s too foggy to analyse what I read, or maybe Vo was saying things I didn’t hear. I was kind of disappointed that for most of the book, the city is in ruins – somehow I didn’t realise that would be the case – because I was most enchanted with the descriptions of the city while it was alive, and then the glimpses we got of its flourishing past. But I loved the casual queerness, I want to wrap the prose around me like a velvet blanket, and the ending surprised me enormously – which delighted me. (Love it when I can’t see the end coming!)

Strongly recommended, but you should look elsewhere if you want some smart analysis of this one!

Sorcery and Small Magics (The Wildersongs Trilogy, #1) by Maiga Doocy
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Secondary World Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: M/M
PoV: First-person, past-tense
Published on: 15th October 2024
ISBN: 031657676X
Goodreads

Desperate to undo the curse binding them to each other, an impulsive sorcerer and his curmudgeonly rival venture deep into a magical forest in search of a counterspell—only to discover that magic might not be the only thing pulling them together.

Leovander Loveage is a master of small magics.

He can summon butterflies with a song, or turn someone’s hair pink by snapping his fingers. Such minor charms don’t earn him much admiration from other sorcerers (or his father), but anything more elaborate always blows up in his face. Which is why Leo vowed years ago to never again write powerful magic.

That is, until a mix-up involving a forbidden spell binds Leo to obey the commands of his longtime nemesis, Sebastian Grimm. Grimm is Leo’s complete opposite—respected, exceptionally talented, and an absolutely insufferable curmudgeon. The only thing they agree on is that getting caught using forbidden magic would mean the end of their careers. They need a counterspell, and fast. But Grimm casts spells, he doesn’t undo them, and Leo doesn’t mess with powerful magic.

Chasing rumors of a powerful sorcerer with a knack for undoing curses, Leo and Grimm enter the Unquiet Wood, a forest infested with murderous monsters and dangerous outlaws alike. To dissolve the curse, they’ll have to uncover the true depths of Leo’s magic, set aside their long-standing rivalry, and—much to their horror—work together.

Even as an odd spark of attraction flares between them.

I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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Despite the horrifically ugly cover (I have no idea what Orbit was thinking, my sympathies to poor Doocy) this was a lot of fun! Leo is a snarky character who is well aware of his own flaws, which is a combination I enjoy very much, and although the worldbuilding is a bit simple for my taste, a) there’s more than enough story to compensate, and b) there are hints that things (such as the way magic really works) are a lot more complicated than Leo thinks.

The magic system…is also pretty simple, but it fit the story really well: there are sorcerers who can cast spells, and sorcerers who can write spells, and no one can do both. Spells are (usually) written, and once cast, you need a spell-writer to write it for you again if you want to cast it again. Somehow this has not resulted in the veneration of spell-writers, which I found quite odd.

But that really didn’t matter, because I had so much FUN reading this! It’s immersive, super readable, and just the right blend of escapist+serious. The stakes are high for the characters – the spell that forces Leo to obey any order of Sebastian’s is seriously screwed-up, and also gets worse the longer it’s in effect, and that keeps both the characters and the story moving along at a great pace. And everything that goes down in the Unquiet Wood? *chef’s kiss*

When I first got my arc, there was no mention of this being the start of a series, which made the ending (not a cliffhanger, but leaving some important things unresolved!) a surprise. I am MUCH relieved that the story’s not over, although I have no idea where the rest of the series (trilogy?) is going – we weren’t presented with any kind of Big Bad, so Sorcery ends without clearly aiming the characters at the Next Thing. We’ll just have to find out with the next book! (Which I am ABSOLUTELY going to be reading!)

The post Sunday Soupçons #32 appeared first on Every Book a Doorway.

A Triumph of Sensuality: The Fall That Saved Us by Tamara Jerée

The Fall That Saved Us by Tamara Jerée
Genres: Fantasy, Contemporary or Urban Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Black sapphic MCs, secondary Hispanic character
PoV: 1st-person present-tense
ISBN: 9798987884720
Goodreads

Cassiel has given up the family tradition of demon hunting, leaving behind her sacred angelic duty and fated sword. What she can’t leave behind are the scars. To cope, she spends her days immersed in work, pouring all her attention into New Haven Books, her small bookstore and anchor in the new world she’s carved for herself.

But the past hasn’t let go of Cassiel yet. When a succubus named Avitue arrives to claim her angel-touched soul, Cassiel’s old hunter instincts flare, forcing her to choose between old knowledge and her truth. What should be a fatal seduction becomes a bargain neither woman expects. As they grow closer, Avitue is surprised to find her own pain reflected in Cassiel, a nephilim deemed fallen by her own family’s standards.

By choosing trust, they reveal the lies that bind them. Falling for each other begins a path towards healing. But exorcising the effects of trauma is harder than naming it, and to explore the unfettered possibility Avitue represents, Cassiel must find a way to reclaim and redefine her angelic heritage.

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~wish-fulfilment bookshop!
~fuck fundamentalists
~unique take on angels+nephilim
~the best bestie
~it takes strength to be soft

The Fall That Saved Us managed to take so many things I usually can’t stand – from first-person present-tense narration to worldbuilding that leaves no room for non-Abrahamic religions – and make me fall in love with all of it.

There’s an element of cosy escapism here – as Jerée says in the author’s note, that’s why they gave Cassiel a bookshop to run – but this is a book of many things, multiple disparate themes braided together expertly. To the point that I have to wonder, is this really Jerée’s debut novel?! Because when I say expertly, I mean expertly – I’m aware they have plenty of short stories under their belt, but that requires a different skillset than writing a novel, and nothing about The Fall That Saved Us reads like these novel-writing skills are brand new! The Fall That Saved Us is a polished, decadent gem of a book, one that crowns Jerée as an author to watch.

I think the best part of self-publishing is how it gives space for books that traditional publishers might struggle to stick into a neat little box. The Fall That Saved Us blurs the lines between Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance, and brings the best of both – as well as a deft exploration of themes neither genre usually delves too deeply into – to an elegantly simple, but beautiful and unique take on the myth of the Nephilim.

If you don’t know, Nephilim are the descendants of angels and humans, depicted as dangerous giants in the Torah, but cast as angel-venerating demon hunters in Jerée’s debut. I really can’t emphasise enough how much I love the worldbuilding here; Jerée doesn’t drown us in lore, keeps things quite simple, but it’s a gorgeous kind of simple, with ideas I’ve never seen before. For example, Nephilim are named after individual angels – because they belong to that angel, are kind of a part of them, and when the Nephilim dies, they become one with said angel, merge with it. That’s such a cool concept, with so many ramifications for Nephilim culture, and their views on identity and personhood!

Identity is definitely something poor Cassiel, our main character, struggles with; even several years after leaving the family compound, and a life of demon-hunting, she’s not sure who she is, who she’s supposed to be, and definitely doesn’t seem comfortable in her own skin. She’s self-aware enough to know this about herself, though, and is struggling against it; trying to undo the programming and trauma she’s endured – mostly from her own family – all by herself. (Which, you can’t exactly blame her – it’s hard enough to find good therapists; how do you find a good one who also knows about the supernatural? Of course she’s gotta try and do this by herself.) That uncertainty, the battle between who she was raised to be and who she wants to be, is a big part of why, and how, she and the succubus Avitue don’t immediately kill each other. Although it definitely wasn’t her original intention, Avitue ends up offering Cassiel – not a way out, exactly, but a path to wholeness, a twisty hidden way that Cassiel would never have found on her own.

(Which is not to say that Cassiel could never have become whole on her own. But it wouldn’t have been by this path.)

Anyone who was raised in a fundamentalist household – anyone AFAB who was taught that sex is dirty and wrong – is going to identify hard with Cassiel. She was taught that pleasure of all kinds is off-limits, and that emotions are to be suppressed, not expressed; that she is supposed to be a weapon, not a person. And Jerée absolutely nails how that feels, what it’s like to be inside a mind that’s been trained that way; to the point that it was occasionally difficult for me to read. Cassiel struggles to take care of her body, to accept its needs and desires as natural and acceptable; and when she does manage to do that, there’s an instant response of shame and guilt and self-disgust. Avitue is an immense help in Cassiel’s healing and growth about this, but the biggest motivator is Cassiel’s growing sense of defiance – an increasingly passionate fuck you to her upbringing, a determination that she won’t be what her mother made her, no matter how hard it is to rework yourself past your trauma. A lot of abuse survivors are going to see themselves and their journeys in Cassiel, and speaking as one of those survivors, I thought Jerée handled every aspect of the topic perfectly, with enormous empathy and understanding, delicately and respectfully balancing all the internal conflict and contradictions that comes with this kind of baggage.

Even readers who’ve never been abused won’t be able to help cheering for Cassiel’s arc over the course of this book; it’s empowering and beautiful and triumphant, and I can’t express how much I loved it. Talk about growth!

This is not, however, an incredibly angsty, misery-porn book. AT ALL. It’s deeply emotional, both in regards to the feelings that gradually develop between Cassiel and Avitue, and also in the changing relationship between Cassiel and the Cassiel, the actual angel Cassiel. As our Cassiel learns that she doesn’t have to be what she was made, she also discovers that the dynamic and relationship between Nephilim and Angel are not, or don’t have to be, what she was taught they were. There’s a huge amount of, not just validation, but celebration to all of this that made me so happy, both because I was rooting for Cassiel and because I loved the reveals about the worldbuilding. This is, ultimately, a story of love and triumph, a celebration of sensuality and hedonism over coldness and brutality – one that’s as deliciously decadent as the demonic truffles Avitue gifts to Cassiel.

Strongly recommended!

Trigger Warnings: [View post to see spoiler]

The post A Triumph of Sensuality: The Fall That Saved Us by Tamara Jerée appeared first on Every Book a Doorway.

Must-Have Monday #211

Must-Have Monday is a feature highlighting which of the coming week’s new releases I’m excited for. It is not meant to be a comprehensive list of all books being published that week; only those I’m interested in out of those I’m aware of! The focus is diverse SFF, but other genres sneak in occasionally too.

FIVE books this week!

(Books are listed in order of pub date, then Adult SFF, Adult Other, YA SFF, YA Other, MG SFF.)

The Librarian's Gargoyle: A Cozy Sapphic Monster Romantasy (Stone Awakenings Book 1) by Evelyn Shine
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: F/F
Published on: 4th November 2024
Goodreads

Magic is real, and Viola is going to prove it!

Viola is a Parisian librarian by day and parkourist by night. The last thing she wants is an arranged marriage (ick) with a man (double ick.) If Viola can fund the library and keep it open, she might keep her job and freedom, might being the key word. To make matters worse, strange magical shades keep attacking her, threatening her physical safety. Viola knows magic is real and wants to be part of that world, but she can’t find a way out of her mundane life. She can only vent her troubles to her confidant, a lady gargoyle… though the statue has never spoken back.

Boudicca is a creature without a soul—a fact as steady as the stone she’s made of. Yet when the mage who created Boudicca gives her a task that requires her to appear human, she’s feeling new, soft things for the librarian who likes to climb Paris in her slippers. Viola could never love Boudicca in her true form, but the gargoyle finds herself putting her heart on the line to help keep the library open… and help Viola discover the magic that will pull her into a new world of freedom.

The Librarian’s Gargoyle is a cozy sapphic monster romantasy set in turn-of-the-century Paris.

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I have been utterly charmed by this since I first heard about it, and can’t wait to finally read it!

Lord of the Changing Winds (The Griffin Mage Trilogy Book 1) by Rachel Neumeier
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Secondary World Fantasy
Published on: 4th November 2024
Goodreads

The griffins come to Feierabiand with the early summer warmth, riding the wind out of the heights down to the tender green pastures above the village of Minas Ford. The wind they bring with them is a hard, hot wind, tasting of red dust and hot brass, with nothing of the gentle Feierabiand summer about it. Fire falls from their wings, and below the path of their flight, red sands turn the hills to blazing desert …

Kes, collecting healing herbs in the hills above the village, watches the griffins arrive. Stunned by their beauty, unable to find words to describe them, she says nothing about them at all. Then a tall man with a griffin’s fiery shadow steps into Minas Ford, seeking a girl who possesses a gift for healing, setting into her hands magic, fire, and an impossible choice.

Bertaud, close friend of the king of Feierabiand, knows nothing of griffins, of the desert, of the magic that drove them from their own land into his. When word comes of red sand and hot winds above Minas Ford, his king sends Bertaud to investigate. On his road waits a powerful griffin, a burning wind, and an impossible choice.

The griffins did not ride their desert wind into Feierabiand by their own choice. But here they will make their stand against their enemies. Kes and Bertaud, with nothing in common but an affinity for fire, will have to choose whether to set themselves alongside the griffins or against them, with their own lives and land in terrible peril no matter which choice they make.

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Rachel Neumeier is republishing her Griffin-Mage trilogy with new covers (and some slight polishing, but no new content, I believe). This series was my introduction to Neumeier, and I’ve never regretted it! She’s especially superb at writing very alien nonhumans, and the griffins here are fascinating. Highly recommended!

The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Secondary World Fantasy
Representation: East Asian-coded MC
Published on: 5th November 2024
Goodreads

A wandering fortune teller finds an unexpected family in this warm and wonderful debut fantasy, perfect for readers of Travis Baldree and Sangu Mandanna.

Tao is an immigrant fortune teller, traveling between villages with just her trusty mule for company. She only tells "small" fortunes: whether it will hail next week; which boy the barmaid will kiss; when the cow will calve. She knows from bitter experience that big fortunes come with big consequences…

Even if it’s a lonely life, it’s better than the one she left behind. But a small fortune unexpectedly becomes something more when a (semi) reformed thief and an ex-mercenary recruit her into their desperate search for a lost child. Soon, they’re joined by a baker with a knead for adventure, and—of course—a slightly magical cat.

Tao sets down a new path with companions as big-hearted as her fortunes are small. But as she lowers her walls, the shadows of her past are closing in—and she’ll have to decide whether to risk everything to preserve the family she never thought she could have.

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One of the most hyped Fantasy releases of the year! I’m reading this at the moment, and I think anyone craving cosy fantasy is going to adore it!

Queer as Folklore: The Hidden Queer History of Myths and Monsters by Sacha Coward
Genres: Adult, Queer Protagonists
Published on: 5th November 2024
Goodreads

Queer as Folklore takes readers across centuries and continents which reveals the unsung heroes and villains of storytelling, magic and fantasy. Featuring images from archives, galleries and museums around the world, each chapter investigates the queer history of different mythic and folkloric characters, both old and new.

Leaving no headstone unturned, Sacha Coward will take you on a wild ride through the night from ancient Greece to the main stage of RuPaul’s Drag Race, visiting cross-dressing pirates, radical fairies and the graves of the ‘queerly departed’ along the way. Queer communities have often sought refuge in the shadows, found kinship in the in-between and created safe spaces in underworlds; but these forgotten narratives tell stories of remarkable resilience that deserve to be heard.

Join any Pride march and you are likely to see a glorious display of papier-mâché unicorn heads trailing sequins, drag queens wearing mermaid tails and more fairy wings than you can shake a trident at. But these are not just accessories: they are queer symbols with historic roots.

To truly understand who queer people are today, we must confront the twisted tales of the past and Queer as Folklore is a celebration of queer history like you've never seen it before.

I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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I have this, and can confirm it’s great! Very readable, not dry at all, although it’s pretty Western-focussed and spends a good bit of time on the Industrial Age rather than ancient history.

The Legacy of Arniston House (Edinburgh Nights Book 4) by T.L. Huchu
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Contemporary or Urban Fantasy
Representation: Black MC
Published on: 7th November 2024
Goodreads

Ghostalker and magician Ropa Moyo returns in this spellbinding fourth instalment of the Edinburgh Nights series by T. L. Huchu.

’Alluring . . . hints of sophisticated academic magic will draw you in'
- Olivie Blake, author of The Atlas Six on The Library of the Dead

Ghoststalker Ropa Moyo learns a shocking truth about her family. But after she confronts her grandmother with the revelation, Gran is murdered and Ropa is now the prime suspect on top of dealing with her loss.

Ropa races to uncover the real murderer, and soon finds a connection to an old magical cult. They are trying to take control of Scotland by resurrecting an army of the dead, led by a dark lord. She'll have to use all her magic and hard-won skills in her biggest challenge yet.

Praise for the Edinburgh Nights series

'Fast-moving and entertaining . . . Stupendously engaging'
- Ben Aaronovitch, author of the Rivers of London series

'I highly recommend The Library of the Dead'
- Charlaine Harris, author of the Sookie Stackhouse series

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The fourth book in the Edinburgh Nights series is out this week in the UK! The US has to wait till next week, alas.

Will you be reading any of these? Did I miss any releases you think I should know about? Let me know!

The post Must-Have Monday #211 appeared first on Every Book a Doorway.

In Short: October

A weird month all around! New meds, new ‘office’ equipment, my first ever job interview. (How have I not had one before now??? Bc I was working at the same place for like 7 years and they didn’t need to properly interview me.) AND NEW BOOKS, OFC!

ARCs Received

I’ve been toying with making myself a ‘new-to-me authors only’ rule for requesting arcs…but there are a whole bunch of authors I love who could definitely use the hype of early reviews, so???

Not that my reviews have been very early lately

I’m trying to resist requesting books I know I’ll love that don’t need the help, though. Like Schwab’s upcoming book, nobody benefits from me reading that early. (Assuming I’d be approved!) And surely Amal el-Mohtar’s first novel is already getting plenty of attention, right?

Read

20 books read this month! (Not counting the Tremontaine episodes I read, purely because it’s too fiddly to include their covers here.) That’s four more than in September! Hee. It’s funny, I felt like I was really struggling to read, and yet…20 books.

Quite a few rereads (are those easier to read when I’m struggling???): Swordcrossed, Stranger, Turn of Light, the first two books of Miles Cameron’s Age of Bronze trilogy, Metal From Heaven (for the third time!), and the Melissa Scott and Barbara Hambly books.

New-to-me highlights: Don’t Let the Forest In, which wowed and delighted me; Brooms, a QBIPOC historical fantasy graphic novel about illegal broom racing; and The Wings Upon Her Back, which was an excellent depiction of being radicalized/groomed and then becoming deradicalized…

I had a sudden, inexplicable urge to read nonfiction this month, and went looking for what I’m told are called ‘microhistories’ about food! And found some delicious-looking ones. (I couldn’t resist, okay?) The Secret History of Food, which is the first I got through, was massively entertaining, although it did end on a bleak note! Highly recommended.

To the best of my knowledge, 3 of the 18 authors this month are BIPOC, aka 16%.

Reviewed

Four is pretty measly, but, I was really happy with most of them. Especially the one for Metal From Heaven!

DNF-ed

12 DNFs in one month is a new record, and I feel a little embarrassed (why???) but not sorry. Although as I said in my DNF post yesterday, I don’t think most of these are objectively bad! They just didn’t bring me joy. (Yes, that’s my new standard and I’m sticking with it.)

ARCs Outstanding

How to catch up on books that have been released already??? November and December have a LOT fewer arcs due, so maybe I can work on my backlog…

Unmissable SFF Updates

This month I removed a book from my 2025 Unmissable list, which was an odd feeling – but an excerpt from it was released recently, and the writing style was a huge let-down. I’m glad I found out before I had the book in my hands, though!

(And not to worry, the list is currently at 54 books. Even if nothing gets added between now and the end of the year – which is absolutely not going to happen! – it’s still going to be plenty long!)

Not sure why I didn’t have Swordcrossed on my list already, but it’s there now!

How did my predictions/anticipated reads for October go? I declared twelve books Unmissable for this month, and–

seven were five star reads (The City in Glass, The Mountain Crown, Swordcrossed, The Nightmare Before Kissmass, Sorcery and Small Magics, Metal From Heaven, and Don’t Let the Forest In)three were DNFs (Sargassa, The Nightward, and The Scholar and the Faerie Door)two I haven’t gotten to yet (And the Sky Bled and Legend of the White Snake)

That seems pretty damn excellent! Possibly my most accurate set of predictions so far!

Misc

My review for Ancillary Review of Books went live this month! So much more formal and professional than my usual style (AND SO MUCH SHORTER – seriously, who can fit a proper review into 1000 words???)

Looking Forward

November is a MUCH quieter month for book releases, and I’m not sorry about that – I have so many reads to catch up on! But that doesn’t mean there won’t be ANYTHING new, and I’m extremely excited for all four of these!

Onwards to November!

The post In Short: October appeared first on Every Book a Doorway.

Must-Have Monday #210

Must-Have Monday is a feature highlighting which of the coming week’s new releases I’m excited for. It is not meant to be a comprehensive list of all books being published that week; only those I’m interested in out of those I’m aware of! The focus is diverse SFF, but other genres sneak in occasionally too.

TEN books this week!

(Books are listed in order of pub date, then Adult SFF, Adult Other, YA SFF, YA Other, MG SFF.)

Feast While You Can by Mikaella Clements, Onjuli Datta
Genres: Adult, Horror, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Sapphic MC
Published on: 29th October 2024
Goodreads

For readers of Nightbitch and We Ride Upon Sticks, this strange and sexy novel of queer love in a small town is an unsettling reminder that the horrors of modern life are monsters ready to possess us all.

In the valley at the intersection of three towering mountains sits Cadenze, an ugly, remote town with little to its name. It's filled with tourists in the summer and dead the rest of the year, when most of its residents surrender to a sleepier existence. Except, that is, for whatever is lurking in the caves...

Angelina Sicco was born and raised in Cadenze, and for many generations, so was every member of her family. Determined to be content with her lot in life, she walks her mongrel dog, attends her brother's heavy metal concerts, holds court in the local dive bar, and does everything she can to bait hot, queer women to her sleepy, conservative hometown. But on the night of a family party much like every other, Angelina runs into Patrick's ex, the sternly handsome Jagvi, who's back in town for a spell. Perhaps enticed by Jagvi’s arrival, an ancient evil lying dormant in those caves is awakened, and soon Angelina’s small, contained world begins to shatter.

As the monstrous force grows bolder, it infiltrates Angelina’s life. It talks with her dog’s mouth; it guzzles on her memories; it controls Angelina from the inside. Only Jagvi’s touch repels it — the final trigger for a secret, passionate romance. But this monster feasts on all the passion, heartbreak, and mess that makes up a life, and Angelina Sicco’s life has never looked tastier. What will Angelina do to protect her future? And what will it cost her?

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This has been all over the rec lists, so you might have heard of it already! I loved Nightbitch, so the comp snagged my attention, and Feast While You Can sounds terrifying in a properly queer way. (Monsters talking THROUGH YOUR DOG?! So much nope!!!) A perfect Halloween read!

Breaking Hel (The Age of Bronze #3) by Miles Cameron
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Middle Eastern-coded cast, sapphic MC, genderfluid PoV character, Egyptian-coded PoV character
Published on: 29th October 2024
Goodreads

The much-anticipated third installment of the Age of Bronze series, following  Against All Gods  and  Storming Heaven!

Before iron helmets and steel swords, when dragons roamed the world, was an age of bronze and stone, when the Gods walked the earth, and people lived in terror. In this era a scribe, a warlord, a dancer, a mute insect and a child should have no chance against the might of the bickering gods and their cruel games. But the gods themselves are old, addicted to their own games of power, and now their fates may lie in the hands of mere mortals . . .

The third in this original, visceral epic series weaving together the mythologies of a dozen pantheons of gods and heroes to create something new and magical, this tale of the revolt against the tyranny which began in Against All Gods is a must-read from a master of the fantasy genre.

Praise for Miles Cameron:
'Utterly, utterly brilliant. A masterclass in how to write modern fantasy - world building, characters, plot and pacing, all perfectly blended. Miles Cameron is at the top of his game' John Gwynne, author of The Faithful and the Fallen series

'Cold Iron is fantastic. It shimmers like a well-honed sword blade' Anna Smith Spark, author of The Court of Broken Knives

'Promising historical fantasy debut featuring an expansive cast, an engaging plot, and a detailed eye for combat' The Ranting Dragon on The Red Knight

'Literate, intelligent, and well-throughout . . . a pleasingly complex and greatly satisfying novel' SFF World on The Red Knight

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The US release! I finished reading this trilogy a few weeks ago (I read the UK edition) and I adored every minute! I do encourage you to reread the earlier books first if you have already; reading them back-to-back made this finale hit much harder!

Wherever the Stars Call by S. Jean
Genres: Adult, Queer Protagonists, Sci Fi, Science Fantasy
Representation: Queer MCs
Published on: 29th October 2024
Goodreads

Living within the Galactic Federation of the Solar System isn't all it's cracked up to be.
Laurel got sold into strict federation schooling where if she doesn't shape up, they'll scramble her mind until she's no longer herself and build the perfect citizen out of her.
Juniper got fitted with invasive cybernetics to augment the human experience at the tender age of eight and if they act up, the feds can turn them off--effectively killing them.

So, the two of them decide to run away together. All they need is to get past Jupiter where the fed's hold isn't as tight. There, Laurel can figure out what she wants in life free from fed control and Juniper can figure out how to stop their cybernetics from ruining their life.

Easy, right?

Not when they find a busted federation ship on the way with a vampire on board who might need their help with a severed head the federation is after, or perhaps, he just wants their blood. One of the two.

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Pretty sure I’d run away as well, in Laurel and Juniper’s situation! Adding a vampire to the premise makes it sound like this might be science-fantasy, which we NEVER have enough of, so I’m excited to check this one out!

The Ancient's Game by Loni Crittenden
Genres: Fantasy, YA
Representation: Black MC (?)
Published on: 29th October 2024
Goodreads

Alchemy and ancient spirits come to life in this debut fantasy inspired by African diasporic folklore and the 1920s World Fair, wherein sixteen-year-old Kellan DuCuivre, an orphan from a reviled class, must compete for a coveted apprenticeship among the nation’s elite in order to save her adoptive father from a twisted fate.

Sixteen-year-old Kellan DuCuivre is the descendant of traitors. She never knew her family members or which one of them betrayed the isle of Nanseau. But like all Du orphaned after the war, Kellan is forbidden by law from practicing makecraft, the trade of carving magic into metal that was perfected by the Guild of Engineers and their maker apprentices. No one can know that Kellan has been using makecraft in secret and that, in the wake of a tragic miscarve, she’s been helping her adoptive father, Edgar, run his celebrated makeshop.

But Edgar’s condition is worsening, and his shop is on the brink of ruin. On the eve of the Eighty-Fourth Annual Makers’ Exposition in Nanseau’s sparkling city of Riz, Kellan is thrust into the Guild’s twisted web of political intrigue and ancient secrets when she strikes a dangerous deal with one of its members to save Edgar and his shop. Now Kellan must compete in a rigorous gauntlet against the nation’s elite for a coveted spot as a maker’s apprentice.

But danger lurks at every turn. And as Kellan falls into a budding relationship with the illegitimate son from one of Nanseau’s most revered families, she’s put into the limelight when something sinister begins targeting the Gauntlet’s competitors and wreaking havoc on Riz. Amid a crumbling city and a ticking clock, winning the Gauntlet won’t just be a test of survival—it will mean pulling back the veil of secrets behind the Guild and uncovering the shrouded legacies of Nanseau itself.

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I think this might have released in the UK last week, but the US gets it tomorrow! And – African folklore plus alchemy??? HERE FOR IT!

Don't Let the Forest In by C.G. Drews
Genres: Fantasy, Contemporary or Urban Fantasy, Horror, Queer Protagonists, YA
Representation: MLM asexual MC, secondary sapphic
Published on: 29th October 2024
Goodreads

Once upon a time, Andrew had cut out his heart and given it to this boy, and he was very sure Thomas had no idea that Andrew would do anything for him.

Protect him. Lie for him. Kill for him.

High school senior Andrew Perrault finds refuge in the twisted fairytales that he writes for the only person who can ground him to reality—Thomas Rye, the boy with perpetually ink-stained hands and hair like autumn leaves. And with his twin sister, Dove, inexplicably keeping him at a cold distance upon their return to Wickwood Academy, Andrew finds himself leaning on his friend even more.

But something strange is going on with Thomas. His abusive parents have mysteriously vanished, and he arrives at school with blood on his sleeve. Thomas won’t say a word about it, and shuts down whenever Andrew tries to ask him questions. Stranger still, Thomas is haunted by something, and he seems to have lost interest in his artwork—whimsically macabre sketches of the monsters from Andrew’s wicked stories.

Desperate to figure out what’s wrong with his friend, Andrew follows Thomas into the off-limits forest one night and catches him fighting a nightmarish monster—Thomas’s drawings have come to life and are killing anyone close to him. To make sure no one else dies, the boys battle the monsters every night. But as their obsession with each other grows stronger, so do the monsters, and Andrew begins to fear that the only way to stop the creatures might be to destroy their creator…

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I had the HONOUR of reading this early, and it is every bit as darkly gorgeous as the cover promises! I highlighted so many passages on my ereader. Bonus: the monsters are actually terrifying for once!

My review!

Hell's Acre by Lilith Saintcrow
Genres: Adult, Fantasy
Protagonist Age: 30th October 2024
Goodreads

New Rome perches upon the shores of the Thamis River, and in its soot-stained depths a teeming mass of humanity lives under the iron fist of an Empire that never fell to Vandals or Christianity. In the shadows, assassins congregate and secret societies bloom—the Priory, dedicated to worship of the criminal Dead God, and the Hellions, thieves and murderers whose aim is mere freedom.

Or so they say.

Gemma Dove arrives in New Rome with a small independence and a burning desire: to gain revenge upon those who murdered her parents and drove her beloved aunt to a premature death. The city is a dangerous place, but Gemma has her own secret skills and isn't afraid to use them. She longs to complete her vengeance and return to her safe, beautiful estate across the Channel, but fate has other ideas.

His name for now is Avery Black, but they call him the Rook. The young Hellion has sunk himself in vice and treachery, and he knows there's more to Miss Dove than meets the eye. He also knows she's playing a dangerous game, one which will end in her death—unless he takes a hand in matters. It might even be connected to his own vengeance against the Priory, but that's fast becoming a secondary consideration.

Under soot-stained skies and flickering gaslamps, from the crowd of thieves and gin-soaked tenements to the glittering whirl of Society, plans, treachery, and counter-betrayal are afoot. Gemma and Avery can deal the Priory a stinging defeat, but that ancient organization has its own plans for Miss Dove, and the Rook might be her only defense…

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Lilith Saintcrow is criminally underappreciated – especially for her incredible worldbuilding! Once again she seems to have written something utterly unlike anything she’s written before, which is very exciting. As is the idea of a Rome that never fell!

The Civilization by K.M Mckenzie
Genres: Fantasy, YA
Representation: Black/African MCs
Published on: 30th October 2024
Goodreads

At 17, Kadsa is weary of traveling with her grandpa in search of their lost mystical home world. She yearns for a normal life—a chance to go to college, have friends, and a stable home. However, a web of lies about her identity leads her to a startling discovery and a quest to save her kidnapped grandfather. In a realm of dark forces and ancient deities, Kadsa must find the courage to prevent the world's annihilation. This adventure is a transformative odyssey, offering insights into resilience, truth-seeking, and the power of youth.

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I haven’t been able to find out much about this one, but it’s coming from a small press specializing in ‘bringing authentic African perspectives to the world’, which is certainly something I can get behind!

Through the Doors of Oblivion (Servant Sovereign Book 1) by Michael Williams
Genres: Adult
Representation: Queer MC, nonbinary MC
Published on: 31st October 2024
Goodreads

Wedged between real estate speculators, startup bros, and gentrified neighborhoods, it’s gotten hard to get by in San Francisco. Queer modern-day witches Iria and Madge have decided to do something about it, summoning back to the world of the living San Francisco’s most celebrated eccentrics, Joshua Norton. In the 19th century he declared himself Emperor of the United States, spreading kindness and compassion for decades in the city that embraced him. Now Iria and Madge need Norton’s tireless charisma to help them save San Francisco from a demon of real estate.

Join Norton and his modern day patrons as they embark on daring adventures across their city's past to face down the monstrous Mammon and his handpicked champion, a criminal mastermind with plans of her own. The race is on to save--or steal--the soul of San Francisco!

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Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Queer Protagonists, Sci Fi
Representation: Queer MCs
Published on: 1st November 2024
Goodreads

“Divergent characters find themselves in startling situations in this debut collection of unconventional sci-fi and fantasy stories... A sparkling sequence of tales that bends and flips familiar ideas and fantastic visions.”
—KIRKUS REVIEWS review [1st Edition]

Set aside traditional norms and the gender binary in this updated collection of twenty-two stories by Nebula Award finalist Merc Fenn Wolfmoor.

Here you’ll find robots and cyborgs exploring their own forms of personhood; lose yourself in wildly imaginative landscapes and dystopian worlds; follow assassins, sentient shadows, sorrowful ghosts, and all forms of monsters.

SO YOU WANT TO BE A ROBOT (2nd Edition) includes the following stories:

This Is Not A Wardrobe Door
Tomorrow When We See The Sun
The Sorcerer's Unattainable Gardens
The Android's Prehistoric Menagerie
For Want of a Heart
Once I, Rose
Where Monsters Dance
A Survival Guide For When You're Trapped In A Black Hole
Thread
Under Wine-Bright Seas
Of Blessed Servitude
To The Knife-Cold Stars
Finding Home
Winter Bride
To The Monsters, With Love
Batteries For Your Doombot5000 Are Not Included
...Or Be Forever Fallen
Iron Aria
What Becomes Of The Third-Hearted
The Gentleman Of Chaos
Gray Skies, Red Wings, Blue Lips, Black Hearts
How To Become A Robot In 12 Easy Steps

“The stories are all crafted with the deft and loving touch of an author who knows firsthand what it is to live in their characters’ skins. Each piece in this unmissable collection shimmers with bright explorations of love, loss, and the quest for hope.”
—PUBLISHERS WEEKLY review [1st Edition]

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This is a new edition of what is probably my favourite short story collection EVER. Wolfmoor is a must-read author whose spec fic is beyond sublime, and this is the PERFECT introduction to their work if you’re unfamiliar with it! Swoon-worthy prose, incredible imagination, queerness everywhere – “This Is Not A Wardrobe Door”, the first story, will break your heart open in the best way, and leave you open for all the rest. Can’t recommend this book enough!

The Naturalist Society by Carrie Vaughn
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Gay MC, M/M
Published on: 1st November 2024
Goodreads

In this magical tale of self-discovery from New York Times bestselling author Carrie Vaughn, a young widow taps into the power that will change the world—if the man’s world she lives in doesn’t destroy her and her newfound friends first.

In the summer of 1880, the death of Beth Stanley’s husband puts her life’s work in jeopardy. The magic of Arcane Taxonomy dictates that every natural thing in the world, from weather to animals, can be labeled, and doing so grants the practitioner some of that subject’s unique power. But only men are permitted to train in this philosophy. Losing her husband means that Beth loses the name they put on her work—and any influence she might have wielded.

Brandon West and Anton Torrance are campaigning for their expedition to the South Pole, a mission that some believe could make a taxonomist all-powerful by tapping into the earth’s magnetic forces. Their late friend Harry Stanley’s knowledge and connections would have been instrumental, but when they attempt to take custody of his work, they find that it was never his at all.

Tied together by this secret and its implications, Beth, Bran, and Anton must find a way for Beth to use her talent for the good of the world, before she’s discovered by those who would lay claim to her rare potential—and her very freedom.

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I’m reading this one at the moment, and I think it’s going to be a hit. Arcane Taxonomy is a cool take on the idea of needing true names for magic, and Vaughn’s prose (unsurprisingly!) is super readable. I’ll review it once I’ve finished, of course!

Will you be reading any of these? Did I miss any releases you think I should know about? Let me know!

The post Must-Have Monday #210 appeared first on Every Book a Doorway.

Stunningly Feral: Don’t Let the Forest In by C.G. Drews

Don't Let the Forest In by C.G. Drews
Genres: Fantasy, Contemporary or Urban Fantasy, Horror, Queer Protagonists, YA
Representation: Asexual MC, pansexual love interest
Protagonist Age: 17
PoV: Third-person, past-tense
Published on: 29th October 2024
ISBN: B0CM24DGRC
Goodreads

Once upon a time, Andrew had cut out his heart and given it to this boy, and he was very sure Thomas had no idea that Andrew would do anything for him.

Protect him. Lie for him. Kill for him.

High school senior Andrew Perrault finds refuge in the twisted fairytales that he writes for the only person who can ground him to reality—Thomas Rye, the boy with perpetually ink-stained hands and hair like autumn leaves. And with his twin sister, Dove, inexplicably keeping him at a cold distance upon their return to Wickwood Academy, Andrew finds himself leaning on his friend even more.

But something strange is going on with Thomas. His abusive parents have mysteriously vanished, and he arrives at school with blood on his sleeve. Thomas won’t say a word about it, and shuts down whenever Andrew tries to ask him questions. Stranger still, Thomas is haunted by something, and he seems to have lost interest in his artwork—whimsically macabre sketches of the monsters from Andrew’s wicked stories.

Desperate to figure out what’s wrong with his friend, Andrew follows Thomas into the off-limits forest one night and catches him fighting a nightmarish monster—Thomas’s drawings have come to life and are killing anyone close to him. To make sure no one else dies, the boys battle the monsters every night. But as their obsession with each other grows stronger, so do the monsters, and Andrew begins to fear that the only way to stop the creatures might be to destroy their creator…

I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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~floral body-horror
~asexual angst
~prose i want to lick
~Australian snacks ftw
~who’s the monster?

If you don’t follow Drews on social media, you really should – they’re one of those rare voices who are a joy to hear, especially if you have any interest in books and writing. Not because they’re fount of practical publishing-industry wisdom, but because they’re constantly making entirely-too-relatable pronouncements that mix bookworm vibes with deliciously gothic/spooky/forest-y imagery. Such as;

why write your book when you could simply rot down in the forest amongst the moss and mushrooms. burrow between tree roots and brambles even, nest quietly there for a while disguised as a leaf. do what you must so your book cannot find you.

Extremely relatable!

Drews’ ability to be funny, nail a widely-experienced feeling perfectly, and work magic with phrasing and imagery all made me incredibly excited for their Horror debut, Don’t Let the Forest In.

AND IT WAS EVEN BETTER THAN I’D HOPED!

Not mine! Publisher promo art with quote from the book

While I loved everything, two things especially stood out to me: Drews’ incredibly gorgeous, eminently quotable prose, and the otherworldly horror of the monsters. Very often in YA, I come across monsters who are either not that frightening, or are described in such a way that it leeches the horror from them. (Andrew Joseph White’s Hell Followed With Us is a perfect example: much is horrifying in that book, but the monsters really aren’t.) But Drews’ monsters are perfect, uncanny and nightmarish with an air of ancient folklore about them, sort of primal-fairytale-meets-plant-body-horror, and the way they’re described makes us feel their presence, makes them far too easy to imagine.

I adored them. Would run screaming if I came face to face with any of them, obviously. But from the safety of the reader’s chair? Adored them.

A stark winter forest, every tree burned white with frost. A boy with horns and roses grown from his eyes held a knife, and he was midway through carving the heart out of another boy with moth wings who knelt in the leaves, his face tilted upwards in supplication. Vines blossomed around them, tangled and unruly.

Andrew and Thomas are both artists – Andrew writes, Thomas draws and paints – and the way in which they feed each other’s art, the way their art comes together – with Thomas illustrating Andrew’s stories and Thomas’ drawing inspiring Andrew’s writing – is a wonderful metaphor for their relationship. It’s symbiotic and obsessive, the two of them inseparably tangled up in each other, to the point that cutting one away would destroy both. The wrong reader will clutch their pearls at how intense and feral these boys are for each other; personally, I don’t care if it’s not perfectly healthy, it’s interesting, and the intensity is so believable (don’t you remember how intense Feels were during puberty?) and so beautifully expressed.

Everyone saw Andrew as shattered and fragile, and maybe he was to them. But when Thomas looked at Andrew’s sharp edges, he thought them dangerous and beautiful–not weak.

Andrew in particular is such a brilliant character – I loved the dissonance between what everyone else sees, and what’s going on inside his head, under the skin. I don’t know how many teenagers feel like monsters, but I know I did, and I know a lot of YA doesn’t talk about that – I suspect many adults have this idea that teenagers are innocent in an animal way, potentially obsessed with sex but having no darkness in them, which just isn’t true. That Drews dug into this was delicious (and validating); as was the exploration of how people have no idea what’s going on inside the quiet ones, what’s buried beneath the meek exterior. Don’t Let the Forest In came along just as I was thinking about the kind of bullying victim who becomes infinitely more dangerous than their abuser/s later, which: excellent timing.

A horribly delicious feeling flooded Andrew’s chest. He could taste pain in the air and for once it wasn’t his, and he loved that.

Plus, this has to be some of the best anxiety rep I’ve ever seen. I’ve known so many people with anxiety who functioned excellently in genuinely high-stress or dangerous situations, but still struggled with ‘basics’ like making friends or being stared at, and I’m glad Drews went in this direction when writing about Andrew. But what’s really special is how well Drews managed to capture what that kind of anxiety feels like, how perfectly they put things I’ve never been able to explain into powerful lines and images.

His skin was a fevered oil slick and they all held matches.

Drews’ signature humour is on full display here too, and somehow, the moments that made me laugh strengthen the horror, make the whole story – with all its many, many supernatural elements – feel much more real. Because people are like this! Even amidst the worst things we can ever experience, someone will crack a joke, someone will laugh inappropriately loudly, it’s one of the best things about humanity. And sometimes the sense of humour here is reasonably dark, and that feels true and correct as well. People who’ve never been through hell are often appalled at the jokes survivors make, but that’s a very human thing too, so scattering that kind of comedy through this horror story drives home how much Andrew and Thomas are going through. It’s a subtle thing, but I doubt I’m the only survivor who’ll notice and appreciate it.

She’d be fine this senior year; she’d own it. Andrew suspected this year would beat him up in a back alley and leave him for dead.

This book probably isn’t going to keep most Horror fans awake at night – although I had plenty of trouble keeping some of the mental images Drews summoned from haunting me! – and I suspect there are ‘proper’ Horror fans who will unravel The Thing way faster than I did. But Don’t Let the Forest In sure as hells delighted me – I stayed up until 7am to finish it! – and I don’t think it’s really the monsters that Drews wants us to linger over. As beautifully horrible as those are (and they really are), it’s the rabid obsession-love between Andrew and Thomas that is the heart of the book; that, and the fervor of being seventeen, the horror of it, the painful intensity of every emotion and thought. And both those things are exquisite here, captured absolutely perfectly.

To write something nice, he’d need something nice to say. But his ribs were a cage for monsters and they cut their teeth on his bones.

Which undersells the monsters, and I really don’t want to do that. The monsters are epic! Magnificently horrible! The supernatural horror made me wince and rip at my lips and hold my breath, made my skin crawl, broke my heart. The mundane horrors of bullies and cruel teachers and ooc siblings heightened both by contrast. It’s a love story – between an ace boy and a probably-pansexual one – but my gods, it is far from only a love story!

Moths ate holes in his mind and their wings beat a frantic migraine behind his eyes.

(Except for how the horrors are part of the love story, really, and honestly, this book makes me want to try writing poetry again.)

So whichever you’re looking for – feral queer love story, or gorgeously-horrific monsters, or BOTH – I can’t imagine you won’t be eminently satisfied with Don’t Let the Forest In.

The post Stunningly Feral: Don’t Let the Forest In by C.G. Drews appeared first on Every Book a Doorway.

A Different Kind of Sequel: Shadow Baron by Davinia Evans

Shadow Baron (Burnished City Trilogy) by Davinia Evans
Genres: Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: MLM MC, nonbinary secondary character
PoV: Third-person past-tense, multiple PoVs
ISBN: 0356518701
Goodreads

'A firework of a fantasy vibrant, explosive, deliciously dangerous and impossibly fun. A must-read debut' Tasha Suri, author of The Jasmine Throne

Siyon Velo might be acknowledged as the Alchemist. He may have even stabilized the planes and stopped Bezim from ever shaking into the sea again. But that doesn't mean he has any idea what's he doing-and it won't be long before everyone knows it.

Then mythical creatures once confined to operas and myths are spotted around Bezim. A djinn invades one of Zagiri's garden parties, and whispers of a naga slithering through the Flower District are all Anahid hears at the card table.

Magic is waking up in the Mundane. It's up to Siyon to figure out a way to stop it, or everything he's worked hard to save will come crashing down.

I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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~literally all of the crime lords
~a named blade
~there’s something under the earth
~life-changing card games
~is magic coming back a good thing?

:this review contains spoilers for book one, Notorious Sorcerer!:

Middle books are hard. So many storytellers fumble the aftermath of big events – events that usually go down in book one of a series. They don’t quite see, or explore, all the ramifications of The Events, all the changes, all the ways people will respond to those changes – and the fact that, inevitably, any Event, even one the reader was cheering for in the previous book, is going to have negative, or at least troublesome, repercussions as well as positive ones.

Evans, on the other hand, has gleefully dived into all of this – which means Shadow Baron goes in so many directions I had no idea to expect, and absolutely all of them delighted me!

Siyon’s ignorance of traditional alchemy turned out to be an advantage in Notorious Sorcerer, where not knowing what was meant to be impossible allowed him to pull off the impossible. But he has no frame of reference at all for being a Power, and wow are the azatani (Bezim’s nobility) unhappy about that. Specifically, they’re Not Happy about the effect having a Power is having on the Mundane plane – beings from other planes delving into the human world the way Siyon used to delve into theirs; superstitions manifesting into reality; and all alchemical processes and workings becoming much, much stronger than they used to be.

No one (including me) really thought about what having a Power would mean, what it would do.

The answer turns out to be, ‘a lot’.

I get why some readers were disappointed by Shadow Baron; it’s much less action-y than the first book, and Siyon spends most of his time experimenting and trying to figure out how his magic works, how to make it do what he wants. I can see why this would bore some people. I, however, was delighted; I love digging into lore, I love experimenting with magic, so this was a FEAST for me. And Evans has not done the thing that annoys me so much, and forgotten about the rest of her world; what Siyon accomplished in the last book has had an effect outside of Bezim too, and getting to see just a little of that – mostly via the various travellers who’ve come to Bezim from elsewhere – as well as what other cultures have thought of magic, in the past and now – all of it is marvellous. (Without, in my humble opinion, drowning the reader in worldbuilding; I would have been happy if Evans had gone into a lot more detail, but I don’t think it was the wrong call to keep the writing…not ‘light’, exactly, but very readable, rather than heavy and dense.)

All that being said, I was not expecting Anahid’s arc to be the one I was most invested in! I was actually very confused by her being given a POV in book one, and didn’t find her plotline very interesting – but all the groundwork it laid coheres beautifully in Shadow Baron! It’s kind of hard to talk about without spoilers, but it was wonderful, and such a relief, to see Anahid really and truly come into her own, discovering that she’s much more than she thought she was, much more capable than she thought she was. I would never in a million years have guessed that her learning a new card game in Notorious Sorcerer would lead to THIS!

If I had one critique, it might be the revolution plotline, which was mostly Zagiri’s. While I really liked seeing more of Bezim, digging into the parts of it that are not wealthy, like the azatani, or exciting, like the bravi – Shadow Baron does do That Thing which SFF so often does: offering a bloodless revolution. Other parts of the book have violence, but Zagiri is determined to get more rights for workers without killing anybody, and while I admire that in theory… I’m not sure what I’m trying to say. I think I’m tired of overcoming-evil/capitalism/the 1% plotlines that decry violence; it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I don’t like violence, but it feels very wrong to tell off oppressed groups for using it when violence is being enacted against them. And I think that’s where this trope in Fantasy especially comes from.

(Also the fact that Fantasy authors are not good, as a general rule of thumb, at writing revolutions in general. It’s too tempting to have one villain, or one small group of villains, when in reality oppression is baked into the system/society, which is much, much harder to fix than overthrowing a single bad guy. I’ve not seen many Fantasy stories that tackle that, and even fewer that do it well.)

I’m sure that wasn’t Evans’ intent, though, and considering that Violence Is Bad is pretty endemic to the genre, I’m not willing to deduct points for it. Especially since the plan Zagiri comes up with (meaning, the plan Evans came up with) is an excellent one that I do think would have worked in the real world too, probably.

And that’s it – really my only critique, which isn’t quite a critique. Everything else? Was great!

Rather than having Middle Book Syndrome, I’d argue that Shadow Baron is bucking expectations in a quietly challenging way: Siyon’s love interest is MIA, so there’s not much of the queer romance that was a draw in Notorious Sorcerer (although that doesn’t mean we get no mentions of Izmirlian, and what we did get were some of my favourite passages); after making us fall in love with Bezim in book one, our MCs spend this book upending that city; and the cinematic magic moments, while present, take a back seat to digging into how magic works. The result is a quieter, more introspective book than its predecessor, and I loved it.

I can’t wait for book three!

The post A Different Kind of Sequel: Shadow Baron by Davinia Evans appeared first on Every Book a Doorway.

I Can’t Wait For…The Librarian’s Gargoyle by Evelyn Shine

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted over at Wishful Endings to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about but haven’t yet read. Most of the time they’re books that have yet to be released, but not always. It’s based on the Waiting on Wednesday meme, which was originally hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. 

This week my Can’t-Wait-For Book is The Librarian’s Gargoyle by Evelyn Shine!

The Librarian's Gargoyle: A Cozy Sapphic Monster Romantasy (Stone Awakenings Book 1) by Evelyn Shine
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: F/F
Published on: 4th November 2024
Goodreads

Magic is real, and Viola is going to prove it!

Viola is a Parisian librarian by day and parkourist by night. The last thing she wants is an arranged marriage (ick) with a man (double ick.) If Viola can fund the library and keep it open, she might keep her job and freedom, might being the key word. To make matters worse, strange magical shades keep attacking her, threatening her physical safety. Viola knows magic is real and wants to be part of that world, but she can’t find a way out of her mundane life. She can only vent her troubles to her confidant, a lady gargoyle… though the statue has never spoken back.

Boudicca is a creature without a soul—a fact as steady as the stone she’s made of. Yet when the mage who created Boudicca gives her a task that requires her to appear human, she’s feeling new, soft things for the librarian who likes to climb Paris in her slippers. Viola could never love Boudicca in her true form, but the gargoyle finds herself putting her heart on the line to help keep the library open… and help Viola discover the magic that will pull her into a new world of freedom.

The Librarian’s Gargoyle is a cozy sapphic monster romantasy set in turn-of-the-century Paris.

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I love how my brain immediately went ‘did parlour exist back then?’ when I read the blurb – for a book about GARGOYLES.

YES, SIA, THE PARKOUR IS THE POTENTIALLY-UNREALISTIC BIT IN THIS PREMISE.

PFFFFFFFFT.

For real though – I spotted this cover on social media, and it’s definitely a double-take cover, right?! Gorgeous and charming! So of course I investigated a bit, and the blurb was also charming!

It’s a little funny, because I know past!Sia of not that long ago wouldn’t have had any interest in a cosy romantasy – but I’ve had such a wonderful time with books like The Nightmare Before Kissmass that I think I’ve become a convert. Light and sweet and magical feels so appealing at the moment, when I’m struggling to concentrate, dealing with too much real-world nonsense, and what I’m starting to suspect is burnout.

This sounds fun, unlikely to be very heavy in theme or prose style, and perfectly escapist. So…yes please!

The post I Can’t Wait For…The Librarian’s Gargoyle by Evelyn Shine appeared first on Every Book a Doorway.

Must-Have Monday #209

Must-Have Monday is a feature highlighting which of the coming week’s new releases I’m excited for. It is not meant to be a comprehensive list of all books being published that week; only those I’m interested in out of those I’m aware of! The focus is diverse SFF, but other genres sneak in occasionally too.

FIFTEEN books this week!

(Books are listed in order of pub date, then Adult SFF, Adult Other, YA SFF, YA Other, MG SFF.)

Metal from Heaven by August Clarke
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Contemporary or Urban Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Sapphic MC, chronically ill sort-of love interest, secondary sapphic characters, minor polyamory
Published on: 22nd October 2024
Goodreads

For fans of  The Princess Bride and Gideon the Ninth: a bloody  lesbian revenge tale and political fantasy set in a glittering world transformed by industrial change – and simmering class warfare.

Ichorite is progress. More durable and malleable than steel, ichorite is the lifeblood of a dawning industrial revolution. Yann I. Chauncey owns the sole means of manufacturing this valuable metal, but his workers, who risk their health and safety daily, are on strike. They demand Chauncey research the hallucinatory illness befalling them, a condition they call “being lustertouched.” Marney Honeycutt, a lustertouched child worker, stands proud at the picket line with her best friend and family. That’s when Chauncey sends in the guns. Only Marney survives the massacre. She vows bloody vengeance. A decade later, Marney is the nation’s most notorious highwayman, and Chauncey’s daughter seeks an opportune marriage. Marney’s rage and the ghosts of her past will drive her to masquerade as an aristocrat, outmaneuver powerful suitors, and win the heart of his daughter, so Marney can finally corner Chauncey and satisfy her need for revenge. But war ferments in the north, and deeper grudges are surfacing. . .

H. A. Clarke’s adult fantasy debut, writing as August Clarke, Metal from Heaven is a punk-rock murder ballad tackling labor issues and radical empowerment against the relentless grind of capitalism.

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If you only read one book this year, it needs to be this one. Metal From Heaven is clarke’s Adult debut, an anarchist standalone all about queerness and revenge and labor politics, and it’s a masterpiece. Easily the best release of 2024.

You can read three separate excerpts here, here, and here!

My review!

Every Rule Undone (The Last Magic City, #1) by Nancy S.M. Waldman
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Bisexual MC
Published on: 22nd October 2024
Goodreads

Aza Gen, curse cleaner and snooper at keyholes, never set out to break all the rules. She lives a sheltered life as a curse cleaner for Maripesa's ruling family. At thirteen, the day of her first period, she acquires an ability to split herself and see from two perspectives. She keeps it a secret, not knowing where this Talent fits in the magical structure of her society.

Magic can so easily slide into chaos. That's why the belief in it was phased out over eons. But the island of Maripesa took a different approach. They used those eons to breed a system that uses magic to maintain order. Types of spells are genetically bound to family clans. The upper clans curse. The mid clans repair or heal those curses. The lower clans have no magic. Anyone who breeds outside their clan is executed. It is a simple and perfect balance of power.

Years later, Maripesa's rigid calm devolves under an upper clan spellwar and, not coincidentally, Aza loses everything. Sick, fearful and grieving, she's thrust alone into the unfamiliar city where she encounters hypocrisy and deception—so much worse than the twin evils of curses and maladies. But there are also good people with wells of kindness and wisdom; the experience of romance and sexual awakening; profound new kinships; and a burgeoning awareness of her own power.

She finds women who have magic similar to hers. Women's magic—minimized, ridiculed, suppressed through generations—becomes her focus. Aza realizes that because it crosses and includes all clans, it can subvert the system. Her rage at mounting injustices will not stop until every outdated rule is undone.

Book One of The Last Magic City unfolds through four characters from different clans. In addition to Aza Gen, there are Ferjival Puraples, son of the ruler, and an angst-ridden antagonist; Benelek Kruik, a fun-loving, charismatic woman whose generosity and ambition don't always coexist easily; and Vijo Besin, healer of maladies, scholar of all magic, romantic soul with perhaps too much patience for his own good.

Aza, Ferjival, Benelek and Vijo show us the way through this charm-filled, twisty, heartfelt journey about the chaos that hypocrisy and hubris can bring and the healing that kindness will always manifest.

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This didn’t quite work for me, but I think it will for other readers!

Metamorphosis: Climate Fiction for a Better Future by Grist
Genres: Adult, Queer Protagonists, Sci Fi
Representation: BIPOC, disabled, and queer MCs
Published on: 22nd October 2024
Goodreads

An imaginative anthology of climate fiction from emerging new voices, curated by the editors of Grist Magazine.

For many of us, the thought of our planet centuries in the future signals a volatile our world devastated by climate change, our people bitter and broken. But this shining anthology presents an alternative future. These twelve winning selections from Grist’s Imagine 2200 short story contest shirk the fear and mourning that often mark speculative climate fiction, daring instead to dream of humanity’s varied communities meeting planetary challenges in fascinating and novel ways.

Imagine 2200 was founded to counter the dominance of the dystopian in futurist writings, and to “ensure climate stories and characters represent diverse voices, authentic cultures, and the intersectional reality of the climate crisis.” Metamorphosis beautifully elucidates those themes, featuring a wide array of thought—Afro-, Asian, Indigenous, Latinx, disabled, feminist, and queer futurisms, hopepunk, solarpunk, and more. In “To Labor for the Hive,” a beekeeper finds purpose and new love after collaborating on a bee-based warning system for floods. “Cabbage A Prognostic Autobiography” presents an ecologically rebalancing California where an Indian family preserves traditions through food and dance across generations. And in “And Now the Shade,” a Mexican bioengineer finds the answer to a perplexing problem in the dreams of her dying grandmother. Each of these powerful stories offers a glimpse of a future built not on cynicism, but on “sustainability, inclusivity, and justice,” testifying to the power of human courage and collective resilience.

Edited by Grist and introduced by Sheree Renée Thomas, a New York Times best-selling author and editor of the Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Metamorphosis will electrify and activate readers concerned about our “future ancestors” and the fate of all our attending flora and fauna. These stunning stories imagine a tomorrow in which we do more than we thrive—together.

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Listen, the world’s on fire and I would like to read about a future that doesn’t make me want to give up on it – and it sounds like this collection is promising just that! Yes please!

The History of the World Begins in Ice by Kate Elliott
Genres: Adult, Fantasy
Representation: Brown MCs
Published on: 22nd October 2024
Goodreads

Enter the Post-Roman Afro-Celtic icepunk regency fantasy world of the Spiritwalker Trilogy (Cold Magic, Cold Fire, Cold Steel).

Phoenician spies, well-dressed men, revolutionary women, and lawyer dinosaurs—eleven vivid stories are now gathered in one place by RT Reviewers' Choice winner and Nebula, World Fantasy, Norton, and Locus Awards finalist Kate Elliott.

When the emperor of Rome needs a rare book stolen from a well-guarded woman, he hires a rogue with his own dangerous secrets . . .

An elderly man retires at last, seeking peace to write his final masterwork on architecture . . . until that peace is disturbed by an outbreak of magic.

Everyone knows the story of Dido and Aeneas. But only Beatrice knows the correct version.

A shapeshifting sabertooth cat falls into the arms of two beautiful palace attendants . . . all too eager to pet him.

A powerful mage and his wife travel into enemy territory on an urgent mission . . . Surely the expedition will go exactly as planned . . . right?

These standalone stories and six others are accompanied by wonderful illustrations from fourteen featured artists. Eleven short essays that delve into the whys and wherefores of the setting and characters round out the volume.

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Stories from Elliot’s Spiritwalker universe! Which has to be one of my favourite of her settings. (Can you blame me – a ‘Post-Roman Afro-Celtic icepunk regency fantasy world’?! Who WOULDN’T love that?!) Been waiting for this for ages and can’t wait to pounce on it!

Where the Dead Brides Gather by Nuzo Onoh
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Contemporary or Urban Fantasy, Horror
Representation: Nigerian setting and cast
Published on: 22nd October 2024
Goodreads

A powerful Nigeria-set horror tale of possession, malevolent ghosts, family tensions, secrets and murder from the recipient of the Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement and ‘Queen of African Horror’. For readers of Tananarive Due, Chikodili Emelumadu and Paul Tremblay.

Bata, an 11-year-old girl tormented by nightmares, wakes up one night to find herself standing sentinel before her cousin’s door. Her cousin is to get married the next morning, but only if she can escape the murderous attack of a ghost-bride, who used to be engaged to her groom.

A supernatural possession helps Bata battle and vanquish the vengeful ghost bride, and following a botched exorcism, she is transported to Ibaja-La, the realm of dead brides. There, she receives secret powers to fight malevolent ghost-brides before being sent back to the human realm, where she must learn to harness her new abilities as she strives to protect those whom she loves.

By turns touching and terrifying, this is vivid supernatural horror story of family drama, long-held secrets, possession, death - and what lies beyond.

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Wasn’t for me, but I think it’s going to be adored by the right reader! (Although from what I read of it, it wasn’t very Horror-y.)

The Shrieking of Nothing by Jordan A Rothacker
Genres: Adult, Sci Fi
Published on: 22nd October 2024
Goodreads

“It’s easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism,” said philosopher Frederic Jameson. In Jordan A. Rothacker’s Domed-Atlanta of 2220, the former has led to the latter.

Assistant Sacred Detective Edwina Casaubon and her Sherlock Holmes-like mentor, Sacred Detective Rabbi Jakob “Thinkowitz” Rabbinowitz, who we met for their first harrowing case together in The Death of the Cyborg Oracle, are back to solve another future noir mystery in The Shrieking of Nothing.

A Filipino mountain goddess, a missing person last seen at an Ego Death Fest, and a serial killer on the lose who might have a hunger for avatars, are just a few of the wild aspects of Rothacker’s thrilling second exploration of what Publisher’s Weekly called a “fascinating postcapitalist world.”

After climate catastrophe, the Earth might be unlivable, but within the Dome, solar-power and future tech, shared-guilt and cooperative healing, and hope as a practice have created a world without want or greed. Free from the dependent abstraction of capitalism all goddesses and gods are reclaimed for individual worship and the minimal crime is split into Sacred and Profane. In The Shrieking of Nothing, these Sacred detectives face a whole new cosmic horror.

“In The Shrieking of Nothing, set in the year 2220, the detective Edwina Casaubon narrates her journey to find Momo, a missing young man who leads her and her partner through a world that is gorgeously fantastical and futuristic, yet grounded in real human emotions, familiar belief systems, and the forever mysteries of this universe we inhabit. A straightforward detective novel wrapped up in a spiritual quest, the Shrieking of Nothing is a gripping, moving account of the hopes and limitations of our desire for transformation and salvation, both of our spiritual and physical worlds. Simply beautiful.”
— Paula Bomer, author of Tante Eva

“If not quite a key to all mythologies, Jordan A. Rothacker’s The Shrieking of Nothing seems nevertheless a key to many, and offers us something wonderful, vivid and a portrait of life after capitalism in the form of a sinuous noir that plumbs our deepest, most visionary impulses. Echoes abound—of J.G. Ballard and Philip K. Dick, Walter Tevis and Steve Erickson—but the vision here is wholly Rothacker’s own, and the result is transfixing.”
— Matthew Specktor, author of Always Crashing the Same Car

“Author, Jordan A. Rothacker, deftly tows that fine line between levity and lament, exploring what David Bowie called ‘the great salvation of bullshit faith’ with a clear note of warning, a strong dose of empathy, and dare I say, hope. This novel is a strange fascination, indeed!”
— Lillah Lawson, author of Monarchs Under the Sassafras Tree, So Long, Bobby, and Doomed Girls of Jefferson

“Fun, fast, and smart, The Shrieking of Nothing is a gift and a question. Though Rothacker’s prose is taut and his worldbuilding singular, it’s the book’s clever central mystery that makes it unputdownable.”
— Mike McClelland, author of Gay Zoo Day

“Whatever Jordan Rothacker writes, wherever the setting, whatever cast of characters, however how high the moon, or low the tide, whether in the future or in the past, whether in Paris, Atlanta, or Nowheresville, whether the world is sacred or profane… you will fi

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This is the second book, and I haven’t read the first yet – but I’m so excited to! The setting sounds INCREDIBLE and I would love a lot more post-capitalist sci fi, please and thank you!

The Cradle of Eternal Night by Ladz, Pom Poison
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Horror, Queer Protagonists
Representation: F/F
Published on: 22nd October 2024
Goodreads

In a land lit only by the counterfeit warmth of magical technology, the Kler prays for the return of the sun, the moons, and the stars. Ceaseless night and the beasts lurking in the darkness keep the congregation within the Kolebka Wiecznej Nocy trapped in mirthless vigil. Their towns remain quiet as graveyards as they wait for day to come again. What no one knows about this ceaseless night is that the Kler themselves can end it. But they haven’t, and they won’t.

Long ago, the Kler banished the sun worshipers, but a heretical sect made the journey back to the land of darkness. Now, only one remains carrying their purpose heavy on her shoulders: a maverick technomancer named Basia. She alone will bring back the light, or no one will.

Armed with naught but her own cleverness and a sword imbued with sun-embraced charms, she searches for the Kler’s secrets and finds herself in Tawerna. With the Kler on her heels, she infiltrates a private feast and catches Hanka, a docile bard, in the middle of planning her own escape into the world beyond. Hanka wants nothing to do with the heretical outsider until she discovers that her purpose aligns with the darkness buried inside herself. Hanka knows the secrets the Kler keeps, and she knows just where to go to expose their lies.

With only each other and their heretical magic to rely on, Basia and Hanka face the eternal night and wonder, are they truly enough to bring light back to the world?

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All right, I’m intrigued! And this is published by Robot Dinosaur, who I always keep an eye on with great interest…

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fantasy
Published on: 22nd October 2024
Goodreads

In the Hugo-award winning, epic New York Times Bestseller and basis for the BBC miniseries, two men change England's history when they bring magic back into the world.

In the midst of the Napoleonic Wars in 1806, most people believe magic to have long since disappeared from England - until the reclusive Mr. Norrell reveals his powers and becomes an overnight celebrity.

Another practicing magician then emerges: the young and daring Jonathan Strange. He becomes Norrell's pupil, and the two join forces in the war against France.

But Strange is increasingly drawn to the wild, most perilous forms of magic, and he soon risks sacrificing his partnership with Norrell and everything else he holds dear.

Susanna Clarke's brilliant first novel is an utterly compelling epic tale of nineteenth-century England and the two magicians who, first as teacher and pupil and then as rivals, emerge to change its history.

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Finally this book is getting a cover worthy of it! Not that I don’t have a lot of love for the simple raven of the original – understated genius much? As far as I know this anniversary edition doesn’t have any new content (bar Schwab’s introduction), but that cover makes it a Must for me!

The Wood at Midwinter by Susanna Clarke
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fantasy
Published on: 22nd October 2024
Goodreads

From the internationally bestselling and prize-winning author of Piranesi and Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, an enchanting, beautifully illustrated short story set in the Strange universe.

'A church is a sort of wood. A wood is a sort of church. They're the same thing really.'

Nineteen-year-old Merowdis Scott is an unusual girl. She can talk to animals and trees - and she is only ever happy when she is walking in the woods.

One snowy afternoon, out with her dogs and Apple the pig, Merowdis encounters a blackbird and a fox. As darkness falls, a strange figure enters in their midst - and the path of her life is changed forever.

Featuring an introduction by Susanna Clarke and gorgeous illustrations truly worthy of the magic of this story, this is a mesmerizing, must-have addition to any fantasy reader's bookshelf.

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And a new Susanna Clarke story!!!

Remember You Will Die by Eden Robins
Genres: Adult, Sci Fi
Published on: 22nd October 2024
Goodreads

"Can the absence of words tell a story? Like a pattern in lace, the holes as important as the threads?"

A search. A puzzle. Sixty protagonists―all of whom are dead.

Told entirely through obituaries and ricocheting through time, Remember You Will Die is an innovative, genre-bending epic about the messy tapestry of human history and the threads that connect us, told through the eyes of Peregrine, an AI mother grappling with the unexpected death of her human daughter, Poppy.

And from the newspaper clippings of individual lives emerges something else unexpected: generations entwined through blood and art and the consequences of their actions, betrayals and redemptions that traverse our dying world and beyond.
Spanning continents, centuries, planets, and genres, and centering a diverse mix of human experiences, Remember You Will Die is a provocative exploration of who we are and what we could be.

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This sounds like such a fascinating format to tell a story in! Excited to see what it’s like in action!

Castle Swimmer, Vol. 1 by Wendy Martin
Genres: Fantasy, Queer Protagonists, YA
Representation: M/M
Published on: 22nd October 2024
Goodreads

In the gorgeous first installment of the hit Webtoon series Castle Swimmer, two young mermen reject their destinies and embark on an epic adventure full of romance and danger, featuring exclusive bonus material.

From the moment Kappa tumbles into existence on the ocean floor, his life’s purpose is already decided for him: He is the Beacon, a light to all sea creatures, and destined to fulfill their many prophesies. In high demand and under immense pressure, Kappa quickly realizes that fame and glory are small compensation for a life of predetermined self-sacrifice.

Unable to resist the call of destiny due to a magical yellow cord that appears from his chest and pulls him inexorably to any sea creatures he swims by, Kappa ultimately finds himself drawn to the Shark kingdom, where he is immediately imprisoned. The Sharks’ prophecy states that the curse maiming their people will only be lifted once their prince, Siren, kills the Beacon. But when Prince Siren decides to defy fate and help Kappa escape, Kappa realizes that there might be more to life than fulfilling endless prophesies, leading to a raucous adventure as big and unpredictable as the ocean itself—and a romance that nobody could have predicted.

Episodes 1-19 of Webtoon's Castle Swimmer Season 1 is collected in this stunning graphic novel, which also includes a never-before-seen bonus chapter featuring Kappa and Siren.

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Mermaids! Queer mermaids! With adorable art! I am SOLD!

A Vile Season by David Ferraro
Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fantasy, Queer Protagonists, YA
Representation: MLM MC
Published on: 22nd October 2024
Goodreads

Bridgerton meets The Bachelor in this queer regency romance of a vampire competing for the heart of a duke.

After being run out of his castle by vampire hunters, Count Lucian encounters the god of vampires, Vrykolakas, while in hiding. Unhappy with how many vampires have been bested by hunters, Vrykolakas gives Lucian a test: Infiltrate the future duke’s marriage games as a suitor and uncover the clandestine vampire hunters Vrykolakas suspects lurk in their midst. The god strips Lucian of his immortality so he can walk amongst mortals―making him human for the first time in centuries. If Lucian succeeds, Vrykolakas will make him the most powerful vampire in existence, but if he fails, the god of vampires will torture him for the rest of his life.

Unfortunately, Lucian isn’t prepared for the emotions that come with humanity, nor the treacheries of courting season with fellow nobles posing as friends, enemies, and wholly unsuitable romantic

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Vampires + Bridgerton is one hell of a pitch; here’s hoping this lives up to it!

The Hollow and the Haunted by Camilla Raines
Genres: Fantasy, Contemporary or Urban Fantasy, Queer Protagonists, YA
Representation: Gay MC
Published on: 22nd October 2024
Goodreads

In this darkly magical, romantic YA fantasy debut, a closeted teenage psychic in small-town Washington foresees the death of his sworn enemy, and is forced to work with him to save his life. Sparks fly, but the dead are restless, and some ghosts don't want to stay buried...

Perfect for fans of The Raven Cycle, Cemetery Boys and Sixteen Souls.

Sixteen-year-old Miles Warren hails from a long line of psychics. Resigned to a life in the (not especially profitable) family business, Miles is perfectly happy, thank you very much―except for the part where he's constantly exhausted from long nights digging up graves, hiding his sexuality from his family, and unable to fulfil his dream of going to art school one day. Perfectly happy.

But Miles' comfortable routine is interrupted when has a premonition of a violent supernatural murder. He soon discovers that the victim is none other than Gabriel Hawthorne, whose family have a mysterious, decades-long feud with Miles' own. Gabriel is everything Miles expects from a Hawthorne―rude, snobbish, and irritatingly good-looking―but Miles isn't just going to stand by and let someone murder him. The two form an uneasy alliance, trying to solve Gabriel's murder and prevent it from taking place.

The odds are against them; death premonitions are notoriously hard to alter. As they uncover secrets about their families' feud and dark magic swirls around the pair, Miles is horrified to realize that he doesn't hate Gabriel as much as he's supposed to. He might even like him.

Too bad Gabriel is almost certainly going to die.

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I’ve heard good things about this one, so on the list it goes!

You can read an excerpt here!

Chai Jinxed by Emi Pinto
Genres: Fantasy, MG
Representation: Desi cast, bisexual Desi MC
Published on: 22nd October 2024
Goodreads

Trouble is brewing at Margaret's Academy of Tea and Brewing, and unlucky Misha has one chance to fix it with the recipe for the perfect enchanted cup of chai, in this magical, heartfelt, and funny adventure about the power of believing in yourself, perfect for fans of A Taste of Magic and The Marvellers.

All it took was one majestic frog and a love brew gone wrong—and faster than you can say ribbit, Misha got expelled...again. Things aren’t much better back home. A rival tea shop opens across the street, and rumors spread that the Dayaans' tea is cursed. Determined to fix her family’s reputation, Misha’s only got one option left: attend the infamous Margaret’s Academy of Tea and Brewing and brew her way to the top of her class—even if it means a little bit of spice sabotage.

But when Misha finds herself up against the girl from the tea shop across the street and things start going wrong—ghostly tea leaves, living scarecrows, and rumors of missing tea witches—Misha starts to realize the truth: she’s jinxed. And if she can’t turn her luck around, her family tea shop, her classmates—and even all of Margaret’s Academy—will have a fate worse than cold tea.

Emi Pinto's heartfelt, hilarious, and hijinks-filled Chai Jinxed is a stand-alone adventure for everyone who has ever felt the pressure to succeed, with an affirming story about friendship, family, and self-love.

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Listen. LISTEN. I love everything about this. A SCHOOL OF TEA MAGIC? A PUNNY TITLE? A STEAM-CAT ON THE COVER??? GIVE IT TO ME IMMEDIATELY!

Kimmy by Alyson Greaves
Genres: Adult, Queer Protagonists, Sci Fi
Representation: Trans MC
Published on: 25th October 2024
Goodreads

John and Emily are a perfectly normal couple living in near-future suburban America, with plans to attend a perfectly normal Halloween party with Emily dressed in a perfectly normal android costume. But Emily has an accident, so John steps up to take her place, and that’s where things start to go wrong. Because the hollowed-out android they bought from John’s brother is supposed to be dead, and isn’t supposed to be influencing his actions, and when the time comes to take it off, it’s supposed to let him out...

A novel of transformation, alienation, and isolation.

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After the amazing-ness of Welcome to Dorley Hall I am PSYCHED for a sci fi from Greaves!!! I wonder how much THIS one is going to mess with me…? Looking forward to it, though!

Will you be reading any of these? Did I miss any releases you think I should know about? Let me know!

The post Must-Have Monday #209 appeared first on Every Book a Doorway.

11 Books I Still Need to Read This Year!

An accountability post – books I haven’t yet gotten to this year!

It’s so easy to focus on arcs to the exclusion of all else, meaning plenty of other books slip through the cracks! So here are the ones I really need to get to…

The Glamour Thieves (Blue Unicorn #1) by Don Allmon
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Contemporary or Urban Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: M/M
Goodreads

Book one in the Blue Unicorn series

JT is an orc on the way up. He’s got his own boutique robotics shop, high-end clientele, and deep-pocketed investors. He’s even mentoring an orc teen who reminds him a bit too much of himself back in the day.

Then Austin shows up, and the elf’s got the same hard body and silver tongue as he did two years ago when they used to be friends and might have been more. He’s also got a stolen car to bribe JT to saying yes to one last stealing the virtual intelligence called Blue Unicorn.

Soon JT’s up to his tusks in trouble, and it ain’t just zombies and Chinese triads threatening to tear his new life apart. Austin wants a second chance with JT — this time as more than just a friend—and even the Blue Unicorn is trying to play matchmaker.

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I don’t read a lot of books with orcs in them, so I had no idea what book to use for the orc prompt in the r/Fantasy book bingo this year. And from somewhere, I found Glamour Thieves! I have far too much fun completing the bingo every year – even if I never do seem to write them up here! – to not read this one.

Fair Haven by Wendy Palmer
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Autistic and queer autistic cast, NB/M, M/M
Goodreads

Stronghold Fair Haven by the Sea is a beacon in a sometimes harsh world, open to all and deliberately, stubbornly kind. It also holds the honour and responsibility of hosting an atelier, a workshop for the rare and highly-prized magical engineers known as Mancers.

Hazel lives a comfortable, contented life in Stronghold Haven as a member of the team of elite bodyguards protecting the resident Mancer. But when another Mancer comes knocking on Haven's door to plead for refuge from the stronghold zhey've just escaped from, zhey bring a growing threat of invasion in zheir wake.

Ash is disruptive to Hazel's peaceful routine in more ways than just to his own astonishment, he's hopelessly attracted to the prickly, secretive Mancer.

This might be the start of something precious...or the end of everything he holds dear.
Explicit m/nb and m/m (different couple!) sex scenes

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This is the book I’ve most wanted to read from this author… ut I refuse to let myself read it until I review the two other books from her I’ve read this year! Which means I, you know, need to go do that, jeez!

Sleep No More (October Daye, #17) by Seanan McGuire
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Contemporary or Urban Fantasy
Goodreads

October is very happy with her life as the second daughter of her pureblood parents, Amandine and Simon Torquill. Born to be the changeling handmaid to her beloved sister August, she spends her days working in her family’s tower, serving as August’s companion, and waiting for the day when her sister sets up a household of her own. Everything is right in October’s Faerie. Everything is perfect.

Everything is a lie.

October has been pulled from her own reality and thrown into a twisted reinterpretation of Faerie where nothing is as it should be and everything has been distorted to support Titania’s ideals. Bound by the Summer Queen’s magic and thrust into a world turned upside down, October has no way of knowing who she can trust, where she can turn, or even who she really is. As strangers who claim to know her begin to appear and the edges of Titania’s paradise begin to unravel, Toby will have to decide whether she can risk everything she knows based on only their stories of another world.

But first she’ll have to survive this one, as Titania demonstrates why she needed to be banished in the first place—and this time, much more than Toby’s own life is at stake.

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The previous book in the Toby Daye series had an ending that made me SCREAM, and it is well past time I get to Sleep No More and find out what happens next!!!

Warchild (Warchild, #1) by Karin Lowachee
Genres: Adult, Sci Fi
Goodreads

The merchant ship Mukudori encompasses the whole of eight-year-old Jos's world, until a notorious pirate destroys the ship, slaughters the adults, and enslaves the children. Thus begins a desperate odyssey of terror and escape that takes Jos beyond known space to the homeworld of the strits, Earth's alien enemies. To survive, the boy must become a living weapon and a master spy. But no training will protect Jos in a war where every hope might be a deadly lie, and every friendship might hide a lethal betrayal. And all the while he will face the most grueling trial of his lifebecoming his own man.

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I got to read an arc of Lowachee’s newests novella, Mountain Crown, and utterly adored it – so now I want to read everything she’s ever written! Starting with her most well-known novel seems like a good plan.

Traitor by Rachel Manija Brown, Sherwood Smith
Genres: Queer Protagonists, Sci Fi, YA
Goodreads

The greatly anticipated final book in the Change series. In a world of mutant powers and deadly creatures, one small town faces its worst nightmare...

In a single shocking night, Las Anclas is conquered. Voske rules the town, remaking it in his image. He brings Opportunity Day to Las Anclas, with its terrifying lottery of "Change or die." He forces Paco into the role of his son and prince, always watching him for signs of rebellion. And for those who escaped his net, he sends elite Changed soldiers to drag them back to be executed.

Inside Las Anclas, Paco and Becky play a nerve-shattering game of cat and mouse, plotting a resistance under Voske's eye. Outside the walls, Ross, Mia, Jennie, and Kerry desperately evade pursuit and try to free their town. And at last, Felicité must face the choice she's given up everything to avoid.

In the darkness of defeat, can hope catch fire?

Don’t miss any of Rachel Manija Brown and Sherwood Smith’s The Change STRANGER • HOSTAGE • REBEL • TRAITOR

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I’ve loved this series for years, and after a long delay due to author illness (and, you know, *waves at the last five years*) we have the final book! I have no idea how things are going to wrap up, BUT I AM VERY EMOTIONALLY INVESTED IN FINDING OUT!

The Kindness of Meat by T.J. Land
Genres: Adult, Queer Protagonists, Sci Fi
Representation: Bisexual trans MC, polyamory
Goodreads

Tony is one of a hundred security guards stationed at Green Endeavors, a cutting-edge scientific research facility on a lush jungle planet.

Like many of his co-workers, he’s a convict, working on an uncolonized alien world in exchange for years off his sentence. But while most of them are simple thieves, Tony, prior to his arrest, was heir to the infamously violent, staggeringly wealthy Red Vulture Cartel.

It would be easy for him to feel out of place among a bunch of dumb uniformed grunts and xenobotany nerds.Luckily, one dumb grunt in particular has become his best (and only) Thunder Skultz, disgraced veteran, fellow trans man, and cheerful idiot. (Possibly also the love of Tony’s life. Jury’s still out.)

So Tony’s less than thrilled when their bosses decide to expand the compound’s security and add a third member to his previously two-man team.

Her name’s Carol.

She’s unbearable.

Bubbly, chipper, naïve – everything Tony hates.

Everything that Thunder, apparently, can’t get enough of.

SCIFI ROMANCE + DRAMA, M/M/F, POLY, TRANS MAIN CHAR

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Enough people who are interested in weird, under-the-radar SFF have been full of love for this that I really want to read it! It’s just been pushed down my tbr by various other things…as with everything else on this list, I need to make time for it!

The Kindness of Meat by T.J. Land
Genres: Adult, Queer Protagonists, Sci Fi
Representation: Bisexual trans MC, polyamory
Goodreads

Tony is one of a hundred security guards stationed at Green Endeavors, a cutting-edge scientific research facility on a lush jungle planet.

Like many of his co-workers, he’s a convict, working on an uncolonized alien world in exchange for years off his sentence. But while most of them are simple thieves, Tony, prior to his arrest, was heir to the infamously violent, staggeringly wealthy Red Vulture Cartel.

It would be easy for him to feel out of place among a bunch of dumb uniformed grunts and xenobotany nerds.Luckily, one dumb grunt in particular has become his best (and only) Thunder Skultz, disgraced veteran, fellow trans man, and cheerful idiot. (Possibly also the love of Tony’s life. Jury’s still out.)

So Tony’s less than thrilled when their bosses decide to expand the compound’s security and add a third member to his previously two-man team.

Her name’s Carol.

She’s unbearable.

Bubbly, chipper, naïve – everything Tony hates.

Everything that Thunder, apparently, can’t get enough of.

SCIFI ROMANCE + DRAMA, M/M/F, POLY, TRANS MAIN CHAR

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I stalled out on this one – I’m about halfway through it, but I got distracted. (Story of my life lately!) Not for any good reason, I was enjoying myself plenty – and I want to get back to it sooner rather than later!

This Fatal Kiss by Alicia Jasinska
Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fantasy, Queer Protagonists, YA
Representation: F/M/M polyamory
Goodreads

Spirit away with a whimsical fantasy filled with dark magic and flirty, polyamorous romance.

Cursed to haunt the river running through the magical spa town where she drowned, Gisela is a water nymph who dreams of returning to the living world and the family she left behind. All it takes to regain her humanity is a kiss from a mortal...but everyone sees her as a monster.

And then there’s Kazik, the brooding, interfering, spirit-hunting grandson of a local witch. He's determined to rid the world of unholy creatures like Gisela. After Kazik botches Gisela’s exorcism, she strikes up a deal. She won’t tell the other spirits that he’s losing his magic, if he agrees to play matchmaker and helps her get a kiss. But Gisela’s plan goes awry when Kazik also falls for the devilishly handsome young man that she sets her heart on—someone who could be linked to Gisela’s troubled past.

Finely crafted with a magical setting, this delectable quest through the spirit world is an enchanting read for fans of queer romantasy.

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I adored Jasinska’s debut, The Dark Tide, and liked her second book, Midnight Girls, a lot. So I was so excited for a new book from her, especially one that featured polyamory! But I flinched hard from the…intense YA vibes? of the first chapter when I picked it up. It’s a YA book, I’m not telling it off for feeling like YA, but for some reason it took me aback? I don’t know. But I want to try it properly!

Constellation Games by Leonard Richardson
Genres: Adult, Sci Fi
Goodreads

First contact isn't all fun and games.

Ariel Blum is pushing thirty and doesn't have much to show for it. His computer programming skills are producing nothing but pony-themed video games for little girls. His love life is a slow-motion train wreck, and whenever he tries to make something of his life, he finds himself back on the couch, replaying the games of his youth.

Then the aliens show up.

Out of the sky comes the Constellation: a swarm of anarchist anthropologists, exploring our seas, cataloguing our plants, editing our wikis, and eating our Twinkies. No one knows how to respond--except for nerds like Ariel who've been reading, role-playing and wargaming first-contact scenarios their entire lives. Ariel sees the aliens' computers, and he knows that wherever there are computers, there are video games.

Ariel just wants to start a business translating alien games so they can be played on human computers. But a simple cultural exchange turns up ancient secrets, government conspiracies, and unconventional anthropology techniques that threaten humanity as we know it. If Ariel wants his species to have a future, he's going to have to take the step that nothing on Earth could make him take.

He'll have to grow up.

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I spent the better part of 24 hours fixing this very stupidly-formatted ebook – after emailing the (tiny indie) publisher politely asking if there was a better-formatted version than the one up on the Big River site…and being told that actually, it’s standard for ebooks to have no paragraph indents and line breaks between every paragraphs :) :) :)

I just barely managed not to email them the fixed ebook file with a chirpy email.

Anyway. I love the premise of this so much, and I want to read it – especially since I put so much effort into making it readable!

Turnskin by Nicole Kimberling
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Gay fantasy-minority MC
Goodreads

Raised in a remote farming community, Tom Fletcher knows little of his Shifter heritage and less about the dangerous lives that others of his kind lead in the city of Riverside. For Tom the big city is a daydream of opening nights and bright theater lights.

But when Tom meets Cloud Coldmoon — infamous and handsome heir to a criminal syndicate — everything changes. Suddenly suspected of murder, Tom must flee to the only city where his kind are common.

Filled with shapeshifters, con men, mobsters and ruled by the vengeful Coldmoon Family, Riverside is as perilous as it is alluring. Tom seeks refuge in the Turnskin Theatre, where his shape-changing skills can be put to good use on and off the stage.
Here he has a chance to fulfill his dreams of stardom and romance, but only if he can stay one step ahead of police and criminals alike, otherwise the next shape he takes could be his last.

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I had an adventure with this one earlier this year too! I noticed that the ebook didn’t have italics – checked the paper edition and found italics – emailed the (tiny, indie) publisher. And they explained that it (the ebook file) had been made in the very early days of ebooks, but thank you for mentioning it, they’d get it fixed asap. And they did! So. After all that, I really need to read it!

The Color of Revenge (Inkworld, #4) by Cornelia Funke
Goodreads

Vengeance awaits in the follow up to the epic, award-winning, New York Times bestselling Inkheart trilogy by internationally acclaimed author Cornelia Funke.
Five years have passed since the events of Inkdeath. At last, peace reigns in Ombra where Meggie, Mo, Dustfinger and all the other residents lead a happy, carefree life. But it has been a different story for Orpheus, who after fleeing to the north, has spent his days living a meager and deprived existence fueled only by his thirst for revenge against Dustfinger and all those who betrayed him.
Now Orpheus is willing to use any means necessary to take revenge. Even the darkest spell the ink world has to offer.
When Dustfinger’s deepest fears come true, he’ll have to figure out whether the words still obey him. Or is he the one who should be afraid of the pictures this time…

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It’s been over a decade – maybe more like two??? – since I read the Inkheart books, and I don’t want to dive into our brand new book FOUR without rereading the earlier ones first! Gah. GAH! WHERE DOES THE TIME GO???

What do you still need to read this year?

The post 11 Books I Still Need to Read This Year! appeared first on Every Book a Doorway.