Siavahda's Blog, page 75

Elegant But Dry: All the Horses of Iceland by Sarah Tolmie

All the Horses of Iceland by Sarah Tolmie
Representation: Major secondary Jewish character, Central Asian secondary cast
Published on: 1st March 2022
Genres: Historical Fantasy
ISBN: 125080793X
Goodreads

A hypnotic historical fantasy with gorgeous and unusual literary prose, from the captivating author of The Fourth Island.

Everyone knows of the horses of Iceland, wild, and small, and free, but few have heard their story. Sarah Tolmie’s All the Horses of Iceland weaves their mystical origin into a saga for the modern age. Filled with the magic and darkened whispers of a people on the cusp of major cultural change, All the Horses of Iceland tells the tale of a Norse trader, his travels through Central Asia, and the ghostly magic that followed him home to the land of fire, stone, and ice. His search for riches will take him from Helmgard, through Khazaria, to the steppes of Mongolia, where he will barter for horses and return with much, much more.

All the Horses of Iceland is a delve into the secret, imagined history of Iceland's unusual horses, brought to life by an expert storyteller.

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 didn’t hate this book, but I didn’t love it either. Although there were some lovely turns of phrase, the style was mostly quite dry; the conceit is that this story is being set down in writing by a Christian monk or priest, and in fairness it very much nails that vibe, the style of a historical chronicle. The problem is that it’s not a style I enjoy; it felt impersonal and distant, and was very… It’s like a bare but elegant wooden carving; I can understand why others like the aesthetic, I can tell that a great deal of thought and skill went into its crafting – but it’s not for me.

It didn’t help that I didn’t especially like or admire or enjoy the main character, and the characters I found most interesting we barely saw at all.

To deal with ghosts you must be a magician or a lawyer and he was neither.

This same story would have been one I deeply enjoyed if it had been written in a more descriptive style. I’ve seen this book described as dreamlike, poetic, folkloric – I disagree. The fantasy elements are treated in a very no-nonsense, practical manner, very matter-of-fact, and I appreciated it – it did a lot to underscore how the various peoples saw magic, that it was a known and accepted part of life, only strange in the way that any specialised craft is strange to those who are not trained in it. But the trade-off of that approach is that there was never any sense of wonder or beauty attached to the magical aspects of the story – really, there wasn’t much expression of wonder anywhere. Setting up the story as a historical chronicle is very different from framing it as a fairytale or myth, and while I’m sure there are going to be people who majorly enjoy this framework, I’m not one of them.

That said, Horses does have its own quiet grace. It flows like a cool mountain stream – sharp and bright and crystal clear, and if it’s bare and lacking in the flourishes and curlicues I was hoping for, well – it doesn’t need them, any more than a mountain stream requires decoration. There is no question that it is exactly what Tolmie intended for it to be, or that it does what she wanted it to do very well.

Eyvind was pleased at this offer but declined, thinking that the bread of the dead was unlikely to be wholesome.

This one is more an issue of me being the wrong reader for this book, rather than the book itself being flawed.

The post Elegant But Dry: All the Horses of Iceland by Sarah Tolmie appeared first on Every Book a Doorway.

Must-Have Monday #65

Just five more days till Christmas! But even this late in the year we have a few new books releasing – we’re getting THREE this week!

Daughter of the Sea by Elisabeth Hobbes
Published on: 20th December 2021
Genres: Historical Fantasy
Goodreads

On a windswept British coastline, the tide deposits an unexpected gift...

It was the cry that she first noticed, the plaintive wail that called to her over the crash of winter waves. Wrapped only in a sealskin, the baby girl looks up at Effie and instantly captures her heart. She meant only to temporarily foster the young orphan, but when news reaches Effie that her husband has been lost at sea, and months pass without anyone claiming the infant, she embraces her new family—her son, Jack, and her adopted daughter, Morna.

Effie has always been an outcast in her village, the only granddaughter of a woman people whisper is a witch, so she's used to a solitary existence. But when Midsummer arrives, so, too, does a man claiming to be Morna's father. There's no denying Lachlan is the girl's kin, and so, Effie is surprised when he asks her to continue looking after his daughter, mysteriously refusing to explain why. She agrees, but when he returns six months hence, she pushes him for answers. And Lachlan tells a story she never anticipated... one of selkies, legend, and the power of the sea...

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I have been promised SELKIES, and I will always show up for a selkie story! I’m tentatively hopeful that this is a book with a male selkie – most of the myths are about female selkies, so getting new stories about male ones is always nice. Even if it’s not, though, the description sounds like this ought to be fairly gentle, hopefully good for curling up with.

And it’s out today already!

The Guardians of Saveba: An African Fantasy by Barbara Griffin
Representation: African cast
Published on: 22nd December 2021
Genres: Fantasy
Goodreads

"The Guardians of Saveba" is a fantasy adventure story of a young African hero whose sterling character, bravery, and link to the spiritual world make him the perfect protector of Saveba—the only kingdom in West Africa to escape the scourge of foreign enslavement and colonialism. Despite the tragic backdrop of the Transatlantic slave trade, this is a positive tale replete with castles, kings and queens, villains, killer hawks, the underworld, and romance. Dive into this one-of-a-kind story of hope where people and animals unite to conquer evil. Although haunting images of the Middle Passage appear throughout the text, these painful symbols do not diminish the optimism at the core of the story nor the courage and integrity of the African people.

Unlike most legendary warriors, Sema is a gentle soul who abhors anger and confrontation. He is a brilliant artist and peacemaker who is more at home carving stone and creating music than battling foes and humiliating those who do not possess his gifts. Unaware of his exceptional identity, Sema lives an ordinary life in the village, along with his sister, as the foster child of King Tenkamenin and Queen Malia. However, midway through the story, he learns that he is a member of the Guardian Line, spiritual emissaries created many years ago by benevolent gods to protect Saveba from the destruction that has overtaken much of Africa. Embracing his sacred charge, Sema travels through the portals of time and space to confront the sinister otherworldly beings plotting to destroy Saveba.

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Not only am I immediately interested in a hidden or protected African kingdom – who else thought of Wakanda??? – but I like the sound of a hero who’s anti-violence. I know nothing at all about this book – I haven’t seen a single early review – but I’m very curious, and definitely want to give it a try.

[image error]Dust-Up at the Crater School by Chaz Brenchley
Published on: 24th December 2021
Genres: Sci Fi
Goodreads

Christmas is coming to the Crater School, so the girls must celebrate. So says the Earth calendar. But Mars does not respect school rules. Nor does the Red Planet have much respect for Earth weather. Why bother with a white Christmas when Martian weather can be far more dangerous?

Then again, perhaps this is for the best. The people most likely to arrive at the Crater School with snow on their boots are Russian spies.

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Three Twins at the Crater School, book one in this series, came out earlier this year and became an instant favourite – so I was FREAKING DELIGHTED when I found out we were getting a sequel so soon!!! I thought it might be a short story or novella covering Christmas at the Crater School, especially since it’s being released on Christmas Eve, but nope: it’s over 300 pages! BEST CHRISTMAS GIFT EVER!

Will you be reading any of these? Let me know!

The post Must-Have Monday #65 appeared first on Every Book a Doorway.

Lights You Up and Makes You Glow: The Magic Between by Stephanie Hoyt

The Magic Between by Stephanie Hoyt
Representation: Bisexual MC with clinical anxiety, bisexual MC, M/M, secondary sapphic character, tertiary bisexual, trans
Published on: 15th February 2022
Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy
Goodreads

In a world where everyone has magic coursing through them, legend says magic itself craves a mate. Legend says those with opposite magics have the greatest chance of forming the unbreakable Bond it desires.

A.B. Cerise is an obsessive compulsive pop star with the ability to turn invisible. He’s an out bisexual with absolutely no belief in Bonds. He has a love-bruised heart, thinks dating in the spotlight is a hassle at best and a nightmare at worst, and has no intention of going through it all over again.

Matthew Hellman-Levoie is the NHL’s number one goalie prospect, the youngest in a hockey dynasty, and one of the rare few who can see the unseeable. He’s a straight man who wears his heart on his sleeve, has grown up searching for a Bond, and dreams of finding the love of his life.

Legend never said anything about what to do when sparks fly between two people opposite in more ways than just magic.

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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~there are TWITTER THREADS and GROUP TEXTS
~soulmate bonds care about consent
~“What if I said they were my nice sweats?”
~pop fans vs hockey fans, it’s going down
~everything is purple and nothing hurts
~glittery fizzy glowy FEELS
~you don’t need fanart of these sweethearts THIS BOOK COMES ILLUSTRATED

You know those books that leave you sparkling with joy and Feels and squee!, that have you grinning like an idiot and hugging the book to your chest after the final page, that make you feel like all your insides are GLOWING because everything is perfect and wonderful and nothing will ever hurt again???

HI, ALLOW ME TO INTRODUCE YOU TO THE MAGIC BETWEEN! YOU’RE GONNA LOVE IT!

No, seriously. I know it’s not a Serious Fantasy – in fact, I almost DNF-ed it when I realised it didn’t have the really thought-out, detailed worldbuilding I was hoping for.

But I didn’t DNF it and I am SO GLAD because EEEEEEEEEE!

The only reason it’s not going on my best-of-the-year list is because it’s not out until next year. That is the only reason. You had better believe it’s going to be on my 2022 list!

The Magic Between reminded me of fanfic in the very best of ways; it’s compulsively readable, it’s casually diverse, and it’s packed full of Feels. There isn’t a whole lot of worldbuilding – for all that everyone has magic in AB and Matthew’s world, it really doesn’t look any different from our own – but there is so much HEART. The things I usually want out of my fantasy novels completely ceased to matter, because Hoyt’s boys swept me off my feet before I knew what was happening. By the time I hit chapter four – and the chapters are not long – I was absolutely glued to the pages. I practically hissed at the hubby when he tried to interrupt my reading for dinnertime!

If you’ve read either or both of Casey McQuiston’s books – Red, White and Royal Blue or One Last Stop – then you’ll recognise the glittery-glowy-EEEEE feel of The Magic Between. Hoyt has penned a story that will have you cackling with glee one minute and on the edge of your seat the next; one that is deeply sweet, but also isn’t afraid to deal with complicated, not-fun topics either, like AB’s clinical anxiety, or the homophobia of the ice-hockey world – or exactly how much over-eager fans and the tabloids that cater to them can really, really suck. That being said, the occasional inclusion of fictional twitter threads, complete with hashtags and Victoria Newberry’s ‘photos’, were absolutely hilarious, and I’m really glad they were included. Along with the illustrations – The Magic Between could have got by without them, I guess, but the selfies, candids, and tabloid-shots really sold the in-the-spotlight aspect of the story.

(It certainly doesn’t hurt that Newberry is a great illustrator and the pictures are very, very pretty.)

The overall story doesn’t need much introduction beyond the official description; AB is an incredibly famous, openly bisexual popstar, Matthew is a hockey player who is Very Sure he’s straight, and the two of them happen to have magics that are the exact opposite of each other’s – which Matthew believes could make them Bondmates. Bonds are a myth virtually no one believes in, but AB agrees to see what happens after their magics have a game-changingly intense Reaction to each other.

Only – Matthew is straight, and AB never wants to date again with the tabloids watching, and anyway, Bonds aren’t real.

We allllllllll know where this is going.

…Except, not, though? I mean, don’t get me wrong – I don’t consider it a spoiler to tell you that there is as perfect a Happily Ever After to this story as you could possibly wish for. But Hoyt questions and challenges the ‘bonding’ trope; what does it even mean? Are they soulmates? Were they predestined to meet and fall for each other? Does something like that allow for consent? Does a Bond make you fall in love with someone, or does falling in love create a Bond? What if Bonds aren’t real – or what if they are, but AB and Matthew simply don’t form one? Is that a condemnation of their relationship? Do they not love each other enough? It’s not that Hoyt’s written a philosophical treatise on the topic, but I was surprised by how self-aware the story was, by the questions the characters raised and the discussions they had. Pleasantly surprised!

I admit to eye-rolling a little bit at the character-totally-thinks-he’s-straight thing, but The Magic Between is not, thank the gods, one of those manufactured-drama books. AB and Matthew talk to each other, like actual adults, and the challenges they face never had the hand-wavey feel of Just Because. There’s no getting around the fact that AB is one of the most famous people on the planet, for example, and so they discuss it, and how they want to deal with it, what the different options are. Even when someone gets stressed or upset, they’re mature enough not to lash out at each other over it – there are aspects of their situation they don’t like but can’t change, and it sucks, but they go through strategies until they come up with something everyone can live with, find ways to make things work. They’re both understanding of the other’s limits and the pressures they’re under, realistic about what the world is like – AB is not hurt by Matthew’s hesitation to come out of the closet, for example, and Matthew never questions the fact that AB’s bodyguard comes with on date nights.

There’s drama, yes, but I would say it’s pretty low-key for most of the book – the story is so character-focused, pretty introspective, and honestly just hits you up with lots of sweetness and cute for a good chunk of the page-count. It’s very, very feel-good – and when the drama does come, it comes from outside forces, and in ways that are realistic rather than contrived. All major pluses in my book!

Speaking of major pluses; these freaking characters!!! AB and Matthew are both just so – they feel like real people; Hoyt’s managed to imbue them with that mysterious, delightful X factor that leaves you certain that they keep on existing, living their lives, after you turn the final page. These are not characters that snuff out when you close the book, real only so long as you’re looking at them; these are characters you become friends with, fall for – bond with! – exactly as if they were flesh-and-blood instead of paper-and-ink.

(Or pixels, on an ereader??? Eh, doesn’t matter, you get my point!)

It’s the attention to detail that makes a character breathe; not sweeping personality traits, like Matthew’s not-so-secret romantic streak, or AB’s flamboyant sense of style, but the smaller things – the love for baking shows, the struggle to figure out a university thesis topic, the collection of trashy Christmas decorations, the going to therapy. And I’m not sure I’ve ever read a romance where the people in the relationship are paying so much attention to the details – the consistent thoughtfulness both AB and Matthew show each other, the things they remember that the other’s only mentioned in passing, the way they never assume they have the other’s consent in so many things besides just sex – can you fall in love with someone else’s love??? Because I think I have. I LOVE THE WAY AB AND MATTHEW LOVE EACH OTHER AND I AM NOT A LITTLE BIT SORRY.

And although AB and Matthew are of course the stars, the rest of the cast interlocks with them to make The Magic Between really special. The various twins, band-mates, and besties – and even parents and grand-parents! – expand the story from being romance-only to showcasing all different kinds of love, and how all those loves weave together. I have nothing against romances that narrow in on the people falling for each other, but my favourites are definitely the ones where’s there’s more than one kind of love on display. Hoyt has a brilliant genius for coming up with family quirks and traditions, for creating a supporting cast that felt like they could have been plucked from my own friends-group – AND THE GROUP-CHATS! I laughed until I cried at the snippets we got of their text-chains, okay?

I think I’ve already made it clear that Hoyt is excellent at character-building and designing romances, and I’ve mentioned that The Magic Between made me laugh more than a few times. When it comes to her prose, I’d say she nails it – not overly flowery, but absolutely willing and able to lovingly describe the things that deserve it; pacing that keeps you turning pages quickly while giving you all the time you need to savour the sweetness of the story; and chapters that alternate between AB and Matthew’s POVs with an expert sense of which angle better showcases the scene in question. I can do nothing but applaud!

This is a really fun, bubbly contemporary-romance-plus-magic that feels aimed at the Millennials-and-below audience – and lands squarely in the bull’s-eye. It’s modern, sweet, hilarious, and thoughtful too, and I honestly cannot tell you how much I love it. I’m not sure this review does it any kind of justice, but I had to try.

If you preorder through the publisher, you’ll get it in time for Valentine’s Day 2022 – and you won’t regret it!

The post Lights You Up and Makes You Glow: The Magic Between by Stephanie Hoyt appeared first on Every Book a Doorway.

I Can’t Wait For…Inheritors of Power by Juliette Wade

Can’t-Wait Wednesdayis 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 is Inheritors of Power by Juliette Wade!

Inheritors of Power by Juliette Wade
Published on: 22nd February 2022
Goodreads

The third book of The Broken Trust continues a deadly battle for power in this sociological sci-fi novel where brother is pitted against brother.

Many years have passed since the Eminence Nekantor and Heir Adon seized power, and life in Pelismara has found a fragile equilibrium under Nekantor’s thumb. Now the Imbati Service Academy suspects that Xinta, Manservant to the Eminence, may have taken control of Nekantor for his own sinister purposes, endangering what peace still remains. Imbati Catín, an Academy prodigy, vows service to Adon, balancing two core purposes — to advance her Master's designs on power, and to determine the full extent of Xinta's influence.

When a trash hauler named Akrabitti Corbinan walks into a place he doesn’t belong, everything falls out of balance. Catín, who is investigating this newly discovered hidden library, immediately arrests Corbinan for trespassing. Nekantor then seizes Corbinan, believing he's a spy who sought to topple the government, and Xinta vanishes him before Catín can determine his intent. What was Corbinan really seeking? What dangerous information does the library contain, that Xinta might seek to control? And what might happen if someone more dangerous finds Corbinan first?

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If you’ve been hanging around here lately, you know I’ve fallen head-over-heels for this series (behold my reviews for book one and book two!) so it kind of goes without saying that Inheritors of Power is right at the top of my most-anticipated releases for 2022!!!

I’m not sure I’ve ever come across a series with such original, detailed worldbuilding, and Wade is as brilliant with her prose as she is at creating alien worlds and societies. Every new character we meet I love more than the last, even as they are all so flawed, and all of them caught up in gorgeously baroque plotlines, ornate and intricate and intense. I don’t have a clue where this series is going (and that alone is so exciting to me, when so often I feel like I can predict exactly what a story is going to do), but you’d better believe I’m here for it to the very end!

If you haven’t read this series yet, do it now – you’ve got time to catch up before Inheritors of Power at the end of February!

The post I Can’t Wait For…Inheritors of Power by Juliette Wade appeared first on Every Book a Doorway.

10 Books I’ll Be Hibernating With This Winter

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish and is now hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. Check out upcoming Top Ten themes on Jana’s blog!

Last night I fastened my ice cleats to my sneakers, and they won’t come off before mid-March at least – which means that winter has officially arrived! Excellent timing for a Winter TBR prompt. Of course, the ice cleats going on means the Sia will not be going out unless absolutely necessary – I plan on hibernating through the worst of the annual ice age, thanks very much!

But what good’s hibernating without some wonderful reads to get you through???

Books That Have Been Awaiting Me!

These are the books which are out and published – although one only a week ago! – but which I have failed to give the time and attention they deserve. UNTIL NOW!

Incursion (The Dakotaraptor Riders Book 1) by Stant Litore
Representation: F/F
Genres: Queer Protagonists, Sci Fi
Goodreads

Looking for a thrilling tale with lesbian dakotaraptor riders, were-brachiosaurs, Slavic witches, triceratops cowboys, carnivorous cacti, and invaders with machine guns mounted on deathreaper tyrannosaurs?

If you’ve been looking for a series like that, Stant Litore has your back. In Incursion, join Sasha Nightwatcher and her wife Yekaterina on a wild dash across the violet prairie to save their alien homeworld.

REVIEWS:

"Straight for the heart and delightfully weird." - Joseph Brassey, author of Skyfarer and Dragon Road

"Stant Litore's work blends an array of singular characters, prehistoric creatures, and an imaginative landscape into a dazzling vision, The Wild Wild West meets Jurassic Park meets Sucker Punch - but beautifully weirder, exploring a frontier that is at once alien and yet familiarly human. His writing is deft and delivers, drawing a perfect balance between the real and the fantastic, whisking you away on a fast-paced journey with characters you will feel deeply for. Mythical and marvelous, this is storytelling at its very best." - Samuel Peralta, The Future Chronicles

"Stant Litore's Incursion brings a new and fantastic universe alive, packed with vivid characters and colossal beasts - yet amidst the story's intense action and swirling dilemmas, he never loses sight of his raison d'être: the power of human connection." - Richard Ellis Preston, Jr., author of Romulus Buckle and the City of the Founders

"A story that charges as hard at the heart as the fierce, raptor-riding heroines whose passion and mission make Incursion a deeply satisfying read. I can't wait for the next book in what promises to be a much larger tale." - James van Pelt, author of Pandora's Gun

"Masterful worldbuilding, immersive prose, and authentic characters create a tale of adventure and love you won't want to put down." - L. J. Hachmeister, author of Triorion

"An exuberant romp filled with dinosaurs and colorful characters, brimming with Litore's trademark big heart. It also carries shades of Anne McCaffrey's Pern, and is sure to please any lover of interplanetary adventure." - Travis Heermann, author of The Ronin Trilogy and The Shinjuku Shadows Trilogy

"Stant Litore has created a story about a fascinating world with brilliant characters, superb action, and a mystery I want to read more about. Also dinosaurs. Lots of dinosaurs." - Steve McHugh, author of The Hellequin Chronicles

"In these dark days, we need reminders of what makes us human: community and song, collaboration, story and hope. The Dakotaraptor Riders gives us those reminders. Woven onto the warp and weft of a rich folklore that feels completely authentic, and yet contains threads that will make contemporary folklorists grin, this tale of clashing philosophies, racing dakotaraptors, and abiding love is a salve for a wounded soul. It reminds us not only that the fight can be won, but that the fight is worth waging against the forces of destruction, of cruelty and colonialism. This book is The Dark Is Rising for science fiction. Read it, and let it braid your frayed threads whole again." - O.E. Tearmann, author of The Hands We're Given

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Never say covers don’t matter! I discovered Incursion because I follow the artist who painted the cover, Ashley Hankins, over on insta – and seriously, who could resist that cover?! AND the story is queer as hell??? Two paragraphs into the kindle sample I knew I had to have this book, and I am so looking forward to snuggling up with some hot chocolate and fabulous sapphic raptor-riders!

Plum Duff (Greenwing & Dart Book 6) by Victoria Goddard
Genres: Fantasy
Goodreads

Magic is out of fashion.

Except, obviously, at Winterturn.

Winterturn in Ragnor Bella is a holiday for family, feasting, and a few religious festivities.

Jemis Greenwing and Mr. Dart are both quite ready for a quiet week or two after their adventures going to and coming home from Orio City. Jemis in particular is looking forward to the first Winterturn spent with his father since he was a child.

Then the fairy fox shows up.

Wild magic. Family secrets. Gifts from unknown admirers. Sainthood. And that's before the pageant.

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The Dartwing & Green series have been this wonderful, sweet, whimsical solace all year long, and I couldn’t be happier that we got another installment in time for Yule! I have many questions, and my expectations have been set very high…

The Forever Place (Summerhill Supers #2) by J.C. Lillis
Representation: Bisexual MC
Genres: Queer Protagonists, Sci Fi
Goodreads

Since his breakup with his longtime boyfriend, small-town superhero Levon Ludlow has undergone an extreme life makeover. He’s got two new jobs, a remodeled house, custom-tailored trousers, and the power to talk to an even wider array of snarky and cantankerous animals. He swears he’s too busy with his new life to miss his old love—so when Jay calls with a problem only Levon can help with, he’s sure he can keep it professional and drama-free. Even if it DOES involve two weeks at a honeymoon resort with his ex.

Pairing up as a makeshift team, Levon and Jay head for the Valentines island resort in the Florida Keys, where an outbreak of scandalous guest behavior is linked to a flock of red birds and their strange and alluring song. Levon’s mission: use his animal-talking expertise to decode the birds’ song, uncover their goal, and send them back where they came from. Jay’s mission: use his water-moving skills to protect the island from a storm that’s brewing on the horizon. As Levon and Jay work together and reminisce in this land of heart-shaped tubs and vibrating beds, a flood of old feeling pulls them under—but unresolved issues and guilty secrets could kill their second chance before it gets off the ground. Can they come back together, once and for all, and find a new forever place that works for them both?

The sun-drenched sequel to the bittersweet YOU FIRST, this adult romcom is a funny valentine to superhero stories, found families, and love of all kinds, the old and the new.

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You First was one of my favourite releases of 2019, and I was ridiculously happy and excited when I found out there was going to be a sequel! I reread You First earlier this year to prepare, and it was just as sweet and heartfelt as I remembered, and it’s about time I get to Forever Place!

The Sphere of the Winds by Rachel Neumeier
Genres: Fantasy, Secondary World Fantasy
Goodreads

The Long awaited sequel to The Floating Islands

The Floating Islands are under siege.

Trei, Araenè, and their friends saved the Floating Islands once, thwarting the Toulonn Empire’s attempt at conquest. But the Toulonnese haven’t given up, and the same trick certainly won’t work a second time … especially when the Islands unexpectedly lose their special connection to dragon magic.

Then it turns out that Toulonn is not the only, or the worst, enemy the Floating Islands face. As peril grows, Trei, with his connection to Toulonn, and Araenè, with her an unusual style of magic, will need all their strength and resolve if they are to find a way to safeguard the Islands once more.

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So far I have completely failed to review the first book in this series – although I do have a draft! – despite the fact that The Floating Islands is a dear favourite; even dearer after rereading it to prepare for Sphere of the Winds! That’s not going to stop me from diving into book two, though – I didn’t even know we were getting a sequel!!!

City of Refuge by Starhawk, Jessica Perlstein, Diane Rigoli
Representation: Brown queer cast
Genres: Queer Protagonists, Science Fantasy
Goodreads

Every city needs three things: a plaza, a hearth, and a sacred tree...

In the violent, desperate world of 2048, eco-catastrophes and societal breakdown have left the country splintered. Yet amidst the ruins stands a green and flourishing city where four things are sacred--Air, Fire, Water, and Earth. When the ruthless Stewards of the Southlands invade, the people of Califia defeat them using nonviolence and magic. But they'll be back, unless the northerners can liberate the Southlands first.

Healer Madrone struggles to repair the wounds of war and deprivation. Soldier/defector River leads an Army of Liberation to the south. Bird, musician turned guerrilla, longs to return to the fight, but now he's pledged to deeper powers. How can they build a new world when people are so deeply wounded by the old?

Madrone has a dream... Build a city of refuge in the heartland of the enemy.

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How long have I been saying I’ll sit down and read this??? At least half a year! Fingers crossed I’ll finally manage it with things slowing down for winter!

[image error]The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows by John Koenig
Goodreads

NEW YORK TIMES
BESTSELLER
“It’s undeniably thrilling to find words for our strangest feelings…Koenig casts light into lonely corners of human experience…An enchanting book. “ —The Washington Post

A truly original book in every sense of the word, The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows poetically defines emotions that we all feel but don’t have the words to express—until now.

Have you ever wondered about the lives of each person you pass on the street, realizing that everyone is the main character in their own story, each living a life as vivid and complex as your own? That feeling has a name: “sonder.” Or maybe you’ve watched a thunderstorm roll in and felt a primal hunger for disaster, hoping it would shake up your life. That’s called “lachesism.” Or you were looking through old photos and felt a pang of nostalgia for a time you’ve never actually experienced. That’s “anemoia.”

If you’ve never heard of these terms before, that’s because they didn’t exist until John Koenig set out to fill the gaps in our language of emotion. The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows “creates beautiful new words that we need but do not yet have,” says John Green, bestselling author of The Fault in Our Stars.

By turns poignant, relatable, and mind-bending, the definitions include whimsical etymologies drawn from languages around the world, interspersed with otherworldly collages and lyrical essays that explore forgotten corners of the human condition—from “astrophe,” the longing to explore beyond the planet Earth, to “zenosyne,” the sense that time keeps getting faster.

The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows is for anyone who enjoys a shift in perspective, pondering the ineffable feelings that make up our lives. With a gorgeous package and beautiful illustrations throughout, this is the perfect gift for creatives, word nerds, and human beings everywhere.

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I was a huge fan of the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows project way back when, but I lost track of it at some point – and next thing I know, it’s been published in book-form! I foresee many dreamy thoughtful moments in my reading future…

Early-2022 ARCs!

Of course, there are more than a few upcoming books I need to read too, since their release dates are all scheduled for early next year, and I much prefer getting reviews up before publication day than after. It just seems polite, when I’ve been allowed to read these books early!

Azura Ghost (The Graven, #2) by Essa Hansen
Published on: 1st February 2022
Genres: Queer Protagonists, Science Fantasy
Goodreads

Following Nophek Gloss comes the second book in this highly imaginative new space opera trilogy by debut author Essa Hansen - an action-packed adventure perfect for fans of Star Wars, Children of Time and A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet.

Caiden has been on the run for ten years with his unique starship in order to keep his adversary, Threi, imprisoned. But when an old friend he'd once thought dead reappears, he is lured into a game of cat and mouse with the one person whose powers rival Threi's: Threi's sister Abriss.

Now with both siblings on the hunt for Caiden and his ship, Caiden must rescue his long-lost friend from their clutches and uncover the source of both his ship's power and his own origins in order to stop Abriss's plan to collapse the multiverse.

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I’m rereading the first book in this series, Neophek Gloss, right now, so I can dive into Azura with my memories refreshed. Neophek took me by surprise in completely sweeping me away when I first read it earlier this year (I missed the initial hype train), leaving me very interested in how book two is going to go down.

Bluebird by Ciel Pierlot
Published on: 8th February 2022
Genres: Queer Protagonists, Sci Fi
Goodreads

Lesbian gunslinger fights spies in space!

Three factions vie for control of the galaxy. Rig, a gunslinging, thieving, rebel with a cause, doesn’t give a damn about them and she hasn’t looked back since abandoning her faction three years ago.

That is, until her former faction sends her a message: return what she stole from them, or they’ll kill her twin sister.

Rig embarks on a journey across the galaxy to save her sister – but for once she’s not alone. She has help from her network of resistance contacts, her taser-wielding librarian girlfriend, and a mysterious bounty hunter.

If Rig fails and her former faction finds what she stole from them, trillions of lives will be lost--including her sister's. But if she succeeds, she might just pull the whole damn faction system down around their ears. Either way, she’s going to do it with panache and pizzazz.

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Lesbian gunslinger fights spies in space! is really all I need to hear, honestly. But when it’s also being published by ‘genrefluid’ Angry Robot??? Sign me up!

Dark Breakers by C.S.E. Cooney, Sharon Shinn, Brett Massé
Published on: 15th February 2022
Genres: Fantasy, Portal Fantasy
Goodreads

NEW FROM WORLD FANTASY AWARD WINNER C. S. E. COONEY

“Welcome to a Gilded Era like you’ve never before known and will never be able to forget. C. S. E. Cooney’s DARK BREAKERS will transfix and transform you, and, should you chance upon its characters in a glittering hallway, you had best be wearing your fanciest moonlight, and be ready to dance. If Titania herself were to commission a book, it would be this one.”—Fran Wilde, two-time Nebula Award-winning author of UPDRAFT and RIVERLAND

A young human painter and an ageless gentry queen fall in love over spilled wine—at the risk of his life and her immortality. Pulled into the Veil Between Worlds, two feuding neighbors (and a living statue) get swept up in a brutal war of succession. An investigative reporter infiltrates the Seafall City Laundries to write the exposé of a lifetime, and uncovers secrets she never believed possible. Returning to an oak grove to scatter her husband’s ashes, an elderly widow meets an otherworldly friend, who offers her a momentous choice. Two gentry queens of the Valwode plot to hijack a human rocketship and steal the moon out of the sky.

DARK BREAKERS gathers three new and two previously uncollected tales from World Fantasy Award-winning writer C. S. E. Cooney that expand on the thrice-enfolded worlds first introduced in her Locus and World Fantasy award-nominated novella DESDEMONA AND THE DEEP. In her introduction to DARK BREAKERS, Crawford Award-winning author Sharon Shinn advises those who pick up this book to “settle in for a fantastical read” full of “vivid world-building, with layer upon layer of detail; prose so dense and gorgeous you can scoop up the words like handfuls of jewels; a mischievous sense of humor; and a warm and hopeful heart.”

“C. S. E. Cooney’s prose is like a cake baked by the fairies—beautifully layered, rich and precise, so delicious that it should be devoured with a silver fork. Since you can’t eat DARK BREAKERS, I suggest you read it slowly, savoring every slice. And if it gives you strange dreams—well, what did you expect of fairy cake?”—Theodora Goss, World Fantasy and Mythopoeic Award-winning author of The Extraordinary Adventures of the Athena Club series

“DARK BREAKERS is a magnificent parure of novellas and matched stories, a suite of jewelled and velvet tales, delicately linked and ferociously glittering. A baroquely intense confection with a core of typewriters and coal fortunes, DARK BREAKERS is compounded of voluptuous invention and ferocious structural loves—for new romances and old friends, for the works of hands, for mortality and its gifts, and all the possibilities of worlds bleeding, weeping, wandering into each other’s arms.”—Kathleen Jennings, World Fantasy Award-winning author of FLYAWAY

“Few people create worlds as lavish and sensual as those to spring from Cooney’s effervescent imagination. Her writing isn’t so much inspirational, but inspiration itself: gentry-magic spun into pages and paragraphs of glittering, fizzing, jaw-dropping beauty.”—Cassandra Khaw, British Fantasy Award-nominated author of THE ALL-CONSUMING WORLD

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CSE Cooney is one of my all-time favourite writers – and it’s not as if I’ve been ignoring my ARC of her next book! It’s just that it’s so impossibly pulchritudinous, so gleamingly kicky, so very terribly transfixing, that I cannot read it all in one go, okay? I would overdose on paragonical prose. Nobody wants to see that.

(Is paragonical a word? No it is not, but the English language failed to offer me a term that sufficiently encompassed everything Cooney’s writing is so I had to MAKE ONE UP IT IS NOW)

Hence, going very slowly and carefully. And probably rereading it at least three times before sitting down to review it!

Age of Ash (Kithamar #1) by Daniel Abraham
Published on: 15th February 2022
Genres: Fantasy, Secondary World Fantasy
Goodreads

From
New York Times
bestselling and critically acclaimed author Daniel Abraham, co-author of
The Expanse
, comes a monumental epic fantasy trilogy that unfolds within the walls of a single great city, over the course of one tumultuous year, where every story matters, and the fate of the city is woven from them all.

“An atmospheric and fascinating tapestry, woven with skill and patience.” –Joe Abercrombie, New York Times bestselling author of A Little Hatred

Kithamar is a center of trade and wealth, an ancient city with a long, bloody history where countless thousands live and their stories unfold.

This is Alys's.

When her brother is murdered, a petty thief from the slums of Longhill sets out to discover who killed him and why.  But the more she discovers about him, the more she learns about herself, and the truths she finds are more dangerous than knives. 

Swept up in an intrigue as deep as the roots of Kithamar, where the secrets of the lowest born can sometimes topple thrones, the story Alys chooses will have the power to change everything.

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I guess he’s most famous for The Expanse now, but to me the name Daniel Abraham is a byword for unique, subversive, outside-the-box fantasy. (Seriously, have you read the Long Price quartet??? The Dagger and the Coin series??? If not, GO READ THEM, and if you have, GO READ THEM AGAIN!) So fuck yes, I jumped at the chance to read the first book of his new fantasy series! (And for the record, so far it is excellent!)

What will you be reading this wintertime?

The post 10 Books I’ll Be Hibernating With This Winter appeared first on Every Book a Doorway.

Must-Have Monday #64

The year is winding down, and the publishing world is winding down with it, but we still have FOUR books of interest this week!

Sounding Dark (The Calpurnian Wars, #1) by Jo Graham
Published on: 13th December 2021
Genres: Sci Fi
Goodreads

Sounding Dark is a legend, a ghost ship missing two hundred years. Now it may be the only hope for the pirate republic of Eresh to stand against the mighty Calpurnian Navy. In the wake of a terrible defeat, Adelita Massacre, the Steel Captain, knows that their days are numbered without a miracle.

Bister is the only survivor of the defeat, a Tainted smuggler and fixer from the interdicted world of Inanna. Found alive, adrift in a spacesuit hours after its air supply should have run out, her survival is a literal miracle. Has the Lady of the Void herself chosen Bister to free her from imprisonment?

Now Adelita, Bister, Bister’s lover Griffin, and the mysterious Navigator must find Sounding Dark and her ancient weaponry if they hope to protect Eresh from the Calpurnian attack. But Sounding Dark will not give up her secrets easily….

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Candlemark & Gleam blazed onto my radar when they published Melissa Scott’s Water Horse earlier this year, and the rest of their catalogue is equally wonderful! So I sat up and paid attention when I heard of their latest release, Sounding Dark! I’ll be going in with almost no expectations – I only know that Scott herself enjoyed it immensely – but I can’t wait nonetheless!

Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi (Novel) Vol. 1 by 墨香铜臭, Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù, Suika
Published on: 14th December 2021
Genres: Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Goodreads

Wei Wuxian was once one of the most powerful men of his generation, a talented and clever young cultivator who harnessed martial arts and spirituality into powerful abilities. But when the horrors of war led him to seek more power through demonic cultivation, the world's respect for his abilities turned to fear, and his death was celebrated throughout the land.

Years later, he awakens in the body of an aggrieved young man who sacrifices his soul so that Wei Wuxian can exact revenge on his behalf. Though granted a second life, Wei Wuxian is not free from his first, nor the mysteries that appear before him now. Yet this time, he'll face it all with the righteous and esteemed Lan Wangji at his side, another powerful cultivator whose unwavering dedication and shared memories of their past will help shine a light on the dark truths that surround them.

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Finally, an official English translation of the book(s) that became the tv show The Untamed! I’m so excited to get to read this – I haven’t watched the show, but many of my nearest and dearest have, and I’ve adored the clips and snippets I’ve seen here and there! I know I have to manage my expectations a bit – I’ve never read xianxia before, so I’m not familiar with the genre conventions and style. But I’m determined to not let that unfamiliarity get in the way of enjoying an epic story!

Rise of the Alliance: The Blood Mage Texts by Sherwood Smith
Published on: 14th December 2021
Genres: Fantasy, Secondary World Fantasy
Goodreads

Long-dormant magical forces are moving again in Sartorias-deles. In volume one, A Sword Named Truth, a shaky alliance made among young rulers brought too early to their thrones survived a first foray, commanded by Siamis, the handsome young Norsundrian who was born four thousand years ago. Siamis was defeated, and the world celebrated, believing peace had come!

But the world's mages know it's not the quiet of peace-it's the stillness before the storm.

At the start of volume two, The Blood Mage Texts, the alliance seems to be a thing of the past as everyone is dealing with the fallout of the abortive attack. Rel the Traveler arrives back home to a surprise that has been awaiting him since he was first adopted, launching him on a personal quest.

Jilo, the king who is not a king, finds what looks like dangerous magical texts and hands them off to his friend Senrid, young king of Marloven Hess, who is in the midst of wrestling with his warlike nation. When word gets out that these eight-hundred-year-old blood mage texts are in the ignorant hands of youngsters, all of Norsunder's mages want them.

Meanwhile Siamis has gone renegade, hunted by both sides.

All the searches converge on Chwahirsland, furnishing new twists in the on-going saga of the alliance of young rulers . . .

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Sherwood Smith is one of my favourite authors, and this is the second book in her newest series! I haven’t let myself read the blurb to avoid spoilers (copy-and-paste is interesting with your eyes closed!) but I will be POUNCING on the book itself the moment it’s on my e-reader!

The Curse Workers: White Cat; Red Glove; Black Heart (Curse Workers, #1-3) by Holly Black
Published on: 14th December 2021
Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy
Goodreads

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black comes the “dangerously, darkly gorgeous” (Cassandra Clare) Curse Workers trilogy, now together in one beautiful bind-up!

Cassel Sharpe comes from a family of curse workers, people who have the power to change emotions, memories, and luck with the slightest touch of their hands. And since curse work is illegal, they’re also all criminals. Many become mobsters and con artists, but not Cassel. He doesn’t have magic, so he’s an outsider, the straight kid in a crooked family—except for the small detail that he killed his best friend, Lila, three years ago.

Cassel has carefully built up a facade of normalcy, blending into the crowd. But his facade starts to crumble when he finds himself sleepwalking, propelled into the night by terrifying dreams about a white cat that wants to tell him something. He’s noticing other disturbing things, too, including the strange behavior of his two older brothers, who are keeping secrets from him. As Cassel begins to suspect he’s an unwitting pawn in a huge con game, he must unravel his past, and his memories. To find the truth, Cassel will have to out-con the conmen.

This magical bind-up includes: White Cat Red Glove Black Heart

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Possibly the least well-known of Black’s series is the Curse Workers trilogy, an urban fantasy set in a world where magical gifts are relatively commonplace – and greatly distrusted, with good reason! I really enjoyed these when I first read them – the conspiracy around Cassel is marvelous – and I have a special love for omnibuses, so I’ll be nabbing this tomorrow!

That’s it! Will you be reading any of these? Did I miss any books I should know about? Let me know!

The post Must-Have Monday #64 appeared first on Every Book a Doorway.

Impossibly, Dazzlingly, Incisively Flawless: Transgressions of Power by Juliette Wade

Transgressions of Power (The Broken Trust, #2) by Juliette Wade
Representation: Bi/pansexual MC, polyamory, secondary F/F/M, secondary F/F, secondary bi/pansexual character, secondary gay character with OCD, queernorm castes
Genres: Secondary World No Magic, Queer Protagonists, Sci Fi
ISBN: 0756415764
Goodreads

The second book of The Broken Trust continues a deadly battle for succession, in this sociological sci-fi novel where brother is pitted against brother in a singular chance to win power.

To marry into the most powerful family in Varin is to step into a trap. Della has spent thirteen years under the scrutiny of Pelismara's political elites, supporting Tagaret in a dangerous pretense as his brother Nekantor's closest ally. In secret, however, they've planned to escape, and to break down the restrictions of Varin's caste society. When Nekantor offers to send them to Selimna, the city where their caste experiments can be carried out, how can they not accept the opportunity?

But ever since Nekantor seized power as the Eminence Herin's Heir, he's wanted to keep power in the family, and that means his eye is on the children--especially their thirteen-year-old brother Adon. In their absence, Nekantor begins to execute his own long-schemed plan, and soon Della realizes they've unwittingly become a part of it.

How far does Nekantor's influence spread? How much will he seek to control? And how can she save Adon from falling into his snare?

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~never underestimate the importance of paper
~weaponise your privilege
~DON’T SHOOT THE PRETTY FLOATY GLOWY THING
~Melín can step on me any time she likes
~you know what, just straight-up inject Wade’s writing directly into my veins

This review contains spoilers for book one of the series! To read my review of the first book, go here.

I’m not sure I even have the words to explain how much I love this book!

Although I admit: I was very surprised when I opened it up and discovered there was a time-skip of thirteen years between the epilogue of Mazes of Power and the start of Transgressions. But it’s almost instantly clear that the jump was necessary, and that we haven’t really missed much: Nekantor has been Heir now for almost fourteen years, baby Adon is now thirteen, and Tagaret is publicly Nekantor’s right-hand man – but privately, he and Della have been working hard to get the ball rolling on serious societal reform. With extremely limited success, unfortunately. And behind closed doors, the First Family as a whole have been suffering the sudden rages and violent outbursts of Nekantor, which have, to put it mildly, made life extremely stressful.

Our cast has expanded from book one: Della is a PoV character now, which made me so happy, and so is Adon. We’ve lost Aloran’s perspective, but gained Melín, our first Arissen PoV character, and Pyaras, a distant cousin of Tagaret and Nekantor who is often mocked and sneered at for his familiarity with Arissen. And of course, there are plenty more secondary characters it’s hard not to adore!

After Mazes, I was expecting a twisty intricate plot, and that’s exactly what Wade gives us – except this time, things are even more intricate and intertwined, in large part because in this book, we see a good bit more of Varin and learn much more about the various non-Grobal castes. If Mazes was focussed in on Pelismara, and specifically the Grobal there, then Transgressions is the zoom-out that lets us in on a much bigger picture – and then brings us in for beautifully intimate close-ups on all the amazing people who are not Grobal!

I cannot tell you how relieved I was to have confirmation that the other castes are not as messed-up as the Grobal. I also cannot express how FREAKING DELIGHTED I was to discover the enormous diversity in queerness, political decision-making, and family structures that Wade has created. The castes really are like entirely separate countries, with hugely different beliefs, customs, honour codes, and ideas about love, family, and sex – it’s kind of amazing to think that all these people live alongside each other, all of them effectively living in completely different worlds from people they pass on the street.

Let me put it this way: the worldbuilding in Mazes excited the hell out of me. The worldbuilding in Transgressions left me in awe.

Very, very happy awe! I actually don’t want to go into much detail, because I think a big part of the delight was the surprise of it all, and I don’t want to take that away from other readers! But, just – forget 10/10, this book’s worldbuilding is 100/10.

There are dozens of subplots weaving their way through the story, but the main strands follow Della and Tagaret in their desire to escape Pelismara (thus getting out from under Nekantor’s watchful eye) and push their social reforms into reality in another city; the attempted assassination of Adon, and both the fall-out of that and how it alters his relationship with the Imbati of Pelismara; and what happens when Pyaras and Melín cross paths under very unusual circumstances. There are so many layers and undercurrents to every aspect of this book, which I guess is only appropriate, because Transgressions really felt like we were finally getting to see all the layers and undercurrents that move underneath the Grobal caste – the Grobal are so insular and dismissive of everyone else, and that was a kind of blindness in Mazes, but Transgressions makes it clear just how much is going on where the Grobal can’t (or simply don’t bother to) see. The Grobal think they’re at the top of the pyramid – and I guess they are – but what’s the capstone of a pyramid without the rest of the pyramid holding it up?

NOT MUCH, GROBAL. NOT VERY MUCH AT ALL.

And at the same time, we see how the careless decisions of Grobal have ripple effects through the other castes. Melín in particular has to deal with the enraging whims of Grobal, which turn her life upside-down; whereas Pyaras starts to realise he can create positive ripple effects for the other castes – by working with them and listening instead of handing down commandments like a god. But it’s Della who goes a biiiig step further in getting to know an Akrabitti woman. The Akrabitti are the Undercaste, and honestly, the term ‘undercaste’ is such a big deal here, because every other caste gets a descriptor, a title: the Arissen are the Officer Caste, the Imbati are the Servant Caste, the Kartunnen are the Artisan Caste, and so on. The Akrabitti aren’t the anything-caste, good for nothing, born with no predisposed skills or codes or purpose (or so Varin society believes, anyway). So it is kind of an enormous deal that Della, a Grobal, seeks out and does her best to learn about (and from) the Akrabitti.

We already had an idea, from what we saw of her in Mazes, that Della is both strong-willed and smart, but she really gets a chance to shine in Transgressions. Although she and Tagaret are partners in their desires for social change, it’s really Della who gets out there and walks the walk. One of the things I most loved about her character arc in this book was her struggle to understand and accept how differently other castes live – she has the best of intentions, but she’s honestly shocked and confused by the way Akrabitti society is structured, for example. And that really hit home for me, because yes – it’s not enough to just have good intentions! And even if you have good intentions, that doesn’t make you magically able to understand and accept the ways people different from you live and think and act. Wanting to help, wanting to create positive changes, takes work; not just physically out in the world, but within yourself as well. Della made me think of rich, privileged white women who walk into immigrant communities or, hells, take themselves off to foreign countries in order to Better The Lives of The Less-Fortunate – except that Della shuts up and listens to the people she wants to help. She is confused by how the Akrabitti live, acknowledges to herself that she doesn’t get it at all – but she doesn’t judge, and does her best to accept that her way is not their way. The things that need changing are not their family structures or how they organise their politics – those things belong to the Akrabitti, they’re part of the Akrabitti culture. The things that need changing are how the Akrabitti are viewed and treated by other castes; the terrible conditions they’re forced to live and work in; and so on. Della isn’t there to turn the Akrabitti into Grobal; she’s there to find out what help they want and need, and to try and find a way to make that help happen.

It’s just like: YES, THANK YOU, THIS IS HOW IT’S SUPPOSED TO WORK.

I also really, really want to emphasise that Melín is utterly amazing and probably my new favourite character. I don’t feel like I can talk much about her story, because it would mean talking about so many spoilers, but just trust me on this: Melín. is. amazing.

That is all.

A big part of the character arcs for the Grobal characters in this story is discovering and understanding their privilege, and the ways in which they can use that privilege to help. Far more so than Mazes, this book is about the need for drastic change in Varin’s society – and about the people who try to make those changes; the people who are affected by those changes; and, of course, the people who either want to continue with the status quo, or manipulate it for selfish reasons. Transgressions is enormously about privilege, and freedoms, and rights, and all the ways in which those things interlock – for example, Della is a Grobal, wealthy beyond measure, with unthinking access to the best of everything her planet has to offer. And yet, she has less bodily freedoms than Melín, especially with regards things like sex and pregnancy; Grobal women don’t have much say at all in who they marry, and it is beyond nauseating to see how Della’s autonomy is forcefully negated when her pregnancy is discovered. The Imbati characters serve, almost to the point of being the possessions of the Grobal they serve – and yet they have access to the Mazes, a kind of behind-the-scenes network that runs throughout every part of every Varin city, and which it is completely unthinkable for a Grobal to enter. And so on. Everyone – except, perhaps, the Akrabitti – have unique constraints, but also unique privilege, and it’s the interlocking of all those different constraints and privileges that make up Varin society.

Which is not to say everything is fine and fair the way it is: it blatantly isn’t. Things need to change. It’s just really interesting to see how every caste – every character – has that two-faced coin of freedom and forbidden, and how inextricable the two are from each other. How each privilege shapes the constraint, and vice-versa.

And this is all without going into the POLITICS, because of course there are politics, and I think it’s fair to say that they’re even more complex this time around. The body-count ends up far higher than it was in Mazes, and this time we get to see the awful brilliance of it all from multiple levels. In Mazes, we really only saw how the politics affected the Grobal – which makes sense, because that was all about Selection, which is entirely a Grobal matter; whoever becomes Heir and Eminence will of course affect everyone, since everyone is affected by the laws and decisions the Heir and Eminence make, but the actual process of Selection is Grobal-only. It’s only Grobal who are at risk of assassination, during Selection.

In Transgressions? Not so much. The other castes aren’t safe as Nekantor spins his web, and it’s a disturbing, edge-of-your-seat race to figure out what he’s doing and whether it can be stopped. And this time, Nekantor’s web catches up – is even anchored by – too many people who aren’t Grobal; people who will gain nothing by being part of Nekantor’s game, and stand to lose absolutely everything.

Look, I massively enjoyed Mazes of Power, okay? But Transgressions? Is literally perfect. There is not one thing I’d change, not one word out of place, not one single detail that is not absolutely flawless. I kiss my fingers to this book. I swoon for this book. I want to write this book freaking love poetry.

TL;DR: perfect book is perfect, and I may waste away pining for the next in the series!

The post Impossibly, Dazzlingly, Incisively Flawless: Transgressions of Power by Juliette Wade appeared first on Every Book a Doorway.

A Labyrinth You Won’t Want to Leave: Mazes of Power by Juliette Wade

Mazes of Power (The Broken Trust, #1) by Juliette Wade
Representation: Bi/pansexual MC, Gay MC with OCD, M/M
Genres: Fantasy, Queer Protagonists, Sci Fi
ISBN: 0756415748
Goodreads

This debut work of sociological science fiction follows a deadly battle for succession, where brother is pitted against brother in a singular chance to win power and influence for their family.

The cavern city of Pelismara has stood for a thousand years. The Great Families of the nobility cling to the myths of their golden age while the city's technology wanes.

When a fever strikes, and the Eminence dies, seventeen-year-old Tagaret is pushed to represent his Family in the competition for Heir to the Throne. To win would give him the power to rescue his mother from his abusive father, and marry the girl he loves.

But the struggle for power distorts everything in this highly stratified society, and the fever is still loose among the inbred, susceptible nobles. Tagaret's sociopathic younger brother, Nekantor, is obsessed with their family's success. Nekantor is willing to exploit Tagaret, his mother, and her new servant Aloran to defeat their opponents.

Can he be stopped? Should he be stopped? And will they recognize themselves after the struggle has changed them?

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~do not trust the pretty glowy floaty things
~the sky is a myth
~gloves will save your life
~“My heart is as deep as the heavens. No word uttered in confidence will escape it.”
~cavern-cities are safe from everything except other people

Reader, I have a new favourite series.

Like so many other books I’ve fallen in love with, I discovered Wade’s Broken Trust series via KA Doores’ annual list of queer SFF – 2021’s list included book two of the series, Transgressions of Power, and it sounded interesting, so I picked up book one to give it a try.

And was hooked pretty much instantly.

VARIN IS A PLACE WHERE HUMANS HAVE ALWAYS LIVED ON AN ALIEN WORLD.

IT IS ALSO YOUR HOME.

The world Wade has created is phenomenal – detailed, intricate, believable, and other – by which I mean, the society and culture (cultures, really) of Varin are not drawn from any real-world culture; the characters are very human, but the society they live in is just alien enough to make it really feel like we’re not in Kansas anymore. Too often, I see fictional worlds which really don’t capture that sense of being separate from ours; settings that don’t feel like they developed organically on another planet or in some other dimension, uninfluenced by our world’s history and religions and conflicts and everything else. But the world of Mazes absolutely feels like that – as though Wade isn’t writing fiction, but is instead giving us a look into a real place, populated by real people; a parallel universe, maybe, where humans evolved on some other planet entirely and thus turned out very differently.

Does that make sense?

Mazes is set in the capital city Pelismara – which exists entirely underground; of all the characters we meet in this book, only two have ever seen the open sky. The people of Pelismara – actually, all the people of Varin, the world in which Mazes is set – are divided into castes, with each caste having its own role in the function of society; Arissen are guards and police officers; Imbati serve; and the Grobal…well, the Grobal rule. Or the men do, at least; unlike the other castes we see, the Grobal are very patriarchal. Grobal women are meant to be decorative, good helpmeets, and, most of all, fertile – Grobal birthrates are very low, Grobal children tend to be pretty sickly, and Kinders fever, while occasionally dangerous to members of other castes, is pretty much a death-sentence for any Grobal who contracts it. Grobal are very much obsessed with the Failure of the Race and their Duty to the Race (aka, the low birthrate and the duty to procreate) and all in all, I suspect Wade deliberately gave the Grobal caste the only caste-name that sounds unpleasant (‘grobal’ is simply not a very pretty word) because there’s not much about the Grobal to like. They’re misogynistic, classist, insular, arrogant, queerphobic, and go all-in on demonising rape victims and sex work and marrying young women off to much older men. They’re a fairly clear stand-in for white supremacists in way too many ways.

Although there are definitely Grobal individuals who are pretty great, like Tagaret, a young Grobal man whose love of music is greater than his fear of Kinders fever, as we see when he risks attending a concert despite a potential outbreak, and his mother Tamelera, who takes refuge from her horrific marriage in designing exquisite clothing. Then there’s Nekantor, Tageret’s younger brother and Tamelera’s son, who is definitely not someone I’d want to be friends with – he’s manipulative, abusive, and doesn’t recognise most people as being actual people – but who is still incredibly interesting, and whom I felt real sympathy for even when he was transitioning into villain territory.

Then there’s Aloran, who is Imbati, and becomes Tamelera’s in less-than-ideal circumstances. There’s no missing noun in the previous sentence, by the way; Imbati who bind themselves into a Grobal’s service have no family names and are simply referred to as ‘Tamelera’s Aloran’, very much as if the Imbati are possessions rather than people. But the relationship between Grobal and Imbati is far more complex than it might look at first; an Imbati is servant, butler, dresser, confidante, aide, and bodyguard all in one to their Grobal, and to the Imbati this service is a kind of holy calling. It’s an incredibly fascinating dynamic, made more so because the main Grobal/Imbati relationship we see – Tamelera and Aloran – is unconventional from the beginning. Aloran also serves as a kind of relief to the reader; seeing his horror and outrage at how the Grobal live – and how Grobal women are treated, in particular – both reassures us that Wade is fully aware of what she’s doing re writing the Grobal as utterly terrible people and tells us that this is not how the other castes live at all.

(Alas that we don’t get to see much of how other castes live in this book. Having finished book two, I can promise you that we see much more of the other castes later, and what we see is so much better than I could ever have hoped for.)

to be the man Mother wanted everyone to see, he had to stand gracefully, making the high mosaic vaults his portrait frames, and the crystal chandeliers his spotlights.

The story itself is as deliciously intricate as the worldbuilding; when the current Eminence dies, the Twelve Grobal Families (that’s right, TWELVE – they’re infertile and sickly because they’re inbred as hell) go into a frenzy as Selection begins, a political ritual that sees each Family put forward a candidate to become the new Heir. Selection is a time of infighting, backstabbing, blackmail, and outright assassination, and is further complicated for our main characters because despite his father’s insistence, Tagaret has less than zero interest in being his family’s candidate. Whereas Nekantor goes full-on megalomaniac, a process that starts to wrack up a body-count – metaphorical and literal – pretty quickly, and is further complicated by his OCD in a society that demonises neurodivergence and any kind of disability. And both brothers – Nekantor and Tagaret – have to navigate queer relationships that must be kept utterly secret, since the Grobal are as appalled by queerness as they are by neurodiversity.

Did I mention I don’t like the Grobal??? At all??? Because I don’t. I really, really don’t.

I never got the sense that I was supposed to, though; as I said above, Mazes of Power very much feels like Wade knows what she’s doing and is in control of it – the Grobal are not a group to admire, but one that needs to be dismantled, and the quiet subplot of certain characters developing stronger and stronger feelings re social reform was probably my favourite of the various plotlines. Most of all, though, I was absolutely in love with how detailed and unique the worldbuilding was, and with Wade’s prose; I mean, this has got to be right up there on the list of all-time best first lines–

Tagaret believed in music the same way he believed in the sky.

I mean. !!! What an intro to both the concept of the cavern-cities and Tagaret’s love of music!

It’s a little hard for me to rate Mazes of Power now that I’ve already read and loved the sequel, Transgressions of Power – Transgressions was definitely more to my taste, being much more queer with a story that was much more direct about the need for social change, so I suspect my feelings for Transgressions are colouring my memories of Mazes, at least a little. For sure, this is not a nice book. The Grobal are queerphobic, disgusted by neurodiversity and disability, and misogynistic. You could argue that the Grobal/Imbati relationship is slavery. There is marital rape and domestic violence. I know readers who weren’t at all happy with the portrayal of queerness, or how those queer relationships are resolved (as a queer person myself, I had no problems with those aspects), and others who were upset by the treatment of Nekantor’s OCD (although again, as a nuerodivergent person, I thought it was made pretty clear that it wasn’t his OCD that was the problem, but his society’s view of it, and what he does to overcome that prejudice/win the ‘game’ his caste plays with politics). Even the characters we’re supposed to like carry the prejudices of their society, and do some things we’d consider despicable because of it. I think it’s an amazing book packed full of flawed people and deliberately fucked-up worldbuilding, and I would absolutely ask that anyone who has mixed feelings about Mazes push through to get to the next book, because it’s so, so worth it. But I would equally understand anyone who decides that this isn’t the right book for them.

I know that I did love Mazes even before I got to Transgressions; not as much, maybe, but still a hell of a lot. Enough that I bought book two before I was finished with book one, and preordered book three once I did finish book one! Enough that Juliette Wade has gone straight onto my auto-buy list of authors – I’ll read anything she decides to write.

Although I hope what she decides to write for the next little while is set in Varin, because I’m not even slightly ready to leave this world and these characters!

The post A Labyrinth You Won’t Want to Leave: Mazes of Power by Juliette Wade appeared first on Every Book a Doorway.

I Can’t Wait For…When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill

Can’t-Wait Wednesdayis 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 is When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill!

When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill
Representation: Sapphic MC
Published on: 3rd May 2022
Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Goodreads

A slyly funny, utterly original, triumphantly feminist novel, by the Newbery award-winning author of The Girl Who Drank the Moon, about the Mass Dragoning of 1955 in which 300,000 women spontaneously transform into dragons...and change the world.

Alex Green is a young girl in a world much like ours. But this version of 1950's America is characterized by a significant event: The Mass Dragoning of 1955, when hundreds of thousands of ordinary wives and mothers sprouted wings, scales and talons, left a trail of fiery destruction in their path, and took to the skies. Seemingly for good. Was it their choice? What will become of those left behind? Why did Alex's beloved Aunt Marla transform but her mother did not? Alex doesn't know. It's taboo to speak of, even more so than her crush on Sonja, her schoolmate.

Forced into silence, Alex nevertheless must face the consequences of dragons: a mother more protective than ever; a father growing increasingly distant; the upsetting insistence that her aunt never even existed; and a new "sister" obsessed with dragons far beyond propriety. Through loss, rage, and self-discovery, this story follows Alex's journey as she deals with the events leading up to and beyond the Mass Dragoning, and her connection with the phenomenon itself.

In this timely and timeless speculative novel, award-winning author Kelly Barnhill boldly explores rage, memory, and the limitations of girlhood. When Women Were Dragons exposes a world that wants to keep women small--their lives and their prospects--and examines what happens when they rise en masse and take up the space they deserve.

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You had me at Mass Dragoning!!! This sounds absolutely incredible – an exploration of femme rage via dragon transformation??? AND it’s queer??? Could you tailor this any more to my interests if you tried??? I THINK NOT.

I immediately want to know everything about the Mass Dragoning – I would absolutely be like the sister with all the improper questions, I can already tell she and I are going to get along – and I’m fascinated by what the world would look like after an event like that. What did it do to the feminist movement? In our world American women (well, the white ones) had the vote by then; would you take the vote away from women, if there was a chance of them turning into dragons??? The blurb doesn’t sound like the world tripped over itself giving women more rights, which tbh is what I would do if I thought there was any chance a pissed-off lady might turn into a dragon if I didn’t give her what she wanted. Were there any Dragonings outside of the USA? Will we get a glimpse of what the rest of the world thinks about it? Where did the dragons go, and how is anyone explaining the fact that dragons are apparently real??? Were all the old myths inspired by similar transformations in the past???

QUESTIONS, I HAVE THEM.

On a different note, I’m also delighted just because dragons. Even though we think of dragons as a staple of Fantasy…we actually don’t get to see them that often. Of the 208 books I’ve read so far this year, only 5 of them included dragons – and one of those was a collection of flash-fiction where the dragon was only in the shortest of short stories. That’s 2.4% of all my reading, and the dragons weren’t the focus in any of those. WE NEED MORE DRAGONS, is what I’m saying here, so I’m grateful and super happy that Barnhill decided to provide!

Barnhill has already written a bunch of fabulous MG books – most famously, The Girl Who Drank The Moon – but I think this is her first Adult Fantasy, and as should be obvious, I am very, very excited!

The post I Can’t Wait For…When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill appeared first on Every Book a Doorway.

Must-Have Monday #63

SIX showcase-worthy releases this week, ranging from holiday romances to time travel!

[image error]Where the Rain Cannot Reach (Doman’s Despair #1) by Adesina Brown
Representation: Queernorm world
Published on: 7th December 2021
Genres: Fantasy, Secondary World Fantasy
Goodreads

Tair has never known what it means to belong. Abandoned at a young age and raised in the all-Elven valley of Mirte, the young Human defines herself by isolation, confined to her small, seemingly trustworthy family.

Abruptly, that family uproots her from Mirte and leads her on an inevitable but treacherous journey to Doman: the previous site of unspeakable Human atrocities and the current home of Dwarvenkind. Though Doman offers Tair new definitions of family and love, it also reveals to her that her very existence is founded in lies. Now, tasked with an awful responsibility to the Humans of Sossoa, Tair must decide where her loyalties lie and, in the process, discover who she wants to be... And who she has always been.

In their debut fantasy novel Where the Rain Cannot Reach, Adesina Brown constructs a world rich with new languages and nuanced considerations of gender and race, ultimately contemplating how, in freeing ourselves from power, we may find true belonging.

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I’m actually a little unclear on whether the release date for this one is tomorrow, or whether it’s already available – it seems like the ebook, at least, you can already buy! Regardless, I’ve been excited for Where the Rain Cannot Reach since it was featured on LGBTQ Reads, where Brown wrote a great post on queernorm worldbuilding. Queernorm fantasy is right up at the top of Things I Want To Read, so you can bet I’m pouncing on this one!

Spin Me Right Round by David Valdes
Representation: Gay Latino MC, queer cast
Published on: 4th January 2022
Genres: Queer Protagonists, Sci Fi
Goodreads

From lauded writer David Valdes, a sharp and funny YA novel that's Back to the Future with a twist, as a gay teen travels back to his parents' era to save a closeted classmate's life.

All Luis Gonzalez wants is to go to prom with his boyfriend, something his “progressive” school still doesn't allow. Not after what happened with Chaz Wilson. But that was ages ago, when Luis's parents were in high school; it would never happen today, right? He's determined to find a way to give his LGBTQ friends the respect they deserve (while also not risking his chance to be prom king, just saying…).

When a hit on the head knocks him back in time to 1985 and he meets the doomed young Chaz himself, Luis concocts a new plan-he's going to give this guy his first real kiss. Though it turns out a conservative school in the '80s isn't the safest place to be a gay kid. Especially with homophobes running the campus, including Gordo (aka Luis's estranged father). Luis is in over his head, trying not to make things worse-and hoping he makes it back to present day at all.

In a story that's fresh, intersectional, and wickedly funny, David Valdes introduces a big-mouthed, big-hearted queer character that readers won't soon forget.

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Back to the Future, but queer was how Spin Me Right Round was explained to me, which sounds like a lot of fun. And I’ve only heard good things from early reviewers!

The Coldest Touch by Isabel Sterling
Representation: F/F
Published on: 7th December 2021
Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Goodreads

Elise Beaumont is cursed. With every touch, she experiences exactly how her loved ones will die. And after her brother’s death—a death she predicted but was unable to prevent—Elise is desperate to get rid of her terrible gift, no matter the cost.

Claire Montgomery also has a unique relationship with death, mostly because she’s already dead. Technically, anyway. Claire is a vampire, and she’s been assigned by the Veil to help Elise master her rare Death Oracle powers.

At first, Elise is reluctant to work with a vampire, but when she predicts a teacher’s imminent murder, she’s determined to stop the violent death, even if it means sacrificing her own future to secure Claire’s help.

The trouble is, Claire and Elise aren’t the only paranormals in town—a killer is stalking the streets, and Claire can’t seem to shake the pull she feels toward Elise, a romance that could upend the Veil’s mission. But as Elise and Claire grow closer, Elise begins to wonder—can she really trust someone tasked with securing her loyalty? Someone who could so easily kill her? Someone who might hold the key to unraveling her brother’s mysterious death?

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I’ve been seeing more openly queer vampire stories lately, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want more of them! Sterling’s These Witches Don’t Burn was super readable, and I am definitely here for F/F between a vampire and a death-prophet. (Although that sounds like the worst superpower ever, poor thing!)

The Liar's Knot (Rook & Rose, #2) by M.A. Carrick
Representation: Queer MC, queernorm world
Published on: 7th December 2021
Genres: Fantasy, Secondary World Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Goodreads

Trust is the thread that binds. And the rope that hangs.

In Nadežra, peace is as tenuous as a single thread. The ruthless House Indestor has been destroyed, but darkness still weaves through the city’s filthy back alleys and jewel-bright gardens, seen by those who know where to look.

Derossi Vargo has always known. He has sacrificed more than anyone imagines to carve himself a position of power and influence among the nobility, hiding a will of steel behind a velvet smile. He'll be damned if he lets anyone threaten what he's built. 

Grey Serrado knows all too well. Bent under the yoke of too many burdens, he fights to protect the city’s most vulnerable. Sooner or later, that fight will demand more than he can give. 

And Ren, daughter of no clan, knows best of all. Caught in a knot of lies, torn between her heritage and her aristocratic masquerade, she relies on her gift for reading pattern to survive. And it shows her the web of darkness that traps her city. 

But all three have yet to discover just how far that web stretches. And in the end, it will take more than knives to cut themselves free...

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Worldbuilding is pretty much my favourite thing ever, so huge fantasy tomes written by real-life anthropologists??? Tick all of my boxes. I wasn’t in love with book one of this series, but I’ve decided I still want to try the sequel, especially since I really have no idea where it’s going to go.

Amor Actually by Adriana Herrera, Alexis Daria, Diana Muñoz Stewart, Mia Sosa, Priscilla Oliveras, Sabrina Sol, Zoey Castile
Representation: BIPOC MCs, Queer MCs
Published on: 7th December 2021
Genres: Queer Protagonists
Goodreads

Nochebuena. One party. Nine Happily Ever Afters.

It’s Christmas Eve in New York City, when anything is possible. For these couples, it’s the season to find true love. From second-chances, big leaps, missed connections, and reconnections, this charming collection celebrates the spirit of the holidays and delivers nine perfect HEAs.

From seven acclaimed and bestselling Latina authors—Zoey Castile, Alexis Daria, Adriana Herrera, Diana Muñoz Stewart, Priscilla Oliveras, Sabrina Sol, and Mia Sosa—comes a holiday romance collection like never before.

Make the Yuletide Gay • Adriana Herrera
After a string of broken engagements, an international Latin Pop Star finds love in her sexy and constant manager. Days before her big live holiday special, Vivi wonders if the woman of her dreams could finally be hers.

Only Yours • Sabrina Sol
​​The Mayor of New York embarks on a Christmas Eve search to find the woman he loves before she gets away.

Meet Me Under the Mistletoe • by Priscilla Oliveras
Challenged by his friends to find a plus one to Nochebuena dinner or else, widower Hector Gutierrez isn’t sure he’s still got any good moves left. That is until he strikes the right chord with his son’s music teacher, Cristina.

All I Want for Nochebuena • Alexis Daria
When sparks fly between adult film stars Honey and Julie, Honey must work up the courage to invite Julie to her family’s holiday party or risk losing what she really wants for Nochebuena—a chance at true love.

Santa’s Eager Little Helper • by Mia Sosa
Sarita’s plan to confess her crush on a coworker goes awry when she’s tasked with playing the Sexy Elf to his grumpy Santa. Will she seize the opportunity to make Carlos’s naughty list, or will she spend another Nochebuena alone?

The Nochebuena Dating Dare • by Diana Muñoz Stewart
Eneida Lucero takes a second chance on love with the handsome musical director at her school—even if it means causing some Nochebuena drama with her ex-husband and familia.

Love in Spanglish • Zoey Castile
A heartbroken romance writer gets snowed in with a novel-worthy hero who may just make her believe in love again.

To Us, You Are Perfect • Alexis Daria & Adriana Herrera
Newlyweds Pasquale and Yamilette’s Christmas is just short of perfect. The missing piece is their best friend Marcelo, who has loved them from afar for years. This Nochebuena, they’ll finally complete their happily ever after.

The Great Holiday Escape • Zoey Castile
Gigi is always on the hustle, making sure her little sister has everything she needs including a big Christmas Eve fiesta with all their friends and family. That night, Gigi receives an all-expenses paid trip to a luxe South Beach weekend where not one, but two beautiful strangers steal her heart.

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This just sounds like a sweet warm anthology to curl up with, and every story is written by a Latina author!

If This Gets Out by Sophie Gonzales, Cale Dietrich
Representation: M/M
Published on: 7th December 2021
Genres: Queer Protagonists
Goodreads

Eighteen-year-olds Ruben Montez and Zach Knight are two members of the boy-band Saturday, one of the biggest acts in America. Along with their bandmates, Angel Phan and Jon Braxton, the four are teen heartbreakers in front of the cameras and best friends backstage. But privately, cracks are starting to form: their once-easy rapport is straining under the pressures of fame, and Ruben confides in Zach that he’s feeling smothered by management’s pressure to stay in the closet.

On a whirlwind tour through Europe, with both an unrelenting schedule and minimal supervision, Ruben and Zach come to rely on each other more and more, and their already close friendship evolves into a romance. But when they decide they’re ready to tell their fans and live freely, Zach and Ruben start to truly realize that they will never have the support of their management. How can they hold tight to each other when the whole world seems to want to come between them?

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It’s not SFF, but I’ve heard really great things about If This Gets Out from early readers, so I’m willing to give it a go. The premise is certainly pretty cute!

That’s it for this week! Will you be reading any of these? Did I miss a book I should know about? Let me know!

The post Must-Have Monday #63 appeared first on Every Book a Doorway.