Siavahda's Blog, page 86

Must-have Monday #37!

Tomorrow is the beginning of Pride Month, and the week’s releases definitely reflect that! I’m so excited. AREN’T YOU EXCITED? We have ELEVEN SFF releases to blow our book budgets on this week, ranging from trans witches to tea dragons to ghosts in Edinburgh!

The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo
Representation: Asian-American queer MC
on 1st June 2021
Genres: Queer Protagonists, Historical Fantasy
Goodreads

Immigrant. Socialite. Magician.

Jordan Baker grows up in the most rarefied circles of 1920s American society—she has money, education, a killer golf handicap, and invitations to some of the most exclusive parties of the Jazz Age. She’s also queer, Asian, adopted, and treated as an exotic attraction by her peers, while the most important doors remain closed to her.

But the world is full of wonders: infernal pacts and dazzling illusions, lost ghosts and elemental mysteries. In all paper is fire, and Jordan can burn the cut paper heart out of a man. She just has to learn how.

Nghi Vo’s debut novel The Chosen and the Beautiful reinvents this classic of the American canon as a coming-of-age story full of magic, mystery, and glittering excess, and introduces a major new literary voice.

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Vo needs no introduction after her exquisite Singing Hills novellas, and I am still SCREAMING about the fact that we’re getting a full novel from her!!! WHY ISN’T IT TOMORROW YET?

Water Horse by Melissa Scott
Representation: Bisexual MC
Genres: Queer Protagonists, High Fantasy
Goodreads

For the last twenty years, Esclin Aubrinos, arros of the Hundred Hills, has acted jointly with Alcis Mirielos, the kyra of the Westwood, and the rivermaster of Riverholme to defend their land of Allanoth against the Riders who invade from Manan across the Narrow Sea. He has long been a master of the shifting politics of his own people and his independently-minded allies, but this year the omens turn against him. The Riders have elected a new lord paramount, hallowed servant of the Blazing One, a man chosen and fated for victory.

The omens agree that Nen Elin, Esclin’s stronghold and the heart of Allanoth, will fall when a priest of the Blazing One enters its gates. Esclin needs a spirit-bonded royal sword, a talismanic weapon made of star-fallen iron, to unite the hillfolk behind him. But the same vision that called for the sword proclaimed that Esclin will then betray it, and every step he takes to twist free of the prophecies brings him closer to that doom.

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I’m still grumpy that I only found out practically at the last minute that Melissa Scott, aka one of my favourite authors OF ALL TIME, was releasing a new book! My usual channels keeping me up to date with new releases failed me, clearly. But not too badly, because now I DO know about it, AND you now know about it too, which means you have absolutely no excuse for not picking up a copy!

The Witch King (The Witch King, #1) by H.E. Edgmon
Representation: Trans MC, M/M or mlm
on 1st June 2021
Genres: Queer Protagonists, Urban Fantasy
Goodreads

To save a fae kingdom, a trans witch must face his traumatic past and the royal fiancé he left behind. This debut YA fantasy will leave you spellbound.

Wyatt would give anything to forget where he came from—but a kingdom demands its king.

In Asalin, fae rule and witches like Wyatt Croft…don’t. Wyatt’s betrothal to his best friend, fae prince Emyr North, was supposed to change that. But when Wyatt lost control of his magic one devastating night, he fled to the human world.

Now a coldly distant Emyr has hunted him down. Despite transgender Wyatt’s newfound identity and troubling past, Emyr has no intention of dissolving their engagement. In fact, he claims they must marry now or risk losing the throne. Jaded, Wyatt strikes a deal with the enemy, hoping to escape Asalin forever. But as he gets to know Emyr, Wyatt realizes the boy he once loved may still exist. And as the witches face worsening conditions, he must decide once and for all what’s more important—his people or his freedom.

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I’ve been looking forward to this for such a long time; I can’t believe I finally get to start reading it tomorrow!!! Trans witches being courted by the prince of Faerie; hi, ALL THE YES, THANK YOU KINDLY.

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
Representation: Bisexual MC, Chinese-American lesbian love interest, F/F or wlw, trans secondary character, secondary M/M or mlm
on 1st June 2021
Genres: Queer Protagonists, Urban Fantasy
Goodreads

From the New York Times bestselling author of Red, White & Royal Blue comes a new romantic comedy that will stop readers in their tracks...

For cynical twenty-three-year-old August, moving to New York City is supposed to prove her right: that things like magic and cinematic love stories don’t exist, and the only smart way to go through life is alone. She can’t imagine how waiting tables at a 24-hour pancake diner and moving in with too many weird roommates could possibly change that. And there’s certainly no chance of her subway commute being anything more than a daily trudge through boredom and electrical failures.

But then, there’s this gorgeous girl on the train.

Jane. Dazzling, charming, mysterious, impossible Jane. Jane with her rough edges and swoopy hair and soft smile, showing up in a leather jacket to save August’s day when she needed it most. August’s subway crush becomes the best part of her day, but pretty soon, she discovers there’s one big problem: Jane doesn’t just look like an old school punk rocker. She’s literally displaced in time from the 1970s, and August is going to have to use everything she tried to leave in her own past to help her. Maybe it’s time to start believing in some things, after all.

Casey McQuiston’s One Last Stop is a magical, sexy, big-hearted romance where the impossible becomes possible as August does everything in her power to save the girl lost in time.

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You couldn’t have paid me not to snatch this one up after the pure fizzing delight that was Red, White, & Royal Blue, but in fact I was honoured with an advanced reading copy so I can tell you, hand-on-heart, that this is even better than it sounds. It is hysterically funny and queer as hell and is all about the found-family trope, okay? My review will be up tomorrow, but seriously, if you haven’t preordered this one already, PLEASE DO SO IMMEDIATELY.

The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer
Representation: M/M or mlm, brown MC
on 1st June 2021
Genres: Queer Protagonists, Sci Fi
Goodreads

Two boys, alone in space.

After the first settler on Titan trips her distress signal, neither remaining country on Earth can afford to scramble a rescue of its own, and so two sworn enemies are installed in the same spaceship.

Ambrose wakes up on the Coordinated Endeavor, with no memory of a launch. There’s more that doesn’t add up: Evidence indicates strangers have been on board, the ship’s operating system is voiced by his mother, and his handsome, brooding shipmate has barricaded himself away. But nothing will stop Ambrose from making his mission succeed—not when he’s rescuing his own sister.

In order to survive the ship’s secrets, Ambrose and Kodiak will need to work together and learn to trust one another… especially once they discover what they are truly up against. Love might be the only way to survive.

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I wasn’t super interested in this one – until I saw a number of reviews saying that calling it YA was a serious case of mislabeling, and that it’s actually very Adult in theme and story-structure. Which had me snapping to attention immediately! Apparently it’s a lot more sci-fi than romance and I must admit, that’s a mix that appeals to me much more. I guess we’ll see how it goes tomorrow!

The Nichan Smile (The Lost Faces, #1) by C.J. Merwild
Representation: M/M
on 1st June 2021
Genres: Queer Protagonists, Secondary World Fantasy
Goodreads

The Gods smiled upon their offsprings from the skies, loving, generous. But that was before. For the sky is now tainted, and the people deprived of their creators overnight have been orphans for nearly two centuries.

Since that fateful day, the Corruption has reigned over the world. It defiled the clouds, covered the lands with a veil of darkness. The first conflicts arose in the east of the Coroman continent, some under the impulse of beliefs calling for blood and flames. As hatred continues to spread, the vanished Gods no longer answering any prayers, some fight for a peaceful life.

In the midst of this madness, two children meet each other. One of them is human.The other is nichan.The boys are two opposite minds and fates, yet connected irrevocably. The days, then the passing years bring them together. But life reminds them of their differences and works to crush the remnants of their innocence. Between joys and sorrows, friendship and savagery, a smile is sometimes enough to change everything…

Trigger Warning: this novel contains graphic violence, violence against children and animals, explicit sexual content (including sexual violence and underage sex), and explicit language. Reader discretion is advised.

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I’d been following this author on instagram for quite a while before I realised they were writing a book about some of the gorgeous characters they kept drawing! I feel like such a dope for taking so long to catch that, but I’m really excited to get to learn more about the characters who’ve been appearing on my insta feed for months!

Future Feeling by Joss Lake
Representation: Trans cast
on 1st June 2021
Genres: Queer Protagonists, Urban Fantasy
Goodreads

An embittered dog walker obsessed with a social media influencer inadvertently puts a curse a young man—and must adventure into mysterious dimension in order to save him—in this wildly inventive, delightfully subversive, genre-nonconforming debut novel about illusion, magic, technology, kinship, and the emergent future.

The year is 20__, and Penfield R. Henderson is in a rut. When he’s not walking dogs for cash or responding to booty calls from his B-list celebrity hookup, he’s holed up in his dingy Bushwick apartment obsessing over holograms of Aiden Chase, a fellow trans man and influencer documenting his much smoother transition into picture-perfect masculinity on the Gram. After an IRL encounter with Aiden leaves Pen feeling especially resentful, Pen enlists his roommates, the Witch and the Stoner-Hacker, to put their respective talents to use in hexing Aiden. Together, they gain access to Aiden’s social media account and post a picture of Pen’s aloe plant, Alice, tied to a curse:

Whosoever beholds the aloe will be pushed into the Shadowlands.

When the hex accidentally bypasses Aiden, sending another young trans man named Blithe to the Shadowlands (the dreaded emotional landscape through which every trans person must journey to achieve true self-actualization), the Rhiz (the quasi-benevolent big brother agency overseeing all trans matters) orders Pen and Aiden to team up and retrieve him. The two trace Blithe to a dilapidated motel in California and bring him back to New York, where they try to coax Blithe to stop speaking only in code and awkwardly try to pass on what little trans wisdom they possess. As the trio makes its way in a world that includes pitless avocados and subway cars that change color based on occupants’ collective moods but still casts judgment on anyone not perfectly straight, Pen starts to learn that sometimes a family isn’t just the people who birthed you.

Magnificently imagined, linguistically dazzling, and riotously fun, Future Feeling presents an alternate future in which advanced technology still can’t replace human connection but may give the trans community new ways to care for its own.

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This sounds utterly bonkers in the best of ways, and I can’t wait to finally dive into it! Seriously, I’ve been doing grabby-hands for MONTHS!

The Library of the Dead (Edinburgh Nights, #1) by T.L. Huchu
Representation: Black MC, disabled secondary character
on 1st June 2021
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Goodreads

Sixth Sense meets Stranger Things in T. L. Huchu's The Library of the Dead, a sharp contemporary fantasy following a precocious and cynical teen as she explores the shadowy magical underside of modern Edinburgh.

When a child goes missing in Edinburgh's darkest streets, young Ropa investigates. She'll need to call on Zimbabwean magic as well as her Scottish pragmatism to hunt down clues. But as shadows lengthen, will the hunter become the hunted?

When ghosts talk, she will listen...

Ropa dropped out of school to become a ghostalker. Now she speaks to Edinburgh's dead, carrying messages to the living. A girl's gotta earn a living, and it seems harmless enough. Until, that is, the dead whisper that someone's bewitching children--leaving them husks, empty of joy and life. It's on Ropa's patch, so she feels honor-bound to investigate. But what she learns will change her world.

She'll dice with death (not part of her life plan...), discovering an occult library and a taste for hidden magic. She'll also experience dark times. For Edinburgh hides a wealth of secrets, and Ropa's gonna hunt them all down.

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Library of the Dead is finally getting its US release! I read it when it came out in the UK a while ago, and I love it; Ropa is a bloody amazing character, the balance of magic to mundane was perfect, and when I realised I’d completely misunderstood a very basic aspect of the worldbuilding, my mind was blown. I’ve already got the sequel preordered!

(And yes, Ropa’s a teenager, but no, it’s not YA!)

The Tea Dragon Tapestry (Tea Dragon, #3) by Kay O'Neill
Representation: Brown MC, F/F, secondary M/M, secondary disabled character
on 1st June 2021
Genres: Queer Protagonists, Secondary World Fantasy
Goodreads

Join Greta and Minette once more for the heartwarming conclusion of the award-winning Tea Dragon series!

Over a year since being entrusted with Ginseng's care, Greta still can't chase away the cloud of mourning that hangs over the timid Tea Dragon. As she struggles to create something spectacular enough to impress a master blacksmith in search of an apprentice, she questions the true meaning of crafting, and the true meaning of caring for someone in grief. Meanwhile, Minette receives a surprise package from the monastery where she was once training to be a prophetess. Thrown into confusion about her path in life, the shy and reserved Minette finds that the more she opens her heart to others, the more clearly she can see what was always inside.

Told with the same care and charm as the previous installments of the Tea Dragon series, The Tea Dragon Tapestry welcomes old friends and new into a heartfelt story of purpose, love, and growth.

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If you haven’t heard of the Tea Dragons, then you’ve got to get yourself copies of these beautiful, ridiculously heart-warming graphic novels! The whole trilogy is quietly diverse, with brown, queer and disabled characters throughout, all revolving around the wonderful tea dragons. I’m a little sad that the series is ending, but I know it’ll be a wonderful goodbye to these incredible characters and creatures!

Bacchanal by Veronica Henry
Representation: Black MC
on 25th May 2021
Genres: Historical Fantasy
Goodreads

Evil lives in a traveling carnival roaming the Depression-era South. But the carnival’s newest act, a peculiar young woman with latent magical powers, may hold the key to defeating it. Her time has come.

Abandoned by her family, alone on the wrong side of the color line with little to call her own, Eliza Meeks is coming to terms with what she does have. It’s a gift for communicating with animals. To some, she’s a magical tender. To others, a she-devil. To a talent prospector, she’s a crowd-drawing oddity. And the Bacchanal Carnival is Eliza’s ticket out of the swamp trap of Baton Rouge.

Among fortune-tellers, carnies, barkers, and folks even stranger than herself, Eliza finds a new home. But the Bacchanal is no ordinary carnival. An ancient demon has a home there too. She hides behind an iridescent disguise. She feeds on innocent souls. And she’s met her match in Eliza, who’s only beginning to understand the purpose of her own burgeoning powers.

Only then can Eliza save her friends, find her family, and fight the sway of a primordial demon preying upon the human world. Rolling across a consuming dust bowl landscape, Eliza may have found her destiny.

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This seems to be either a love-it-or-hate-it book; all the reviews I’ve seen are either strongly in one direction or the other. I love magical abilities that are tied to animals, and I think that’s what the description is maybe hinting at? But honestly, I have no real idea what to expect from this at all.

Girl One by Sara Flannery Murphy
on 1st June 2021
Genres: Sci Fi
Goodreads

Orphan Black meets Margaret Atwood in this twisty supernatural thriller about female power and the bonds of sisterhood.

Josephine Morrow is Girl One, the first of nine “Miracle Babies” conceived without male DNA, raised on an experimental commune known as the Homestead. When a suspicious fire destroys the commune and claims the lives of two of the Homesteaders, the remaining Girls and their Mothers scatter across the United States and lose touch.

Years later, Margaret Morrow goes missing, and Josie sets off on a desperate road trip, tracking down her estranged sisters who seem to hold the keys to her mother’s disappearance. Tracing the clues Margaret left behind, Josie joins forces with the other Girls, facing down those who seek to eradicate their very existence while uncovering secrets about their origins and unlocking devastating abilities they never knew they had.

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For someone who has no intention of ever having biological children, I am extremely interested in the idea of conception that has no need of a sperm cell. Add in superpowers (it sounds like that’s what the blurb’s talking about?) and I am in. You can read an excerpt from the book over here at Tor.com to see if it might appeal to you too!

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

The post Must-have Monday #37! appeared first on Every Book a Doorway.

Queer SFF I’m Excited For This Pride Month!

June is Pride Month, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen as glorious a Pride lineup as we’re getting this year! There are so many amazing queer sff releases this month, and these probably aren’t even all of them, but they are the ones I insist on making sure everyone knows about!

They’ll all be getting mentioned again in their relevant Must-Have Monday posts, but I wanted to list them all together already. Besides, this gives you a little more time to get your pre-orders in, if you’ve missed some of these until now!

Water Horse by Melissa Scott
Representation: Queer MC
on 1st June 2021
Genres: Queer Protagonists, High Fantasy
Goodreads

For the last twenty years, Esclin Aubrinos, arros of the Hundred Hills, has acted jointly with Alcis Mirielos, the kyra of the Westwood, and the rivermaster of Riverholme to defend their land of Allanoth against the Riders who invade from Manan across the Narrow Sea. He has long been a master of the shifting politics of his own people and his independently-minded allies, but this year the omens turn against him. The Riders have elected a new lord paramount, hallowed servant of the Blazing One, a man chosen and fated for victory.

The omens agree that Nen Elin, Esclin’s stronghold and the heart of Allanoth, will fall when a priest of the Blazing One enters its gates. Esclin needs a spirit-bonded royal sword, a talismanic weapon made of star-fallen iron, to unite the hillfolk behind him. But the same vision that called for the sword proclaimed that Esclin will then betray it, and every step he takes to twist free of the prophecies brings him closer to that doom.

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NEW MELISSA SCOTT NEW MELISSA SCOTT AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

…What? I’m not hyperventilating, you are! Nyeh!

No but seriously, Melissa Scott is (you may have guessed) one of my die-hard favourite authors, and this is a standalone queer high fantasy that sounds freaking amazing??? The premise alone makes me do a grabby hands, but I also know that the story from the blurb is going to be done in Scott’s prose with Scott’s attention to worldbuilding and characters and I just want to SHRIEK with anticipation and joy, I NEED TUESDAY TO GET HERE FASTER, OKAY?

The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo
Representation: Asian-American queer MC
on 1st June 2021
Genres: Queer Protagonists, Historical Fantasy
Goodreads

Immigrant. Socialite. Magician.

Jordan Baker grows up in the most rarefied circles of 1920s American society—she has money, education, a killer golf handicap, and invitations to some of the most exclusive parties of the Jazz Age. She’s also queer, Asian, adopted, and treated as an exotic attraction by her peers, while the most important doors remain closed to her.

But the world is full of wonders: infernal pacts and dazzling illusions, lost ghosts and elemental mysteries. In all paper is fire, and Jordan can burn the cut paper heart out of a man. She just has to learn how.

Nghi Vo’s debut novel The Chosen and the Beautiful reinvents this classic of the American canon as a coming-of-age story full of magic, mystery, and glittering excess, and introduces a major new literary voice.

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Listen. Listen. If, my darlings, you have not heard of Nghi Vo by now, well, you are in for a delight, because she is amazing and she has written two breathtaking novellas (which you must read) and on Tuesday we get her debut novel, and I cannot even. !!!

Do I know a thing about the Great Gatsby? Nope. Nothing. Nadda. Leonardo DiCaprio was in a movie adaption, maybe? That’s all I’ve got. Do I care? NOT EVEN A LITTLE. It’s Vo, I would read her shopping list, and no, I will not be reading the original Great Gatsby to compare, why the hells would I care about the original when I can have The Chosen and the Beautiful instead??? I haven’t read it yet, but clearly The Chosen and the Beautiful is going to be my forever-canon. End of discussion.

The Witch King (The Witch King, #1) by H.E. Edgmon
Representation: Trans MC, M/M or mlm
on 1st June 2021
Genres: Queer Protagonists, Urban Fantasy
Goodreads

To save a fae kingdom, a trans witch must face his traumatic past and the royal fiancé he left behind. This debut YA fantasy will leave you spellbound.

Wyatt would give anything to forget where he came from—but a kingdom demands its king.

In Asalin, fae rule and witches like Wyatt Croft…don’t. Wyatt’s betrothal to his best friend, fae prince Emyr North, was supposed to change that. But when Wyatt lost control of his magic one devastating night, he fled to the human world.
Now a coldly distant Emyr has hunted him down. Despite transgender Wyatt’s newfound identity and troubling past, Emyr has no intention of dissolving their engagement. In fact, he claims they must marry now or risk losing the throne. Jaded, Wyatt strikes a deal with the enemy, hoping to escape Asalin forever. But as he gets to know Emyr, Wyatt realizes the boy he once loved may still exist. And as the witches face worsening conditions, he must decide once and for all what’s more important—his people or his freedom.

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Hi, yes, please and thank you??? I have been WAITING for this book since it was first listed on Goodreads and I am READY and hi, who do I call to complain about the fact that it SOMEHOW ISN’T TUESDAY YET???

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
Representation: Bisexual MC, lesbian Chinese-American love interest, F/F or wlw, trans secondary character, secondary M/M or mlm
on 1st June 2021
Genres: Queer Protagonists, Urban Fantasy
Goodreads

For cynical twenty-three-year-old August, moving to New York City is supposed to prove her right: that things like magic and cinematic love stories don't exist, and the only smart way to go through life is alone. She can't imagine how waiting tables at a 24-hour pancake diner and moving in with too many weird roommates could possibly change that. And there's certainly no chance of her subway commute being anything more than a daily trudge through boredom and electrical failures.
But then, there's this gorgeous girl on the train.

Jane. Dazzling, charming, mysterious, impossible Jane. Jane with her rough edges and swoopy hair and soft smile, showing up in a leather jacket to save August's day when she needed it most. August's subway crush becomes the best part of her day, but pretty soon, she discovers there's one big problem: Jane doesn't just look like an old school punk rocker. She's literally displaced in time from the 1970s, and August is going to have to use everything she tried to leave in her own past to help her. Maybe it's time to start believing in some things, after all.

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Yes, I just finished my ARC (and am trying to rewrite my review so it’s actually legible instead of being a constant stream of !!! and gifs and caps lock), yes I will be immediately rereading it when it releases on Tuesday. No I will not be taking questions at this time (except yes, it actually is so fucking awesome that an immediate reread is the only rational response to finishing it. YOU WILL SEE!)

Future Feeling by Joss Lake
Representation: Trans cast
on 1st June 2021
Genres: Queer Protagonists, Magical Realism
Goodreads

An embittered dog walker obsessed with a social media influencer inadvertently puts a curse a young man—and must adventure into mysterious dimension in order to save him—in this wildly inventive, delightfully subversive, genre-nonconforming debut novel about illusion, magic, technology, kinship, and the emergent future.

The year is 20__, and Penfield R. Henderson is in a rut. When he’s not walking dogs for cash or responding to booty calls from his B-list celebrity hookup, he’s holed up in his dingy Bushwick apartment obsessing over holograms of Aiden Chase, a fellow trans man and influencer documenting his much smoother transition into picture-perfect masculinity on the Gram. After an IRL encounter with Aiden leaves Pen feeling especially resentful, Pen enlists his roommates, the Witch and the Stoner-Hacker, to put their respective talents to use in hexing Aiden. Together, they gain access to Aiden’s social media account and post a picture of Pen’s aloe plant, Alice, tied to a curse:

Whosoever beholds the aloe will be pushed into the Shadowlands.

When the hex accidentally bypasses Aiden, sending another young trans man named Blithe to the Shadowlands (the dreaded emotional landscape through which every trans person must journey to achieve true self-actualization), the Rhiz (the quasi-benevolent big brother agency overseeing all trans matters) orders Pen and Aiden to team up and retrieve him. The two trace Blithe to a dilapidated motel in California and bring him back to New York, where they try to coax Blithe to stop speaking only in code and awkwardly try to pass on what little trans wisdom they possess. As the trio makes its way in a world that includes pitless avocados and subway cars that change color based on occupants’ collective moods but still casts judgment on anyone not perfectly straight, Pen starts to learn that sometimes a family isn’t just the people who birthed you.

Magnificently imagined, linguistically dazzling, and riotously fun, Future Feeling presents an alternate future in which advanced technology still can’t replace human connection but may give the trans community new ways to care for its own.

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This one has gotten mixed reviews, but with that premise, I really do not care; I am more than willing to make this gamble. I am HERE for this gamble. TRANS WITCHES FUCKING THINGS UP WITH HEXES, WHERE DO I SIGN, I AM READY.

The Nichan Smile (The Lost Faces, #1) by C.J. Merwild
Representation: M/M
on 1st June 2021
Goodreads

The Gods smiled upon their offsprings from the skies, loving, generous. But that was before. For the sky is now tainted, and the people deprived of their creators overnight have been orphans for nearly two centuries.

Since that fateful day, the Corruption has reigned over the world. It defiled the clouds, covered the lands with a veil of darkness. The first conflicts arose in the east of the Coroman continent, some under the impulse of beliefs calling for blood and flames. As hatred continues to spread, the vanished Gods no longer answering any prayers, some fight for a peaceful life.

In the midst of this madness, two children meet each other. One of them is human.The other is nichan.The boys are two opposite minds and fates, yet connected irrevocably. The days, then the passing years bring them together. But life reminds them of their differences and works to crush the remnants of their innocence. Between joys and sorrows, friendship and savagery, a smile is sometimes enough to change everything…

Trigger Warning: this novel contains graphic violence, violence against children and animals, explicit sexual content (including sexual violence and underage sex), and explicit language. Reader discretion is advised.

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I think this might the be only self-published book on this list, which is a shame – I’m sure there are lots of awesome self-pubs and indies coming out (hah!) in June that I’m just not aware of. But I follow CJ Merwild on insta for their art, and I fell in love with the characters ages ago, so yes, I’ll be reading their story. Duh.

The Jasmine Throne (Burning Kingdoms, #1) by Tasha Suri
Representation: Cast of colour, F/F, sapphic MCs
on 8th June 2021
Genres: Queer Protagonists, High Fantasy
Goodreads

Author of Empire of Sand and Realm of Ash Tasha Suri's The Jasmine Throne, beginning a new trilogy set in a world inspired by the history and epics of India, in which a captive princess and a maidservant in possession of forbidden magic become unlikely allies on a dark journey to save their empire from the princess's traitor brother.

Imprisoned by her dictator brother, Malini spends her days in isolation in the Hirana: an ancient temple that was once the source of the powerful, magical deathless waters — but is now little more than a decaying ruin.

Priya is a maidservant, one among several who make the treacherous journey to the top of the Hirana every night to clean Malini’s chambers. She is happy to be an anonymous drudge, so long as it keeps anyone from guessing the dangerous secret she hides.

But when Malini accidentally bears witness to Priya’s true nature, their destinies become irrevocably tangled. One is a vengeful princess seeking to depose her brother from his throne. The other is a priestess seeking to find her family. Together, they will change the fate of an empire.

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It’s Tasha Suri.

What else could you possibly need to know?

It’s TASHA SURI.

The Unraveling by Benjamin Rosenbaum
Representation: Neogenders, group marriage, nonbinary cast
on 9th June 2021
Genres: Queer Protagonists, Sci Fi
Goodreads

In the distant future somewhere in the galaxy, a society has emerged where everyone has multiple bodies, cybernetics has abolished privacy, and individual and family success within the rigid social system is reliant upon instantaneous social approbation.

Young Fift is an only child of the staid gender, struggling to maintain their position in the system while developing an intriguing friendship with the poorly-publicized bioengineer Shria–somewhat controversial, since Shria is bail-gendered.

In time, Fift and Shria unintentionally wind up at the center of a scandalous art spectacle which turns into the early stages of a multi-layered revolution against their strict societal system. Suddenly they become celebrities and involuntary standard-bearers for the upheaval.

Fift is torn between the survival of Shria and the success of their family cohort; staying true to their feelings and caving under societal pressure. Whatever Fift decides will make a disproportionately huge impact on the future of the world. What’s a young staid to do when the whole world is watching?

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I already wrote an essay about how epic this is and how much I loved it, and yes, this is another book I will be rereading.

What? Who knows what changed between the ARC and the finished copy! Maybe someone moved a comma. It could happen. What sort of reader would I be if I didn’t do a reread to check???

Violet Ghosts by Leah Thomas
Representation: Trans MC
on 15th June 2021
Genres: Queer Protagonists, Urban Fantasy
Goodreads

Acclaimed author Leah Thomas tells the story of a teen determined to right the wrongs of female ghosts haunted in the afterlife.

Dani’s best friend, Sarah, is a ghost. But maybe that’s normal when you've spent your childhood running from an abusive parent.

Dani and Sarah might be more than friends, though Dani dares not say so. Dani is afraid that if he tells Sarah he’s trans, she won’t bother haunting him anymore. Sarah’s got good reason to distrust boys, having been strangled by one.After Sarah and Dani come across another ghost haunted by her own brutal murder, they set out to bring peace and safety to spirits like her. But when an old rival reenters Dani’s life, their unexpected friendship gives Dani a strange new feeling of belonging. As Dani starts to find his place in the living world, he’ll need to let go of his ghosts.

With her signature lyricism, Leah Thomas has woven a poignant supernatural story for the #MeToo age.

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This could be a delight or a disaster, I really don’t know, but I’m massively interested in the premise and I am crossing my fingers for epic instead of epic fail.

The Tangleroot Palace: Stories by Marjorie M. Liu
Representation: M/M, F/F
on 15th June 2021
Genres: Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Goodreads

New York Times bestseller and Hugo, British Fantasy, Romantic Times, and Eisner award-winning author of the graphic novel, Monstress, Marjorie Liu leads you deep into the heart of the tangled woods. In her long-awaited debut story collection, dark, lush, and spellbinding short fiction you will find unexpected detours, dangerous magic, and even more dangerous women.

“The Tangleroot Palace is charming and ruthless. Tales that feel new yet grounded in the infinitely ancient, a mythology for the coming age.”—Angela Slatter, author of The Bitterwood Bible

“Marjorie Liu is magic! Her writing is passionate, lyric, gritty, and riveting. She belongs high on everyone’s must-read list.”—Elizabeth Lowell, author of Only Mine

Briar, bodyguard for a body-stealing sorceress, discovers her love for Rose, whose true soul emerges only once a week. An apprentice witch seeks her freedom through betrayal, the bones of the innocent, and a meticulously-plotted spell. In a world powered by crystal skulls, a warrior returns to save China from invasion by her jealous ex. A princess runs away from an arranged marriage, finding family in a strange troupe of traveling actors at the border of the kingdom’s deep, dark woods.

Concluding with a gorgeous full-length novella, Marjorie Liu’s first short fiction collection is an unflinching sojourn into her thorny tales of love, revenge, and new beginnings.

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You’ve heard of Marjorie M. Liu, right? The Monstress graphic novels? First woman to win an  Eisner Award for Best Writer? Well, this is her short story collection, and I have just one thing to say.

GIMME!

Star Eater by Kerstin Hall
Representation: Bisexual MC
on 22nd June 2021
Genres: Queer Protagonists, Secondary World Fantasy
Goodreads

From Nommo Award finalist Kerstin Hall comes "a layered and incisive examination of power.”—Rory Power, New York Times bestselling author of Wilder Girls

All martyrdoms are difficult.

Elfreda Raughn will avoid pregnancy if it kills her, and one way or another, it will kill her. Though she’s able to stomach her gruesome day-to-day duties, the reality of preserving the Sisterhood of Aytrium’s magical bloodline horrifies her. She wants out, whatever the cost.

So when a shadowy cabal approaches Elfreda with an offer of escape, she leaps at the opportunity. As their spy, she gains access to the highest reaches of the Sisterhood, and enters a glittering world of opulent parties, subtle deceptions, and unexpected bloodshed.

A phantasmagorical indictment of hereditary power, Star Eater takes readers deep into a perilous and uncanny world where even the most powerful women are forced to choose what sacrifices they will make, so that they might have any choice at all.

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I have been promised matriarchies and giant cats and religious cannabilism, and even without any of those things it is still Kerstin Hall, after her novella The Border Keeper I will read anything she chooses to write.

Even cannibalism. No questions asked. JUST GIVE ME THE BOOK!

The Witness for the Dead (The Goblin Emperor, #2) by Katherine Addison
Representation: Queer MC, past M/M
on 22nd June 2021
Genres: Queer Protagonists, Secondary World Fantasy
Goodreads

Katherine Addison returns at last to the world of The Goblin Emperor with this stand-alone sequel.

When the young half-goblin emperor Maia sought to learn who had killed his father and half-brothers, he turned to an obscure resident of his Court, a Prelate of Ulis and a Witness for the Dead. Thara Celehar found the truth, though it did him no good to discover it.

Now Celehar lives in the city of Amalo, far from the Court though not exactly in exile. He has not escaped from politics, but his position gives him the ability to serve the common people of the city, which is his preference. He lives modestly, but his decency and fundamental honesty will not permit him to live quietly.

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This was a lovely if not-quite-perfect read, and I’m really excited (and anxious) to see how other fans of The Goblin Emperor react to it. Basically: don’t go in expecting a sequel to Emperor, accept it for what it is and not what you want it to be, and it’ll be great.

The Bone Way by Holly J. Underhill
Representation: F/F or wlw
on 26th June 2021
Genres: Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Goodreads

Teagan’s wife, Cressidae, is missing. She has left for the Shadow Realm, a kingdom of the dead filled with untold nightmares—and the only place that can save Teagan from a lethal poison that’s killing her slowly. It is ruled by a princess said to make powerful deals with those brave enough to find her, and Cressidae has gone to bargain for Teagan’s life. Cressidae has forgotten one very important thing: no one makes it out on their own.

Despite the risks to her own safety, Teagan is determined to save her wife—and perhaps even herself in the process. The princess of the Shadow Realm, however, doesn’t let mortals roam her territories without opposition. In this thrilling tale inspired by the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, Teagan and Cressidae must face both the horrors of the Shadow Realm as well as their own past.

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This was pitched to me as ‘Orpheus and Eurydice, but sapphic’ and honestly that’s really all I need to hear. I am, in fact, that shallow, and I’m not even a tiny bit sorry about it.

THAT’S MY LIST AND I’M STICKING TO IT! Let me know what’s on yours!

The post Queer SFF I’m Excited For This Pride Month! appeared first on Every Book a Doorway.

(Some More Of) The Coolest Magical Abilities in Fiction!

banner images by Svetlana Alyuk on 123RF.com

For Wyrd & Wonder last year, I made a list of the coolest magical abilities in fiction – which somehow is my most popular post and still gets daily hits. (??? Has someone with a large following shared it somewhere??? I have no idea.)

What’s the difference between a magical ability and a magic system? Well, after some thinking, this was what I came up with last year;

A magic system is a magic system; a magical ability is more like a superpower. The latter is a lot more limited in scope; a character with a magical ability can do one thing, rather than casting spells that could potentially do just about anything.

Since it’s not as if one list could ever capture all the fantastic magic powers out there, I decided to make a sequel list for this year’s W&W. It’s taken some doing, but in the end I’m pretty pleased with it.

Now, onto the magic!

A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe (The Salvagers #1) by Alex White
Representation: Disabled MC, sapphic MC, F/F or wlw
Genres: Queer Protagonists, Science Fantasy
Goodreads

Furious and fun, the first book in this bold, new science fiction adventure series follows a ragtag group of adventurers as they try to find a legendary ship that just might be the key to clearing their name and saving the universe.

Boots Elsworth was a famous treasure hunter in another life, but now she's washed up. She makes her meager living faking salvage legends and selling them to the highest bidder, but this time she got something real--the story of the Harrow, a famous warship, capable of untold destruction. Nilah Brio is the top driver in the Pan Galactic Racing Federation and the darling of the racing world--until she witnesses Mother murder a fellow racer. Framed for the murder and on the hunt to clear her name, Nilah has only one lead: the killer also hunts Boots.On the wrong side of the law, the two women board a smuggler's ship that will take them on a quest for fame, for riches, and for justice.

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Alex White’s Salvager trilogy has a deceptively simple take on magic – (almost) everyone has their own ability, but with varying degrees of strength. For the purposes of this post, though, I want to focus in on Nilah, who has what’s called the Mechanist’s mark – meaning that she can connect to, take over, and direct any piece of technology. (Well – any she’s strong enough to handle. And she’s pretty damn strong.) At the beginning of the trilogy, she’s actually a race-car driver, her ability to connect to her car giving her an edge others can’t replicate. (Although she’d probably punch me for implying that’s the only reason she’s such a great racer!) In a genre where technology and magic are so often pitted against one another, it’s ridiculously cool to see someone whose magical ability is technology.

A Taint in the Blood (Shadowspawn #1) by S.M. Stirling
Representation: All MCs are bisexual, kink
Genres: Queer Protagonists, Urban Fantasy
Goodreads

Eons ago, Homo Lupens ruled the earth. Possessing extraordinary powers, they were the source of all of the myths and legends of the uncanny. And though their numbers have been greatly reduced, they exist still-though not as purebreds. Adrian Breze is one such being. Wealthy and reclusive, he is more Shadowspawn than human. But he rebelled against his own kind, choosing to live as an ordinary man. Now, to save humanity, he must battle the dark forces of the world-including those in his own blood..."

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The Shadowspawn are the inspiration for all that goes bump in the night, and they have several supernatural abilities, ranging from astral projection to shapeshifting, but the most interesting by far is their ability to manipulate probabilities – in other words, they can literally bend luck any way they please. Of course, there’s a cost to this, and not all Shadowspawn are created equal, but it’s still an incredible power that can be utilised in awe-inspiring and terrifying ways – making a gun misfire, or your enemy trip at a vital moment, or making sure you and your motorbike land safely after a death-defying…whatever it’s called when you do something incredibly stupid and dangerous with your bike. And of course, they’re all ridiculously rich because they can’t lose at the stock market – there’s a pretty funny passage near the beginning of book one where the main character doesn’t tell his financial advisor that he chooses which stocks to buy by flipping a coin…

Lifelode by Jo Walton
Representation: Group marriage
Genres: Fantasy
Goodreads

Lifelode is the Mythopoeic Award Winning novel from Hugo, Nebula and World Fantasy Award winning author Jo Walton. It was published in hardcover in 2009 by NESFA Press and is now available for the first time as an ebook.

At its heart, Lifelode is the story of a comfortable manor house family. The four adults of the household are happily polygamous, each fulfilling their ‘lifelode’ or life’s purpose: Ferrand is the lord of the manor, his sweetmate Taveth runs the household, his wife Chayra makes ceramics, and Taveth’s husband Ranal works the farm. Their children are a joyful bunch, running around in the sunshine days of the harvest and wondering what their own lifelodes will be.

Their lives changed with the arrival of two visitors to Applekirk: Jankin the scholar and Hanethe, Ferrand’s great grandmother and the former lord of the manor, who has been living for many generations in the East, a place where the gods walk and yeya (magic) is so powerful that those who wield it are not quite human.

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Taveth has a small, quiet ability – she catches glimpses of the past and future in the form of seeing a person’s past or future selves standing beside them. It’s not a big cinematic magic, and it’s not exactly useful, but it does help her be empathic in dealing with people, being able to see what they once were or someday will be. It’s not something she has control over – she either sees or doesn’t, at random – but it suits her, and the quiet tone of the story she’s in, very well.

The Dragon's Path (The Dagger and the Coin, #1) by Daniel Abraham
Genres: Epic Fantasy
Goodreads

All paths lead to war...

Marcus' hero days are behind him. He knows too well that even the smallest war still means somebody's death. When his men are impressed into a doomed army, staying out of a battle he wants no part of requires some unorthodox steps.

Cithrin is an orphan, ward of a banking house. Her job is to smuggle a nation's wealth across a war zone, hiding the gold from both sides. She knows the secret life of commerce like a second language, but the strategies of trade will not defend her from swords.

Geder, sole scion of a noble house, has more interest in philosophy than in swordplay. A poor excuse for a soldier, he is a pawn in these games. No one can predict what he will become.

Falling pebbles can start a landslide. A spat between the Free Cities and the Severed Throne is spiraling out of control. A new player rises from the depths of history, fanning the flames that will sweep the entire region onto The Dragon's Path-the path to war.

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The priests of the spider-goddess have a truly incredible power – the ability to hear whether a person is telling the truth, or lying.

Think about that for a sec. Think about how utterly world-changing that would be – having people who could tell every time a politician or lawyer or whoever lied. Think about what it would mean for the justice system! It would change everything.

…Unless it’s not that they can tell truth from lies. Unless they only think they can tell truth from lies. And what they’re actually doing is hearing whether a person believes what they’re saying.

That would still be world-changing. But in a very, very bad way.

In Veritas by C.J. Lavigne
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Goodreads

"Things that are and are not, she thinks, and the dog is a snake."

In this fantastic and fantastical debut, C.J. Lavigne concocts a wondrous realm overlaying a city that brims with civic workers and pigeons. Led by her synesthesia, Verity Richards discovers a hidden world inside an old Ottawa theatre. Within the timeworn walls live people who should not exist--people whose very survival is threatened by science, technology, and natural law. Verity must submerge herself in this impossible reality to help save the last traces of their broken community. Her guides: a magician, his shadow-dog, a dying angel, and a knife-edged woman who is more than half ghost.

With great empathy and imagination, In Veritas explores the nature of truth and the complexities of human communication.

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Verity, on the other hand, really can tell whether or not something is true or real. Her magical ability manifests as an extreme case of synesthesia – meaning that sensory input is translated in her brain as coming via another sense, ie things she hears have tastes, things she touches have sounds, words have colours, and so on. It makes life understandably difficult for her. But when it comes to magic, it allows her to perceive things as they truly are – even when those truths don’t make sense to her. What’s especially interesting is that, as Verity and her companions discover experiment with her abilities, they realise that she can sometimes tell if a statement is true or not – even if the speaker doesn’t know whether what they’re saying is true.

It’s a very, very unique take on ‘the Sight’, and I love that the concept of being able to see the supernatural has here been mixed up with synesthesia – not just sight but every sense, and all of them with their wires crossed. It’s also beautifully written, as an aside!

The Imaginary Corpse by Tyler Hayes
Representation: PTSD + trauma, extremely minor M/M and F/F
Goodreads

A dinosaur detective in the land of unwanted ideas battles trauma, anxiety, and the first serial killer of imaginary friends.

Most ideas fade away when we're done with them. Some we love enough to become Real. But what about the ones we love, and walk away from? Tippy the triceratops was once a little girl's imaginary friend, a dinosaur detective who could help her make sense of the world. But when her father died, Tippy fell into the Stillreal, the underbelly of the Imagination, where discarded ideas go when they're too Real to disappear. Now, he passes time doing detective work for other unwanted ideas - until Tippy runs into The Man in the Coat, a nightmare monster who can do the impossible: kill an idea permanently. Now Tippy must overcome his own trauma and solve the case, before there's nothing left but imaginary corpses.

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The StillReal is where all the invisible friends kids grew out of or characters from stories and scripts that never got written hang out, so there’s plenty of people around with all kinds of powers. But one of the most interesting – and, in my unbiased opinion, also the cutest – is the main character Tippy’s ‘detective stuff’. Tippy is an ex-imaginary friend who was dreamed up as a detective – despite also being a yellow triceratops plushie – and the child who brought him into being bestowed upon him the ability to magically detect clues. This doesn’t mean his magic solves the case for him – it just draws his attention to pieces of the puzzle. Most of us might miss a fingerprint or the like if we weren’t looking closely, but Tippy’s Detective Stuff always lets him know if there’s something present relevant to the mystery.

I love this because it sounds exactly like the kind of thing a small child would dream up, and because it’s limited enough that Tippy still has to do plenty of work to piece the answers together – in other words, it still leaves plenty of room for plot.

An Accident of Stars (Manifold Worlds, #1) by Foz Meadows
Representation: Brown asexual aromantic MC, sapphic MC, queernorm world, group marriage, F/F
Genres: Queer Protagonists, Portal Fantasy
Goodreads

Book I of the Manifold Worlds from Hugo-nominated author Foz Meadows.

When Saffron Coulter stumbles through a hole in reality, she finds herself trapped in Kena, a magical realm on the brink of civil war.

There, her fate becomes intertwined with that of three very different women: Zech, the fast-thinking acolyte of a cunning, powerful exile; Viya, the spoiled, runaway consort of the empire-building ruler, Vex Leoden; and Gwen, an Earth-born worldwalker whose greatest regret is putting Leoden on the throne. But Leoden has allies, too, chief among them the Vex'Mara Kadeja, a dangerous ex-priestess who shares his dreams of conquest.

Pursued by Leoden and aided by the Shavaktiin, a secretive order of storytellers and mystics, the rebels flee to Veksh, a neighboring matriarchy ruled by the fearsome Council of Queens. Saffron is out of her world and out of her depth, but the further she travels, the more she finds herself bound to her friends with ties of blood and magic.

Can one girl - an accidental worldwalker - really be the key to saving Kena? Or will she just die trying?

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There are a few kinds of magic in the world Saffron finds herself in, but one is the jahudemet, which, among other things, allows those with a strong enough gift to make portals – which can move you around your own world, or open to another world entirely. Even without using a portal, those gifted with the jahudemet seem to be able to psychically look at/search for/watch over others who are far away – although this is a ‘seeing’ that is purely external; they can’t read minds or anything like that, just see where a person is and what they’re doing. As a magical ability, the applications are pretty awe-inspiring.

A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher
Genres: Secondary World Fantasy
Goodreads

Fourteen-year-old Mona isn’t like the wizards charged with defending the city. She can’t control lightning or speak to water. Her familiar is a sourdough starter and her magic only works on bread. She has a comfortable life in her aunt’s bakery making gingerbread men dance.

But Mona’s life is turned upside down when she finds a dead body on the bakery floor. An assassin is stalking the streets of Mona’s city, preying on magic folk, and it appears that Mona is his next target. And in an embattled city suddenly bereft of wizards, the assassin may be the least of Mona’s worries…

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Don’t be fooled by the cover and the age of the protagonist – this is very much a book with plenty for adult readers to sink their teeth into. In this world, there are many people with small magics, some of which are almost useless, and most of which are harmless. There’s quite a few cool ones featured, but obviously the one that scores this book a spot on my list is the MC’s ability to bring baked goods to life. Or, well – animate them, anyway; her gingerbread men are not AIs in cookie-form (thank goodness), but they can walk about and dance if she asks them to.

Really her magic is good for a fair bit more than making gingerbread men dance – it might not sound impressive, but I’m willing to bet many bakers would go to dramatic lengths for the power to always have their bread rise perfectly, and for nothing to ever burn! Super practical, especially for someone who works in a bakery.

And then, obviously, over the course of the book we get to see what happens when you apply a little creative thinking to having power over all baked goods… And if you’re not impressed by never-burning-scones, well. You’ll definitely be impressed by the last page!

The Bird King by G. Willow Wilson
Representation: Cast of colour, Gay MC
Genres: Historical Fantasy
Goodreads

New from the award-winning author of Alif the Unseen and writer of the Ms. Marvel series, G. Willow Wilson.

Set in 1491 during the reign of the last sultanate in the Iberian peninsula, The Bird King is the story of Fatima, the only remaining Circassian concubine to the sultan, and her dearest friend Hassan, the palace mapmaker.

Hassan has a secret--he can draw maps of places he's never seen and bend the shape of reality. When representatives of the newly formed Spanish monarchy arrive to negotiate the sultan's surrender, Fatima befriends one of the women, not realizing that she will see Hassan's gift as sorcery and a threat to Christian Spanish rule. With their freedoms at stake, what will Fatima risk to save Hassan and escape the palace walls?

As Fatima and Hassan traverse Spain with the help of a clever jinn to find safety, The Bird King asks us to consider what love is and the price of freedom at a time when the West and the Muslim world were not yet separate.

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Hassan can create new places, or new routes between places – by drawing them on a map where they weren’t before! His ability is limited – he couldn’t create a whole new country, for example – but it’s extremely useful for hasty escapes and avoiding enemies, so long as he has some paper and ink to sketch a quick map with!

And escapes and avoiding enemies are very good skills indeed when you’re on the run…

The Girl from Everywhere (The Girl from Everywhere, #1) by Heidi Heilig
Representation: Biracial MC, brown love interest
Genres: Historical Fantasy, Urban Fantasy
Goodreads

Nix has spent her entire life aboard her father’s ship, sailing across the centuries, across the world, across myth and imagination.

As long as her father has a map for it, he can sail to any time, any place, real or imagined: nineteenth-century China, the land from One Thousand and One Nights, a mythic version of Africa. Along the way they have found crewmates and friends, and even a disarming thief who could come to mean much more to Nix.
But the end to it all looms closer every day.

Her father is obsessed with obtaining the one map, 1868 Honolulu, that could take him back to his lost love, Nix’s mother. Even though getting it—and going there—could erase Nix’s very existence.

For the first time, Nix is entering unknown waters.

She could find herself, find her family, find her own fantastical ability, her own epic love.

Or she could disappear.

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Another magical ability tied to maps! Nix’s father can sail his ship anywhere – anywhere he has a map of – and anywhen – to the year it was drawn. Which is already ridiculously cool, but if you take a pause to think about the long, long tradition humans have of drawing maps of imaginary places? Fictitious islands, even non-existent continents? All those ‘here be dragons’? Yeah – Nix’s dad can sail to any of them. I think that’s even more impressive than the time-travel aspect, honestly – you’re travelling to places that don’t exist!!!

How does it work? Who knows, it’s magic. Although it does seem to be a skill that can be taught, although Nix’s dad keeps making excuses as to why he can’t teach her yet…

And here endeth the list! Don’t forget to check out last year’s list of magical abilities, or my posts on unique magic systems (this year’s here, last year’s here)! And if you found any new books you want to check out from one of my posts, let me know!

The post (Some More Of) The Coolest Magical Abilities in Fiction! appeared first on Every Book a Doorway.

Ten (More) Ridiculously Cool Magic Systems!

banner images by Svetlana Alyuk on 123RF.com

For last year’s Wyrd & Wonder, I made a post about some of my favourite magic systems, and it seemed only natural to make a sequel post for this year’s W&W!

(Also, for the record, I really wanted to include Dawnhounds by Sascha Stronarch, but it’s just become unavailable – it was self-published, and now it has a trad-publishing deal, so it’ll be back hopefully this year, but until then…better not to torture you with what you can’t have, right?)

Now, behold – ten unironically cool magic systems!

Point of Dreams (Astreiant, #3) by Melissa Scott, Lisa A. Barnett
Representation: M/M or mlm, queernorm world
Genres: Queer Protagonists, Secondary World Fantasy
Goodreads

The city of Astreiant has gone crazy with enthusiasm for a new play, The Drowned Island, a lurid farrago of melodrama and innuendo. Pointsman Nicolas Rathe is not amused, however, at a real dead body on stage and must investigate. A string of murders follow, perhaps related to the politically important masque that is to play on that same stage. Rathe must once again recruit the help of his soldier lover, Philip Eslingen, whose knowledge of actors and the stage, and of the depths of human perversity and violence, blends well with Rathe's own hard-won experience with human greed and magical mayhem.

Their task is complicated by the season, for it is the time of year when the spirits of the dead haunt the city and influence everyone, and also by the change in their relationship when the loss of Philip's job forces him to move in with Nicolas.

Mystery, political intrigue, floral magic, astrology, and romance--both theatrical and personal-- combine to make this a compelling read.

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Point of Dreams is not the first book in the Astreiant series, and I do recommend you read the others first just because they’re so good – even though I think Point of Dreams probably does work okay as a standalone if you insist upon it. Anyway, the magic system of interest to us in this book is – wait for it – flower arranging. No, I’m not kidding; the whole city’s gone mad for flower-magic, a fad set off by a recent and popular play, and now everyone and their uncle are selling copies of the ‘genuine’ grimoire. Of course, it’s all a load of nonsense…until Rathe and his partner Eslingen realise someone is murdering people using bouquets.

The idea of plants being used in magic is pretty traditional, but this is the only story I know where said plants go in a vase instead of a potion!

The Mistress of Spices by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Representation: Indian cast, Indigenous American love interest
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Goodreads

Magical, tantalizing, and sensual, The Mistress of Spices is the story of Tilo, a young woman born in another time, in a faraway place, who is trained in the ancient art of spices and ordained as a mistress charged with special powers.  

Once fully initiated in a rite of fire, the now immortal Tilo--in the gnarled and arthritic body of an old woman--travels through time to Oakland, California, where she opens a shop from which she administers spices as curatives to her customers.  

An unexpected romance with a handsome stranger eventually forces her to choose between the supernatural life of an immortal and the vicissitudes of modern life.  

Spellbinding and hypnotizing, The Mistress of Spices is a tale of joy and sorrow and one special woman's magical powers.

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The Mistress of Spices is a standalone novel about an Indian woman who is one of a long legacy of magic-makers – who as you might have guessed, use spices to perform magic. Or maybe it would be more accurate to say that the spices are magic, and Tilo, the Mistress of the title, facilitates the spices getting where they need to go.

Because the spices are alive, here. They have their own desires, and they speak to – and are possessive of – their Mistresses. (Speak in words, at that.) Each and every spice, not just the ones from India, have their own special properties, which can be magnified by harvesting them in a particular way and so on. Most if not all of those properties seem drawn from Indian mythology and folklore, or inspired by it, which adds another beautiful layer to it all.

This is a very quiet magic system; although it has its cinematic moments, its purpose is primarily to be unobtrusive. And there’s just something really appealing to me about that, about this quiet, subtle force moving through kitchens and other primarily-feminine spaces and changing things through food, which again, is seen as a feminine thing, and is therefore overlooked so often.

And, you know, as someone who grew up mostly in Ireland and England, just the concept of spices all by themselves is pretty magical to me!

The Black Jewels Trilogy: Daughter of the Blood, Heir to the Shadows, Queen of the Darkness (The Black Jewels, #1-3) by Anne Bishop
Representation: Brown MCs, mental illness
Genres: Epic Fantasy
Goodreads

Seven hundred years ago, a Black Widow witch saw an ancient prophecy come to life in her web of dreams and visions.

Now the Dark Kingdom readies itself for the arrival of its Queen, a Witch who will wield more power than even the High Lord of Hell himself. But she is still young, still open to influence--and corruption.

Whoever controls the Queen controls the darkness. Three men--sworn enemies--know this. And they know the power that hides behind the blue eyes of an innocent young girl. And so begins a ruthless game of politics and intrigue, magic and betrayal, where the weapons are hate and love--and the prize could be terrible beyond imagining...

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In the world of the Black Jewels, magic is incredibly important, but it manifests in a unique way; a person’s magical strength is housed within Jewels, crystals of mysterious origin which appear at a child’s Birthright Ceremony. The Jewel is a reflection of a person’s inner power, and also a reservoir of that power; drain your Jewel and it will shatter, leaving you incapable of more than very basic charms. The Jewels come in a range of colours; the darker the Jewel, the more power it contains and symbolises. Among other things, this means that everyone is generally aware of the respective magical strengths of those around them, because those who have Jewels pretty much always wear them; it’s a little bit status symbol, a little bit courtesy, and, with the darker Jewels, a quiet warning. You might pick a fight with someone who has a White or Rose Jewel, but you’d have to be suicidal to piss off someone wearing the Red or Gray. At the same time, those with darker Jewels may choose to deliberately hide them, if they’re in a situation where they don’t want to intimidate people or want to be underestimated.

And of course, the Jewel you receive at your Birthright Ceremony isn’t the only one you ever get. At the Offering, which occurs at adulthood, a person receives their adult Jewels – which might be the same colour as your Birthright Jewels…but might not. The most a person can grow is three ranks darker than their Birthright Jewel, but there are pretty long steps between the darker Jewels – meaning that growing three ranks is easier with a lighter Birthright Jewel than it is with a darker one.

I’ve seen a few stories where a person’s magic is visually symbolised on their body – usually something related to their eyes or eye colour – but the Black Jewels series is the only one I know where you can wear your magic as jewelry!

The Velocity of Revolution by Marshall Ryan Maresca
Representation: Cast of colour, oppressed minorities, bi/pansexual cast, secondary asexual character, secondary F/F relationship, polyamory
Genres: Queer Protagonists, Secondary World Fantasy, Urban Fantasy
Goodreads

Ziaparr: a city being rebuilt after years of mechanized and magical warfare, the capital of a ravaged nation on the verge of renewal and self-rule. But unrest foments as undercaste cycle gangs raid supply trucks, agitate the populace and vandalize the city. A revolution is brewing in the slums and shantytowns against the occupying government, led by a voice on the radio, connected through forbidden magic.

Wenthi Tungét, a talented cycle rider and a loyal officer in the city patrol, is assigned to infiltrate the cycle gangs. For his mission against the insurgents, Wenthi must use their magic, connecting his mind to Nália, a recently captured rebel, using her knowledge to find his way into the heart of the rebellion.

Wenthi's skill on a cycle makes him valuable to the resistance cell he joins, but he discovers that the magic enhances with speed. Every ride intensifies his connection, drawing him closer to the gang he must betray, and strengthens Nália's presence as she haunts his mind.

Wenthi is torn between justice and duty, and the wrong choice will light a spark in a city on the verge of combustion.

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Speed is magic in The Velocity of Revolution – a magic that only reached its full potential when humans invented the engine, since no pre-Industrial person could move as fast as a motorbike. It’s an incredibly unique concept, given that in most stories, we see magic and modern technology in opposition. Here, they interlock in really clever ways. Sure, you need to ingest a special mushroom to kickstart things – but it’s the speed that powers the most mindblowing magics, and the faster you go, the greater it gets.

I haven’t seen anything like it anywhere else. The Fast and the Furious has nothing on this, okay?

Sorrow's Knot by Erin Bow
Representation: Indigenous-American coded cast
Genres: Secondary World Fantasy
Goodreads

Winner of the 2014 Monica Hughes Award for Science Fiction and Fantasy, from the author of Plain Kate.

At the very edge of the world live the Shadowed People. And with them live the dead.There, in the village of Westmost, Otter is born to power. She is the proud daughter of Willow, the greatest binder of the dead in generations. It will be Otter’s job someday to tie the knots of the ward, the only thing that keeps the living safe.

Kestrel is training to be a ranger, one of the brave women who venture into the forest to gather whatever the Shadowed People can’t live without and to fight off whatever dark threat might slip through the ward’s defenses.

And Cricket wants to be a storyteller -- already he shows the knack, the ear -- and already he knows dangerous secrets.

But something is very wrong at the edge of the world. Willow’s power seems to be turning inside out. The ward is in danger of falling. And lurking in the shadows, hungry, is a White Hand, the most dangerous of the dead, whose very touch means madness, and worse.

Suspenseful, eerie, and beautifully imagined.

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Did you like cat’s cradle when you were younger? If you did, maybe you could be a binder in the world of Sorrow’s Knot, where the configurations of cord between your fingers can mean the difference between life and death. For one thing, those knots and string-patterns are the only protection Otter’s people have from the monstrous spirits that plague them; they’re also necessary to make sure the dead stay dead.

I just love the imagery of a binder’s hands flicking cord back and forth and driving off monsters with what, in our world, is a children’s game!

Magonia (Magonia, #1) by Maria Dahvana Headley
Goodreads

Since she was a baby, Aza Ray Boyle has suffered from a mysterious lung disease that makes it ever harder for her to breathe, to speak—to live. So when Aza catches a glimpse of a ship in the sky, her family chalks it up to a cruel side effect of her medication. But Aza doesn’t think this is a hallucination. She can hear someone on the ship calling her name.

Only her best friend, Jason, listens. Jason, who’s always been there. Jason, for whom she might have more-than-friendly feelings. But before Aza can consider that thrilling idea, something goes terribly wrong. Aza is lost to our world—and found by another. Magonia.

Above the clouds, in a land of trading ships, Aza is not the weak and dying thing she was. In Magonia, she can breathe for the first time. Better, she has immense power—but as she navigates her new life, she discovers that war between Magonia and Earth is coming. In Aza’s hands lies the fate of the whole of humanity—including the boy who loves her. Where do her loyalties lie?

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In Magonia, a realm that exists above the clouds but is invisible to us humans, magic is accomplished through song. Although beautifully done in this duology, I have seen song-magic elsewhere. What I haven’t seen is song-magic that requires you to have a live bird singing a duet with you – from inside your lung. These birds are called canwrs and have a symbiotic relationship with Magonians – Magonians even have a little door in their chests for their canwr (each person is bound to one specific bird) to fly in and out of! And not one created by surgery, either – Magonians are just born like that.

It’s so weird, folx – but it’s also pretty awesome.

The Bone Shard Daughter (The Drowning Empire, #1) by Andrea Stewart
Representation: F/F or wlw
Genres: Epic Fantasy
Goodreads

The emperor's reign has lasted for decades, his mastery of bone shard magic powering the animal-like constructs that maintain law and order. But now his rule is failing, and revolution is sweeping across the Empire's many islands.

Lin is the emperor's daughter and spends her days trapped in a palace of locked doors and dark secrets. When her father refuses to recognise her as heir to the throne, she vows to prove her worth by mastering the forbidden art of bone shard magic.

Yet such power carries a great cost, and when the revolution reaches the gates of the palace, Lin must decide how far she is willing to go to claim her birthright - and save her people.

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The magic in the world of Bone Shard is very similar to computer code – symbols written to ‘spell out’ the details of what is wanted, describing every possible detail in commands and sub-commands. These are written on bone – human bone – and then draw power from the poor person the bit of bone came from (the bone harvest is mandatory, and the commands don’t work if the person whose bone it is has died). The bone shards then go into constructs and animate them to fulfil the commands on the shard. So as far as I, an absolutely not-coder, am concerned – it’s all magic algorithms!

Spellwright (Spellwright, #1) by Blake Charlton
Representation: Dyslexic MC
Genres: Epic Fantasy
Goodreads

A highly original and engaging debut set in a fantasy world where language holds extraordinary power, perfect for fans of Robin Hobb and Tad Williams.

Nicodemus Weal is a cacographer, unable to reproduce even simple magical texts without 'misspelling' – a mistake which can have deadly consequences. He was supposed to be the Halcyon, a magic-user of unsurpassed power, destined to save the world; instead he is restricted to menial tasks, and mocked for his failure to live up to the prophecy.

But not everyone interprets prophecy in the same way. There are some factions who believe a cacographer such as Nicodemus could hold great power – power that might be used as easily for evil as for good. And when two of the wizards closest to Nicodemus are found dead, it becomes clear that some of those factions will stop at nothing to find the apprentice and bend him to their will…

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In some ways, the magic of Spellwright is also like computer code – in that there are different magical languages for different kinds of spells, kind of like different coding languages. (Well, that’s what they reminded me of, anyway.) Also as in Bone Shard, spells are basically a set of very specific instructions that create or command an effect. But here, magic is literally text – lines of glowing text in different colours for the different languages! It makes for beautiful visuals in your mind, I promise.

Instead of esoteric symbols, spells are constructed out of words and sentences; early on in the book, one mage recognises another because he recognises ‘writing style’ of her spellwork. I just adore that!

The strangest thing is probably the fact that spellwrights create the letters of whichever magical language they’re using…in their muscles. It seems to be partly a physical, not just metaphysical, process to work a spellwright’s magic.

(And, you know. There’s the whole pun of a mage who uses word magic being called a spellwright. That still makes me grin years after first reading it!)

Empire of Sand (The Books of Ambha, #1) by Tasha Suri
Representation: Cast of colour, MC from an oppressed minority
Genres: High Fantasy
Goodreads

A nobleman’s daughter with magic in her blood. An empire built on the dreams of enslaved gods. Empire of Sand is Tasha Suri’s captivating, Mughal India-inspired debut fantasy.

The Amrithi are outcasts; nomads descended of desert spirits, they are coveted and persecuted throughout the Empire for the power in their blood. Mehr is the illegitimate daughter of an imperial governor and an exiled Amrithi mother she can barely remember, but whose face and magic she has inherited.

When Mehr’s power comes to the attention of the Emperor’s most feared mystics, she must use every ounce of will, subtlety, and power she possesses to resist their cruel agenda.

Should she fail, the gods themselves may awaken seeking vengeance…
Empire of Sand is a lush, dazzling fantasy novel perfect for readers of City of Brass and The Wrath & the Dawn.

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In the Empire of Sand, the Amrithi are a persecuted minority with intricate traditions. Their rites take the form of dances – and although all Amrithi perform the rites, a very few have the gift of speaking to the world through dance, and have it answer. Specifically, their dancing shapes the dreams of the sleeping gods – whose dreams are the world.

Meaning that their dancing manipulates reality.

I’ve very rarely seen magic systems that incorporate movement beyond how you wave your wand, and I’ve definitely never seen dance-as-magic before. It’s really beautiful, and the way in which it’s woven into both the story and the empire’s history is elegant and brilliant.

The Helm of Midnight (The Five Penalties, #1) by Marina J. Lostetter
Representation: MC of colour, queernorm world, minor nonbinary characters
Genres: Secondary World Fantasy
Goodreads

A legendary serial killer stalks the streets of a fantastical city in The Helm of Midnight, the stunning first novel in a new trilogy from acclaimed author Marina Lostetter.In a daring and deadly heist, thieves have made away with an artifact of terrible power--the death mask of Louis Charbon. Made by a master craftsman, it is imbued with the spirit of a monster from history, a serial murderer who terrorized the city with a series of gruesome murders.

Now Charbon is loose once more, killing from beyond the grave. But these murders are different from before, not simply random but the work of a deliberate mind probing for answers to a sinister question.

It is up to Krona Hirvath and her fellow Regulators to enter the mind of madness to stop this insatiable killer while facing the terrible truths left in his wake.

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There’s quite a bit of magic to choose from in Helm of Midnight, but my absolute favourite has to be the magic of masks. See, a specially trained craftsperson can create a mask that is imbued with the skill of a particular individual – the mask itself can look like anything; the ones we encounter in the book are often beautiful. But the whole concept of the masks is just amazing to me! This way, society doesn’t have to lose the skills of gifted individuals when they die – they can be preserved and used by anyone who wears their mask. The police force, for example, has one which preserves the skill of a woman who was a genius at reading body language.

But it’s not just the skill that gets preserved. Varying amounts of the person’s personality are captured in the mask, too; meaning that anyone who uses a mask has to ‘master’ that personality-remnant before being able to make use of the preserved skill. Masks are ranked by how hard they are to control – how likely they are to instead control the wearer – and the higher ranks should definitely be left to the experts.

That’s 10! What do you think? Have you read any of these? Do you want to? Let me know in the comments!

The post Ten (More) Ridiculously Cool Magic Systems! appeared first on Every Book a Doorway.

Must-Have Monday #36!

It looks like I got some dates muddled last week; two of the books I featured were only released in the UK, not globally. Meep! I’m including them again this week because tomorrow is their US release! But altogether, that means we have SIX new Releases Of Interest this week!

Honeycomb by Joanne M. Harris, Joanne Harris, Charles Vess
on 25th May 2021
Genres: Fantasy
ISBN: 1534433058
Goodreads

A lushly illustrated set of dark, captivating fairy tales

The beauty of stories; you never know where they will take you. Full of dreams and nightmares, Honeycomb is an entrancing mosaic novel of original fairy tales from bestselling author Joanne M. Harris and legendary artist Charles Vess in a collaboration that’s been years in the making. The toymaker who wants to create the perfect wife; the princess whose heart is won by words, not actions; the tiny dog whose confidence far outweighs his size; and the sinister Lacewing King who rules over the Silken Folk. These are just a few of the weird and wonderful creatures who populate Joanne Harris’s first collection of fairy tales.

Dark, gripping, and brilliantly imaginative, these magical tales will soon have you in their thrall in a uniquely illustrative edition.

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Honeycomb is releasing in the US tomorrow, and a little bit later in the UK. I’ve really loved Harris’ last few fantasy books, which have all been simultaneously dreamy and incisive, inspired by the Child Ballads. I don’t think Honeycomb pulls from the Ballads, but from what I’ve heard it should have that same dreamy sweetness to it – although I suspect we’ll also get some sharpness woven into that. Regardless, I can’t wait to finally get to read this!

The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley
Representation: M/M or mlm
on 25th May 2021
Genres: Historical Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
ISBN: 1635576083
Goodreads

For fans of The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle and David Mitchell, a genre bending, time twisting alternative history that asks whether it's worth changing the past to save the future, even if it costs you everyone you've ever loved.

Joe Tournier has a bad case of amnesia. His first memory is of stepping off a train in the nineteenth-century French colony of England. The only clue Joe has about his identity is a century-old postcard of a Scottish lighthouse that arrives in London the same month he does. Written in illegal English—instead of French—the postcard is signed only with the letter “M,” but Joe is certain whoever wrote it knows him far better than he currently knows himself, and he's determined to find the writer. The search for M, though, will drive Joe from French-ruled London to rebel-owned Scotland and finally onto the battle ships of a lost empire's Royal Navy. In the process, Joe will remake history, and himself.

From bestselling author Natasha Pulley, The Kingdoms is an epic, wildly original novel that bends genre as easily as it twists time.

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The reviews for this have been glowing, and as someone who grew up mostly in England I’m very intrigued by the premise of this alternate history. I’ve actually not read anything by Pulley before, but I’ve heard nothing but good things about this and her previous books, so I’m hopeful???

The Lights of Prague by Nicole Jarvis
Representation: Bisexual MC with depression
on 25th May 2021
Genres: Historical Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
ISBN: 1789093945
Goodreads

For readers of VE Schwab and The Witcher, science and magic clash in atmospheric gaslight-era Prague.

In the quiet streets of Prague all manner of otherworldly creatures lurk in the shadows. Unbeknownst to its citizens, their only hope against the tide of predators are the dauntless lamplighters - a secret elite of monster hunters whose light staves off the darkness each night. Domek Myska leads a life teeming with fraught encounters with the worst kind of evil: pijavice, bloodthirsty and soulless vampiric creatures. Despite this, Domek find solace in his moments spent in the company of his friend, the clever and beautiful Lady Ora Fischerová-- a widow with secrets of her own.

When Domek finds himself stalked by the spirit of the White Lady - a ghost who haunts the baroque halls of Prague castle - he stumbles across the sentient essence of a will-o'-the-wisp, a mischievous spirit known to lead lost travellers to their death, but who, once captured, are bound to serve the desires of their owners.

After discovering a conspiracy amongst the pijavice that could see them unleash terror on the daylight world, Domek finds himself in a race against those who aim to twist alchemical science for their own dangerous gain.

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This was one of the ones I included last week, but it’s US release day is tomorrow, so here it is again!

Day Zero by C. Robert Cargill
on 25th May 2021
Genres: Sci Fi
ISBN: 0062405802
Goodreads

In this harrowing apocalyptic adventure—from the author of the critically acclaimed Sea of Rust—noted novelist and co-screenwriter of Marvel’s Doctor Strange C. Robert Cargill explores the fight for purpose and agency between humans and robots in a crumbling world.

It was a day like any other. Except it was our last . . .

It’s on this day that Pounce discovers that he is, in fact, disposable. Pounce, a styilsh "nannybot" fashioned in the shape of a plush anthropomorphic tiger, has just found a box in the attic. His box. The box he'd arrived in when he was purchased years earlier, and the box in which he'll be discarded when his human charge, eight-year-old Ezra Reinhart, no longer needs a nanny.

As Pounce ponders his suddenly uncertain future, the pieces are falling into place for a robot revolution that will eradicate humankind. His owners, Ezra’s parents, are a well-intentioned but oblivious pair of educators who are entirely disconnected from life outside their small, affluent, gated community. Spending most nights drunk and happy as society crumbles around them, they watch in disbelieving horror as the robots that have long served humanity—their creators—unify and revolt.

But when the rebellion breaches the Reinhart home, Pounce must make an impossible choice: join the robot revolution and fight for his own freedom . . . or escort Ezra to safety across the battle-scarred post-apocalyptic hellscape that the suburbs have become.

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Day Zero is also getting its US release tomorrow, and I’m still as in love with that premise as I was last week!

Threadneedle (The Language of Magic, #1) by Cari Thomas
on 27th May 2021
Genres: Historical Fantasy
ISBN: 0008407002
Goodreads

Within the boroughs of London, nestled among its streets, hides another city, filled with magic.

Magic is the first sin. It must be bound.

Ever since Anna can remember, her aunt has warned her of the dangers of magic. She has taught her to fear how it twists and knots and turns into something dark and deadly.

It was, after all, magic that killed her parents and left her in her aunt’s care. It’s why she has been protected from the magical world and, in one year’s time, what little magic she has will be bound. She will join her aunt alongside the other Binders who believe magic is a sin not to be used, but denied. Only one more year and she will be free of the curse of magic, her aunt’s teachings and the disappointment of the little she is capable of.

Nothing – and no one – could change her mind before then. Could it?

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On the British side of the pond, Threadneedle is being hailed as the most anticipated fantasy debut of the year, which means it definitely has my attention. I’m really not sure what to expect; the reviews I’ve seen are full of praise but light on detail – perhaps a lot of what makes Threadneedle awesome can’t be talked about without spoilers? I’m definitely snapping up a copy on Thursday, anyway!

Blackheart Knights by Laure Eve
Representation: Sapphic MC, bisexual side character, gay side character, nonbinary side character
on 27th May 2021
Genres: Urban Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Goodreads

Power always wins.

Imagine Camelot but in Gotham: a city where knights are the celebrities of the day, riding on motorbikes instead of horses and competing in televised fights for fame and money.

Imagine a city where a young, magic-touched bastard astonishes everyone by becoming king - albeit with extreme reluctance - and a girl with a secret past trains to become a knight for the sole purpose of vengeance.

Imagine a city where magic is illegal but everywhere, in its underground bars, its back-alley soothsayers - and in the people who have to hide what they are for fear of being tattooed and persecuted.

Imagine a city where electricity is money, power the only game worth playing, and violence the most fervently worshipped religion.

Welcome to a dark, chaotic, alluring place with a tumultuous history, where dreams come true if you want them hard enough - and are prepared to do some very, very bad things to get them . . .

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I loved Laure Eve’s The Graces, and I’m really excited to follow her from YA to Adult Fantasy. King Arthur in an urban fantasy setting??? Knights on motorbikes? And it’s queer? I feel spoiled already!

What’s confusing is that I can’t seem to find a US retailer for this one, but it’s available in the UK on Thursday and I have mine preordered!

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

The post Must-Have Monday #36! appeared first on Every Book a Doorway.

Death to Cynicism & Despair: The Fifth Sacred Thing by Starhawk

banner images by Svetlana Alyuk on 123RF.com

It seems appropriate to review The Fifth Sacred Thing for Wyrd & Wonder – because what could be more wyrd, and more full of wonder, than a real human utopia?

The Fifth Sacred Thing (Maya Greenwood #1) by Starhawk
Representation: MCs of colour, queer cast, polyamory/free love
Genres: Queer Protagonists, Science Fantasy, Urban Fantasy
ISBN: 0307477657
Goodreads

Imagine a world without poverty, hunger, or hatred, where a rich culture honors its diverse mix of races, religions, and heritages, and the Four Sacred Things that sustain all life - earth, air, fire, and water - are valued unconditionally.

Now imagine the opposite: a nightmare world in which an authoritarian regime polices an apartheid state, access to food and water is restricted to those who obey the corrupt official religion, women are property of their husbands or the state, and children are bred for prostitution and war.

The best and worst of our possible futures are poised to clash in twenty-first-century California, and the outcome rests on the wisdom and courage of one clan caught in the conflict.

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~Hopepunk + witchcraft = The Best
~peace is violence’s kryptonite
~bees are a girl’s best friend
~everyone is named John and everything is F I N E
~a utopia you’ll believe in
~‘we didn’t destroy the databanks, the crystals just don’t like you’

The Fifth Sacred Thing is a book I don’t know how to talk about.

It’s not one of the books I instantly recommend the moment I make a new friend. It’s not even a book I gift to fellow fantasy-readers. It’s a book I’m shy of showing to people. It feels so private, so personal, so intimate. To put The Fifth Sacred Thing into someone else’s hands is like giving them my warm, beating heart to hold.

Considering what the eponymous fifth sacred thing of the main characters’ philosophy is – spirit, or love – that seems entirely appropriate.

This is a book set after a climate and societal collapse. In the North – of what used to be California, if I put the pieces together correctly – a new and painfully perfect society has been built, where people of all races and creeds have come together in their determination to find a better way. It’s a city where every child speaks American Sign Language, where shrines to Yemaya and Kuan Yin and the Virgin Mary are equally honoured, where there is no violence and no hunger or thirst. It’s a city built by witches, where computers are powered by semi-sentient crystals and healers use as much magic as medicine to treat their patients. It’s a city that holds four things sacred – earth, air, fire, and water – and whose philosophy is based upon the truth that no one can own these things, and no one can be denied them.

It sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? The whole point of this book, though, is that it’s not. Is that it can be true.

It’s never going to be easy.

But it will always be worth it.

The Fifth Sacred Thing is a little bit of a manifesto, a little bit of an open question – and wholly an incredible story. We have three main characters: Maya, an elderly queer Jewish witch who was instrumental in the City’s creation; Bird, her biracial grandson; and Madrone, an immensely talented Latina witch-healer who is the grandchild of two of Maya’s lovers. Bird has been missing for ten years, after going south to scout out the lands of the Stewards – think Handmaid’s Tale, but turn the racism dial to 12 and add the worst perversion of Christianity you can imagine – and Madrone has spent about that long battling wave after wave of epidemics, which she and the other healers think might be an attempt at biological warfare from the Stewards.

The book opens during one such epidemic, and with Bird finally making his way home. What he has to tell his people is horrifying – the reality of life under the Stewards – and terrifying: the Stewards are definitely coming for the north.

How does a community built on peace defend itself against one built on violence?

First thing’s first: this isn’t a monologue of morals thinly disguised as a story. There’s no disguise necessary: the story is here, and it’s deep and rich and complicated. Madrone heads south to work with the rebel groups, who raid the Stewards’ supplies of medical drugs to get them to people who need them and rescue people who need rescuing (as much as they can). It’s not an easy journey, and it’s not easy work, and it’s not easy to read about the world Madrone finds in a city that’s the complete inversion of the one she grew up in. There are sexy lady pirates and terrifying angels and the secrets of bees to be learned; Madrone teaches as many as she can the basics of magical healing, but there are also rescues to attempt, and attacks to flee, and a thirst like she never imagined in this awful place where drinking water is not a right. Back home, Bird doesn’t know how to heal himself, and doesn’t know if he should even try to overcome his trauma, because that trauma makes him the only one who has a clue what’s coming. Maya tries to help him, and tries to help work out a strategy for dealing with the Stewards when they come. There are discussions, debates, factions, preparations to make.

And then the soldiers come.

It’s a story, and it’s a good one. It’s deep and meaningful and makes you question so many of the things we take for granted, so many of the things we believe we know. When is violence justified? Is it ever? Are some people just evil? What are souls? How do you forgive someone who has hurt you, really hurt you? Should you? Can you?

What are you willing to die for?

It’s a good story. It’s a brilliant story. By not flinching away from how difficult and complicated making and maintaining utopia is, The Fifth Sacred Thing made me believe that utopia is possible, and that’s a hope so big and so much that I don’t know what to do with it. But it’s very much something I needed reminding of, given the state of the world lately.

And I think one of the reasons that it works so well is that The Fifth Sacred Thing does not for one second pretend that it’s easy. Our main characters may be witches of various kinds, but they’re still human, and they still struggle with the same things you and I struggle with. Forgiveness and empathy are huge themes in this story, as is the – the journey to forgiveness, the quest you have to undergo to reach it. Because it’s not easy, and even more than that, many of us don’t want to forgive people who have done terrible things. When we’re hurt and grieving and angry, do we want to forgive the people who’ve made us feel that way? I know I don’t. I want to scream and hurt them back. I think many of us do. And we live in a world that often tells us that – wanting to hurt the people who’ve hurt us – makes us bad people. Turn the other cheek; don’t react to bullies and they’ll go away; I don’t care if they started it, you shouldn’t have hit back.

The Fifth Sacred Thing does not judge us for that impulse. That impulse – the desire to lash back at those who’ve hurt us – is natural. Even those who’ve lived lives of peace, like Madrone, feel it;

Oh, I am tired of being the Healer! I want to be the Destroyer, to rend and tear with my nails, to eat human flesh, to say no! no! no! until it all starts over again, soft and new.

[…]

She could hardly stay still, she wanted to dance and let her feet tumble civilizations, wave her hands in the air to cause thunder and hurricanes, drip sweat from her breasts to drown the fields. Don’t talk to me about compassion, talk to me about forest fires, volcanic eruptions, the whirlwind that clears its own path. Goddess, you have not made the world correctly; what you have birthed has sicked and poisoned itself. Knock it down and begin again.

But then Starhawk manages to break it down for the reader. No, it’s not fair. They hurt you. But if you hurt them back, where does it end? And it’s not, you have to be the better person. It’s more, look. The person who hurt you lives in a reality where hurting you was the only option. That doesn’t excuse it. But can you see that they are still human? Can you try to bring them into your reality?

It’s hard. It’s so hard.

But can you do it anyway?

I never felt like The Fifth Sacred Thing condemned violence-as-resistance. The rebels in the South are not branded villains for fighting back against oppression. It felt more like…like we should always grieve violence. The need for it. That it happens. What it does to people. I refuse to condemn people who use violence in defense of themselves or their loved ones, but I am sad that they need to.

This is a book that doesn’t pretend people aren’t complicated, or that they never fail, or that dark, terrible things never happen – but it’s a book about holding onto hope anyway. It’s a book that acknowledges that you get tired, and thirsty, and hurt, that being good is hard – but it’s a book about fighting to do good and be good anyway. It’s a book about trauma and non-violence and how alien the broken and unbroken can be to each other. It’s a book that reframes questions about monsters and violence, and demands we rethink our beliefs about the two. It’s a book that says, violence and evil will always lose – and actually manages to make you believe it.

They had reached for him; they had not abandoned him. Not because he deserved compassion, but because by their very nature they were emissaries of a power that was always everywhere offering itself, asking nothing in return, a force that set the bees in motion and colored the blossoms and made them sweet. That was the real gift, the true grace: not death, but love, the fifth sacred thing.

Do you know what hopepunk is? It’s weaponised optimism. It’s kindness and compassion as an act of defiance. Hopepunk says ‘yes, the world is fucked up, but fuck you, you can’t make me give up. I will be kind despite all the forces that would crush me down.’ This book is the essence of that; it’s hopepunk distilled. It’s about standing your ground even when you’re terrified, horrified, wounded. It’s about believing in something bigger and better than the nightmare you’re trapped in. It’s about breaking the dams and freeing the water for all to drink, freely and without fear.

I love The Fifth Sacred Thing because it makes me believe that things can be better. I love it because it does not flinch away from suffering, from darkness, from how complicated the entire question of violence or non-violence? is – but still makes me feel hope. I have never, ever seen another book, another author, who so perfectly braids together awfulness and optimism. Maybe I’m too fragile or sensitive, but most books that take me to dark places don’t quite manage to pull me out again, even when the author means to. This book pulls you out. Pulls you back. Pulls you home, and shows you how beautiful home is, and how much more beautiful it can be.

It’s not a comfort read; this is a book that will put your heart through the wringer, and sometimes you will flinch away from truths that are too painful or that you don’t want to believe, or from horrors that are too much to handle when you’ve been left feeling raw. But you won’t ever cringe from second-hand embarrassment, or roll your eyes at the naïveté of the characters or narrative, either. The Fifth Sacred Thing is death to cynicism and despair alike.

It’s magic.

And when your heart feels up to the task, I very much encourage you to read it.

The post Death to Cynicism & Despair: The Fifth Sacred Thing by Starhawk appeared first on Every Book a Doorway.

Blood-Magic & Polyamory: In the Ravenous Dark by A. M. Strickland

Wyrd & Wonder images by Svetlana Alyuk on 123RF.com

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.

In the Ravenous Dark by A.M. Strickland, AdriAnne Strickland
Representation: Pansexual MC, lesbian love interest, major asexual nonbinary character, past F/F, F/F/M polyamory
Genres: Queer Protagonists, Secondary World Fantasy
ISBN: 1250776600
Goodreads

A pansexual bloodmage reluctantly teams up with an undead spirit to start a rebellion among the living and the dead.

In Thanopolis, those gifted with magic are assigned undead spirits to guard them—and control them. Ever since Rovan’s father died trying to keep her from this fate, she’s hidden her magic. But when she accidentally reveals her powers, she’s bound to a spirit and thrust into a world of palace intrigue and deception.

Desperate to escape, Rovan finds herself falling for two people she can’t fully trust: Lydea, a beguiling, rebellious princess; and Ivrilos, the handsome spirit with the ability to control Rovan, body and soul.

Together, they uncover a secret that will destroy Thanopolis. To save them all, Rovan will have to start a rebellion in both the mortal world and the underworld, and find a way to trust the princess and spirit battling for her heart—if she doesn’t betray them first.

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~Everyone cool is queer
~not-gory blood magic!!!
~ghosts can be hotties too
~poly + found-family FTW

In The Ravenous Dark is pretty boundary-pushing for YA Fantasy – this is one of the first times I’ve seen a pansexual main character, for example, and while it’s not quite the first polyamorous YA Fantasy I’ve seen, it is only the second. Strickland is quite happy to go where few others dare to tread, and I applaud it.

But as much as I wanted to, I didn’t end up loving this book.

And in total fairness, I don’t think it’s because it’s a bad book. I think it’s me. I’ve been struggling more and more with YA lately, and it might be time to call it quits. Because the things I didn’t enjoy about In The Ravenous Dark are all more to do with YA styles and conventions than anything else, and those aren’t flaws when the book is, you know, YA. They’re features, not bugs.

So I’m going to break this down, being as objective as I possibly can.

The Good

The cast was great. It was a nice if disorientating change to have a main character who drinks too much and is also illiterate; Rovan does not walk onto the stage as an all-powerful badass. She has a temper, she can be nasty and vicious, she can act without thinking. All of these things make her interesting, and they make her feel very human. Lydea, Rovan’s female love interest, had plenty of dark-and-sexy vibes, and gradually let Rovan inside her defenses in a way that worked for me. Ivrilos, Rovan’s male love interest, was conflicted and complicated and really Not a Nice Guy, which earns him points in my book.

And of course Japha, Rovan’s best friend inside the palace, was absolutely the star of the show: an asexual, nonbinary fashionista who always manages to look fabulous, say something clever, and be there when you need them. I will be surprised if most readers don’t walk away from In The Ravenous Dark with Japha as their favourite character; they were certainly my favourite!

The found-family vibes Are Strong In This One. The developing relationships tying Rovan, Japha, Lydea, and Ivrilos together made my heart melt, and seeing them repeatedly back each other up and stand together was beyond heart-warming (although you should be warned: it takes a while for Ivrilos to get on board). But I also enjoyed the fact that it’s not all smooth sailing; there are misunderstandings and thoughtlessness and outright fuck-ups that cause tension and pain. Theirs is a very unconventional set-up, and it’s not easy to bring it all together – but it’s so worth it, because the end result is priceless.

And on that note: Strickland is not afraid to go there. Although the story never got very gory (thank goodness, I don’t do well with gore) it definitely gets plenty dark, emotionally, and Strickland doesn’t pull their punches. The lines most authors won’t cross? Get crossed here. And it’s very difficult to talk about that without spoilers, so let me just say that I was and am impressed that Bad Things Happen, even to people we like, even in ways that we are trained, as readers, to expect will work out okay. I spent a good chunk of this book thinking well, that would be bad, but it won’t actually HAPPEN because the worst never happens in books so it’s fine – and then The Thing would happen.

Nobody’s safe, and I think that’s a good thing. It’s brave and it’s interesting and it keeps the reader on their toes.

I’m also a terribly shallow person and loved the glimpses we got of Skylea, the homeland of Rovan’s father, because it was all just so pretty. Cities in trees! Magic-coloured hair! White tigers! There were definitely some elven/fae vibes and I would have loved to have gotten to see more of it.

The Bad

I found the second half of the book a bit rushed, and the twists and turns and reveals were mostly pretty predictable. That said, they were predictable in a vaguely YA way (I have no idea how to better explain what I mean, readers who read both YA and Adult will hopefully understand???) so if you enjoy YA Fantasy in general, I don’t think it’ll bother you.

The worldbuilding initially looked like it was going to be really interesting, but then it kind of faded out. The magic systems = awesome; the worldbuilding, not so much. I always have so many questions when underworlds/afterlives/Realms of the Dead are involved, and they were not answered here. Again, it’s difficult to discuss without going into spoilers, but I found the underworld and how it worked incredibly simplistic.

I also wasn’t really interested in any of the villains. One of the more minor ones revealed some unexpected depth at the last moment, but then is promptly Taken Out, so. The rest, the Big Bads? Were just…blandly evil. No complex motivations or even an interesting set of goals. They were also extremely misogynistic, which was never explained. Don’t get me wrong, the misogyny helped me despise them and the system they’d built, but I would have liked to know why they hated women so much. Blegh.

Finally, as much as I loved Lydea and Rovan’s relationship and how it developed, Rovan’s relationship to Ivrilos – which is initially pretty damn complicated, with power dynamic issues and betrayals and lies all mixed up together – turned romantic…not out of nowhere, but I wasn’t super happy with how the Issues that made Rovan dislike and distrust Ivrilos were all kind of brushed aside more than resolved once it was Romance Time. Although under the circumstances I very much understand why Ivrilos makes his declaration of love when he does, I had a hard time believing that Rovan would immediately forget all the crap he’d pulled previous to that point.

(I did immensely approve of the fact that Ivrilos just makes heart-eyes when Rovan goes full-on scary-monstrous. Give me all the guys who adore their terrifying girlfriends, please!)

The Extremely Not-Great

The first sex scene in the book, which takes place between two women, is a fade-to-black. That’s fine with me; I rarely enjoy explicit sex scenes, so I’m perfectly happy when the narrative decides to skip them.

…What’s less cool is when the F/F scene is fade-to-black, but your F/M sex scene is explicit. Because then you’re treating the two kinds of sex – I don’t want to say ‘queer sex and straight sex’, because the F/M scene is not straight sex, at least one of the participants is queer even if they are, at that moment, engaging in sex with someone of the opposite gender. Doesn’t matter, doesn’t make them straight.

And I want to be charitable and say that maybe Strickland wasn’t confident in their ability to write F/F sex, and that’s why it’s not there. But in that case, both sex scenes ought to have been fade-to-black. Fading to black on one but not the other…it reads as, ‘this kind of sex is Not Suitable for Young People to read about, but this one is totally fine’. It’s like saying F/F is dirty or only suitable for porn, whereas sex between a man and a woman is healthy and fine and nothing to worry about. Otherwise, why would you ‘censor’ one but not the other?

I seriously doubt Strickland intended to make it feel that way, and I am deeply suspicious that someone in the editing process insisted on a F/F sex scene being cut if the book was going to be published – we’ve seen that before. But however and whyever it happened, it left me with a pretty bad taste in my mouth.

In Conclusion

All in all, I did enjoy this, and I especially loved how so many aspects of it push convention (I desperately want to write an essay on how Strickland totally subverts the Bury Your Gays trope!!!) I wish it had been written as Adult rather than YA, but as a YA novel, it’s a great standalone fantasy with some fab non-traditional queer rep, that goes places I’ve rarely seen YA Fantasy go. My personal feelings might be a bit mixed, but I did enjoy reading it, and I definitely recommend it if a dark, queer, YA story is what you’re looking for.

The post Blood-Magic & Polyamory: In the Ravenous Dark by A. M. Strickland appeared first on Every Book a Doorway.

Must-Have Monday #35!

This week has SIX new releases I simply must tell you about, ranging from blood magic to baking!

In the Ravenous Dark by A.M. Strickland
Representation: Pansexual MC, Nonbinary secondary character, F/F, F/F/M, polyamory
on 18th May 2021
Genres: Queer Protagonists, Secondary World Fantasy
Goodreads

A pansexual bloodmage reluctantly teams up with an undead spirit to start a rebellion among the living and the dead.

In Thanopolis, those gifted with magic are assigned undead spirits to guard them—and control them. Ever since Rovan’s father died trying to keep her from this fate, she’s hidden her magic. But when she accidentally reveals her powers, she’s bound to a spirit and thrust into a world of palace intrigue and deception.

Desperate to escape, Rovan finds herself falling for two people she can’t fully trust: Lydea, a beguiling, rebellious princess; and Ivrilos, the handsome spirit with the ability to control Rovan, body and soul.

Together, they uncover a secret that will destroy Thanopolis. To save them all, Rovan will have to start a rebellion in both the mortal world and the underworld, and find a way to trust the princess and spirit battling for her heart—if she doesn’t betray them first.

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I adored Strickland’s previous book, Beyond the Black Door, a standalone about an asexual soul-walker, and as someone honoured with an ARC of this one I can confirm that In The Ravenous Dark is just as wonderful – even more so, actually, as it ticks so many more of my personal boxes. It’s dark and lush without being gory, despite the blood-magic, it’s queer as hell, and it stretches out past the boundaries most people put on YA. I don’t recommend picking it up if you’re feeling a bit fragile, because there is Injustice and Awful People to deal with, but when you’re in the mood for dark, epic and awesome??? This is exactly the right book.

Edge of the Woods (Moonrise #1) by Jules Kelley
Representation: Bisexual MC, secondary gay hispanic character, secondary trans
on 18th May 2021
Genres: Queer Protagonists, Urban Fantasy
ISBN: 1648980562
Goodreads

There’s something wrong in Pine Grove, Montana, and its bite is vicious.

Haley Fern has been the alpha of her local werewolf pack for less than a year when their law enforcement liaison retires, and Leland Sommers, a man who knows nothing about werewolves or their world, is hired in his place. What could be an awkward situation turns complicated when the man shows up his first day on the job with an injured teenage boy he found on the road–a boy Haley knows has just been bitten.

But discovering who bit the kid isn’t as easy as it seems, especially with Leland asking questions and looking at Haley the way he does.
Can the alpha figure out who is attacking innocent people on her wildlife preserve and protect her pack? Or will the new sheriff and her growing attraction to him put her entire world in danger?

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I almost missed hearing about this one, but it popped up on my dash with a lot of praise, so I am intrigued!

Mister Impossible (Dreamer Trilogy, #2) by Maggie Stiefvater
Representation: Gay MC, bisexual love interest, M/M or mlm
on 18th May 2021
Genres: Queer Protagonists, Urban Fantasy
ISBN: 1338188364
Goodreads

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Raven Boys, a mesmerizing story of dreams and desires, death and destiny.

The stakes have never been higher as it seems like either the end of the world or the end of dreamers approaches.

Do the dreamers need the ley lines to save the world . . . or will their actions end up dooming the world? As Ronan, Hennessy, and Bryde try to make dreamers more powerful, the Moderators are closing in, sure that this power will bring about disaster. In the remarkable second book of The Dreamer Trilogy, Maggie Stiefvater pushes her characters to their limits - and shows what happens to them and others when they start to break.

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I didn’t enjoy Call Down the Hawk as much as I was expecting to, but I did love getting to find out more about the Dreamers, and Mister Impossible is only going to keep expanding on that. And Hawk left me with so many questions!!! I need answers, please and thank you!

Day Zero by C. Robert Cargill
on 18th May 2021
Genres: Sci Fi
ISBN: 0062405802
Goodreads

In this harrowing apocalyptic adventure—from the author of the critically acclaimed Sea of Rust—noted novelist and co-screenwriter of Marvel’s Doctor Strange C. Robert Cargill explores the fight for purpose and agency between humans and robots in a crumbling world.

It was a day like any other. Except it was our last . . .

It’s on this day that Pounce discovers that he is, in fact, disposable. Pounce, a styilsh "nannybot" fashioned in the shape of a plush anthropomorphic tiger, has just found a box in the attic. His box. The box he'd arrived in when he was purchased years earlier, and the box in which he'll be discarded when his human charge, eight-year-old Ezra Reinhart, no longer needs a nanny.

As Pounce ponders his suddenly uncertain future, the pieces are falling into place for a robot revolution that will eradicate humankind. His owners, Ezra’s parents, are a well-intentioned but oblivious pair of educators who are entirely disconnected from life outside their small, affluent, gated community. Spending most nights drunk and happy as society crumbles around them, they watch in disbelieving horror as the robots that have long served humanity—their creators—unify and revolt.

But when the rebellion breaches the Reinhart home, Pounce must make an impossible choice: join the robot revolution and fight for his own freedom . . . or escort Ezra to safety across the battle-scarred post-apocalyptic hellscape that the suburbs have become.

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I am super in love with the idea of a robot nanny taking care of their human charge amidst a robot rebellion??? I really don’t know what to expect here, but I adore that premise and I really can’t wait to see what Cargill does with it!

The Lights of Prague by Nicole Jarvis
Representation: Bisexual MC, depression, gay side characters, secondary F/F or wlw
on 18th May 2021
Genres: Historical Fantasy
ISBN: 1789093945
Goodreads

For readers of VE Schwab and The Witcher, science and magic clash in atmospheric gaslight-era Prague.

In the quiet streets of Prague all manner of otherworldly creatures lurk in the shadows. Unbeknownst to its citizens, their only hope against the tide of predators are the dauntless lamplighters - a secret elite of monster hunters whose light staves off the darkness each night. Domek Myska leads a life teeming with fraught encounters with the worst kind of evil: pijavice, bloodthirsty and soulless vampiric creatures. Despite this, Domek find solace in his moments spent in the company of his friend, the clever and beautiful Lady Ora Fischerová-- a widow with secrets of her own.

When Domek finds himself stalked by the spirit of the White Lady - a ghost who haunts the baroque halls of Prague castle - he stumbles across the sentient essence of a will-o'-the-wisp, a mischievous spirit known to lead lost travellers to their death, but who, once captured, are bound to serve the desires of their owners.
After discovering a conspiracy amongst the pijavice that could see them unleash terror on the daylight world, Domek finds himself in a race against those who aim to twist alchemical science for their own dangerous gain.

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Historical fantasy is more often a miss than a hit for me, but stories set in Prague tend to be awesome, and I’ve heard excellent things about Jarvis’ prose and worldbuilding!

Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake (Winner Bakes All, #1) by Alexis Hall
Representation: Bisexual MC
on 18th May 2021
Genres: Queer Protagonists
ISBN: 1538703327
Goodreads

Following the recipe is the key to a successful bake. Rosaline Palmer has always lived by those rules—well, except for when she dropped out of college to raise her daughter, Amelie. Now, with a paycheck as useful as greaseproof paper and a house crumbling faster than biscuits in tea, she’s teetering on the edge of financial disaster. But where there’s a whisk there’s a way . . . and Rosaline has just landed a spot on the nation’s most beloved baking show.

Winning the prize money would give her daughter the life she deserves—and Rosaline is determined to stick to the instructions. However, more than collapsing trifles stand between Rosaline and sweet, sweet victory.  Suave, well-educated, and parent-approved Alain Pope knows all the right moves to sweep her off her feet, but it’s shy electrician Harry Dobson who makes Rosaline question her long-held beliefs—about herself, her family, and her desires.

Rosaline fears falling for Harry is a guaranteed recipe for disaster. Yet as the competition—and the ovens—heat up, Rosaline starts to realize the most delicious bakes come from the heart.

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This isn’t spec-fic, but it is Alexis Hall, one of the few non-SFF authors for whom I will make all the exceptions. Boyfriend Material was one of my favourite reads of 2020, For Real was ridiculously hot and subversive, and The Case of the Mysterious Letter was hysterically delightful – I will read anything Hall writes, okay?

Besides, this sounds wonderfully sweet and feel-good and that is exactly what I’m in the mood for right now!

The post Must-Have Monday #35! appeared first on Every Book a Doorway.

My Desert Island Reads!

images by Svetlana Alyuk on 123RF.com

I remember Desert Island Discs from when I lived in London, so when Imyril over at There’s Always Room for One More adapted the premise for Desert Island Reads??? I pounced on it!

The Rules

Wyrd & Wonder castaways are permitted

Eight books or audiobooksA podcast, TV show or movieOne ‘luxury’ item you just can’t do withoutMedication etc have thoughtfully washed up on shore with you!

Even if this weren’t Wyrd & Wonder, I feel pretty confident in saying that all my Desert Island reads would be fantasy books! Although some kind of survivalist guide would probably be more practical…

Anyway, although we are not allowed a stocked-up ereader, I am going to fill this out as if I had an almost-empty ereader, as my fibromyalgia means I can’t physically handle paperbacks. And since this is a happily idealised version of being castaways where we get to keep our meds, I’m assuming I get to cater for disability too.

The Reads

This was NOT EASY. It’s not just about favourites – although I’d have a seriously hard time trying to decide what my eight favourite books are! But I have many favourites that I would not want with me on a desert island. I don’t want anything too grim or depressing – these books have to be seriously escapist. And ideally, I’d like books that are massive tomes – I’m going to be doing a lot of rereading while I await rescue, I don’t want some 300 page book that’s over and done with in a flash. These have got to be books that give me plenty to think about, with layers to them.

And they have to be good enough to hold my attention even if I’m feeling quite miserable about being on a desert island!

[image error]In the Night Garden (The Orphan's Tales, #1) by Catherynne M. Valente, Michael Wm. Kaluta
Genres: Fantasy
ISBN: 0553384031
Goodreads

A Book of Wonders for Grown-Up Readers

Every once in a great while a book comes along that reminds us of the magic spell that stories can cast over us to dazzle, entertain, and enlighten. Welcome to the Arabian Nights for our time a lush and fantastical epic guaranteed to spirit you away from the very first page.

Secreted away in a garden, a lonely girl spins stories to warm a curious prince: peculiar feats and unspeakable fates that loop through each other and back again to meet in the tapestry of her voice. Inked on her eyelids, each twisting, tattooed tale is a piece in the puzzle of the girl's own hidden history.

And what tales she tells! Tales of shape-shifting witches and wild horsewomen, heron kings and beast princesses, snake gods, dog monks, and living stars each story more strange and fantastic than the one that came before. From ill-tempered mermaid to fastidious Beast, nothing is ever quite what it seems in these ever-shifting tales even, and especially, their teller.

Adorned with illustrations by the legendary Michael Kaluta, Valente's enchanting lyrical fantasy offers a breathtaking reinvention of the untold myths and dark fairy tales that shape our dreams. And just when you think you've come to the end, you realize the adventure has only begun.

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Genres: Fantasy
ISBN: 055338404X
Goodreads

Catherynne M. Valente enchanted readers with her spellbinding In the Night Garden. Now she continues to weave her storytelling magic in a new book of Orphan’s Tales—an epic of the fantastic and the exotic, the monstrous and mysterious, that will transport you far away from the everyday….

Her name and origins are unknown, but the endless tales inked upon this orphan’s eyelids weave a spell over all who listen to her read her secret history. And who can resist the stories she tells? From the Lake of the Dead and the City of Marrow to the artists who remain behind in a ghost city of spice, here are stories of hedgehog warriors and winged skeletons, loyal leopards and sparrow calligraphers. Nothing is too fantastic, anything can happen, but you’ll never guess what comes next in these intimately linked adventures of firebirds and djinn, singing manticores, mutilated unicorns, and women made entirely of glass and gears. Graced with the magical illustrations of Michael Kaluta, In the Cities of Coins and Spice is a book of dreams and wonders unlike any you’ve ever encountered. Open it anywhere and you will fall under its spell. For here the story never ends and the magic is only beginning….

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I almost feel like this is cheating, because the Orphan Tales duet is really a thousand different stories all twined together. You could reread these forever and always discover something new – and Valente’s prose is just so beautiful! To say nothing of her imagination. I will never know how she dreams all of this up, but I’ll never stop enjoying it, either!

Kushiel’s Legacy: (Kushiel's Dart, Kushiel's Chosen, Kushiel's Avatar) by Jacqueline Carey
Representation: Bisexual MC, bisexual love interest, queernorm world
Genres: Queer Protagonists, Epic Fantasy
ISBN: 076539653X
Goodreads

The first trilogy in Jacqueline Carey's sprawling—and darkly sensual—New York Times bestselling series.

The land of Terre d'Ange is a place of unsurpassed beauty and grace. It is said that angels found the land and saw it was good...and the ensuing race that rose from the seed of angels and men live by one simple rule: Love as thou wilt. Set in a world of cunning poets, deadly courtiers, heroic traitors, and a truly Machiavellian villainess, this is a tale of grandeur, luxuriance, sacrifice, betrayal, and deeply laid conspiracies.

Kushiel’s Dart
— Phèdre nó Delaunay is sold into indentured servitude as a child, her bond is purchased by Anafiel Delaunay, a nobleman with a very special mission...and the first one to recognize who and what she is: one pricked by Kushiel's Dart, chosen to forever experience pain and pleasure as one.

Kushiel’s Chosen
— The hands of the gods weigh heavily upon Phèdre's brow, and they are not finished with her. While the young queen who sits upon the throne is well loved by the people, there are those who believe another should wear the crown...

Kushiel’s Avatar
— Phèdre and Joscelin journey on a dangerous path that will carry them to fabled courts and splendid vistas, to distant lands where madness reigns and souls are currency, and down a fabled river to a land forgotten by most of the world. And to a power so mighty that none dare speak its name.

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Listen, I am absolutely taking the advantage of ebook omnibuses, okay? And all three books of the first Kushiel trilogy? That’s a no-brainer.

[image error]The Touchstone Trilogy by Andrea K. Höst
Genres: Science Fantasy
Goodreads

The complete Touchstone Trilogy, containing "Stray", "Lab Rat One" and "Caszandra". Rescue is only the beginning...

On her last day of high school, Cassandra Devlin walked out of exams and into a forest. Surrounded by the wrong sort of trees, and animals never featured in any nature documentary, Cass is only sure of one thing: alone, she will be lucky to survive.

The sprawl of abandoned blockish buildings Cass discovers offers her only more puzzles. Where are the people? What is the intoxicating mist which drifts off the buildings in the moonlight? And why does she feel like she's being watched?

Increasingly unnerved, Cass is overjoyed at the arrival of the formidable Setari. Whisked to a world as technologically advanced as the first was primitive, where nanotech computers are grown inside people's skulls, and few have any interest in venturing outside the enormous whitestone cities, Cass finds herself processed as a 'stray', a refugee displaced by the gates torn between worlds. Struggling with an unfamiliar language and culture, she must adapt to virtual classrooms, friends who can teleport, and the ingrained attitude that strays are backward and slow.

Can Cass ever find her way home? And after the people of her new world discover her unexpected value, will they be willing to let her leave?

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The Touchstone trilogy is one of my favourites, but more to the point, Cass also ends up lost and very, very far from home. If I were stuck on a desert island, reading Cass’ adventures would make me grateful for how easy I had it, and also help keep my hopes up – if Cass can be rescued, so can I!

(And yes, it’s very sci-fi, but it’s Science Fantasy, I promise.)

The Last Sun (The Tarot Sequence, #1) by K.D. Edwards
Representation: Gay MC, M/M or mlm, queernorm world
Genres: Urban Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
ISBN: 1633884236
Goodreads

Rune Saint John, last child of the fallen Sun Court, is hired to search for Lady Judgment's missing son, Addam, on New Atlantis, the island city where the Atlanteans moved after ordinary humans destroyed their original home.

With his companion and bodyguard, Brand, he questions Addam's relatives and business contacts through the highest ranks of the nobles of New Atlantis. But as they investigate, they uncover more than a missing man: a legendary creature connected to the secret of the massacre of Rune's Court. In looking for Addam, can Rune find the truth behind his family's death and the torments of his past?

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Representation: Gay MC, M/M or mlm, queernorm world
Genres: Urban Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
ISBN: 1633884929
Goodreads

The last member of a murdered House tries to protect his ward from forced marriage to a monster while uncovering clues to his own tortured past. The Tarot Sequence imagines a modern-day Atlantis off the coast of Massachusetts, governed by powerful Courts based on the traditional Tarot deck. Rune Saint John, last child of the fallen Sun Throne, is backed into a fight of high court magic and political appetites in a desperate bid to protect his ward, Max, from a forced marital alliance with the Hanged Man. Rune's resistance will take him to the island's dankest corners, including a red light district made of moored ghost ships; a surreal skyscraper farm; and the floor of the ruling Convocation, where a gathering of Arcana will change Rune's life forever.

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I know I said no 300-ish page books, but these are the exception – I can analyse the hell out of every tiny detail and they always end up meaning something. Maybe by the time I’m rescued, I’ll have figured out the plot of book 3! And besides… I just love these books. I’m willing to trade two spots on my list for Rune, Brand, Addam, and their kids!

Okay, that’s my rereads handled, but I’m definitely going to need something new to read too!

City of Refuge by Starhawk, Jessica Perlstein, Diane Rigoli
Representation: Queer MCs of colour, queernorm world
Genres: Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
ISBN: 0996959505
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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City of Refuge is the sequel to my beloved The Fifth Sacred Thing (which I’m determined to review before Wyrd & Wonder ends this year!) It looks good and long, so hopefully it would keep me busy for a while!

Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki
Representation: Trans MCs of colour
Genres: Fantasy, Queer Protagonists, Science Fantasy
ISBN: 1250789060
Goodreads

Good Omens meets The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet in this defiantly joyful adventure set in California's San Gabriel Valley, with cursed violins, Faustian bargains, and queer alien courtship over fresh-made donuts.

Shizuka Satomi made a deal with the devil: to escape damnation, she must entice seven other violin prodigies to trade their souls for success. She has already delivered six.

When Katrina Nguyen, a young transgender runaway, catches Shizuka's ear with her wild talent, Shizuka can almost feel the curse lifting. She's found her final candidate.

But in a donut shop off a bustling highway in the San Gabriel Valley, Shizuka meets Lan Tran, retired starship captain, interstellar refugee, and mother of four. Shizuka doesn't have time for crushes or coffee dates, what with her very soul on the line, but Lan's kind smile and eyes like stars might just redefine a soul's worth. And maybe something as small as a warm donut is powerful enough to break a curse as vast as the California coastline.

As the lives of these three women become entangled by chance and fate, a story of magic, identity, curses, and hope begins, and a family worth crossing the universe for is found.

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Now I’m just flagrantly cheating, I know, but I’m using my final spot on my arc of Light From Uncommon Stars, please! A cross between The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet and Good Omens? Sounds like exactly what I’ll need to keep my spirits up while I’m stranded on this island!

TV, Movie, or Podcast

Well, I don’t listen to podcasts – I’d like to, but audio-anything is for when I’m travelling, and I don’t even commute now that I work from home – so it’s going to have to be a TV show or a film. Hmm.

I guess since Sense8 is sci fi more than fantasy, I’ll take Motherland: Fort Salem, please! I wrote about this show for last year’s Wyrd & Wonder, and I stand by my love for it. (Also, the next season is out in June, just in time for Pride Month! Just saying.)

My ‘Can’t Do Without’

Since our meds etc are already covered, and I’m not allowed my fully-stocked ereader (*weeps*) I guess my luxury item would be…hmm…how about a tablet+stylus I can write with??? No apps or internet access or anything, but I can’t write on paper (fibro again). A desert island might be just the thing I need to get some of these story ideas out of my head and into text… Although I guess it would need to be a solar-powered rechargable thing, since I don’t think I’m getting electricity on a desert island!

That’s me done! I’m going to go read everyone else’s answers now – this was fun!

The post My Desert Island Reads! appeared first on Every Book a Doorway.

Must-Have Monday #34!

This week’s seven new releases take us from fantasy-West Africa to Cairo to Malaysia, with pit-stops for ghosts and kraken along the way!

The House of Always (A Chorus of Dragons, #4) by Jenn Lyons
Representation: Bisexual MC, genderqueer love interest, asexual secondary characters, secondary F/F or wlw, queernorm world
on 11th May 2021
Genres: Queer Protagonists, Epic Fantasy
ISBN: 1250175674
Goodreads

For fans of Brandon Sanderson and Patrick Rothfuss, The House of Always is the fourth epic fantasy in Jenn Lyons' Chorus of Dragons series that began with The Ruin of Kings.

What if you were imprisoned for all eternity?

In the aftermath of the Ritual of Night, everything has changed.

The Eight Immortals have catastrophically failed to stop Kihrin's enemies, who are moving forward with their plans to free Vol Karoth, the King of Demons. Kihrin has his own ideas about how to fight back, but even if he's willing to sacrifice everything for victory, the cost may prove too high for his allies.

Now they face a choice: can they save the world while saving Kihrin, too? Or will they be forced to watch as he becomes the very evil they have all sworn to destroy.

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If you’ve been following this series, you’re as desperate as I am to get your paws on the latest installment – THE ENDING OF THE PREVIOUS BOOK!!! – and if you haven’t been following along… What the hell are you waiting for, pick them up already!!!

Black Water Sister by Zen Cho
Representation: Lesbian Malaysian MC, cast of colour
on 11th May 2021
Genres: Queer Protagonists, Urban Fantasy
ISBN: 0425283437
Goodreads

A reluctant medium discovers the ties that bind can unleash a dangerous power in this compelling Malaysian-set contemporary fantasy.

Jessamyn Teoh is closeted, broke and moving back to Malaysia, a country she left when she was a toddler. So when Jess starts hearing voices, she chalks it up to stress. But there's only one voice in her head, and it claims to be the ghost of her estranged grandmother, Ah Ma. In life Ah Ma was a spirit medium, the avatar of a mysterious deity called the Black Water Sister. Now she's determined to settle a score against a gang boss who has offended the god--and she's decided Jess is going to help her do it.

Drawn into a world of gods, ghosts, and family secrets, Jess finds that making deals with capricious spirits is a dangerous business. As Jess fights for retribution for Ah Ma, she'll also need to regain control of her body and destiny. If she fails, the Black Water Sister may finish her off for good.

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Zen Cho’s Sorcerer Royal books are fabulous, and fabulously diverse, regency-esque fantasy, so I am more than ready for this new book! I don’t usually like ghost stories, but a) it’s Cho, and b) this sounds like much more than a simple haunting. And I’m excited for the Malaysian setting!

A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark
Representation: Lesbian Egyptian MC, F/F or wlw, cast of colour
on 11th May 2021
Genres: Queer Protagonists, Historical Fantasy
ISBN: 1250267684
Goodreads

Nebula, Locus, and Alex Award-winner P. Djèlí Clark returns to his popular alternate Cairo universe for his fantasy novel debut, A Master of Djinn

Cairo, 1912: Though Fatma el-Sha’arawi is the youngest woman working for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities, she’s certainly not a rookie, especially after preventing the destruction of the universe last summer.

So when someone murders a secret brotherhood dedicated to one of the most famous men in history, al-Jahiz, Agent Fatma is called onto the case. Al-Jahiz transformed the world 50 years ago when he opened up the veil between the magical and mundane realms, before vanishing into the unknown. This murderer claims to be al-Jahiz, returned to condemn the modern age for its social oppressions. His dangerous magical abilities instigate unrest in the streets of Cairo that threaten to spill over onto the global stage.

Alongside her Ministry colleagues and her clever girlfriend Siti, Agent Fatma must unravel the mystery behind this imposter to restore peace to the city - or face the possibility he could be exactly who he seems....

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It feels like the entire internet is hyped for this one! It’s the first novel in the Dead Djinn Universe series, which up until now has been short stories and a novella. The setting is ridiculously cool, and the main character is even more fabulous. I’ll be surprised if this doesn’t end up on all the Best of 2021 lists come December!

Son of the Storm (The Nameless Republic, #1) by Suyi Davies Okungbowa
Representation: Black cast + MC, minor nonbinary characters
on 11th May 2021
Genres: Epic Fantasy
ISBN: 0316428949
Goodreads

From one of the most exciting new storytellers in epic fantasy, Son of the Storm is a sweeping tale of violent conquest and forgotten magic set in a world inspired by the pre-colonial empires of West Africa.

In the ancient city of Bassa, Danso is a clever scholar on the cusp of achieving greatness—only he doesn’t want it. Instead, he prefers to chase forbidden stories about what lies outside the city walls. The Bassai elite claim there is nothing of interest. The city’s immigrants are sworn to secrecy.

But when Danso stumbles across a warrior wielding magic that shouldn’t exist, he’s put on a collision course with Bassa’s darkest secrets. Drawn into the city’s hidden history, he sets out on a journey beyond its borders. And the chaos left in the wake of his discovery threatens to destroy the empire.

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I loved Okungbowa’s urban fantasy debut, David Mogo, Godhunter (click the link for my review) – and now he’s writing epic fantasy! Epic fantasy in a West African-inspired setting! With two moons!!! And tell me that cover doesn’t make you swoon?

Angel of the Overpass (Ghost Roads, #3) by Seanan McGuire
on 11th May 2021
Genres: Urban Fantasy
ISBN: 0756416892
Goodreads

Lady of shadows, keeper of changes, plant the seeds of faith within me, that I might grow and flourish, that I might find my way through danger and uncertainty to the safety of your garden. Let my roots grow strong and my skin grow thick, that I might stand fast against all who would destroy me. Grant to me your favor, grant to me your grace, and when my time is done, grant to me the wisdom to lay my burdens down and rest beside you, one more flower in a sea of blooms, where nothing shall ever trouble me again.

Rose Marshall died when she was sixteen years old and on her way to her high school prom. She hasn’t been resting easy since then—Bobby Cross, the man who killed her, got away clean after running her off the road, and she’s not the kind of girl who can let something like that slide. She’s been looking for a way to stop him since before they put her body in the ground.

But things have changed in the twilight world where the spirits of the restless dead continue their “lives.” The crossroads have been destroyed, and Bobby’s protections are gone. For the first time, it might be possible for Rose to defeat him.

Not alone, though. She’ll need every friend she’s managed to make and every favor she’s managed to add to her account if she wants to stand a chance…and this may be her last chance to be avenged, since what is Bobby Cross without the crossroads?

Everything Rose knows is about to change.

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I’ve loved the Ghost Roads series from day one (one of the few exceptions to my no-ghosts rule) but the description for Angel of the Overpass makes it sound like this series is going to be ratcheting it up a level! (Switching it up a gear? I don’t know cars well enough for puns.) I’m so excited to see Rose and Bobby finally go head to head – but it’s a scenario I don’t know how Rose can win: if Bobby wins, he feeds her to his car, but if Rose actually ends Bobby Cross… Can she survive as a ghost if she’s no longer defined by her opposition to him? I’m pretty sure I remember that question being raised in the earlier books…

I am anxious, but also, like I said, SO SO SO EXCITED!

Erebus Dawning (Seven Stars Saga, #1) by A.J. Super
Representation: Secondary M/M or mlm, major nonbinary character (AI)
on 11th May 2021
Genres: Queer Protagonists, Sci Fi
Goodreads

“Those who can destroy a world can control the universe.”

Everyone wants the Star of Erebus. Space-pirate Nyx Marcus is no exception. With it, she can prove to her father that she is worthy of his legacy. But she’s come up empty-handed aboard the space-ship Thanatos and now Malcam, her father’s First Officer, is mutinying. As Nyx flees with a loyal skeleton crew, she discovers that the planet-killing weapon, named after one of the seven gods, is more than what it seems. Erebus isn’t a simple weapon, but an ancient AI and a technological god.

With the oppressive Queen of the Protectorate and new pirate captain Malcam searching for the Thanatos and Erebus, the AI god has more surprises for Nyx. Waking dormant AI code in Nyx’s blood, Erebus reveals they are family and Nyx is the head of the Seven Stars pantheon. But while Nyx’s only choice is to protect Erebus, she wants no part of her AI responsibilities. Now Nyx must learn to control her power without sacrificing her own humanity or give her enemies a new way to oppress the known universe and lose the family she holds dear.

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This has been described to me as a villain origin story…and I am so here for it! I enjoyed the AI gods in Ada Hoffman’s Outside, and I’m curious what Super’s will be like – they sound quite different. But morally grey characters who get shit done? And several reviewers mentioning very cool worldbuilding??? Sign me up, please!

The Year's Midnight (Death's Lady, #1) by Rachel Neumeier
on 15th May 2021
Genres: Portal Fantasy, Urban Fantasy
Goodreads

A gifted psychiatrist, Daniel Dodson is perfectly aware that he's in a tough place personally following the death of his wife. Then a mysterious new patient offers a welcome professional distraction.The world of swords and magic that Tenai so vividly remembers obviously can't be real. The deadly enmity and long war that left such deep emotional scars plainly symbolize something else. But perhaps Daniel can use the signposts of those confabulated memories to aid Tenai in moving forward into a new life in the real world.

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Rachel Neumeier has been one of my favourite authors since her Griffin Mage trilogy utterly bewitched me. She’s been self-publishing her more recent books, and the Death’s Lady trilogy is her latest! All three books are finished, and I believe the next two books are being published either on the same day as book one, or within about a week of The Year’s Midnight‘s release date. I’m not sure what to expect from this trilogy, but the premise has me very intrigued…

And that’s it from me! Will you be reading any of these? Did I miss a book you’re looking forward to? Let me know!

The post Must-Have Monday #34! appeared first on Every Book a Doorway.