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queer_bookwyrm's reviews
591 reviews
Cameron Battle and the Escape Trials by Jamar J. Perry
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
3.5 ⭐ CW: bullying, fantasy violence, slavery mention
Cameron Battle and the Escape Trials by Jamar J. Perry is book two in the Cameron Battle duology. This was an okay middle grade series. I've definitely read better, but I did really appreciate reading about a little gay, black boy with magic, and Igbo mythology.
We pick up with Cameron, Aliyah, and Zion after the events of book one, while they are at school. All Cameron can think about is getting back to Chidani to save his mom and dad. When Cameron starts getting bullied by his classmate Vince, he realizes that the classmate has been possessed by mmo, and he and his friends get pulled into a portal and thrust back in Chidani.
When Vince fell into Chidani, he was taken by the goddess Ala, and Cameron ends up having to let her take Zion too. The only way to save both Vince and Zion is to complete the Escape Trials: one a game of wit, and one a game of love. Cameron has to face some hard truths about the fate of his mother and face his feelings for Zion.
I did enjoy this one more than book one, but I felt that the escape trials were a pretty small part, which felt weird since that's the name of the book. Most of the book was Cameron trying to figure out his summoning magic with the Book, and trying to figure out how to get his mom's soul back from Amina. I felt like Cameron didn't have enough growth throughout the book, and I didn't love that he was bent on killing Amina. Some of the other elements just felt a bit rushed since it was a short book, and I felt the world-building would have been better served if it were a trilogy instead.
This was still a fun story with great representation. I love seeing Black Boy Magic and that Cameron and Zion got to have a happy ending.
Cameron Battle and the Escape Trials by Jamar J. Perry is book two in the Cameron Battle duology. This was an okay middle grade series. I've definitely read better, but I did really appreciate reading about a little gay, black boy with magic, and Igbo mythology.
We pick up with Cameron, Aliyah, and Zion after the events of book one, while they are at school. All Cameron can think about is getting back to Chidani to save his mom and dad. When Cameron starts getting bullied by his classmate Vince, he realizes that the classmate has been possessed by mmo, and he and his friends get pulled into a portal and thrust back in Chidani.
When Vince fell into Chidani, he was taken by the goddess Ala, and Cameron ends up having to let her take Zion too. The only way to save both Vince and Zion is to complete the Escape Trials: one a game of wit, and one a game of love. Cameron has to face some hard truths about the fate of his mother and face his feelings for Zion.
I did enjoy this one more than book one, but I felt that the escape trials were a pretty small part, which felt weird since that's the name of the book. Most of the book was Cameron trying to figure out his summoning magic with the Book, and trying to figure out how to get his mom's soul back from Amina. I felt like Cameron didn't have enough growth throughout the book, and I didn't love that he was bent on killing Amina. Some of the other elements just felt a bit rushed since it was a short book, and I felt the world-building would have been better served if it were a trilogy instead.
This was still a fun story with great representation. I love seeing Black Boy Magic and that Cameron and Zion got to have a happy ending.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying and Violence
Minor: Slavery
Goddess in the Machine by Lora Beth Johnson
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
3.5 ⭐ CW: violence, death
Goddess in the Machine by Lora Beth Johnson is book one in the Goddess in the Machine duology. I didn't love this book as much as I thought I would. It kind of dragged on for me and took me too long to get into and finish. The cover might be the best part about this book.
We follow Andra who has woken up from cryo'stasis a thousand years late to a world she doesn't recognize, and is being worshipped as a goddess. She is in a desert like place where people refer to all technology as magic and all bots as angels. Zhade, a boy exiled from the city of Erensed, helps her with "goddess lessons" to teach her what the people expect from her. All Andra wants is to go home, but she has to figure out to create a "miracle" (use the tech in her brain) so the people keep believing she's a goddess to keep from being sacrificed. But there is more going on in Erensed than she realizes, and Zhade has his own plans, despite their burgeoning feelings for each other.
This just did not wow me like I thought it would I liked the concept of space princess and science as magic, but the execution felt faulty. I also liked the idea of the English language changing so much over time that it becomes something else, but it was hard to get used to and ultimately, felt clunky and a little silly. I also thought the twists were a little too convenient.
I did like that our MC is a plus sized South East Asian mixed race person working through her confidence issues around her size. I had a hard time really getting invested in Zhade as a character, he just didn't feel deep enough for me. Maret could have been an interesting antagonist if we had spent more time with him or saw more of his mother's influence on him. Instead, he was just kind of an unhinged bad guy. I'm not interested enough in this story to read the second book.
Goddess in the Machine by Lora Beth Johnson is book one in the Goddess in the Machine duology. I didn't love this book as much as I thought I would. It kind of dragged on for me and took me too long to get into and finish. The cover might be the best part about this book.
We follow Andra who has woken up from cryo'stasis a thousand years late to a world she doesn't recognize, and is being worshipped as a goddess. She is in a desert like place where people refer to all technology as magic and all bots as angels. Zhade, a boy exiled from the city of Erensed, helps her with "goddess lessons" to teach her what the people expect from her. All Andra wants is to go home, but she has to figure out to create a "miracle" (use the tech in her brain) so the people keep believing she's a goddess to keep from being sacrificed. But there is more going on in Erensed than she realizes, and Zhade has his own plans, despite their burgeoning feelings for each other.
This just did not wow me like I thought it would I liked the concept of space princess and science as magic, but the execution felt faulty. I also liked the idea of the English language changing so much over time that it becomes something else, but it was hard to get used to and ultimately, felt clunky and a little silly. I also thought the twists were a little too convenient.
I did like that our MC is a plus sized South East Asian mixed race person working through her confidence issues around her size. I had a hard time really getting invested in Zhade as a character, he just didn't feel deep enough for me. Maret could have been an interesting antagonist if we had spent more time with him or saw more of his mother's influence on him. Instead, he was just kind of an unhinged bad guy. I'm not interested enough in this story to read the second book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Death
Wild is the Witch by Rachel Griffin
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
3.5 ⭐ CW: anxiety/panic attacks, death of a loved one mention, immolation mention, death of an animal
Wild is the Witch by Rachel Griffin is the second book I've read by her. This book was fine. I liked The Nature of Witches much more than this one. It just lacked some depth for me. It was a quick and easy read though.
We follow Iris, a Lunar witch that has a connection to animals. After having witnessed a terrible death caused by her best friend, Iris and her mom have moved to the Pacific Northwest and run a wildlife refuge. Since then, Iris is determined to keep the fact that she is a witch a secret, especially from the annoying intern, Pike Alder. After hearing Pike's intense hatred of witches, Iris creates a curse to make him one with plans to dispel it so it never reaches him, but an owl gets in the way, absorbs the curse and flys away from the refuge.
Iris decides to go after the owl in order to unbind the curse from him, but is saddled with having to take Pike with her. While searching for the owl, they form a new kind relationship, but things get difficult with the owl becomes injured and there is a risk of the curse getting out of control if it dies.
First of all, what kind of name is Pike Alder? I thought naming the owl MacGuffin was a bit on the nose and too meta for me. It made me roll my eyes for sure. I did like the magic normal world and the different types of witches and how magic works. I just thought the story itself was a bit shallow and predictable. If you're intrigued by a cursed owl in the Pacific Northwest with an enemies to lovers vibe, this would be for you.
Wild is the Witch by Rachel Griffin is the second book I've read by her. This book was fine. I liked The Nature of Witches much more than this one. It just lacked some depth for me. It was a quick and easy read though.
We follow Iris, a Lunar witch that has a connection to animals. After having witnessed a terrible death caused by her best friend, Iris and her mom have moved to the Pacific Northwest and run a wildlife refuge. Since then, Iris is determined to keep the fact that she is a witch a secret, especially from the annoying intern, Pike Alder. After hearing Pike's intense hatred of witches, Iris creates a curse to make him one with plans to dispel it so it never reaches him, but an owl gets in the way, absorbs the curse and flys away from the refuge.
Iris decides to go after the owl in order to unbind the curse from him, but is saddled with having to take Pike with her. While searching for the owl, they form a new kind relationship, but things get difficult with the owl becomes injured and there is a risk of the curse getting out of control if it dies.
First of all, what kind of name is Pike Alder? I thought naming the owl MacGuffin was a bit on the nose and too meta for me. It made me roll my eyes for sure. I did like the magic normal world and the different types of witches and how magic works. I just thought the story itself was a bit shallow and predictable. If you're intrigued by a cursed owl in the Pacific Northwest with an enemies to lovers vibe, this would be for you.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Child death
The Water Outlaws by S.L. Huang
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
4 ⭐ CW: violence, blood, gore, sexual assault, death, torture, cannibalism
The Water Outlaws by S.L. Huang is a Chinese historical fantasy based on classic martial arts wuxia literature. This was sort of like a very queer and female centric Robin Hood meets Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. This was an excellent book! We get found family, no romance, and plenty of queer characters.
We follow Lin Chong, a female master arms instructor to the emperor's soldiers and guardsmen. When she becomes victim to the Marshall's sexual advances and rebuffs him, she is branded a criminal and sent away. On her way to a work camp, Lin Chong discovers that the Marshall has contracted her guards to kill her, but she is rescued by Lu Da, the Flower Monk, a member of the outlaw bandits Liangshan.
Since Lin Chong's rescue, she has been connected to the power of Lu Da's god's tooth, an object that gives the wearer great power over energies. She finds she has a new awareness and enhanced abilities to the fighting skills she already possesses. Once at the stronghold of Liangshan, Lin Chong must face her struggle between wanting true justice and not wanting to be involved with criminals, but she is very much disenfranchised from the government. We also see a story about the grand Chancellor's quest for power beyond all imagination by researching the manufacture of god's teeth.
This was a great story of found family, and of how the state is not always to be trusted blindly, that those in power often abuse it. It's also a story of redemption. Liangshan may be made of criminals, but their over all goal is justice for the oppressed and abused. Liangshan is a place where women get to hold power, and trans and nonbinary people can be themselves. We see several side characters who are known as "wind riders," those who go between genders. There are mentions of lesbian characters as well. Lu Da is definitely my favorite. She's a big lug of a woman with a fiercely loyal heart. She is kind of like a big muscular golden retriever.
It was a bit slow in the middle, but I quite enjoyed this wuxia story. It's my first time with this genre, but I appreciate learning about different cultures and martial arts practices. I would definitely read another book by this author.
The Water Outlaws by S.L. Huang is a Chinese historical fantasy based on classic martial arts wuxia literature. This was sort of like a very queer and female centric Robin Hood meets Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. This was an excellent book! We get found family, no romance, and plenty of queer characters.
We follow Lin Chong, a female master arms instructor to the emperor's soldiers and guardsmen. When she becomes victim to the Marshall's sexual advances and rebuffs him, she is branded a criminal and sent away. On her way to a work camp, Lin Chong discovers that the Marshall has contracted her guards to kill her, but she is rescued by Lu Da, the Flower Monk, a member of the outlaw bandits Liangshan.
Since Lin Chong's rescue, she has been connected to the power of Lu Da's god's tooth, an object that gives the wearer great power over energies. She finds she has a new awareness and enhanced abilities to the fighting skills she already possesses. Once at the stronghold of Liangshan, Lin Chong must face her struggle between wanting true justice and not wanting to be involved with criminals, but she is very much disenfranchised from the government. We also see a story about the grand Chancellor's quest for power beyond all imagination by researching the manufacture of god's teeth.
This was a great story of found family, and of how the state is not always to be trusted blindly, that those in power often abuse it. It's also a story of redemption. Liangshan may be made of criminals, but their over all goal is justice for the oppressed and abused. Liangshan is a place where women get to hold power, and trans and nonbinary people can be themselves. We see several side characters who are known as "wind riders," those who go between genders. There are mentions of lesbian characters as well. Lu Da is definitely my favorite. She's a big lug of a woman with a fiercely loyal heart. She is kind of like a big muscular golden retriever.
It was a bit slow in the middle, but I quite enjoyed this wuxia story. It's my first time with this genre, but I appreciate learning about different cultures and martial arts practices. I would definitely read another book by this author.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gore, Cannibalism, Death, Violence, and Torture
Moderate: Sexual assault
Lost Atusville: A Black Settlement from the American Revolution by Marcus A. LiBrizzi
challenging
informative
fast-paced
3.5
3.5 ⭐ CW: racism, racial slurs
Lost Atusville: A Black Settlement from the American Revolution by Marcus A. LiBrizzi is a short local history book about a Black settlement in Machias, Maine (where I live!). Atusville was a place I had heard a little bit about since going to school at the University of Maine at Machias, where I met the author who was one of my English professors.
It was really fascinating to learn more about the town's history in general, some of which I knew already. Machiasport is the site of the first naval battle of the American Revolution. Citizens of Machias captured and took over a British ship called the Margaretta. We even have a festival in June commemorating that moment, but little is said about Atusville and the Black men that participated in the battle. This book sets out to tell about London Atus, the former slave whom the settlement is named for.
Understandably, there is little left over from that time about the individuals who lived in Atusville, much of that due to racism. Unfortunately, that has resulted in vague details about the very people this book claims to be about. It's almost as if they are side characters in their own stories. I also felt that the author's tone when discussing slavery was a bit too casual and lacked the sensitivity it should have had when discussing enslaved people. Instead, it inspired the tone of "yeah they were slaves, but it wasn't that bad." I've also witnessed this casual ignorance in American Lit classes with this professor as well, and called him out for when we read Uncle Tom's Cabin.
I think this is an okay book if you are just looking to learn a little bit more about local Machias history, but it isn't quite deep enough to feel satisfactory to me.
Lost Atusville: A Black Settlement from the American Revolution by Marcus A. LiBrizzi is a short local history book about a Black settlement in Machias, Maine (where I live!). Atusville was a place I had heard a little bit about since going to school at the University of Maine at Machias, where I met the author who was one of my English professors.
It was really fascinating to learn more about the town's history in general, some of which I knew already. Machiasport is the site of the first naval battle of the American Revolution. Citizens of Machias captured and took over a British ship called the Margaretta. We even have a festival in June commemorating that moment, but little is said about Atusville and the Black men that participated in the battle. This book sets out to tell about London Atus, the former slave whom the settlement is named for.
Understandably, there is little left over from that time about the individuals who lived in Atusville, much of that due to racism. Unfortunately, that has resulted in vague details about the very people this book claims to be about. It's almost as if they are side characters in their own stories. I also felt that the author's tone when discussing slavery was a bit too casual and lacked the sensitivity it should have had when discussing enslaved people. Instead, it inspired the tone of "yeah they were slaves, but it wasn't that bad." I've also witnessed this casual ignorance in American Lit classes with this professor as well, and called him out for when we read Uncle Tom's Cabin.
I think this is an okay book if you are just looking to learn a little bit more about local Machias history, but it isn't quite deep enough to feel satisfactory to me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Racial slurs
Passenger by Alexandra Bracken
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
4 ⭐ CW: violence, death, slavery mention, racism
Passenger by Alexandra Bracken is book one in the Passenger duology. This was a duology I picked up at my library's used book sale last summer, and went into it knowing nothing. It's a YA fantasy about time travel, and as you can imagine, it gets pretty wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey (iykyk). Although, it was slower paced than I would have liked, I did enjoy the story.
We follow Etta, a violinist in NYC who finds herself suddenly thrust back in time to 1776, where she learns that her mother is more than she let on, and she has the ability to travel through "passages" to other times. She is thrust into a timey-wimey plot by the Ironwoods where she must decode her mother's clues to find an object the Ironwood patriarch wants within 8 days. Etta travels with sailor/pirate Nicholas Carter, another traveler who is trying to gain his freedom from the hold of the Ironwoods. His task is to keep Etta from absconding with the object and betray her, but falls for her instead.
I did not love all the info dumping we get throughout the book. There is so much information given through dialogue that I felt didn't really need to be spelled out to the reader so much. I did like that we see Etta struggle with her own privilege when she is thrust back in time. She is a white woman from the modern era, and has to figure out the ways things work for women in past eras, and also has to be reminded that black people did not have the same rights and had to worry about different things. Nicholas deals with a lot of racism, and Etta is constantly feeling outraged on his behalf, but I felt like it was glossed over a bit.
I love the idea of the passages to different eras and the scavenger hunt like clues they have to follow. I love a good time paradox. I think the main theme is self-determination, being able to make choices about your own future and the freedom to choose. I enjoyed this book, and I look forward to book two!
Passenger by Alexandra Bracken is book one in the Passenger duology. This was a duology I picked up at my library's used book sale last summer, and went into it knowing nothing. It's a YA fantasy about time travel, and as you can imagine, it gets pretty wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey (iykyk). Although, it was slower paced than I would have liked, I did enjoy the story.
We follow Etta, a violinist in NYC who finds herself suddenly thrust back in time to 1776, where she learns that her mother is more than she let on, and she has the ability to travel through "passages" to other times. She is thrust into a timey-wimey plot by the Ironwoods where she must decode her mother's clues to find an object the Ironwood patriarch wants within 8 days. Etta travels with sailor/pirate Nicholas Carter, another traveler who is trying to gain his freedom from the hold of the Ironwoods. His task is to keep Etta from absconding with the object and betray her, but falls for her instead.
I did not love all the info dumping we get throughout the book. There is so much information given through dialogue that I felt didn't really need to be spelled out to the reader so much. I did like that we see Etta struggle with her own privilege when she is thrust back in time. She is a white woman from the modern era, and has to figure out the ways things work for women in past eras, and also has to be reminded that black people did not have the same rights and had to worry about different things. Nicholas deals with a lot of racism, and Etta is constantly feeling outraged on his behalf, but I felt like it was glossed over a bit.
I love the idea of the passages to different eras and the scavenger hunt like clues they have to follow. I love a good time paradox. I think the main theme is self-determination, being able to make choices about your own future and the freedom to choose. I enjoyed this book, and I look forward to book two!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Violence
Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
4 ⭐ CW: bullying, death
"From the ground, we stand. From our ships, we live. By the stars, we hope."
Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers is book three in the Wayfarers series. I really enjoyed this cozy scifi story, although it didn't hit me as hard as the previous two books did. I'm really enjoying that there is very little plot to speak of. These are self-contained stories that build on the world-building established in book one.
This story focuses on the human Exodan Fleet. We follow five characters: Kip, a teen who is struggling with what he wants in life and wants to leave the Fleet; Isobel, an older lesbian Archivist who is hosting a Harmagian guest researching the Exodans; Eyas, a Caretaker of the dead for the fleet who feels like something is missing; Sawyer, a young man from a Harmagian planet that has never set foot in the fleet before, but wants to try something new; and Tessa, Ashby's sister who is also looking for something better for her family.
It was so great to finally explore Exodan culture! We get to see the way the homesteaders are run, the importance of cooperation, sharing, and letting nothing go to waste. We even get a little bit of their history in the form of articles from Isobel's guest. I love that we got to learn about the fleet's funereal rites of composting their dead. We even see how sex work has been an expected and respected profession. We see a slice of life from each of these five characters.
The themes were about human identity, community, and change. Sawyer wanted to feel connected to his ancestors and accepted into the fleet despite his ignorance of the culture. Tessa wanted her daughter to feel safe while also struggling with the thought of leaving the fleet behind. Kip learned he needed perspective in order to appreciate what was right in front of him, and the importance of remembering and preserving your history.
I'm curious and excited to see what the next story brings us!
"From the ground, we stand. From our ships, we live. By the stars, we hope."
Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers is book three in the Wayfarers series. I really enjoyed this cozy scifi story, although it didn't hit me as hard as the previous two books did. I'm really enjoying that there is very little plot to speak of. These are self-contained stories that build on the world-building established in book one.
This story focuses on the human Exodan Fleet. We follow five characters: Kip, a teen who is struggling with what he wants in life and wants to leave the Fleet; Isobel, an older lesbian Archivist who is hosting a Harmagian guest researching the Exodans; Eyas, a Caretaker of the dead for the fleet who feels like something is missing; Sawyer, a young man from a Harmagian planet that has never set foot in the fleet before, but wants to try something new; and Tessa, Ashby's sister who is also looking for something better for her family.
It was so great to finally explore Exodan culture! We get to see the way the homesteaders are run, the importance of cooperation, sharing, and letting nothing go to waste. We even get a little bit of their history in the form of articles from Isobel's guest. I love that we got to learn about the fleet's funereal rites of composting their dead. We even see how sex work has been an expected and respected profession. We see a slice of life from each of these five characters.
The themes were about human identity, community, and change. Sawyer wanted to feel connected to his ancestors and accepted into the fleet despite his ignorance of the culture. Tessa wanted her daughter to feel safe while also struggling with the thought of leaving the fleet behind. Kip learned he needed perspective in order to appreciate what was right in front of him, and the importance of remembering and preserving your history.
I'm curious and excited to see what the next story brings us!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
Minor: Bullying
In the Midst of Omens by Nicole Bailey
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
5 ⭐ CW: (provided by the author) grief/loss, death, war, gore, cussing, sexual content
In the Midst of Omens by Nicole Bailey is book one in the Legend of Gilgamesh duology. Another mythology retelling banger from Nicole! As usual, her characters are wonderful and compelling, and you can't help but love them and root for them, even when you already know what will happen based on the original story. Nicole weaves a new story from the oldest written story in history and makes it as gay as it was meant to be! It was a trip seeing my name in the acknowledgements of this book. I have been a staunch Nicole Bailey hype person since connecting with her on Instagram. You won't regret reading her books.
We follow Gilgamesh, King of Uruk and blessed with god-blood. He is ruthless, selfish, and arrogant. He is known for taking many wives and pulling other kings off their thrones and shaming them in front of their people. Gilgamesh is constantly looking to the future, trying to craft a legacy that will outlive him, making him unable to live and enjoy the moment. When the gods create gods blessed wild man, Enkidu, Gilgamesh finds himself contending with something new and not so easy to defeat.
I loved Enkidu right away! I loved an unconventional cinnamon roll. Enkidu is so innocent and pure, and exists to humble Gilgamesh and bring him down a peg. He's kind of like a muscular manic pixie dream girl lol. Gilgamesh is a little hard to stomach at first until Enkidu shows up and starts sanding away those edges. I do love the way Nicole has depicted Gilgamesh; he's both generous and selfish, loving and fierce. I also loved Shamhat as Gilgamesh 's Queen. She was so strong, and wasn't afraid to stand up to her husband. She had so much agency.
Though this was based on the Epic of Gilgamesh, this was a love story through and through. It was beautiful seeing two very masculine figures learn to be vulnerable with each other and learn how to love. It was very sweet, and also quite spicy 🥵. Not only is this an MM romance, but we also see polyamory between Gilgamesh, Shamhat and her partners, including a FF relationship. Nicole has also found a way to include nonbinary characters as priests of Inanna. Of course, Nicole can't just let us be happy at the end, so I'm very much looking forward to book two to see how it all ends.
In the Midst of Omens by Nicole Bailey is book one in the Legend of Gilgamesh duology. Another mythology retelling banger from Nicole! As usual, her characters are wonderful and compelling, and you can't help but love them and root for them, even when you already know what will happen based on the original story. Nicole weaves a new story from the oldest written story in history and makes it as gay as it was meant to be! It was a trip seeing my name in the acknowledgements of this book. I have been a staunch Nicole Bailey hype person since connecting with her on Instagram. You won't regret reading her books.
We follow Gilgamesh, King of Uruk and blessed with god-blood. He is ruthless, selfish, and arrogant. He is known for taking many wives and pulling other kings off their thrones and shaming them in front of their people. Gilgamesh is constantly looking to the future, trying to craft a legacy that will outlive him, making him unable to live and enjoy the moment. When the gods create gods blessed wild man, Enkidu, Gilgamesh finds himself contending with something new and not so easy to defeat.
I loved Enkidu right away! I loved an unconventional cinnamon roll. Enkidu is so innocent and pure, and exists to humble Gilgamesh and bring him down a peg. He's kind of like a muscular manic pixie dream girl lol. Gilgamesh is a little hard to stomach at first until Enkidu shows up and starts sanding away those edges. I do love the way Nicole has depicted Gilgamesh; he's both generous and selfish, loving and fierce. I also loved Shamhat as Gilgamesh 's Queen. She was so strong, and wasn't afraid to stand up to her husband. She had so much agency.
Though this was based on the Epic of Gilgamesh, this was a love story through and through. It was beautiful seeing two very masculine figures learn to be vulnerable with each other and learn how to love. It was very sweet, and also quite spicy 🥵. Not only is this an MM romance, but we also see polyamory between Gilgamesh, Shamhat and her partners, including a FF relationship. Nicole has also found a way to include nonbinary characters as priests of Inanna. Of course, Nicole can't just let us be happy at the end, so I'm very much looking forward to book two to see how it all ends.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, War, Grief, and Death
Moderate: Gore and Cursing
Queens of Fennbirn by Kendare Blake
adventurous
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
4 ⭐ CW: violence, death, blood, child abuse mention
Queens of Fennbirn by Kendare Blake is a companion prequel novella from the Three Dark Crowns series containing two short stories: The Young Queens and The Oracle Queen. Possible spoilers for the series ahead.
The first story, The Young Queens follows Mirabella, Arsinoe, and Katherine before the time of Three Dark Crowns. We see them as children at the Black Cottage and with their foster families. We get to see why Queen Camille made the decision to hide Arsinoe and Katherine's true gifts. We also get to see more of Jules and how she grew and claimed Camden, her familiar. Although this was a nice little bit of extra, I don't think this prequel adds any value or anything new to the existing series.
The second story, The Oracle Queen, was much more interesting, and makes me wish we got all the stories of the previous queens. We follow Queen Elsabet, the last Oracle Queen. In the series we hear about how she had visions of treachery and sentenced three whole houses to death without evidence, and was locked away in a tower for the rest of her reign because of it. We finally get to see what actually happened. This story was full of political machinations and treachery, but the kind the queen was accused of. It was a very sad story. We also see that the Poisoner Arrons have always been ruthless, political monsters.
Queens of Fennbirn by Kendare Blake is a companion prequel novella from the Three Dark Crowns series containing two short stories: The Young Queens and The Oracle Queen. Possible spoilers for the series ahead.
The first story, The Young Queens follows Mirabella, Arsinoe, and Katherine before the time of Three Dark Crowns. We see them as children at the Black Cottage and with their foster families. We get to see why Queen Camille made the decision to hide Arsinoe and Katherine's true gifts. We also get to see more of Jules and how she grew and claimed Camden, her familiar. Although this was a nice little bit of extra, I don't think this prequel adds any value or anything new to the existing series.
The second story, The Oracle Queen, was much more interesting, and makes me wish we got all the stories of the previous queens. We follow Queen Elsabet, the last Oracle Queen. In the series we hear about how she had visions of treachery and sentenced three whole houses to death without evidence, and was locked away in a tower for the rest of her reign because of it. We finally get to see what actually happened. This story was full of political machinations and treachery, but the kind the queen was accused of. It was a very sad story. We also see that the Poisoner Arrons have always been ruthless, political monsters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Violence
Minor: Child abuse
Rust in the Root by Justina Ireland
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
4 ⭐ CW: violence, death, animal death, blood, racism, racial slurs
Rust in the Root by Justina Ireland is a historical fantasy based on the Great Depression/Dust Bowl era. Just like her Dread Nation duology, Ireland has killed it (pun intended)! I'm loving the historical revisionism with a fantasy/horror element. Like her previous duology, this book tackles institutional racism, but also confronts the very real fact that some black folks also help to uphold these structures.
We follow Laura, a lesbian mage who just wants her mage license so she can become a great baker, raveling wonderful and tasty treats for important people. In order to do this she has to apprentice under a licensed mage, and joins the Bureau of the Arcane's Conservation Corps, Black Auxiliary. This government group of mages are treated like an expendable clean up crew, since black folks practicing the mystic arts are considered to be less important than Mechomancy, the type of magic white people wield to power mechanical constructs.
Joining the Auxiliary turns out to be more than Laura bargained for when she and a group of mages are sent to Ohio to fix the Ohio Deep Blight, an area the Great Rust has made difficult to live in and difficult to ravel in. What they find is that Ohio is no ordinary Blight, and that something they thought had disappeared in history is back and killing black mages for power.
I loved Laura's character. She's snarky and smart, and hopelessly attracted to pretty ladies. She turns out to be way more powerful than she knew she could be. The magic system is very cool. It's based on African root working, and has different disciplines for working the Dynamism: Cerebromancy, Faunomancy, Floramancy, Illusion, Pavomancy, Petramancy, Sanamancy, Figuramancy, Necromancy, and Wytchcraft (the use of all the disciplines together). In this story, the Klan used Necromancy to control, kill, and exploit enslaved Africans.
I love having more historical fiction following Black people that isn't about slavery. We also get a couple of gay male side characters, but romance is not really part of the plot. I kind of wish we had a second book to follow up with Laura after everything happened. I don't want to spoil things, so just go read this book!
Rust in the Root by Justina Ireland is a historical fantasy based on the Great Depression/Dust Bowl era. Just like her Dread Nation duology, Ireland has killed it (pun intended)! I'm loving the historical revisionism with a fantasy/horror element. Like her previous duology, this book tackles institutional racism, but also confronts the very real fact that some black folks also help to uphold these structures.
We follow Laura, a lesbian mage who just wants her mage license so she can become a great baker, raveling wonderful and tasty treats for important people. In order to do this she has to apprentice under a licensed mage, and joins the Bureau of the Arcane's Conservation Corps, Black Auxiliary. This government group of mages are treated like an expendable clean up crew, since black folks practicing the mystic arts are considered to be less important than Mechomancy, the type of magic white people wield to power mechanical constructs.
Joining the Auxiliary turns out to be more than Laura bargained for when she and a group of mages are sent to Ohio to fix the Ohio Deep Blight, an area the Great Rust has made difficult to live in and difficult to ravel in. What they find is that Ohio is no ordinary Blight, and that something they thought had disappeared in history is back and killing black mages for power.
I loved Laura's character. She's snarky and smart, and hopelessly attracted to pretty ladies. She turns out to be way more powerful than she knew she could be. The magic system is very cool. It's based on African root working, and has different disciplines for working the Dynamism: Cerebromancy, Faunomancy, Floramancy, Illusion, Pavomancy, Petramancy, Sanamancy, Figuramancy, Necromancy, and Wytchcraft (the use of all the disciplines together). In this story, the Klan used Necromancy to control, kill, and exploit enslaved Africans.
I love having more historical fiction following Black people that isn't about slavery. We also get a couple of gay male side characters, but romance is not really part of the plot. I kind of wish we had a second book to follow up with Laura after everything happened. I don't want to spoil things, so just go read this book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Death, Blood, Animal death, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Violence