Kate’s Review: “Night of the Living Queers”

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Book: “Night of the Living Queers” by Shelly Page & Alex Brown (Eds.)

Publishing Info: Wednesday Books, August 2023

Where Did I Get This Book: I received an ARC at ALAAC23.

Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: Night of the Living Queers is a YA horror anthology that explores a night when anything is possible exclusively featuring queer authors of color putting fresh spins on classic horror tropes and tales.

All Hallows’ Eve. Samhain. Dia De Los Muertos. Fiesta de Los Aguizotes. No matter its name or occasion, Halloween is more than a Hallmark holiday, it’s a symbol of transformation. NIGHT OF THE LIVING QUEERS is a YA horror anthology that explores how Halloween can be more than just candies and frights, but a night where anything is possible. Each short story will be told through the lens of a different BIPOC teen and the Halloween night that changes their lives forever. Creative, creepy, and queer, this collection will bring fresh terror, heart, and humor to young adult literature.

Contributors include editors Alex Brown and Shelly Page, Kalynn Bayron, Ryan Douglass, Sara Farizan, Maya Gittelman, Kosoko Jackson, Em Liu, Vanessa Montalban, Ayida Shonibar, Tara Sim, Trang Thanh Tran, and Rebecca Kim Wells.

Review: Thank you to Wednesday Books for giving me an ARC of this novel at ALAAC23 and to Alex Brown for signing it!

I am very much the kind of person who is like ‘It’s August? Halloween is going to be here soon!’. I love looking forward to my favorite holiday, and even though it’s still hotter than hell outside and people are still thinking of BBQs and the beach, I’m counting down the days until I can smell leaves and wood fire on the wind and seep up all the witchy spooky stuff of the season. So what better time to read “Night of the Living Queers”, a YA horror collection edited by Shelly Page and Alex Brown, which showcases 13 stories by and about queer BIPOC people? This was one of the books on a Children’s/YA Horror panel I went to at ALAAC23 this summer, and I was lucky enough to hear Alex Brown talk about it, which hyped me up to read it. And once I dove in, I could tell that the hype was real.

As usual, I will talk about my three favorite stories in the collection, and then take on the collection as a whole.

“The Visitor” by Kalynn Bayron: A girl wants to make sure that she is home with her father on Halloween night, as they have their rituals and traditions they do every year. After being tailgated home by a mysterious car, she starts to feel like someone is watching her as she and her Dad wait out the night. This one took a huge swerve in ways that I didn’t anticipate, and it was done in such a well crafted way that I was taken by surprise, and totally thrilled by it. The slow building paranoia of someone maybe lurking outside the house was tense and unsettling, and then the swerve was perfectly executed. That’s about all I can say about it, just know I was impressed and creeped out.

“Nine Stops” by Trang Thanh Tran: A girl who is still mourning her grandmother’s recent death has retreated into the Internet, isolating herself from her loved ones and friends. After going out with friends on Halloween night and taking the subway, she finds a video of a woman talking about her own sister’s death, and begging people to watch all the way through, with deadly consequences if not. I think this was my favorite in the collection, as the dread ratchets up and up until it’s basically unbearable. I also liked the exploration of grief and how it can consume a person, and drive them to do desperate and perhaps horrific things in hopes of finding closure. This one really got under my skin. And who doesn’t love an Internet urban legend as a jumping off point for a horror tale?

“Hey There, Demons” by Tara Sim: When a teenage boy is left to babysit his half sister on Halloween night, he decides that it’s time to take on the poltergeist activity that has been occurring in their new house. But when the way to help take out the ghost is by helping a demon, he finds himself in for more than be bargained for… but perhaps in a more romantic way than he thinks. I did like that there were some cute and fluffy stories in this collection to go with the scares, and I loved this one as we meet somewhat anxious Noah and sassy and snarky demon Kody (a name that he adapts for his adventure with a perplexed human teen). The mythos is solid, the banter is adorable, and I really loved seeing this odd pair take on a poltergeist, as well as a teenage party. Just a hoot!

And as an entire collection, I mostly enjoyed “Night of the Living Queers”! I liked the way that they tied the stories together, with all of them happening on the same Halloween night under a Blue Moon, and how they were still able to do their own thing while having that connection. While some of the stories kind of fell into horror tropes that I don’t really care for (so many surprise ‘and then the ending is totally changed in one moment!’ gotchas), I did think that there were enough sub genres and tones that there is something for horror fans of all kinds. It’s also awesome having so many BIPOC and queer authors writing these stories with these perspectives feeding into the stories. Horror is becoming more diverse, but we still have a ways to go, and this book has a lot of authors who are establishing themselves as valuable voices to the genre. You love to see it.

Halloween is coming up fast, and “Night of the Living Queers” is going to be a must read for the nearing spooky season! Definitely check it out for Hallow’s Eve reading!

Rating 8: A solid and spooky collection of horror stories of all kinds, “Night of the Living Queers” is a varied and entertaining read from some established and up and coming YA horror authors.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Night of the Living Queers” isn’t included on any Goodreads lists as of yet, but it would fit in on “Queer Horror”, and “Great Reads for Halloween”.

Joint Review: “Mister Magic”

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Book: “Mister Magic” by Kiersten White

Publishing Info: Del Rey, August 2023

Where Did We Get This Book: Kate received an eARC from NetGalley and a physical ARC at ALAAC23, Serena received an eARC from Edelweiss+.

Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: Thirty years after a tragic accident shut down production of the classic children’s program Mister Magic, the five surviving cast members have done their best to move on. But just as generations of cultishly devoted fans still cling to the lessons they learned from the show, the cast, known as the Circle of Friends, have spent their lives searching for the happiness they felt while they were on it. The friendship. The feeling of belonging. And the protection of Mister Magic.

But with no surviving video of the show, no evidence of who directed or produced it, and no records of who—or what—the beloved host actually was, memories are all the former Circle of Friends has.

Then a twist of fate brings the castmates back together at the remote desert filming compound that feels like it’s been waiting for them all this time. Even though they haven’t seen each other for years, they understand one another better than anyone has since.

After all, they’re the only ones who hold the secret of that circle, the mystery of the magic man in his infinitely black cape, and, maybe, the answers to what really happened on that deadly last day. But as the Circle of Friends reclaim parts of their past, they begin to wonder: Are they here by choice, or have they been lured into a trap?

Because magic never forgets the taste of your friendship. . . .

Kate’s Thoughts

I thought I knew exactly what to expect when I picked up “Mister Magic”, because I thought that I knew how Kiersten White ticked and would tell this story. I’ve greatly enjoyed her horror stories in the past, and I thought that this one sounded like an interesting take on the “Candle Cove” creepypasta with some children’s TV nostalgia and deconstruction to boot. But what I got was something that was far more personal and emotional, and something that connected with me in ways I never anticipated, all while being, yes, very creepy. Because yes, “Mister Magic” is definitely a weird fiction dark fantasy horror about a group of adults who are being drawn back into the children’s TV show they participated in as children, but has since been wiped from the pop culture zeitgeist for reasons the reader doesn’t know at first.

But it’s also a story about childhood trauma, trying to leave a repressive and high control society and culture, and the repression of oneself to live the way others, namely parents and adult figures, think one should to make their own lives easier. I loved the sinister imagery of Mister Magic and the slow dropping of clues from various found texts, I loved following Val as she is brought back into the fold with her former “Mister Magic” compatriots as they all return for a reunion (held by a mysterious podcast in the town in which they filmed the show), and I loved seeing all of them realize that something is very wrong, and it’s NOT just the potentially supernatural elements. As someone who has been trying to raise a very spirited toddler in ways that won’t cause lasting emotional turmoil (and as someone who felt a need to repress my own emotional difficulties as a child and teenager, which led to a VERY dark mental state), this book really cut me to the bone. I applaud Kiersten White for exploring these themes, and for being vulnerable in her author’s notes about her own journey to leave a group that was causing her trauma.

I really enjoyed “Mister Magic”. It spoke to me in ways I never could have predicted, while also creeping me all the way out.

Serena’s Thoughts

Like Kate, I also went in feeling like I knew a decent amount about the kind of book I’d be reading. I’ve enjoyed White’s books in the past, and I felt like this would be a good collab since it would be creepy but not like “trauma level” horror of the ilk that Kate can handle but I definitely can’t! But also like Kate said, the story given in the blurb is only half of what this book has to offer, and the much more straight-forward half at that (believe it or not, the fact that a TV show might have been real is the simple part!). There was a lot of depth to be found in this one, exploring childhood (how it’s experienced by children and how adults idealize it), family (how the “real” families can sometimes be damaging and the joy that can be found in families created oneself), and in the power of oneself, in the face of forces telling you who you can be.

Reading the author’s note, it’s also very clear that this is a personal book for Kiersten White. And while I applaud her for taking a very large topic and finding a creative way of talking about it without, you know, talking about it, I do think that the read itself suffered a bit from the pacing and the mashing together of “typical horror/thriller” and the commentary on larger themes. There were points in dialogue where characters would literally just go on a several-paragraphs-long mini speech just laying all of these greater points out. And while I loved the insightfulness of what was actually being said, it did take me out of the actual book itself. I struggled to connect at these moments, feeling clearly that no one would actually speak like this.

But, again, in total I think this was a highly ambitious book and that it accomplished everything it set out to do. If its quality as a straightly told horror/thriller is dinged a bit by the tendency of its themes to rise above its plots, than in this case, that’s a deal I’m willing to make!

Kate’s Rating 9: Creepy, personal, VERY emotional and hopeful, “Mister Magic” upended my expectations in the best ways.

Serena’s Rating 8: Packing in layers upon layers in themes regarding individuality, identity, and personal strength in the face of oppression, this book will suck you in and take you to some dark, but important, places.

Reader’s Advisory

“Mister Magic” isn’t on any Goodreads lists as of now, but it would fit in on “Creepy Kids”.

Serena’s Review: “Masters of Death”

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Book: “Masters of Death” by Olivie Blake

Publishing Info: Tor, August 2023

Where Did I Get this Book: NetGalley!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: Viola Marek is a struggling real estate agent, and a vampire. But her biggest problem currently is that the house she needs to sell is haunted. The ghost haunting the house has been murdered, and until he can solve the mystery of how he died, he refuses to move on.

Fox D’Mora is a medium, and though is also most-definitely a shameless fraud, he isn’t entirely without his uses—seeing as he’s actually the godson of Death.

When Viola seeks out Fox to help her with her ghost-infested mansion, he becomes inextricably involved in a quest that neither he nor Vi expects (or wants). But with the help of an unruly poltergeist, a demonic personal trainer, a sharp-voiced angel, a love-stricken reaper, and a few high-functioning creatures, Vi and Fox soon discover the difference between a mysterious lost love and an annoying dead body isn’t nearly as distinct as they thought.

Review: After really loving “One for My Enemy,” I’m now fully on board for any books by Olive Blake. So I was super excited when I saw that Tor was re-publishing another book from her back catalog. Plus, the concept of a bunch of supernatural beings all hanging out together and trying to outwit death just sounds like a super fun premise for an urban fantasy story! And while I didn’t love this one quite as much as “One for My Enemy,” it was still a great read overall.

First of all, I do think that the summary of this book given above does mislead radars a bit into thinking that this is primarily Viola’s story. And while she is definitely a main character, probably the second biggest one I would say, I think this is largely Fox’s story. His is the emotional stakes that are truly at the heart of the building conflict with regards to Death and the impossible game that he and the other supernatural beings play. And while I was a bit confused due to this misconception, once I understood the direction things were moving, I was fully on board. Fox, simply put, is a fantastic character in his own right. A snarky, damaged man, a human who has lived his entire life in a supernatural world that he only halfway belongs to, Fox’s story is one of deep-formed loves, both romantic and familial, for beings who only halfway understand him.

I also enjoyed the manner in which this story was told, though I do think that this may be a hit-or-miss aspect of the story for different readers. Similarly to “One for My Enemy,” the story is told in a non-linear manner, with chapters jumping forward and backward in time, sometimes centuries backward. However, I really liked the way these were all strung together. There would be a brief mention of some quirk of a character, and then the story would jump back in the next chapter to show a greater insight into that character’s experiences. You definitely have to be willing to go with the flow, allowing the story to move away from the main plotline at any given moment.

I also really liked the supernatural beings we met and the ways that Blake twisted familiar concepts and beings around from what we typically expect to see. Her take on demons, angels, and even Death himself are all very fresh feeling. Similarly, Viola, a vampire, is not the “Dracula”-like character that we are familiar with, but instead draws from other vampiric myths. I really enjoyed all of these supernatural creatures (and there were a lot of them!), especially as Blake tied their stories to very human arcs of love, betrayal, trust and family.

I will say, however, that there were times when I felt like Blake could have benefitted from a bit more of an editorial touch. Look, she has a great talent for snarky banter, and I absolutely devoured much of it. But there were also times where I felt like the actual pacing of the story was bogged down by pages and pages of almost unbroken banter. I get that she has a real talent in this area, and none of the actual dialogue itself was bad; in fact, almost all of it was excellent! But this was definitely a case of too much of a good thing, at points. A bit of trimming would have made the whole thing read more smoothly and, even better, highlighted the true talent for dialogue she has, rather than perhaps over-exposing readers at times.

As I said, I really enjoyed this book! I think it could have benefitted from a bit of editing and, perhaps, a better explanation of how exactly the game that Death plays works. But overall, it was a really fun read, and I blew through it in only two or three sit-downs. If you’re a fan of paranormal or urban fantasies, this is definitely one to check out!

Rating 8: Quirky and fast-paced, Blake draws readers into a paranormal world full of undead creatures who, nonetheless, live lives packed to the brim with love and loss.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Masters of Death” can be found on this Goodreads list: August 2023 Releases

Serena’s Review: “The Water Outlaws”

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Book: “The Water Outlaws” by S. L. Huang

Publishing Info: Tor, August 2023

Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from the publisher!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: Lin Chong is an expert arms instructor, training the Emperor’s soldiers in sword and truncheon, battle axe and spear, lance and crossbow. Unlike bolder friends who flirt with challenging the unequal hierarchies and values of Imperial society, she believes in keeping her head down and doing her job.

Until a powerful man with a vendetta rips that carefully-built life away.

Disgraced, tattooed as a criminal, and on the run from an Imperial Marshall who will stop at nothing to see her dead, Lin Chong is recruited by the Bandits of Liangshan. Mountain outlaws on the margins of society, the Liangshan Bandits proclaim a belief in justice—for women, for the downtrodden, for progressive thinkers a corrupt Empire would imprison or destroy. They’re also murderers, thieves, smugglers, and cutthroats.

Apart, they love like demons and fight like tigers. Together, they could bring down an empire.

Review: This was an obvious book request for me! For one thing, the cover is absolutely phenomenal! It’s one of those covers where you buy the book and display it face out on the shelves just to show it off. I was also very intrigued by the book description, what with its talk of rebel women, outlaws fighting for the betterment of those without power of their own. And, to my delight, it followed through on all of its promises!

Now, I know that this book is a reimagination of another classic Chinese story, “Water Margin” and that this is a gender-swapped version of that tale. But not being familiar with the original, I can’t really speak to how this compares to that one. However, I will say that gender swapping stories is not a simple change. One can’t simply write “King Arthur” but Arthur is a woman. No, there is much more to be done to successfully reimagine a story in this way. And while I can’t speak to the original, this book does an excellent job of centering its tale on the unique places in society that the women and other outlaws are struggling against. The limitations placed around them, the definitions foisted upon them. What’s more impressive was how neatly these larger themes were woven within a story that is very action-oriented.

From the very first moment, the book kicks off to a quick start with Lin Chong, an arms instructor, highlighting her fighting prowess in a practice skirmish with a new recruit. I loved the way the action of this fight (and all of the action scenes that followed) was described. It was easy to picture the beautiful, artistic, and yet lethal fighting scenes that were seen in movies like “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” and the like. Of course, once Lin Chong joins the bandit group, the action expands to larger scenes with much higher stakes, all of which I found equally thrilling.

I also really liked the overall writing style. Like I said, there’s a lot of action in this story, and it takes a particular skill to write out these scenes in a way that allows readers to fully grasp the scope and scale of what’s happening, all without losing sight of any main characters involved. There was also a sort of “meaty” style to the writing that I’ve come to associate with some of my favorite fantasy fiction. I can’t quite describe what I mean by that, only that I know it when I see it, and it always promises to lead to a great reading experience. What’s more, I was surprised by how funny this book was. Right from the start, I found myself chuckling away at the clever dialogue and smart observations.

The only real issue I had was a bit of disconnect I felt to the characters themselves. Usually, character issues are an instant black mark against a book for me, but this one was so strong in every other area that it wasn’t until halfway through the book that I realized I wasn’t feeling the same sense of connection to the characters that I usually expect to feel with a book I’m enjoying. For some reason, perhaps the fast pace or the “meaty” style of writing, I felt a bit distanced from the characters and their personal stories. Perhaps a bit more could have been done to shine a light on the inner emotions and workings of the characters throughout the story. But that aside from that, an issue that I didn’t even notice until halfway through the story because I was so caught up in the action, I really liked this one.

Rating 8: Full of the fierceness and power that comes from all groups pushed to the side by society, “The Water Outlaws” is a fantasy story sure to delight.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Water Outlaws” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Queer SFF of 2023

Kate’s Review: “Vampires of El Norte”

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Book: “Vampires of El Norte” by Isabel Cañas

Publishing Info: Berkley, August 2023

Where Did I Get This Book: I received an eARC from NetGalley.

Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: Vampires and vaqueros face off on the Texas-Mexico border in this supernatural western from the author of The Hacienda.

As the daughter of a rancher in 1840s Mexico, Nena knows a thing or two about monsters—her home has long been threatened by tensions with Anglo settlers from the north. But something more sinister lurks near the ranch at night, something that drains men of their blood and leaves them for dead. Something that once attacked Nena nine years ago.

Believing Nena dead, Néstor has been on the run from his grief ever since, moving from ranch to ranch working as a vaquero. But no amount of drink can dispel the night terrors of sharp teeth; no woman can erase his childhood sweetheart from his mind.

When the United States attacks Mexico in 1846, the two are brought abruptly together on the road to war: Nena as a curandera, a healer striving to prove her worth to her father so that he does not marry her off to a stranger, and Néstor as a member of the auxiliary cavalry of ranchers and vaqueros. But the shock of their reunion—and Nena’s rage at Néstor for seemingly abandoning her long ago—is quickly overshadowed by the appearance of a nightmare made flesh. And unless Nena and Néstor work through their past and face the future together, neither will survive to see the dawn.

Review: Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this novel!

Given how much I loved “The Hacienda”, I was totally waiting on pins and needles to see what Isabel Cañas was going to do for a follow up to her Gothic ghost story debut. It’s probably no shocker that I was elated when I saw that her next book was going to be about vampires. She approached the haunted house story with such a unique and cool hook, I just knew that she would do the same with vampires.

Much like “The Hacienda”, the time and place of “Vampire of El Norte” makes for the perfect setting for this horror novel. Taking place in the 1840s during the Mexican-American War, where the U.S. started to invade Mexico in hopes of taking more land for itself. Our protagonists Nena and Néstor find themselves swept up in it, as Nena is the daughter of a powerful ranch owner and Néstor is a vaquero who has returned to the ranch after a long absence when Mexicans start to band together to fight against the Anglos. The societal structure of Nena and Néstor’s world is laid out plainly and shows conflict, as these childhood friends are on different footing, but both have reasons to feel confined and oppressed in their own ways. For Nena it is her fear that her father will marry her off like property as a daugther, and for Néstor it is his lower class standing, which makes their lingering attraction from childhood all the more forbidden. But even more so is the fact that white settlers from the U.S. and the United States Government are encroaching in an act of violent colonialism, and for Nena and Néstor their very survival could be at risk, with him on the front lines, her acting as a healing curandera to the soldiers and fighters, and both of them being Mexican citizens who could face violence at the hands of invaders. The horrors of colonialism have a significant part to play in this book, as does classism and misogyny and the traumas that come with both. I really liked Nena and Néstor as they start to reconnect, and how their admiration and attraction is approached in a way that feels realistic while still being wholly satisfying. I also loved them on their own, as Nena is ambitious and capable, while Néstor is sweet and loyal, and their chemistry is simmering off the pages.

And then there are the vampires. It’s the perfect allegor, using vampires against the backdrop of Imperialistic wars as outsiders want to leech off of the people who live on the land that they desire to approrpiate. And I liked the vampire mythos in this book, as they are very animalistic and very brutal, with some interesting systems at play in how vampires function and live within the storyline and world. I really enjoyed the dread that builds as various characters find themselves stalked and hunted by the vampires, sometimes in lonely and vast areas in nature where there is little hope of help and already high stakes due to the war that is raging around them. There were lots of moments that really tapped into the suspense, and I think that if there was one aspect of this book that I needed more from it would probably be that I needed more vampire action.

Once again, Isabel Cañas nails a historical horror story, and brings with it not only supernatural threats and villains, but villains that were very real. “Vampires of Il Norte” needs to be on horror fans book piles!

Rating 8: A suspenseful and engaging horror story about vampires and colonialism, “Vampire of El Norte” is another well done historical horror novel by Isabel Cañas.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Vampires of El Norte” is included on the Goodreads lists “Mexican Gothic”, and “Historical Fiction Set in Latin America”.

Serena’s Review: “Thornhedge”

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Book: “Thornhedge” by T. Kingfisher

Publishing Info: Tor, August 2023

Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from the publisher!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: There’s a princess trapped in a tower. This isn’t her story.

Meet Toadling. On the day of her birth, she was stolen from her family by the fairies, but she grew up safe and loved in the warm waters of faerieland. Once an adult though, the fae ask a favor of return to the human world and offer a blessing of protection to a newborn child. Simple, right?

But nothing with fairies is ever simple.

Centuries later, a knight approaches a towering wall of brambles, where the thorns are as thick as your arm and as sharp as swords. He’s heard there’s a curse here that needs breaking, but it’s a curse Toadling will do anything to uphold…

Review: This is a story of great sadness and loss. Tragedy. Disappointment. No, no, not this book which, like all of Kingfisher’s novels that I’ve read so far, perfectly balances sweetness and sadness. No, this is the story of how out of all the authors attending ALA this past June, the one I was most excited to meet was T. Kingfisher. I even brought along my hardback copy of “Nettle and Bone” to get it signed. And then, the day that she was scheduled for a signing, I found out that she had to cancel. Tearing of garments, I tell you! But at least I did manage to get a hardcover copy of “A House with Good Bones.” Anyways, enough about all of that and on to the review!

So, shocking no one, I loved this book! The last two that I’ve read by Kingfisher definitely fell closer to the horror genre than to fantasy (hence why both previous reviews were buddy reads with Kate!). But my love affair with this author started with “Nettle and Bone” which has a definite fairytale vibe to it. So I was super excited when I saw that she was returning to fairytale fantasies with this one. What’s more, it’s a twisted fairytale where the focus is not on the princess sleeping in the tower, but on the “evil fairy” who cast her into that cursed sleep.

I always love it when authors take a well-known story and twist it like this, and Kingfisher is a master at her craft. Not only does she tackle “Sleeping Beauty,” but the story also contains references to changeling folklore and “The Frog Prince.” These stories are all woven together so expertly that, while familiar, the entire story feels fresh and new. What’s more, per the author’s usual, while the story is sweet and heartfelt, there are also moments of true terror and suspense. Honestly, more so than I was expecting! Once you start getting into some of the history that Toadling has lived through and realize the true stakes of the situation…oof!

I also really liked the exploration of love, especially familial love. Toadling’s life obviously took a major turn when she was stolen away as a baby by the Fae. But instead of living a cursed life, she finds a new family in water beings that others would look at and call monsters. I loved the sweet, honest depiction of how these ties form and how they defy any attempts at definitions or limitations. Beyond that, we also get an interesting look into the limits and depths of parental love with regard to the cursed princess. I don’t want to go into many spoilers, but for such a short book, I think Kingfisher really honed in on the darker side of parenting, and the way certain strengths in a parent can, at times, become weaknesses.

Toadling herself is also an incredibly sympathetic and likable character. So much of her life is chosen for her, and yet, at every turn, she’s constantly trying to do her best, even when she is asked to do things that are quite difficult and unfair burdens to be placed on her shoulders. Much of this story is her slowly taking back control of her own choices and what life she wants to lead. There is also an incredibly sweet romance sprinkled throughout.

I loved everything about this book. For such a short story, it really did manage to pull on nearly every emotion. I was laughing, I was crying, I was genuinely horrified by some of the imagery. Fans of Kingfisher will adore this, and if you’re not a fan of her already, boy, do I have a gift for you!

Rating 10: Kingfisher tackles the sometimes trite “beauty is on the inside” concept and puts together a work of art that proves that who we are is what we choose to fight for.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Thornhedge” can be found on this Goodreads list: Can’t Wait Sci-Fi/Fantasy of 2023.

Kate’s Review: “Whalefall”

This post may contain affiliate links for books we recommend.  Read the full disclosure here.

Book: “Whalefall” by Daniel Kraus

Publishing Info: MTV Books, August 2023

Where Did I Get This Book: I received an eARC from NetGalley.

Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: “Whalefall” is a scientifically accurate thriller about a scuba diver who’s been swallowed by an eighty-foot, sixty-ton sperm whale and has only one hour to escape before his oxygen runs out.

Jay Gardiner has given himself a fool’s errand—to find the remains of his deceased father in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Monastery Beach. He knows it’s a long shot, but Jay feels it’s the only way for him to lift the weight of guilt he has carried since his dad’s death by suicide the previous year.

The dive begins well enough, but the sudden appearance of a giant squid puts Jay in very real jeopardy, made infinitely worse by the arrival of a sperm whale looking to feed. Suddenly, Jay is caught in the squid’s tentacles and drawn into the whale’s mouth where he is pulled into the first of its four stomachs. He quickly realizes he has only one hour before his oxygen tanks run out—one hour to defeat his demons and escape the belly of a whale.

Review: Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an eARC of this novel!

Sometimes a book will come across one’s path that just makes a reader say, ‘I’m sorry… WHAT?’ It could be a plot description, it could be the abruptness of the book making waves in a community, it could be an upended expectation from an author or a genre. As of late, this kind of book in my literary adventures was “Whalefall” by Daniel Kraus. I stumbled upon the book on Goodreads, and was familiar with Kraus due to previous works like “Scowler” and his collaboration on “The Shape of Water” with Guillermo del Toro. So when I saw that he had a new book in which a diver is SWALLOWED BY A SPERM WHALE AND HAS TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET OUT (I’m type shouting this because it is still astonishing to me), I knew that I had to, HAD to, get my hands on it (slight side track: At ALAAC in June I stopped by the publisher’s table hoping they had copies, but alas they did not, though I DID love their marketing in word of mouth given that the Oceangate disaster had just happened and they were like ‘have you been following that? Well you should keep an eye out for THIS book!’). NetGalley came through, and I sat down to read this book and it kept me so rapt with attention that I finished it in two sittings. This book is BANANAS, guys! Buckle up!

The whale did nothing wrong (source)

It probably comes as no surprise that “Whalefall” is a very engaging thriller, because a book about a man being swallowed by a whale almost has to be, but it’s the little things that make it so. The first is that Kraus really knows how to build the tension of the dive itself, with protagonist Jay going into a kind of rough area off the coast of California in hopes of finding the remains of his father Mitt, who committed suicide in the ocean after a grueling fight with mesothelioma. The ocean is already a bit tense, and it just builds until the initial encounter with the whale and aforementioned swallowing. Then the tension enters a whole new level as Jay has to figure out if he can make his way out before he either suffocates or is sent further into the digestive tract, where he would be slowly disintegrated. So obviously this is a race against time and it is so fraught and creative and the stakes are obviously very high. The claustrophobia and horror of being eaten is just so engaging and gripping, I found myself whipping through to see how he was (if he was?) going to get out of this mess! It’s “127 Hours” to an even more horrifying degree I think, and the best part is that Kraus does his due diligence to try and make it as accurate as possible, consulting experts and many books about whale anatomy and facts and so on and so forth. Which makes it all the more amazing and really kept me interested, given that I do love anything to do with the ocean and all the things that come with it.

But along with a relentless ‘time is running out’ thriller theme, we also get to explore a relationship and character study of a teenage boy who is still grappling with the death of his father, with whom he had a very complicated and fraught relationship. When we aren’t spending time inside a whale’s digestive tract, we are seeing snippets of the father and son dynamic between Jay and the now deceased Mitt, and how Mitt’s expectations and frustration with his son (which are probably more frustrations with his own life projected on a weaker target) damaged Jay to the point of estrangement. It’s a layer to the story that adds a whole other kind of tension, as Jay is trying to survive by tapping into the lessons his diver and sea obsessed father forced upon him, sometimes in ways that were hurtful and abusive. The complexities of this relationship, and the fact that Jay is on this dive in the first place because of his own guilt by going no contact not long before Mitt’s health decline and death, really make the story that much more intense. I found myself kind of frustrated with how Jay’s family was more interested in blaming Jay for the estrangement even though, at least to me, Mitt was the one responsible for the rift (so much emotional and sometimes physical abuse, content warnings abound in that regard), but I do think that Kraus was sure to show that there are a lot of gray areas within this kind of situation and the emotional states of the players at hand. It was an angle I wasn’t really expecting from a story about a guy TRAPPED INSIDE A WHALE, but it worked well.

There is also a bit of a personal angle to this book that connected with me, and that is the setting of Monterey, California. I have family in San Jose, and we would go out to visit them nearly every Spring Break when I was a kid. So the references to various things, like Monterey itself, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Point Lobos National Reserve, and Monastery Beach, really amped up the nostalgia for me. This area is one of my favorite places in the United States, and seeing Kraus bring it to life on the page was just lovely. It really brought me to the place, even though I haven’t been back in about ten years.

“Whalefall” would be the perfect thriller for any end of summer vacations or down time. It reads fast, it’s gripping as hell, and it goes places that upended all expectations I had. Definitely recommended!

Rating 8: Gripping, emotional, and absolutely bananas, “Whalefall” is a ride!

Reader’s Advisory:

“Whalefall” isn’t on any Goodreads lists yet, but it would probably fit in on “Best Wilderness Survival Books”.

Book Club Review: “Girly Drinks”

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We are part of a group of librarian friends who have had an ongoing book club running for the last several years. Each “season” (we’re nerds) we pick a theme and each of us chooses a book within that theme for us all to read. Our current theme is song inspirations, where we were given a random song from a random genre and had to pick a book based on the song.  For this blog, we will post a joint review of each book we read for book club. We’ll also post the next book coming up in book club. So feel free to read along with us or use our book selections and questions in your own book club!

Book: “Girly Drinks: A World History of Women and Alcohol” by Mallory O’Meara

Publishing Info: Hanover Square Press, October 2021

Where Did I Get This Book: Kate owns it.

Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound

Song Inspiration: “Oh! Whiskey” by Jimi Goodwin

Book Description: Strawberry daiquiris. Skinny martinis. Vodka sodas with lime. These are the cocktails that come in sleek-stemmed glasses, bright colors and fruity flavors—these are the Girly Drinks.

From the earliest days of civilization, alcohol has been at the center of social rituals and cultures worldwide. But when exactly did drinking become a gendered act? And why have bars long been considered “places for men” when, without women, they might not even exist?

With whip-smart insight and boundless curiosity, Girly Drinks unveils an entire untold history of the female distillers, drinkers and brewers who have played a vital role in the creation and consumption of alcohol, from ancient Sumerian beer goddess Ninkasi to iconic 1920s bartender Ada Coleman. Filling a crucial gap in culinary history, O’Meara dismantles the long-standing patriarchal traditions at the heart of these very drinking cultures, in the hope that readers everywhere can look to each celebrated woman in this book—and proudly have what she’s having.

Kate’s Thoughts

This wasn’t the first time I have read “Girly Drinks” by Mallory O’Meara. As someone who loved “The Lady from the Black Lagoon”, and who does enjoy alcoholic beverages in moderation, I received this book for my birthday shortly after it came out and then read it shortly after that. So when our book club compatriot was having a hard time trying to think of a title that would go along with the song “Oh! Whiskey” and was talking about that at our monthly meeting, I suggested this book because I thought it would be a good fit. And I was right! Not only did it fit the theme, it provided us with lively discussion about patriarchy, misogyny, and women fighting against both (as well as provided us with a fun night of sampling some out of the book beverages we don’t usually indulge in at book club!).

Mallory O’Meara does a great job of laying out the history of women and the alcohol industry, the contributions that many have made since ancient times, and the way that misogynistic and sexists societies have tried to stifle women from partaking, creating, and making a living off of alcohol, deriding their industrious or just recreational indulgences as sinful, improper, and dangerous. Moving from ancient Egypt and Babylon through the Middle Ages all the way up through the 21st Century, she has great research, a well done narrative, and a creative hook that ties women’s parts in alcohol all together (and how men have tried to keep women out through shame and sometimes violence). Chapters are framed around individuals or groups who had influence that is still seen today, whether it’s alewives who revolutionized beer (but whose power in the industry led to persecution with their symbols of pointed hats, brooms, and cats to ward off mice from the grains becoming those of a stereotypical witch), the Widow Cliquot who basically created champagne as we know it, or even Cora Irene “Sunny” Sund, who made the tiki bar The Beachcomber an empire that influenced cocktail culture post WWII. She also explores less known stories of non-Western women, like Japanese women who worked in sake, or South African women who fought literal decades for official recognition as brewers. It’s deeply fascinating, at times rage inducing, but always empowering as O’Meara bolsters women to recognize and acknowledge their power and influence.

“Girly Drinks: A World History of Women and Alcohol” is a very entertaining and insightful read. We had a really fun time with this one! Order that cosmopolitan, ladies. And don’t let anyone shame you for it.

Kate’s Rating 8: An informative, cheeky, and interesting history about women, the alcohol industry, and fighting against misogyny and the patriarchy.

Book Club Questions

  1. If you enjoy drinking alcoholic beverages, what kinds of drinks do you like? Did this book give you any insight into your favorites? If not, do you like any mocktails as they have become more popular?
  2. O’Meara talks about women being shut out of drinking and socializing in taverns and bars and therefore having to make their own drinks and trying to socialize at home. Do you find yourself enjoying going out to bars more, or do you like spending time with friends and family at home? Again, this does not have to include alcohol.
  3. This book has many women in history who have interesting lives and backgrounds. Were there any that you owuld like to learn more about, or who you could see yourself hanging out with in a fantasy situation?
  4. What were your thoughts on the structure of the book and the different highlights in each chapter? Did any stand out to you?
  5. Were there any surprises in this book as it traces the influences of women on the history of alcohol?

Reader’s Advisory

“Girly Drinks: A World History of Women and Alcohol” is included on the Goodreads lists “Feminist Interest 2021”, and “[ATY 2022]: Food and Drink”.

Next Book Club Book: “The Wee Free Men” by Terry Pratchett

Serena’s Review: “Bring Me Your Midnight”

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Book: “Bring Me Your Midnight” by Rachel Griffin

Publishing Info: Sourcebooks Fire, August 2023

Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from the publisher!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: Tana Fairchild’s fate has never been in question. Her life has been planned out since the moment she was born: she is to marry the governor’s son, Landon, and secure an unprecedented alliance between the witches of her island home and the mainlanders who see her very existence as a threat.

Tana’s coven has appeased those who fear their power for years by releasing most of their magic into the ocean during the full moon. But when Tana misses the midnight ritual—a fatal mistake—there is no one she can turn to for help…until she meets Wolfe.

Wolfe claims he is from a coven that practices dark magic, making him one of the only people who can help her. But he refuses to let Tana’s power rush into the sea, and instead teaches her his forbidden magic. A magic that makes her feel powerful. Alive.

As the sea grows more violent, her coven loses control of the currents, a danger that could destroy the alliance as well as her island. Tana will have to choose between love and duty, between loyalty to her people and loyalty to her heart. Marrying Landon would secure peace for her coven but losing Wolfe and his wild magic could cost her everything else.

Review: I haven’t read anything by this author yet, but I’m very familiar with the cool, witchy titles and covers of her books. I always eye them in the bookstore with appreciation. But as I don’t always gravitate towards contemporary fantasy, I haven’t actually gotten around to reading either of them. However, reading the description for this one, it sounded a lot like Adrienne Young’s “Spells for Forgetting” which I absolutely loved. Unfortunately, however, this one didn’t reach those same highs.

Before getting into the parts of this book that ultimately left it as a bit of a disappointing read, I do want to focus on a few positive. For one thing, the cover art for this book is beautiful. Like the other books by this author, this one would definitely stand out on bookstore shelves. I also liked the overall concept of the book, with an island made up of witches who must expel their excess magic into the ocean to continue to exist peacefully with those around them. This idea is very interesting, and while the climate change points are not exactly subtle, that doesn’t take away from the overall impact of the set-up.

Unfortunately, as we saw so often in this book, things that should have been interesting would either not be fully explored or would peter out before the reader got to actually experience any conflict. We are told that the ocean currents around the island have become increasingly dangerous. However, other than a second-hand story from Tana’s childhood, we never actually see any dangers on the page. We’re simply told that it is so. Further, when this conflict is ultimately resolved, again, we don’t see anything of it. We are told it happens, and that is the end.

Again and again this sort of thing happened throughout the story. It was very much “telling” the reader how they should feel and what exactly was happening, but there was very little showing. Conflicts would show up throughout the story, but then, often in the same chapter, they were quickly wrapped up. Any attempts by the reader to build on stakes or feel any tension about what is coming next was almost immediately stamped down by a quick resolution.

I also struggled to picture exactly where and when this book took place. There were references to dresses and balls, but then the next moment would refer to a car driving by. It was very unclear what sort of society or world I was meant to be picturing. Is this a modern day story? Some point in the fairly recent past? For a story that is so centered around this unique community and rare, magical island, there was a distinct lack of descriptive prose. Yes, I would have enjoyed some more lyrical descriptions of this quaint town, but I also would have taken a basic description of what exactly I was supposed to be picturing at all.

Beyond this, Tana was a difficult character for me to connect to. She’s meant to be a twenty year old woman, but if I hadn’t been told this, I would very much have pegged her as a fifteen year old. Her voice is very juvenile, and her understanding of her place in the world and her choices was very passive to the point of fairly extreme naivety. At the same time, as her views were challenged, she quickly switched tack, seemingly with very little inner conflict at leaving behind lifetime-held beliefs. I also did not enjoy the romance in this story. It felt very insta-love like, and, again, I failed to connect to the characters or feel real stakes in their relationship.

This book didn’t work for me, which was too bad. I know the author is really popular, however, so if you enjoy more contemporary witchy stories, this may be for you. But if you’re looking for something with much depth, sadly I don’t think this is it.

Rating 6: Unlike the ocean with all of its mysterious depths, this one felt shallow and floundering.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Bring Me Your Midnight” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Flower Faces and YA Releases August 2023.

Serena’s Review: “Brittle”

This post may contain affiliate links for books we recommend.  Read the full disclosure here.

Book: “Brittle” by Beth Overmyer

Publishing Info: Flame Tree Press, August 2023

Where Did I Get this Book: NetGalley, copy from the publisher

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: After the murder of her father – which no one but her believes happened – Verve just wants to hold her family together and take on the role of provider. Unfortunately, a cruel fae lord believes she knows the location of an ancient magical weapon and steals her away to Letorheas, realm of the fairies. The fae lord seems to want something from Verve that goes beyond the weapon, something that many doubt she can provide. Verve must find a way to navigate the strangeness of Letorheas and embrace a destiny more intertwined with the fae than she would like to believe.

Review: This was definitely a “cover lust” situation. I just adore everything about this cover, and it was guaranteed that I would read it the moment I saw it. I’m also still always interested in Fae-focused fantasy novels, for my sins. Have I been burned by this particular trope in the past? Yes, I have. But I also can’t quite get “An Enchantment of Ravens” out of my head, which I read many years ago now, but absolutely adored. And, as I discussed recently about authors who improved on a second go-around, I’m always hoping to stumble upon another unexpected hit! Unfortunately, this was not that.

Right off the bat the story started with some very strong ACOTAR vibes. Now, for some, that is an incredible compliment and surely will draw in certain readers right away. For me, however, red flags were going up in every direction. But before I dive into the parts of the book with which I struggled, I do, as always, want to focus on some positives first. As I said, there is definitely an audience out there for this book (however, even this audience I think will feel that they’ve read many similar, better versions of this same story). The writing is also quite approachable and the action starts out right away. This is a fairly short book by fantasy standards, coming in at just over 300 pages. And it’s clear that the author is wasting no time getting to the point.

However, for me, that was where the problems started. I barely felt like I knew, let alone cared, about the main character between the story was immediately barreling into main plot points. What’s more, what I did know about the character had largely come from Verve herself simply informing me of her own traits and how she compared to the other members of her family. Of course, she is the brave, provider type who is too stubborn for her own good. It is this last point that really drew my ire as the book continues.

Per the ACOTAR standard, she is, of course, captured by a Fae lord and caught up in a bunch of Fae drama. In most fantasy novels, this should be the point where things really get good. Here are the opportunities for the heroine to rise to the occasion, to put her oft-declared strengths to the test. But instead, she comes across as foolish, stubborn to the point of stupidity, and petulant in the manner of a toddler. As someone who is currently raising toddlers, in no way do I want to read a novel where the heroine chooses to not listen to good advice and bizarrely ignore blatant realities around her all because she’s “sticking it to the power,” essentially.

Not only did this lead me to actively disliking the main character through much of it (honestly, I was starting to feel sympathy for her captors who were just trying to keep her from self-destructing), but many of her ridiculous decisions were necessary to drive the plot forward. I’ve ranted about this many times, but it’s almost guaranteed for me to low rate a book when I discover a plot that hinges on a character needing to be ridiculous, foolish, or just plain stupid. Yes, there are characters who experience growth through these traits, but even then, the traits themselves shouldn’t be necessary for the plot to move forward, except in the most rare of instances and part of a larger character arc.

I really struggled to like anything about this book, which was really too bad. I do like the overall premise, even if it is fairly familiar. And, again, that cover is a banger. There was also clearly a lot of ideas that were hinted at in this story, a unique religion, a magic system, some world0building. But none of it was fully fleshed out or enough to compensate for the frustrations I felt with regards to the plot and main character. Fans who are very devoted to Fae fantasy may want to check this out, but if you’re wary of the subgenre currently, this one won’t redeem your faith.

Rating 6: Not my cup of tea with a heroine who was annoying at best and actively unlikable much of the time.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Brittle” isn’t on any Goodreads lists yet, but it should be on Books about Faery.