hi! sorry if you've already answered this, but i absolutely adore your tithenai chronicles, and was wondering if you had any favorite queer books to recommend/suggestions for what a fan of your work should read next :) before inevitably restarting my strange and stubborn endurance audiobook again <3 thank you!
Ahh, thank you so much! Regarding book recommendations, two of my all-time favourites are The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison (along with the spin-off novella trilogy, The Cemeteries of Amalo, which consists of The Witness for the Dead, The Grief of Stones and the forthcoming The Tomb of Dragons), and The Books of the Raksura series by Martha Wells (which consists of seven books total: a trilogy, two short story anthologies, and then a final duology). However, I'd also like to recommend some works by authors that are less well-known than Addison and Wells, so! In no particular order:
The Bone Universe trilogy (Updraft, Cloudbound and Horizon) by Fran Wilde;
The Broken Trust quadrilogy (Mazes of Power, Transgressions of Power, Inheritors of Power and a still forthcoming title) by Juliette Wade;
The Titan's Forest trilogy (Crossroads of Canopy, Echoes of Understorey and Tides of the Titans) by Thoraiya Dyer; and
The Ascendant trilogy (The Tiger's Daughter, The Phoenix Empress and The Warrior Moon) by K. Arsenault Rivera.
Happy reading! :D
wait so you're telling me she'd *just* got back from an unhinged solo mission and quick-changed into her white robe in time to say "many bothans died" noo that makes the scene 10x funnier help
I've been reading a bunch of short fiction lately, most of it SFF to figure out how the whole shebang works, and I've come across a lot of delicious stuff by writers who need the kind of big time attention that mediocre novelists do! Some of my recommendations follow (and the speculative element is pretty atmospheric/suggestive rather than overt in them all, if you're not really into hard sci-fi or over-the-top secondary world fantasies :) )
"How the Trick is Done" by A. C. Wise (about loving the wrong person and avenging yourself, done with heartrending prose--this was a top piece of fiction of the year for me)
"Homecoming is Just Another Word for the Sublimation of the Self" by Isabel J. Kim (fascinatingly woven story about immigration, sense of identity, and the idea of home)
”Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience™️” by Rebecca Roanhorse (colonial myth becomes realer than the truth if you believe in it enough)
"Clearly Lettered, in a Mostly Steady Hand" by Fran Wilde (museums as houses of voyeuristic horror, told in a sweetly Victorian style)
"Termination Stories for the Cyberpunk Dystopia Protagonist" by Isabel J. Kim (meta-narrative commentary on cyberpunk aesthetics, Asian objectification, and being doomed by the storytelling gaze)
"Rabbit Test" by Samantha Mills (VERY timely exploration of bodily rights, intergenerational miscommunication/support, and how sometimes it's just hard to be a woman)
Hey, everyone! Last month I forgot to post a wrap-up, so, to make up for it, here’s what I read in July, on time! My fav this month was definitely the Trials of Apollo quintet, which was just so much fun! More on that after the “read more” :)
Who Could It Be At This Hour?, by Lemony Snicket
4 stars
258 pages
Contains: incompetent adults; really smart kids; a mystery
I read this for the first time when I was a kid, after loving A Series of Unfortunate Events. I remember really loving this, although I never finished the series because I couldn’t find the books in my native Brazil. I decided to listen to the audiobook again, as I was craving middle grade this month! It follows Lemony Snicket himself (the author’s name is pseudonym) as he begins his initiation into a secret society by teaming up with a mentor (who is terrible at her job) to solve a mystery in a run-down little town.
It ended up being a pretty good experience. The narration is very expressive and so on that side I had a lot of fun. Unfortunately, I wasn’t that involved by the mystery itself – and I didn’t remember anything from when I first read it, at all, so that wasn’t the problem, here. But the characters and the writing style are just too charming for you not to fall a little bit in love with the book. And, as always, with Mr. Snicket’s books, I just love how absolutely and utterly incompetent any adult is, and how qualified and smart all the children are. Honestly, in the real world, things are kind of like that, anyway!
How Far The Light Reaches: A Life In Ten Sea Creatures, by Sabrina Imbler
3 stars
272 pages
Contains: depictions of sea animals; discussions of sapphic life; discussions of gender
I read this because it was the non-fiction pick for SapphLit, a sapphic book club I’m a part of (and that you should totally join, if you’re sapphic, because it’s so cool!). I was really interested, at first. I’m really scared of the deep ocean, so I thought it would be kind of fun to read these essays and maybe get a little bit creeped out – even if it wasn’t the author's intention that I was creeped out lmao.
Unfortunately, this really didn’t do it for me. I found the structure repetitive. Mx. Imbler interlocks descriptions of sea life with their own experience, making some sort of comparison between her situation and an aspect of that creature’s life. By the tenth time they’ve done it, in the exact same way, though, you are more than tired. I was expecting some diversity, some innovation, but no… All the essays play out exactly the same. That’s not to say there aren’t interesting ideas, here, but the format they’re in is disappointing, and I wanted more from this.
Before They Are Hanged, by Joe Abercrombie
5 stars
441 pages
Contains: a quest for… wait, we don’t know what they’re questing for!; fun characters!!; the weirdest sex scene you’ve ever read in your life
If any of you read my The Blade Itself review, the first book in the First Law Trilogy, I think you’ll be surprised by my rating of this one. I did not like The Blade Itself that much, and struggled to even finish it, skipping over multiple parts, especially the fight scenes, just to get it out of the way. I didn’t think I’d continue on with this series, but the urge hit me this month to see the characters again, and I decided to try this one out. Luckily, I also had the audiobook, which gave me a totally immersive experience – the audiobook is excellent, by the way! – and helped with my overall enjoyment.
I think my favorite thing about this series has always been the characters, and they shine, here, since they actually have something to do. My problem with The Blade Itself was that it felt like endless, endless set up. Nothing really happens. Now, reading Before They Are Hanged, I can say for sure that was it. The story really starts, for most of the characters, in this second installment, and so I wonder if Mr. Abercrombie couldn’t have done it differently. But, regardless of my problems with The Blade Itself, Before They Are Hanged is just so fun. Truly a triumph! And I highly, highly recommend!
The Moth Keeper, by K. O’Neil
5 stars
265 pages
Contains: a very sweet village; gorgeous art; gay people!!
Oh my God, I finally got my hands on a copy of The Moth Keeper! Thank you Boston Public Library, you will always be famous!
K. O’Neil is my favorite graphic novel artist. Their work with The Tea Dragon Society just blew me away, and I was anxiously awaiting this book. It follows Anya, who lives in nocturnal village where the population depends on magical moths, guarded by the Moth Keeper, a job Anya hopes to have. But the journey to do so might not be so easy, after all.
I loved this one especially because of the beautiful art! I just adore Mx. O’Neil’s art style. The story is also just so hopeful and lovely! I love the tone that they manage to impart here, almost as if this is an ancient myth being told to you in a more approachable form. I’m excited to read it again, soon, as see what else I can glean from this wonderful graphic novel!
Okay, so this one… This one is hard to explain. Basically, it follows Charm, the emperor’s mistress and a necromancer, who has created various “bone-ghosts”. Together, they live in a mansion called Orchid House, where they run a brothel. When the emperor dies, however, Charm is enlisted to solve the murder…
I wanted to like this one so, so much! Unfortunately, it was just incredibly confusing in… not a good way. I couldn’t get involved with the characters or the story, because it was all shrouded in this not-so-cool mystery. It was just so, so confusing that you couldn’t even get into it because you had no idea what was going on on a deeper level. It’s also not a murder mystery at all – more like a political thriller, but the politics are too confusing to actually follow, important things happen off-screen and the importance of certain factors to the story ebb and flow (sometimes money is important, sometimes it absolutely isn’t, for example). Still, the writing was compelling and some parts were fun, so I ended up giving it three stars.
The Jewel and Her Lapidary, by Fran Wilde
3 stars
89 pages
Contains: a very unique magic system; a female… friendship? Are they gay? What’s going on with my girls?; the invasion of a kingdom
Also a hard one to summarize, since it’s so short, but this one follows Lin, a member of the royal family, and her sworn companion, the lapidary Sima, when their kingdom is attacked.
I enjoyed this. The magic system is fantastically unique, focusing on jewels as the sources of magic. However, the plot didn’t really do it for me. It was too nicely tied up, with not enough conflict. The character development also seemed all over the place. So I had trouble giving it over 3 stars. However, I like the universe very much – especially because of the magic system which is, like I said, completely unique, and totally took me by surprise. I think I’ll read the next books in the series, since they don’t follow the same characters. I’ll come right back with the results!
The Trials of Apollo Quintet, by Rick Riordan
The Hidden Oracle; The Dark Prophecy; The Burning Maze; The Tyrant’s Tomb & The Tower of Nero
All 5 stars
Av. of 350 pages (X 5 = av. of 1750 pages)
Contains: a chaotic 12-year-old; strong friendships; discussions of abusive family
Alright: this was it, the grand attraction of my month! I blew through the entire series over the course of like, a week, while I was on a family trip, and had the time of my life!
So, first off, if you’re not a Percy Jackson veteran, let me explain this series to you: The Trials of Apollo Quintet follows – can you say it with me – the god Apollo as he’s cast down to Earth for the third time to live out some trials as a human. And soon, he finds himself implicated in some business involving stolen oracles, roman emperors and a very grumpy 12-year-old. Just delightful older-middle grade!
(Careful, though! If The Trials of Apollo sounds interesting to you, I’m terribly sorry to inform you that it’s a continuation to the Percy Jackson series, and that you do need to read that (5 books) and The Heroes of Olympus series (5 books) before continuing on with this one. And yes, it’s absolutely necessary. Sorry!)
The Trials of Apollo was a lovely experience! The adventures are divided into bite-sized, 350 page books, all with a central quest and prophecy, and, as always with Rick Riordan, are riddled with obscure creatures and gods from Roman and Greek mythology, mixed with some pop-culture flair and plenty of good humor! Reading this put me right back in my Percy Jackson phase (where I belong) as well as took me way, way back, to my first time reading Mr. Riordan’s books.
Even though The Trials of Apollo didn’t end how I hoped, I really appreciate Mr. Riordan’s work on Apollo’s character. His relationships, especially with his constant companion Meg, are remarkable, and evolve nicely along with him. Not to mention, the gayness factor has been upped considerably in this universe, and I just think that’s neat.
Thank you all for reading and I’ll come back next month with more updates :) In the mean time, if you need a SFF book rec, drop me an ask and I’ll get back to you ASAP!
#reviewing a #bookseries today called Gemworld by Fran Wilde. A #fanstasy series based on gem magic and quick reads to boot! Highly recommend you check them out!
Ashley Blooms’ debut novel follows a young girl who can hear and speak to everything around her -- even mice in the walls -- but she can’t find the words to describe what a friend has done to her.
“This book hurts,” says reviewer Fran Wilde, “The characters I met within its pages have stayed with me, their names and stories etched on my memory.”
