Aug 14, 2023
– Brit Bennett, The Vanishing Half
seen from Belarus
seen from United States
seen from China
seen from United Kingdom
seen from China
seen from China
seen from Türkiye
seen from Italy
seen from Russia
seen from United States
seen from Russia
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Italy
seen from United Kingdom
seen from Italy
seen from Russia
seen from Czechia
seen from China
seen from Russia
– Brit Bennett, The Vanishing Half
do not sleep on the invitation it was sooo good with everything vampires, outfits, hating the british, the color pallet, very clear metaphors about colonialism and wealth, friendship and if thats not good enough watch it because the lady vampires are hot as fuck
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
if you're interested in a jeremiah × oc fanfic in which he's finally given the due importance he deserves, here's mine!
check it out :)
Highly Anticipated Recently Released Books
A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Release Date: September 1st 2020
Page Count: Paperback and Kindle edition, 697 pages
Book Type: Full length novel, and book #2 of the Blood and Ash series.
Other Books in the Series: From Blood and Ash (Blood and Ash, book #1)
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal
Category: New Adult
Goodreads Ratings Average: 4.65 out of 5.00 stars, based on 11,424 ratings.
Other Noteworthy Books by this Author: Lux, The Dark Elements, The Harbinger, Wait for You, Covenant, A Wicked Trilogy, Don’t Look Back, Titan, The Problem with Forever, Obsession, and more.
Quick Synopsis: The hotly anticipated sequel picks up where the previous book left off. Poppy is feeling betrayed, but she has much worse to worry about. Dire choices will have to be made, and deep secrets will be revealed.
Blood & Honey by Shelby Mahurin
Author: Shelby Mahurin
Release Date: September 1st 2020
Page Count: Hardcover, 528 pages
Book Type: Full length novel and book #2 of the Serpent & Dove trilogy.
Other Books in the Series: Serpent & Dove (Serpent & Dove, book #1)
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Historical Fiction
Category: New Adult
Goodreads Ratings Average: 3.83 out of 5.00 stars, based on 6,673 ratings.
Other Noteworthy Books by this Author: Serpent & Dove
Quick Synopsis: Follow Lou and Reid as they continue their perilously journey, escaping the Dames Blanches and the Church to be together, as they uncover magic and love. There are friends and foes at every corner, in this highly anticipated sequel.
The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by V.E. Schwab
Author: V.E. Schwab (A.K.A. Victoria Schwab)
Release Date: October 6th 2020
Page Count: U.S. Hardcover, 448 pages | U.S. Paperback, 512 pages | U.K. Hardcover, 560 pages | ebook, 480 pages.
Book Type: Full Length Standalone Novel
Genre: Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal
Category: Adult, LGBTQ+, Ownvoice Author
Goodreads Ratings Average: 4.53 out of 5.00 stars, based on 2,712 ratings.
Other Noteworthy Books by this Author: Shades of Magic, Villains, Monsters of Verity, The Near Witch, The Archived, Cassidy Blake, and more.
Quick Synopsis: In early 1700’s France, a young woman makes a deal with the devil to live forever, but there is a price. In exchange, she will be forgotten by everyone she ever meets. Until after approximately 300 years, she stumbles upon a boy who remembers her name.
Fable by Adrienne Young
Author: Adrienne Young
Release Date: September 1st 2020
Page Count: Hardcover, 357 pages
Book Type: Full length novel, and book #1 of the Fable series.
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Romance, Action, Pirates
Category: Young Adult
Goodreads Ratings Average: 4.31 out of 5.00 stars, based on 2,967 ratings.
Other Noteworthy Books by this Author: Sky in the Deep, The Girl the Sea Gave Back, and more.
Quick Synopsis: Fable is the daughter of the most powerful trader in the Narrows. Four years ago, her mother died and her father left her on a legendary island full of thieves. Using the unique skills her mother gave her, Fable enlists the help of a trader named West, who isn’t as he seems. So that she can demand her rightful place as her father’s heir.
A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik
Author: Naomi Novik
Release Date: September 29th 2020
Page Count: Hardcover, 336 pages
Book Type: Full length novel, and book #1 in The Scolomance series.
Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal, Horror
Category: New Adult
Goodreads Ratings Average: 4.32 out of 5.00 stars, based on 3,656 ratings.
Other Noteworthy Books by this Author: Uprooted, Spinning Silver, Temeraire, and more.
Quick Synopsis: Scolomance is deadly school for the magically gifted, where half the students aren’t expected to survive the year. There are no teachers, or friendships, or holidays. Only magic, and the allies you use to survive. Though El possess a deadly gift that could potentially be cataclysmic, will she use it if it means risking all the other students lives?
The Tower of Nero by Rick Riordan
Author: Rick Riordan
Release Date: October 6th 2020
Page Count: Hardcover, 416 pages
Book Type: Full length novel, and book #5 in The Trials of Apollo series.
Other Books in the Series: The Hidden Oracle (book #1), The Dark Prophecy (book #2), The Burning Maze (book #3), The Tyrant’s Tomb (book #4).
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Action, Mythology
Category: Young Adult, LGBTQ+, POC characters
Goodreads Ratings Average: 4.60 out of 5.00 stars, based on 1,751 ratings.
Other Noteworthy Books by this Author: Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Heroes of Olympus, The Kane Chronicles, Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, and more.
Quick Synopsis: In the epic finale of The Trials of Apollo series, readers will witness the stunning conclusion to Rick Riordan’s Greek Mythology inspired universe. It began in 2005 with The Lightning Thief, and stretches across three different series and over fifteen books, and it ends with this novel.
Skyhunter by Marie Lu
Author: Marie Lu
Release Date: September 29th 2020
Page Count: Hardcover, 384 pages
Book Type: Full length novel, and book #1 in the Skyhunter series.
Genre: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Dystopian
Category: Young Adult,
Goodreads Ratings Average: 4.27 out of 5.00 stars, based on 708 ratings.
Other Noteworthy Books by this Author: Legend, The Young Elites, Warcross, Batman: Nightwalker, The Kingdom of Back, and more.
Quick Synopsis: Talin is a member of an elite group of soldiers, known as Strikers, that fight the overwhelming and brutal Federation, in order to keep their home of Mara, a free nation. When a mysterious prisoner that could be a spy or the ultimate weapon is brought to Talin, what will she do?
The Silvered Serpents by Roshani Chokshi
Author: Roshani Chokshi
Release Date: September 22nd 2020
Page Count: Hardcover, 416 pages
Book Type: Full length novel, and book #2 in The Gilded Wolves series.
Other Books in the Series: The Gilded Wolves, (book #1).
Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Romance
Category: Young Adult, LGBTQ+, POC Characters
Goodreads Ratings Average: 4.29 out of 5.00 stars, based on 1,667 ratings.
Other Noteworthy Books by this Author: The Gilded Wolves, The Star-Touched Queen, Pandava Quartet, and more.
Quick Synopsis: Return to the dark and glamorous 19th century world of Roshiani Chokshi’s creeation. As Severin and his crew leave Paris and find themselves in icy Russia, loyalties will be tested and secrets revealed. As ghosts from the past catch up with them and they discover new dimensions of themselves.
Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
Author: Tracy Deonn
Release Date: September 15th 2020
Page Count: Hardcover, 512 pages
Book Type: Full length novel, and book #1 in the Legendborn series.
Genre: Fantasy, Contemporary, Arthurian Retelling
Category: Young Adult, WOC Protagonist, POC Characters, Ownvoice Author, LGBTQ+
Goodreads Ratings Average: 4.59 out of 5.00 stars, based on 1,346 ratings.
Other Books Noteworthy by this Author: Our Voices, Our Stories, 21 YA Authors Get Real About Injustice, Empowerment, and Growing up Female in America. From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back, and more.
Quick Synopsis: After Bree’s mother dies, she seeks sanctuary at a high school program for bright teens. On her first day, she witnesses a magical attack, and a mysterious boy who calls himself a “merlin” tries to wipe her memory of it, but awakens her magic instead. Now that she knows there’s more to her mother’s death than she thought, she recruits a self exiled member of “Legendborn” and infiltrates the secret society it as an initiate.
The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart
Author: Andrea Stewart
Release Date: September 8th 2020
Page Count: Hardcover, 448 pages
Book Type: Full length novel, and book #1 in The Drowning Empire series.
Genre: High Fantasy, Science Fiction Fantasy
Category: Adult, LGBTQ+, Queer, WOC Protagonist, POC Characters, Ownvoice Author
Goodreads Ratings Average: 4.32 out of 5.00 stars, based on 904 ratings.
Other Noteworthy Books by this Author: Champion: An Anthology of Winning Fantasy Stories, Changeling Wars, Dragon Maidan, and more.
Quick Synopsis: In an empire controlled by bone shard magic, a power that the emperor has used to create animal-like constructions to overpower his people, lives Lin. The daughter of the emperor, who has been locked away. However, when rebellions are knocking on the empire’s door, and Lin’s father refuses to recognize her as his heir, she will set out to master bone shard magic and take her rightful crown.
“And if I love him hard enough, maybe, just maybe, I can keep the dark side away.”
★★★★★
I did it. I've posted the start of my comic Harvester to a webcomic host near you. What's it about? tldr; gay cowgirls and some spooky shit. 👩🌾👩🌾👻👻
Choose your fav place, choose all three, or choose none at all! 🥳
Tapas: https://t.co/VpFuRRCsP8
Webtoon: https://t.co/03o0ein3xh
Smackjeeves: https://t.co/9gpvkTRgnL
Between Shades of Grey
There is a deep misunderstanding when it comes to women and being pretty. There is nothing good about being pretty. There is nothing worthwhile about being pretty because in the end that is all that you are: pretty. Being pretty comes with several implications and rules and regulations and holds. You cannot be mean spirited and you cannot exude erratic behavior. You cannot be too strong but being pliable and weak cannot be an option either. Being pretty means that you must have some modicum of intelligence but being the best is not a requirement but also not advised. There must be some fundamental understanding of trends whether they be fashion and make up or something else, but you were not required or advised to know the full extent of such subjects.
Being pretty meant that you had to settle for being in second place because, sure pretty is the label but beautiful was the goal. Pretty is not stunning. Pretty is not beautiful. And maybe that was where the misunderstanding arises because pretty and beautiful were labeled as synonyms in the thesaurus but they were not. Because Amaya was pretty. She was not gorgeous. She had to settle for pretty.
That was why she had to settle for this white guy sitting at the bar and not go for the man that she really wanted, the one that her friend Heather was pursuing, the tall handsome black man who teeth shone white under the ultraviolet lights. Amaya was merely “pretty for a black girl” which meant that this white man saw her as less threatening and easy enough. This knowledge coupled with the knowledge that her advances would be resoundly rebuffed in favor of Heather’s was what caused her to settle into her seat and smile at the man she did not want.
“Can I touch your hair?” he asked, his skin looked washed out and sickly in the flashing UV lights. His skin seemed translucent under the light revealing inches of pulsing arteries and capillaries. His ghost hand reached out without her permission already on the way to touching one of her carefully curated braids. Amaya jerked her head back, the comforting smile already on her face as she grabbed his larger hand in her own. The contrast caught her eye and she let herself watch their hands for a moment, her warm brown against his pale white before she returned her eyes to his.
“No,” she said, the smile tight on her face. “I spent a lot of time on my braids and I don’t want them to be ruined. It would take forever to fix. You understand right?” He said nothing just nodded his head and pulled his hand back. For a moment she missed the warmth, the comfort of holding another hand in her own before she turned back and she smiled at...what was his name again?
“I’m going to go get a refill,” she said, shaking the red solo cup. Amaya slipped away from him then in what she hoped was a tantalizing sashay of her hips and sway of her braids. What she had told him was no lie. She stood in line at the cooler waiting to refill her drink and drink close to overflowing, slipped outside to the front porch. Not many people were in the front, just some of the more drunk party goers of tonight.
The old wooden house was shaking with the booming bass of Earth, Wind and Fire’s September. At the song, she rolled her eyes, who played things like Let’s Groove and September at a party? Earth, Wind and Fire, were explicitly reserved for things like family reunions and cookouts. To play them now was an abuse of their music, Amaya thought to herself. She wobbled on her wedges, her hands gripped the battered railing as she lifted herself to sit on it.
Her phone was the first thing that she checked. Flicking through message after message and sending her parents a quick text that she had reached campus and was now spending time with her friends. She snorted as she heard from inside one of her friends singing horribly off key with to some Hailey Baldwin song about empowerment. She then went to Twitter flicking through tweets before posting the photos that she took before they went out for the night. No caption. She didn’t need a caption.
Amaya sighed. She did not want to be here. Well, she did. At the beginning of the night when Heather had said that this party was going to be the best party out of all the ones being thrown. Liar. The party was dead everybody either was drunk or getting nearer and closer to it. And none of the people here were pretty drunks too. On her way outside alone, Amaya had watched three girls dissolve into tears and two almost fights between juiced up frat brothers. The music was stupid and all her friends had abandoned her to pursue what they wanted and she was left with the dregs of the party who simply thought she was pretty for a black girl.
“Amaya!” Heather stumbled out from the front door, her cheeks bright pink. She stumbled over on unsteady feet acting as if the whole house was rocking back and forth like a ship. Amaya rose and grabbed onto her friend guiding her over to the railing. Heather’s face was greasy with sweat and oil. She had to admire Heather because Amaya watched her throwing her ass back hard to something completely off beat but with total confidence. That and Amaya was not sure whether to describe what Heather was doing was throwing ass or moving her legs in hopes that it would jiggle what little she had.
“Amaya! Why’re you not inside. The party is lit!” Heather said. Amaya had to close her eyes as she heard that word come out of her friend’s mouth. Heather said slang as often as father’s wore New Balances and Amaya had to guard herself against the overuse of the word. Amaya shrugged pulling the jacket that Heather tighter around her thin shoulders.
“I’m not feelin’ it tonight. Have fun, I’ma go home,” Amaya said. Her eyes strayed to the sidewalk and she imagined the route that she was going to take back to her dorm and to the comfort of her bed. She had gotten a single dorm this year and she could not wait to enjoy those benefits. Heather whined deep in her throat.
“No! You have to stay! Everything starts tomorrow! We only have tonight!” Heather gripped Amaya’s arm and shook it. It did nothing but make the fat on the back of her arm jiggle and Amaya snatched her arm away before Heather made it do waves.
“This frat throws parties every weekend,” Amaya said calling the uber. Three minutes away. “We can come out then.”
“You never want to come out!” Amaya’s eyes strayed inside, where she saw Heather’s conquest making moves on another blonde haired girl. She was pretty, Amaya thought without thinking. The man slid his hands around her waist and pulled her closer to him and the girl was immediately hooked. Amaya turned her eyes back to Heather and her heart shaped face.
“You have Jared and Yelena,” Amaya defended. Heather sighed and pulled away from her, lips set in a tense pout.
“I want to hang out with you.”
“And you do.” Amaya saw the blue Corolla pull up to the frat house and Amaya was pulling away from Heather, the conversation falling away from her mind. Thank god she wouldn’t have to walk. Heather made her download the app when they had first met and it had proven to be useful at times like this. “I’ll see you tomorrow! Lunch?”
Heather didn’t reply and Amaya did not wait for one, getting into the car without a thought. The driver was around her age. She only took a curious glance at him. Amaya did not get a weird vibe from the driver and he didn’t seem like a serial killer so that already got him about three stars.
“Where to?” the driver asked.
“Houghton Hall,” she said.
The driver pulled away from the frat house with the crumbling roofs and chipping blue and white paint. The driver was smooth and silent with nothing but the strange music that was playing from the stereo. It took awhile for Amaya to notice it because it was so low, but listening closer it sounded like a mess.
The composition of the song was a mess. The was the snare of drums accompanied by a fiddle and electronic beeping. At random moments a trumpet would honk through the noise, loud and demanding to be heard. Amaya already had her review typed out in her head. Plays weird af music. Bring headphones.
“You don’t like my music do you?” the driver said and Amaya wanted to groan but kept it in. This guy had better not be a talker. She hated drivers that wanted to start conversation with you. “It’s okay, sometimes I don’t really like it either.”
“Oh...okay.” Do not engage. Do not engage. No need to make him drive her into the woods and leave her body behind. And there was a lot of woods here. She turned back to her phone and was already deciding what she was going to watch from her bed.
“You know I made this?”
God stop talking. “Really?”
“Yup,” he said popping the p. “I made it by playing around on my computer. I have this file of just random noises that I recorded and mixed that with the recorded content a lot of music programs already come with and I made this.” The snare was beating some beat but then there was the horn which was following another beat entirely. “This is some new experimental music I am working on. I usually just put them together and take things out that I think doesn’t sound good.”
“Hmm...okay then,” Amaya said with little inflection. Plays weird af music. Wants to talk about his weird af music. Bring headphones. Two stars. “And this is…”
“Oh? This? This is an unfinished project, something that I am just playing around with. What do you think?” he said as he made a turn.
Amaya gave a weak, very weak, smile. “It’s...umm, interesting.” The guy laughed, a deep full belly laugh and looked at her from the rear view mirror. What else did he want her to say? He was driving her home! And if she said she didn’t like it he might take the car over a ditch or something like that! Amaya gave a small giggle and fussing with her hands.
“You can say you don’t like it. I won’t be mad,” he said. And Amaya, just shrugged looking out the window as the landscape became more and more familiar. She was getting closer to her dorm! Thank the Lord! Then she could leave this man and his weird music behind.
“Well, it has potential.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, like you could have something. Like a jazz beat with the snare and the trumpet, but you need to filter everything else out. The fiddle and that stuff. It just… doesn’t sound all that great.” The car began to slow down to a roll as the driver made the final turn to her dorm and Amaya started to write a text to her friend that she reached her dorm safely.
“You think so? I’ve never really listened to jazz before so I don’t really know how to make a jazz beat.”
The car finally stopped in front of the large white brick monstrosity that was Houghton Hall and she slid out of the car without a second thought. “Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington and Billie Holiday are good places to start,” she said off hand. Amaya was marching to her dorm with a single minded focus. All she wanted to do now was get into be and be done with the night. Her first class tomorrow was at ten thirty and she wanted to get a good seat.
“Thanks!” the man shouted out of the window but she wasn’t paying attention. Amaya had sent the text to her friend that she had reached home safe and sound and was finishing up the review for the driver.
Talks about his weird af music that he plays. Bring headphones. She rated the ride three stars to be nice and looked over his name. Caden. Pretty name. Too bad he made weird shit music.
Still Not Over It