Category: Book Reviews

[Book Review] Hammers on Bone by Cassandra Khaw

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hammers-on-bone-coverTitle: Hammers on Bone
Author: Cassandra Khaw (Twitter)
Rating: Highly Recommended
Genre/Category: Urban Fantasy, Noir, Detective, Lovecraftian Horror
Release Date: October 11, 2016
Publisher: Tor.com
Order Here: AMAZON | AMAZON (KINDLE) | BARNES AND NOBLE

Note: I received a free copy of this novella from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All of the views in review are my own.

I’ve been a huge Cassandra Khaw fan since reading her novella “Rupert Wong, Cannibal Chef” last year. From the second that I saw the announcement back in May that Tor.com acquired two novellas from her, I was on the edge of my seat with excitement because her writing is so freaking good that my expectations were sky high.

And then I read the first novella “Hammers on Bone” and I felt as if my entire world had changed.

“Hammers on Bone” is a dark and twisted detective story with definite notes of Lovecraftian Horror that are turned inside out across the pages of the novella.Read More »

[Book Review] That Potent Alchemy by Tess Bowery

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that-potent-alchemy-coverTitle: That Potent Alchemy
Author: Tess Bowery (Twitter)
Rating: Highly Recommended
Genre/Category:  Historical Romance, Regency, Erotic, Queer, Entertainment,
Release Date: October 4, 2016

Publisher: Seamchecker Ent.

Order Here: AMAZON (KINDLE) | BARNES AND NOBLE

Note: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review. All of the views in this review are my own.

That Potent Alchemy, the third book in Tess Bowery’s “Treading the Boards” series blows all of the historical romances I’ve been reading clear out of the water. One of my frequent complaints about diversity in publishing is that it’s very difficult to find authors who write characters I can relate to because they’re like me. Because they’re queer and brown and gender-whatever like me.

And That Potent Alchemy gave me that sense of belonging, that “I could be here” feeling that I rarely find in the historical romances I read.

In Tess Bowery’s England, there’s room for queer women and genderfluid people to be.Read More »

[Book Review] Stitch! by Yumi Tsukirino

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Stitch LargeTitle: Stitch!
Author: Yumi Tsukirino
Rating: Recommended
Genre/Category: Disney, Aliens, Cute and Fluffy, Children’s Books
Release Date: August 30, 2016

Publisher: Tokyopop

Order Here: AMAZON | AMAZON (KINDLE) | BARNES AND NOBLE

Note: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All of the views in review are my own.

Back in 2008, Lilo and Stitch got an anime spinoff that was more like an Alternate Universe version of the film and original cartoon series. The series (Stitch!) finished its third series back in 2011 and since then, no one’s heard much about Stitch until comic publisher Tokyopop added the official manga to their Disney Manga line.Read More »

[Book Review] The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe by Kij Johnson

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The DQ of VB CoverTitle: The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe
Author: Kij Johnson
Rating: Recommended
Genre/Category: Fantasy, Multiverses, Alternate Worlds, Adventure, Lovecraftian Horror
Release Date: August 16, 2016

Publisher: Tor.com

Order Here: AMAZON | AMAZON (KINDLE) | BARNES AND NOBLE

Note: I received a free copy of this novella from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All of the views in review are my own which should be clear because no other weirdo would admit to their desire to fist-fight Lovecraft as often as I do.

Normally, I stay far away from stories inspired by H.P. Lovecraft and his writings because they do far too much reinforcing and celebrating Lovecraft’s racism and misogyny and not enough subversion of the tropes in his work. But there’s something so amazing about Kij Johnson’s The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe that makes me want to read more of these purposefully subversive takes on Lovecraft’s work.

Read More »

Small Spoilery Stitch Review: Tracey Livesay’s “Love on My Mind”

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Love on My MindTitle: Love on My Mind
Author: Tracey Livesay
Rating: Could Be Better
Genre/Category: Contemporary, Romance, Geeks/Nerds, Autism, Interracial Romance
Release Date: 7/12/2016

Publisher: Avon (Impulse Imprint)

Order Here: AMAZON (KINDLE) 

There’s a lot to love about Tracy Livesay’s Avon Impulse debut book Love on My Mind. Unfortunately, there’s also a lot of stuff that made my head tilt and my eyes narrow. Read More »

[Book Review] Every Heart A Doorway

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Every Heart A Doorway
Title: Every Heart A Doorway
Author: Seanan McGuire (Twitter)
Rating: Highly Recommended
Genre/Category: Fantasy, Multiverses, Alternate Worlds, Mysteries, Murder
Release Date: April 5, 2016

Publisher: Tor.com

Order Here: AMAZON | AMAZON (KINDLE) | BARNES AND NOBLE

 

Every Heart A Doorway is the book of my dreams. I am so glad that my local library offers it for us to take out on Overdrive because it showed up in my “Recommended” list and I nearly screamed as I rushed to check it out.

Read More »

[Book Review] Pride’s Spell – A Sin du Jour Affair

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Pride's Spell CoverTitle: Pride’s Spell: A Sin du Jour Affair
Author: Matt Wallace (Twitter)
Rating: So Freaking Highly Recommended
Genre/Category: Urban Fantasy, Demons & Angels, Food, Hollywood
Release Date: June 21, 2016

Publisher: Tor.com

Pre-Order Here: AMAZON (PAPERBACK) | AMAZON (KINDLE) | BARNES AND NOBLE (PAPERBACK)

Note: I received an ARC (Advance Reader Copy) of this book from the publisher (but I have also preordered ebook and audio versions of the book because I CAN). All opinions and thoughts expressed, however drunkenly or poorly, in this review are my own. There are also a TON of spoilers for the upcoming book so if that’s not your thing, come back after June 21st when you’ve read the book!

Note the Second: There’s an extra spoilery audio review/excited rant posted embedded into this review at the bottom because I realize now that drunk!reviewing lends towards really disjointed reviews because my attention span gets borked. The audio review will hopefully be even more coherent!

I’m halfway through a bottle of Verdi Spumante (a sparkling wine that makes me giggle every time I say its name), I’ve got three fancy butter cookies left, and oh yes, an ARC of the awesome Matt Wallace’s upcoming book Pride’s Spell waiting for me to read and do my usual semi-drunken review.

Life is good. Well… for me at least.

Things don’t look so hot for the staff of Sin du Jour or their head chef for much of the book.Read More »

[Book Review] Pain Slut

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Title: Pain Slut (Subs’ Club #2)Pain Slut Rock
Author: J.A. Rock
Rating:  Yeah, No Thanks
Genre/Category: Contemporary, BDSM, Romance, Interracial, M/M
Release Date: February 1, 2016
Publisher: Riptide Publishing

Note: I will not be linking to the author, their social media, or any links to purchase this book because the good parts do not begin to make up for the horrible racism that peppers the text.

I picked up Pain Slut on a lark when I saw that the fourth and final book in J. A. Rock’s Sub Club series was coming out so I’m a bit behind on the series since this book came out in February.

The series seemed interesting enough (it’s about four friends who band together to change their local BDSM community after one of their friends and a fellow sub is killed at the hands of a neglectful Dom) but I decided to get the second book since I felt that the stress might be a little lessened as we’re one book past their friend’s death.

Here’s the thing about Pain Slut: despite its cute moments and some kink that I really found sexy, it had some incredibly problematic attitudes about race/racism, respectability politics, and how it portrayed the Black main character.Read More »

[Book Review] The Jewel and Her Lapidary

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Wilde Jewel LapidaryTitle: The Jewel and Her Lapidary
Author: Fran Wilde (Twitter)
Rating: Highly Recommended
Genre/Category: Fantasy, Politics
Release Date: May 3 2016
Publisher: Tor.com

Order Here: AMAZON  (KINDLE)| AMAZON (PRINT) | BARNES & NOBLE (PRINT)

Note: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are my own. Spoilers abound!

By the time I finished reading The Jewel and Her Lapidary, I was well on my way to an ugly crying session. I’ve read books that broke my heart before and I’ve read some truly stellar fantasy. However, what Fran Wilde does with this book basically wrecks me.Read More »

[Book Review] Runtime

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Divya RuntimeTitle: Runtime
Author: S. B. Divya (Twitter)
Rating: Highly Recommended
Genre/Category: Science-Fiction, Politics, Classism, Cyborgs, Body Modification
Release Date: May 17, 2016
Publisher: Tor.com

Order Here: AMAZON  (KINDLE)| AMAZON (PRINT) | BARNES & NOBLE (PRINT)

Note: I received an ARC (Advance Reader Copy) of this book from the publisher. All opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are my own.

At first glance, S. B. Divya’s Runtime is just about a race – the Minerva Sierra Challege – set in the distant future that is open for cyborgs to participate in.

Except, it’s about way more than that.Read More »

Wonder Woman Earth One Is Far From Wondrous

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Content warnings: This post contains descriptions and images of sexual assault/harassment from the comic that may be triggering or upsetting to readers.

WW EO 1

With every reading of Wonder Woman: Earth One, I hate it a little bit more.

Grant Morrison has been working on WW:EO for years.

Many years.

Seriously, the first book in DC’s Earth One line (Superman: Earth One Volume One) came out in October 2010. In the past almost six years in that same line, there have been three Superman books, two Batman books, and one Teen Titans book. And yet, the least represented version of DC’s Trinity, Wonder Woman, has been pointedly absent from the universe.

Part of it, is because Grant Morrison is apparently a slow writer. He had to get things just right and that takes time. Morrison, like his comic creator peers Alex Ross and Jim Lee, isn’t the best with deadlines.

However, there’s another, more insidious reason to the push back: sexism.

Read More »

[Book Review]Lois Lane: Double Down

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Lois Lane Double Down CoverTitle: Lois Lane: Double Down
Author: Gwenda Bond (Twitter)
Rating: Highly Recommended
Genre/Category: Young Adult, Superheroes (sort of), Mystery, Science Fiction
Release Date: May 1, 2016
Publisher: Switch Press

Purchase Links: AMAZON | AMAZON KINDLE | BARNES & NOBLE

I love Gwenda Bond’s Lois Lane because she exhibits all of the traits that make Lois one of the longest lasting and most beloved “civilian” characters in comics. (I use quotes around civilian because Lois is capable of throwing down just as easily as a costume wearing hero would be.) She’s a freaking brilliant badass and I adore that Gwenda Bond shows her as multifaceted in so many ways.Read More »

[Book Review] Zen Cho’s The Terracotta Bride

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The Terracotta Bride - Zen Cho

Title: The Terracotta Bride
Author: Zen Cho
Rating: Highly Recommended
Genre/Category: Fantasy, Mythology (Buddhist), Romance, Lesbian Fiction. Steampunk,
Release Date: March 10, 2016
Order Here: AMAZON (KINDLE)

I really enjoy Zen Cho’s writing style.

Her novel Sorcerer to the Crown was one of the books I spent most of 2015 waiting for and believe me, it was worth the wait. She’s just a fantastic writer who can make me ugly cry with just a few lines and her characters almost seem to leap off the page.Read More »