book-review
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Blood Mercy by Vela Roth (Blood Grace, #1)
Year published: 2018 Category: Romantasy Summary: One human. One immortal. Will their alliance save the kingdom, or will their forbidden love be a death sentence? When Cassia seeks out a Hesperine, he could end her mortal life in a heartbeat. But she has no fear of his magic or his fangs. She knows the real monster is the… Continue reading
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Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado
Year published: 2017 Category: Literary fantasy, short story collection Representation: wlw characters in several stories Summary: In Her Body and Other Parties, Carmen Maria Machado blithely demolishes the arbitrary borders between psychological realism and science fiction, comedy and horror, fantasy and fabulism. While her work has earned her comparisons to Karen Russell and Kelly Link, she has a voice… Continue reading
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Chalice by Robin McKinley
Year published: 2008 Category: Fantasy Summary: As the newly appointed Chalice, Mirasol is the most important member of the Master’s Circle. It is her duty to bind the Circle, the land and its people together with their new Master. But the new Master of Willowlands is a Priest of Fire, only drawn back into the human world… Continue reading
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Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson
Year published: 2021 Category: YA fantasy Summary: The dead of Loraille do not rest. Artemisia is training to be a Gray Sister, a nun who cleanses the bodies of the deceased so that their souls can pass on; otherwise, they will rise as spirits with a ravenous hunger for the living. She would rather deal with the… Continue reading
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All Systems Red by Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries #1)
Year published: 2017 Category: Sci-fi novella Summary: In a corporate-dominated space-faring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. For their own safety, exploratory teams are accompanied by Company-supplied security androids. But in a society where contracts are awarded to the lowest bidder, safety isn’t a primary concern. On a distant planet, a team… Continue reading
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Mr. Fox by Helen Oyeyemi
Year published: 2011 Category: Litfic/magical realism Summary: It’s a bright afternoon in 1938 and Mary Foxe is in a confrontational mood. St John Fox, celebrated novelist, hasn’t seen her in six years. He’s unprepared for her afternoon visit, not least because she doesn’t exist. He’s infatuated with her. But he also made her up.“You’re a villain,” she… Continue reading
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Sandry’s Book by Tamora Pierce (Circle of Magic #1)
Year published: 1997 Category: Children’s fiction Summary: With her gift of weaving silk thread and creating light, Sandry is brought to the Winding Circle community. There she meets Briar, a former thief who has a way with plants; Daja, an outcast gifted at metalcraft; and Tris, whose connection with the weather unsettles everyone, including herself. At… Continue reading
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Girls of Storm and Shadow by Natasha Ngan (Girls of Paper and Fire #2)
Year published: 2019 Category: YA fantasy Representation: F/F, main character and side characters, M/M, side characters Summary: In this mesmerizing sequel to the New York Times bestselling Girls of Paper and Fire, Lei and Wren have escaped their oppressive lives in the Hidden Palace, but soon learn that freedom comes with a terrible cost. Lei,… Continue reading
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Wolfsong by TJ Klune (Green Creek #1)
Year published: 2016 Category: urban fantasy Representation: M/M, main couple and side couples/characters Summary: Ox was twelve when his daddy taught him a very valuable lesson. He said that Ox wasn’t worth anything and people would never understand him. Then he left.Ox was sixteen when he met the boy on the road, the boy who… Continue reading
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Fireheart Tiger by Aliette De Bodard
“You would have given me so much, in exchange for me giving up everything.” Year published: 2021 Category: Fantasy novella Representation: F/F, main couple and side character Summary: Quiet, thoughtful princess Thanh was sent away as a hostage to the powerful faraway country of Ephteria as a child. Now she’s returned to her mother’s imperial… Continue reading