#Authored by C.L. Wilson

[bookaddict24-7]

REVIEWS OF THE WEEK!

Every week I will post various reviews I've written so far in 2025. You can check out my Goodreads for more up-to-date reviews HERE. You can friend me on Goodreads here.

Have you read any of these? What were your thoughts?

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Lord of the Fading Lands by C.L. Wilson--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I've been excited to read this book since reading THE WINTER KING. Something about Wilson's writing style just tickles that right spot when it comes to romantic fantasy and this one didn't let me down.

I'm glad I was able to start the year with this one because it had magic and intrigue, but also a woman that everyone judged and looked down on because of her perceived lineage (but we learn otherwise as the story progresses). And as we learn more about her, I'm excited to see what else she is capable of. I'm a little wary that this is a series that spans their romance and growth through more than a couple of books, but I'm also intrigued and curious.

This book also tackled how dangerous perceptions can be and how manipulative evil can be. I know that this is just book one, so I'm sure the evil will step up its game the further we get into the series. But I'm excited to see how that goes because these two characters have some good communication going between the two of them.

If you're looking for something to feed that Maas addiction, this is the series for you. It's got the misunderstood and angry/grieving Fae King, and the underestimated girl who is more than anyone expects. Plus, also, I can still that when these two are married, that spice is gonna be SPICY.

Cheers to reading in 2025!

___

2. The Games Gods Play by Abigail Owen--⭐️⭐️⭐️

I actually really enjoyed this for the most part--I just thought it kind of went off the rails for a bit near the end and did some things I wasn't expecting.

I went into THE GAMES GODS PLAY blind. I had no idea what it was about, but did, however, fall in love with how beautiful this book was physically. That special edition is drool-worthy. Once I started the book, I really enjoyed the concept of it. I love a great competition fantasy book that gives me a competition where some characters could die and the main character has to constantly prove that they are worthy of being a part of the competition. Those parts of this book were FUN.

Owen also writes very short chapters and that really helped with my attention span (even if I finished half of the book via audiobook--thanks, Libby, for coming through).

I thought the main character was a good character. She wasn't perfect, which made her more relatable and readable. Her struggles felt more realistic and I really wanted her to come out and beat out all of the naysayers. She made some questionable choices and at times was stubborn to a fault, but ultimately, she wasn't a bad character.

My issues are more with the plot and where it took me, some of the choices Owen made as an author with the plot, and how the story started to peter out after the halfway mark. There's a point in the book where certain things are skipped and I felt almost cheated? I wanted to see those scenes, not be told about them after the fact. It felt cheap and like the author just wanted to get to the juicier bits quicker. That and the slowing pace were the things that really took me out of the story. I can see why so many readers end up loving this (Hades is delicious in this), but stylistically, I think it was a little bit on the weaker side.

Will I be reading the sequel? Hell yes. That cliffhanger left me craving more. I want to know where these characters go from here--but I will say that if that hadn't happened, this could have easily been a standalone. Let's hope book two doesn't fall into that curse!

I think if you want a romantasy with competitions, mythology fanfic in the form of traditional publishing, and a badass MC who strives to succeed despite everything being against her, then I think you'll like this one. Also, there's a male best friend who is ruggedly handsome but isn't a part of a love triangle.

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3. The Wizard's Dilemma by Diane Duane--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Oh man, this book was the most emotionally impactful one in the series so far. While I was always a bit detached from this series through my reading experience, THE WIZARD'S DILEMMA really brought me back in.

There are also some scenes in this book where Duane's writing really shines through and creates some seriously beautiful imagery. The exploration of life, grief, and that helpless feeling we sometimes get when life gets out of our control is very well written out in this one.

I think it's also important to remember that these are young teens coming to terms with some of the harder lessons in life, but also ones who are still trying to come to terms with their unspoken feelings. The FMC not only was struggling with the emotional effects of her mother's illness, but also with her own self-confidence with her wizarding partner. It's a strong reminder that though they get put into very mature situations, these are still kids.

I'm curious to see where the series will go from here! Hopefully, I will be listening to the next one soon!

___

4. Episode Thirteen by Craig DiLouie--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Honestly, I'm glad I listened to the audiobook. I started EPISODE THIRTEEN as a physical read last summer and sort of abandoned it because it was just a bit on the slower side and it wasn't holding my attention as much anymore.

Then my library hold for the audiobook came in.

If you're on the fence about this one, know that the audiobook is what saved this book for me. The production level was top tier and made the story ten times scarier than if I had just physically read the book. There were sound effects, music, a full cast, and this underlying sense of dread that was brought in during the last couple of hundred pages.

I think DiLouie's book would benefit from being turned into a movie. It gave very strong AS ABOVE, SO BELOW vibes. What happens when a group of explorers go where they shouldn't and mess around with things they definitely shouldn't? Absolute chaos.

The characters each added their own unique vibes to the story, even if one or two characters were more annoying than others. Here's looking at you and your annoying and selfish ass, Claire.

If you're looking for an unsettling haunted found film type of story, then I do recommend this one. Just try to get your hands on the audiobook!

___

5. Bhai for Now by Maleeha Siddiqui--⭐️⭐️⭐️

I thought that BHAI FOR NOW was a fun read that would definitely be thoroughly enjoyed by any middle school child that would have loved seeing THE PARENT TRAP from a boy's perspective.

One of the things I really liked about this book was the exploration of culture and how both boys were brought up differently in regards to their culture. It was nice seeing them both have that opportunity to learn more about who they were through each other.I especially liked how one of the brothers was able to discover a part of himself during these moments of growth.

The dynamic between the two brothers was great--both in the sibling way, but also in the "I don't really know you" way. The author did a good job in balancing those things out. Watching their relationship grow and shift was fun because at one point I thought, "Wow, they're really acting like brothers now."

One of the things I wasn't a big fan of was how quick the pacing was. Everything happened so quickly that it was almost unbelievable that these two could form such a connection in such a short amount of time. I think this type of pacing was something that reminded me how young the characters were.

Another thing were the parents themselves. These two were incredibly immature--to the point where the mom says something to her kid that really made me angry: "You're a kid, so you won't understand." Seriously, what is it with parents patronizing their children just because they're kids? Kids are smarter than people think. It's one of the things I dislike about this age category and I've seen this kind of parent in a lot of middle grade novels. It also worries me because kids will read that and assume that that is the correct mentality to have. But I know this is the consequence of having an adult write a book geared towards kids.

Overall, the story was fun, not wholly original, and great if you want something quick and interesting. If you like books that explore other cultures and their religions, and complex familial relationships (in middle grade), then this might be the book for you!

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Happy reading!

[mermaidsirennikita]

any recs for historical/fantasy romance with arranged marriage between kings and queens.

So all of these are fantasy romances, simply because I don't like to read romance novels about real people most of the time, but I think they all fit the bill!

The biggest example would be The Winter King by C.L. Wilson, in which Wynter, a king with Elsa-like powers, marries Khamsin, a princess, to cement a truce between their kingdoms. I looove this one. A great enemies to lovers "fuck for our nations" book wherein they slowly but surely fall in love with each other. Especially after she finds out that he channels his angst into making sad hyper-realistic ice sculptures. As you do.

Consort of Fire by Kit Rocha is a great fantasy romance in which the heroine, Sachi, is a princess who must marry Ash, an ancient dragon god (he's a dude but he can turn into a dragon... to be clear she does not fuck a dragon). All of Ash's previous consorts have died, but what he doesn't know is that Sachi has been sent to assassinate him. Another thing he doesn't know: Sachi's handmaiden Zanya is a) an assassin and Sachi's bodyguard and b) Sachi's longtime lover. Sachi and Ash have an instant attraction, though, and as they fall in love he realizes she's also in love with Zanya and HE is very intrigued by Zanya too. Zanya is super resistant to her attraction to him but.... well. He's quite persuasive. FFM, not a true love triangle because they're all going to end up together (HEA has been guaranteed by the authors, it's the first in a series).

The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon has an arranged marriage between two parties from warring kingdoms--it's also the first in an ongoing series, and quite good. He's the son of the emperor, her past is a little murkier (and spoilery).

The King's Spinster Bride by Ruby Dixon has the heroine, the princess of a conquered kingdom, marry the prince of the conquering nation. What's interesting here is that a) he's 6ish younger than her and has long wanted to be with her as she was kind to him when her father was holding him hostage b ) he's a virgin but he's DONE SOME BOOK LEARNING ON IT and they have to have sex in front of witnesses. It's hot but also weirdly sweet?

A Heart of Blood and Ashes by Milla Vane. In this one, the hero is the prince of this warrior nation and the heroine's father (a king) killed his parents, but she's a sly one and is like "I also hate my father, marry me and let's depose him together". Notable in that he kills her brother in front of her (she hates her brother, and all of this with good reason) and she jacks him off USING HER BROTHER'S BLOOD AS LUBE. It is incredible. I admire Milla's bravery lol. Just generally a very hot book tho.

[notbecauseofvictories]

Books of 2022

In 2022, I read fewer books overall (143, down from last year’s ridiculous 303) but I did manage to cut down on my romance novel reading---a respectable 52% instead of last year’s 78%. The consequence of this is that I did actually read more good books this year, books I could talk about with other people and inspired feelings and thoughts that rattled around my head afterwards. Plus some actual nonfiction!

Going through all of them, what I liked about them, why they made such an impression, would take a while---plus I’ve already talked about most of these in my books tag. So I’m just going to invite everyone to ask about anything that catches their eye!

BEST FICTION (IN THE ORDER I READ THEM) ** indicates a particular favorite

The House of Small Shadows, Adam Nevill

**The Cipher, Kathe Koja

Eartheater, Dolores Reyes

Hadriana in All My Dreams, René Depestre

**Tender is the Flesh, Agustina Bazterrica 

You've Lost a Lot of Blood, Eric LaRocca

The Beautiful Ones, Silvia Moreno-Garcia

The Last Unicorn, Peter S. Beagle

War for the Oaks, Emma Bull

Girl A, Abigail Dean

This Might Hurt, Stephanie Wrobel

**Burning Girls and Other Stories, Veronica Schanoes

Eva Ibbotson’s A Countess Below Stairs, A Company of Swans, & Magic Flutes

Deerskin, Robin McKinley

BEST NONFICTION

An Iliad, Lisa Peterson and Denis O’Hare

**Capitalist Realism, Mark Fisher

Urban Folklore in the Paperwork Empire, Alan Dundes & Carl R. Pagter

**Fun Home, Alison Bechdel

**Men, Women & Chainsaws, Carol J. Clover

[romance novels and most disliked books under the cut---I did give these a bit of an explanation, because being asked about romance novels makes me itchy. We shall never speak of these again.]

ROMANCE NOVEL READING

Vivienne Lorret (How to Forget a Duke, Ten Kisses to Scandal, The Rogue to Ruin, When a Marquess Loves a Woman, How to Steal a Scoundrel's Hear) Admittedly, nothing particularly unique about these---however, they are more traditional romance and a pretty decent attempt at actual regency-style manners, so I enjoyed myself reading them.

Olivia Atwater (Half a Soul, Ten Thousand Stitches, Longshadow) I actually sincerely loved these! Supernatural historical romance from a solid writer. Plus, the series has angrier, more class-conscious sensibilities than all the romance novels I've read---and is less hypocritical about it too, since the characters are largely not nobility, and there's no marrying dukes involved.

Alice Coldwater (His Forsaken Bride, An Ill-Made Match, The Unlovely Bride, Wed By Proxy) So admittedly, I don’t recommend reading all four of these together---it becomes increasingly clear that Coldwater can only write one and a half heroines, and both of them are excessively weepy. Nevertheless, I took a total leap of faith on this (historical fantasy romance isn't typically my genre) and was rewarded by a lot of delightful pining, some court politics, and the 1.5 heroines she can write are fun to follow around.

C.L. Wilson (The Winter King, The Sea King) If last year was about reading every romance novel about dukes I could find, this year was about finding all the fantasy romance novels. (Shout out to Stephanie Garber who also helped feed this inexplicable urge!) Anyway, this series was fun, similar to the above in that it’s fake fantasy politics and some romance, and that’s a combination that works for me.

MOST DISLIKED BOOKS

Redshirts, John Scalzi I have never despised a book quite like this one! I still can't tell if it's the smirkingly obvious Star Trek meta of it all, or the hat on a hat that is the last chapter/coda 1. I did like coda 3, but only because it felt like the only quietly, emotionally sincere part of the whole stupid book.

High Times in the Low Parliament, Kelly Robinson Novellas must be tricky to write---I’ve read a fistful or so, and find them to be wildly variable in quality and effectiveness. That said....the author’s attempt to resolve entrenched political problems via dance made me roll my eyes so hard I strained a muscle. It ruined what might have otherwise been a fun time, since I did like the narrator's charmingly disaffected perspective

Always Be My Duchess, Amalie Howard Emotional honesty and vulnerability has no place in romance novels. I read historical romance specifically so people won’t talk about their feelings, and the fact that romancelandia keeps shoehorning therapy-speak into my regency may in fact be my villain origin story. However, even worse than that is this book’s use of “totally” and "patriarchy" in a completely ahistorical way, betraying a nauseating disinterest in the time period being written about. Worse than even that: the total fucking coward's move it is to write a Pretty Woman fic but then have the heroine be a virgin and not a sex worker at all. God knows we can't be interesting.

Death, Laura Thelassa This one is my own fault. I did think "hey isn't that the romance series with the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse? I read one of those a long time ago; I should give it another shot." (I promise, I regretted it instantly.) However, it is another excellent entry in the long list of cowardly books that refuse to actually lean into enemies to lovers as a trope. Also, if you have undying protagonists? they should kill each other more.

[portmanteaurian]

So this year I, like a lot of people, was going through some stuff. And the way I coped, particularly over the summer, was by reading. I read between 275 and 300 books this year (final count pending), which is certainly the most I’ve done in at least a decade. And a lot of them were very good! I narrowed myself down to a list of forty recommendations, with short write-ups of ten, and made a point of not repeating authors. You can see everything else on my StoryGraph account though.

YA/MG:

The Beast Player - Nahoko Uehashi trans. Cathy Hirano

Death Sets Sail - Robin Stevens

Echo After Echo - A.R. Capetta

Half World - Hiromi Goto

A Phoenix First Must Burn: Sixteen Stories of Black Girl Magic, Resistance, and Hope - ed. Patrice Caldwell

Shadow of the Batgirl - Sarah Kuhn & Nicole Goux

A Song Below Water - Bethany C. Morrow

The Scapegracers - Hannah Abigail Clarke

YA contemporary fantasy is obviously a well-trodden genre, but this felt like a really fresh take. Sharp prose, interesting magic system, and a really fantastic and original-feeling POV character. I can’t wait for the sequel.

We Are Not Free - Traci Chee

This is a historical novel about residents of Japanese-American internment compounds during WWII, so it is not a light read. But it was powerfully emotionally affecting, and really compelling from a craft perspective as well; each chapter is narrated by a different character, and seeing how all the perspectives intersect is really remarkable.

ADULT FICTION (mostly spec):

A Choir of Lies - Alexandra Rowland

The City We Became - N.K. Jemisin

The Empress of Salt and Fortune - Nghi Vo

The Four Profound Weaves - R.B. Lemberg

Homesick: Stories - Nino Cipri

Master of Poisons - Andrea Hairston

Mexican Gothic - Silvia Moreno-Garcia

The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water - Zen Cho

Phoenix Extravagant - Yoon Ha Lee

Piranesi - Susanna Clarke

The Seep - Chana Porter

Skin Deep Magic - Craig Laurance Gidney

Stormsong - C.L. Polk

Freshwater - Akwaeke Emezi

One hell of a debut novel. Emezi has said it’s largely autobiographical, which makes it one of two really unique takes on autobiography and memoir that I’ve read this year. It’s about trauma, immigration, queerness, disability...I really just recommend you read it, though perhaps after checking a summary, as it deals very frankly with some potentially triggering subjects.

Not So Stories - ed. David Thomas Moore

This year I spent a lot of time with short stories and novellas, which is a little unusual for me. Several collections made a strong impression (there’s a few others on this list), but I adore the conceit of this one, which features a group of authors of colour responding to Kipling’s intensely colonial “Just So Stories” by writing new fables of their own. Some directly riff on Kipling’s tales, others go in entirely new directions, but all are really effective.

The Raven and the Reindeer - T Kingfisher

Kingfisher is one of those authors I discovered this year who I am shocked I had never read earlier. She’s prolific, works in genres I like, and is beloved by several of my friends. Consider this book a stand-in for her catalogue in general on this list, although of all the books by her I read it’s the only direct fairy-tale retelling. Really great take on Andersen’s Snow Queen

The Unspoken Name - A.K. Larkwood

This was just a ton of fun. Very queer, frequently hilarious, in a totally bizarre fantasy world (worlds, even!) and with a great protagonist. Another really confident debut novel, and another one where I can’t wait to check out where the series goes from here.

NONFIC:

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma - Bessel van der Kolk

Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories From the 21st Century - ed. Alice Wong

Disfigured: On Fairy Tales, Disability, and Making Space - Amanda Leduc

Distorted Descent: White Claims to Indigenous Identity - Darryl Leroux

In the Dream House - Carmen Maria Machado

The other unique memoir I alluded to above, Machado non-linearly unpacks an abusive relationship she experienced with incredible clarity and artfulness. As someone who’s experienced abuse, parts were very familiar, and Machado’s writing is very effective at laying a situation bare (a skill she uses to great effect in her short fiction as well). This book also has some of the most memorable and narratively impactful citations I have ever seen. Read it to understand how that’s the case.

The North-West is our Mother - Jean Teillet

This is straight-up a history book but it’s a very clear and engaging one. For people who’ve ever wanted to know more about Métis people and our history, particularly in the 19th and early-20th century, this is going to be one of my go-to recs. It’s a little sparser with the more recent stuff, but there are other books to fill that gap.

ROMANCE:

Band Sinister - K.J. Charles

The Doctor’s Discretion - E.E. Ottoman

Invitation to the Dance - Tamara Allen

Two Rogues Make a Right - Cat Sebastian

Silver in the Wood - Emily Tesh

A Taste of Honey - Kai Ashante Wilson

Behind These Doors - Jude Lucens

This year is really the first I’ve read romance in any serious way, but I did read a lot of it and learned a fair amount about what I like. This ticks a lot of those boxes (historical [Edwardian, in this case]! Gay! Engages honestly with social issues of the period!) while also being a story about people negotiating polyamory, with much of the conflict being rooted in how one effectively communicates with the people they care about. Really different from anything else I read, and really well-done.

The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows - Olivia Waite

This is probably my favourite romance novel of the year. It’s a slow-burn Regency story about the relationship between two middle-aged working women, a beekeeper and a bookseller. It’s also a story about prejudice, mob mentality, and the intense class divide in Regency England -- the Peterloo massacre is a significant element, and the way that opposition to it brought together a coalition of different social groups that ultimately could not hold due to other prejudices dividing them. It’s really nuanced, and really effective. Also, I am assured by a lesbian friend that the sex scenes are very hot.

SO ANYWAY. A lot of recommendations, and more detail about some of the ones I most encourage people to pick up. Really in my opinion you can’t go wrong with any of these, though, and I hope you take a look at some next time you’re searching for something to read!

What a year, huh?

[princelymlm]

Gotta Be LGBT+

This is a list of just some of the LGBT+ content out there. Anything on this list was contains LGBT+ characters or was made by LGBT+ creators. All entries on this list were sent in by followers and have not been confirmed by the mod. (Entries with ‘rep not given’ next to them mean that the suggestion did not include what kind of representation is in the content)

Put everything under the cut since this list started getting really long

Books/Comics

They Both Die At The End - Adam Silvera (mlm)

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe - Benjamin Alire-Saénz (mlm)

Symptoms of Being Human (genderfluid)

Lily and Dunkin - Donna Gephart (trans/trans woman)

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo - Taylor Jenkins Reid (wlw/bi)

The Gentleman’s Guide To Vice and Virtue - Mackenzie Lee (mlm/gay/bi)

Been Here All Along - Sandy Hall (gay/bi)

History Is All You Left Me - Adam Silvera (mlm/gay)

Blue Is The Warmest Color - Julie Maroh (wlw/bi/lesbian)

Mask of Shadows - Linsey Miller (bi/genderfluid)

Once and Future - Cori McCarthy (wlw/mlm/gay/bi/nonbinary)

Simon vs the Homosapiens Agenda - Beck Albertalli (mlm/gay)

Leah on the Offbeat - Becky Albertalli (wlw/bi)

Grasshopper Jungle - Andrew Smith (questioning/mlm)

The Rest of Us Just Live Here - Patrick Ness (mlm/gay)

Flying Tips For Flightless Birds - Kelly McCaughrain (mlm/gay)

I’ll Give You The Sun - Jandy Nelson (mlm)

Point Pleasant - Jen Archer Wood (mlm) 

True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys - Gerard Way (mlm/wlw)

The Wayfarers Series - Becky Chambers (wlw/aro/trans man/nonbinary/genderfluid)

Vesuvius Club - Mark Gatiss (bi)

The Song of Achilles - Madeline Miller (mlm)

Radio Silence - Alice Oseman (bi/mlm/demi/gay/pan/wlw/lesbian)

Of Fire and Stars - Audrey Coulthurst (wlw/lesbian)

Magnus Chase Series - Rick Riordan (genderfluid)

Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan (gay)

This Is Kind of An Epic Love Story - Kheyrn Callender (mlm/wlw)

Gracefully Grayson - Ami Polonsky (trans woman)

If I Was Your Girl - Meredith Russon (trans woman)

Call Me By Your Name - Andre Aciman (mlm)

Red, White, and Royal Blue - Casey McQuinston (mlm)

I Wish You All The Best - Mason Deaver (nonbinary)

Dreadnaught + Sovereign - April Daniels (wlw/trans woman)

The Art of Being Normal - Lisa Williamson (trans)

The Gone Series - Michael Grant (mlm/wlw)

One Of Us Is Lying - Karen McManus (mlm)

Six Of Crows - Leigh Bardugo (mlm)

Crooked Kingdom - Leigh Bardugo (rep not given)

The Last Sun - Author Not Provided (rep not given)

Romeo and/or Juliet - Ryan North (rep not given)

American Gods - Neil Gaiman (mlm/gay/bi) 

The Mage Wars Series - Mercedes Lackey (gay)

Scott Pilgrim vs The World - Bryan Lee O’Malley (mlm/gay/wlw)

Boyfriends With Girlfriends - Alex Sánchez (mlm/wlw/bi/gay)

Will Grayson, Will Grayson - David Levithan & John Green (mlm)

This Is Where It Ends -Marieke Nijkamp (lesbian/wlw)

Carry On - Rainbow Rowell (mlm)

Stranger Than Fanfiction - Chris Colfer (mlm/trans man/gay)

The Reader Trilogy (The Reader, The Speaker, The Storyteller) - Traci Chee (mlm/wlw/nonbinary)

I Was Born For This - Alice Oseman (trans)

Heartstopper - Alice Oseman (mlm)

The Broken Earth Trilogy - MK Jemisin (trans woman/poly/pan/mlm

A Boy Worth Knowing - Jennifer Cosgrove (mlm/bi/gay)

The Rifter - Author Not Provided (mlm)

Snapdragon - Author Not Provided (wlw/ trans woman)

The Priory of the Orange Tree - Samantha Shannon (wlw/lesbian/mlm/gay)

Tipping the Velvet - Sarah Waters (wlw/lesbian)

Fingersmith - Sarah Waters (wlw/lesbian)

The Paying Guests - Sarah Waters (wlw/lesbian)

I Am J - Cris Beam (trans man)

Little And Lion - Brandy Colbert (bi)

Autoboyography - Christina Lauren (bi)

Felix Ever After - Kacen Callender (trans)

Birthday - Meredith Russo (trans)

Stay Gold - Tobly McSmith (trans)

You Should See Me In A Crown - Leah Johnson (lesbian)

Girls of Paper and Fire - Natasha Ngan (lesbian)

The Henna Wars - Adiba Jaigirdar (lesbian)

Let's Talk About Love - Claire Kann (ace)

The Lady's Guide To Petticoats and Piracy - Mackenzi Lee (ace/aro)

The Vanishers' Place - Aliette De Bodard (wlw)

Ash - Malinda Lo (wlw/bi)

The Little Homo Sapiens Scientist - S. L. Huang (wlw)

Everfair - Nisi Shawl (wlw)

Dread Nation: Risse Up - Justina Ireland (wlw/bi/ace)

The Gilda Stories - Jewelle Gomez (wlw/lesbian)

The True Queen - Zen Cho (wlw)

The Devourers - Indra Das (genderfluid/bi)

We Set The Dark On Fire - Tehlor Kay Mejia (wlw)

Smoketown - Tenea D. Johnson (wlw/lesbian)

Falling In Love With Hominids - Nalo Hopkinson (wlw)

The Fox’s Tower and Other Tales - Yoon Ha Lee (nonbinary)

Her Body and Other Parties - Carmen Maria Machado (wlw)

Beneath the Citadel - Destiny Soria (mlm/gay/bi/ace)

Witchmark - C.L Polk (mlm/gay)

The Prey of Gods - Nicky Drayden (trans/bi)

An Unkindness of Ghosts - Rivers Solomon (wlw/trans/nonbinary/intersex)

The Root - Na’amen Gobert Tilahun (mlm/gay)

Gods & Monsters: Snake Eyes - Hillary Monohan (wlw)

Labyrinth Lost - Zoraida Cordova (wlw/bi)

The Winged Histories - Sofia Samatar (wlw)

The Weight of Stars - K. Ancrum (wlw)

Huntress - Malinda Lo (wlw)

Will Do Magic For Small Change - Andrea Hairston (bi/pan/nonbinary)

The Last Chronomancer - Reilyn J Hardy (aro/ace/genderfluid/lesbian)

A Taste of Honey - Kai Ashante Wilson (mlm/bi)

Deadline - Stephanie Ahn (wlw/lesbian)

The Read Threads of Fortune - JY Yang (wlw/bi)

Not Your Sidekick - C.B. Lee (wlw/bi)

Timekeeper - Tara Sim (mlm)

Ascension - Jacqueline Koyangi (wlw)

When The Moon Was Ours - Anna-Marie McLemore (trans)

Amberlough - Lara Elena Donnelly (mlm/gay)

The Perfect Assassin - K.A Doore (gay/ace/mlm)

Afterparty - Daryl Gregory (wlw/lesbian)

Borderline - Mishell Baker (wlw/bi)

The Cloud Roads - Martha Wells (bi)

An Accident of Stars - Foz Meadows (wlw/bi/aro/trans)

The Last 8 - Laura Pohl (aro/bi)

Failure to Communicate - Kaia Sonderby (wlw/bi)

The Luminous Dead - Caitlin Starling (wlw)

The Wrong Stars - Tim Pratt (wlw)

Full Fathom Five - Max Gladstone (trans)

A Memory Called Empire - Arkady Martine (wlw)

Silver In the Wood - Emily Tesh (mlm)

The Raven Tower - Ann Leckie (mlm/bi/trans)

Ariah - B.R. Sanders (mlm/bi/nonbinary)

The Raven and the Reindeer - T. Kingfisher (wlw)

Planetfall - Emma Newman (bi)

Black Wings Beating - Alex London (ace/gay/mlm)

The Scorpion Rule - Erin Bow (bi)

Inkmistress - Audrey Coulthurst (bi)

Into the Drowning Deep - Mira Grant (wlw/bi/lesbian)

Vengeful - V.E Schwab (ace)

Blackfish City - Sam J Miller (nonbinary)

Daughter of Mystery - Heather Rose Jones (wlw/lesbian)

Stranger Grace - Tessa Gratton (bi/pan)

The Brilliant Death - Amy Rose Capetta (nonbinary)

Chameleon Moon - RoAnna Sylver (wlw/trans/ace)

19 Love Stories - David Levithan (trans/queer)

It’s Not Like It’s A Secret - Author Not Given (wlw)

Picture Us In The Light - Author Not Given (mlm)

Two Can Keep A Secret - Author Not Given (mlm/bi)

Death Sets Sail - Author Not Given (wlw)

Becoming Dinah - Author Not Given (rep not provided)

Witch Wolf series - Winter Pennington (wlw, lesbian, bisexual)

Underrealm series - Garrett Robinson (wlw, mlm, nonbinary, trans man trans woman, trans, pansexual, bisexual)

A Cloak of Red - Brenna Gawain (wlw, lesbian)

 Blood Canticles - Naomi Clark (wlw)

Podcasts

Welcome to Night Vale (mlm/gay/wlw/nonbinary)

Dreamboy (mlm/gay)

Alice Isn’t Dead (wlw/lesbian)

The Penumbra Podcast (mlm/bi/genderfluid/nonbinary)

My Favorite Podcast (trans men)

Within the Wires (wlw)

The Adventure Zone (mlm/wlw/trans/gnc/nonbinary)

Limetown (wlw/lesbian)

Getting Curious With Jonathan Van Ness (nblm/nonbinary)

Friends at the Table (mlm/wlw/nonbinary)

LezHangOut (wlw)

Bright Sessions (mlm/demi/ace)

Queer As Fact (historical lgbt)

History Is Gay (historical lgbt)

Always Here (historical lgbt)

And That’s Why We Drink (nonbinary)

Magnus Archives (mlm/ace)

The Two Princes (mlm/gay/bi)

Girl-ish (trans women)

The Bright Sessions (gay/ace)

TV Shows/Movies/ETC

One Day At A Time (Remake) (wlw/lesbian/nonbinary)

Love, Simon (mlm/gay)

A Single Man (mlm/gay)

Brokeback Mountain (mlm/gay)

In The Flesh (mlm/gay)

Weekend (mlm)

RWBY (wlw/trans)

Jessica Jones (wlw/lesbian)

Critical Role (mlm/gay/bi/wlw/lesbian/nonbinary/genderfluid)

Pose (trans women/gay)

Schitt’s Creek (pan/mlm)

White Collar (wlw)

Lucifer (bi)

Umbrella Academy (mlm/wlw)

Call Me By Your Name (mlm)

Brooklyn Nine Nine (mlm/gay/bi)

Steven Universe (nonbinary)

Sailor Moon (wlw)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (wlw)

Sense8 (mlm/gay/wlw/lesbian/trans woman)

Doom Patrol (?/rep not given)

Good Omens (nonbinary)

Gentleman Jack (wlw)

American Gods (mlm/gay/bi/two-spirit)

Orange Is The New Black (wlw/trans)

Blue Is The Warmest Color (wlw)

Shameless (mlm/trans)

Euphoria (wlw/trans woman)

Modern Family (mlm/gay)

Daisy Brown ARG (wlw/lesbian)

Deadpool (pan)

Deadpool 2 (pan/wlw)

Alex Strangelove (mlm/gay)

Wynonna Earp (lesbian/gay/wlw)

She-Ra (wlw/mlm/gay/bi/lesbian/nonbinary/trans man)

SKAM (rep not provided)

Gotham (bi)

The Haunting of Hill House (wlw)

The Haunting of Bly Manor (wlw)

Kipo and the Wonderbeasts (mlm/gay/nonbinary)

Billie and Emma (wlw)

Carmen & Lola (wlw)

Carol (wlw)

Disobedience (wlw)

Elisa & Marcela (wlw)

Good Manners (wlw)

The Handmaiden (wlw)

Heart Beat Loud (wlw)

Portrait of a Lady on Fire (wlw)

Rafiki (wlw)

Stranger Things (wlw)

Handsome Devil (mlm)

Pride (wlw/mlm)

Musicals

The Prom (wlw/lesbian)

Be More Chill (mlm/bi)

Fun Home (wlw)

Spring Awakening (mlm)

A New Brain (mlm)

Falsettos (mlm/wlw)

Rent (mlm/wlw)

Firebringer (wlw/bi)

A Very Potter Musical (mlm/gay)

The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals (wlw)

Bare: A Pop Opera (mlm)

Everybody’s Talking About Jaime (mlm/gay)

Yank! The Musical (mlm)

Octet (wlw)

Ghost Quartet (wlw)

Spies Are Forever (mlm/gay)

Willow: A New Musical (wlw)

Over And Out: A New Musical (nblw/nonbinary)

Video Games

Fallout: New Vegas (mlm/gay/wlw/lesbian)

When The Night Comes (mlm/nonbinary)

The Arcana (nonbinary)

Dream Daddy (mlm/gay/bi/pan/trans)

Dragon Age (mlm/wlw/gay/lesbian/trans/pan/bi)

Smile For Me (wlw)

Undertale (trans/nonbinary/wlw/mlm)

Monster Prom (nonbinary)

Cookie Run (nonbinary/mlm/wlw/bi/pan)

The Missing (wlw/trans woman)

Fable 2 & 3 (wlw/mlm)

Borderlands 2 (mlm/wlw/bi/gay/lesbian)

Gone Home (wlw)

Prey (wlw)

Dishonored 2 (nonbinary/wlw)

Deus Ex Mankind Divided System Rift (rep not given)

Assassins Creed Series (mlm/wlw/gay/lesbian/trans)

The Last of Us (wlw/lesbian) 

Mass Effect Series (mlm/wlw/gay/lesbian/bi)

Life Is Strange (wlw)

Overwatch (mlm/gay/wlw/lesbian)

Animal Crossing (pan)

Night In The Woods (pan/mlm/trans woman)

The Elder Scrolls (trans/wlw/lesbian)

Dreamfall Chapters (mlm/gay)

Dishonored: Death of the Outsider (wlw)

In the Outer Worlds (wlw/ace)

Elder Scrolls: Skyrim (mlm/wlw)

Fallout 4 (wlw/mlm)

Hades (mlm/bi)

Obviously this list is far from complete so feel free to add to it or let me know of anything else and I’ll edit the post to add it as long as you include the category it belongs to! Be sure to include what representation it has though otherwise I can’t add it!

[tilltheendwilliwrite]

Do you have any books/movies/TV shows to recommend? I just bought The Selection box, but I'll receive it in a week or two And good luck on your meeting!! Lots of love xoxo

Top three fave authors are Anne Bishop, Christine Feehan, and C.L Wilson. Literally, anything they write is worth reading. 

I just finished watching The Society and Letter for the King on Netflix, both were very good. As was Upload on Amazon Prime. 

I watched Bloodshot with Vin Diesel here a while back and was highly entertained, but then I like Vin and anything with that much bloody action is good in my opinion. 

Thanks for keeping me company! The meeting is boring AF. There’s less chance of physical violence over the computer. 

[erandir]

30 Days of Queer Reads

A prompt list for Pride Month by queer author @gailcarriger

I gave up posting these daily because reasons, but have my full list of LGBT book recs. And if you’re looking for a list of LGBT Sci-Fi/Fantasy books where being queer is a sidenote to the plot, this has many things for you.

(My definition of “LGBT book” got a little fast and loose a couple times, but if a character isn’t explicitly cis or straight then you can pry the headcanon from my cold dead hands.)

Day 1: The first queer book you remember reading: The Fall of the Kings by Ellen Kushner. A scholar and a noble discover Old Magic.

Day 2: Queer book that reminds you of home: Passing Strange by Ellen Klages. Lesbians in 1940 San Francisco.

Day 3: Queer book been on your to-be-read for way to long. The Left Hand of Darkness by Urusla K Le Guin. I’m a bad queer scif-fi fan for not reading this yet.

Day 4: Queer book with a name or number in the title: George by Alex Nino. An elementary-school aged trans girl comes into her own.

Day 5: Queer book where protagonist has a cool job: Flesh & Fire by Laura Anne Gilman. Maker of magical wines. 

Day 6: Favorite queer graphic novel: Nimona by Noelle Stevenson. Everything Noelle touches is gold.

Day 7: Queer book you often re-read: Antique Bakery by Fumi Yoshinaga. This and the Zelda adaptations are the only manga I still own.

Day 8: Queer book with a happy ending: Queen of Ieflaria by Effie Calvin. Princesses fighting dragons.

Day 9: Queer book over 100 pages: Amberlough by Lara Elena Donnelly. Jazz age spies.

Day 10: Favorite queer genre novel: Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir. Lesbian necromancers in space.

Day 11: Queer book you love in a genre you don’t read: Red, White, & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston. I’m pretty staunchly a SFF reader, but this was bomb.

Day 12: Queer book with a strong sense of place: Starless by Jaqueline Carey. Incredible worldbuilding.

Day 13: Queer book that really made you think: Planetfall by Emma Newman. Mass Effect: Andromeda but it’s a cult.

Day 14: Queer book that made you cry: Time Was by Ian McDonald. Two lovers unstuck in time leave messages for each other.

Day 15: Queer book that made you laugh out loud: Good Omens by Neil Gaiman. Ya’ll know this one.

Day 16: Queer book that is really personal to you: Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe. Obvious reasons?

Day 17: Favorite queer book sequel or spin-off:  A Taste of Honey by Kai Ashante Wilson. Set in the same world as Wilson’s previous novel, but a stand alone story.

Day 18: Favorite queer book by a favorite author: Knight of Ghosts and Shadows by Mercedes Lackey. Mercedes Lackey never fails me, love triangle turned polycule.

Day 19: Queer book that changed your life:  The God Eaters by Jesse Hajicek. Still readable on Jesse’s LiveJournal.  My first exposure to self published original queer fiction.

Day 20: Favorite queer book series: The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells. Murderbot is my favorite agender android with PTSD.

Day 21: Queer book that you recommend a lot: The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers. Space opera with lots of very good aliens, minimal plot.

Day 22: Queer book that made you take action: The Lamb Will Slaughter the Lion by Margaret Killjoy. Fuck the police. By summoning the elder gods.

Day 23: Queer book by an author who is dead: Maurice by E.M. Forster. The OG gay novel (in the west).

Day 24: Queer book you wish you’d read when younger: Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire. Wish I’d had an asexual main character as a teen.

Day 25: Queer book in a historical setting: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. The Illiad from the pov of Achilles’ boyfriend.

Day 26: Queer superhero book or comic: Hero by Perry Moore. Gay son of a disgraced superhero becomes one himself.

Day 27: Favorite queer children’s picture book: And Tango Makes Three. Classic gay penguins.

Day 28: Queer book that made you feel uncomfortable: Autonomous by Annalee Newitz. Android changes gender just because boyfriend has internalized homophobia? Paladin is bad trans rep.

Day 29: Queer book that made you want to fall in love: Witchmark by C.L. Polk. We all want an elf prince who adores us, right?

Day 30: Queer book with your favorite ending: The Lord of the White Hell by Ginn Hale. 

[lesbian-books]

Lesbian Authors

A.J. Adaire  Pat Adams-Wright  Dorothy Allison  S.W. Anderson  Elizabeth Andre  Mavis Applewater  Ann Aptaker  J.A. Armstrong  Michelle Arnold  Clare Ashton  K. Aten  Victoria Avilan  Darla Baker  Roslyn Bane  Ann Bannon  Solia Panche Bealti  Alison Bechdel  Georgia Beers  Sharon Marie Bence  Bridget Birdsall  Harper Bliss  Andrea Bramhall  Jaye Robin Brown  Anna Burke  Amalie Cantor  Brandee Carbo  Suzie Carr  Dawn Carter  C.L. Cattano  Becky Chambers  Kate Charlton  Sharon Cho  Barbara L. Clanton  Hannah Abigail Clarke  Shelby Cochran  Helen Corcoran  Jeanne Córdova  Audrey Coulthurst  Delores Cremm  Maggie Dane  Emily M. Danforth  Sandra de Helen  Barbara Dennis  Nicole Dennis-Benn Stefani Deoul  K.E. DePalmenary  T.L. Dickerson  Jennifer Diemer  Sarah Diemer * Jane DiLucchio  J.M. Dragon  Moondancer Drake  K.B. Draper  Cassandra Duffy  A.L. Duncan  Nann Dunne  Sarah Ettritch  Lillian Faderman  Sara Farizan  Leslie Feinberg  Anna Ferrara  Fannie Flagg  Jane Fletcher  Laura Foley  Katherine V. Forrest  Diane Fortier  Giselle Fox  Anna Furtado  Elisa M. Galbreath  Lynn Galli  S.L. Gape  Nancy Garden  Lyn Gardner  S. Anne Gardner  Pauline George  Ana B. Good  Parker Gordon  Erin Gough  Kimberly Cooper Griffin  Nicola Griffith  Agnes H. Hagadus  Anne Hagan  Radclyffe Hall  S.M. Harding  Ellen Hart  Nancy Ann Healy  Fran Heckrotte  Natasja Hellenthal  Dotti Henderson  Claire Highton-Stevenson  Gerri Hill  E.M. Hodge  Dayna Ingram  Isabella  Jae  Adiba Jaigirdar  Jo Jennings  Heather Rose Jones  E.A. Kafkalas  Karin Kallmaker  Riley LaShea  Stacey-Leanne  Lez Lee  Malinda Lo  Ann-Marie MacDonald  Renee MacKenzie  Prudence MacLeod  Lise MacTague  Lucy J. Madison  Rachel Maldonado  Siera Maley  Laurie J. Marks  Julie Maroh  Michelle Marra  Paula Martinac  Arkady Martine  Q.C. Masters  Andi Marquette  Pamela Mauldin  Robbi McCoy  M.K. McGowan  Gill McKnight  Ann McMan  Heather McVea  Mary Meriam  Ronni Meyrick  Martha Miller  Rogena Mitchell-Jones  K.A. Moll  Sallyanne Monti  Annette Mori  Bonnie J. Morris  Jaycie Morrison  Niamh Murphy  Charlene Neil  Natasha Ngan  Nik Nicholson  Baren Nix  Ocean  Paula Offutt Chinelo Okparanta  Chris Parsons  Angela Peach  Julie Anne Peters  B.J. Phillips  Ashley Quinn  Radclyffe  Cheryl Rainfield  Adan Ramie  Nina Revoyr  Rhavensfyre  Julia Diana Robertson  Nita Round  Morgan Routh  Joanna Russ  Laurie Salzler  Shamim Sarif  Lacey Schmidt  Sarah Schulman  Tina Sears  Cass Sellars  Merry Shannon  Fiona Shaw ** Kaden Shay  Djuna Shellam  Jen Silver  Jennis Slaughter  Adrian J. Smith  E.H. Smith  Vanessa Snyder  Alison R. Solomon  Raven J. Spencer  Ali Spooner  Rose Stone  Carren Strock  Rebecca Sullivan  Leandra Summers  Mariko Tamaki  Michelle L. Teichman  Keira Michelle Telford  Rae Theodore  M.E. Tudor  Vanda  Elle Vaughn  Missouri Vaun  Anastasia Vitsky  Tillie Walden  Sarah Waters  HollyAnne Weaver  Laney Webber  Louise Welsh  Caren J. Werlinger  K.D. Williamson  B.L. Wilson  Catherine M. Wilson  Barbara Winkes  Lee Winter  Jeanette Winterson  Chris Anne Wolfe  T.J. Wolfe  Jacqueline Woodson  Fiona Zedde  Kristen Zimmer 

* Also writes under the pen names Elora Bishop and Bridget Essex

** Not to be confused with the Irish actress of the same name

This list is subject to changes. Compiling a list of lesbian authors is a challenge because not all authors are out and my sources of information are limited. I had to rely on finding author bios, interviews, tweets, etc. in which an author mentions her sexual orientation. I also got many of these names from the Lesbian Authors Guild. 

[weirdesplinder]

Lista di libri con tema a La bella e bestia dark paranormal

Ed ecco finalmente a voi la lista completa di romanzi con il tema: Lui mostro/creatura magica/cattivo + Lei buona e bella che lo salva/si innamora di lui/capisce che non è poi così cattivo/passa dalla sua parte + ambientazione dark in un altro mondo/paranormal/ fantastico e che richiamassero l’ambientazione e lo stile del videoclip “Dance with the dragon” del gruppo musicale Dark Sarah: https://youtu.be/dc3XcTcTjaw

 Inediti in italiano:

 - Wicked as they come, di Delilah S. Dawson

Serie: primo libro della quadrilogia Blud

Il più simile, fra i libri della lista, all’estetica e alla trama del video dei Dark Sarah

Trama: Ambientato nel fantastico mondo di Sang simile alla nostra epoca vittoriana, solo molto più sanguinario, nel senso che è pieno di vampiri. ll protagonista del libro, Criminy Stain, è appunto un vampiro, un bludman, che conosce un poco la magia e che dirige un circo itinerante, e che, dopo una delusione amorosa, ha fatto un patto con una strega per trovare il suo vero amore, incantando un ciondolo, che l’avrebbe condotta fino a lui. Il ciondolo ha fatto il suo dovere, ha cercato la donna adatta a lui, ma nel nostro mondo. Un’infermiera di nome Letitia, uscita da poco da una relazione abusiva, che ha anche perso un figlio, e che in realtà non è proprio pronta ad impegnarsi con qualcun altro. Teme l’amore, lo vede come una prigione, ma il ciondolo la porta a Sang e l’attrazione con Criminy è immediata.

 - The crown & key series, di Clay e Susan Griffith

Serie: si tratta di una trilogia già completa formata dai libri  

   1. The Shadow Revolution (2015)

  2. The Undying Legion (2015)

  3. The Conquering Dark (2015)

Trama: Simon Archer, nobile inglese, con fama di seduttore nullafacente, in realtà è un mago di rune, un tipo di magia molto rara. Lui non ha mai perseguito le sue doti, conoscendone i grandi rischi connessi, ma quando un branco di licantropi uccide una sua vecchia fiamma, capisce che è il momento che qualcuno si occupi degli esseri soprannaturali che la maggior parte della gente crede solo leggende. Da solo Simon non potrebbe mai fermarli, ma per fortuna sul suo cammino di vendetta incontrerà molti personaggi che si uniranno alla sua lotta: Kate Anstruther, una giovane nobildonna fuori dagli schemi che sa cavalcare, sparare, è brava con la spada e adora l’alchimia da cui è quasi ossessionata, e un cacciatore di mostri scozzese, Malcolm MacFarlane , uomo burbero  ma che dentro è un poeta, bravo nella lotta e con le armi da fuoco.

 - Land of the Beautiful Dead, di R. Lee Smith

Romanzo singolo inedito in italiano

Trama: Secoli fa fece la sua comparsa nel mondo un essere chiamato Azrael, con il potere di resuscitare i morti. Questa creatura con sembianze simili a quelle di un uomo non cercava la guerra, ma nemmeno voleva più nascondersi. Voleva un angolo di mondo tutto per lui dove poter esercitare i suoi poteri e vivere con i suoi morti rinati. Gli uomini però invidiavano e temevano il suo potere e cercarono di eliminarlo. Ne scoppiò una terribile conflitto. Azrael non poteva morire e aveva schiere di morti al suo servizio, gli umani giocarono la carta della bomba atomica, più e più volte, fino a cambiare il colore del cielo, fino a rendere inabitabile gran parte del pianeta e fino a riuscire ad uccidere i morti resuscitati più cari ad Azrael suscitandone l'ira. La sua rabbia creò gli Eaters, o zombie come li chiameremmo noi, morti senza più anima o consapevolezza tranne una enorme fame di carne umana. Azrael inoltre negò la morte all'umanità condannando ogni uomo una volta morto in qualunque modo a diventare un Eater e vinta così la guerra si rifugiò nel paese una volta chiamato Inghilterra, nella città una volta chiamata Londra nel castello una volta dimora dei monarchi britannici, e ribattezzò la città, Haven, la città bei bellissimi morti. E’ in questo sporco e brutto mondo che è sempre vissuta Lan, eppure nonostante tutte le difficoltà quotidiane, in lei è sempre stata viva la speranza che un giorno il mondo potesse tornare almeno in parte quello di una volta. Così una volta morta sua madre, l'unica persona cara che aveva al mondo senza più nulla da perdere decide di recarsi ad Haven e chiedere ad Azrael in persona di porre fine agli Eaters una volta per tutte.

 - Lord of the fading lands, di C.L.Wilson

Serie: Primo libro della serie di 5 libri Tairen Soul

by C.L. Wilson (Goodreads Author)

Trama: Un tempo lui sconfisse l’oscurità. Un tempo lui amò con tanta passione da diventare leggenda. Un tempo distrutto dal dolore per l’uccisione della sua amata, il monarca fey chiamato Rain Tairen Soul portò distruzione nel mondo prima di sparire nelle terre dimenticate. Ora migliaia di anni dopo, una nuova minaccia lo ha riportato nel nostro mondo e un nuovo amore ha risvegliato il cuore che credeva morto per sempre. Ellysetta, figlia di un falegname, risveglia in Rain sentimenti che non ha mai provato prima. La sua anima lo chiama come una canzone seducente e irresistibile e non importa il prezzo da pagare, il suo lato selvaggio non intende assopirsi di nuovo. Un antico e famigliare male sta riacquistando forza, minando alleanze centenarie e minacciando la fine di Rain e del suo popolo... Il re dovrà reclamare la sua vera compagna per abbracciare il destino tessuto per entrambi nelle nebbie del tempo.  

 Disponibili in italiano:

 -  Vampire Empire di Clay e Susan Griffith

Editore Sonzogno

Serie: Si tratta di una trilogia già completata, ma solo i primi due titoli sono disponibili in italiano ad oggi:

1.       Vampire Empire. Il principe di sangue nero

2.       Vampire Empire. La principessa geomante

3.       Vampire Empire. The kingmakers

Trama: ANNO 1870. I VAMPIRI HANNO CONQUISTATO LA PARTE SETTENTRIONALE DEL PIANETA, SEMINANDO MORTE E DEVASTAZIONE. Le grandi e sfarzose capitali dell'era industriale sono diventate cimiteri. I pochi sopravvissuti hanno dovuto cercare rifugio ai Tropici, il cui clima torrido è nocivo alle grigie creature della notte. Così, dall'Egitto al Centro America, fino ai templi immersi nelle foreste della Malesia, sono sorte nuove civiltà del vapore e del ferro, fondate sull'arte e la tecnologia. Anno 2020. Quello che resta del glorioso impero britannico è ora il regno di Equatoria, la cui erede al trono è la principessa Adele, un'intrepida guerriera, ma anche una ragazza colta e raffinata, che trascorre intere giornate immersa nella lettura nei silenziosi saloni della mitica Biblioteca di Alessandria. La sua intraprendenza e il suo spirito indomito risveglieranno però la crudeltà di un efferato clan di vampiri decisi a scatenare una nuova guerra. In questa lotta all'ultimo sangue, Adele troverà al proprio fianco il principe Greyfriar, affascinante signore delle tenebre dal volto mascherato. E il misterioso protettore le rivelerà la vera natura del conflitto tra gli uomini e i non-morti, combattendo con lei una battaglia epocale per la vita e per l'amore.

 - Black Friars di Virginia de Winter

Serie: trilogia italiana composta dai libri:

1. L’ordine della spada

2. L’ordine della penna

3. L’ordine della croce

Trama: La Vecchia Capitale si prepara alla Vigilia di Ognissanti e il coprifuoco è vicino perché il Presidio sta per aprire le sue porte. Il lento salmodiare delle orde di penitenti che si riversano per le vie, in cerca di anime da punire, è il segnale per gli abitanti di affrettarsi nelle proprie case, ma per Eloise Weiss è già troppo tardi. Scambiata per una vampira, cade vittima dell’irrazionalità di una fede che brucia ogni cosa al suo passaggio. In fin di vita esala una richiesta d’aiuto che giunge alle soglie della tomba dove Ashton Blackmore, un redivivo secolare, riposa protetto dalle ombre della Cattedrale di Black Friars. Il richiamo della ragazza è un sussurro che si trasforma in ordine, irrompe nella sua mente e lo riporta alla vita.

[danielleurbansblog]

Review: Never Fear - The Tarot

Review: Never Fear – The Tarot

Synopsis: 13Thirty Books asked twenty-six authors to agree to write stories based on the Tarot, with the cards determining which stories the authors would write.  Over the course of several months we reached out to some of the best genre authors and proposed our idea.  Once we had our authors, we took a tarot deck and a list of all twenty-six names. We would read the author’s name, shuffle the…

[imaginaryelle]

Tor.com is giving away 4 free  LGBTQ ebook novellas between now and June 8th (last downloads on June 7) if you sign up to receive their newsletter. In addition to this specific offer, Tor gives away a different free ebook every month, and those books do often have LGBT themes as well (such as C.L. Polk’s Witchmark, which I recommend as a very fun mlm romance with steampunk and magic).

I haven’t read any of these yet, so the descriptions here are based off summaries and reviews. The books in this month’s bundle are:

The Lamb Will Slaughter The Lion by Margaret Killjoy (queer horror/fantasy set in a a diverse, queer and welcoming location with a  genderqueer protagonist; possibly the plot is about power and combating the abuse of it; the main character is dealing with a friend’s suicide at the beginning but according to reviews the book doesn’t glorify suicide or shame it; author is a trans woman)

Passing Strange by Ellen Klages (Nebula-nominated, pulp- and film-noir-inspired, 1940s San Francisco with secret magic society, stars six women with friendship and wlw storylines, does NOT end in tragedy)

A Taste of Honey by Kai Ashante Wilson (Hugo Award finalist novella, fantasy romance based in the Wildeeps world, mlm, star-crossed lovers - may be angsty)

The Black Tides of Heaven by JY Yang (silkpunk, nominated for the Hugo Award, nonbinary characters, trans-esque narrative and mlm romance - the author ids as nonbinary and queer)

Get the books here! (addition: the official link is apparently only available in canada and usa)

[mermaidsirennikita]

Just finished “How to Tame A Wild Rogue” by Julie Anne Long and love, love, LOVED it!! Daphne was such a good heroine - her character arc! And Lorcan - charm itself. I found him such a sexy romantic hero: the looks (scar, earring, slightly longer hair, huge and muscular), the saving a small child, being there for Daphne while also calling her out on things (including when he’s like “oh you LIKE me, you’re down for me” - love that awareness for him)… It was also a really nice pick-me-up because, ngl, been feeling a bit like Daphne at the start of the book lately (life passing you by, etc.). So thanks for that rec! If you have any other recs with a similar vibe/relationship dynamic between the leads would love to get those.

I'm so glad you loved it! I definitely relate to Daphne as well, and it's such a fun book, you know? The hero is charming, the setting is great, I love the way everyone ends up pushed together...

For that "woman who feels like she's missing out on life and then BOOM! A random comes along to upend her world" vibe, I'd recommend:

Suddenly You by Lisa Kleypas--Heroine is old (gasp, pushing 30 lmao) and a virgin who feels like she's just sort of languishing... though she is a successful author lol... So she hires a sex worker to take her virginity. But the guy who shows up at her door is actually the super hot, charismatic publisher dude who wants her next book. She thinks he's the sex worker, and he naturally goes along with it. An affair ensues. Definitely a "shock me to life" book, and has a GHOST of anal fingering, shockingly. TW: miscarriage.

Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean--THEEE example of this vibe, of course. Heroine is in her late twenties and has accepted spinsterhood. But before she chills out forever, she asks a local rake who she's always had a thing for to help her cross off nine things she wants to do--nine rules she wants to break, gasp. It's super adventurous and hot, and has some of my favorite fat rep ever (Callie thinks her body suuuuucks; Ralston thinks Callie's tits are like, sent from the gods lmao). Very luxurious-feeling, if that makes sense?

MacLean does a good job with this trope in general--Wicked and the Wallflower (wallflower heroine/criminal underworld hero named DEVIL) also comes to mind, as does Brazen and the Beast (heroine sets out to fuck shit up before settling into running a company, unmarried, and falls for another criminal underworld man who might value her knot-tying skills quiiiite a bit). It's a bit of a different vibe, but if you haven't read Heartbreaker, you might also get a similar sense there; the heroine is a thief, but she mostly relies on the fact that nobody ever seems to notice her. Cue stern brunch daddy duke who's like "bitch I see nothing BUT you".

The Bride Goes Rogue by Joanna Shupe--A variation on this. The heroine is a proper young lady who's been engaged to the same man since childhood (thanks to their dads) and has sort of put aside running wild because she knows she's going to be that guy's wife. Then that guy is like "ummmm I have never had any intention of honoring the marriage contract" and she goes "WHAT" and decides to do life up big. Part of that involves going to a masked sex party (a real thing in Gilded Age NYC) and hooking up with this stranger... who is actually, of course, the guy who basically just dumped her.

The Sea King by C.L. Wilson--A STRETCH YES, BUT. I felt Seen lol. It's a fantasy romance, and the heroine is the middle, "proper and sweet" sister in this group of magical princesses. She's actually super powerful, but her powers are connected to emotional outbursts, so she's learned to hide them and be very subdued and even avoid attention that might cause an outburst (ie, male attention). The hero is a prince from a matriarchal society who's like, been taught the Sexual Arts and literally lives to Guard and Protect the Pussy, and he SEEEEES her. So hard. No matter how she tries to avoid him. And then a huge adventure thing happens. TW: sexual assault (not by the hero).

Mercy by Sara Cate--Contemporary. The heroine is a part owner of a BDSM club, but she does not identify as kinky, and she basically is doing it as a business thing with her friends. She's very like "I am boring, I am practical, I am not Sexy". Then she randomly takes this quiz the business set up, and it identifies her as a domme. She ends up on an app looking for male submissives just to try it out~ and matches with... her business partner and close friend's son! Who's like 12 years younger than her! And a brat! It's really hot but also surprisingly emotional. I was quite touched. Also............ pegging.

Possession by Adriana Anders. Another contemporary. In this one, the heroine is an up and coming America's sweetheart type actress who entered into a PR marriage with this sex symbol A-List actor. But he doesn't touch her; sex is off the table for them. It's total PR. And she's just kind of like "I am a non-sexual blob to him"; she's also plus size, and you get this sense that she feels very.... desexualized and and disempowered in life? Anyway, her husband fucks up and gets caught on camera fucking this woman who looks.... just like her lol.... In a very kinky way, and he's like "so sorry, I fucked up, I'm going to this place my friend owns where I get my freak on so I can just fuck the pain away" and she's like "UMMMMMM NOT WITHOUT ME" and chases him there. And a lot of emotional but also extremely affirming shit ensues.

His Study in Scandal by Megan Frampton--Heroine is 40 and recently widowed, and she goes to this sex party thing and hooks up with a 28 year old random in order to like, feel alive for the first time and take life by the balls (also him by the balls). But oops, turns out he's the guy being eyed to marry her daughter!

Other "oops I'm falling for my daughter/stepdaughter's potential husband after feeling dead inside for years" recs, as this is a specific variation of this "taking life on" vibe: Her Night with the Duke by Diana Quincy (I do find the heroine a bit more headstrong in this one, and she's in her late twenties still because her stepdaughter is a bit closer in age to her); and The Countess by Sophie Jordan (late thirties heroine, husband is still alive and he sucks!!!!).

Pippa and the Prince of Secrets by Grace Callaway--Been recommending this a lot, but I do love it. The heroine is a recent widow who was shamed by her husband for her horniness and became very shut down as a result. Now that he's dead, she ends up working with her teenage sweetheart, who's now hideously scarred and like, kind of the Pied Piper if it wasn't creepy and all his kids were child spies, lol. He ends up ..... really widening her horizons. Also her legs.

[ferretly]

my 2018 reading list/challenge:

beneath the cut it’s long

(these are all options in each section; i won’t read every book in each section. if anyone has recs for which book i should read tho that would be appreciated!!)

a book made into a movie you’ve already seen

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

The Princess Bride by William Goldman

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Misery by Stephen King

Holes by Lois Sachar

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

true crime

No Place Safe by Kim Reid

The 57 Bus by Dashka Slater

the next book in a series you started

The Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams

Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

Twenty Years After by Alexandre Dumas

Fearless by Cornelia Funke

Among the Free by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry

Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi

UnSouled by Neal Shusterman

a book involving a heist

White Cat by Holly Black

American Gods by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

nordic noir

October is the Coldest Month by Christoffer Carlsson

a novel based on a real person

Crank by Ellen Hopkins

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

a book set in a country that fascinates you

Ogniem i Mieczem by Henryk Sienkiewicz

The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski

a book with the time of day in the title

Dawn by Octavia E. Butler

Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George

The Midnight Robber by Nalo Hopkinson

a book about a villain or antihero

Battle Royale by Koushun Takami

Feast of Souls by C.S. Friedman

a book about death or grief

The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe

Sanctum by Sarah Fine

The Everafter by Amy Huntley

Ferryman by Claire McFall

Beauty of the Broken by Tawni Waters

a book with a female author who uses a male pseudonym

Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb

Fool’s Errand by Robin Hobb

Her Smoke Rose Up Forever by James Tiptree

a book with an LGBT protagonist

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

Shadowshaper by Daniel Jose Older

a book that is also a stage play or musical

Matilda by Roald Dahl

Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Elliot

a book by an author of a different ethnicity than you

Dawn by Octavia E. Butler (Black)

Fledgeling by Octavia E. Butler (Black)

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler (Black)

Wild Seed by Octavia E. Butler (Black)

The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu (Chinese-American)

Shadowshaper by Daniel Jose Older (Afro-Latino)

A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki (Japanese-American)

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alaire Saenz (Latino)

More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera (Latino)

The Education of Margot Sanchez by Lilliam Silvera (Latina)

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (Black)

a book about feminism

Embroideries by Marjane Satrapi

a book about mental health

Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher

a book you borrowed or that was given to you as a gift

Accessible Gardening for People with Disabilities: A Guide to Methods, Tools, and Plants by Janeen R. Adil

Women of Valor: Polish Resisters to the Third Reich by Joanne D. Gilbert

Tarot: Plain and Simple by Anthony Louis

Fairest by Marissa Meyer

Poles in Wisconsin by Susan Gibson Mikos

Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain by Oliver Sacks

a book by two authors:

Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

Welcome to Night Vale by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor

a book about or involving a sport

Wing Jones by Katherine Webber

Openly Straight by Bill Koningsberg

Finding the Edge: My Life on the Ice by Karen Chen

a book by a local author

The Girl who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill

Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu

a book with your favorite color in the title

The Red Chamber by Pauline A. Chen

Redheart by Jackie Gamber

Silvered by Tanya Huff

Green by Jay Larke

Red Branch by Morgan Llywelyn

Iron Hearted Violet by Kelly Barnhill

Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen

Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry

After the Red Rain by Barry Lyga

The Golden Day by Ursula Dubosarsky

The Golden Mare, the Firebird, and the Magic Ring by Ruth Sanderson

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

a book with alliteration in the title

Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin

Tiger Burning Bright by Marion Zimmer Bradley

A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle

Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings

Flesh and Fire by Laura Anne Gilman

Stray Souls by Kate Griffin

Fox Forever by Mary E. Pearson

Krik? Krak! by Edwidge Danticat

a book about time travel

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson

Spin by Robert Charles Wilson

The False Princess by Ellis O’Neal

Passenger by Alexandra Bracken

Dreamhunter by Elizabeth Knox

a book with a weather element in the title

The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley

Snow Country by Yasunari Kawabata

The Way to Rainy Mountain by N. Scott Momaday

Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi

Storm Glass by Maria V. Snyder

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson

Frostfire by Amanda Hocking

Stitching Snow by R.C. Lewis

After the Red Rain by Barry Lyga

Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin

The Prince of Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

a book set at sea

Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb

Above World by Jenn Reese

a book with an animal in the title

The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel

The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle

Tiger Burning Bright by Marion Zimmer Bradley

The Lions of Al-Rasson by Guy Gavriel Kay

The Shark God by Charles Montgomery

Raven Girl by Audrey Niffenegger

Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi

The Bees by Laline Paull

Reindeer Moon by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas

Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang by Kate Wilhelm

Dov Arising by Karen Bao

White Cat by Holly Black

Cuckoo Song by Frances Hardinge

Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell

The Golden Mare, the Firebird, and the Magic Ring by Ruth Sanderson

Ferrets (Barron’s Complete Pet Owner’s Manuals) by E. Lynn Fox Morton

The Ferret: An Owner’s Guide to a Happy Healthy Pet by Mary R. Shefferman

Black Canary #1 by Brennden Fletcher

Lumberjanes, Vol.1: Beware the Kitten Holy by Noelle Stevenson

a book set on a different planet

Luna: New Moon by Ian McDonald

Coyote by Alan Steele

Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan

Salvage by Alexandra Duncan

Dove Arising by Karen Bao

Stitching Snow by R.C. Lewis

a book with song lyrics in the title

Don’t Turn Around by Michelle Gagnon

All These Things I’ve Done by Gabrielle Zevin

Yesterday by C.K. Kelly Martin

a book about or set on Halloween

The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury

a book with characters who are twins

Nightfall by Jake Halpern

Affinity by Sarah Waters

a book mentioned in another book

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin

The Last of the Wine by Mary Renault

Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith

a book from a celebrity book club

Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood

The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie

Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay

He, She, and It by Marge Piercy

Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters

The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin

Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

a childhood classic you’ve never read

The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle

Winter of Fire by Sherryl Jordan

a book that’s published in 2018

Unearthed by Amie Kaufman

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

These Rebel Waves by Sara Raasch

Reign of the Fallen by Sara Glenn Marsh

The Apocalypse Guard by Brandon Sanderson

The Diminished by Kaitlyn Sage Patterson

Sea Witch by Sarah Henning

Hullmetal Girls by Emily Skrutskie

Witchmark by C.L. Polk

Inkmistress by Audrey Coulthurst

The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang

Hurricane Child by Kheryn Callender

Blackfish City by Sam J. Miller

a past Goodreads Choice Awards winner

The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

A Work in Progress by Connor Franta

a book set in the decade you were born

The Miseducation of Cameron post by Emily M. Danforth

A Map of Home by Randa Jarrar

a book you meant to read in 2017 but didn’t get to

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan LeFanu

Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

a book with an ugly cover

Poison by Chris Wooding

Starters by Lissa Price

a book that involves a bookstore or library

The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins

The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly

Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

your favorite prompt from the 2015, 2016, or 2017 reading challenges

Explorer: The Mystery Boxes by Kazu Kibuishi

Watchmen by Alan Moore

Lumberjanes, Vol.1: Beware the Kitten Holy by Noelle Stevenson

Habibi by Craig Thompson

Hark! A Vagrant by Kate Beaton

The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin

Fearless by Cornelia Funke

Swallows of Kabul by Yasmina Khadra

The Boy at the End of the World by Greg Van Eekhout

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin

Advanced:

a bestseller from the year you graduated high school

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Dewey: the Small-town Library Cat who Touched the World by Vicki Myron

a cyberpunk book

Snow Crash by Neil Stephenson

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Vurt by Jeff Noon

Moxyland by Lauren Beukes

Beggars in Spain by Nancy Kress

a book that was being read by a stranger in a public place

lol i don’t like ... even go to public places; if anyone’s reading this do u wanna help me out

a book tied to your ancestry

Polish Roots by Rosemary A. Chorzempa

Women of Valor: Polish Resisters to the Third Reich by Joanne D. Gilbert

Poles in Wisconsin by Susan Gibson Mikos

a book with a fruit or vegetable in the title

Oranges are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson

an allegory

Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie

Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Carcia Marquez

Bone Gap by Laura Ruby

a book by an author with the same first or last name as you

A Dirty Rose by Nannah Marnie-Claire

[censored] sorry

a microhistory

Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence by Dorris Pilkington

Earth Then and Now: Amazing Images of our Changing World by Fred Pearce

Straight: The Surprisingly Short History of Heterosexualty by Hanne Blank

a book about a problem facing society today

Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera

UnDivided by Neal Shusterman

a book recommended by someone else taking the reading challenge

anyone wanna help me out???

[dryeyestodeathbook]

“Hiding from the monsters only made them stronger.” ― C.L. Wilson https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1310735.C_L_Wilson

[tilltheendwilliwrite]

For your writing meme: 5. Top five formative books? (apologies if it's already been asked!)

Lol! No one played so I forgot about this and had a "huh?" moment over this ask!🤣🤣🤣

Top 5 books... that's a tough one. Better to go with top 5 authors really, as it was more than a single book that did it for me.

It started with The Saddle Club series as a kid (sorry, can't remember the author) then Nora Roberts, Christine Feehan, Anne Bishop, and C.L Wilson.

Writer Ask Meme