#Ethan M. Aldridge

[a-chorus-of-storytellers]

autumn reading

[4ce-of-2pades]

Wella Ink cosplaying some of my current favorite characters:

I invite anyone who feels so inclined to do the same with their self-insert or OC, because it’s really fun!

[the-final-sentence]

Top Final Sentences of 2023

He knew that on the day of his death he would see her face and he could hope to carry that beauty into the darkness with him, the last pagan on earth, singing softly upon his pallet in an unknown tongue. Cormac McCarthy, from The Passenger

And there are so many silences to be broken. Audre Lorde, from “The Transformation of Silence into Language and Action”

For Guinevere Tallow, it felt like coming home. Ethan M. Aldridge, from Deephaven

And we laughed and held each other and filled our hearts with the faith that we could always do that, always blow away the clouds that threatened our stars. Andrew Neiderman as V.C. Andrews, from Honey

But as anyone who loves reading and writing quickly learns, both activities allow you to commune with the living and the dead, to listen to the thoughts of those who have come before you and argue, cajole, and sing praise for them in response. Kaitlyn Greenidge, from “Books for a Black Girl’s Soul”

The greatest shame would be to reach the end of our lives and have the epitaph read, ‘They worked really hard.’ Roxane Gay, from “Yes, Your Job Is Important. But It’s Not All Important.”

The sky is gory with stars, like the insides of a gutted night. Julia Armfield, from “Salt Slow”

Sometimes, even in towns built on curses, at least once in a blue moon, things turn out okay. Ryan Douglass, from “Knickknack”

Eventually, if we speak the truth to each other, it will become unavoidable to ourselves. Audre Lorde, from “Eye to Eye: Black Women, Hatred, and Anger”

In the distance, the darkness has started to lift like a veil, the first light of dawn spilling over the Beijing skyline, a promise of all the beautiful and terrible and sun-soaked days to come. Ann Liang, from If You Could See the Sun

[freckles-and-books]

Middle grade reads I want to read this spooky season 👻

[lgbtqreads]

Most Anticipated LGBTQ+ Middle Grade Fiction: July-December 2024

Benji Zeb is a Ravenous Werewolf by Deke Moulton (July 2nd) Benji Zeb has a lot going on. He has a lot of studying to do, not only for school but also for his upcoming bar mitzvah. He’s nervous about Mr. Rutherford, the aggressive local rancher who hates Benji’s family’s kibbutz and wolf sanctuary. And he hasn’t figured out what to do about Caleb, Mr. Rutherford’s stepson, who has been bullying…

[transbookoftheday]

Deephaven by Ethan M. Aldridge

From Ethan M. Aldridge, bestselling creator of Estranged, comes a gothic middle grade prose novel that follows a nonbinary student who is drawn to their boarding school’s forbidden east wing, where something stalks the shadowy corridors. Perfect for fans of J.A. White and Mary Downing Hahn!

When Guinevere "Nev" Tallow receives an acceptance letter to the exclusive Deephaven Academy, they know it’s the fresh start that they’ve been looking for.

But things are strange from the moment they arrive—the house itself seems to breathe, students whisper secrets in dark corridors, and the entire east wing of the academy is locked away for reasons no one wants to explain. And Nev knows something ragged stalks the shadowy corridors, something that sobs quietly and scratches at the walls, waiting to be released.

With the help of another first-year student, Nev takes it upon themselves to unravel the mysteries hidden in Deephaven's halls. But will they risk their fresh start to bring the academy’s secret to light?

[aroaessidhe]

grand viscount hyacinth appreciation post!!

from The Pale Queen by Ethan M. Aldridge

[haveyoureadthismgyabook]

[mollyhats]

Historical Fiction meets Fantasy (Middle-Grade and YA)

Here's a list of books that take real world history and give it a supernatural spin. Sometimes it's a full alternate universe (1860s NYC--WITH DINOSAURS) and sometimes it's more subtle.

Middle-Grade (about 8-12)

Dactyl Hill Squad by Daniel José Older

When?: 1863

Fantasy element?: There's dinosaurs around that people can ride and it's AWESOME

Elevator pitch: During the Draft Riots of 1863, a group of Black and Latine children escape the destruction of their orphanage and must outwit a gang of kidnappers--by riding pterodactyls!

The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier

When?: the Victorian era

Fantasy element?: a tree that grants wishes...for a horrible price

Elevator pitch: An Irish girl and her disabled little brother manage to get a job at an English estate after their parents are lost. But they soon learn their new refuge is haunted by a strange spectre guarding a mysterious tree. An excellent spooky story.

The Inquisitor's Apprentice by Chris Moriarty

When?: the turn of the 20th century

Fantasy element?: magic, in many specific cultural forms, is real, and there's a lot of politics and regulation around its use

Elevator pitch: Picture your standard turn of the century immigrant New York coming of age story: All Of A Kind Family or An American Tail. Now imagine that in this world, magic is real, and much like any valuable tool, there's a whole lot of laws and discrimination governing who can use it and how. Sacha can see magic, and is immediately pressed into service helping an investigator. He's thrust into a deadly world of politics, labor rights, organized crime, and strange new magic technologies that threaten everything Sacha holds dear.

The Inquisitor's Tale by Adam Gidwitz

When?: 1242

Fantasy element?: 3 magical children and their holy dog

Elevator pitch: The Middle Ages were weirder than even comedy has led us to believe, and this book taps into the stories and history of the era. Many people in an inn take turns telling tales of three children with superpowers (one super strong, one gifted with visions, and one healing) and their dog (who's a saint). Somehow these unexpected friends made an enemy of King Louis IX, and the road to get there (and how it resolves) is unpredictable, playful, yet grounded in a solid context of medieval history and literature.

Deephaven by Ethan M. Aldridge

When?: the Great Depression

Fantasy elements?: A boarding school full of occult secrets.

Elevator pitch: Nev Tallow receives an invitation to a boarding school in the middle of nowhere that no one has ever heard of, but it's the Great Depression and options are limited. Mysteries soon abound--the prefects aren't quite right, the classes include occult languages, and nobody's supposed to talk about the collapse that killed a student last year...despite the wing where they supposedly died still standing. They're going to get to the bottom of this with help from their friends, even if they have to take on a monster with nothing but a fencing foil and some barely-understood spells. The first in a series!

Ophie's Ghosts by Justina Ireland

When?: the 1920s (particularly the Great Migration)

Fantasy elements?: ghosts

Elevator pitch: Ophelia first starts seeing ghosts after her father is murdered in an act of racial violence. Now she works with her mother in an old manor in Pittsburgh, dealing with the racist lady of the house. And the ghosts. Ophie becomes determined to help one of them, but the price--and the secrets buried with her--may destroy the fragile life her mother has made.

Young Adult (13+)

Lovely War by Julie Berry

When?: World War I

Fantasy element?: A peanut gallery made up of half the Greek pantheon

Elevator pitch: Hephaestus catches Ares and Aphrodite cheating in his net, so to teach them all about love, Aphrodite launches into the stories of four young adults caught in WWI, torn between their ambitions, their pasts, and love. Other gods drop in and out to put in their two cents, and on occasion they influence the story in mortal guise.

The Shadow War by Lindsay Smith

When?: World War II

Fantasy element?: Mysterious shadow magic that grants visions and can tear people apart.

Elevator pitch: Picture Inglorious Basterds but some of the ultraviolence is from extremely horrifying shadow magic. It's a roaring rampage of gay, Jewish, Black, and Algerian teens and young adults avenging themselves on Nazis and keeping them from acquiring the power of Eldritch horrors beyond our world. It's a tough balance to get right tonally, but imo they made it cathartic instead of trivializing.

If you have any questions about any of these, message me, shoot me an ask, or comment!

[haveyoureadthistransbook]

Deephaven by Ethan M. Aldridge

goodreads

A gothic middle grade prose novel that follows a nonbinary student who is drawn to their boarding school’s forbidden east wing, where something stalks the shadowy corridors. Perfect for fans of J. A. White and Mary Downing Hahn! When Guinevere "Nev" Tallow receives an acceptance letter to the exclusive Deephaven Academy, they know it’s the fresh start that they’ve been looking for. But things are strange from the moment they arrive—the house itself seems to breathe, students whisper secrets in dark corridors, and the entire east wing of the academy is locked away for reasons no one wants to explain. And Nev knows something ragged stalks the shadowy corridors, something that sobs quietly and scratches at the walls, waiting to be released. With the help of another first-year student, Nev takes it upon themself to unravel the mysteries hidden in Deephaven's halls. But will they risk their fresh start to bring the academy’s secret to light?

Mod opinion: I haven't read this book myself and I probably wont, but it sounds like an interesting middle grade horror.

[ghost-and-a-half]

[a-chorus-of-storytellers]

reading and dog sitting

[mathstrangelove]

Mail day: The first of my spooky season pre-orders arrived today!

[the-final-sentence]

For Guinevere Tallow, it felt like coming home.

Ethan M. Aldridge, from Deephaven

[theobviousparadox]

Review: The Legend of Brightblade by Ethan M. Aldridge

Review: The Legend of Brightblade by Ethan M. Aldridge

The Legend of BrightbladeEthan M. AldridgeQuill Tree BooksMarch 1, 2022 Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads About The Legend of Brightblade A young prince must learn to be his own kind of hero in this stand-alone graphic novel from the acclaimed creator of the Estranged duology. Perfect for fans of the Amulet series and The Witch Boy. Young Prince Alto dreams of being a hero like his mother, the…

[lgbtqreads]

New Releases: June 25, 2024

Middle Grade The Pale Queen by Ethan M. Aldridge Agatha has always dreamed of the stars. But when a chance encounter introduces her to the Lady of the Hills, Agatha is shocked to learn that a secret magical world lays hidden in the mist-shrouded land next to her village. She finds herself quickly captivated by the Lady, but is the Lady who she appears to be? As Agatha forms a new friendship with…