#The Daughters of Izdihar by Hadeer Elsbai

[betterbooksandthings]

"Today is the day you put your fantasy fandom skills to the fire. Will you melt under pressure like a marshmallow exposed to the center of a fire pit? Will you emerge stronger after being forged in fire like a fine steel sword? Can you guess the fantasy book based on a vague description?

Many a fantasy fan has had the experience of forgetting the name of the book you’re reading. Instead, you rattle off a vague description of the book that gets you further away from the truth. When it comes to fantasy books, this could be only describing a chapter of a thousand-page book or a single character or a world-building element. After all, if someone asks you if you know “that book about the people with magic who walk in the forest,” would you know what they were talking about? Technically, it is a description of the fantasy book, even if it’s not very identifiable."

[drastrochris]

Ever wanted to read a book that made you so angry you kind of wanted to burn down parliament and puppet some asshole's body around via their blood like Magneto did in that one movie?

Let me tell you about The Daughters of Izdihar!

It's got cool magic abilities! It's got international politics! It's got a bunch of sexist jerks! It's got one guy who could be replaced with an ATM card (affectionately)! It's got one girl who loves that sad sack, but can't marry him because the world is shitty! it's got another girl who is the literal embodiment of "Fuck you, fuck them, fuck your family, you're fucking lucky I didn't get fire magic, or I'd burn this whole fucking world to the ground," and she's right all the time.

It's only a duology, so no big series to commit to!

[tigger8900]

The Daughters of Izdihar, by Hadeer Elsbai

⭐⭐ 1/2

In Alamaxa, a fantasy analogue of Egypt, women are considered the property of first their fathers and then their husbands. The Daughters of Izdihar, a feminist organization led by the mysterious Malak Mamdouh, is determined to change that by securing the right for women to vote, but progress is slow. When Nehal is forced to marry Nico, a man of high social status whom she cares nothing for, she spots an opportunity when she discovers he's in love with Giorgina, a working class woman involved with the Daughters. According to her plan, in exchange for permission to keep Giorgina as a concubine, he would grant permission for Nehal to study magic at the Weaving Academy. But with her reputation at stake, Giorgina rejects the plan, though not before Nehal becomes involved with the Daughters' activism. As the stakes rise, can these two women from wildly different walks of life work together to achieve the Daughters' goals?

I try to be generous with books, particular when they're first in a series(in this case, The Alamaxa Duology). Sometimes themes aren't developed until later books, and judging characters before they fully develop feels a bit like bullying a child who's still trying to find their place in the world. But all of that said, there were some things I have serious issues with in this book, things that I doubt are going to get better in the second part. Even though there were other aspects that I really liked, I find it incredibly difficult to look past the things that I thought were horrible.

I'll start with what I liked. The setting was gorgeous, and I loved how familiar locations(the map is basically northern Africa and the Mediterranean rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise) and cultures were re-imagined into this fantasy world. This is the second fantasy version of Egypt I've read about recently(the first being P. Djèlí Clark's A Master of Djinn), and of the two it's my favorite setting. I did have to read with google up on my phone to check terminology frequently, but it wasn't any more bother than flipping back to a glossary, which is a familiar exercise for any fantasy reader. I also loved the examination of how social standing grants privilege, particularly in regard to putting yourself and others at risk in the context of protest and activism.

I liked the magic system — divided by element into Earthweaving, Waterweaving, Airweaving, and Fireweaving — well enough, but as a long-time fan of Avatar: The Last Airbender I couldn't help but notice that Weaving was almost exactly Bending. Seriously. You could do a find-replace, that's how close it is. So no wonder I thought it was cool, because I really like A:TLA's magic system. I did appreciate how in Daughters of Izdihar the type of powers weren't determined by character origin, so you weren't constrained to weaving a certain element just because of who your parents were.

Moving on to what I was less fond of, right off the bat I felt that the writing style was a bit odd. I felt like things were moving along at a fast clip, but like I was being told about them rather than getting a chance to truly appreciate them alongside the characters. I noticed this strongly for the first several chapters, but I can't tell if this dropped off as the story got into full swing or if I just got used to it. I also felt that some of the dialogue was anachronistic. The story had a period fantasy feel to it, not medieval but not modern either, but every so often a character would swear like they were in the 21st century. It knocked me out of my immersion every time that happened.

And now we get to the thing I really didn't like. I love a good shades of gray story, where the morals aren't clear and sometimes the ends have to justify the means, but in order to pull this off the shades of gray have to be explored in the story. In this book, the protagonists would do questionable things in the pursuit of good over and over again, and essentially shrug off any criticism. It seemed as if the audience was meant to nod along with them as the objecting characters were dismissed. Particularly inexcusable was the treatment of Nico. After how Nehal treated him in the first half of the book, particularly her dismissal of his obvious distress, I found it next to impossible to like her as a character. And then he just got over it, like it had never happened, and the story didn't bother to examine this at all or act like it was anything less than entirely appropriate.

I grew up around a particularly toxic type of feminism that, frankly, treated it as amusing when women hurt men, like it was some kind of karmic payback. It took me longer than I care to admit to realize how horrible this was, and to distance myself from it. The feminism elements of this story remind me very strongly of something I would've thought was cool back when I still thought that was positive empowerment for women. As I said at the beginning of this(long, sorry) review, it's entirely possible that the author is aware of all these things and intends to wrap them up in the second book. But all I have in front of me is the first book, and given the lack of any kind of reflection on or complex consideration of these themes(in contrast to the themes of class and privilege, which were handled very well), I'm not holding out much hope that they'll be treated any better in the second half of the story.

[wearethekat]

April Book Reviews: The Daughters of Izdihar by Hadeer Elsbai

Another acquisition from the library sans recommendation. Nehal wants to go to school to train her waterweaving, but women are discouraged from training their talents, and her parents are pressing her to marry. Meanwhile, Nehal's fiance's mistress is harboring a dangerous talent for earthweaving, and radical Malak Mamdouh is stirring up ideas that will rock the city to its foundations.

This was a fairly conventional story about Girl Goes To Magic School and Coming Revolution Threatens City, but it was elevated by the setting, which was based on modern Egyptian history (think Clark's Master of Djinn). The relationships were also handled with aplomb-- I like the f/f romance, and the way Nehal blithely waved off her husband's infidelities rather than becoming preoccupied with them.

Ultimately, however, this was not a book that managed any real conclusions by the end of the novel, which left me feeling a little cheated. Daughters of Izdihar is an amputated part of a whole, rather than a standalone novel. I'm interested to see where Elsbai goes next after her debut novel, but I may not read the sequel.

[gealach-in-a-misty-world]

As a waterweaver, Nehal can move and shape any water to her will, but she's limited by her lack of formal education. She desires nothing more than to attend the newly opened Weaving Academy, take complete control of her powers, and pursue a glorious future on the battlefield with the first all-female military regiment. But her family cannot afford to let her go--crushed under her father's gambling debt, Nehal is forcibly married into a wealthy merchant family. Her new spouse, Nico, is indifferent and distant and in love with another woman, a bookseller named Giorgina. Giorgina has her own secret, however: she is an earthweaver with dangerously uncontrollable powers. She has no money and no prospects. Her only solace comes from her activities with the Daughters of Izdihar, a radical women's rights group at the forefront of a movement with a simple goal: to attain recognition for women to have a say in their own lives. They live very different lives and come from very different means, yet Nehal and Giorgina have more in common than they think. The cause--and Nico--brings them into each other's orbit, drawn in by the group's enigmatic leader, Malak Mamdouh, and the urge to do what is right.

The revolution is coming. Hadeer Elsbai's The Daughters of Izdihar is set in a middle-eastern world brimming with injustice: women don't have any power, homophobia is rampant, and magic users aren't seen favorably, especially when they're women. The setting, while a bit generic in the premise, shines with the execution, painting a vivid picture brimming with details that make the world feel realistic. The struggle of suffrage is explored through the eyes of the two protagonists, each of them coming from different backgrounds, each oppressed in their own way. The plot thickens when another country joins the fray, its representatives bent on influencing the oppressive policies to a stronger degree.

The protagonists couldn't be more different in temperament: one is fierce and temperamental, the other is more passive. But they are both engaging characters, battling with the respective problems and finding common ground. They are not, however, the main couple of the book; I've seen this book being advertised that way in some circles - in truth, that's how it came to my attention - but that's not really correct. While one of the characters, Nehal, does have a sweet wlw romance, it's not with her co-protagonist, but with a third party, an intriguing character that I hope to see more of in the sequel and final book of the duology.

The romance isn't really a focus of the book, though; while it leads to some exploration of what it means to be queer in this world, adding to the oppression already explored, it's more on the background. The book is more focused on the battle for bodily and political authonomy and on the daily oppression faced by women, even picturing an examination to determine a character's virginity in a disturbing but thankfully not too detailled scene.

The Daughters of Izdihar is a solid first book that sets the stage for an intriguing conclusion.

✨ 3.5 stars

[You can find more of my reviews about queer speculative fiction on my blog MISTY WORLD]

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

public shame time

I have once again acquired too many books for my own good, so it's time for another round of public accountability re: my reading habits. as usual I am not allowed to check out, put holds on, borrow, or god forbid buy any additional books until I have finished at least four of the following:

Doppelganger: A Trip Into the Mirror World (Naomi Klein)

The Daughters of Izdihar (Hadeer Elsbai)

Delicious in Dungeon Vol. 12 (Ryoko Kui)

Buzz: A Stimulating History of the Sex Toy (Hallie Lieberman)

Rejection (Tony Tulathimutte)

The Nightmare Before Kissmas (Sara Raasch)

[sapphicreadsdb]

Hi do you by chance have any sapphic fantasy recs? preferably adult fantasy but YA is fine too

sure! tho this could will get quite long... no links, sorry!, bc it was kicking up a fuss with those for some reason

+ = ya

pennyblade by j.l. worrad

lady hotspur by tessa gratton

sofi and the bone song by adrienne tooley (+)

she who became the sun by shelley parker chan

the scapegracers by h.a. clarke (+)

the third daughter by adrienne tooley (+)

the daughters of izdihar by hadeer elsbai

the malevolent seven by sebastien de castell

blackheart knights by laure eve

the warden by daniel m. ford

the unbroken by c.l. clark

dark earth by rebecca stott

witch king by martha wells

scorpica by g.r. macallister

the mirror empire by kameron hurley

now she is witch by kirsty logan

silverglass by j.f. rivkin

the woman who loved the moon and other stories by elizabeth a. lynn

...(this answer is how i discover there's a character limit per block so. doing this in chunks.)

fire logic by laurie j. marks

a restless truth by freya marske

when angels left the old country by sacha lamb (+)

the traitor baru cormorant by seth dickinson

an archive of brightness by kelsey socha

the bladed faith by david dalglish

the winged histories by sofia samatar

dragonoak by sam farren

the forever sea by joshua phillip johnson

into the broken lands by tanya huff

the jasmine throne by tasha suri

daughter of redwinter by ed mcdonald

the last magician by lisa maxwell (+)

the fire opal mechanism by fran wilde

...

the black coast by mike brooks

high times in the low parliament by kelly robson

foundryside by robert jackson bennett

the enterprise of death by jesse bullington

mamo by sas milledge (+)

from dust, a flame by rebecca podos (+)

uncommon charm by emily bergslien & kat weaver

wild and wicked things by francesca may

the unspoken name by a.k. larkwood

brother red by adrian selby

the final strife by saara el-arifi

way of the argosi by sebastien de castell (+)

the bone shard daughter by andrea stewart

ghost wood song by erica waters (+)

into the crooked place by alexandra christo (+)

ashes of the sun by django wexler

the midnight girls by alicia jasinska (+)

the midnight lie by marie rutkoski (+)

the never tilting world by rin chupeco (+)

water horse by melissa scott

...

a master of djinn by p. djeli clark

the good luck girls by charlotte nicole davis (+)

among thieves by m.j. kuhn

black water sister by zen cho

the velocity of revolution by marshall ryan maresca

sweet & bitter magic by adrienne tooley (+)

the dark tide by alicia jasinska (+)

the library of the unwritten by a.j. hackwith

a dark and hollow star by ashley shuttleworth (+)

the chosen and the beautiful by nghi vo

the councillor by e.j. beaton

these feathered flames by alexandra overy (+)

the factory witches of lowell by c.s. malerich

fireheart tiger by aliette de bodard

...

city of lies by sam hawke

bestiary by k-ming chang

the raven and the reindeer by t. kingfisher

the winter duke by claire eliza bartlett (+)

master of poisons by andrea hairston

the empress of salt and fortune by nghi vo

night flowers shirking from the light of the sun by li xing

down comes the night by allison saft (+)

wench by maxine kaplan (+)

girls made of snow and glass by melissa bashardoust (+)

girls of paper and fire by natasha ngan (+)

the impossible contract by k.a. doore

burning roses by s.l. huang

the house of shattered wings by aliette de bodard

not for use in navigation by iona datt sharma

weak heart by ban gilmartin

girl, serpent, thorn by melissa bashardoust (+)

the devil's blade by mark alder

...

we set the dark on fire by tehlor kay mejia (+)

the true queen by zen cho

moontangled by stephanie burgis

a portable shelter by kirsty logan

sing the four quarters by tanya huff

all the bad apples by moira fowley doyle (+)

the drowning eyes by emily foster

the priory of the orange tree by samantha shannon

miranda in milan by katharine duckett

the afterward by e.k. johnston (+)

thorn by anna burke

penhallow amid passing things by iona datt sharma

in the vanishers' palace by aliette de bodard

summer of salt by katrina leno (+)

the gracekeepers by kirsty logan

out of the blue by sophie cameron (+)

black wolves by kate elliott

the circle by sara b. elfgren & mats strandberg (+)

unspoken by sarah rees brennan (+)

thistlefoot by gennarose nethercott

passing strange by ellen klages

(and breathe)

[the-bi-library]

Bi fantasy books!

Make sure to check the TWs and ratings for all the books if necessary!

Here is a list of 16 fantasy books with bi MCs for my dear friend @hoolay-boobs

Books listed

💕 Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust 💕 Ship of Smoke and Steel by Django Wexler 💕 Forging Silver into Stars by Brigid Kemmerer 💕 Reign of the Fallen by Sarah Glenn Marsh 💕 The Daughters of Izdihar by Hadeer Elsbai 💕 Render To Silver by Catherine Labadie 💕Poison Forest by Lauri Starling 💕 The Buried and the Bound by Rochelle Hassan 💕 A Ruinous Fate by Kaylie Smith 💕 Windfall by Shawna Barnett 💕The Dark Tide by Alicia Jasinska 💕 The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons 💕 The Blood Hours by Ann H. Fox 💕 The Shattered Lands by Brenna Nation 💕Inkmistress by Audrey Coulthurst 💕 The Blood-Born Dragon by J.C. Rycroft (out on April 30th)

[profiterole-reads]

2023 Favourites

In no particular order. This is content I've read and watched in 2023, not necessarily content released in 2023.

Books

1. Notorious Sorcerer by Davinia Evans: fantasy with some m/m. The protagonist travels to other planes for alchemical ingredients and ends up having to learn greater workings. I love the Byzantine vibe of the worldbuilding.

2. The Daughters of Izdihar by Hadeer Elsbai: fantasy with some f/f. Two women, a waterweaver and an earthweaver, join a women's rights movement. I love the Egyptian-inspired worldbuilding.

3. Reforged by Seth Haddon: m/m fantasy. This King/Paladin novel has a surprising plot. The magic system is very original as well, I especially like the music part of it.

4. The Buried and the Bound by Rochelle Hassan: urban fantasy with some m/m (YA). The hedgewitch protecting the town teams up with a boy cursed to forget his true love and another one trapped as a bondservant.

5. [Spanish] Lazos de Sangre by LR Jeffers: m/m urban fantasy (erotica). This is a series about werewolves and big cat shifters, usually angsty and hot.

6. [French] Meute by Karine Rennberg: urban fantasy with some m/m + another protagonist is aroace and uses sign language. This is a novel about building your own werewolf pack. I think this is my first time encountering 2nd-person narration in French and it works surprisingly well.

7. Cascade by Rachel A. Rosen: science fantasy with mlm and wlw protagonists + no romance. An ecological disaster has freed magic. In Canada, the Party works with a wizard in order to try and save humanity. I love the intricacies of the plot, which skilfully mixes politics, science and magic.

8. Ocean's Echo by Everina Maxwell: m/m science fiction. Telepathy, my favourite trope, done by one of my fave authors! It was even better than I expected.

9. The Deep Sky by Yume Kitasei: science fiction/murder mystery with several non-binary major characters. 80 people from all around the world embark on a one-way interstellar voyage. As they're all required to get pregnant, they're obviously afab, but several are non-binary, with mentions of a trans man.

10. Forget Me Not by Alyson Derrick: f/f romance (YA). This is a very romantic novel about two girls dating in secret until one gets amnesia. I enjoy this trope a lot.

TV shows

1. Good Omens: fantasy with queer protagonists + some f/f. I love the book and I love the adaptation. Season 2 is original content, but it's faithful to the spirit of the novel.

2. Shadow and Bone: fantasy with some m/m (YA). This successfully mixes the Shadow and Bone trilogy (that I haven't read) and the Six of Crows duology (that I have read and enjoyed).

3. Warrior Nun: fantasy with some f/f. Nuns literally fight against demons.

4. The Power: superpower fiction with some f/f + a trans woman and an intersex man. Teenage girls start developing an electrical superpower, which makes them safer from men.

5. Nü Er Hong: GL wuxia. This c-drama is a quick watch, with 27 episodes of 2 minutes. I love that these short webdramas always have more or less the same actresses.

6. The Devil Judge: dystopia/thriller with BL vibes. This k-drama has a tight plot and fascinating characters. There's a girl in a wheelchair and the rep is well done.

7. Naughty Babe: BL romance/murder (attempt) mystery. This Thai drama is the sequel to Cutie Pie, except that they switched up the main pairing and the secondary pairing. I think it's possible to watch it on its own.

8. Wedding Plan: BL + GL romcom. This Thai drama has mlm-wlw solidarity, which I hope to see more of in the future. There are also cameos from the BL couples from Love in the Air.

9. Oh! My Assistant: BL romcom. This hilarious k-drama is about a het porn webtoon creator and his assistant. Despite this topic, the drama is not explicit.

10. Welcome to the Lesbian Bar: GL contemporary fiction. This k-drama is a quick watch, with 5 episodes of 6 minutes. In each episode, 2 customers come have a drink and chat with the owner.

Movies

1. Barbie: fantasy that is so gender! This was such a big surprise coming from Hollywood.

2. Nimona: fantasy with a protagonist who is a trans/enby allegory + some m/m (YA). I haven't read the graphic novel, so this was more depressing than I expected (it deals a lot with discrimination), but still an excellent movie.

3. Wingwomen (Voleuses in the original French): action movie with a sapphic protagonist + f/f vibes between the other two. I love heist movies all about women.

4. Kill Bok-soon: action movie with some f/f. This Korean movie has interesting cinematography. Note that it's very violent, though.

5. Red, White & Royal Blue: m/m romcom. I love the book and I love the adaptation.

6. Anything's Possible: m/f romance with a trans female protagonist (YA). This is a very positive movie, about love, art and nature.

7. Fanfic: m/m romance with a trans male protagonist (YA). This Polish movie is sometimes dark, sometimes fun.

[rhetoricandlogic]

THE WEAVERS OF ALAMAXA by Hadeer Elsbai

RELEASE DATE: March 19, 2024

Magic, political upheaval, and outside invaders collide in the second installment of the duology begun in The Daughters of Izdihar (2023).

For Giorgina Shukry, Nehal Darweesh, and Malak Mamdouh, things have gone from bad to worse. While at first it seemed the Daughters of Izdihar were making headway in their fight for women’s equality, including being in training to use the magical practice of elemental weaving, Giorgina and Malak are now fugitives and Nehal is trapped in a neighboring kingdom—a kingdom whose troops, along with frightening new technology, are fast approaching the women’s home of Alamaxa. With war on the horizon, the three fight both to save those they love and to build a new world, while contending with new, occasionally dubious, allies and revelations about weaving that could mean salvation or devastation. As the world of Ramsawa, based on Egypt, expands in this second installment, Elsbai has more room to explore prescient topics of social and political change and their fallout. The new characters add more complications to an already gripping setting without overwhelming the narrative. But, at its core, this is an exploration of the platonic and romantic relationships among women and their own personal journeys as they realize their ambitions and come to terms with all aspects of themselves. The fully formed grounded setting, exhilarating magic, and all-too-real political machinations make a satisfying backdrop for further exploration of Nehal and Giorgina’s journeys. A strong conclusion that never fumbles with the themes or ideas it seeks to tackle.

[thenighttrain]

books read in 2023

finally continuing my yearly tradition. all rated out of 5 stars. bolded are my faves!

The Daughters of Izdihar (The Alamaxa Duology, #1) by Hadeer Elsbai ★★★☆☆

A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland ★★★☆☆

Last Violent Call (Secret Shanghai, #3.5) by Chloe Gong ★★★☆☆

The Magician's Daughter by H.G. Parry ★★★★☆

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi (Amina al-Sirafi, #1) by Shannon Chakraborty ★★★☆☆

The Lies of the Ajungo (Forever Desert, #1) by Moses Ose Utomi ★★★☆☆

The Surviving Sky (Rages, #1) by Kritika H. Rao ★★★☆☆

The Will of the Many (Hierarchy, #1) by James Islington ★★★☆☆

Immortal Longings (Flesh and False Gods, #1) by Chloe Gong ★★☆☆☆

Gods of the Wyrdwood (Forsaken, #1) by R.J. Barker ★★★☆☆

To Shape a Dragon's Breath (Nampeshiweisit, #1) by Moniquill Blackgoose ★★★☆☆

Fourth Wing (The Empyrean, #1) by Rebecca Yarros ★★★☆☆

The Third Daughter by Adrienne Tooley ★★★☆☆

After the Dragons by Cynthia Zhang ★★★★☆

Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang ★★★★☆

White Trash Warlock (Adam Binder, #1) by David R. Slayton ★★★★☆

The River Has Teeth by Erica Waters ★★★☆☆

The Drowned Woods by Emily Lloyd-Jones ★★★☆☆

All That’s Left in the World by Erik J. Brown ★★★☆☆

Fury of the Dragon Goddess (Adventures of Sik Aziz #2) ★★★★☆

The Water Outlaws by S.L. Huang ★★★★☆

My Dear Henry: A Jekyll & Hyde Remix by Kalynn Bayron ★★★☆☆

Serwa Boateng's Guide to Vampire Hunting (Serwa Boateng, #1) by Roseanne A. Brown ★★★☆☆

Hamra and the Jungle of Memories by Hanna Alkaf ★★★★☆

Bonesmith (House of the Dead, #1) by Nicki Pau Preto ★★★☆☆

Garden of the Cursed (Garden of the Cursed, #1) by Katy Rose Pool ★★★★☆

Race to the Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse ★★★☆☆

Don't Want to Be Your Monster by Deke Moulton DNF

The Buried and the Bound (The Buried and the Bound, #1) by Rochelle Hassan ★★★★☆

The Meadows by Stephanie Oakes ★★★☆☆

If Found, Return to Hell by Em X. Liu ★★★☆☆

Amari and the Night Brothers (Supernatural Investigations, #1) by B.B. Alston ★★★★☆

Starter Villain by John Scalzi ★★★★☆

Amari and the Great Game (Supernatural Investigations, #2) by B.B. Alston ★★★☆☆

The Chalice of the Gods (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #6) by Rick Riordan ★★★★☆

The Fragile Threads of Power (Threads of Power, #1) by V.E. Schwab ★★★☆☆

The Hexologists (The Hexologists, #1) by Josiah Bancroft ★★★☆☆

Foul Heart Huntsman (Foul Lady Fortune, #2) by Chloe Gong ★★★☆☆

Darkhearts by James L. Sutter ★★☆☆☆

The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros ★★★★☆

Séance Tea Party by Reimena Yee ★★★☆☆

The Prince's Poisoned Vow (Infernal War Saga, #1) by Hailey Turner ★★★☆☆

The Emperor's Bone Palace (Infernal War Saga #2) by Hailey Turner ★★★★☆

Beholder by Ryan La Sala ★★★★☆

Curious Tides by Pascale Lacelle ★★★★☆

The Forest Demands Its Due Kosoko Jackson ★★★☆☆

Reforged by Seth Haddon ★★★☆☆

The Scarlet Alchemist (The Scarlet Alchemist, #1) by Kylie Lee Baker ★★★★☆

Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White DNF

The Spirit Glass by Roshani Chokshi ★★★☆☆

Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Törzs ★★★☆☆

All That Consumes Us by Erica Waters ★★☆☆☆

Frostheart (Frostheart, #1) by Jamie Littler ★★★★☆

The Vanquishers (The Vanquishers, #1) by Kalynn Bayron ★★★★☆

When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller ★★★☆☆

Dark Moon, Shallow Sea (The Gods of Night and Day #1) by David R. Slayton ★★★☆☆

Dark Heir (Dark Rise, #2) by C.S. Pacat ★★★★☆

[drastrochris]

I was an idiot to doubt how the Cinnamon Roll was going to do things.

I still want more stories from this world.

[anntickwittee]

Books I read in 2023:

January:

Petty Treasons by Victoria Goddard ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spellbound by Allie Therin ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Shadow of Kyoshi by F.C. Yee ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Suki, Alone by Faith Erin Hicks, Peter Wartman, Adele Matera

Legend of the Fire Princess by Gigi D.G., Paulina Ganucheau

Babel by by R.F. Kuang ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Eidolon by K.D. Edwards ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

February:

The Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Grief of Stones by Katherine Addison ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Starcrossed by Allie Therin ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Wonderstruck by Allie Therin ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Davenports by Krystal Marquis ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Proper Scoundrels by Allie Therin ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Stealing Thunder by Alina Boyden ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

March:

The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Whispering Skull by Jonathan Stroud ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Hollow Boy by Jonathan Stroud ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by K.J. Charles ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Creeping Shadow by Jonathan Stroud ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Wicked Bargain by Gabe Cole Novoa ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

April

The Empty Grave by Jonathan Stroud ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Greenwode by J. Tullos Hennig ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spell Bound by F.T. Lukens ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Saint Death's Daughter by C.S.E. Cooney ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine

A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine

May

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Sun and the Star by Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

They Hate Each Other by Amanda Woody ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Nimona by ND Stevenson ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Check, Please! Book 1 by Ngozi Ukazu ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Check, Please! Book 2 by Ngozi Ukazu ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

June

The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Dark Force Rising by Timothy Zahn ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Heartsong by T.J. Klune ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Buried and the Bound by Rochelle Hassan ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Last Command by Timothy Zahn ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Hither, Page by Cat Sebastian ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Missing Page by Cat Sebastian ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

July

The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thrawn by Timothy Zahn ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thrawn: Alliances by Timothy Zahn ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thrawn: Treason by Timothy Zahn ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Brothersong by T.J. Klune ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Bedlam Stacks by Natasha Pulley ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Lost Future of Pepperharrow by Natasha Pulley ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Ann Older ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

August

The Daughters of Izdihar by Hadeer Elsbai ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Sourdough by Robin Sloan ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Vanished Birds by Simon Jimenez ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Transmogrify!: 14 Fantastical Tales of Trans Magic edited by g. haron davis ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Tooth and Claw by Jo Walton ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

One Night in Hartswood by Emma Denny ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Queer Principles of Kit Webb Cat Sebastian ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Art of Prophecy by Wesley Chu ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Once a Rogue by Allie Therin ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Remarkable Retirement of Edna Fisher by E.M. Anderson ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Baker Thief by Claudie Arseneault ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Dawn of Yangchen by F.C. Yee ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In the Lives of Puppets by T.J. Klune ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Lion's Legacy by Lev A.C. Rosen ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Legacy of Yangchen by F.C. Yee ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich by Deya Muniz ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Infomocracy by Malka Ann Older ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Godkiller by Hannah Kaner ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Dragonfall by L.R. Lam ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The House Witch by Delemhach ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Bruising of Qilwa by Naseem Jamnia ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A Nobleman's Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel by K.J. Charles ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Fence Disarmed by Sarah Rees Brennan ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Fence: Striking Distance by Sarah Rees Brennan ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal by K.J. Charles ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

September

Swordheart by T. Kingfisher ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Paladin's Grace by T. Kingfisher ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Aurelius (to be called) Magnus by Victoria Goddard ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Paladin's Strength by T. Kingfisher ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Paladin's Hope by T. Kingfisher ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Dark Lord's Daughter by Patricia C. Wrede ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Chalice of the Gods by Rick Riordan ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo Taylor Jenkins Reid ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Circe by Madeline Miller ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

October

Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Cassiel's Servant by Jacqueline Carey ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A Restless Truth by Freya Marske ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

November

Mammoths at the Gates by Nghi Vo ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Törzs ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Dark Moon, Shallow Sea by David R. Slayton ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Top Story by Kelly Yang ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If Found Return to Hell ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Death I Gave Him by Em X Liu ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Bookshops and Bonedust by Travis Baldree ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A Power Unbound by Freya Marske ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

All the Hidden Paths by Foz Meadows ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Portrait of a Wide Seas Islander by Victoria Goddard ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

December

Paladin's Faith by T. Kingfisher ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Art of Destiny by Wesley Chu ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Sourcery by Terry Pratchett ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Some Desperate Glory Emily Tesh ⭐️⭐️⭐️

A Master of Djinn by P. Djeli Clark ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Husband Material by Alexis Hall ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain by Nghi Vo ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Into the Riverlands by Nghi Vo ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[wearethekat]

April Book Reviews Overview

A Tyranny of Queens (Foz Meadows)

Paladin's Strength (T Kingfisher)

Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries (Heather Fawcett)

The Last Heir to Blackwood Library (Hester Fox)

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi (SA Chakraborty)

Path of Fate (Diana Francis)

The Daughters of Izdihar (Hadeer Elsbai)

A Thief in the Night (KJ Charles)

Feed Them Silence (Lee Mandelo)

Bitter Medicine (Mia Tsai)

Notorious Sorcerer (Davinia Evans)

The Circus Infinite (Khan Wong)

Untethered Sky (Fonda Lee)

Ninefox Gambit (Yoon Ha Lee)

[lgbtqreads]

Queer Book Sale Roundup - July 7, 2023

eBooks The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer (m/m YA sci-fi, $1.99) Running with Lions by Julian Winters (m/m YA contemporary romance, $1.99) The Daughters of Izdihar by Hadeer Elsbai (Sapphic adult fantasy, $1.99) Silver Under Nightfall by Rin Chupeco (queer epic fantasy, $1.99) Out on the Ice by Kelly Farmer (f/f contemporary sports romance, $1.99) Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire…

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

Best book you read this year? Be it fiction or non-fiction? (My tbr is also huge and I must feed it even more books)

I could never narrow it down to a single title (not even close, I evidently ended up listing like twenty entire books), but here's a list of my favorite & most notable reads from 2024:

fiction:

Happy Medium (Sarah Adler)

The Most (Jessica Anthony)

Fledgling (Octavia E. Butler)

Survivor (Octavia E. Butler)

The Daughters of Izdihar (Hadeer Elsbai)

Little Rot (Akwaeke Emezi)

Funny Story (Emily Henry)

The Broken Earth Trilogy (N.K. Jemisin)

Delicious in Dungeon (Ryoko Kui, trans. Taylor Engel)

Luster (Raven Leilani)

The Low, Low Woods (Carmen Maria Machado, Dani, Tamra Bonvillain)

Him (Geoff Ryman)

Rejection (Tony Tulathimutte)

Thirst (Marina Yuszczuk, trans. Heather Cleary)

nonfiction:

No Name in the Street (James Baldwin)

Dear Senthuran: A Black Spirit Memoir (Akwaeke Emezi)

Africa Is Not a Country (Dipo Faloyin)

Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder (Caroline Fraser)

Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning (Cathy Park Hong)

Doppelganger: A Trip Into the Mirror World (Naomi Klein)

Talkin' Up to the White Woman: Indigenous Women and Feminism (Aileen Moreton-Robinson)

Four Lost Cities: A Secret History of the Urban Age (Annalee Newitz)

Strange Bedfellows: Adventures in the Science, History, and Surprising Secrets of STDs (Ina Park)