#allie recommends

[beepboopappreciation]

Is this anything

[vermwerm]

GRAB HIM BY HIS STUPID HOTDOG SHAPED HEAD !!!!!

[pinkd3mon]

This is a bonus from the last comic I made

You can find the context here

[jessread-s]

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review

✩🐉✨Review:

A strong start to a romantasy series with endless potential!

“Fear the Flames” follows Elowen Atarah, an exiled princess, as she teams up with Cayden Veles, the feared Commander of Vareveth, to free her dragons and save her people. As forces beyond their control try to keep them apart, the pull between Elowen and Cayden becomes irresistible. 

The concept of this book immediately grasped my attention. It was the reluctant allies-to-lovers romance that drew me in further! Elowen and Cayden’s knife to the throat meet-cute put me in a chokehold and I was living for their banter. Their dynamic is truly incredible and the tension had my heart pounding.

Unfortunately, the pacing and aspects of the writing are what lost me. While Cayden fell first, he also fell very fast. Many readers might like this if they prefer instantaneous chemistry, but I tend to like books where the relationship development moves more slowly, so I did not enjoy how quick it felt. Much of their dialogue, aside from the banter, was also clunky and cringey at times. 

As far as the plot, the heist was the main focus, so I was a bit let down when it missed the mark. There was a lot of build-up surrounding it only for it to be done and over with so quickly. Nearly everything was executed perfectly without a hitch, so it just ended up being anticlimactic. 

Overall, I appreciate this book’s vision and really liked some of its elements despite its setbacks. I’m interested to see what direction Darling takes the next book now that the groundwork has been laid.

Cross-posted to: Instagram | Amazon | Goodreads | StoryGraph

[riveluart]

Let’s go break some stuff

[kenobihater]

researching how a guy could feasably induce and survive an abortion on a ship frozen in the arctic for years has truly nuked my search history

[xenosagaepisodeone]

I don't see this as much as when I was a teenager but when you see someone online talk about being an irl yandere or Cute but Crazy it's like "girl. girl you're just upset and self-flagellating because your boyfriend isn't paying attention to you or perhaps his attention just isn't the kind that you need right now. girl you need to dump him and pick up some otome games. girl they are so good now."

[jaylynx1412]

of course you have blue hair and pronouns...

[inclusivefuture]

Queer book recs from IFM's editors

Mantha's Rec(s)

Lynn Flewelling's Nightrunner Series and Tamír Triad

Any chance Mantha gets they recommend Lynn Flewelling's Nightrunner Series and Tamír Triad. Both set in the same world but in two different eras, these fantasy series have become so dear to them over the years.

The Nightrunner books are part fantasy, part political intrigue, part murder mystery, all while exploring themes of belonging and identity. And while they don't have genders outside the binary, the two main characters are bi, cis men (with a little gender-nonconformity in there, too.)

The Tamír Triad tells the coming of age story of a trans girl at court in the midst of political upheaval: think Knights of the Round Table but King Arthur is trans.

Flewelling's writing is impeccable. She has a gift for character, detail, and setting that creates immersive worlds. Though not recent publications - the first book came out in 1996 - they were the first books Mantha read that showed them that the sky was truly the limit in fantasy writing.

Lydia's Rec

All the White Spaces by Ally Wilkes

Not for the faint of heart, All the White Spaces by Ally Wilkes is a historical thriller in which a trans man stows away on an expedition ship bound for the Antarctic from England.

Set just after WWII, the stakes are quickly raised when the ship - the only way the expedition is getting home - is destroyed just shy of their destination. Missing most of the crew and nearly all their supplies, the few remaining members of the expedition must find a way to survive the winter in Antarctica.

Stumbling across a German expedition's camp seems like a stroke of good luck - but where did the Germans go (and would they even believe the war was over?), and what lurks in the darkness just outside of the lamp light?

Sione's Rec

Life Ceremony by Sayaka Murata

If you're a short story reader who loves weird, slightly dark speculative fiction (think George Saunders, Miranda July, Alexander Weinstein, Carmen Maria Machado), Sione highly recommends Sayaka Murata's book of short stories, Life Ceremony, which came out in paperback in May.

While the stories don't contain genders outside the binary, there is gay rep, asexual and aromantic spectrum rep, and neurodiversity rep.

But what really gets zir excied about this book are the themes! This is basically an entire short story collection about what's normal, who decides, and how changeable our social norms and taboos are, which opens a window into a future with many queer and neurodivergent possibilities. Ze hasn't been this excited about a new book in a very long time.

Originally published in our newsletter on July 31st, 2023.

[more-profound-bond]

Queer Books for Pride Month:

"Liar City" by Allie Therin

The idea behind this one is really unique.

A world where empaths exist, but they're feared for their abilities. Where the line between being a monster and being a hero is thin. 

Also the worldbuilding is so well done! The alternate universe of Seattle created here is truly superb.

As you probably already noticed, I'm a huge fan of mystery and suspence. And in Liar City it was delivered absolutely flawlessly.

And the characters! Oh my god! Allie Therin did it again. She created characters, that feel so alive and real, you can really forget you are reading a book.

Reece is a softy, but he's sassy and witty, and I love him with all my heart. And Grayson is a character, that slowly creeps his way into your heart and the more you get to know him, the more you love him.

I absolutely adore their dynamic, although we don't really get much romance in this one.

The story is truly amazing and I really, really recommend this masterpiece.

[beevean]

With overhype, while I try to be give things a chance within reason, I also tend to get burned hard and frequently by overhype, even back in the day. Whether that be standard Peak of All Time thrown everywhere, walls of text about how it's so much deeper/mature than whatever it is that I enjoy, or using bad faith critiques as an excuse to dismiss valid criticism altogether. All of this is why I could never get into Black Knight, Steven Universe, Undertale, and most things hyped up by Tumblr.

I was very lucky to have caught Undertale in time and that a friend recommended SU to me before joining Tumblr. Considering how their fandoms turned out to be... man.

I know it's unfair. I joked about being a contrarian, but while yes sometimes it's fun, other times I feel robbed, because I feel like I too could enjoy something I'd like with other people, but unfair factors like a vocal asshole minority or inflated expectations stop me.

A similar thing happened with SA2: I played it after five years of straight up hype that placed it as the pinnacle of the series (or 3D games, at least), even more so since they spanned the nadir of the franchise's reputation... and let me tell you, it soured my perception a lot, because I was promised perfection and I did not get it at all. Had I tried it today, I would have been more charitable, perhaps.

It depends, I think. I regret not watching Gravity Falls as it aired, because without the hype of the mystery, the show didn't stick with me. But Avatar? Oh, joining the party 10 years after it was over was the best decision I could have made lmao, I spared myself the worst of the ship wars and got all the intriguing analyses for free <3

[scrambledslut]

“so i reckon what makes ed happy is… you.”

[lovevalley45]

there is smth abt cw shows that are like. uniquely horny in ways u can never expect. like we know legends has horny vibes but i always forget izombie hits u with the most unexpectedly horny moments and so many of them are ravi n liv trying to get to clive

[jessread-s]

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review

✩🌊🖤Review:

A dazzling adult debut from Saft!

“A Dark and Drowning Tide” follows Lorelai Kaskel, a sharp-tongued folklorist, and Sylvia von Wolff, her academic rival, as they pair up to solve their mentor’s murder whilst on an expedition to find a magical spring for their king.

Saft’s atmospheric writing contributes to her immersive world-building. Her story is set in the fictional kingdom of Brunnestaad, a country heavily inspired by Germany, that is populated by both Brunnestaaders and the Yevani, akin to the Jewish community. Saft tackles problems of nationalism and antisemitism through the perspective of her main character Lorelai, a young Jewish woman whose determination to make a name for herself in being a part of the Ruhigburg expedition stems from her experiences in being “othered”. I really appreciate the Jewish representation and how Lorelai’s rich knowledge of Jewish and German folklore contributes to the reader’s understanding of the country’s history, culture, and politics.

I could not get enough of the murder mystery Lorelai tasks herself with solving as well as the sapphic, academic rivals-to-allies-to-lovers subplot! Sylvia is the only suspect that Lorelai can rule out following their mentor’s murder. These circumstances push them to strike a begrudging alliance as they work together to prevent the murderer from striking again. I love the slow pacing of their relationship development as they are forced to confront their feelings while in each other’s proximity. I thoroughly enjoyed occupying Lorelai’s mind during this time. Lorelai is fascinating to follow as she draws on her knowledge of folklore, quick wit, and keen observation skills to find the Ursprung and the killer. At the same time, she is actively fighting against her love for Sylvia by burying her emotions and masking them with self-loathing. I adored watching Syliva break through Lorelai’s stubborn and guarded personality with her unrelenting optimism! They are truly opposites in every sense of the word and complete each other. Nothing was more satisfying than watching them capture the culprit and each other’s hearts!

Cross-posted to: Instagram | Amazon | Goodreads | StoryGraph

[yellowrayn]

✨️INTJ girl✨️

[checkoutmybookshelf]

When Your Murder Mystery Party Goes A Little Too Well

Ally Carter has not missed yet with her adult novels. The Blonde Identity was a delight, and so was this book. The marketing pitched this book as a "Knives Out Christmas romance," but I haven't actually seen Knives Out, so I can't comment on the comparison. What I can comment on is how Agatha Christie meets James Bond the setup and characters are (I also got a few Castle vibes at points), and how fluffy and fun that was. This book also had quite a lot to say about gaslighting and recovering from being gaslit, which I deeply appreciated because seriously, people have got to STOP gaslighting their partners. It's BAD, actually. So let's talk The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year.

Hey, hi, hello. This is your SPOILER WARNING because I am going SPOIL THIS BOOK below the cut. Be warned.

When Maggie's publisher gently bullies her into going to a secret Christmas party thrown by Maggie's favorite author of all time, the publisher neglects to mention that Maggie will be travelling with Ethan Wyatt--former secret service agent turned writer (again, I told you I'd spoil the book) who is also the vessel Maggie has transferred all her self-loathing to in the wake of her nasty divorce and significant career setback.

The two have a somewhat contentious five-year history, which comes to a head while they're trapped in an old English Manor House in a blizzard. The communication between them has a great arc, and the use of time jumps is handled beautifully--by the time the reader is like, "what the heck WAS this incident!?!?" We get it and invariably we get some new context or perspective that just makes Maggie and Ethan's relationship even more fun to watch.

I will say, Maggie's ex, Colin, is the kind of raging douchecanoe we love to hate, and I deeply appreciate that the book didn't try to get empathetic or redemption arc-y with him. For fucks sake, the man took HALF OF MAGGIE'S COPYRIGHTS in the divorce and made her buy him out to get them back. The sheer LEVEL of dick move on that one floored me, and I adored that even a deeply hurt and gaslit Maggie understood that those rights MATTERED and that she got the important thing when she got them back.

The fact that Ethan also sees that and was like, "yeah no, you got YOU back and that's worth it" might have made me melt a little.

I also really enjoyed the bit of nuance in Ethan's backstory. Ally Carter LOVES writing spies. Like absolutely adores it. But what was interesting this time is that Ethan is a former spy who was pretty aggressively put out of commission by a severe injury, and his arc is really squaring his two identities: spy and thriller writer. It doesn't get as much page time as it maybe could have, because this is a fluffy Christmas romance, not a hard core novel about squaring identities, but its there and drawn clearly enough that it made sense and was fun to watch.

Overall, the whole book feels like just a slight shift could have brought it darker or more serious, but it stays light and fluffy, and I'm not complaining about it, because it was a sheer delight to read.