#queer interracial YA

[johnrgordon]

LONGLISTED FOR THE POLARI PRIZE

FROM THE WINNER OF THE FERRO-GRUMLEY FICTION AWARD

A BOOK FOR KEEPS - Book of the Year 2020

The night the statue of a Confederate colonel is torn down in the center of a dying, opioid-scarred and racially divided Southern town is the night two wild teenagers meet and start to fall in love. White working class Cleve is broke and drifting into criminality; black, bourgeois Roe is alienated and rebellious. They say opposites attract, and who could be more opposite than Cleve and Roe?

When Cleve finds himself, at age 17, home alone for the first time in his life, he summons the courage to invite Roe to stay over. The young men’s relationship looks set to move to another level when they are interrupted by Hark, a mysterious black vagrant who seems to possess supernatural powers, and takes them on a strange and troubling journey into the past.

Hark is a touching, vividly contemporary coming of age story; a compelling, fast-paced and ultimately hopeful tale of gay interracial love; and shows us how necessary it is to confront the evils of our shared history, however painful it may be to do so.

JOHN R GORDON is the author of eight novels, including the black gay antebellum epic Drapetomania. Hailed as “an all-out masterpiece” by PATRIK IAN-POLK (Noah’s Arc, Blackbird, The Skinny) and “a dazzling work of imagination” by MICHAEL ERIC DYSON (Tears We Cannot Stop: Sermon to White America) it won the prestigious 2019 Ferro-Grumley Award for best LGBTQ fiction.

Read a moving review by, and fascinating interview with, author and critic Rue Sparks.

'A master novelist' - Huffington Post

'A novelist at the height of his powers' - DIRIYE OSMAN, The Financial Times

'Audaciously provocative, sexy and spooky all at once. And very much of the zeitgeist!' - CRAIG LAURANCE GIDNEY, A Spectral Hue

'It shouldn't work but it does... A welcome addition to the tradition.' - LARRY DUPLECHAN, Blackbird

'Profound and vibrant... one of the most profound endings of any book I have read. Not just this year—ever. I am still reeling over how perfect and deeply important the events are, and how much they mean regarding our shared histories... a book that unilaterally needs to be read. Not only do I think most of us should read this, I think a lot of us need to read this book.' - RUE SPARKS

You can buy this text via the following outlets:

UK: Waterstones / Amazon

US: Barnes & Noble / Amazon

[rolaplayor101]

This Valentines/Aro Day

I'm sharing my Arospec/Black/& Polyam book haul!! ft. Romance or Queer Platonic Relationships!

Legendborn(almost finished): black girl main character, interracial mf relationship, multiple queer supporting characters! YA fantasy with themes of racism and trauma

A Queen Of Gilded Horns(I've only read River of Royal Blood): Black main characters, black mf relationship, romance isn't the main plot which makes it very engaging for a romance tired black person like me! Focus is on racism in the fantasy world, multiple queer supporting characters!

Symbiosis (I haven't read Escaping Exodus yet): Black girl Mc, Sapphic relationship I heard! Mostly sci-fi plot I think! I'll recc it anyway cause I am gonna read it during this Black history month!

Ruin of Stars (only read Mask of Shadows): poc gender fluid main character in relationship with a woman, aromantic and black supporting character!! Fantasy with assassins and political commentary and trauma

Moonlight Love Witchcraft(havent started): Multiple Poc Mcs, polyam relationship, nonbinary main character, asexual werewolf mc!! Indigenous mc!! Comfy fantasy!

Silver Under Nightfall(haven't finished): Black Mc alongside Asian Mc and genderfluid southeast asian??? mc!! Polyamorous relationship! Paranormal vampire fantasy with great plot!! So far!! Tw for SA and trauma

Blasted Research(haven't finished): ace and nonbinary mc!! Polyam m/nby/nby relationship! Dystopia sci-fi and only on ebook!

Role Playing(almost finished): Asian American mc and bi demirose mc! Mf relationship but queer!! Video game romcom with themes about the harms of amatonormativity featuring 50 year olds!

The Bone Season(haven't really started): Multiple poc supporting characters, main character is demirose! Multiple queer characters! Fantasy dystopian setting! Love interest is nonbinary??? In second book.

Genesis of Misery(haven't finished): nonbinary southeast asian mc! Sapphic relationship! Religious political sci-fi plot with multiple queer and poc characters!

Most Ardently(haven't finished): trans and queer retelling of Pride and Prejudice! Gay relationship! Plain historical romance! Multiple queer supporting characters!

By Your Side(finished): a short queerplatonic story! Bi mc with aro mc! Polyam queerplatonic relationship!! Realistic college fiction that's like 38 pages!

Is Love the Answer (finished): aroace nonbinary mc and multiple aspec mcs! All poc cause they're Japanese. Possible queerplatonic relationships discussed! Realistic college fiction!

I Want To Be A Wall(finished): Japanese Aroace mc and gay mc married in a qpr!! Realistic comedic fiction! Full review here

If the authors have anything to add, I'll @ them here! @linseymiller @sshannonauthor @whatnowrin @coffeequills @thegabecole @themargherita-s @queerio-cheerios @itsneonyang

I also do art commissions if anyone would like to help me buy more queer and poc books 😢 😭

[autumnsup]

There are probably a million other (and better) lists out there like this, but for Pride Month and my own documenting purposes, here are the LGBTQ+ "classics" I've come across over the past several years of reading. My taste tends toward older literature and slash, so most of them center on gay stories and are somewhat dated in terms of general societal attitudes, but I know there are many other classics out there that are just as good and hope to get around to them eventually.

To be clear, my definition of "classic" is how often they crop up in various "best of" lists I've found on the internet (including this one), and who recommends them, as well as how long they've been around. For example, many of the titles here are based on the renowned gay author Edmund White's list of "representative freaks," which I haven't yet read through myself. (His books are interesting too, although they contain a lot of difficult themes, and are not always fiction or centered on gay characters). They are not necessarily recommendations, as I struggled with some or found them not so memorable, but I wanted to take note of them nonetheless.

The rest I've listed are books that I've just happened across, usually at a library or through a friend. I haven't included the YA books because in my mind they exist in their own category (although I'm happy to rec them to anyone who cares). Most, if not all, are written by authors who identify as LGBTQ+. And lastly, they are all in English because it's my first language, although I'm sure there are more I haven't yet discovered that originated in different languages.

So here they are, in no particular order:

Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin - I loved the first book, although I haven't yet read the series that followed. It represents all sorts of queer lives and experiences in 1970/80s San Francisco, including a truly memorable trans character.

Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters - a picaresque love story set in Victorian England. Not slash, although there is some gender-bending between the lesbian characters.

A Home at the End of the World by Michael Cunningham - The Hours was a much more popular book of his, but this was the first book to introduce me to the idea of a polyamorous/throuple situation, including two gay characters.

Memorial by Bryan Washington - a searching look at a modern interracial gay relationship and its strengths and flaws.

Gay Bar by Atherton Lin - not fiction, but a very engaging sociological read, about the history of gay bars and the author's present-day experience of them.

The Merry Spinster by Mallory Ortberg/Daniel M. Lavery - I read this at the beginning of my deliberately queer literature journey and liked the dark gender-swapped versions of fairy tales it contains. The author transitioned while writing this book, supposedly.

"Brokeback Mountain" by Annie Proulx - heartbreaking but good. Gods help me if I watch the film again.

City of Night by John Rechy - I didn't manage to finish this one because the style is very much of the Beatnik era, but I may attempt it again. It inspired the script for the film My Own Private Idaho (another queer classic).

"Howl" by Allen Ginsberg - also challenging to read unless you're in a stream-of-consciousness poetic mood. He does have mind-stopping imagery though, and was considered quite risqué for his time.

Burning Your Boats by Angela Carter - dark, sensual, borderline horror. Not all slash, but inclusive of different sexual orientations. I particularly like her retellings of fairy tales in this collection.

London Triptych by Jonathan Kemp - a breath-taking (and spicy) narrative that interweaves three different eras of gay culture.

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde - probably the best known classic of the 19th century, although I don't remember if it's overtly queer or just contains subtext. Haven't read it in years.

Maurice by E.M. Forster - honestly it's been ages since I read this one too. I love everything else by this gay author though, so I will probably reread it some day.

Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman - I tore right through reading this one after watching the film. A simple yet engaging coming-of- age story. I haven't read the sequel yet but will do so eventually.

The Spell by Alan Hollinghurst - I wasn't quite sure what to make of this one. Basically none of the characters are especially likable, although the story reveals interesting dynamics between them and their sexual escapades. I'm curious to read more by this author.

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides - this book rocked my world when I was a teenager. I've since come to question how representative it is of the intersex experience, seeing as it was written by a seemingly heterosexual cis man, but it was the first time I'd ever been introduced to such a rich and unusual character in literature, and she stayed with me for a long time after (re)reading.

As for the future, here are some titles I intend to read (among many more):

The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

Goodbye to Berlin by Christopher Isherwood (story that the musical Cabaret was based on)

Orlando by Virginia Woolf

Pageboy by Elliot Page

Nevada by Imogen Bonnie

Here's hoping I've managed to add a few of these to my personal list by the time Pride Month rolls around again. 🤠 And of course, if anyone else has books/stories to recommend, do share!

[welcometoqueer]

I posted 78 times in 2022

5 posts created (6%)

73 posts reblogged (94%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@theygender

@stele3

@justlgbtthings

@no-need-to-demonstrate-art

@uglygirlstatus

I tagged 5 of my posts in 2022

#goncharov is a cultural and generational touchstone - 2 posts

#goncharov (1973) - 2 posts

#lgbt - 2 posts

#queer pride - 2 posts

#goncharov - 2 posts

#goncharov deserves more love and recognition - 2 posts

#give goncharov the respect it deserves - 2 posts

#or studio execs - 1 post

#respect for marriage act - 1 post

#tw politics - 1 post

Longest Tag: 77 characters

#*hits studio executives with broom* keep your grimy hands away from our baby!

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Yoooo!!!!

The U.S. Senate just passed the Respect for Marriage Act which federally protects same-sex and interracial relationships!!

♡　♥　♡　♥　♡　♥ ♡　♥　♡　♥

It took way longer than it should have but federal law now recognizes that everyone, no matter who they love, is entitled to respect and equal treatment. Love is love and that sentiment will now be codified into law! 🏳️‍🌈🎉⚧🎊

Now, I’ve seen some of the comments in response to this announcement: “Okay, so what? LGBTQ+ and interracial couples have been able to be married before though, why is this so important?”

With SCOTUS overturning decisions such as Roe v. Wade in recent years, it is clear that established precedent is not enough to secure what seem like basic rights.

(Not to mention it’s importance since interracial and LGBTQ+ relationships have really only been accepted within recent history but still face extreme hate and discrimination. That’s another whole tangent though.)

Essentially, this act is important because it serves as a preventive measure against other attacks on peoples’ rights or their access to fair and equal treatment.

♡━━━━━━━━━━━━♡

The act itself passed with 61 to 36 votes, only 12 Republicans were for the act at all. Even Mitch McConnell, who is in an interracial marriage himself, voted against the bill.

Below are the 37 Senators that voted against the fair treatment and equal access for those in interracial and/or LGBTQ+ marriages/relationships. Note the names of the people who want to strip away freedoms for those who don’t align with “traditional” values.

1 note - Posted November 29, 2022

#4

omg hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii bestie <- blushing screaming crying 🤩

omgay I wonder who it is ahhhh

2 notes - Posted October 6, 2022

#3

I’m worried some studio exec will see Goncharov trending, get the wrong idea, and actually try to make a movie to “appeal” to us…

Now if that does happen, I believe it’s our duty to pretend like it was never a liked/popular thing and to absolutely flame whatever product comes of it.

On the other hand, I think it’d be hilarious to get tumblr an academy award for a completely fake film, I mean, it is critically acclaimed, it should recognized as such.

8 notes - Posted November 23, 2022

#2

is he…ya know…, an

amBIvert ???

good question, misha doesn’t seem to know either

24 notes - Posted April 25, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

man, we gotta make like, an extremely long, detailed test people gotta survive and pass before they’re allowed to make a “informal” tumblr account

AND THEN the survivors of that get thrown in a gauntlet where og tumblarians get to watch them fight and panic as they try to figure out how to survive on this site

if they manage to survive all that then I guess, they can stay…I still won’t be happy about it but I won’t be as pissed off if they “pay their dues,” so to speak

no but for real, y’all are doing great work out there, keep those twitter users far away from here!

37 notes - Posted November 8, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

I knew I wasn’t that active this year cause my life got busy and stressful but not bad

[wahlpaper]

If You Come Softly Review

If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson

CW: Death, Child Death, Police Shooting, Gun Violence, Racism, Discussion of Cheating, Discussion of Divorce, Trauma from Child Abandonment, Discussion of Child Abandonment, Tension Between Parents and Children, Discussion of Homophobia, Anxiety, Grief

4.5/5

This is the sort of book that schools should be including in their English curriculums. I would assign it to Middle or High School students. Somehow this book that should be considered a classic has gone under the radar. If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson was published in 1998, but it is still very relevant today. It discusses race, religion, divorce, interracial relationships, difficult family relationships, and more. The book is poetic, approachable, and serious. I'm unsure how I've managed to go over 20 years without previously discovering it.

Based in Manhattan and Brooklyn, New York, this novella is about Ellie and 'Miah, two teens that are inexplicably drawn to each other. After a meet-cute in the halls of their prep-school, neither one can stop thinking of the other. At first they worry if they should be together because he's black and she's Jewish, but as months go by, they change each other's worlds forever.

Woodson is a black queer woman, a poetess, a mother, and a writer with many works under her belt. She is not Jewish, however. While I loved the choice for Ellie to be Jewish, her representation felt surface-level. She has a Star of David necklace, her hair is the stereotypical dark curls of white Jewish people, and holidays like Yom Kippur are mentioned, but I didn't get a good grasp on Ellie's relationship to her Judaism. Woodson did not negatively portray the religion nor did she include anything harmful, but I do wish she had done more with it.

The book is told in chapters that alternate between Ellie's and 'Miah's points of view. This is one of the things that makes the book into the should-be-classic that it is. Both kids have gone through a lot in their lives and are very rich (literally and figuratively) characters. 'Miah is the son of two successful artists, he's traveled the world, he's also witnessed his parents getting divorced, and he suffered from the death of his grandmother. Ellie comes from a large family and lives near Central Park, but she's been abandoned by her mother more than once and she rarely sees the rest of her family. Together 'Miah and Ellie face racism and what it can do to the love they share.

Anyone can likely guess the ending within the first few pages of the book, but I'm not going to spoil it, just in case. As I said before, this book is still very relevant today. There's light and dark to it. The reader will likely find themself pulled into the love story of 'Miah and Ellie and then wishing desperately for more time with the two of them. Despite my usual aversion to meet-cutes for not being realistic, this story feels very real and raw throughout. It doesn't shy away from trauma, the realities of racism and white privilege, or complicated family dynamics.

If you have never read or heard of this book, please put it on your list. It's short, powerful, and beautifully written. If you audiobook it, you may get a Forward by Woodson too. Have your tissues ready and give this a go. The only thing you'll regret is how little we've moved forward in society.

[onmyojisrambles]

Honestly tho

How do you put out a video essay on the premise of an interracial ship in media and just

Start talking about the white ship for the rest of it? And not touch the clearly queer coded Black character?

Got news for ya. You’ve completely failed the damn essay.

[queer-and-dear-books]

Title: Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun

Author: Jonny Garza Villa

Genre: YA Fiction | Romance | Friendship | LGBTQ+

Content Warnings: Child Abuse | Homophobia | Bullying | Underaged Drinking

Overall Rating: 10/10

Personal Opinion: One of my favorite books of all time. Julian wants to escape his narrow-minded small town to go to a place that would welcome him and his rainbow glory. He meets Mat (who is from Southern California) online and they instantly hit it off. Before long, they’re having late-night conversations, sending each other gifts, and calling each other adorable pet names. If you want to fall in love with a couple, look no further than Jules and Mat in this book!

Do I Own This Book? Yes! This is actually my most favorite book currently so I bought a copy of my own almost immediately after I read it.

Couple Classification: Julian Luna X Mat Troi Pham = Jock/Nerd X Nerd/Prep (?)

Spoilers Below For My Likes & Dislikes:

Likes:

- AN ASIAN LOVE INTEREST who is GAY and crushed on FIRST! Mat Pham is Viet and he’s gay and he is happily in love with Julian Luna. Like the two of them are literally so cute together! They’re interracial, they call each other “Sunshine” (because “Mat Troi” means “sun”) and “Moonlight” (because “Luna” means “moon”) and god, I just want them to be happy for eternity! Like they cheer each other up when they’re down. They have great chemistry! It’s clear that they love each other in the gifts they exchange and the words they say, it kills me how cute they are! Plus, all of Mat’s siblings are queer too. His brother is bi and is married to a Filipino man and his sister is a lesbian. They said “the bloodline ends with us” and I find that hilarious and amazing. Especially because their parents are so accepting and loving of all three of their queer kids.

- Yo, the friendships are so good too! Jordan, Itzel, and Lou are unapologetically Julian’s friends even after he’s accidentally outed, it’s crazy. They ride or die for him. Rolie too. He admits to feeling awkward in the beginning and worrying that their friendship will end but once he saw Julian harassed, he did not hesitate to throw down for his friend. It makes sense given his machismo upbringing too. But like Julian said, he turned out well. Lou is also pansexual and Jordan’s been Julian’s protector since day 1. Plus, they all already suspected that Julian was gay but they respected him and his choice to come out whenever. No pressure. And that is a sign of a beautiful bond. Such an amazing chosen family.

- Finally! A book where being hesitant to come out makes so much sense! Julian lives in the deep south and he grew up with a homophobic, physically abusive father who would beat him for doing any act that could be perceived as queer. It’s no wonder Julian was scared out of his mind and unable to come out and just be himself. So when he gained the courage to stand up to his dad when the bastard had the audacity to show up at Xochi’s house, I cheered internally. So hard. And Julian stood up to his queerphobic teammates in the end too. That was fucking amazing. He proved he was a better player and shut them up too. Hell fucking yeah!

- Xochi and Guelo deserve an award for best family ever. It’s hard to cut out the father but the way they give their all for Jules is awe-inspiring. Xo was there for him after he’d gotten disowned and she became his legal guardian and did all she could to make sure he got the help he needed (financial aid, counseling, a house to live in). And Guelo being genuinely excited to meet Mat was just so cute! I’m glad they clarified that he’s the maternal grandpa because otherwise, dad would not make any sense to me. But ugh, the two of them in Jules’s corner proved to be one of the best parts of this book! They care so much about him and are so protective and I adore them.

- I usually get sick and tired of seeing characters get anxious and depressed. Probably because it’s like looking in a mirror, it hits way too close to home. But Julian’s anxiety makes sense. Given his upbringing and the abuse he endured from his father, it makes sense why he entered fight/flight/freeze mode when something happens. And then there was all the anxiety surrounding college too. He didn’t get into his dream school UCLA or his backup USC, but he got into Loyola Marymount which is a private college and expensive. It’s in LA and that meant he could be in the city he dreamed of and be with Mat too. But UT was offering him a full ride and his dad gave him an ultimatum concerning going there, a top school. Julian’s fears make sense. And I love that Mat never pressured him to go to California if UT was a more sensible option. Also, the moment that Ram saw Julian struggling and having been kicked out because he’s gay, the financial advisor was ready to do whatever he could to get Julian in and I loved that. That is a good man who was likely sympathetic to Julian’s plight as, probably, a fellow queer.

- The comedy in this book is so on point! my favorite joke by far though, is the four Cs for good gay sex that Ruben came up with: “Consent. Cleanliness. Communication. Condoms.” And when he came up with new Cs consisting of mostly gay icons (”CHER. CELINE. CHRISSY. CHRIST.”) when Xochi almost caught him saying it to their brothers killed me. And ugh, all the moments when Julian was chilling with his friends and joking around. Jordan’s bi-curious jokes were honestly a hit for me.

Dislikes:

- Not much to complain about in all honesty? Like, after Late To The Party, this book knew how to use social media. By which I do mean that the kids knew how to use it. For music, for stanning celebrities, for accidentally and drunkenly outing yourself. Maybe social media was used too much but it’s realistic. It’s real. Maybe my biggest complaint is that Itzel was initially unsupportive of Jules dating someone he met online. Lots of people do it. I get that she was protective of him (considering all he’s gone through) but he didn’t deserve to be yelled at. He was happy and she momentarily ruined it for him. And they even stopped talking for a bit. But to me, that wasn’t really fair of her because it’s modern day. Almost no one starts dating people they haven’t met online first.

- I don’t mind the interspersed Spanish sprinkled throughout the book but I do somewhat wish there was maybe a dictionary at the end of the book because, while most of it can be translated with Google, there was also a lot of slang that was untranslatable. Again, not really an issue. It’s not the author’s fault I don’t know Spanish.

- Fuck Julian’s dad. That’s all I’ll say about him.

- Where did the prankster get a dildo from? No seriously, those things are fucking expensive. Why did some random kid decide to get one just to torment the one out gay kid in school? 

- Also, what’s Piña’s deal, anyway? He gives off major bi vibes but barely aware of it because of compulsory heterosexuality. Well, hopefully he figures himself out in college when he experiments. I have no doubt he would.

- The last two aren’t complaints by the way, just questions that don’t really need answers, I’m just curious.

[korra-the-red-lion]

She Drives Me Crazy: review.

I just read She Drives Me Crazy by Kelly Quindlen in my quest to read more queer books this year (I want to have a list of recs for Pride Month and feel as of my collection is lacking in diversity since I mostly read fantasy and historical mysteries at the moment). I’m going to try to avoid spoilers in this review.

The cover really drew my attention when I was on Goodreads. I would like to start this review by saying I heard about this book around 8:30ish here, and I bought it right away.

Scottie can’t get over her ex girlfriend, Tally. After getting into a minor car accident with resident popular girl Irene Abraham, Scottie cooks up a plan to get back at her ex after realizing how much more popular she and the girls’ basketball team became after Irene starts hanging around her. She’ll date Irene to scorn her ex and climb the social ladder.

Here comes both the fake dating and the enemies-to-lovers tropes.

Now usually, I’m not a fan of fake dating, but I think it actually worked really well here because of how the author writes the characters. Both of them are so snotty and rude to one another, and there were whole parts of them snarking that had me laughing out loud as I read it. But slowly you see from Scottie’s perspective how Irene is falling for her, and it’s really nuanced. Scottie is falling for Irene too, but she can’t see it at first through her ill-advised attempt to get back at her toxic ex Tally.

I loved how Quindlen wrote the fall out of dating someone who is manipulative. Scottie can’t help but think of Tally in almost every situation where she’s feeling happy or sad. Because Tally torn her down, and made her feel worthless. Scottie can be quite toxic at times because Quindlen understands that toxicity breeds toxicity. Scottie isn’t a toxic person, but she developed toxic habits that she needs to unlearn.

 Irene is a sweetheart. I loved her. I honestly can’t think of anything bad to say against her. She went through so much and is very guarded, but once you realize why she is, it breaks your heart. She’s just absolutely wonderful and I love her.

Danielle is an amazing character as well. She’s the top of her class, star player on the basketball team, and just a really supportive friend. But, she also gets her licks in, and she made me laugh the most. Honey-Belle is another wonderful character who warms my heart.

I think there are one major weakness in this book: character development. You really care about Scottie, Irene, Danielle, but everyone else gets a little left behind because there wasn’t a lot of wiggle room to spare. That’s not to say it detracts or anything, but it is something I noticed while reading. The book is short, not even 300 pages I believe. But that also is a plus because it makes for breezy reading. I finished it in a few hours. But even the bad characters are just typical mean highschoolers for no real reason other than to start drama, but it is a YA.

There was one scene that had me melting, it was really beautiful. I won’t spoil it but I thought it was such a lovely moment.

The ending of Scottie’s self discovery is quite satisfying. It wasn’t easy for her, and the trip there was messy, but life is messy. I’m really pleased with how it turned out.

Also Scottie’s sisters are great.

Overall, if you’re looking for a rom-com, a queer romance, a healing journey, and/or a quick read, this is a great book to try out. I absolutely recommend it. Also, interracial romance anyone? Loved it. 

[gimmeromance]

Ask from @sexylibrarian93:

Hi there, I was wondering if I could get some recommendations. I work at a public library in rural Canada and my boss just asked for recommendations for queer romances to create a new collection at our library. I’ve already recommended your books, GL Carriger and the weird and wonderful anthology as a jumping off point but I was wondering if you or your followers had any other suggestions for paperback/physical books/authors to look for?

@thebibliosphere​ sent this to us since we’ve got a ton of ideas. LOL

Without knowing your library’s budget for this or policy on stocking indie authors vs. trad pub, it’s a little tricky to know what exactly to suggest... but here’s a few you might want to take a look at, and definitely check out other works by these authors too - several of these books are first-in-series and the entire series will fall into the Queer Romance category.

As a note there are a few authors who pretty much exclusively write queer romance: KJ Charles, Olivia Waite, Annabeth Albert, Cat Sebastian, Casey McQuiston, Alexis Hall, Keira Andrews, TJ Klune, Adrianna Herrera (a lot of it), Niamh Murphy, and Claire Lydon.

We also want to make it clear that bisexual, pansexual, demisexual, and asexual people can be in relationships with people of the opposite gender and it is still a queer romance. One partner does not stop being queer just because they are in a het relationship.

--

The Love Study - Kris Ripper - M/Non-binary, Closed-Door, Contemporary, Romantic Comedy

Her Lady’s Honor - Renée Dahlia - F/F, Open-Door, 20th Century Historical (post WWI)

The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics - Olivia Waite - F/F, Regency, Unknown Heat Level

Once Ghosted, Twice Shy - Alyssa Cole - F/F, Contemporary, Black Romance, Unknown Heat Level

A Fashionable Indulgence - KJ Charles - M/M, Regency, Open-Door

Hither, Page - Cat Sebastian - M/M, 20th Century Historical (Post WWII), Open-Door

Their Troublesome Crush by Xan West - M/F Trans Romance, Open Door (Contemporary)

The Charm of Magpies Series, Book One: The Magpie Lord  KJ Charles M/M Open Door (Historical)

Edge of the Woods by Jules Robin Kelley M/F Bisexual, lots of queer side characters, queer romance, Open Door (Contemporary, Paranormal.)

Red White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston M/M Romance Open Door (Contemporary)

Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall - M/M Romance Closed Door (Contemporary)

All or Nothing by Rose Lerner - M/F Bisexual Romance (Historical)

Mrs. Martin's Incomparable Adventure by Courtney Milan F/F Romance Unknown. (Historical)

Knit One, Girl Two by Shira Glassman - F/F Romance, Unknown. (Contemporary)

My Heart is in the Highlands by Amy Hoff - F/F Romance Open Door (Historical) 

The Cybernetic Tea Shop by Meredith Katz - F/F Asexual Romance, Closed Door. (Sci-Fi)

Lord of the Last Heartbeat: A Fantasy Romance (The Sacred Dark Book 1) by May Peterson - Trans Romance Unknown (Fantasy)

Place to Belong by Claire Boston - M/M Romance, Unknown (Contemporary)

The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee - M/M Bisexual Romance, Unknown (YA Romance)

Take A Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert - M/F Bisexual Romance, Open Door (Contemporary, Interracial)

Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender - Trans FtM/M, Unknown, (Contemporary, YA, Interracial)

Heart & Seoul by Erin Kinsella - M/F Demisexual, Open Door, (Contemporary, Interracial)

The Baroness Affair by Jean Wilde - M/M/F Polyamorous Equal Triad, Open Door (Regency, Historical)

Hunger Pangs: True Love Bites - M/M with hints of eventual M/M/F Polyamorous Equal Triad, Open Door (Victorian, Paranormal)

--

Honestly we could go on forever about this ask. There are so many good authors out there now. If we missed your favorite it’s not a meant as a slight at all.

*These suggestions are not endorsements. Please read the description and the reviews to decide whether you want to read the books!

[wickedwitchoftheemidwest]

Happy New Year, everybody! I know that Literally no one cares or will read this, but I have to rate and talk about what I’ve read this year and this is my page, so deal with it.

2020 may have been a dumpster fire of a year, but I did read so me pretty good books. I didn’t get to read as many books as I wanted (like always), but that’s life. If you couldn’t tell, I do have a preference for romance novels, and these selections are very... 🌈 and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Here we go:

- Lies we Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley (4/10)

- I think I could write a dissertation about why I have a problem with this book, but I think I can just stop with “a white lady writing an interracial queer romance in the 1960s where the lead white character is literally a racist” should about cover it. Absolutely disappointed.

- Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston (10/10)

- Oh my god does Casey McQuiston know how to write a book. Classic enemies to lovers, my favorite trope. This is my comfort novel that I use as a form of escapism, and probably the reason I didn’t read many new books, as I reread it about five times. It’s my comfort novel, and I come back to it every time I need to feel happy. I’ve made three of my friends read this book, and I recommend it to everyone

- These Witches Don’t Burn by Isabel Sterling (8/10)

- It’s sapphic, it has witches, and it’s adorable; what more could you possibly want? The ending left me wanting more. I was finally able to buy the sequel and I can’t wait to get into it.

- Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan (7/10)

- I think this book is sort of a classic when it comes to gay YA. This was a pretty good book, but it took me awhile to get into it.

- Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins (9/10)

- What did I say about enemies to lovers? HRH was regarded as sapphic Red, White, and Royal Blue, which I think is all you need to know to be interested. This book and short, sweet, and to the point. It’s an easy read (I read it twice, both times in one day). I think there could’ve been some more character building, but it’s so adorable I literally do not care. When I say I want more cute gay romcoms, they should use HRH as the blueprint.

- It’s Not Like It’s a Secret by Misa Sugiura (7/10)

- A cute, interracial sapphic love story where no white people are involved (the main character is Japanese American and her love interest is Mexican American). This coming of age story deals with acceptance, cultural differences, racism, and coming out. I think some of the points it was trying to delve into were too much on the nose at some times, but I really enjoyed this book.

- The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue and The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee (9/10)

- A fun romp set some time in the 1700s with a chaotic bi as the main lead? Count me in! I read this whole series this year, including the novella (the gentleman’s guide to getting lucky), and I loved every second of it. It’s an adventure series with some romance sprinkled in (a hella slow burn, but definitely worth it). The whole series has gay, bi, lesbian, and ace aro representation, and I was in love the entire time.

- You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson (8/10)

- The black sapphic book I needed. Liz Lighty decides she wants to leave her hometown and go to college, but after losing the financial aid she was counting on, she remembers the scholarship that prom queen gets every year, and decides to run. Sprinkle in a cute love story, and I’m hooked.

- The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (10/10)

- I... cannot put into words how this book made me feel. When I finished TSOA, I cried all night trying to recover. Beautifully written, and I still can’t get over Achilles and Patroclus. One of my favorite books this year.

- Sorry Not Sorry by Naya Rivera

- After Naya’s tragic passing in July, I struggled to find her autobiography anywhere. However, I was finally able to get my hands on it, and am so glad that I did. Naya Rivera was just as genuinely funny and carefree as her previous costars have said, and I wish the world could’ve gotten more of her.

Not pictured:

- Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst (9/10)

- Sapphic love story about a princess who has been betrothed to a prince from a nearby country her whole life who instead falls in love with his sister. The main character, Denna, also possesses magical powers, which is forbidden in their land. One of my favorite things about this book is that it’s set in medieval times, but no one cares about queer relationships. The only problem with Denna falling in love with the princess is that she’s betrothed to her brother and nothing else. I recently bought the sequel to this book as well, and I’m excited to read it

- The After Series (books 1-2) by Anna Todd (-400/10)

- I was curious about this series because of how terrible the movies are, and needed to read them myself. I apologize to myself every day that I every even wasted my time on these two books. If I ever see Anna Todd, it’s on sight immediately. Not only is the writing terrible, but the romanticization of abusive relationships is absolutely unacceptable. I think I could take less issue with these books if the author wrote them as a “what to look for in men you should never date” rule book, but it isn’t. I could actually write an essay on why these books are more harmful than entertaining and how I genuinely think this series should have never been published. Also, Harry Styles did not deserve this.

I also discovered WEBTOON this year, and here are some of my favorites that I have read:

- Always Human by creator walkingnorth, a finished WLW story which was absolutely beautiful to look at and delightful to read.

- Lore Olympus by creator Rachel Smythe. I don’t think you can find too many people who haven’t heard of this story, but it’s a retelling of the Hades and Persephone mythology, and I adore it.

- Novae by creators KaixJu. A historical, queer and paranormal romance about a necromancer who falls for an astronomer.

- My Lady Artemisia by creator rimarza. This WEBTOON is a little bit newer with fewer episodes, about a knight tasked with guarding the princess, which starts to prove difficult once she starts to gain feelings for the princess, and an impending threat might cause her to past to come to the surface.

Of course, I’ve also spent a lot of my time on A03. I know I’ve read more, but here are the ones I bookmarked and have come back to this year:

- kiss me (if you mean it) by nerdybutpunk

- Carry On fanfic, short but sweet, absolute fluff

- Camp Llwynywermod by bleedingballroomfloor

- Red, White, and Royal Blue AUwhere Henry and Alex are camp counselors. It’s so good and I find myself waiting every wed and sat for the updates.

I read more this year than I have in a long time, and I enjoyed it most of the time. My goal for 2021 is to read at least two books a month and to expand my horizons to something that isn’t YA and isn’t romance. Also to find Anna Todd and tell her off. Hopefully we can accomplish some of that.

[emmett-mchearty]

Reasons to watch Julie and the Phantoms, for the Twilight Fandom:

I hear y'all like Gay Shit™ and boy does this show deliver. A canon, interracial mlm relationship that is treated in the EXACT same way a straight relationship would've been. Neither men involved are stereotyped and they're so soft for each other it kills me.

Cheyenne Jackson's entire being. A queer coded character played by a bonafide homosexual. 👌😫 He plays Caleb Covington, dead ex-magician and Extra Little Bastard™

Latina lead character with a best friend who is also a poc. Flynn is a ride or die, get chu a Flynn.

Beautiful soundtrack. Every song is a bop. Y'all remember Lemonade Mouth? Wack. HSM? Wack. Julie and her 3 ghost himbos??? They're tight as FUCK.

Booboo Stewart is in it, y'all know ya love Booboo Stewart. He has a dance number and a cute awkward boyfriend.

"Girls, right guys?!" "Haha yeah" "No. 🙂"

Have I mentioned every song slaps? Cuz every song slaps.

@twilightofficial made a group chat for us to scream about it without spoiling it for other people. Y'all know y'all wanna come scream in a group chat bout some gay shit. Join us. 😈😈😈

[sid471]

So Falcon and the Winter Soldier has been over for a while now

Buuuuuuuuut NOW I have the motivation to do this post. SO Sambuck :3 I am a proud shipper of these 2 😗 I shipped’em from the jump. They build such a strong relationship, and you can say they’re just friends but like... that doesn’t prevent them from getting together .-. Enemies to Friends to Lovers is underrated anyway 😗. And also it’s a double whammy of representation :3 We have a healthy queer romance and a healthy interracial romance where they check in on each other’s mental health and help each other grow ^_^

BUT instead... We got Bucky and Sarah? .-. Now if you ship them more power to you happy for you :3 but I do not ._. Like... it felt like they started setting up Buck and Sarah SPECIFICALLY so they wouldn’t have to do Sam and Buck. Don’t get me wrong I LOVE Sarah she’s a great character. And I LOVE Bucky he’s a great character. But putting them together felt so outta left field .-. Like when they showed Bucky smiling at Sarah Like That I literally said “Oh no >_>” Out loud. Like they JUST met they don’t even know each other <_< Ya know who do know each other? Ya know who’s supported, built a bond, and established trust with each other? Sam and Bucky 😊. Now I understand with either ship we still get the interracial couple representation. But like if you wanted Bucky to achieve that you could’ve put him with that Chinese girl he went on a date with. They had leagues more chemistry than him and Sarah did .-. I mean sure we know Sarah more but like... not ALL Romances have to be shown on screen. Some romances can be shown briefly and still be impactful 😗.

Now at the end of the day the shows done so this ain’t gonna do anything lol. But I just feel... a little to strongly about this >_> Because Bucky and Sarah? Really? .-. One smile and they’re swooning come on now <_< Bucky and Sam had a whole show of growth together and separately >_>

[so-honey-sing]

would anyone read a book about a plus size lesbian girl in college and the story of her getting closer with and dating this super cute and pretty bisexual girl. its an interracial relationship, and obviously theres a little miscommunication bc thats the usual but its not like bad miscommunication its just dumb misunderstandings, and the main characters friend group is mostly queer bc thats just how it is ya know? deals with adhd and other mental health too maybe. I was originally writing it in high school but i was like nah, thats not the vibe ya know? i want more new adult queer fiction. so now im gonna adapt that to be set in college and the college vibes, like all nighters and stupid group projects and small house parties w/ friends where yall just drink and dance a little but then it dissolves into playing games or just watching dumb youtube videos

[bleeding-star-heart]

YA ALIGNMENT CHART

Before we begin, let’s clarify what each section of the chart means: 

Problematic: The story is chock-full of harmful messaging from start to finish. It  contains harmful stereotypes about racial minorities, LGBTQIA+ folks, disabled people, the neurodivergent, religious minorities, or any other marginalized group. It spreads misinformation, leans into harmful tropes, and teaches morals that perpetuate oppression. 

Prob-Spiring: The story is a mixed bag of both positive and harmful messaging. It has both messages that inspire positive social change and morals that inspire allyship and help unlearn internalized bigotry as well as potential harmful stereotypes, misinformation, and/or morals which help perpetuate oppression. 

Inspiring: The story is relatively free of harmful messaging. For the most part, it inspires positive social change, helps people unlearn internalized bigotry, and inspires people to be allies to the marginalized. A story in this area is not perfect, and may contain small, minor problematic elements, but for the most part, the creator has done their research and has been careful to avoid putting harmful messages in it. 

Regressive: The creator is DELIBERATELY attempting to teach morals which uphold oppressive systems. Any content that supports oppression is put in the story on PURPOSE. The creator either does not understand why these morals are harmful, or does not see the oppressive systems they are upholding as wrong.

Neutral: The creator is not trying to teach any moral that is either progressive OR regressive. They are neither upholding nor trying to dismantle oppressive systems. The work is meant to be entertainment; any morals that arise are accidental. 

Progressive: The creator is ACTIVELY trying to dismantle oppressive systems/teach morals that dismantle oppressive systems through their work. Any harmful content is most likely accidental. 

Now for the explanation of why these works fall into specific categories: 

Twilight, obviously, is Regressive Problematic because it contains harmful messages, and because those harmful messages were intentional on the part of Stephanie Meyer. 

The Mortal Instruments falls into the Problematic axis because its main queer couple is a highly pedophilic ship (Alec is a teenager where Magnus is a centuries-old adult), the bisexual half of that couple, Magnus, is a stereotypical Promiscuous Bisexual, and because the characters of color are treated terribly. Oh, yes, and it also romanticizes incest. However, it is Neutral Problematic not because of its content, but because Cassie Clare does not appear to be trying to teach a moral with these books. 

The Throne of Glass series is Progressive Problematic because while SJM is trying to teach feminist messages with it, she fails on every level, causing the story to be laden with harmful messages. Imperialism is glorified, abuse is glorified, guardian/ward sexual tension is glorified, black characters die solely to further white characters’ arcs, and the heroine spends the entirety of at least TWO books utterly stripped of agency. 

Chronicles of Narnia is Regressive Prob-Spiring, because C.S. Lewis actively attempts to uphold oppression with everything he does, and his children’s series is no different. On the good side, we have four strong female leads in Lucy, Susan, Jill, and Aravis. Aravis is especially good because she is brown alongside being female, and strong female characters who happen to be brown are RARE.  It also somewhat positively depicts an interracial relationship. On the problematic side...The Calormenes are portrayed in the most racist manner possible most of the time, the characters actually don BROWNFACE in the final book, the story, despite the awesome female leads, manages to be amazingly sexist in places, and the rulers of a country deny schooling to a specific group and that is portrayed as a GOOD thing. Hell, school/education of ANY kind is portrayed VERY negatively, which is a bad message to send to children. Yes, I know C.S. Lewis had a bad school experience, but that doesn’t excuse the anti-education slant. 

Harry Potter is Neutral Prob-Spiring, because it does use fascism as a plot device, it is not trying to dismantle oppressive systems that AREN’T fascist. Those are mostly left in place, neither challenged nor supported, so it’s neutral. The inspiring: Hermione Granger. The problematic: Rowling’s opinions on trans people. The anti-Semitic caricature that is the goblins. 

Percy Jackson is Progressive Prob-Spiring because unlike Harry Potter, it is, in a way, attempting to dismantle SOME parts of the oppressive system. Not all, but the story was intentionally written for the purpose of learning disability representation, and has very anti-homophobic themes. Of course, RR’s characterization of Piper is racist-there is no denying this-and the portrayals of the PoC women are colorist in that they make sure PoC characters are as light-skinned as possible.The characterization of Aphrodite is also very misogynistic-in canon, Aphrodite is a bad mom, despite this not being mythologically accurate-parenting was actually one of Aphrodite’s strengths.  She is painted as shallow, and Hephaestus’s entitled Nice Guy attitude is NEVER examined (because Hephaestus is an absolute Nice Guy).

Regressive Inspiring, you will observe, does NOT have an example, because it is IMPOSSIBLE to deliberately teach oppressive morals AND have a product that has positive, anti-oppression morals. It’s just not. Thus it’s a unicorn, because unicorns are fictional. 

Divergent is Neutral Inspiring, and that might make some people mad. But it is that because while the author does not appear to have given it a purpose either way, the story does accidentally have some uplifting messages. Allegiant especially rightfully points out that it is wrong to discriminate based on genetics, and that all people are equal, a moral that is very necessary for today’s world.  While it may have a small anti-intellectual bent, Roth herself acknowledged this and did better later on. Also, it has an anti-conformist message, and a message that people in general are complex and cannot be pigeonholed. 

And The Hunger Games is Progressive Inspiring because while there may be some anti-femininity messaging by accident, in general the book is all about those progressive themes. It critiques the glorification of violence, too much obsession with women’s love lives, and has a brutal anti-war stance to boot. Plus, a heroine who is mostly likely a PoC, too. 

[quietya]

31 Days of quietYA: YA Anthologies

2019 was an incredible year for YA anthologies - though they aren’t really new. Here are some you can pick up now (and some you can pick up in 2020). All Out - Historical Queer Stories Black Enough - Stories of Being Young + Black in America Color Outside the Lines - Interracial and Queer Romances Fresh Ink - WNDB Anthology His Hideous Heart - Edgar Allen Poe Retellings Hungry Hearts - The Intersection of Culture, Food, and Family It’s a Whole Spiel - Jewish YA Meet Cute - Meet Cute Romances My True Love Gave to Me - Winter Holidays The Other F Word - Art, essays, and comics about fatness Out Now - Queer Teens in Modern Day A Phoenix First Must Burn - Black Girl Magic (2020) The Radical Element - Revolution and Resistance Through History Summer Days and Summer Nights - Summer Romances A Thousand Beginnings and Endings - Retellings of East and South Asian Myths + Folklore Three Sides of a Heart - Love Triangles Toil & Trouble - Witchy YA A Tyranny of Petticoats - Historical Fiction and Fantasy Unbroken - Starring Disabled Teens Vampires Never Get Old - Vampire YA (2020)

[theblackmarketofsanseroche]

The Beautiful (Series) - Renee Ahdieh

Rating: 4/5 stars  

The Beautiful is a new series by American author Renee Ahdieh. This series contains all of my favourite elements of YA: period romance, the supernatural, magic and the 19th century aesthetic. A series I truly enjoyed reading despite not having a long lasting impact on my emotions or memory after finishing, yet having left melooking foward to the third ( as of yet unanounced) installment (because trust me there cannot not be a spectaluar, final showodwn after that conclusion).

I shall dicuss this as an overall series, having only discovered the first installment  a few weeks back and having devoured the highly interlinked volumes, both in a couple of days. Spoilers ahead: Warning!. I found our main charcter Celine to be truly enojoyable and not a laughable stock image of the typical strong female protagonist who is not like other girls ( although Celine is most definitely not like other girls). She’s quick witted, unapologetically true and forthcoming, qualities I truly enjoy seeing in historical fiction as they set aside the stereotypical 19th century woman, a second class citizen longing to be rescued by a knight in shining armour.

This series does wonders for inclusivity and giving racial minorities important roles. We have an Indian lawyer, biracial protagonists who progress into an interracial romance, queer characters and a former slave made business-man all under the esotheric skies of New Orleans: a place of rebirth, in more ways than one; wrapped in a noir, captivating vail of beauty.

As well as a fresh cast of characters, we still enocounter some tropes as old as time which, I must confess, I am a true sucker for. Queue our mesmerising love intrest Sebastien: edgy badboy in the first book, tormented and lovesick protagonist in the sequel. Though I am not the type to swoon over romance I found it impossible to resist the heartbreak and entaglement between Bastein and Celine, an amost retelling of the infamous star crossed lovers Romeo and Juliette, if only bloodieer and more magical. It is perhaps this element that makes my heart ache for the tormented heir of the Saint German empire, who longs to be a better man for his beloved whilst still maintaining a truly badass facade.

This series has acheived the impossible: the redemption of the ever meme-tastical Twilight, the embodiment of shame among vampire novels. These vampires posses a dark aura around them that will drag you to a far more enchanting world, although not the most complex, without ever sparkling. The way Ahdieh costructs the supernatural elements of this story is just what I love to see (even though the feys were a little unexpected and, at first, seemed to almost comedically clash against the goth-y vampires, until we begin to understand the true nature of the fight between this rapresentation of Light and Dark.)

From a writing point of view, I found a couple of slightly irking details. The first, originally noted in the first installment of the series, is the occasioanlly awkward phrasing which forces the reader to skim sentences a couple of times to grasp them well. Another element that I hope will dispear in the third book is the use of alternation between first person and third person point of views. In The Beautiful, our anatgonist was wrapped in complete mystery, and the use of present first person POV worked beautifully in giving the reader the sinister feeling of something malicious lurking in the shadows, allowig us to feel just as Celine does and keeping us on the edge of our seats. Unfortunately, this doesnt work as well in the sequel, The Damned, as all the first person POV are Bastien’s chapters which, whilst giving us more insight on his previously mysterious character, fail to deliever the edge this writing technique had in the first book.

Narrative wise, as already mentioned, the sequel brings far more depth to this world than the first pictoresque scenery of New Orleans presented us with. Although, as it is a little unexpected, it takes some getting used to. The fey world our protagonists become heavily involed with seems rather cheesy at times and something out of Lord Of The Rings, which seems to clash almost too much with the vampire, Tim Burton-esque world of vampires. However, it is just this immersion into the broader world that allows us to learn more about the history of vampires themselves and although I would not have admitted it at first, it only works by having the book told mostly from Bastien’s POV, which therefore heightened the whole reveal about Celine’s mother and her royal heriatge in the Otherworld.

A key element of this series which I truly enjoyed is the tragic and passionate romance that prevails against all odds. Although in the first book it appears a mild case of instalove masked as turbulent physical attarction, it becomes far more concreate towards the end and believeable, especially in the second book, where our star crossed lovers are willing to sacrifice their lives for the sake of the other. What I particularly enjoyed is the conflict within Celine when it comes to Bastien and Michael. I grew to hate love triangles after The Infernal Devices ( I have more than several probems with said series and its author despite my love for Will Herondale). However, what we find in The Beautiful isn’t a constant back and forth on what boy should Celine choose. She’s strong willed and follows her heart more than anyone or anything else. The conflict is far more real as it presents as struggle between her heart ( which longs for Bastien despite her blurred memories of him) and her head (which knows a lady in this era should long for a good, respectable husband such as clever detective Michael Grimaldi).

Now, where does this leave us in regards to the third book? If I have to (SPOILER) give my opinion, I think Ahdieh might pull a Twilight twist on us but actually execute it in a logical way: by the time The Damned ends, we have two lovers heirs to two rival thrones and a long to reuinite and restore peace in the Sylvan world. Plus, with the constant talk of legacies, heirs and family, it would be fair to assume we may face yet another half vampire pregnancy in YA. However, far more is yet to be revealed, plenty of characters still hide secrets, a pack longs for a leader, a man has been betrayed by his beloved and we may have met a new antagonist, far more evil than the werewolf full of hatred that has set motion the conclusion of the series as of yet.