July 4, 2017
In 2013, Rainbow Rowell published Fangirl, a young adult novel with an interesting speculative twist. The novel itself wasn’t speculative. It revolves around a set of twin sisters who grew up absolutely enthralled with Rowell’s answer to Harry Potter, Simon Snow. The main focus of the novel is one twin, Cath. Cath isn’t ready to leave her days in the…
June 29, 2017
The Girl with Ghost Eyes (2015) Written by: M. H. Boroson Genre: Historical Fantasy Pages: 306 (Mass Market Paperback) Publisher: Talos Press Why I Chose It: I met M.H. Boroson at the Pikes Peak Writers conference this year and took his workshop on writing better fight scenes. He was fun to listen to and seemed to have a really cool…
June 27, 2017
We Are Legion (We Are Bob) (2016) Written by: Dennis E. Taylor Narrated by: Ray Porter Genre: Science Fiction Length: 9h 31m (Audiobook) Series: Bobiverse Book One Publisher: Audible Studios Why I Chose It: A YouTube channel my husband watches (Corridor Digital) suggested this title. I don’t really watch their content except when Josh has it on nearby, but I perked…
June 22, 2017
Bookburners (2017) Written by: Max Gladstone, Margaret Dunlap, Mur Lafferty, and Brian Francis Slattery Genre: Urban Fantasy Pages: 787 (Hardcover) Publisher: Saga Press/Serial Box Why I Chose It: I’ve previously enjoyed works by a couple of the authors involved in Bookburners. That, and I find the concept behind Serial Box to be really interesting (more on that below!). The premise: The…
June 21, 2017
Brimstone (2017) Written by: Cherie Priest Genre: Dark Historical Fantasy Pages: 331 (Kindle) Publisher: Ace Why I Chose It: Given that I read at a snail’s pace of late, I have to get choosy about who I read. Cherie Priest has been one of my favorite authors since I discovered her debut, Four and Twenty Blackbirds, on Live Journal in…
June 20, 2017
Hugo season continues! With the Nebulas wrapped up, you’ll be seeing more and more Hugo-related posts between now and August. Up next in our reviews of the Hugo-nominated works of 2016: the entire short story category. I was especially drawn to the short story category as a challenge to myself. I haven’t read a lot of short fiction that isn’t…
June 14, 2017
Caraval (2017) Written by: Stephanie Garber Genre: Teen/Fantasy Pages: 407 (Hardcover) Publisher: Flatiron Books Why I Chose It: Caraval first enticed me with its cover, then more with the magical ticket on the back cover, and then finally with the description within the jacket. I like carnivals and games and magic, and I have two sisters. While the premise itself sounds…
May 19, 2017
Everfair (2016) Written by: Nisi Shawl Genre: Steampunk Pages: 383 (Hardcover) Publisher: Tor Books Why I Chose It: This novel has caught my eye since it was released because of the alternate history premise (outside of speculative fiction, I’m a huge fan of historical fiction) and the African setting. Also, the cover is gorgeous. The premise: An alternate history/historical fantasy/steampunk…
May 18, 2017
The Ballad of Black Tom (2016) Written by: Victor LaValle Genre: Dark Fantasy/Historical Fiction Pages: 149 (Paperback) Publisher: Tor.com/Tom Doherty Associates Why I Chose It: I’m not normally a novella reader. When I find characters and a universe that I like, I prefer sweeping epics with multiple, lengthy books, like George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series…
May 17, 2017
A Taste of Honey (2016) Written by: Kai Ashante Wilson Genre: Fantasy Pages: 100 (Nook) Publisher: Tor/Forge Why I Chose It: Many reasons. That gorgeous cover, for one. The story is about two men of color, and that’s what’s on the cover. (Because publishers whitewashing book covers is a thing.) Also because I haven’t read much fantasy lately. And lastly…