Guest Post (The Vine Witch): A History of Witches in France | Feat. Giveaway (US)

I'm so excited to bring you this (belated) guest post today about the history of witches in France, written by author Luanne G. Smith whose debut was released recently on October 1st--a story about witches, revenge, French vineyards, and vine magic (which sounds like the coolest thing). The book is giving me seductive looks from …

Top 5 Wednedsay – BFFs in Fantasy (plus musings about intimacy, societal expectations, and friendships in western vs eastern media)

The prompt for this week is actually BFFs in SFF, but since this is Wyrd and Wonder month, I figured I'd just stick to fantasy. Also, a special shout-out to Locke Lamora and Jean Tannen who totally would have made the list, but things were turning into a bit of a sausage fest so I …

Review: The Binding – Sweetly Flawed and Somewhat Forgettable

Title: The Binding Author: Bridget Collins Publisher: HarperCollins UK Release Date: January 7th, 2019 Genre(s): Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Romance Subjects and Themes: LGBTQIAP+, Memories Page Count: 448 (hardback) Rating: 7.0/10     Emmett Farmer is working in the fields when a letter arrives summoning him to begin an apprenticeship. He will work for a Bookbinder, …

Series Review: The Wode – THIS is How You Do a Robin Hood Retelling

By J. Tullos Hennig Publisher: Dreamspinner Press The Robin Hood legend sat beside King Arthur as "stories I was obsessed with as a kid but am now sick to death of thanks to all the retellings that do the same things over and over" (except Robin Hood: Men in Tights. That one's a masterpiece. Fight …

Review: Where Oblivion Lives (Los Nefilim) – A Nephil’s Quest for a Missing Violin

Title: Where Oblivion Lives (Los Nefilim) Author: T. Frohock Publisher: Harper Voyager Release Date: February 19th, 2019 Genre(s): Fantasy, Historical Fiction Subjects and Themes: Angels/Demons, European History, LGBTQIAP+ Page Count: 368 (paperback) Rating: 7.5/10     Born of daimon and angel, Diago Alvarez is a being unlike all others. The embodiment of dark and light, …

Review: The Wolf in the Whale – An Inuk, Three Wolves, and a Viking Walk into an Igloo (And Go On a Soul-Searching Journey)

Title: The Wolf in the Whale Author: Jordanna Max Brodsky Publisher: Redhook Release Date: January 29th, 2019 Genre(s): Fantasy, Historical Fiction Subjects and Themes: Inuit Mythology, Norse Mythology Page Count: 560 (paperback) Rating: 8.5/10     Born with the soul of a hunter and the spirit of the Wolf, Omat is destined to follow in …

Review: Los Nefilim – Came for Angels and Demons, Stayed for the Sweet Family Drama

Title: Los Nefilim Author: T. Frohock Publisher: Harper Voyager Release Date: April 26th, 2016 Genre(s): Paranormal, Dark Fantasy, Historical Subjects and Themes: LGBTQIAP+ Page Count: 464 (paperback) Rating: 7.5/10     Note: Los Nefilim was originally published as three separate novellas, but they're more like three parts of a single novel, so I suggest reading …

Review: The Poppy War – Beautiful and Terrible in Equal Measure

Title: The Poppy War Author: R.F. Kuang Publisher: Harper Voyager Release Date: May 1st, 2018 Genre(s): Historical, Fantasy Page Count: 544 (hardback) Goodreads Rating: 8.5/10       Was she now a goddess or a monster? Perhaps neither. Perhaps both. Before we get into the review, I would like to put out a Massive Trigger …

Diversity Spotlight Thursday: Historical Fantasy

Diversity Spotlight Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Aimal from Bookshelves & Paperbacks. Each week you come up with three book for three different categories: a diverse book you've read and enjoyed; a diverse book that's already been released and is in your TBR; and a diverse book that hasn't been released yet. This …