Blog Tour + Giveaway (INTL) : Crier’s War by Nina Varela

Hey all! So I ended up taking an unexpected hiatus these past two weeks, because life got busy and I got tired and also kind of sick, and I'm hoping to be back later this week and catch up on...uh, well, a hell of lot of things. *stares bleakly at my pile of draft posts* …

Diversity Spotlight Thursday: SFF Music Mania

Hmm? What's that noise, you ask? Well, that's the sound of a dead meme rising from the ashes. Diversity Spotlight Thursday is back, baby. So this is a weekly meme that was created by Aimal from Bookshelves & Paperbacks (though she's not hosting it anymore), and the idea is that each week you come up …

Mini Rants: His Cocky Valet & Idol Thoughts – How NOT to Write BDSM and Romance

Title: His Cocky Valet (Undue Arrogance 1) Author: Cole McCade Publisher: Self-Published Release Date: May 14th, 2018 Genre(s): Romance (M/M), Contemporary Subjects and Themes: BDSM, Age Gap Page Count: 347 (ebook) Rating: 2.0/10       Ash Harrington's life is out of control. At twenty-three years old, he's suddenly the head of a multibillion dollar …

Five Reasons Why You Need to Read Desdemona and the Deep

Title: Desdemona and the Deep Author: C.S.E. Cooney Publisher: Tor.com Release Date: July 23rd, 2019 Genre(s): Fantasy Subjects and Themes: Fae, LGBTQIAP+ (lesbian mc, trans side character) Page Count: 224 (ebook) Rating: 9.5/10         In Desdemona and the Deep, the spoiled daughter of a rich mining family must retrieve the tithe of …

July Wrap-Up: Family News, Red & Blue is the New Black

I feel like a lot of my personal posts lately have just been me going, "I'm a sad little bundle of sadness!" And, well....the same applies today (I promise a LOT more flowers and rainbows for the next one). But I'll try to keep it brief this time. To put it shortly, my grandmother passed …

Review: Missing, Presumed Dead – A Gritty Queer Paranormal Mystery that I’m Side-Eyeing

Title: Missing, Presumed Dead Author: Emma Berquist Publisher: Greenwillow Books Release Date: May 21st, 2019 Genre(s): YA Paranormal, Mystery Subjects and Themes: Mental Health, LGBTQIAP+ (f/f) Page Count: 384 (hardback) Rating: ???         With a touch, Lexi can sense how and when someone will die. Some say it’s a gift. But to …

Review: This is How You Lose the Time War – This is How You Write a Time Travel Story

Title: This is How You Lose the Time War Author: Amal El-Mohtar, Max Gladstone Publisher: Saga Press Release Date: July 16th, 2019 Genre(s): Sci-Fi, Romance, Epistolary Subjects and Themes: War, LGBTQIAP+ (f/f) Page Count: 208 (hardback) Rating: 9.5/10       Among the ashes of a dying world, an agent of the Commandant finds a …

Reviews: Contagion & Immunity by Erin Bowman – Biological Space Horror and Maple Walnut Ice Cream

Title: Contagion (Contagion 1) Author: Erin Bowman Publisher: HarperTeen Release Date: July 24th, 2018 Genre(s): YA Sci-Fi, Thriller, Horror Subjects and Themes: Microbiology, LGBTQIAP+ Page Count: 432 (hardback) Rating: 7.5/10       After receiving a distress call from a drill team on a distant planet, a skeleton crew is sent into deep space to …

Interview with Sam J. Miller – Destroy all Monsters

A crucial, genre-bending tale, equal parts Ned Vizzini and Patrick Ness, about the life-saving power of friendship. Solomon and Ash both experienced a traumatic event when they were twelve. Ash lost all memory of that event when she fell from Solomon’s treehouse. Since then, Solomon has retreated further and further into a world he seems …

Review: Last Bus to Everland – Life Sucks But We’re in it Together

Title: Last Bus to Everland Author: Sophie Cameron Publisher: Roaring Brook Press Release Date: June 18th, 2019 Genre(s): YA Contemporary, Portal Fantasy Subjects and Themes: Mental Health, LGBTQIAP+ Page Count: 336 (hardback) Rating: 8.0/10       Brody Fair feels like nobody gets him: not his overworked parents, not his genius older brother, and definitely …