“For when Amina chose to leave her home and return to life at sea, she became more than a pirate. More than a witch. She became a legend.” A female pirate retired to a life of single-motherhood and relative domesticity takes to the sea for one more daring adventure? Sign me up. From the momentContinue reading “THE ADVENTURES OF AMINA AL-SIRAFI – Shannon Chakraborty”
Tag Archives: Fantasy
MIRRORED HEAVENS – Rebecca Roanhorse
“And I am happy to see your language is still more drunken sailor than Teek queen.” “Love me. And let fate do its damnedest to get around that.” Rebecca Roanhorse’s epic trilogy, Between Earth & Sky, has come to a close with Mirrored Heavens (SAGA PRESS 2024), and it is one of the more satisfyingContinue reading “MIRRORED HEAVENS – Rebecca Roanhorse”
A LETTER TO THE LUMINOUS DEEP – Sylvie Cathrall
I’m going to start this review with a word of caution and a bit of grace. When I was halfway through the novel, I suffered a stroke. I read some parts in the hospital and finally finished. Perhaps that contributes to my overall feelings about Sylvie Cathrall’s A Letter to the Luminous Deep (4/23/24 Orbit);Continue reading “A LETTER TO THE LUMINOUS DEEP – Sylvie Cathrall”
AKATA WARRIOR – Nnedi Okorafor
“Let the reader beware that there is juju in this book.” Nnedi Okorafor’s Akata Warrior (Viking 2017) is the second installment in the remarkable middle grade Nsibidi Script series that has been dubbed the Nigerian Harry Potter. If you read my review of the first of the series, Akata Witch, you’ll note that I don’tContinue reading “AKATA WARRIOR – Nnedi Okorafor”
THE OGRESS AND THE ORPPHANS – Kelly Barnhill
“But it’s best you know this now, at the beginning of this book. Every story has a villain, after all. And every villain has a story.” Kelly Barnhill is an absolute gift to literature, and not just children’s lit. She’s another one of my “heart hug” authors, but her hugs come in the form ofContinue reading “THE OGRESS AND THE ORPPHANS – Kelly Barnhill”
THE SUN AND THE VOID – Gabriela Romero Lacruz
Gabriela Romero Lacruz’s The Sun and the Void, Book One of The Warring Gods (Orbit 2023) boasts one of my most favorite covers and a premise that had me chomping at the bit to get lost in this magical world inspired by the history and folklore of South America – a world where two youngContinue reading “THE SUN AND THE VOID – Gabriela Romero Lacruz”
THE JASAD HEIR – Sara Hashem
Sara Hashem’s debut, The Jasad Heir (The Scorched Throne #1) (Orbit Book, publication date 7/18/2023) is a slow burn of an enemies to lovers, which takes a backseat to political intrigue, genocide, and the meaning of self. The novel is chock full of fantasy tropes that bleed into each other – Reluctant Hero, Orphan Hero,Continue reading “THE JASAD HEIR – Sara Hashem”
TREACLE WALKER – Alan Garner
“There was a whispering, silence; and on the floor the snow melted to tears.” Alan Garner’s Treacle Walker (4th Estate, HarperCollins 2021) was my final read of the 2022 Booker Prize longlist. Having read it, I’m a bit surprised this slim, little oddity of a novel made the shortlist; but it did, and Garner isContinue reading “TREACLE WALKER – Alan Garner”
THE BONE SHARD WAR – Andrea Stewart
Orbit Books recently sent Andrea Stewart’s The Drowning Empire trilogy in anticipation of the release of book three. (A huge thanks for the gifted books.) Reviews for the first two of the trilogy, The Bone Shard Daughter and The Bone Shard Emperor, have already been posted. The riveting conclusion to the trilogy, The Bone Shard War, willContinue reading “THE BONE SHARD WAR – Andrea Stewart”
THE FAIRY BARGAINS OF PROSPECT HILL – Rowenna Miller
Rowena Miller’s The Fairy Bargains of Prospect Hill (Redhook/Orbit, publication date 3/28/2023) is a bit The Once and Future Witches meets Practical Magic, but with fae instead of witches. It’s a cozy fantasy of sisters, mothers, and womanhood woven with brilliant bits of family, society, and legends. (A huge thanks to the publisher for thisContinue reading “THE FAIRY BARGAINS OF PROSPECT HILL – Rowenna Miller”
A Girl Named Tommi 