I have a hard time picking favorites when it comes to books, which is why lists (that don't have a specific order) are probably my go-to. Stories and other narratives just mean different things to me at different times and yes prose/ideas come into play, but there are plenty of books I like for purely … Continue reading Best of: 2019
Fantasy
The Poppy War
Finally managed to get around to another Nebula nominated book, and THE POPPY WAR by R.F. Kuang is a marvelous debut, that is layered in all the right ways. I listened to it on audio book, narrated by the perfect Emily Woo Zeller and it is a riiiide. Content warnings: sexual assault, rape, extreme violence, … Continue reading The Poppy War
Review: The Armored Saint
THE ARMORED SAINT by Myke Cole was one of the last books I read last year. It's a romping mix of steampunk and fantasy that feels as brutal as the game DIABLO, yet remains tender in the quieter moments. It was a fun, brief read and I cannot wait to get back to this world. … Continue reading Review: The Armored Saint
Review: The Deep
This was my first finished read of 2020, which seems oddly approriate for a myriad of reasons. THE DEEP by Rivers Solomon (with Daveed Diggs, William Hutson & Jonathan Snipes of clipping), is a quietly intimate, fantastical dive into the ocean of memory and generational wounds. We begin with Yetu, who holds the memories of … Continue reading Review: The Deep
Review: Snow Over Utopia
I read a lot of books throughout the year, but there are only a handful that make me take a step back and say "What the F." SNOW OVER UTOPIA by Rudolfo A. Serna was one of those books. Loaded to the very brim with genre-melded, blended goodness, and richly poetic prose, Serna challenges the … Continue reading Review: Snow Over Utopia
Book Release: Apocalypse
Another month, another Black Hare Press anthology drops! This one is filled with all kinds of world ending calamities and both figurative and literal fallout. I experimented with a couple different forms of narrative for my handful of drabbles. They range from climate change catastrophes, to the quiet struggle of surviving amidst complete annihilation. The list … Continue reading Book Release: Apocalypse
Book Release: Beyond
Another month, another Black Hare Press anthology. This one is based around the paranormal, ghosts and the afterlife. I managed to crank out five micro fiction stories for this one, even included a small riff on Ghost busters, so be sure to check those out. The list of all those stories will be at the bottom … Continue reading Book Release: Beyond
Review: Summoned
I've been wanting to dig into Mckayla Eaton's writing for a while, so I jumped on the chance to receive an e-ARC of her debut novel, SUMMONED. What I discovered was a fun fantasy, though subtly-layered in the tradition of YA. Set up as the first of THE DEMON SUMMONER trilogy, Eaton has made an … Continue reading Review: Summoned
Review: The Withered King
It's been a long time since I have read anything that splices so many genres together and Ricardo Victoria really takes the blender to science fiction and fantasy in his debut novel. Small disclosure: He sent me an e-ARC of his book that released on August 20th from Shadow Dragon Press in exchange for a … Continue reading Review: The Withered King
Review: The Renegade God
Matt Spencer I think, gets a sense when it's been too long since I reviewed one his books and he just sends me one to review. I mean, maybe he actually didn't do that, but he did send this to me out of the blue, which was a great surprise and pleasure. Back ito his … Continue reading Review: The Renegade God
Pyles of Books 