Sasha | @midnightbookgirl_

An absolutely gorgeous novel of rebellion and politics that discusses immigrancy, class and feminism in a powerful way with a stunning, sapphic, rivals-to-lovers romance at its centre. Exciting, important and loveable. 

Amber | @bookishsappho

I loved everything about this book. From the first chapter, I was completely caught up in the story and dying to know how it would unfold. The dynamic between all of the characters is so interesting to read about and I loved the sense of community that was built up throughout the book. Dani and Carmen are so cute together and their romance was perfect.

Alice | @alice_1902

This book was so powerful, from the distinctive cast of diverse characters to the interwoven quotes and metaphors that are incredibly prevalent in today’s climate. Having such driven characters at the forefront of this novel made it an addictive read, finding ourselves rooting and growing with them from the first pages. The politics within this world had me gripped, being easy to understand and allowing us to grow with the understanding of it through both the characters and through a ‘show not tell’ style. The romance, I mean, what can I say about it, it was so perfectly crafted. Enemies to lovers is one of the best tropes in YA, and between Dani and Camren the author developed their romance so well, setting a steady pace and making it feel authentic. There isn’t a page within this book that won’t grip you, won’t make you feel something and think about how the topics in this book reflect the world we live in.

Gayatri | @bitterwitchreads

We Set the Dark on Fire was everything I needed in a book, YA Feminist Fantasy with hate to love Sapphic romance. I was on this huge reading slump and getting into this world and following Dani brought me out of my slump. The romance was my favourite part this book, I loved the tension and development, chemistry between Dani and Carmen was just perfect. Also the book skilfully deals with topics like gender and power and I wish the teenage self of mine had an opportunity to read this. I cannot wait to read the next one!!!

Alex | Woods of the Books

Mexican inspired fantasy isn’t something I read a lot unfortunately, but after this book completely BLESSED my EYES, I will be keeping my eye out for more, especially more by this author. Because this book was insanely amazing.

The world that Tehlor Kay Mejia created in this book was so unique, and the mythology behind it was stunning. I loved how although this was definitely a fantasy, I could see many connections to the real world, including the refugee origin story of our main character Dani and the wall that was supposedly keeping those who would hurt the community out. These sorts of commentary are important, and seeing them in this wonderful fantasy novel was even better.

And the ROMANCE oh my GOD I was SWOONING the ENTIRE time. From the moment I met the two characters, I could see the sexual tension between them. I could tell they were both absolutely LUSTING after each other. I am both excited and afraid to read the next book, because I know it’s not going to be pretty, and I’m not ready to see them not happy together. But these books are too good to pass up, and I can’t wait to go out and read all the other books by the author!

House of Dragons by Jessica Cluess was an exciting and fast-paced fantasy which I really enjoyed. 

A competitor from each of the five Houses of Etrusia must fight to be Emperor, but it seems the wrong candidates have been picked… 

The Liar: Emilia must hide her terrifying powers or be put to death. I really liked Emilia, she was smart and bookish, she was kind but also prone to scheming, and very perceptual of other people. I really enjoyed her storyline of accepting and harassing her chaotic power, it was so interesting!

The Soldier: Lucian is a warrior who has sworn never to lift a sword again. I didn’t care either way for Lucian, he wasn’t a bad or shallow character, he just wasn’t my favourite. He was brave and caring, but he didn’t particularly capture my interests. I would have liked to know more about his relationship with his sister Dido, though!
The Servant: Vespir is a dragon trainer – her skills alone will keep her in the game. I think Vespir was my favourite! Is it partly because she’s a lesbian? Probably. Vespir was also incredibly brave and as her real personality began to show after years of servitude I just totally fell for her! Her relationship with her dragon Karina was super interesting and complex too.

The Thief: Ajax knows that nothing will be handed to him – he must take what he wants. Ajax was my least favourite – I do emphasise and understand his pain but he was so annoying most of the time, he made really foolish decisions and his character was egotistical and selfish.

The Murderer: Hyperia was born to rule. Nothing – and no one – will keep her from the throne. Is Hyperia slightly evil? Why yes, but I absolutely adore her. She knows what she wants, and she isn’t afraid to fight for it. She’s badass and noble, and sticks to her beliefs. Her character was so complex and I can’t wait to see where book two takes her.

My main critique of this book is that the pacing was very off. The first half of the book was made up of scenes that felt very separate and barely fitted together,  it was jarring and the story didn’t flow very well at all. But the second half of the book was where it got really good – the story finally made sense and the plot line was continual instead of broken up. 

The world is so interesting, mostly because DRAGONS! I loved the dragons in this book, they were so interesting and awesome, and as more got revealed about their origin, their story became even more intriguing and unique. The magic also make the world of Etrusia really interesting, as well as the debate of colonisation and it’s terrible impact that feels very relevant!

Overall House of Dragons was a magical and exciting fantasy with quite a bit of depth that surpassed my expectations! If you can make it through the earlier chapters, it’s a really enjoyable and memorable story, and I can’t wait to read book two. 

You Brought Me the Ocean by Alex Sanchez and Julie Maroh is a gorgeous and vivid story about identity, incorporating superhero aspects into a character-driven and emotional story. 

Jake Hyde lives in a small town in the middle of the desert – he longs to move to the sea after his last year of high school, but in the mean time he deals with the difficulties of friendship, first love, prejudice, family and finding out that he’s, well, a superhero!
I really enjoyed this comic. It wasn’t perfect and I do understand some of the criticism of it but for me it was a perfect escapist and enjoyable story. I really love how character focused it was – I know it is a superhero story, but that’s just another aspect that plays into Jake discovering and accepting his identity. Obviously, I love the super power and fighting stuff, but what I love even more is the emotions in this comic. It’s topics of acceptance are so beautiful and the blossoming relationship between Jake and Kenny is so adorable and sweet! I liked Maria too, and her friendship with Jake, as well as all of their parents. This was a story about super powers but most importantly it was about relationships of all forms. 

I liked all the characters so much, and the art captures their personalities so well. I love it’s pale hues with vivid aspects, the emotive expressions that make the characters so relatable and loveable and the gorgeous scenery. The art overall was so expressive and stunning.

I love Jake, he is a mix of sweet, sensitive and funny that makes him so likeable and such a great main character. His personality was so clear in such a short comic, which I really appreciate. Kenny was so cute and the chemistry between him and Jake was so real! I also really liked Maria, Jake’s best friend, who is kind, hopeful and fierce. 

The plot wasn’t super exciting or fast paced, but I still got totally lost in it, and I’d really like to see more of these characters! 

You Brought Me The Ocean was a beautiful story of identity and relationships that shone from the page, and I’d definitely recommend it as the perfect graphic novel for pride month. 

Hi everyone! Today is another post in our pride month recommendations series, and today’s is focused on books that feature an asexual or aromantic character! Hopefully there’s lots of new books for you to read on here, enjoy – Sasha and Amber ❤

BLACK LIVES MATTER LINKS

 

Beyond the Black Door by A.M. Strickland

An imaginative dark fantasy features court intrigue and romance, a main character coming to terms with her asexuality, and twists and turns as a seductive mystery unfolds that endangers not just Kamai’s own soul, but the entire kingdom …

 

Belle Révolte by Linsey Miller

Two girls, one rich, one poor, swap lives in order to follow their dreams, but the brewing revolution draws them both in, and they are forced to test the limits of their magic, strength and love.

 

Tarnished Are the Stars by Rosiee Thor

A queer OwnVoices sci-fi about a complicated love triangle between a girl with an illegal clockwork heart, an assasin and a comissioner’s son.

 

The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow

Can a girl who risks her life for books and an alien who loves forbidden pop music work together to save humanity?

 

Loveless by Alice Oseman

This wise, warm and witty story of identity and self-acceptance sees Alice Oseman on towering form as Georgia and her friends discover that true love isn’t limited to romance.

 

Lets Talk About Love by Claire Kann

A story about self-acceptance and coming to terms with your sexuality even when other people don’t understand and make it hard to do so.

 

Before I Let Go by Marieke Nijkamp

Best friends Corey and Kyra were inseparable in their snow-covered town of Lost Creek, Alaska, until Kyra dies and the people of the town push Corey away like she’s a stranger.

 

Daughter of the Burning City by Amanda Foody

Sorina is one of the only illusion-workers born in years, and her special talent allows her to create illusions that others can see and touch, they’re her family – but they’re not real, or so she thought, until one of them is murdered.

 

Seven Ways We Lie by Riley Redgate

Seven students. Seven (deadly) sins. One secret.

 

 

Summer Bird Blue by Akemi Dawn Bowman

If there’s one thing Rumi is absolutely sure of, it’s that she wants to spend the rest of her life writing music with her younger sister, Lea. Then Lea dies in a car accident, and her mother sends her away while she deals with her own grief.

 

Their Troublesome Crush by Xan West

In this queer polyamorous m/f romance novella, two metamours realize they have crushes on each other while planning their shared partner’s birthday party together.

 

Rick by Alex Gino

From the award-winning author of George, the story of a boy named Rick who needs to explore his own identity apart from his jerk of a best friend.

 

The Lost Coast by Amy Rose Capetta

The spellbinding tale of six queer witches forging their own paths, shrouded in the mist, magic, and secrets of the ancient California redwoods.

 

 

Read Your Gays is a readathon happening from 8-15th June that focuses on reading, well, gay books! It’s organised by @bostonsbooks who is very awesome, and this year we both wanted to take part! We think this readadthon is EXTRA COOL because it has a theme which the whole readathon is based around: QUEER SCOUTS! Each prompt is based on the activities of Scouts (Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, now it’s Queer Scouts!) There are even badges for each prompt. Basically, it’s so aesthetic we couldn’t pass up the chance to join in! Boston made a video explaining it all if you want to know more! Anyways, let’s get straight into our TBR’s! – Sasha and Amber ❤ 

 

So what are the prompts, and what are we both reading?

Wonder Woman: Tempest Tossed was a gorgeous, powerful and wise new origin story for Diana – it is not her usual origin story, but it’s one of my favourites yet. When immigrants seeking shelter come close to Theymiscara, Diana is determined to help them – but when she does,  she becomes one of them – homeless, and looking for somewhere to belong. 

This new Wonder Woman story combines Diana’s fierceness and heart with a powerful and heartwrenching story about the refugee experience, creating a storyline of activism, found family and finding the strength to fight for real change that is incredibly relevant in today’s society.

I am so rarely disappointed by newer Wonder Woman stories, and it’s because of Diana – her fierce love, bravery and personality always shine through, and that shows, especially in this comic. I’ll never get sick of reading about her, because she inspires me to no end. The odds are stacked against her more than ever in Tempest Tossed, but not only does she fight them, she helps others to fight them too. She is stronger and fiercer than ever in this comic, quickly becoming involved in teenage activism and doing everything she can to help those who need it – a superhero, even when she isn’t using her powers. That’s what I love about Diana – while other superheroes fight clear threats and enemies and defend Earth, she has always been one to fight for individuals. 

This comic tackles some incredibly important topics, and while I can’t speak for how well or accurately they were portrayed, they moved me a lot and shone light on some things I hadn’t previously considered. Diana’s refugee experience doesn’t speak for all, especially since she was quickly aided by iconic gay activist uncles Steve and Trevor, but it was certainly moving and raw. This, as well as the discussion of poverty, class and trafficking, made this comic such a powerful one.

A highlight of this comic for me was the friendship that came about between Diana and Raissa was a positive point amongst the darkness. These two fierce teens may have been conflicted about each other at first, but their bravery and passion drew them together until they were best of friends, and I loved watching them become closer and fight together.

The art is absolutely gorgeous and emotive. The colour palette of oranges and blues is stunning, and the illustrations are just *chef’s kiss* in every way, no other way to describe it.

Overall I loved this fierce comic of survival and friendship, with Diana’s bravery and resolve spearheading it, and would absolutely recommend. 

Kate Mallinder’s sophomore novel, Asking for a Friend was a breath of cool air on a hot day  – a fun, emotional and feel-good story of friendship, taking risks and growing up.

All three characters are well fleshed-out and easily likeable, with struggles that are immediately relatable. 

Hattie is friendly, loving and extroverted but worries that her friends will never forgive her for something that she didn’t actually do. Her story is one of finding her people, recognising her self worth and getting past her easy forgiveness.

Jake is chatty, level-headed and kind, but his fear of illness has started to dominate his life. His story is one of finding people who support him, being brave enough to make the sensible decision and ultimately battling something incredibly difficult.
Agnes is organised, hard-working and smart, but she struggles with understanding and interacting with others, as she is on the autistic spectrum. Her story is one of finding the people who love her for who she is, discovering new experiences and letting go of things she can’t control.

Ultimately, Hattie Jake and Agnes’ story is one of finding wonderful friendship and friends who will stick by them always. These three had a really great dynamic – there was banter and fun as well as making the effort to understand and help each other – and watching them become closer and their friendship grow was really beautiful and meaningful, I think it’s also great to show that we don’t always find our meant to be friend group immediately in life, that sometimes it takes us failed friendships and other difficulties to finally find the people who really get us.

This was a really character-driven story, which I enjoy. The text and writing is full of the personality and spark of these three characters, and that is what makes the book wonderful.

The writing style is light, fun and easy to read, meaning I could read through this book and easily get swept away without being caught on complicated writing – I really appreciate this easily flowing style of writing, especially in contemporary.

I personally wasn’t a massive fan of this novel – I liked many aspects and gave it 3.5 stars which is not a bad rating, but overall I felt it was a little too young for me, and I didn’t particularly connect to the characters or the story. But there are many positives to this book and I think that many people will love it.

Kate Mallinder writes teenagers really well, contrastingly to a lot of YA which either presents those age 15-16 as young and immature or know-it-all and too adult, Kate finds a really good balance.

This lovely novel is full of emotion, fun and small-town hijinks with a central story of friendship that will melt your heart.

This gorgeous summer romance novel was the perfect mix of angst, fluff, and cliches. With two proud lesbians front and center, it was a story perfectly reminiscent of rom-coms, but with its own twists. It was heartbreaking, cute, and vulnerable.

Saorise is such a real, raw and relatable character. She is messy, bitter and stubborn, she’s not always right, she’s rough around the ages. She has her flaws but they make her perfect and I fell for her right away. Her sharp tongue, wit and sarcasm hide how soft and vulnerable she is, and she’s also brave and fierce and loving.  She’s dealing with a breakup, lost friendships, her mother having dementia and her father remarrying which all clearly take a toll on her. Her character arc throughout the book is wonderful as she opens up to new people, new friendships and new love! Saorise’s narration is full of her quirky, intelligent and witty personality, and it’s impossible not to love both her and her story, to relate to her and emphasise with her struggles.

Ruby definitely brings out Saorise’s best side, as well as being absolutely loveable and gorgeous as her own. Ruby is kind, smart and charming, a lover of rom-coms and happy endings where Saorise loves horror films and is frightened of commitment. I was hooked on every interaction between these two, they were adorable and made so much sense together. Their relationship was so real, with it’s awkward moments as it was beginning and all the anxiety of starting something new.

As well as this absolutely wonderful central romance, The Falling in Love Montage also depicts Saorise’s relationship with her father, which is a wonderful one – they’re not perfect, they both make mistakes, but they’re both trying. It was great to see a developing and realistic father-daughter bond. As well as this, Saorise’s grudgingly becomes friends with her arch-nemesis, Ruby’s cousin Oliver. I adored their friendship too, it was full of banter, wit and vulnerability. 

This book centres so much around human connection and relationships in a really wonderful way. It’s also so amazing to see two lesbian girls just being queer, falling in love and having their own struggles, fights and happiness. 

My only complaint about this novel is that it is advertised as happy and feel-good – which it is – but doesn’t actually have a HEA. It’s absolutely worth reading but do be prepared to cry, a lot. 

The Falling In Love Montage was at once realistic, deep and gorgeous as well as light-hearted, cliche and funny. I do not have enough praise for this wonderful book.

Always Human was a gorgeous, sweet and heartwarming story about first love set in a near-future world where people can use moderations, known as “mods” to change their appearance, enhance their memory, stamina and more. Two girls, Sunati who loves the freedom she gets from mods to be who she wants to be, and Austen who has a rare immune condition that prevents her from using them, start dating and battle the tough parts of their relationship.

I absolutely checking adored this graphic novel. It was an ode to healthy relationships in every way. Austen and Sunati have their disagreements, as anyone in a relationship does, but they always talk through them in a really beautiful and natural way. This is definetely a romance comic, but I loved how it didn’t have the overdramatics and betrayals of most romance movies – it was realistic, and I loved that. I loved watching these two grow as they got to know each other and teach each other how to become better people.
There were also several conversations about Austen’s condition that I think were very important. In the world they lived in, her immune condition was a disability, and Sunati worried that by using mods herself she was being disrespectful, but they talk it through. That and much more is discussed in a really wonderful way. I think it’s great how Sunati worries about many things but decides to just sit down and ask Austen straight out, so they can have a clear and loving conversation.

None of the characters in this book are straight, which is WONDERFUL. Our two main characters are both sapphic, and there are lots of amazing queer side characters – Austen’s younger sibling is non binary, plus there’s an agender character and an asexual character whose sexualities are explained in a really beautiful and accepting way! There’s zero homophobia or discrimination in this world, which made it a really lovely setting for a calm and sweet novel – I absolutely adore novels that discuss important topics but sometimes we just need to be able to relax with a book we know doesn’t judge or discriminate against us.

Both Sunati and Austen are absolutely great characters, I just loved them so much I don’t even have words! They were both such real characters who just shone through the page with their gorgeous, imperfectly perfect personalities. I really cannot wait to read Season Two to see more of them!
The art is absolutely gorgeous, it’s in a manga kind of style which I really love.I’t so colourful, emotive and soft.
Every page of Always Human felt like someone softly stroking your cheek, felt like a relaxing sunny day where you can eat ice cream in the shade and not worry about anything. It was gorgeous, powerful, heartwarming, adorable and queer. 

Little Creeping things is a dark, exhilarating and emotional thriller with a constantly moving narrative, a compulsive plot and a complex main character.

This book quickly hooks you and starts the plot – within the first 50 pages, we already have a backstory we want to know more about, a love interest, a missing person, reveals that have already surprised and a whole of intrigue. 

The story is well paced to keep you reading, written with dramatic flare and full of excitement. It slowly reveals more and more in a way that makes you not want to stop reading until you know everything. We follow a narrator who is convinced of so many different things along the way, and we believe her at so many points. 

This twisty and interesting story ends with an unexpected reveal that completely surprised me, a twist that I never would have seen coming.  

It is hard to tell whether or not we like our narrator, Cassidy. We certainly feel for her along the way, and we don’t dislike her, but she’s a very complicated character that we’re constantly torn about. She reveals her knowledge to us slowly in a way that makes us feel she must be keeping another secret. Though we share her surety in some things and uncertainty in others as well as her feelings towards the different characters through the first person POV, there is always a feeling that she is withholding something from us. 

While I did enjoy Cassidy as the narrator and felt sympathy for her, I didn’t feel a deep emotional connection to her or any of the other characters in the story. I find this often with thrillers, and less so in this one, but it was still there. The characters did all have distinct and unique personalities which I appreciated but I felt like we didn’t get to know enough of them to be invested in them or in their relationship with Cassidy. This didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the book as I was reading though, it’s just something I am reflecting on.

This book had the atmosphere and claustrophobia of the small town it was set in and the writing is compulsive, readable and exciting, it’s easy style makes it easy to glide through, losing track of time as you read, and combined with the pacing makes this book almost unputdownable!
Little Creeping Things was a marvellous debut full of twists and turns, both surprising and impossible to put down with a plot that kept us guessing and constantly doubting what we thought we knew.