I have read so many good books since… June? July? That I didn’t find the time or energy to review. Ideally I’d want to give each of them a big, long, gushing post, but as I keep postponing that and my memory becomes wobbly on the details, I figured it’s better to write SOME review than none at all!
I read upwards of 20 books in July, and I did kind of burn myself out in the process – and then lots of personal, health, and work related things happened so I’ve been putting the blog on an involuntary hiatus, but reading remains my primary hobby and I want to share with you all the good stuff I read in the meantime! I will likely do a few of these instead of cramming them all in the same post.
Paladin’s Hope, by T. Kingfisher
It’s no big news that I’m a fan of T. Kingfisher! I was so happy when the audiobook was finally on Scribd for this one! It’s the wrap-up to the Saint of Steel series and features a gay couple-to-be this time. It was as hilarious, cute, and lovely as the two previous books in the series and I wholeheartedly recommend each of them if you like hot fantasy romance and creepy mysteries. I’m also fairly sure this one can work as a standalone, though why would you do that instead of getting three times the goodness?
The Space Between Worlds, by Micaiah Johnson
Here’s the thing, I put books on my TBR and then forget what the whole premise is. So I was convinced this was a space opera! It’s not. It is instead one of those quantum alternate universe books. And a scathing take on capitalism – think Mad Max meets… well, I don’t know, I don’t read enough alternate universe stories.
I really enjoyed it, and I also loved the background queer romance as well. The plot is intricate, and I wouldn’t say I Loved the main character but I really empathized with her and wanted her to win!
Artemis, by Andy Weir
This was a weird one because I’m used to Weir being Absolutely Hilarious and this book didn’t hit quite the same. Still, I really enjoyed the worldbuilding surrounding a station on the moon, and there’s the usual “explain weird complicated science to you so it makes sense” thing he does that I really love. Jazz was great fun as a character, and who doesn’t love a scrappy underdog story OR a heist story? in the vacuum of space, at that!
The Citadel of Weeping Pearls, by Aliette de Bodard
I think this was the last standalone Xuya novella I hadn’t read. I’ve enjoyed each one so far, and this was no exception. It’s a bit different to the usual de bodard mystery-in-space structure of Seven of Infinities or the Tea Master and the Detective, which tend to have two main characters riffing off each other. This had a whole complex cast and a much deeper delve into the politics of the universe, while still being a very human story. This universe is so complex and I will keep saying it, we need a Xuya omnibus, with chronological order and little history notes on what happens in-between!
Wild and Wicked Things, by Francesca May
1920s prohibition except what’s prohibited is witchcraft? bootleg magic brews? stories of broken and abusive families? queer found families and hot romance? Sign me the F up!
Have to say I was in love with the concept before I even started reading, and I postponed it for a while because I was scared to be disappointed, but I wasn’t. It hit close to home in lots of ways and I wish I could have spent more time with these characters.
