queer_bookwyrm's reviews
504 reviews

4 ⭐ CW: violence, murder 

All Systems Red by Martha Wells is book one in the Murderbot Diaries. This was a quick scifi novella that I have heard a lot about and been meaning to read, and I'm glad I finally did! I've been reading more novellas lately, and they are great for end of the month goals. 

We follow a SecUnit that calls itself Murderbot. Murderbot has hacked its governor module that gives it orders and punishments, so it's basically a free agent, but still works on contracts. Murderbot is on contract with a group of humans who it actually likes, and works hard to keep them alive when another company tries to murder them. 

Murderbot loves watching serials and other media, doesn't like making eye contact or talking much to humans. It just wants freedom. You can't help but love it and how awkward it feels most of the time (relatable). I like how the author casually sprinkled in polyamory and other relationships for the human characters, but the story was mainly from Murderbot's pov. 

I'm interested to see where Murderbot goes moving forward in the other novellas. 

3 ⭐ CW: panic attacks, sickness, quarantine 

Within the Cosmic Darkness by Bethany Thompson is book two of the Starlit Skies series. I got these books out of a desire to support a Maine author writing scifi. I did enjoy book one, but this one fell a little flat for me. 

This time we follow Marika Sussin-Thomas after the events of book one. The Sapphire Sky is missing a good chunk of its crew, but is still determined to continue to explore new worlds. Marika is still reeling from her ex-boyfriend's actions, and she finds it difficult to relax and let anyone close to her, despite the efforts of the very charming Luca Lascano. 

This story was a bit slow, and it was mostly a teen workplace drama for the majority of the book with the only conflict being command telling the Sapphire Sky to come home before they are ready. It isn't until we're 65-70% of the way through the book that the major conflict comes into play with a microbe from a planet inflecting everyone on board, and they have to find a cure. It's mostly character focused on Marika and her growth over the course of the book. 

This was a little simple for me. Both books are definitely targeted toward younger teens and is great beginner scifi, but this one in particular just didn't do it for me. 

4 ⭐ CW: violence, death, blood, death of a parent, immolation, death of a child 

"So we blessed the few." 

The Boy With Fire (AKA The Phoenix King) by Aparna Verma is book one in The Ravence Trilogy. This was a special edition book I got in a book box before it was acquired by Orbit and the title and cover got changed. This was a great fantasy/scifi story that was a retelling of the Indian Ramanaya myth. It also gave me Fire Nation vibes a la ATLA. 

We follow three povs: Elena, princess and heir to Ravence a desert Kingdom; Yassen Knight, a half Ravani half Jantari man defecting from the terrorist organization Arohassin; and Leo, the current king of Ravence who is hell bent on burning out the foretold Phoenix Prophet who will burn his kingdom to the ground. Elena has been training for her role her entire life, but doesn't have the ability to hold fire, necessary for the ruler of Ravence. To strengthen her claim, she is betrothed to the Landless King, Samson, who brings his army the Black Scales to her aid. Yassen struggles with a mistake he made during his last assassination attempt that left him burned and ill, and the sins of his past. He only wants freedom, but his loyalty waivers. Leo is obsessed with finding the prophet, and slips into madness with every sin he commits. 

I really enjoyed this story, and definitely couldn't predict what was going to happen. I didn't predict the twist at the end. We get a lot of fire and desert imagery. I liked Yassen as a character. He was flawed, but you root for him. Elena is a badass woman, and makes for a great FMC. I wanted to learn more about Samson and his army. He seems more than he is. We get a lot of references to mythology at the beginning of each chapter. 

I'm looking forward to book two, I just hope that I haven't missed anything important with this older edition. 

4 ⭐ CW: Homophobia, child abuse, bullying 

Luvian Code by Hailey Gonzales is book one in the Battalion Cupids series. This was a great little novella about different types of cupids representing the seven different kinds of love. It was a sweet story. 

We follow Theodosious, a Philautia cupid (Philautia is self-love). When a fledgling Eros cupid (cupid of romantic and sexual love) cuts in on his turf and shoots a human with an Eros arrow against the luvian Code, Theodosious is saddled with Kai's mentor to get him on the right path. In the process, he finds out about a larger plot by another cupid trying to bring back a more chaotic time. 

Theo teaches Kai about the importance of the different types of love, and how romantic and sexual love isn't better or more important than any other. He helps Kai with a lot of healing too. I love that the author normalized asexuality and aromantic identities in this story, and respected that about the humans. 

This is my second Hailey Gonzales book, and her books are always so sweet and have great acespec and arospec representation. I definitely will read other books by her. 

4 ⭐ CW: Descriptions of large spiders, death, substance use

The Burning Page by Genevieve Cogman is book three in The Invisible Library series. I just love how fun these books are with the over the top fantasy elements and wonderful characters, and an enigmatic villain. This series is great if you are reading to escape. 

We pick up with Irene and Kai after the events of the last book. Someone is trying to kill Irene, and she ends up trusting a fae she probably shouldnt. Just like any good villain, Alberich doesn't stay dead, and he's back at it again and has it out for the Library. Unfortunately, Vale is suffering the consequences of going to a high chaos world, and has plunged into a depression and has gone back to using drugs. 

Alberich has set his sights on destroying the Library, while trying to convince Irene to join him, saying that the Library shouldn't be a neutral force, but a uniting one. He's definitely got megalomaniac vibes. I really love all the characters we see more of in this book. The fae are so fascinating, mostly because they are archetypes, and as a reader we recognize that. We also learn that Kai's servant, Li Ming, is a trans man, and that dragons just believe people when they say what their gender is. I also love getting to travel to different alternate worlds to see how they are all different. We are starting to see more of a development of a love triangle between Irene, Kai, and Vale. Personally I'm rooting for polyamory there. 

This is just a fun read with all the elements of fantasy we all love. We also get the start of themes around questioning authority and the status quo. I'm looking forward to seeing where the story goes over the next books.

4 ⭐ CW: violence, death, blood, suicide mention, death of a parent mention, self harm, discussions of various mental illnesses 

Imposter Syndrome by Mishell Baker is the final book in The Arcadia Project series. I have loved every book in this series! It's so underrated, I never see it on Instagram, but it needs to be talked about. We have a bisexual FMC with borderline personality disorder and a physical disability, and many other mental illnesses are represented. This is a great urban fantasy with some solid themes. 

We pick up with Millie after the events of the last book. The Arcadia Project has split into two factions, with LA and New Orleans being on the side of not enslaving spirits in spell work, and everyone else clinging to the status quo they have been indoctrinated into. Millie feels like she is in an impossible situation trying to get everyone to see reason, and trying to make alliances with various Seelie and Unseelie fey. We get a heist! A couple of heists actually, but naturally, nothing goes the way it's supposed to, and things get a lot worse before they get better. 

Millie gets a lot of personal growth in this book, and I love that the author lets us see how Millie interacted with the world as a disabled borderline without making it the central plot. Millie is constantly fighting her borderline dysphoria and the imposter syndrome that she isn't able to actually do something good. Magic never 'cures' Millie. The ending was kind of bittersweet, we don't really get to see a happy ending for Millie personally. We get to see more of Brand the manticore, which I loved. He's such a great character. I also loved seeing more of Elliot and the new spirit friend, Caveat. 

If you're looking for an urban fantasy with fey, portals, magic, spirits, and a revolution,  with lots of diversity and queer characters, pick up this series. 

4 ⭐ CW: violence, self harm 

Saint by Adrienne Young is the prequel to Fable in The World of the Narrows series. I really enjoyed Fable and Namesake, so I'm glad this one didn't disappoint like The Last Legacy did. 

We follow Saint, Fable's father, and Isolde, Fable's mother before the events of the first World of the Narrows book. We get to learn more about Saint and how he ended up where he was, and more about why Isolde ran away from her mother in Bastian. We get to see them fall in love. It was nice to get more background on The Narrows and see how their Guild Trades became what they are and why the people there hate Saltbloods. 

This book did give a lot of context to the mysterious characters we learned little about in Fable and Namesake, including the antagonist Zola and the criminal Roth family. However, there wasn't much in the way of tension or suspense since we already know what is going to happen with all of the characters. I liked the character moments we got, and that's mainly what this book was for. Establishing fan favorite characters and giving more life to Isolde. 

I do quite enjoy Adrienne Young's writing, so I'll keep coming back to her even when the romance tends to fall short. I definitely recommend this for anyone who enjoyed Fable and Namesake and wants to get to know Saint better. 

5 ⭐ CW: racism, metaphysical violence

The World We Make by N.K. Jemisin is the second book in the Great Cities duology. This book is just as good as the first one! I can't speak highly enough of the level of world/universe building Jemisin does. I just love how layered everything is. I also love that it flips Lovecraftian horror on its head and makes an urban fantasy, cosmic horror that definitely has H.P. Lovecraft's racist ass turning in his grave. 

We continue to follow Neek, the New York City avatar, and the boroughs after the battle in Staten Island. R'lyeh, the Squigglebitch, has taken up residence over Staten Island, influencing the people that live there and affecting collective sentiments about New York. The avatars are doing their best to fight against anti-New York concepts and "Make New York Great Again" politicians while still missing a piece of themselves. Aislin, the Staten Island avatar, is coming to terms with her choices and what Squigglebitch is doing to her family and her island. 

We get to see and learn more about other Cities and their avatars. The New Yorks keep trying to get a Summit of the Cities to happen to convince them to help fight against Squigglebitch, but just like in real life, people prefer denial and to blame the victim if it will save them from discomfort. Our characters get more growth, which I love. Everyone is so queer! Well, except for Staten Island lol. 

These books are just so excellent, and beautifully written. Everyone should read these books, but especially if you love New York. 

5 ⭐ CW: Rape and discussions of sexual assault, rape culture, abuse, violence, blood, death, death of a parent 

A Drop of Venom By Sajni Patel is book one in the Venom series. This was such an amazing book! It's YA retelling of the Medusa myth using Indian folklore. This was a bit of a brutal read if you are sensitive to descriptions of sexual assault, but I think it's an important story for young adults to read. 

We follow Manisha, a girl who's people have been running from the king for years during the Fire Wars. In order to protect her, Manisha's mother and sisters tell her to get taken in by priestesses and to pretend to be one of them until it is safe. The apsara's are very different than Manisha's own people, and teach girls to be quiet, obedient, and submissive. Apsara's are never to be touched by a man or are considered defiled and banished. While at the temple, Manisha meets the slayer of monsters, Pratyush, and forms a budding relationship despite their roles and circumstances. 

Then Manisha is sexually assaulted by a male visitor and is kicked over a cliff and left for dead in a pile of vipers. When she comes to, she is surprised to be alive, and not only that, she has new found abilities. Manisha is on a quest to find her family, and along the way confronts how her trauma has changed her, and strives to help other girls being victimized by power hungry men, and the rape culture that excuses their behavior. Meanwhile, Pratyush has been sent to kill the monster who has been turning men to stone, not knowing it is the girl he loves. 

This book had some serious themes around sexual assault and rape culture. Rape culture is sneaky. It allows and excuses men to behave like monsters, and no one questions it, even other women. Ultimately, this story is about taking power back, recognizing your own power, and saving yourself. It's also the story of how violence changes girls. The characters are so good. Manisha's strength is so good to see, but it doesn't stop us from seeing her pain and vulnerability. Pratyush is such a good guy. Definitely gonna be a wife guy. He, like Manisha, also feels trapped by expectation and the role he has been given. He just wants a simple life with fancy clothes and a girl he can worship. I absolutely love Noni. I want a giant snake companion. 

I can't wait to see where this story goes next and to learn more about Manisha's sisters and what they are doing. Also, can't wait to see if they overthrow that bastard of a king. 

4 ⭐ CW: Animal death 

To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers is a scifi novella following four astronauts on a deep space mission. I very much enjoyed this story. It was very different from Chambers' Wayfarer series. Though still character focused, this story was more science heavy. Usually with novellas I wish we had more, but I think it served the story well to keep it short. 

The book starts with a message to Earth from Ariadne, a spaceflight engineer, detailing the ship Meran's exploits to different planets and moons in deep space. This simplified summary tells us all about each of the crew members, their experiences and discoveries, and their hardships. They are on an ecological mission, doing their best not to contaminate or harm these new environments, and no intent to colonize. 

I loved the idea of somaforming in this. This is the process of changing the human body to be better suited to its environment instead of terra forming and environment to fit human needs. This is a lot of emphasis on the science in science fiction in this, but I don't think it's too complicated for non-sciencey people (I am not sciencey). 

Chambers always does such an excellent job of making you fall in love with the characters without having to give you an entire backstory heavy with a useless plot. Everyone is queer in one way or another. It's a very efficient story, so you don't feel like you've ended without satisfaction. Would I like to know what happens with the crew in the end? Yes, but I'm sure that would be another story. 

Once again, I implore you to read anything by Becky Chambers.