Duelling in full armour one minute and embroidering flowers into a fine coat the next, this is a story of parallels and opposites, destiny and agency, nature and nurture. The Symmetry of Stars by Alex Myers follows two sets of twins, each pair the champions of opposing gods vying for control of the world. From … Continue reading The Symmetry of Stars
NPR kicked off their summer reader poll results with the question at the heart of science fiction and fantasy: “what if?” They’ve pulled together a bang up-to-date list of “Your 50 Favorite Sci-Fi And Fantasy Books Of The Past Decade” which reads like a who’s who of my book shelf and bedside reading pile. I … Continue reading Summer reader poll: 50 fave SFF books 2011-2021
The Story of Silence by Alex Myers is a beautiful book, a fairy tale that’s full of heart, a joy to read. The Goodreads description‘s first paragraph sold me right away, rounded out with the perfect comparison titles: A knightly fairy tale of royalty and dragons, of midwives with secrets and dashing strangers in dark … Continue reading The Story of Silence
I’ve hooked up with these authors to help promote each others’ books. Today we’ve got quite the mix in content and level of offering… If you give any a shot, let me know how you enjoy them! And if you’re keen to catch future book promos / giveaways, be sure to join my mailing list. Beneath … Continue reading Gay romance, funny oldies, a romcom + a dark fantasy
I know for many, June is the start of summer, pride month, etc. But for us in the southern hemisphere, it’s all the other way around. This week has been the coldest (nudging up against zero) and darkest (shortest day!) this year for me. So, that means less time outside, and more time for snuggling … Continue reading Winter reading and streaming
With a few interruptions along the way, it’s taken me two years to get to this point… First draft (i.e. getting it down) Plotting, planning, and scheming kicked off in February 2019 before I started the first draft two months later. What followed was seven months of tippity tapping away on the train to and … Continue reading Second draft of my first full-length novel ☠👨🍳
This story bowled me over. Alix E Harrow builds a fascinating and strange world, breaking your heart in only a handful of pages. Set on a world straddling the Mississippi River, with the civilised East determined to subdue, stabilise, and settle the wild and ever-changing West. This is not the analogy of the Wild West … Continue reading The Autobiography of a Traitor and a Half-Savage
Magical realism ✅ Portal fantasy ✅ Stories within a story ✅ Badass animal sidekick ✅ This book just ticked so many of my boxes – if I’d known earlier, I certainly wouldn’t have left it so long before opening this door. “If we address stories as archaeological sites, and dust through their layers with meticulous … Continue reading The Ten Thousand Doors of January
Feeling the love (or the lust?) in the lead up to Valentine’s Day? Or have you had enough already? Whatever you’re feeling, I’ve rounded up a few of my favourite recent reads that aren’t necessarily romances, but flirt with the idea at least. Drowned Country by Emily Tesh is the continuation of Henry and Tobias’ … Continue reading Valentine’s Day 2021 romance-ish reads
I adored The Crow Folk. Funny, spooky, witchy, and absolutely charming – I was captivated from start to finish. Set in a small Kent village populated with a charismatic cast of characters, Faye Bright stumbles across her late mother’s diary: ‘Here were rituals, magic, monsters, demons and, for some reason, a recipe for jam roly-poly.’ … Continue reading The Crow Folk
