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Showing posts from February, 2024

Relit: 16 Latinx Remixes of Classic Stories / Sandra Proudman, Editor / Book Review

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RELIT: 16 LATINX REMIXES OF CLASSIC STORIES Lizzie and Darcy launched into space. Hamlet and Ophelia on Mars. Frankenstein and his monster in the depths of the sea. Gatsby's blinking green siren call off the shore of Costa Rica. In an anthology of epic proportions, sixteen classic tales are spun anew, with Latinx characters at the heart and a particularly speculative edge. Falling in love, battling mythical monsters, and speaking up against the powers that be: these classic stories feel brand new again! THOUGHTS The high points of this anthology are really high. Excellent characters, familiar and startingly new in presentation, stand on backdrops that are strangely speculative and utterly familiar at the same time. These stories stay as true to their originals as speculative counterparts can, and I adore that! At the same time, as is usually the case with anthologies, not all

A Tempest of Tea / Hafsah Faizal / Book Review

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A TEMPEST OF TEA Arthie Casimir is known to be two things: the master of Spindrift, a prestigious teahouse, and a master criminal. The second, of course, nobody can prove. Her prestigious tearoom might be known to transform into an illegal vampire bloodhouse by dark, but the authorities have never been able to provide actual evidence of that. With Arthie as good as she is, they likely never will... Until her establishment is threatened in another way: eviction. And not because she isn't paying her dues. The authorities might not have proof, but they know the right strings to pull. With her legacy on the line, Arthie has no choice but to strike a deal to keep Spindrift safe--even if it means working on the "right" side of the law for once. But this is a job she can't do alone. Gathering a group of coconspirators and rebels, Arthie sets out to do what's never been done before: infiltrate the highest rings of vampire socie

This Day Changes Everything / Edward Underhill / Book Review

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THIS DAY CHANGES EVERYTHING Abby Akerman has been looking forward to NYC since her marching band found out they would be performing in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. This is the biggest opportunity of her life, as both a performer and a fangirl. Because Abby's favorite romance book also takes place in New York City--the same book her best friend is obsessed with. Which is obviously a sign that Abby is meant to confess her love (and that she's queer) to her best friend Kat. She's got an extra-special, sign-edition, fully-annotated hardcover of their favorite book for the Big Confession and everything. For Leo Brewer, things couldn't be more different. His band is performing, too, but this isn't a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Leo. No, this is his worst nightmare. This is the day that his extended family will all gather around the television to watch him... and will find out he's trans. Because he's not hidi

Sky's End / Marc J. Gregson / Book Review

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SKY'S END Sixteen-year-old Conrad wasn't born to be a Low. In fact, he was born to be the highest of the Highs, but he lost all that when his father died—was murdered—and his treacherous uncle took power. The Meritocracy is harsh. That's just the way of the world. Conrad was offered a place by his uncle's side, but he won't stand with a traitor—even if it means exile as a Low. But when Conrad's mother dies in a gorgantaun attack, he knows he has to get the last of his family back: his little sister. And getting his sister means working with his uncle... kind of. Conrad and his uncle strike a deal. Conrad can come back without bowing to the traitor, but only if he earns it. And earning it means entering the Selection. Earning it means joining the Hunters, the deadliest of the Trades. Earning it means rising to be captain, surviving the brutal Gauntlet, and killing the most gorgantauns in this Selection year. And in a w