#i also have an orc romance book in the works
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A part of you was unsure how your Orc Boyfriend would react. As you pruned the bouquet of flowers in your hands, you were starting to regret your idea. It was only a few paces from the camp now, surely you could just turn back around and throw it away, right?
Flowers were something that women received typically. Maybe he would think you were insinuating something about him, or that maybe he was weaker than you thought he was-
“Love! You’re back!”
Too late for take backs now. Hiding the bouquet behind your back, you watched as your Orc Boyfriend dropped a wood chopping axe and rushed over to you. “How was your walk? Did you get what you needed?”
You weren’t sure why you thought you could hide the flowers from him. He was at least two or three feet taller than you.
He peered over your shoulder and raised an eyebrow. “What’re those for? You’ve never brought flowers back before.”
Well, now or never, you thought. Meekly, you pulled them out from behind your back and held them out to him.
Your Orc stared at you for a minute, looking you up and down in confusion. “I… Um…” Where did you even begin with this? You must look insane.
Sighing, you lowered the bouquet and looked down at the different blooms. “When humans really like each other, sometimes they give flowers. So, I picked some flowers for you.”
There was silence for a moment and you felt your face burning. You knew it, this was a stupid idea.
“You picked these… for me?” His green hand came into view, wrapping around your interlocked fingers.
You nodded, still not looking at him.
Before you could stop him, he had snatched up the bouquet and held it high above his head. He bellowed to his others in the camp: “Look here! My lovely lady brought me flowers! What have you suckers got?!”
Orcs from their various work stations looked up, growled, snarled and swatted their hands at your Orc, “get stuffed you lug!”
Your jaw hung open at your Orc's audacity, before he looked back down at you and gave you the widest grin. “I didn’t know humans did such a thing,” he admired the flowers in his hand, seemingly as big as daisies in his huge hand. “You picked these yourself?”
“Wait, you like them?”
“Why wouldn’t I like them love?” Your Orc kissed you on the forehead. “You went out of your way to get them for me.”
“It’s just… I thought… Human men don’t normally get flowers, so I thought that…”
Your Orc let out a bark of laughter, “but I’m not human, am I love?” He pulled you into his arms and squeezed you tightly. His arms were the most reassuring and calming thing at that moment.
Hugging him back, you realised that there had been nothing to be afraid of. How could you have assumed that he would have been insulted by your gift?
“Anything from you is something to be treasured.” He mumbled to you, giving you another kiss on your lips.
#monster romance#monster x female#monster x you#orc romance#monster x human#monster x reader#orc fiction#monster lover#orc x reader#orc boyfriend#i'll probably be changing up my content now#i'm a little worried about burn out#so it will be vampires for a a little while#i want to produce good quality work#for all of you#i also have an orc romance book in the works#idk when it will be out
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BELONGINGS
Orc x Kidnapped human reader (Gender neutral)
A/N: Literally NO ONE asked for this but I kept seeing all those shrek/swamp romance tiktoks and got inspired to do some orc stuff. Man I love orcs... like big dumb bugs personified. (also ignore the experimental latin pet names idk what im doing)
CW: Kidnapping, forceful holding, arson, raiding, kind of just angst fluff?
Word count: 2600
You knew the excitement of your life would never move past the blandness of day-in day-out work to survive, not as one without any bestowed or taught brow-raising talents that could lift you away from the mundane daily life you held in the wispy fields of the woodlands.
As a realist you concurred that you’d never be the breadwinner in your family, maybe not the strongest when hauling crops, or the smartest when it came to solving passed down arithmetic equations from your cousins’ old school books. But as a child you always took comfort in the thought ‘at least I won’t be chained down, won’t be tied to some ugly pig farmer for a couple shillings.’ Your family valued you that much; well-- your working hands, that much. ‘One more body is one more mouth to feed’ you were told time and time again, but you pulled your weight and then some.
You had little time to think outside of planting, weeding, bathing and eating. Meals and getting rid of the dirt covering your soles that you were scolded for after hours of being in the damp pastures were the only down time you had to yourself, not surrounded by the screaming nieces and nephews you were expected to take care of when the elder of your family members eventually passed from whatever disease ran rampant in the village the coming winter. You prepared your life, prepared for taking care of others and continuing your hard work in growing what you needed to survive, and selling what you didn’t.
Unfortunately, that humdrum future was wiped out by swirling flames and the braying of stallions of mountainous size. They came in, trampling the greening cranberry bush you were planning to keep all to yourself, and the cabbages your family would have relied on for meals for the next two months before winter fell.
Persimmon trees were burnt to crispy thorned stumps, the lush of your family’s acres now shredded to flecks of dead grass and muddy hoof prints, along with humanoid footsteps far too large to resemble any of the humans or disfigured hybrids in your teensy rural hamlet. Who were these unwelcomed strangers, the enormous creatures of the night that disrupted the only human civilization for miles around? You remained clueless for the entirety of being ripped out of your bed, continuing to be hauled over some olive-colored shoulder and thrown into a sack on the back of a wagon.
“This one.” You heard, right before your dirty finger nails were pulled away from your twin beds fading sheets you desperately tried to keep. You had even managed to bring a small, lumpy pillow along with you, the creature that slung you over their shoulder leaving no assumption of a notice. You witnessed the still-burning remnants of your frail thatched home, as the silhouette of a muscular man lowered a flamed stick to its leftovers.
The entirety of the bumpy ride to wherever your captors were bringing you to, you could only think of the fires holding onto the greenery of your land, of the dirt and rubble and smoke that clawed at your feet when you tripped into the wagon, burnt air choking you as a baby screamed out for its mother.
Hours must’ve passed before you were brought into this musky, dank room with other fading faces from your village, but it only felt like a few moments ago that you heard the crackling of a fiery tree crushing rows of perking crops.
The snapping of fingers nearly as grimy as your own blocked your recollection of clouded smoke and angry flames, bringing your attention back to the leather hut you sat domestically within. It was damp and dark inside, the light of torches outside being the only form of light. That, and the reflection of the metal on the warrior in front of you. He turned back, thumbing toward you as he looked at a similar creature.
“Agh, its no use, practically fucking deaf this one. Sure you don’t want one of the mothers?”
The other orc slapped his fellow warrior on the shoulder with a hearty laugh.
“No, my friend. Besides, sweet things’ only other option is Brutus. Don’t think he could last with one of these poor creatures without splitting it in two; ‘specially this one.”
You were suddenly and acutely aware of the orcs conversation, now that your fate was being so clearly decided in front of you.
The first, far sootier orc patted his fellow brethren on the chest as he turned away with a look that showed he was hardly convinced. Yet, he still walked out of the tented hut, ducking slightly to fit under it.
You watched him leave, feeling a sense of relief as the threat had been removed. And yet, there was still one so prevelantly in front of you.
“Hey there.” A guttural, almost faltering voice murmured to you.
Eyes growing wide, you gripped harder onto the smushed pillow in your lap, instinctively leaning your upper body backward to get away from the orcish face right in front of you.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” The orc gruffed, falling to a crouch as he watches you slide to the edge of the hut’s leather wall. “Just wanna see you up close.”
He consumed the entirety of your fearful attention, his existence like a heavy weight in the room as the quiet tension aimed at him. You pushed your head painfully against a wood pole behind the leather walls, trying to morph your body any distance away that would provide you a miniscule fraction of comfort. But none came, especially not when a sudden warm finger pushed into your cheek. The green thumb pulled your upper lip, showing the ends of your teeth. Your other cheek smushed into your eye as the orc did the same to the other side, observing your poor excuse for chompers compared to his large, well-groomed tusks.
“Guess these’ll do. You can atleast chew meat, right?” he pulled your jaw open gently, making your lips part. “Don’t wanna have to feed you like a baby bird; though, that wouldn’t be the worst of troubles.”
You slapped his hand away, grimacing at the idea of being fed by this beast-creature.
“I can eat perfectly fine.” You grumble, noticing how stiff the orcs arm was, still holding out beside your face as it rests dejected. “What does that matter, aren’t you going to eat me anyway?”
You keep a frown on your face, glaring up at the crouched brute.
He let out a hearty laugh, those around you turning away from their miserable memories to face the strident disturbance.
“So cute, as if you’d be enough to feed an orcling!” He let out another chestful of a laugh, grabbing at your cheek this time with a pinch. “My little to-be spouse, I knew you’d be worth the trouble.”
Wincing in pain, your fingers came up to try and pry his rough, printless thumb off your salty skin.
“So adorable,” He throatily squealed, dragging you closer by the cheek to stumble into his chest. The only thing covering the caverned flesh of deep holes and ravined slices in his skin were straps of bull leather, and the furs of cottontails sewn to form a thin shawl around his bulky shoulders.
He smelled of a foreign musk, the slight piquant scent of his skin being swallowed in by your nostrils as your lips smushed against the dip in the middle of his chest. Something sharp poked into the side of your face as you were held tightly against the orc, making you muffle against him to let you go.
“You’re right you’re right; we should have some privacy-- and you, should get a chance to see your new home. My home.” He huffed against your ear, humid breath making your neck sweat as tusks touched the top of your head. “Name’s Xerxes, don’t forget it-- make sure you tell it to any orcs that try n’ talk to you.”
“Wait now--” Your aimed attempt of protesting was cut wrongly short by the sudden grab of your ankles, Xerxes beginning to stand back up as he dragged you with him. Before you knew it you were upside down, hollering as fat fingers made their way around your tibia. A shoulder jutted into your soft stomach, throat heaving as Xerxes began to move. You saw your lone pillow left on the ground, growing farther away as the large legs belonging to your captor moved from below your vision.
With every huge step he took, the harsh necklaces of teeth (which you prayed belonged to animals) dug into your side-- huh, so that must’ve been what was scraping against your face earlier. They clinked together as he walked, his body so rigid and unorthodox that he made a sound whenever he moved, whether it be a snorted grunt or the stomp from his feet, or the shift of his clothes and sheathed weapons.
Xerxes didn’t open the leather flap of the hut sahe carried you out, walking straight as it brushed across your head. You shut your eyes in an unavoidable flinch, but the orc hardly noticed as he adjusted you on his shoulder, grabbing right below your thighs to hold you steady.
The brilliant idea of beating and scratching his back enough to get free was so enticing you were on the brink of trying it-- but the orc standing outside the hut you just left, the unfamilliar darkness of the grasslands surrounding you, made you think twice.
And just like that, your world spun and you were tossed inside what must’ve been another tent, a blur of oranges from fiery torches and grey browns of animal hide entering your vision. Something soft hit your back as you let out an ‘oof!’ from the depths of your chest.
You scrambled to get back up, alert now that you were thrown in some different environment. But as you clambered to look around, whipping your head from side to side, all you saw were reddish walls of leather and two warm torches, along with the occasional spread of a map or a scribed foreign language.
This tent was much smaller than the last, not meant for a community to rest in. Instead, it was about the snug and spacious size of a room for only one to sleep in. The softness of hairs touched your palms, layers upon layers of furs covering beneath you to create a small lump of a warm, makeshift bed.
“Look at this,” An excited, guttural voice begged of you. “Been keeping it since forever; saw it in some… abandoned goblin grotto, once. Couldn’t help but take it with me as a memento. As soon as I saw it, I just knew it’d be the perfect gift for my future amasiuncula.”
You could taste the lie on your tongue, as if it was thick in the air once he spoke it. Orcs didn’t just ‘find’ things, the destruction of your teensy village showed you that much. But that didn’t matter, not when the piercing blue of a silk fabric dazzled at you. Why, you had never seen something so plush in your life. It was surely just a base blanket-like piece likely once spooled for the future of becoming some sort of clothing or undergarment; it was still so silkenly smooth nonetheless. Your fingers traced the perfect fabric, its sensation nothing you had ever felt in your years of living as a farming peasant. The softest thing you’d ever touched were the baby calfs your far neighbors had bred into existence.
“See how soft it is?” Xerxes said with a slight sputter, bringing the silk to your cheek. “Like a cloud… it’s yours. My engagement present.”
You looked back up at him bewildered. “Engagement?”
“A present. Orc tradition is to offer a gift of richness; the wealthiest thing I could get my hands on.” He covered you in the silk, wrapping your shoulders in it as he pulled you from the furs to his bare lap. You would’ve resisted given the chance, but the orc smugly kept the silk around your arms, bringing the other side of it to wrap around you, pulling it tight; you could hardly move yourself now, shoved in this warm softness of a cocoon; it frightened you. But the tusks pressed against your cheek, chewed lips touching your temple as a tongue gently poked out to swiftly press against your skin, made you fear something else more. “Always wanted a human..” The orc exhaled, audibly sniffing in the scent of your hair. “Been looking for a good once for a while now. One that’ll be nice and docile, a sweet little foal for me to enjoy--”
You slid your arms against the suffocating silk that was beginning to build heat. “I don’t think i’m what you’re looking for, besides I’m not--”
“Oh but you are,” Xerxes cut you off, leaning his orcish face close to yours to make you look at him. “So.. soft, your skin is like obsidian smoothed and frosted by the tumbling of waves of the sea, so polished and spotted I can’t help but want to keep it in between my fingers.”
Beads hung low by his neck, attached to rings of metal that pierced large holes in his pointed ears. The black and silver balls that dangled would jingle when he moved his head to get a better look at you, along with the wire and metal ornaments wrapped around the braids in his hair. Despite the undercut he fashioned (that you could see better now), a great mane of thick brown hair traveled to his shoulders, tickling your neck as he squeezed you closer. You felt almost like a baby, swaddled and pressed close to his large beating heart that thumped against your shoulder.
“And oh your dainty little fingers and toes, when I saw them peeking from your bedsheets I knew grabbing them with would be no mistake.”
The orc nuzzled into you with his flat nose, warmth spreading against your cheeks as his sunken face created friction. You always sort of thought your fingers were quite round, your toes a little mishappen, but compared to him, your entirety was merely like a child’s straw doll’s.
“I don’t want to marry you!” You blurted, freezing as the orc kept himself nestled against you. “I wanna go home, I want to go back to my bed and forget this-- I'm not some little trinket to mate with!"
Xerxes gave you a look. It was so smushy, an embarrassed grin like some pubescent boy watching his crush undress. It was perverted, so snickeringly crude as he bit his lip at the word "mate."
Ahh, he heard his fellow warriors, his chief in command even, discuss their "mates" with lustful wonder and candied eyes that danced with images of their beloved, their spouse. He had never had a person, never had a soft warm thing at night to hold, for him to bully himself into; it was hard to contain the joy inside of him, even with your rapid repeating of "no no no!"
"Mate…" He repeated.
"I said NOT to--"
"But you said it; and now… I can't get it out of my head, dulcis." Xerxes was snug against your wiggling chest, pressing his freckled cheek against yours to make your lips pucker. He was unbelievably, fiery warm, with a heat under his skin that you wondered was just a layer of embers.
The mixture of the orcs body heat and the humid equinox night made sweat cling to your dirty skin, the satin coddling you now feeling stickier.
“Now, I s’pose its time we get you looking like a proper orc, smelling like one too. Like me,” Xerxes pressed his tusked mouth below your ear, protruding lips pressing a deep, slightly nipping kiss to below the corner of your jaw. “Get rid of this disgusting… exhilarating human stench.”
#writing#x reader#yandere#reader insert#self insert#orc#orc x reader#kidnapped tw#orc yandere#orc x human#orc x you#monsterfucking#monsters#fanfiction#monster boy#creature x reader#one shot#fluff one shot#monster x human#monster x reader#monster x you#monster x y/n#gender neutral y/n#gender neutral reader
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Book recs: Queer fantasy, part 1
A note: queer here does not necessarily mean “guarantee of an f/f or m/m ship with a happy ending”, but rather simply a significant presence of queerness. Some of the books feature no romance but has a same gender attracted/trans/a-spectrum lead, or features an m/f relationship with bisexual, trans or aro/ace characters, or simply features a world-building which is heavily queer inclusive in ways that don’t always compare to our own ideas of sexuality and gender. I have however disqualified works where the only queer presence is along the lines of “gay best friend” or a blink and you’ll miss it confirmation that never comes up again.
For queer sci-fi recs, click here! For a masterpost of book rec lists, click here! For more details on the books recommended here, continue under the readmore. Titles marked with * are my personal favorites!
The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez*
AKA the book the killed me. Two boys travel throughout their land with the body of a god as her horrible, horrible children try to hunt them down. It’s hard to explain more than that, but trust me when I say the narrative voice and literary techniques are incredibly unique in how they blend past and present, reality and story, lead and bystander. Truly an experience. Features an m/m romance.
The Unbroken (Magic of the Lost series) by C.L. Clark*
Tourraine, who was stolen as a child and trained as a soldier for the empire that conquered her home, is recruited by Luka, the future leader of the conquering country, to root out a rebellion. A game of twisted loyalties and attraction is soon to develop as the two must decide where their priorities lie: with each other, or with their respective countries and people.
Sing the Four Quarters (Quarters series) by Tanya Huff*
Though a royal by birth, princess Annice renounced her throne to become a bard, a musician who through training can Sing elemental spirits to do their bidding. Ten years later, she goes on the run for two counts of treason, first by imperiling the succession order by becoming pregnant, second by helping her ex, and the father of her child, escape the palace dungeons and a death sentence. Bisexual lead in an f/f relationship. When I first read this book I described it as, and I quote, 'a fucking delight', and I stand by that.
The Unspoken Name (The Serpent Gates duology) by C.L. Clark*
The sort of portal fantasy you get when all the worlds connected by portals are fantasy worlds, and none of them are ours. The portals themselves become simply a part of the worldbuilding that the characters use to travel between fascinating places, and it’s all really cool. It follows Csorwe (lesbian orc assassin whom I love), who grew up in a cult, indoctrinated as a child sacrifice to a god. But on the day she was meant to die, she instead chose to follow a powerful wizard and train to become his loyal servant and sword. Aside from being an excellent fantasy, it’s also a close look at the hard path of unlearning indoctrination and the search for love and validation where you’ll never find it, and learning to live for yourself. Multiple queer leads.
The Jasmine Throne (The Burning Kingdoms series) by Tasha Suri
A princess held captive by her own brother, who wants to see her dead, tries to trick a servant into helping her escape, but with undeniable attraction growing between them and the servant having her own goals of liberation things quickly get complicated, both between them and in the country at large as rebellion and dangerous magic brews. Sapphic romance.
The Priory of the Orange Tree (The Roots of Chaos duology) by Samantha Shannon
Queen Sabran's lineage has protected the country of Inys from dragons for a thousand years, but now the safety of their land is threatened as Sabran is yet to conceive and assassins are closing in. Lady-in-waiting Ead is secretly part of a society of hidden mages, and is using her position to protect her queen. Meanwhile, on the other side of the sea, dragonrider Tané is faced with an impossible choice. The fates of all three are intertwined as they attempt to stop the rise of a great dragon. 800+ page epic fantasy. Sapphic romance.
The Raven and the Reindeer by T. Kingfisher*
Young adult, fairy tale retelling of the Snow Queen. When Gerta's friend Kai is stolen away by the evil Snow Queen, Gerta must depart on a mission to save him. On the way, she encounters, among others, a talking raven and a pretty robber girl who become her allies. Sapphic romance.
The Rise of Kyoshi (Kyoshi duology) by F.C. Yee*
Young adult. Set in the Avatar universe, but aimed at an older audience than the animated series. Though she will one day be one of the most well-known avatars of the land, for now, young Kyoshi is but a humble girl who has yet to find out her true destiny as the bender of all four elements and keeper of balance of her world. When betrayal strikes and a dear friend is lost, Kyoshi goes on the run alongside fiesty firebender Rangi to find out the truth of her destiny and power. Sapphic romance.
Legends & Lattes (Legends & Lattes series) by Travis Baldree
Viv is tired of adventures and bloodshed - now she wants a peaceful life, and decides to go after it by opening a café. But going from warrior to small business owner is easier said than done, especially when Viv's old life comes knocking. Best described as a cozy fantasy, with a largely low-stakes but heartwarming plot and a sapphic romance.
Phoenix Extravagant by Yoon Ha Lee
Gyen Jebi is an artist, but making a living is difficult. When offered a job by the Ministry of Armor to paint the magical sigils that animate their automaton soldiers, they have little choice but to accept. But as Jebi sees the dark depths of the government, especially the shocking source of their magical paint, they must find a way to resist. Perhaps by freeing the Ministry's mighty automaton dragon... Nonbinary main character.
Crier's War by Nina Varela
Young adult. Who says sci-fi has monopoly on robots? In Crier’s War, artificially created automae have defeated and subjugated humans, who live as second class citizens. Young Ayla goes undercover as a servant, meaning to assassinate automae girl and Sovereign’s daughter Crier. This would be easier if the two weren’t quick to develop feelings for each other.
Black Sun (Between Earth and Sky trilogy) by Rebecca Roanhorse
In a pre-columbian inspired world, sea captain Xiala, gifted with an unusual connection to the sea, travels with a mysterious scarred and blind passenger toward a dangerous goal as prophecy heralds the return of a god. Features among others bisexual and nonbinary leads.
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin*
In a world regularly torn apart by natural disasters, a big one finally strikes and society as we know it falls, leaving people floundering to survive in a post apocalyptic world, its secrets and past to be slowly revealed. We follow a mother as she races through this world to find and save her daughter, stolen away by a father who just murdered their son after having discovered a terrible secret of their family. Does feature multiple queer characters and a main polyam relationship, but DO NOT read this expecting happy queer relationships as this series handles many dark subjects (you should still read it though, it's incredibly good).
In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan*
Young adult. Kids who can walk between our world and a magical one get recruited into a magical school that trains them to be either fighters or diplomats. Our lead decides that fighting is stupid and that he’s going to peacefully solve every conflict ever, all while being the most delightfully obnoxious little brat possible and getting involved in the most bisexual love triangle imaginable. Very good, funny, and heart-felt coming of age story.
Our Bloody Pearl D.N. Bryn
A siren who’s been held captive by a pirate is freed, but too injured to survive on their own as their tail has become paralyzed. Another pirate captain decides to help them out and has to work to win their trust. Fairly fluffy and light on world-building and plot (though there is a bit of a revenge story in there), with a focus on character and recovery. m/nb romance with an asexual love interest.
A Master of Djinn by P. Djélí Clark
Set in an alternate 1910’s steampunk Cairo, where djinn and other creatures live alongside humans. We get to follow an investigator as she races to catch a criminal using a powerful object to control djinn and stir unrest. Fantastically creative and fresh, and also features a buddy cop dynamic between two female leads as well as a sapphic romance.
Black Water Sister by Zen Cho*
As a toddler, Jessamyn Teoh left Malaysia. Now a young adult, she’s broke, closeted, and moving back. There she’s faced with the ghost of her estranged grandmother, Ah Ma, who was a medium and avatar of the deity the Black Water Sister in life. Now she demands Jess' help in exacting revenge against a gang boss that offended her god. Meanwhile, all Jess wants is to get her life back on track.
Heaven Official's Blessing (Heaven Official's Blessing series) by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu
Once, Xie Lian was the beloved crown prince of a kingdom. Then he rose to godhood at a young age, and was expected to take a step back from his land and his people, but in his inability to do so ended up losing everything. Now, eight hundred years later, Xie Lian has ascended to godhood for a third time, forgotten by mortals and the laughing stock of Heaven. Trying to rebuild his reputation, Xie Lian sets off on a mission, and on it encounters an infamous demon king who inspires fear in all of heaven. M/M romance.
Jane, Unlimited by Kristin Cashore*
Young Adult. Jane is invited by an old acquaintance to an extravagant gala in an island mansion, stranding her among the rich and glamorous. But being surrounded by rich people is the least of Jane’s problems: the mansion is housing secrets, some of them tied to Jane’s own family. The mansion offers her five choices, all of them leading her down different paths and different answers. Jane, Unlimited is a choose-your-own adventure story of sorts, featuring five different endings in five different genres, each more off the wall bonkers than the next. It also features a bisexual main character!
Every Heart a Doorway (Wayward Children series) by Seanan McGuire*
A tumblr favorite, the Wayward Children novellas feature a school open to children who have returned from adventures in other realms and now have trouble adapting back to regular life. Some installments are set in our world, others follow children as they have their otherworldly adventures. The main characters vary between books, but are generally pretty diverse with among others asexual, trans, intersexual and sapphic leads. Both funny and dark, it takes a closer look at the trauma many endure growing up different.
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern*
Surreal and fairy tale-esque, The Starless Sea is stories within a story, following graduate student Zachary as he finds a strange book which, in-between other tales, tells a story from his own childhood. Trying to find out how this came to be, Zachary gets involved with a pink-haired woman and a handsome man who are doing their utmost to protect a strange, otherworldly library available only through magical doors. It’s a book hard to put in words, but which I once described as “romantic without being a romance while stile having a love story at it’s core”, and which can be summed up only as “an Experience”. It’s also quite gay!
Not Even Bones by Rebecca Schaeffer*
Young adult. Nita isn’t a murderer - technically. She just dissects the bodies of supernatural beings her mother brings home and sells for parts on the black market. But when her mother brings home a still living victim, Nita has had enough and frees him. As it turns out, no good deed goes unpunished as Nita is betrayed, her own nature as a supernatural entity outed as she’s kidnapped and placed behind bars. Now she must find a way to escape before she's sold for parts. Features two aroace leads and a queerplatonic relationship, though it isn’t made textual until book 3 and briefly masquerades as a romance, which is pretty hilarious.
The Last Sun (The Tarot Sequence) by K.D. Edwards
Urban fantasy. Rune Saint John is the only survivor of the massacre against the Sun Court years prior. Now he’s been hired by Lady Judgement to find her missing son, Addam. Alongside his companion and bodyguard Brand, Rune goes on to question Addam's family and business contacts all over New Atlantis, island city and home of the Atlanteans after their original home was destroyed by ordinary humans. But the more he digs, the more Rune finds clues that Addam's absence is connected to Rune's own tragic past. M/M romance.
Gossamer Axe by Gael Baudino
Centuries ago in Ireland, Chairiste Ní Cummen was trained in the secrets of music and magic. But her pride was her downfall, trapping her and her lover in the land of the Sidh. Only Chairiste escaped, hoping to one day win her lover's freedom in musical battle with the fairy that holds her captive. Now she is Christa Cruitare, harp teacher in the modern world and all but resigned to her loss. Until she comes across a great new music: heavy metal. Taking one last chance to win her lover's freedom, Christa sets out to gather other skilled musicians and bring them with her in her final battle. Sapphic romance.
Bonus AKA I haven't read these yet but they seem really cool
Pantomime (Micah Grey trilogy) by Laura Lam
Young adult. On the surface, Gene's life is that of a noble debutante. In reality, she has secrets: she's both male and female, and has magical abilities that hasn’t been seen in an age. In the face of a betrayal from her parents, Gene runs away from home, dresses up as a boy, and joins a circus. Intersex main character.
Ghost Walk by Kay Solo
Maaya Sahni can see ghosts, and does her best to survive in her small isolated town by keeping her head down. But when an entire street full of people is spirited away by faceless specters that scares even ghosts, Maaya must find a way to stop the specters. Lesbian main character.
Swordspoint (Riverside series) by Ellen Kushner
In Riverside, duels are the way to settle disputes, and Richard St. Vier is the undisputed master of the sword - at least until a death is met not with awe but with outrage. M/M romance.
#nella talks books#I'm almost done with the fae rec list too! it should go up some time next week#after that maybe part 2 of queer sf
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key elements of Crownless (the Young Aragorn show that lives in my head and heart) season 1:
(Note that I will play a little fast and loose with timelines and for the sake of a better story. And/or take ruthless advantage of canonical slow Dúnedain aging to spread the timeline out over several decades)
First episode(s) is Aragorn (age 21, functionally late teens) leaving Rivendell to start wandering the wilds with the Rangers. I would do Elrond & his people dirty and say that Aragorn has been kinda sheltered growing up, a little because Elves tend to baby Men, especially young Men, and mostly because everyone wanted to be sure Isildur’s heir was safe as darkness grew in the world, especially after his father was killed when he was 2.
So Aragorn starts with significant book smarts, homely peace smarts—historical knowledge, animal friendship, herblore, diplomacy skills, technical sword/knife/bow skills…but he doesn’t know the dirty fighting tricks that win a fight. His tracking, hunting, forest stealth, etc. skills…suck at first. He’s prone to freeze in urgent healing (or combat) situations, because he’s never done this on his own before—though he has a natural talent for the ‘calling people back from death’ thing we see in LotR.
(This gives Aragorn obvious skills to pick up that demonstrate his character growth as a leader, while also establishing from the start that his real talent in kingship is, always was, diplomacy, strength of character & connection with his people, literal and metaphorical healing. Also, weirdass plans, often based on things he read, with success resting on luck/prayer/hope more than any reasonable thing…including a willingness to trust strange new and/or sketchy people…and they work.)
Maybe eps 1-2 is a double-length episode: opens with newly widowed Gilraen arriving in distress with a toddler 18 years ago, then first half is mostly restless late teen!Estel in Rivendell, ending with Elrond revealing his true name, broken sword, time to go forth… Smash cut to Aragorn tripping in the forest and falling in a stream while 2 other baby Rangers laugh at him and whoever’s stuck training these new recruits sighs heavily. There’s a lot of “this is the new Chieftain of the Dúnedain, Isildur’s heir?”
Format: 22ep 44min monster of the week (like GOD INTENDED) focused on the newest young Rangers: Aragorn, Halbarad, Dúnawen (OC: “maiden of the west”, don’t @ me for naming), as they range throughout Eriador learning how to be badasses guarding the boundaries of civilization. Monsters include orcs, wargs, mortal bandits, trolls, giant spiders, a small ice wyvern that made its way to northern Dale, barrow-wrights, unhoused fëa, rival clans of Men or maybe Dwarves who are about to go to blood feud war…
…and a slowly mounting season plot of the trouble of 3 Nazgúl reoccupying Dol Goldur, after the White Council forced the “Necromancer” out 15ish years ago. (Riling up ghosts throughout the countryside? Something something themes of moving on from the past. Also, can’t go wrong with an episode in which heroes must confront their literal personal ghosts.)
Repeat cameos from Elrohir & Elladan, cousins of all Mannish Dúnedain (and kind of older brothers to Aragorn in particular.) Are they helping him? Are they harder on him than on the other new recruits? Are they good cop/bad cop-ing it?
Arwen! Meet briefly ep1 and/or she’s a key feature of midseason finale; return in season finale to be badass. “Tinúviel! Tinúviel!” scene in Lothlórien casts a hiccup in a fledgling romance between Aragorn and Dúnawen
All combinations of Aragorn/Halbarad/Dunawen ARE welcome, nay, encouraged. They’re functionally in college and they’re all hot, and constantly in near-death situations. I advise the writers to have fun. Bisexuality is free.
Gandalf introduction early, ep2? Probably also in finale (something of a large team-up).
Late season bottle episode, maybe just before a 2-parter finale, in which due to a thunderstorm/mudslide/cave-in incident, Aragorn, Halbarad and Dunawen are trapped in a cave/small series of caves with a random assortment of other travelers on the road west of Bree: a pair of Dwarvish merchants, a few men, 1 elf (journeying to the Havens to Sail?), and 1 hobbit, Mr. Drogo Baggins of Hobbiton, who was making a perilous journey to Bree and back in order to fetch his beloved, very pregnant wife a particular kind of cheese she was craving. No loss of air threat, but they’re stuck. Obviously getting Drogo home is of utmost importance (and everyone else needs to get home safe, too). Tempers run high! Only once the Junior Rangers sort out their late-season interpersonal drama can Aragorn rise to the occasion and organize/mediate this microcosm of Middle Earth’s populace to dig their way out of this cave.
Aragorn is exceptionally good at facing down Nazgúl and their weaponized despair because he has—indeed, he is, by name!—hope. This show is about hope first and teamwork second, and looking badass in a beautiful landscape while Howard Shore music swells third.
[s2 in notes]
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My brain is FULL of TH fic ideas but I've already got 3 WIP and most of them are just "what if"s with no plot so I'll just post them here I guess and maybe some writing god hears me/ reads them and someone else actually uses them.
Here's Nr. 1:
Frerin did in fact NOT die at Azanulbizar but was transported into our modern world, sometime in the second half of the 19th century.
After some adjusting (industrialization is in full force but it's still not as 'bad' as it would be rn) he builds a life, him being a dwarf meaning that he ages extremely slowly compared to us lowly humans so he has to move after a while and again and again.
He lives in the UK, US, France, Germany, Italy, Finland.....
He fights in both world wars depending on where he lives during that time (WW1 on the German side, WW2 on the UK's), other than that he goes to university and works all kinds of jobs like policeman, fireman, soldier, teacher, carpenter,smith, weaver, factory worker, violinist etc etc etc
Around 1900 he meets this fella J R R Tolkien and befriends him, and after a time finds out that his friend is writing books about middle Earth, not only that, but one about his very own brother. Tolkien apparently is a seer of some kind because it's still almost a century until "The Hobbit" would happen (he does the math).
Frerin helps Tolkien with authenticity for his books, because the dude is smart and found out about Frerin after he corrected his Khuzdul one time too many.
Anyhow, after reading what will happen to his family, he becomes a mite bit obsessed with returning to Middle Earth and having ammased quite some wealth and with the help of some friends in high places starts founding various research projects into things like teleportation, multiverse, magic, alchemy, you name it. He also becomes a member of the Freemasons due to his occult knowledge.
In around 80 years there's almost no progress towards Frerin's goal of returning home, he does still have a research company but only a small group of mostly students works on the multiverse hypothesis, the rest does all kinds of stuff, technology, energy, whatever.
He has for the time being settled somewhere in Scandinavia, is a College Professor for Sociology and Political Science and volunteers as a social worker for troubled children.
He is fostering 2 or 3 children himself (ages 6 - 16) and has two grown up adopted children that still live & work with him (they found out about him), a guy & a lass ( both early twenties).
Somehow (don't ask I don't know) the whole household (meaning Frerin, his two young adult children, the foster children, his south American householder, her tiny dog and their personal Butler (more of a live-in family friend by now, think Niles from "The Nanny")) all get sucked into a portal or whatever end get spit out into Middle Earth.
Not at Ered Luin of course, that would be easy, no, but somewhere extremely inconvenient. The Lone lands, the Brown lands, Moria, something along the lines of "we are so fucked".
So now it is a few years (1-3, or the characters have too much time to become Mary-Sues), before the quest to Erebor, and they have to reach Thorin before then and somehow survive a world filled with orcs (and elves!) while juggling a 6 year old, a tiny & barky dog, a cliché Mamacita, a British butler, and Frerin's realisation that he has gotten much too used to modern convenience.
(my weak ass would probably include some romance between one/more than one of the original characters and the canon characters, I'm a sucker for Fili or Kili x OFC and rare pairings like KilixBifur or ThorinxNori and I want Frerin to date an elf or Bard I think.)
.... Does this sound like something you would read/write? I'd maybe try to write this with someone else, alone I don't dare to. What do y'all think?
#the hobbit#tolkien#middle earth#fili and kili#fili durin#thorin oakenshield#fíli#the hobbit fanfiction#kili durin#kíli#frerin#hobbit au#fanfic#fanfic ideas#the hobbit imagine#MGiME#modern character in middle earth
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Book Review 52 – The Gods Are Bastards Volume Three by D. D. Webb
Okay this is properly a review for Books 8, 9, and 10 of the gargantuan serial – which I’ll freely admit I read more than a month ago in one week-long fugue along with all the books before them and the next few after. Which is to say I really shouldn’t have waited this long to write this review, and my apologies for all the vagueness and inaccuracies that are going to result. Which is a pity, because this is the best volume of the serial I’ve read and it isn’t even particularly close.
The serial continues the story of a Dungeons & Dragons-esque generic fantasy world advanced a couple hundred years and in the throes of a magical industrial revolution. The story theoretically stars the now-sophomore class of almost comically privileged and powerful students at what’s basically Adventurer University, but compared to the previous volumes they get barely any screentime in this one. Instead you get the Bishop of the god of thieves, the Archpope of the Universal Church, their respective pet openly-plotting-and-near-mutinous adventuring parties, political intrigue in the goddess of war, and a huntsman we’ve never met before learning the secrets of creation and also that his god was always just kind of a dick. It’s great! Also, to reiterate, the students get barely any screentime!
Really I kind of get the sense that I’m a deeply atypical fantasy reader, in that I find 90% of both involved romance plots and drawn out action scenes deeply tedious and basically the price you pay to get at the good parts of the story. In this case the good part is incredibly byzantine and too-complicated-by-half political shadowboxing carried out by proxies only barely kept on their masters’ leashes. Also several thousand words of pure exposition about the deep lore of the setting delivered by a malfunctioning AI.
Because yes, the big massive reveal of the volume is that the elder gods who were overthrown millennia before the story began had actually pulled a Lord of Light. The world runs on generic fantasy tropes because it was created by powermad demiurges who were also specifically insufferable 20th/21st century earth fantasy nerds. The different types of magic were just the results of them folding and rewriting physics, the fact that mortals can only access four is down to the vast majority getting wrecked when their creators died in the Titanomachy. Gnomes are an apparently successful attempt to perfect humanoid life.
This is, first and foremost, an absolutely hilarious bit of worldbuilding. Like, I actually burst out laughing. Knowing that orcs existed because the elder gods were big Tolkein and Warcraft fans may have permanently damaged my ability to take the setting seriously on its on terms but like, honestly? Probably worth it. Also just an excellent excuse for any shotcuts of contradictions in the worldbuilding and for all the kind of lazy fantasy worldbuilding tropes.
While it hasn’t happened yet, I hold out some hope that the increased pivot to the divine and Deep Lore means the serial will start to live up to its title and foreground the gods and their bastardry more – as I’ve said before, a narrative where the literal lords of creation are present but only because they just show up sometimes to descend to earth and make the protagonists lives easier is just boring. Which is why Archpope Justinian, the scheming mastermind who wants to overthrow heaven and earth and works exclusively through needlessly convoluted schemes that don’t stop a single person from knowing he’s to blame. I’m sorry but ‘somehow brainwashed the gods into making him their high priest so he can use the resources of their church as his personal power base’ is such a great bit. Also he’s opposed by literally every major POV so of course I need to root for him. (Honorary mention to Basra Syrinx, who is literally just The Worst in an incredibly entertaining way)
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Redoing the Intro One More Time!
Updated 9/30/23
Call me Moshke Palmoni (they/them). I spend as much time as I can writing, but that is not as much as it might be because there's also a lot of life going on right now. I also like to read, knit, collect vintage ephemera, and play with my cat.
General WIP tag list: [your url here!]
Active WIPs:
7 Days for Fae
Coming October 2024
10-year-old Fae is isolated by her disabilities—autism and ataxia—that causes her communication and mobility issues. She doesn’t have any friends her age, and she’s accepted that. She reads a lot and plays pretend in the forest at the end of the street. Her family loves her for who she is and so far that’s been enough. Until, that is, she meets the new kid. His name is Brownie and for reasons Fae can’t imagine he wants to be her friend no matter how weird or awkward she is. When he still invites her over after a meltdown in class gets her suspended for a week, she decides to take a risk and accept. The ensuing adventures are marred only by the other sudden change in her life—an aunt Fae barely knows has moved in with her family. She doesn’t know how to talk to Fae and, worse, refuses to accept Fae’s nonbinary parent’s identity. But since no one else seems to know how to deal with the mess their home life has become, Fae tries—with Brownie’s encouragement—to sort the situation out herself.
Cold Iron
In 1956, Shakatra Zoawin is 40. Or they might be 20, depending on how you look at it. They are a changeling and their aging is kind of weird, but that doesn't matter to them because they have a good life in the subway tunnel with their brother, Kris. Both of them are changelings swapped as infants for human children and then rejected by their human families. Their wits and powerful magic have kept them alive this long, and Shaka is perfectly content to keep going. After they do one little thing to appease their guilt: find the 40-year-old they were swapped for and free her to have her own life in the human world free from servitude in the courts of the Fae. And so begins an adventure that will have repercussions neither of them could have imagined.
Intro posts for the books in this series: Cold Iron, City of Frost, Song on Repeat, and Future Not Found
Character Intro Posts: Shakatra, Kris, Lynn, Tatiana, Liliana, Harry, Doug, Beth, Aaron, Cassie, and Althea
Tag list: @pga-books
Blades of Ice
In the kingdom of Halara, orcs and elms and slimes and centaurs live peacefully side-by-side with humans. Less peaceful is the relationship between Halara and their neighboring kingdom of Eng. The generation-long conflict has drawn in other nearby kingdoms and stagnated artistic and social works. All Aryel ever wanted to do was be left alone to love who they want and practice sparring with their axe, but as a royal child they have responsibilities, namely leading the entire army. There's no talk of ending the war in any way but victory, just as Halara won its initial freedom from Eng 300 years ago, but this endless fighting is getting them nowhere but too many funerals and not enough bread. And then when a familial tragedy leads to Aryel leading both the army and the kingdom, they know they can't balance the tensions and demands of everyone at once and win this war. Something has to give, and they just hope it isn't the entire kingdom.
Backburnered and still-in-planning WIPs under the cut.
Time Traveling Anthropologists
(permanent title coming soon)
Set approximately 2 generations in the future. Esther Dahan has her dream job. She gets to time travel with her new team, and against all historical odds they are there to study ancient cultures rather than do anything violent. Their first assignment is 8 months in the 9th century Jewish kingdom of Khazaria. Everything is going great—illicit romance with a Khazarian blacksmith notwithstanding—until Esther finds a plate that doesn't belong in this time. Curious and suspicious but without enough evidence to involve her boss, she investigates on her own, discovering much more than she planned—and leading to far worse consequences than she could have imagined.
Tag list: @amielbjacobs @kingkendrick7 @moonluringfrost @another-white-hole
To Die Among the Stars:
20 people have been chosen to test the effects of faster-than-light space travel on human minds and bodies. They were taken from prisons, wellness centers, and other areas where near-certain death seemed like a reasonable chance to take. Each have their reasons for being there, and their secrets. Against all odds, the jump to FTL doesn't destroy the ship. But the further away from Earth they travel, the more strange things begin to happen that call the purpose of the experiment into question. And then the impossible: a human distress signal in deep space.
Told from 4 rotating perspectives: Pixel, a semiverbal illegal human modder; Ri, whose body and mind are overloaded with mods; Zippy, a young disabled woman desperate to support her family; and Peppermint, a genetic experiment combining human and cat DNA raised in an isolated lab.
Tag list: @hd-literature
Falling Petals
A multigenerational story about trauma, love, and disability set against the backdrop of one Jewish family. Beginning in the 1920's with Ira Katz, who is brilliant and charming with no understanding at all of tact or why the best way isn't always blunt observations and mean jokes. It follows him as he grows up, marries, and inherits his father's drugstore, and then moves on to following one of his sons, Daniel. Daniel grows up in the 1940's and is naturally gentle, kind, and sensitive, but is treated so harshly for these traits he learns to hide himself away inside and only show emotion in explosive bouts of anger. It follows him through adolescence, college, and marriage, before moving on to one of his daughters, Shoshana. Shoshana grows up in the 1960's and is colorful, young for her age, and full of social panic. None of them know how to relate to each other or survive in a world that each of them see the beauty in but aren't allowed to connect with in their own way. And yet through the pain and confusion, they are full of love. And then everything changes for them with Shoshana's niece, Naomi, growing up in the 1990's, who will not be allowed to see herself as broken.
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Choices Summer Updates
I admit, I didn't expect to be doing a post like this until next week with the July Insiders, but here we are!
Undercut due to length of post
Blades of Light and Shadow 2
Oh, do we have a story for you! When you face the Shadow Realm once again, your skills are put to the ultimate test. Are you back in the Realm of your own accord? Or are you there against your will? Only time will tell, in the September 2023 premiere!
So it looks like the skills from BK1 may be carrying over to BK2. I'm interested to see what the Empire of Ash is like compared to the Shadow Court and how everything will play out.
My guess is that these are the new Love Interests mentioned in the video that was put out after BK1. Which means those who were hoping for Aerin when BK1 was releasing could potentially have their win! And just like Imtura, Mal, Nia, and Tyril, he is getting a new look. The other is named Valax, and I am intrigued about her and how she'll fit into the story. I remember when it was announced BK2 would add new Love Interests, I was hoping it would be a female Elf and male Orc. It looks like I may have been half right.
Unbridled: An Untameable Story
Saddle up, partner! In the spinoff of Untameable, you’ll play as a brand new character, but you'll still see some familiar faces around. So get ready for a rodeo of a good time!
My guess is that the new MC will be someone who takes a job at the ranch in someway. As for the Love Interest, no idea. I imagine, like Untameable, it'll be a Single Love Interest book.
So I think the first image may be something to do with the new MC as we know that it is a gender of choice book. The second image I think might be related to Kit in someway as they may have since gone more into their dream of working in food. The third and fourth image I'm guessing may be CGs for the Love Interest.
The Cursed Heart 2
Coming 2024: The Cursed Heart 2! After a grueling battle to rid Kieran of their curse, you may think all has been put to rest. But friends, that could not be further from the truth. A new threat stands to rid the land of fae – no matter which Court they belong to.
I really don't know what to expect for The Cursed Heart 2. I do have a theory that somehow Longclaw is going to become Gleam again, but I don't know.
Intrigued as to what this could be in relation to during the book. Only one way to find out.
Immortal Desires 2
Another sequel is in the works! Immortal Desires 2 will also premiere in 2024! After your Turning at the end of Book 1, your kindling romance with both Cas and Gabe soon turns to jealousy when you are faced with the ultimate decision – which coven will you dedicate your life to?
To this day, I am still surprised at the decision to give this a sequel rather than have it be a standalone. And I am definitely ready for more. I had a feeling the whole choosing a coven thing would be a part of it and it'll be interesting to see how the decision affects the relationship if you went the poly route during BK1. For me, it'll probably be Clement as I played Gabriela's route only.
All that being said, I feel like there could be a chance something will happen that may see MC, Cas, and Gabe make their own coven.
Upcoming Themes
Sometimes, the community will request a certain type of book, and we love to hear those ideas. We often can’t share details about books that will come out way in the future, but we dug up a few hints that we wanted to share. In 2024, you can expect to see books about:
👻♥️ | 🔪🧐 | 🏒🔥
I know I've said about being rubbish with emojis, but this time I'll have a go haha.
The first I imagine means another supernatural book (woohoo!), bit of a strange pair of emojis to pick though. I guess the heart refers to the Love Interest(s). Guess we'll find out next year.
The second screams mystery book. The monocle emoji gives me Poirot vibes. I'm guessing a murder mystery.
The third pair I imagine is in reference to the sports book they announced earlier in the year. Looks like said sport could potentially be hockey. I'm not really a sports person, but for now, I'll say I'll give it a go.
So that was everything regarding upcoming books in the blog post. I'll be back with more thoughts next week for the Insiders.
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Cozy Fantasy
Travis Baldree introduced me to a subgenre I never knew I needed: cozy fantasy. Low-stakes stories set in mild locations that end more or less happily.
Legends & Lattes is Travis's book. I first heard about it on twitter and between the premise and the cover art I preordered it, read it when it was out, and fell in love. It's about an orc barbarian lady named Viv who retires from adventuring to open a coffee shop and the misadventures (and love) that ensue as she tries to find her way in a new and unknown market. Helping her out are Tandri, a succubus who excels as manager (and stealing Viv's heart); Thimble, a ratkin culinary genius; and Cal, a faux-grouchy hob who works wonders with wood. The stakes are low, but the fun is not. A++ highly recommend AND there's a second book coming out that's a prequel to this one and features a foul-mouthed ratkin.
House Witch by Delemhach is about a young man whose magic centers on hearth & home. He sets himself up in the royal kitchen expecting to keep a low profile, but soon finds himself in far over his head, saving lives, and cooking the most incredible meals anyone's ever eaten. It's broken into three books, but each picks up right where the last left off, so it could have worked as one. The characters are well done, the drama builds at a steady pace, and while a lot of serious stuff happens it never really loses its sense of fun. There are a couple of places where the author gets overly-enamored of puns and getting a little too silly, but it's still a good story.
Coffee, Milk, and Spider Silk by Coyote JM Edwards is a short story and TBH it kinda suffers from that. The premise features a drider retiring from guard service to open a coffee shop. I've seen some unfavorable comparisons to L&L but while the author acknowledges it as an influence, it's still its own thing. I just wish there'd been more time to expand on the characters. The emo teen dryad with accident-caused disabilities is a whole story on her own, and I would have liked to know more about the single mom minotaur who hides her anxiety behind a wall of cheerfulness. Even the protagonist Gwen feels a little hastily sketched. It's still a fun, easy read, but I feel like it needs more. More stories set here or a future expansion to a full-length novel.
The Tea Princess Chronicles by Casey Blair are good. Some heavy plotting, but still light enough to qualify. They center on a princess who chooses to run away from her family rather than get shoved into a convenient box of their choosing. She comes to rest in a tea shop and settles in to study to become a tea master. Lots of drama interferes, of course, and there are smugglers to catch, a lost people to rescue, and a kingdom to save. There are secondary trans characters and secondary queer romances as well.
The Bookshop & the Barbarian by Morgan Stang was not written for me. I only got a few pages in before giving up in frustration, though I may try again later. The premise should be fun: woman on the run sets up shop in a cozy little bookstore and then hires a barbarian woman to help drive out the encroaching goblins. It's low stakes, funny, and has a sapphic romance, but for me it was trying way too hard to sound clever. I prefer straightforward storytelling to meandering narratives that include snide commentaries on everything. That's a me thing, though, and might suit other readers better.
Can't Spell Treason without Tea by Rebecca Thorne is another good sapphic romance about a guard for an evil queen who runs away to the borderlands and opens a tea/book shop with her head-of-the-mage-guild girlfriend. Lots of good plotty stuff and maybe more angst than your average fluff, but it's fun and features a cozy setting with locals who are eager to help. Should be first in a series, since the queen is definitely not going to let them get away with this.
I'm still watching for more and if anyone wants to add to the list feel free.
Also, now that I've delved into some cozy fantasy, I'd love to see more cozy scifi. Coffee shop/bookstore AUs are a delight.
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Book recs: great, unique and creative worldbuilding in fantasy books
A note: this is very much a subjective list. I typically do not care much for historical medieval-esque settings (though seeing as I'm a big critical role fan, obviously there are exceptions), but rather prefer settings that mix up historical and modern, fantastical and scientific, and make up entirely new things and societal structures not based on our world.
Other book rec posts:
Really cool sci-fi worldbuilding
Mermaid books
Dark sapphic romances
Vampire books
Without further ado, let’s go!
The Unspoken name by A.K. Larkwood
Honestly there's so much going on in this one worldbuilding-wise that it's kind of hard to explain. Portals, flying ships, orcs, elves, creepy snake gods, cults, immortal evil mages who traumatize teens as their hobby. It's also very queer!
A Master of Djinn by P. Djèli Clark
Set in an alternate 1910's steampunk Cairo, where djinn and other creatures (among other things, creepy steampunk angels) live alongside humans. We get to follow an investigator as she races to catch a criminal using a powerful object to control djinn and stir unrest. Fantastically creative and fresh, and also features a buddy cop dynamic between two female leads as well as a sapphic romance.
Sunshine by Robin McKinley
Urban fantasy on a level of its own, where dangerous magic exists alongside humans. It keeps you guessing and much is left unexplained; if you want clear answers and explanations to everything you might be disappointed, but if you want a world that feels mysterious and dangerous and lived in you'll probably like it. It follows a baker who, after getting kidnapped by vampires, gets embroiled in a dangerous struggle.
Radiant (Towers Trilogy) by Karina Sumner-Smith
A strange mix of fantasy, sci-fi and post apocalyptic, Radiant follows a girl without magic in a world where magic is currency. Those with much of it live in magically floating towers, while everyone else scrambles to survive in the ruins of an old city left devastated from an unknown cataclysm. The setting is creepy and mysterious and leaves me itching as I want to dig for more. Also there are ghosts.
Three Parts Dead (Craft Sequence) by Max Gladstone
This is one of those books where you just kind of have to let go and go along as it throws you all over the place. I started reading it expecting an urban fantasy, but it is much more and wholly unique. It features a world where gods and magic are deeply enmeshed with society at large, and a base of much of its technology and progress. It doesn't quite feel historical, but also not modern, but rather like you took a fantastical world and let it develop naturally into its own contemporary era.
Strange the Dreamer (Strange the Dreamer duology) by Laini Taylor
One of my favorite things is when the mysteries of the world and how it works become part of the plot, with characters trying to figure out their own world. Strange the Dreamer is beautiful and complex and will hurt your heart. Personally I didn't care much for the central romance, but the wonderful characters, themes, mysteries and world make up for it.
The Dawnhounds by Sascha Stronach
Like Three Parts Dead, The Dawnhounds is a book where you just kind of have to let the story and the world wash over you. It skirts the line of scifi and fantasy, with a futuristic world of environmentally friendly mushroom houses and deadly fungi bio weapons next to literally god-given superpowers and near-immortality. It's really cool and unlike anything else I've ever read. Bonus: it’s also sapphic!
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms (Inheritance Trilogy) by N.K. Jemisin
Another example of a world that feels wholly like its own organically developed thing, with societal structures developed around the magical aspects and a presence of gods and demi-gods, many of whom walk the streets and will smite you if you piss them off.
Dead Witch Walking (The Hollows series) by Kim Harrison
Okay, here we have an actual urban fantasy. While I got a bit worn out by the many, many love interests throughout the series, the worldbuilding is simply phenomenal and relies heavily on a well-developed alternate history. Basically, magical beings such as vampires, werewolves, elves, fairies, witches, etc, used to exist secretly alongside us, but when humanity delved into genetic research instead of the space race during the cold war, an engineered virus ended up wiping a good chunk of us out and the magical beings stepped in to stop us from going extinct. Now in the modern day, we co-exist but tensions remain. Our main character is a witch who, alongside her roommates (a vampire and a fairy) solve mysteries and crime and end up unveiling secrets about their world centuries in the making.
Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger
Another urban fantasy, this one aimed at young adults and featuring indigenous mythology alongside creatures such as vampires and ghosts. We follow a young apache girl with the ability to raise ghosts as she works to solve the murder of her cousin.
Red Sister (Book of the Ancestor trilogy) by Mark Lawrence
Honestly, most of what I've read by Mark Lawrence so far could be featured on this list (special shoutout to his Broken Empire trilogy!). We follow a young girl training to become an assassin in a slowly dying world, where ice is overtaking the land and only a small band along its middle is habitable, kept alive by a mirror in the sky sharpening the dying sun's light. Question is, how long will this machine last, and what even is it? Very dark but very good.
The Fifth Season (The Broken Earth trilogy) by N.K. Jemisin
Listen, N.K. Jemisin gets to have two books on this list, okay, she is very good at what she does. In a world regularly torn apart by natural disasters, a big one finally strikes and society as we know it falls, leaving people floundering to survive in a post apocalyptic world, its secrets and past to be slowly revealed. We get to follow a mother as she races through this world to find and save her missing daughter.
The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez
AKA the book the killed me. Two boys travel throughout their land with the body of a god as her horrible, horrible children try to hunt them down. It's hard to explain more than that, but trust me when I say the narrative voice and literary techniques are incredibly unique in how they blend past and present, reality and story, lead and bystander. Truly an experience. Bonus: gay romance!
Wild Seed by Octavia Butler
Master of slightly fucked up romance, Octavia Butler knocks it out of the park in this story featuring two immortals struggling throughout the centuries. What do you do when there is only one other person remotely like you, and you simultaneously can't stand them and can't live without them? Apparently, you turn yourself into a dolphin for a while.
Birth of the Fire Bringer by Meredith Ann Pierce
Cards on the table, it has been a great many years since I actually read this, and just as many years spent meaning to read the sequels (I have a lot of stuff on my tbr okay, don’t judge me), but I do remember it making a great impact on me back in the day. Our main character is a unicorn! Fighting wyverns and gryphons! How cool is that!
Bonus AKA I haven’t read these yet but they seem really cool
The Surviving Sky by Kritika H. Rao
From Goodreads: This Hindu philosophy-inspired debut science fantasy follows a husband and wife racing to save their living city—and their troubled marriage—high above a jungle world besieged by cataclysmic storms.
High above a jungle-planet float the last refuges of humanity—plant-made civilizations held together by tradition, technology, and arcane science. In these living cities, architects are revered above anyone else. If not for their ability to psychically manipulate the architecture, the cities would plunge into the devastating earthrage storms below.
Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews
Urban fantasy but the vampires are aliens? Sign me the fuck up
The Gaslight Dogs by Karin Lowachee
From Goodreads: At the edge of the known world, an ancient nomadic tribe faces a new enemy-an Empire fueled by technology and war.
#thanks tumblr for fucking me over and posting the draft before i was done#anyway its finished now sorry for the confusion#nella talks books#long post#book recs
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tauria!! 9, 14, 21, 74, 80, 84, 104, 122 from the book rec ask game please <33
ahhh thank you maya!
9. your favourite book of 2020
ahh, i'm actually going to answer this for---last year, because i remember it and also bc i hit my reading goal last year!!
so my actual answer would be nona the ninth, but as i have already rec'd gideon to bean and mentioned harrow in this list, i shan't count it.
s o.
i think i'm gonna go with The Midnight Lie by Marie Rutkoski, which is part one of a duology. the first is a retelling of cinderella, the second of sleeping beauty.
the first, to me, was much more enjoyable than the second, although i deeply enjoyed both. the first is singular pov, the second is split (i liked the LI's more!)
the book takes place on an island which is segregated into three classes / rings, each of which enjoys a vastly different quality of life than the other. the protagonist lives in the lowest class, where, if you're charged with a crime, no matter the severity, the guards can take any tribute they ask---from a few strands of hair to some blood to an eye, etc. she works with her guardian to help sneak people out of the lower ring and into the upper rings, and has always yearned for a taste of them hersellf. after spending a night in prison, she meets an outsider--the first on the island in many years--who helps her achieve just that.
also the plot twist in this book is. amazing.
14. a book that made you trip on literary acid
like. in the most positive way possible.
Harrow the Ninth.
look. i wasn't going to rec sequels. i wasn't.
but oh my god.
i walked away from this book with a headache and i said thank you ms. muir <3
(runner up answer would be the stars are legion, bc. oof. that book was a mind-fuck. again? best way possible. but also. damn.)
21. a book with a red cover
literally the first book that came to mind was Eldest, of the Inheritance Cycle.
(i was going to answer with "witches of ash & ruin by e. latimer" but my kindle cover is now blue -.- and uglier, imo. whatever.)
but, uh. The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett!! i started the discworld series with the tiffany aching series, and i highly recommend <3 the nac mac feegles make me giggle so much <3
also i deeply love tiffany and all of the things that pterry conveys through her <3
74. your favourite love triangle
i didn’t forget to answer this before i clicked post wdym
this is hard!!! ngl i actively avoid love triangles in books after being so inundated with them during some of my peak reading years lmao
ahhh but
i actually didn’t mind how the love triangle was handled in the early throne of glass books!
i don’t necessarily recommend those but i was. obsessed with them for a time xD
80. a book that reminds you of a loved one
i technically answered this on bean's! that would be "a girl of the limberlost" or "the secret garden" bc they both remind me of my mom.
also almost any murder mystery will remind me of her, as those were her favorite genre.
u h m. but to name a different book; i think of my brother every time i see a riordanverse book, particularly the Percy Jackson <3 i let him borrow my copies (i've. mostly forgiven him for their now beat up / falling apart state) and watching him develop his first otp / devour them was so sweet <3
104. a fluffy, sweet read
so i didn't technically rec it on bean's list, i just mentioned it.
Legends And Lattes - Travis Baldree! cozy, slice of life fantasy with a sapphic romance. an orc retires from adventuring to open a coffee shop in a city that's never heard of coffee. (its a gnomish thing.) has a lot of dnd-like setting things and so much found family <3
also it made me hungry, so like. have ur favorite warm drink & pastries on hand when you read it bc you may also end up wanting them <3
122. your favourite winter read
hmmm.
okay so first! um. when i think winter / autumn / summer / spring read i don't necessarily think about season in the book itself, but rather like... how i feel during those seasons. so! autumnal reads i prefer spookier vibes; summer i want lighter books i don't have to focus too much on bc the heat has melted my brain; and for winter i want books that are good for spending a long time under blankets, so. chunkier the better. (i don't know what a spring read is to me.)
i am going to answer this one with two books!
the first i have not actually read -- The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon, which is a fucking beast of a book. i am... about 20%? through it? i think? but i had to put it down bc i couldn't give it the full attention it deserved. however, i think, due to its size, it would be a lovely book to devour over a handful of snowy days, curled up in blankets <33
the second i have read, and i actually wouldn't call this one chunky, but. i dunno. it's made for a nice evening read, i think. anyway! The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia A McKilip.
[ book rec ask game ]
#i won't rec the locked tomb on every list of questions i get i promise#(fingers crossed im not lying)#ask gaming#livvyreads#waffleinator-inator#thank u for asking~~
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Orctober 2023, twenty-five - "Orchestrate" (Bard Bonus)
Once again on the prompt list – “Hope.”
I was planning on holding off on posting this until the last day of the month, for extra oomph factor, but it fit so well with this prompt specifically that I couldn’t not.
~
Hope is the progression of Orcish representation.
Hope is people having seen Orcs in the original, book canon of “The Hobbit” and “Lord of the Rings,” and being inspired to carry them forward, in any capacity, into other media. Dungeons & Dragons. Warhammer. Warcraft. Hope is individuals seeing Orcs across those many stories and settings, more and more, and being inspired one by one to do something different. Do something kinder.
Hope is Wizards of the Coast finally admitting that casting Orcs as a wholly evil-aligned race was wrong, and choosing to do differently, moving forward.
Hope is Peter Jackson having given us Orcs with personality, even amidst other problematic choices, leading to what was done with them in the “Rings of Power.”
Hope is all the Arda-centered Orc fanfic out there, filling in the gaps.
Hope is focus on them as people in monster-fantasy romance like the Orc Sworn series.
Hope is everyone in my Orcstagram group rallying to celebrate them for a whole month every year.
Hope is every moment that someone talks about them as MORE than cardboard cutout fantasy monsters across any social media, or in person, with people who usually don’t think about such things.
Hope is the choices I make, in my own work with them, and the knowledge that even now, other people are pushing even harder, and that others will push even further than anything happening right now, in the future.
Hope is what change this will all inspire, person to person, in the treatment of those that are deemed “different” or “other” and therefore “dangerous,” on Earth.
~
As before (when shown in linework), this piece featuring Onna Kin-breaker from my work “Tock the Gnome,” and Lurtz of Isengard, from Peter Jackson’s take on “Fellowship of the Ring.” With spruce in Onna’s hand, for “hope in adversity.” …..And Butterfly Hero Stephen.
Also, as the title above implies, this is the Bard level bonus for my patrons at that level, for September!! All Bard patrons within domestic shipping distance will be getting this as a print in the mail soon (high res. file to anyone international, for self-printing) – as will any NEW patrons at that level, now through November 15th. Signup details here. (And same case for yesterday’s piece, too.)
(Aaaand as you might have figured, “Tock the Gnome” World Building Wednesday will be up on Friday this week, instead, to hold space for this ✨💚✨ )
~
Bonus art and stories ~ Prints, comics and more!
#orctober#orcs#tolkien#inspiration#fantasy#fantasy art#faerie#drawing challenge#fanart#tock the gnome#bonus art#orc woman#orc#fairy art#ooh shiny
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SHIRLEY
Full name: Shirley Whiteclaw Evenwood
Name meaning: Shirley: bright clearing; Whiteclaw: self-explanatory
Pronouns: She/Her
Race: Half-Orc
Age: 38
Orientation: Bisexual
Romance: Undecided
Class: Fighter
Subclass: Champion
Origin: Soldier
Theme Song: Sweetest Devotion - Adele / I Lived - OneRepublic / You Said You’d Grow Old With Me - Michael Schulte
Personality
Shirley is a single mom with two kids at home and she always puts them first. Her main focus is taking care of her family and working as a sword for hire puts food on the table. She’s a sweet gal, even if her day job involves a lot of killing. She’s not the sharpest tool in the shed, but she’s cheery, friendly, and outgoing. She’s not book smart, but she has emotional intelligence. She’s also a very even-tempered person.
She’s talkative and the kind of person who’ll strike up a conversation with a total stranger like they’re old friends. Being a little dimwitted, she can be taken advantage of. She’s far too trusting for her own good. She is self-aware she’s not the smartest person in the room.
People often look at her and think, “There’s nothing going on behind those eyes.” She’s basically a Labrador Retriever as a half-orc.
Background
Shirley is the product of an arranged marriage that was created to form an alliance between an orc tribe and the human village of Northwick. Her father relocated to the human village as part of the alliance since Shirley’s mother didn’t want to leave her hometown.
Fortunately, her parents did get along even if it was a loveless marriage. They were able to come together as friends to give their daughter a good life. It gave Shirley an unusual advantage compared to many other half-orcs. Her parents may not have been in love, but they did love her. She was raised in her mother’s village among humans. While she struggled to find acceptance, her good nature helped her worm her way into the hearts of the townspeople. She slowly got people to tolerate her and even won over some genuine friends.
Her father trained her to be a fighter and she became set on protecting Northwick. She worked as a guard and this helped earn her respect among some of the higher ranking villagers. She even met and married a human paladin, Kayne Evenwood. They would have three children together, Galvyn and Bilga. Sadly, not long after Bilga’s birth, Kayne drowned when he was caught in a current while trying to save a small child who slipped into the river. He was able to save the boy, but lost his life in the process.
Alone, she took jobs as a sword for hire to take care of her children. When a tadpole got lodged in her brain, she had to set out to save herself and her children. While away, the kids stay with their grandparents.
Likes: Her children, her late husband, giving her kids a better life, children (in general), animals especially dogs, giving to charity, volunteering, social events, talking with people, early mornings, and romance novels
Dislikes: Anything that could harm her family, being away from home, criminals, bullies, people judging her based on being a half-orc, loneliness, bugs, hurting people who don’t deserve it, math,
Fears: She’s afraid of anything happening to her children. Outside of her children, she’s terrified that she won’t be able to protect her village or that peace between the humans and nearby orcs will be compromised. She hates to admit she fears dying alone, too. She doesn’t feel like she should want love again, but she does. On a lighter note, she’s really scared of talking to a room full of people. She hates it.
Quirks: She talks pretty loudly, even when trying to whisper. There’s a running joke amongst her friends that she just CANNOT whisper even in a life or death situation.
Mental Health: She’s still grieving her husband while trying to focus on her children.
Favorite Food: Minted Pea Soup, Rabbit Stew, Wayfarers’ Cake, and Toasted Cockatrice Gizzards on Rye
Favorite Drink: Moon Mountain Ale, Mint Tea, and Apricot Cider
Favorite Flower: Summer Lillies and Peonies (Peonies was the first flower Kayne ever gave her)
Height: 6’2”
Skin: Sage Tone 5
Hair: Red Black with Gray
Eyes: Brown 1
Color Scheme: She wears a lot of browns, silvers, and blues. She doesn’t really pick her armor based on color, but durability and strength. She never thinks to get things dyed or colored. When not in armor, she leans toward shades of green and blue.
Fashion Sense: She’s a simple woman with a simple wardrobe. It’s all about durability for her. As a woman with two kids, she doesn’t dress up fancy. (Bilga is just going to spit up on it.) She does like to wear nice things from time to time though. In those cases, she keeps it simple and elegant.
Family:
Nybarg Whiteclaw — He’s Shirley’s orc father. He was offered to the humans for the marriage contract simply because he didn’t really fit in with the other orcs. While he’s not cuddly and sweet, he is agreeable. He doesn’t actually like to turn to violence in most cases and prefers to just let people live and let live. He loves his daughter and grandchildren with every part of his being.
Enid Whiteclaw — She’s Shirley’s human mother. She’s a strong-willed and kind woman. She quickly earned her husband’s respect shortly after meeting each other, mostly because she’s an assertive person. She’s a bit pig-headed and she was definitely the head of the household. She loves her daughter and grandchildren more than anything. Enid and Nybarg are not in love, but grew to love one another as friends.
Kayne Whiteclaw Evenwood — He’s Shirley’s late husband. He was a human and a paladin who swore to the Oath of the Ancients. He fell in love with Shirley’s big heart. He was honorable, brave, and kind.
Galvyn Whiteclaw Evenwood — They’re Shirley’s 5-year-old kid.
Bilga Whiteclaw Evenwood — She’s Shirley’s 1-year-old daughter.
I slightly ignored how DnD does half-orc aging. I’m treating her more like she just ages the same as a human instead. If you don’t like it, you can fight me. But don’t actually because I can’t fight.
#bg3 oc#bg3 tav#my tav#half-orc#Shirley#Shirley Whiteclaw#I can't stop creating characters#Shirley is an older character#she's also from the original story Paloma and Lamia are from
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Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree
Worn out after decades of packing steel and raising hell, Viv the orc barbarian cashes out of the warrior’s life with one final score. A forgotten legend, a fabled artifact, and an unreasonable amount of hope lead her to the streets of Thune, where she plans to open the first coffee shop the city has ever seen.
However, her dreams of a fresh start pulling shots instead of swinging swords are hardly a sure bet. Old frenemies and Thune’s shady underbelly may just upset her plans. To finally build something that will last, Viv will need some new partners and a different kind of resolve. -Storygraph
On paper, Legends and Lattes is an easy book to snuggle into. The stakes never feel too high, but are real enough to give a lax tale a bit of engaging conflict. The main characters are sweet, personable figures, even the more cantankerous ones, so, all in all, the book just radiates positive vibes. For me, though, I never felt like I could settle into it. Now this is a totally me feeling. It could be that I read this at the wrong time when my frantic little mind needed something a little more stimulating. The fact that I had to read it in less than three days since I had to return it to the library also did not help. It's definitely a book you have to be in the right mind/mood for, as it takes a deeper focus on interpersonal relationships rather than a grand quest or narrative.
And really, I love the more character-driven aspect, especially in fantasy. In this genre, large scale plots and brutal character development is the norm, so it's nice to see something more laid back, more personal. The found family trope is always a top tier inclusion and it works so well here. Our main cast is full of characters that defy the typical fantasy expectations: an ex-adventurer orc that's looking just to settle down into an easy life, a succubus that's more interested in her studies and art than more, ah, physical hobbies, a shy rat folk that bakes heavenly pastries like it's nothing. They're not exactly outcasts, just people who live a little differently than one would expect.
I think I could have used a little bit more of the romance. Maybe a bit earlier or a few more scenes of them bonding, just to add a little additional sweetness to the story. The plot settles at a sort of cyclical pace at times, so a little extra sprinklings of it may have given it a bit more variety.
If you're looking for a laid back, fantastical yet down-to-earth story, this one may just be the blueprint.
(3/5)
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I'm currently writing a book (mostly as a coping skill but also because I'm a creative writing major) and I was wondering if using your ideas would be okay and if so how I would properly credit you? (part of the senior year is publishing a book so just in case, ya know?)
You can use them as inspiration, yes! I don't really think it's possible to fully own any idea or concept.
There are a lot of ideas on this blog that I just offer up as advice, so they're free game. If it's something like the orc, drow, and goblin posts that I made to show the ideas I have for my own fantasy worldbuilding, I would ask that you don't copy them directly since I am using them to write stories I also hope to publish. But those posts are a bit outdated right now anyway haha, I've already altered or changed my mind on several details. So really, it's not that big a deal.
As for credit, the name I use for most important things is Miss M Winks, which is also my main tumblr blog. I've been considering a pseudonym for some of my book ideas (lord help me if my grandma decides to buy my books and finds the more sexual romance ones, no thanks) but Miss M Winks is what I use for like, Artstation and LinkedIn and whatever else. So it works for citaton, I hope.
But if you're looking to specifically cited this blog, I suppose you'd just use whatever the standard format is for citing a webpage. Good luck in your writing!!
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OK, in the spirit of positivity, here are my top reads of 2022!
A bit in the way of context: I am a librarian, I read a lot, and, for better or for worse, I live and breathe books/publishing buzz/ARCs/etc. The list below is purely based on my own fully biased opinions, though those biases have nothing to do with whether I had early access to a title, a connection to the publisher, etc. and everything to do with whether a book is sad, gory, or gay. And thanks @explosionshark for suggesting I write this up!
DEAD COLLECTIONS by Isaac Fellman: holy fuck was this book good. The whole “trans vampire falling in love and solving a quiet, sad mystery in the archive where he works” angle is catchy, but this is definitely not the fluffy or straightforward story some people are after. I really loved how vampirism is depicted as a life-ruining weakness rather than a cool and sexy superpower. I also really loved the multimedia aspect of including forum posts and TV scripts and listserv chains.
BABEL: AN ARCANE HISTORY by R.F. Kuang: I think some criticisms of this one, like that it’s slow and repetitive and a little didactic, are founded. However, I couldn’t care less. R.F. Kuang excels at unhurried school stories that slowly and brutally dismantle themselves over hundreds and hundreds of pages, and the formula she establishes in the excellent Poppy War trilogy is perfected here. This is what actual dark academia looks like–The Atlas Six could never.
KISS HER ONCE FOR ME by Alison Cochrun: I used to read a lot of contemporary romance, specifically f/f romance, but after being burned over and over and over and OVER by bad books I’m incredibly selective about what I read and recommend in this genre. I gave Alison Cochrun a ton of shit for her incredibly mediocre debut, The Charm Offensive, but I am totally willing to say that she’s improved, and this book–while still definitely goofy and even grating at times–was probably the best f/f romance out in 2022 from a major publisher other than Delilah Green (which I read in 2021 and therefore did not include in this list, but also whose sequel sucked so much it honestly made me like the first one less). Do me a favor and don’t even read the back copy because it doesn’t make any fucking sense and will turn you off the book.
THE PALLBEARERS CLUB by Paul Tremblay: hoooo boy. OK. So this one got dismal reviews from the Goodreads crowd, but I believe fully and genuinely in my heart that everybody is wrong about it and should feel bad about how wrong they are. The thing is, Paul’s books are slow and atmospheric (are you sensing a theme to what kind of books I tend to like best) and there are no easy answers or moments of triumph or anything you might be led to expect via publisher-created blurbs or taglines. And going into a book with one expectation and having that expectation remain unmet is one of the quickest and simplest ways to have a bad-faith negative reaction to said book, in my personal experience. Like, could this book have been scarier? Definitely. But I loved it regardless, and I loved that the physical format of the book–Art’s memoiry fiction draft, or fictiony memoir draft, depending on your perspective, plus his best friend Mercy’s commentary written in red in the margins–is the sort of embodied story that I love because it fucking sucks to read on a screen or an ereader. You’re tied to the format, either print or audio (which I hear was well done for this one, though I haven’t heard it myself), and that’s great to me.
THE THOUSAND EYES by A.K. Larkwood: In my opinion this duology is criminally, WOEFULLY underrated. Csorwe is a grumpy butch orc warrior and she spends most of her time getting herself and her terrible frenemies out of trouble and also falling in love with a powerful sorceress. This book is the second one and is gloriously angsty and everyone gets middle-aged and sad and yet they all still pine for one another across time and space. I cried. I’m not sorry. It’s GOOD.
AN ARCHIVE OF BRIGHTNESS by Kelsey Socha: ok, full disclosure, this is my wife’s book, but it came out in August and it’s a lovely group of interwoven weird little gay stories. I would’ve loved it even if I didn’t share a mortgage with the author, I promise. Like, people live in houses made of scorpion corpses. Come on.
Honorable mentions: I didn’t really feel like getting too much into YA here, but I really liked CONFESSIONS OF AN ALLEGED GOOD GIRL by Joya Goffney, which was a really honest and interesting exploration of purity culture and religion; HOW TO EXCAVATE A HEART by Jake Maia Arlow, an interfaith winter holiday f/f romance (what a year for holiday romances, sheesh); and HELL FOLLOWED WITH US by Andrew Joseph White, a really gross and sad book that also manages to be incredibly, gleefully YA even as the protagonist morphs into a horrifying monster.
I also didn’t want to mention anything that hasn’t been released yet, so HOW TO SELL A HAUNTED HOUSE by Grady Hendrix and SOME DESPERATE GLORY by Emily Tesh are both out, even though both were SO GOOD and you should be foaming at the mouth to get your hands on them next year. And lastly, I didn’t think The Locked Tomb series needed any extra hype and if you haven’t picked it up yet it’s not like I’m going to convince you, so I didn’t bother saying anything about NONA THE NINTH although it was really very good.
And finally: I’m currently reading WHEN THE ANGELS LEFT THE OLD COUNTRY by Sacha Lamb which absolutely fucking rips so far, very much Good Omens meets Spinning Silver, but I haven’t finished it yet so it didn’t seem fair to count. I recommend it based on the first half, though!
PHEW ok that’s it! Send me your recs please!!
#books#the locked tomb#the unspoken name#grady hendrix#paul tremblay#horror#lgbtq books#romance novels#best books of the year
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