#No Gods For Drowning

[eater-of-hopes-and-dreams]

Wait I just finished No Gods For Drowning through @queerliblib and HOLY FUCK??? HOLY FUCK??????????

God... If you ever need a story that's dark but ends in HOPE (and is so unabashedly queer) definitely give it a read!!!!!

[aurorawest]

Reading update!

So as you'll see below I've read a lot of books since the last time I did one of these. I'm not going to write a little blurb for all of them, only the ones I feel strongly about. But I'm going to start including my ratings.

Arctic Sun by Annabeth Albert. 4.25/5 stars

Where We Left Off by Roan Parrish. 5/5 stars

Peter Cabot Gets Lost by Cat Sebastian. 5/5 stars

This book was just. So lovely. Short and fast-paced, but I loved Peter and Caleb so much. I love the time period too. I know this is me being toxic and problematic and showing my internalized homophobia or whatever but I actually really like books set in places and time periods where homophobia is a real and present danger. I think it's because I'm totally a Love Conquers All romantic, so the fact that people dgaf and make a go of being together anyway scratches that itch.

Anyway, good book. I picked up the other two in the series but haven't read them yet.

Let's Get Back to the Party by Zak Salih. 4/5 stars

Literature. Good but pretty sad.

No Gods For Drowning by Hailey Piper. 3/5 stars

The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas. DNF

I got 50 pages in before I gave into my hate and DNFed this.

The Lost Future of Pepperharrow by Natasha Pulley. 5/5 stars

I find it genuinely upsetting that Natasha Pulley isn't a household name, because she writes the most beautiful, gutting books that I have maybe ever read. I don't understand how she's able to write what is, on the surface, a completely mundane sentence, and yet there's this roiling sea of heartbreak underneath it.

This is the sequel to The Watchmaker of Filigree Street, easily one of the best books I've ever read, and this one is at least as good.

Natural Enemies by Roan Parrish. 4/5 stars

Us by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy. 3.75/5 stars

Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh. 5/5 stars

Lovely little novella that read like a fairy tale.

The Prince's Poisoned Vow by Hailey Turner. 4.25/5 stars

At first I despaired of ever learning who all the characters were in this book because the first like, 10 chapters were all from a different POV, but I got a handle on all of them and liked it a lot.

Spectred Isle by KJ Charles. 4.75/5 stars

Un Lun Dun by China Miéville. DNF

This is the book that made me realize I hate whimsical books.

Here the Whole Time by Vitor Martins. 4/5 stars

The Lightning-Struck Heart by TJ Klune. 3/5 stars

I ranted about this one already but Jesus, Klune. This straight up reads like the kind of stuff I wrote when I was like, 14, and I don't mean that as a compliment to my 14 year old self.

Love, Hate & Clickbait by Liz Bowery. 5/5 stars

!!!!! This book was so good!!!! I picked it up way back when it came out but it only surfaced in the TBR pile in March, and it did not let me down. Thom and Clay are SO unlikable, but you start to like them in a way that's practically insidious because you don't see it coming. By the end, I was totally rooting for them and loved them both. And this is a romcom with a truly great villain, too, which definitely isn't standard in romances.

Red Skies Falling by Alex London. 5/5 stars

Second book in a series that revolves around a culture where falconry is hugely important. If you want fantasy that doesn't take place in fantasy England, check this series out. It has an A+ sibling relationship, a lovely romance, and high stakes. But this one was saaaaad ugh so sad.

Less by Andrew Sean Greer. 3.75/5 stars

I hated this book until about 80% through, and then it subverted all my expectations and I ended up liking it okay. I thought it was just about a pathetic middle aged gay white man (I know I know, that's my type, what's the problem?) feeling sorry for himself, but it was deeper than that. And it had a nice ending.

Invitation to the Blues by Roan Parrish. 4/5 stars

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston. 5/5 stars (reread)

Bought this edition for the bonus chapter from Henry's POV and for @vkelleyart's end pages. Totally worth it. I love this book just as much as I did the first time.

Threshold by Jordan L Hawk. 4.25/5 stars

So this is a series with like, 11 books? I read the first one and was kind of eh on it. Good enough to buy the second, not enough to buy all 11 or whatever. But the second one was substantially better, so now I've acquired like 5 more of them. I continue to be a sucker for late 19th century/early 20th century settings.

Lavender House by Lev AC Rosen. 4.5/5 stars

Is gay noir a thing? Because that's what I'm calling this book. Gay noir. I loved the main character and I'm really excited this is going to be a series (I've already preordered the second one). The only reason I knocked off half a star is because some of the side characters were irritating. And as a mystery, it wasn't great, so I wouldn't read this one if you're looking for a really good mystery. It's definitely more about the character development and the relationships.

Though possibly one reason I didn't think the mystery was that good is because it got spoiled for me on tumblr by someone who imo had a pretty shallow read on the book. Honestly not sure if they actually read it or they just skimmed it.

Something Wild & Wonderful by Anita Kelly. 5/5 stars

AHHH. THIS BOOK!! This book was so good. So I've been making fun of it for a while because if you look at the cover, it looks like a Stucky AU. And you know what, maybe it was, but at least it didn't read that way, lol. It was really lovely and I'll be using it as a comp for the manuscript I finished last week.

The Bedlam Stacks by Natasha Pulley. 5/5 stars

I don't even have anything else to say except that you need to read Natasha Pulley's books. Please. If you're reading this post, go get her books. Buy them, take them out of the library, whatever. Do it.

Work for It by Talia Hibbert. 4.25/5 stars

A Tree of Bones by Gemma Files. 4.5/5 stars

Any Old Diamonds by KJ Charles. 5/5 stars

Something happened in this book that made me close it and stare into the middle distance, then put it aside until I could process.

Anyway you should definitely read it.

Farview by Kim Fielding. 4/5 stars

Whistling in the Dark by Tamara Allen. 4.25/5 stars

Currently reading The Restless Dark by Erica Waters

Which I'm enjoying more than I thought I would!

[transbookoftheday]

No Gods For Drowning by Hailey Piper

IN THE BEGINNING, MAN WAS PREY.

WITHOUT THE GODS, THEY'LL BE PREY AGAIN

The old gods have fled, and the monsters they had kept at bay for centuries now threaten to drown the city of Valentine, hunting mankind as in ancient times. In the midst of the chaos, a serial killer has begun ritually sacrificing victims, their bodies strewn throughout the city.

Lilac Antonis wants to stop the impending destruction of her city by summoning her mother, a blood god—even if she has to slit a few throats to do it. But evading her lover Arcadia and her friends means sneaking, lying, and even spilling the blood of people she loves.

Alex and Cecil of Ace Investigations have been tasked with hunting down the killer, but as they close in—not knowing they're hunting their close friend Lilac—the detectives realize the gods may not have left willingly.

As flooding drags this city of cars and neon screaming into the jaws of sea demons and Arcadia struggles to save the people as captain of the evacuation team, Lilac’s ritual killings at last bear fruit, only to reveal her as a small piece in a larger plan. The gods’ protection costs far more than anyone has ever known, and Alex and Cecil are running out of time to discover the true culprit behind the gods’ disappearance before an ancient divine murder plot destroys them all.

Set in an alternate reality which updates mythology to near-modern day, No Gods For Drowning is part dark fantasy, part noir detective story, and unlike anything you've read before, from an author whose imagination knows no boundaries.

[scholar-of-yemdresh]

Dear God it's pure agony being a fan of media that has a (near) nonexistent fandom😢. Like the tags are empty no fanart, no analysis, no memes I'm lucky if I see a gifset edit...Hell indescribable.

Please people I'm dying here, I'm writhing and crying. So like peep those tags pick up any that interest you and join me so their fandoms aren't empty and Inactive 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

[sapphicbookoftheday]

No Gods for Drowning by Hailey Piper

Today's sapphic book of the day is No Gods for Drowning by Hailey Piper!

Summary: "IN THE BEGINNING, MAN WAS PREY.

WITHOUT THE GODS, THEY'LL BE PREY AGAIN.

The old gods have fled, and the monsters they had kept at bay for centuries now threaten to drown the city of Valentine, hunting mankind as in ancient times. In the midst of the chaos, a serial killer has begun ritually sacrificing victims, their bodies strewn throughout the city.

Lilac Antonis wants to stop the impending destruction of her city by summoning her mother, a blood god—even if she has to slit a few throats to do it. But evading her lover Arcadia and her friends means sneaking, lying, and even spilling the blood of people she loves.

Alex and Cecil of Ace Investigations have been tasked with hunting down the killer, but as they close in—not knowing they're hunting their close friend Lilac—the detectives realize the gods may not have left willingly.

As flooding drags this city of cars and neon screaming into the jaws of sea demons and Arcadia struggles to save the people as captain of the evacuation team, Lilac’s ritual killings at last bear fruit, only to reveal her as a small piece in a larger plan. The gods’ protection costs far more than anyone has ever known, and Alex and Cecil are running out of time to discover the true culprit behind the gods’ disappearance before an ancient divine murder plot destroys them all.

Set in an alternate reality which updates mythology to near-modern day, NO GODS FOR DROWNING is part hunt for a serial killer, part noir detective story, and unlike anything you’ve ever read before."

[lgbtqreads]

Fave Five: New Queer Adult Horror

Fave Five: New Queer Adult Horror

What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher No Gods for Drowning by Hailey Piper Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin The Wicked and the Willing by Lianyu Tan Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield

[hyphae-branch]

one finished, one in progress

[bioticgoddess]

Reading "No Gods for Drowning" and I think one of the 4 leads (Arcadia) is trans. It's a subtle couple lines that made me think this, I had a feeling there was something about her not quite in line with everyone around her. That said, it could be something else entirely since this is a fantasy-horror-mystery novel.

Hoping the author never confirms one way or the other though and let's the audience see what we need to in her. She's an incredibly complex character regardless and I adore her.

Mind you I'm maybe half way through so we shall see what's what soon enough. Can definitely see myself reading more by the author in the future.

[shitpost-factory]

Ineffability is just some bullshit God came up with to hide the fact that Their plans are stupid

[ash-and-starlight]

one day, in a thousand years

[jonathanpongratz]

New Book Release: No Gods for Drowning by Hailey Piper

New Book Release: No Gods for Drowning by Hailey Piper

    Blurb: IN THE BEGINNING, MAN WAS PREY. WITHOUT THE GODS, THEY’LL BE PREY AGAIN. The old gods have fled, and the monsters they had kept at bay for centuries now threaten to drown the city of Valentine, hunting mankind as in ancient times. In the midst of the chaos, a serial killer has begun ritually sacrificing victims, their bodies strewn throughout the city. Lilac Antonis wants to stop the…

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

haha just kidding, nothing is free!

100 bucks. fork it over.

[lenin-it-to-win-it]

im making text post memes for the whole student council but nanami gets her own post bc shes gods specialest little princess

[gingerthesnap]

the fucking isolation sally jackson must've felt when she was trying to pry her demigod child who physically cannot drown from the edge of a pool bc he's afraid to learn to swim. it is such a comedically stupid situation but she cant complain about it to a single mortal soul.

[octosimpin]

[average-egirl]

Who fell first vs Who fell harder (Creeps ver.)

Tw: brief mention of murder and sex in Ben's, mention of blood in ej's.

Characters:Jane tk, Nina tk, Jeff tk, BEN DROWNED, Ticci toby, Eyeless jack, Masky, Hoodie, Bloody painter, Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, Brahms heelshire, Bo Sinclair, Vincent Sinclair, Billy lenz.

Jane the killer

She fell first, you fell harder.

When you were first introduced to the mansion she was tasked to be your 'guide' of sorts. From the moment you locked eyes she knew you were different, you were special.

Nina the killer

You fell first, She fell harder.

She had just been broken up with, originally Jane was helping her recover but slender forced her to do some missions so naturally you decided to help. Seeing her sad expression made your heart drop, you had to do something.

Jeff the killer

He fell first, you fell harder.

After slender introduced you to all the creeps, Jeff couldn't help but feel just a little jealous seeing you give all of them attention.

BEN DROWNED

You fell first, he fell harder.

Despite what you previously assumed, the mansion was actually quite boring, nobody ever did anything that wasn't killing or fucking. Or, that's what you thought before you saw BEN playing his switch on the couch. Maybe this place isn't as boring as you thought.

Ticci toby

You fell first, he fell harder.

From the moment you entered the mansion you could feel a terrible, dreadful aura coming from everyone in there, except for him that is.

Eyeless jack

He fell first, you fell harder.

You always saw him quietly walking around the mansion, sometimes covered in blood, but you never thought anything about it, little did you know that he noticed you as well.

Masky

He fell first, you fell harder.

During a crowded and quite frankly boring party at the mansion you decided to step out for some air, only to see him leaned against the wall smoking, and it appears that he noticed you.

Hoodie

You fell first, he fell harder.

You always saw him holding a camera, and sometimes you would hear people yelling at him to stop recording them all the time, and perhaps it shouldn't have but, it intrigued you.

Bloody painter

He fell first, you fell harder.

While walking through the park you quite literally fell into each other, you apologized, walked away, and thought nothing of it but after that interaction you kept seeing him staring at you while sketching in his book.

Michael Myers

He fell first, you fell harder.

You kept hearing about 'the shape' from the news you were getting sick of it to be honest, all you wanted was for this awful nightmare to be over, and as you walked home that feeling of being watched was only making you wish it even more.

Jason Voorhees

He fell first, you fell harder.

Your 'friends' if you can even call them that forced you to join them on some stupid trip, but after losing them in the woods and hearing some bloodcurdling screams you started running, that is until you tripped over a stick and knocked yourself out, only to wake in a small cabin.

Brahms heelshire

He fell first, you fell harder.

You were hired as a nanny for a doll, sounds easy enough right? That's what you thought until the doll started moving on its own, your really starting to feel like someone is watching you...

Bo Sinclair

He fell first, you fell harder.

Your friends had dragged you on a trip to God knows where, eventually the car broke down and you had to see a mechanic, as your friends went out and explored you decided to sit outside and wait although you could feel eyes on you the whole time.

Vincent Sinclair

You fell first, he fell harder.

You were walking around a wax museum admiring the art when you came across a guy wearing a mask, he looked quite surprised to see you, although you were to focused on your flustered face to really notice- or care.

Billy lenz

He fell first, you fell harder.

Getting perverted calls from some random guy was not something you expected when you joined the sorority, but it was happening anyway, and your starting to feel a presence watching over you at night.