#RIOT ROUNDUP: THE BEST BOOKS WE READ: JULY-SEPTEMBER 2023

[betterbooksandthings]

"A RIVER OF GOLDEN BONES BY A.K. MULFORD (HARPER VOYAGER, DECEMBER 5, 2023)

Lovers of shifter romances who’ve been looking for nonbinary leads will be just as delighted as I was by Mulford’s new reimagining of Sleeping Beauty. Twin orphaned wolf shifters Briar and Calla were raised to be princess engaged to marry the handsome Prince Grae and soldier ready to lead their armies, respectively. Just one problem: Briar doesn’t love Grae, Calla does. But when an evil sorceress abducts Briar at her wedding to Grae, Calla is compelled to save her sister, even if she/they must run away from the prince she loves. I was taken by the expert dismantling of the gender binary amidst a quest that is sexy, romantic, and heroic all at once.

—R. Nassor"