#advance copy

[ninsiana0]

Read WHAT FEASTS AT NIGHT by T. Kingfisher if you love remote villages, disreputable cabins in the woods, mysterious illnesses, nightmares, fungi, strongly spiced sausage, trauma narratives, endless cups of tea, propriety, knives & very good horses.

I received an advance copy of this book for review.

[happywebdesign]

Advance Copy

[everythingisok3000]

I wrote a Book

Fill out the application to read it here:

https://forms.gle/kYrDVLXRvxvQHBoLA

I’ll talk about it more probably at some point.

[kathleendeplume]

Review: The Wicked and the Willing, by Lianyu Tan

I was honoured to be given an advance copy of The Wicked and the Willing by Lianyu Tan. I'd already pre-ordered it, as its premise - vampires and a love triangle in 1920s Singapore - sounded exactly like what I wanted right then.

Well, I was right. It *was* exactly what I wanted. I read it over the past two weeks, savouring it in small pieces and then devouring whole chunks at once. It's dark and violent, with exquisite tension and beautiful attention to details. Lianyu is a veritable wizard at ratcheting up sexual tension over multiple scenes - an early scene involving the vampire Mrs Edevane being granted permission to drink from Gean Choo's wrist packs as much of an erotic punch as a full sex scene in the hands of a less skilled author.

Readers of delicate constitution should observe the content warnings - none of it was a problem for me (and the length of the list had me concerned it might be, so do with that what you will), but if you know there are things you absolutely cannot abide, the author has made the full list available to any reader before purchase. There was violence throughout the story - it *is* gothic horror, after all - but the author kept the level at the sweet spot where it makes an impact but doesn't leave you feeling sickened and overwhelmed. (There is one notable exception - the climax of the violent arc is everything you would expect, beautifully executed in every sense of the word.)

I'm not sure how I feel about the choice of endings. It's always tempting to go and see "what could have been", but I found the choice difficult to make; the longest I put the book down was while mulling over that decision. In a way I almost would have liked to have had the choice made for me - knowing a "canon" ending, from the author's perspective at least, with the opportunity to reject cannon and go a different way. As it turned out I needn't have fretted; the horror ending is dark and a little sad but not in the way that feeds my own nightmares. And the happily-ever-after ending is *excellent* in ways I will not spoil here. I have not read the "bonus ending" - Save Yourself. I think I'm happy with the endings I've read and will leave it at that.

Overall, I loved this book. It's a slight departure from my usual lesfic read, but in a direction I wanted right now. It's a beautifully written example of the dark fantasy/gothic horror subgenre, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone even slightly interested. You won't be disappointed.

~

[rebeccaheyman]

Without hesitation, it's another Eloisa winner

Review: The Reluctant Countess by Eloisa James (Avon/HarperVoyager, 29 Nov 2022)

Eloisa James returns to the Would-Be Wallflowers series with another irresistible story of romance, intrigue, and second chances in The Reluctant Countess, which follows Lady Yasmin (from book 1) and the grumpy, stoic earl who can't resist her.

Three-sentence summary: After a major scandal forced Lady Yasmin to abandon the French court for the English ton, she's struggled to get the aristocracy to see her as anything more than the floozy they assume she is. No one's been more judgmental than Giles Renwick, Earl of Lilford -- though his buttoned-up, taciturn demeanor hasn't stopped him from claiming Yasmin's first waltz at every ball this Season. When the truth of their mutual attraction finally comes to a head, Yasmin and Giles must decide if their desire for one another is stronger than their deeply-ingrained need for social acceptance, and whether love is really enough to overcome the chasms between them.

Eloisa's novels are so full of heart, charm, wit and deep feeling -- yet her stories never lack for forward-moving external plot to balance the interior journeys at their core. It's easy to get swept away in lush descriptions and juicy side characters, but Yasmin and Giles light up the page both separately and together. This is a fantastic addition to a series shaping up to be one of my favorites.

Thank you to Avon/HarperVoyager for the advance copy.

[teenageread]

Review: Rain Remembers

Synopsis:

 In the companion novel to the critically acclaimed Rain Rising , Rain must once again find the strength to rise above. The start of the school year is bringing a lot of changes for New school. No Circle Group. No Dr. McCalla. No Miss Walia. No step team. And Xander, her older brother and superhero, is away at college. Although everyone else seems okay with change, Rain struggles to open up to her new counselor, her mom, Umi, Alyssa, and even Xander, who seems to have forgotten all about her while away at college. But when an older boy starts giving Rain more attention than she asked for—will she be able to open up again before things go too far?

Plot:

Rain Washington is about to start high school, and like every other freshman she is nervous to leave her middle school behind. With Xavier in university, at home it becomes just Rain and her mom. When Xavier Facetimes her and asked about school, Rain finds it difficult to voice her fears outside. With none of her usual doctors, or her Circle Group, Rain finds herself lost in this new environment. Even Umi and Alyssa, her best friends, cannot help her all the time as they have different schedules than Rain. High school seemed like it was going to suck until Rain met Tommy. In her all grades gym class, Tommy is a sophomore, who thinks Rain is cute and texts her at night to ask about her day. Yet in the hallway, Tommy does not glance sideways at her, even as he walks right past her in their shared class. Tommy makes her feel like the prettiest girl in the world, but only when they are alone, and because of this, Rain finds it difficult to tell Umi and Alyssa what's going on. With crisis after crisis appearing in Rain's life as she tries to navigate her own environment, Rain begins to realize that her voice matters, and must find a way to allow herself to speak her truth.

Thoughts: 

Courtne Comrie is back giving us this, honestly, short story about Rain and her first few months in high school. Comrie makes this novel unique as it is written in verse style, making the novel fly through your hands and making the plot happen quickly. As a sequel, Comrie hints at what happened to the first novel, but never explains it to readers who might (like me) just have read this novel. Referring to Xavier’s accident, Nara being an ex-friend, and the fact that Rain is going into high school holding anxiety due to the trauma from the first novel. Despite never explaining, Comrie makes it easy for readers to relate to Rain and see where she is coming from. From (what I assume) the first novel, there is less family dynamic in this novel. Rain lives with her mother, whom she rarely mentions, and Xavier just moved out but calls frequently. Seeing how caring Xavier is towards his sister is heartwarming, as their relationship dynamic is beautiful and uplifting, making you wish only the best for our sibling pair. Rain’s anxiety of new situations and not feeling comfortable in her own skin is something that I think all readers can relate to as it is something that we have all probably gone through. I really love how Comrie painted Tommy, as he’s the guy that I think everyone has met in their life, and is a good lesson for young readers to have as they see Tommy ignore Rain in public, only to text her when he’s alone. Where there is no overarching plot to the story, besides the Tommy romance, Comrie readers just take readers through the first few months of Rain’s life in high school and the obstacles that come her way, and how she overcomes them to lead a brighter future.

Read more reviews: Goodreads

Buy the book: Amazon

[pbnmj]

what was supposed to just be pavitr and meera jain spiralled into a LOT of spiders in formalwear/red carpet outfits.... most of them referenced off met gala outfits and then adjusted to suit my own tastes LOL

[duckprintspress]

Become an Advance Reader for Duck Prints Press!

Reviews are essential for showing prospective readers that we’re publishing awesome books that they want to buy and read. We’re looking to recruit an active group of people who post reviews of our work, and to do that we need your help! For the first time, we’re offering Advance Reader Copies (ARCs) of one of our projects: Aether Beyond the Binary, our most recent anthology, featuring 17 stories of characters outside the gender binary exploring modern-esque aetherpunk worlds.

How it works: You see this post. You think, oh, I love reading! I love leaving reviews! I want to join the Duck Prints Press Reviewer Program! Then, you go and read the rules for our Reviewer Program. And, if everything there sounds like something you can do, you fill out the form, and – we’ll be in touch! Even better: this program isn’t only for Aether Beyond the Binary, and isn’t only for “advance” titles. Our reviewers are encouraged to claim titles that are currently released, too, to help build up a robust collection of reviews of Duck Prints Press titles!

Requirements:

You must be over 18 years old.

You must be prepared to post reviews on Goodreads and/or Storygraph.

You must also post the review on the appropriate listing on the Duck Prints Press webstore (for advance titles, you’ll have to wait ’til we list them there).

Upon acceptance to the program, you must join the Duck Prints Press Book Lover’s Server.

Reviews must be at least 100 words long must and engage with the actual content of the work being reviewed.

Reviews must be left within 6 months of claiming a title, or you will be removed from the program.

What isn’t Required:

That the reviews be positive. Reviews are for readers. We require that reviews be honest to your own experience of the work, not that they be glowing.

That you post the reviews to social media. Doing so is definitely a bonus, but you don’t have to.

That you associate yourself publicly with the review-leaving (beyond using a valid Goodreads and/or Storygraph account). As in, you don’t have to say, “I, (your name here), reviewed this book” or link your book website accounts with your existing social media presence or anything like that, nor do we request any demographic information beyond confirmation of your age.

That you purchase anything. Absolutely no purchase necessary!

What You Get:

A e-book copy (ePub and/or PDF) of the work you’re reviewing. We do not provide physical ARCs.

After you post your first review, you’ll get a coupon for 10% off a purchase from the Duck Prints Press webstore!

For every ten reviews you post, you can claim a freebie sticker from among our sticker offerings, if you want. (You’ll have to provide a snail mail address to get this, of course.)

A community of fun book-lovers to hang out with! (You can get that even without joining the ARC program, though – our Book Lover’s Discord is open to everyone.)

We’re accepting applicants for claiming Aether Beyond the Binary ARCs through April 10th, 2024. On the 11th, we’ll randomly select 25 of applicants to receive ARC copies of Aether Beyond the Binary. Everyone else will still be entirely welcome in the program and invited to start with a different, back-catalog book or story to review. We’ll make another pool of Aether Beyond the Binary ARCs available in May.

So… those are the basics. Interested? Go read the full rules, then apply to be a Duck Prints Press ARC reader TODAY!

[galina]

Just finished: The Amendments, Niamh Mulvey. I was sent an advance review copy by picador. It took me a while to warm up to this one, but in the end I really enjoyed the way Mulvey delivers complex difficult emotions using straightforward language, not wallowing in grief but also not flinching away from some of the hardest conversations around birth, death and religion. And I do have a soft spot for Irish writers, and multi-generational stories

[ninsiana0]

Read RAVENSONG by TJ Klune if you love small towns, trauma narratives, dual timelines, wolves, witches, overcoming childhood abuse, found family, tattoos, vendettas, being sad, losing yourself, young love, old love, dirt and leaves and rain, epic battles, and ridiculous friend groups.

I received a copy of this book for review.

[kiraleighart]

So I heard you like free transmasc psychological thrillers with unkillable bastards surviving hell and finding HEA

In 1997, New York City, a petty criminal named Alex Voss is about to die via bullet shot right between the eyes by his criminal employer: Boris. But was he really a petty criminal, or something even stranger? As all roads lead to death, he recounts his tragic life one last time; murder, sex, drugs, rock and roll, losing his mind and failing at being a true hero. There’s no escape from his tragic ending. At least, that’s how it’s meant to play out. As events fail to line up, is Alex’s mind breaking the fourth wall, has he finally succumbed to madness, or did a deus ex machina from the future save him from himself? It might just be all three, actually.

Hi Tumblr bookworms. I've been sitting on INDIGO VOSS for over a year and I think it's finally time.

If you'd like to champion indie trans literature, please signup for the ARC of INDIGO VOSS. Score an eBook, read, and give me your honest thoughts. Please note there are CWs on the landing page. This is a complex novel about hope against all odds and learning to transcend your damage. Good luck. 💜

Read INDIGO VOSS, Free

[fdelopera]

I've been thinking about one of the antisemitic canards that some of you goyim like to shout at us Jews. It goes something like this: "LOL looks like the Jews are becoming like the the Nazis, haha."

And I've been thinking about why you goyim are so incredibly grotesque when you say this about us Jews.

Is it because you are knowingly weaponizing the Holocaust, our greatest tragedy, against us? Yes, that's part of it.

Is it because you are being intellectually deceitful bigots? Yes, that's part of it.

Is it because your bigotry and antisemitism are delegitimizing the Palestinian cause, and making it harder for the Palestinian people to fight for their freedom? Yes, that's a BIG part of it.

But I think the most disturbing part of this lie is where you goys got it from.

Especially you leftist goys.

You got this lie from the Neo-Nazi, Richard Spencer.

You know, the Nazi who famously got punched in the face.

You also got this lie from the Neo-Nazi, David Duke.

Richard Spencer was one of the first white supremacists who popularized weaponizing the Holocaust and Nazism against Jewish people in this way (all while being a whole-ass Nazi himself). He uses logical fallacies and political theatre to advance alt-right ideas.

But then you goyim on the political left got ahold of Richard Spencer's talking points. You copied the homework of an actual Nazi, and ran with his ideas, and here we are.

You leftist goys have been secretly listening in on Nazis for fucks sake!! Despite knowing full well that they HATE people of color. Despite knowing full well that they HATE queer people. Despite knowing full well that they HATE Muslims. Nazis want everyone who isn't a white, cishet, right-wing Christian to fucking DIE, for fucks sake.

Richard Spencer and David Duke stand for EVERYTHING YOU HATE!

Except, apparently, for hating Jews.

You leftist goys have been going to YouTube and listening to Nazi lectures. You've been plugging your ears when Nazis say HIDEOUS things about every other marginalized group, but then when they start talking about Jews, you copy their white supremacist talking points VERBATIM.

How DARE you steal your ideas from Nazis. You are DISGUSTING.

There are so many VALID and LEGITIMATE ways you can protest against the Israeli government and their atrocities and war crimes. There are so many VALID and LEGITIMATE ways you can protest the actions of the Israeli military.

But when you steal your ideas from Nazis, you make it clear that you don't give a SHIT about the Palestinian people.

When you steal your ideas from Nazis, you make it clear that the ONLY thing you care about is seeing Jews get murdered.

YOU HAVE BECOME USEFUL IDIOTS FOR THE NEO-NAZIS AND WHITE SUPREMACISTS.

Great job, goys.

God. You make me so, so tired.

[geryone]

Trying to donate books but I’m struggling with forcing myself to be realistic about what I’ll actually be interested in reading

[rebeccaheyman]

A Winning Wager

Review: How the Wallflower Was Won by Eva Leigh (Avon/HarperVoyager, 27 September 2022)

I adored How the Wallflower Was Won, a marriage-of-convenience, opposites attract, scholar vs scoundrel historical romance, written with the wit and charm Eva Leigh brings to all her novels. Though this is book 2 in the Last Chance Scoundrels series -- and book 1 was utterly charming -- How the Wallflower Was Won works as a standalone.

Three-sentence summary: Wallflower and scholar Tabitha Seaton resigns herself to reenter the marriage mart after a disastrous first (and only) season for the very best reason: enhancing her eligibility to join the Sterling Society, an elite intellectual club heretofore made up entirely of old, white men. Their advice shapes social and economic policy at the highest levels, which is why she agrees to marry gambler and second son Finn Ransome, who has to wed if he wants to secure familial wealth for himself, his brother, and their closest friend. Tabitha and Finn find in one another the support, affection, and intimacy they've privately craved all their lives -- but gambling their hearts on one another is a bet both are too scared to take.

I confess, I was underwhelmed by the impetus for the late-Act II breakup. I would have loved to see Leigh take the approach in Tessa Dare's A Week To Be Wicked, in which the couple leans into love and trust over suspicion and reopened wounds, in order to face down an external antagonist. The reconciliation was worth it, for sure, but the break itself seemed like a major mountain-out-of-a-mole-hill situation. All the same, I adored Finn and Tabitha, and eagerly await the final Last Chance Scoundrels novel (Dom's story, Rogue's Rules for Seduction, coming Spring 2023).

Thank you to Avon/HarperVoyager for the advance copy.

[youngpettyqueen]

yayyyyyy I get Quark and Odo's brand of insane yayyyyyy

[crispyanonart]

fun fact: when I first got into Stardew Valley I knew nothing about the game and I genuinely thought it was nothing more than a country-life RPG, you can imagine my surprise 😀