#jordan l hawk

[zefenrian]

[skiddykid]

Continuing on my quest try more book cover illustration by doing my own take on a cover for Widdershins 🌀

[mushabon]

Inspired by Whyborne & Griffin: Widdershins Book 1" by Jordan L Hawk. I've been wanting to do a W&G piece for so so so long and I'm so glad to have finally had a moment to do so. What better scene than this one to make my heart burst into 1000 pieces <3

[evenaturtleduck]

Parenting lesson #17 from the Whyborne and Griffin series: if you're racist or homophobic about your future son in law you can fuck right off and out of the story, but if you merely attempt to sacrifice him to an eldritch god you can definitely come back from that one ❤️

[aurorawest]

Reading update

Conned by Kim Fielding - 4.25/5 stars

Odder Still by DN Bryn - 3/5 stars

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig - 4/5 stars

Ended up enjoying this one a lot more than I thought I would. Definitely one of those philosophical-books-masquerading-as-fantasy books, but it was well written and the message resonated with me.

A Draught of Ash and Wine by Kristin Jacques - 3.75/5 stars

Draakenwood by Jordan L Hawk - 5/5 stars

This may have been the first in the series that I handed a 5 star rating to. Not that the rest of the series isn't really good, but this one stood out to me as being really REALLY good.

Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr - 5/5 stars

Another one that I enjoyed WAY more than I thought I would. I normally don't go for books that do the whole characters-connected-through-time-by-the-same-story trope, but this one was very well done. The characters in the different time periods definitely played to things I love. The fact that it was unexpectedly queer was also such a nice surprise. This book is heavy going, and I wouldn't say it's exactly happy, but it's hopeful. A hyped book that was actually worth the hype.

Blyde and Pearce by Kim Fielding - 3.5/5 stars

Bring Me Home by Annabeth Albert - 3.75/5 stars

Jackdaw by KJ Charles - 5/5 stars

AHHHHHH omg omg. Oh this book. Ripped my heart out and stomped on it, then tenderly mended it. Ben and Jonah are one of the sweetest couples Charles has ever written. Maybe the sweetest? (considering there's a very dubcon-y sex scene at the beginning, this may seem like a strange thing to say, but really). I actually far and away preferred them to the main couple in the original Charm of Magpies trilogy. To be completely honest, I like all the Charm of Magpies World books better than the original trilogy, haha.

The Rest of the Story by Tal Bauer - 4.25/5 stars

Fool Hearts by Emmy Sanders - 3.75/5 stars

Shadows of the Lost by Maxym M Martineau - DNF at pg 60

Actually not a bad book at all, but it was too dependent on the author's previous series, which I didn't have any interest in reading.

The Sun and the Star by Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro - DNF at pg 26

All the Right Notes by Dominic Lim - 5/5 stars

Lovely, funny book that had lots of music and cooking. It's told in a split time period structure which I thought worked really well.

Witch King by Martha Wells - 5/5 stars

I LOVED this book. I love Kai so so much. He's total blorbo material, so I'm honestly surprised this book isn't bigger on tumblr. The worldbuilding was immaculate, really interesting, and very refreshing in that it was very central Asia inspired. You don't see Fantasy Asian Steppe Cultures very much, so that was really cool. This is another one that is told with a split time period, and Wells did a really good job of tying the events of the past and the present chapters together thematically.

I really really really want a sequel.

And Then He Sang a Lullaby by Ani Kayode Somtochukwu - 4/5 stars

One of the reviews of this book said it had a very didactic ending, which I 100% agree with...but it was very well-written and worth a read. It takes place in Nigeria and is about two gay boys who eventually meet in college. It's not a happy book; don't be fooled by the blurb that makes it sound like a romance.

The Lost Future of Pepperharrow by Natasha Pulley - 5/5 stars (reread)

You guys all know how I feel about Natasha Pulley.

The Master of Samar by Melissa Scott - 3.5/5 stars

Unnatural by Joanna Chambers - 5/5 stars

Fence: Disarmed by Sarah Rees Brennan - 5/5 stars

This book was so cute. Aiden and Harvard both finally pull their heads out of their asses. One of the unexpected joys of these novels is the relationship between Seiji and his father. It's really sweet.

I would fund Sarah Rees Brennan to continue writing Fence novels.

The Archive Undying - 2/5 stars

[fourthleafluck]

The Forgotten Dead by Jordan L Hawk

Queer Book Draw Challenge 15/20

75% done! :O

[ID: An illustration of Nigel and Oscar sitting next to each other on the child-sized bed in Mike's room. The bed is crowded with heaps of children's clothes, and the walls are decorated with posters of its former inhabitant's interests. Nigel's hand is on Oscar's thigh and Oscar's hand is on Nigel's back. Nigel is leaned forward into the light, squinting slightly as if to see more clearly. His expression is intense, soulful, and a little bereft. Behind him, Oscar's eyes are closed, and a peaceful expression rests on his face. A stream of light comes in from the window and a the shadow of a figure is just visible amongst the beams reaching out to Nigel. End ID]

Tip Jar | Commissions

reduced color version under cut

[cav-core]

One of my favorite things about the wider Whyborne & Griffin verse is just how much of an aneurysm the Endicotts would give HP Lovecraft if he just thought about them.

[kd-heart]

Widdershins turns 10 in a few days and today is Whyborne and Griffin’s anniversary, so I made tiny versions of them.

They’re still very hard to pose, but I’m so proud of their little noses and eyebrows! And I had to use glue to get Griffin’s hair to sit right, but it was worth it!

A few work in progress pics under the cut

[mywingsareonwheels]

No, I'm *completely* normal about P Whyborne and Griffin Flaherty and Christine Putman and Iskander Barnett etc at the moment. I have no idea why anyone would think otherwise. ;-)

(I bought the whole Whyborne & Griffin series as an ebook bundle on Kobi. Incredibly good value. It is also ONE EBOOK so I need to read the whole lot so that then Partner can. Alas. Woe. Etc.. ;-))

(Anyway if you like ripping paranormal mystery adventures set in the late 19th century US, using some of Lovecraft's worldbuilding but with the kind of storylines and attitudes he'd hate (queer romance! some awesome characters of colour! moral nuance!), you'd probably like this. :-) )

(TBF Lovecraft probably *would* like the cat. :-D)

[dandelion-roots]

[Image description: the first image is a digital drawing in a semi-painterly style of Whyborne and Griffin walking arm in arm down the street. Whyborne is holding a red flower and blushes as he looks down at it, and Griffin is looking at him and smiling. The background is painterly and shows the street and lampposts lining it. The second image is a closeup of the drawing. End description]

Valentine’s day stroll through the bestest horrible murder town!

[not-dorian-grey]

Excuse me but what is a line this fucking raw doing in this happy little gay fantasy story?

[wearethekat]

January Book Reviews: Widdershins by Jordan L Hawk

A recommendation by goodreads. This is not a very useful comparison, since I don't think very many people have read it, but this book is a lot like Sarah Monette's (aka Katherine Addison's) The Bone Key, a series of Lovecraftian short stories about a very anxious and depressed gay man who works in a museum. Except it's a novel, with the levels of anxiety reduced from "unbearable to read about" to "uncomfortable." Scholar Whybourne works in a museum in a fictional New England town. When he's approached by a curiously attractive detective who needs his help to decode a mysterious manuscript, he's plunged into a strange world of monsters, spells, and plots to bring people back from the dead.

Yet another entry into the excellent genre of "historical gays have to deal with fantasy nonsense." Widdershins has a lot of excellent competition (Freya Marske, CL Polk, KJ Charles), and it's solidly medium in comparison, but still worth reading.

[megaeralwrites]

Another excellent blurb for The Shabti from Jordan L. Hawk!

[mushabon]

I'll be posting the entire page once I finish, but I figured I'd post the first part because people liked it so much... Which, by the way, thank you guys for all the love. Uno reverse on all of you <3

[thisblogwasmadeforlurkin]

Comms I run on Dreamwidth

because I am nothing if not Sisyphean! 

Comms I Started:

Fear Street: fearstreet2021 [dot] dreamwidth [dot] org - dedicated to all things related to the Netflix Fear Street movie series! Join us Fridays for Fic Rec Friday!

Stranger Things: harringrovers [dot] dreamwidth [dot] org - a comm for Harringrove shippers to come talk about the ship, cross post fic, discuss the show in relation to said ship. Join us Fridays for Fic Rec Friday!

King Falls AM: kingfallsfans [dot] dreamwidth [dot] org - For fans of the podcast King Falls AM to come and talk about the show, cross post fic, discuss theories, and so on!

Power Rangers/Super Sentai: pr2017 [dot] dreamwidth [dot] org - Made in response to the 2017 Power Rangers movie, this comm is for fans of any iteration of Power Rangers or Super Sentai to come talk about the shows, cross post fic, and so on!

Z Nation: znationhq [dot] dreamwidth [dot] org - A comm for fans of Z Nation to chat about the show, discuss theories, cross post fic, and so on! Join us Fridays for Fic Rec Friday!

Coming Soon:

General/Multifandom: ficreadersadvisory [dot] dreamwidth [dot] org - a comm for discussion what works or doesn’t work for us in fic and strengthening critical analysis as well as just generally reccing things we like! Join us this coming week for our first Trope Scavenger Hunt!

Whyborne & Griffin/Jordan L. Hawk: knowsitsown [dot] dreamwidth [dot] org - inspired by my reread of the Whyborne & Griffin series this is a comm that is open to any and all discussion of any of Jordan L. Hawk’s work, a place to discuss theories, cross post fic, etc. (I just have to put together the rules and some tags as well as a profile to get us started!)

Comms I Co-Run:

Eerie, Indiana: eerieindiana [dot] dreamwidth [dot] org - if you like this obscure little 90s kids show, this is the comm for you! Chock full of episode discussion, cross posted fic, theories, crossover thoughts, etc, it’s a great space for a great little fandom! Join us Fridays for Fic Rec Friday!

[aurorawest]

Reading update

Best Men by Sidney Karger - 3.5/5 stars

Man. When I started reading this, I was positive I was going to rate it 5 stars. The first third or so was hysterical, often to the point of me not being able to breathe because I was laughing so hard. Ultimately though, the romance fell extremely flat. There wasn't really enough development for it, and I don't think it boils down to a marketing issue—the romance is too big of a focus to say, "Oh, this was just general fiction they wanted to market as a romcom." It really was an issue with the romance just not being very well written. Another issue I had was that at times, the writing was very...cringey. Like, I couldn't tell if the author was trying to keep Max's voice (which was funny) or if he just can't write genuinely heartfelt scenes. The big, romantic sex scene could probably be added to that one post with the collection of horribly written sex scenes.

There were also some weird inaccuracies about Midwesterners that of course bugged me as a Midwesterner. We call soda "Coke?" No we don't. It's pop. Maybe there's some southern creep into the Midwest but I've N E V E R heard anyone say Coke when they meant pop generally. Also, Midwesterners like pools? I mean I guess, but we learn to swim in lakes (as opposed to the ocean).

In case you're wondering, I knocked an entire star off for the Midwest inaccuracies.

Mountain Ghost Stories and Curious Tales of Western North Carolina, edited by Randy Russell and Janet Barnett - 3.5/5 stars

I picked this up at one of the visitor centers in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on our trip there last fall. Most of these are more like folk stories than ghost stories.

Timberdark by Darren Charlton - 5/5 stars

What if the real dystopia isn't the zombie apocalypse, but "normal" life?

I was going to leave it at that but NO, I have more to say. Why aren't these books more popular? Why isn't everyone screaming about how gorgeous they are and how this is what YA should be? Why do they not have a US publisher? Why are they not all over freaking BookTok tables at bookstores?

I honestly don't even want to say that much about the Wranglestone duology because I want everyone to read them and experience them. Wranglestone and Timberdark are genuinely a couple of the most gorgeous books I've ever read, Timberdark in particular.

Road of Bones by Christopher Golden - 3.25/5

Immaculate vibes and incredible setting. Not much more to it than that.

Ravensong by Carla Fay - DNF

At 4 pages in. I hated everything about this book immediately and I don't have a good reason.

Maelstrom by Jordan L Hawk - 4.5/5 stars

BODY SWAP.

A Pocketful of Lies: Collected Stories by KJ Charles - 5/5 stars

5/5 stars for Masters in This Hall alone.

If I See You Again Tomorrow by Robby Couch - 4.25/5 stars

Considering this is billed and marketed as a romance, there was surprisingly little romance in it. It was good, though. Robby Couch is one of my favorite queer YA romance writers.

Eleventh Hour by Elin Gregory - 3.75/5 stars

OMG they were mission partners! Interwar period gay spies in London, hard to go wrong.

Out in the Open by AJ Truman - 3.75/5 stars

Truman has this habit of describing sex scenes in bizarre and not particularly sexy ways ("I sucked his cock a thousand times harder than a vacuum cleaner" is an actual real comparison from this book), but his books are funny with endearing characters, so I give him a pass. I also think it MIGHT be something he does when he's writing younger characters, because the other time it was really pronounced was in The Barkeep and the Bro, where one of the characters was in his mid 20s (Out in the Open is a college romance).

Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell - 5/5 stars (reread)

This book was as good, if not better, the second time around. Kiem is so funny and lovable and Jainan's history made me even more sad. I really love how well Maxwell handles the fact that Jainan was in an abusive marriage for five years while still writing a slow burn romance that doesn't span multiple books. This book is an inspiration to me and is pretty much my perfect book—gay and sci-fi. On this reread I could really see its influence on my own writing, haha. Which is cool to know that I can still be influenced in a major way even this far into my writing life!

Anyway if you haven't read this book, I honestly don't know what you're waiting for. Read it read it reeeeead ittttt.

A Veil of Gods and Kings by Nicole Bailey - DNF

DNF at 15 pages. The main character was annoying and the author took 'show don't tell' a little too far. Everything was described in flowery, overwrought purple prose. Seriously, it's a road. You can just say it's a road. Also I never want to see 'Artemis' shortened to 'Temi' ever again. Please just no.