#new mexico gothic romance

[lucillebarker]

Something that struck me just now is that Jimmy/Saul/Gene tells Kim to scream or yell at him.

And she responds with concern and compassion. You should turn yourself in is immediately followed by “the life you’re living can’t be much.”

So he pushes back against her and tells her to turn herself in, then when he backtracks and seems to be apologetic, we hear Jimmy seeping through.

That’s when she starts to break a little. That’s when she tells him she’s glad he’s alive. That’s when she decides to hang up.

And that’s when he breaks the glass of a phone booth.

It’s not just that she tells him to turn himself in. He gives her every reason to hate him, and she doesn’t.

[isabelcanasauthor]

hi!! i'm isabel cañas, i'm a full-time writer living my best chaotic life between nyc & pnw.

tbh i'm here for a good time, not an organized/professional time. that said! one! must! hustle!

i wrote a Gothic horror novel called the hacienda. think the haunting of hill house in 19th-century mexico + a healthy dose of the hot priest from fleabag s2. out now!

i have a new novel out in august 2023 called vampires of el norte! it has hot vaqueros, monstrous vampires, western vibes, and heaping dose of romance

aaaaand i have some book-sized surprises in store for 2024 and 2025 👀

i also write short fiction! here's a selection of my favorite things i've published, available to read free:

six goats: bite-sized sapphic high fantasy

there are no monsters on rancho buenavista: a feminist twist on an old mexican monster folktale

my sister is a scorpion: magical realism that stings

the law of take: tristan & isolde, but make it space fantasy

a land of saints and monsters: more vampires, this time in late medieval anatolia

no other life: sapphic vampires in 16th-century istanbul

the weight of a thousand needles: a retelling of the fairy tale the needle prince

xx

[venusofsuburbia]

mid-year (ish) reading roundup

I never got how people could read 52 books in 52 weeks, but then I got a library card and downloaded the Libby app, and now holy shit I've read 52 books by August. anyway I borrowed this questionnaire from @wormwoodandhoney!

best book you’ve read so far in 2023? Dress Codes: How the Laws of Fashion Made History by Richard Thompson Ford. this is exactly the kind of academic book on fashion that I've been dying for. I want ten more of these and to kiss him on the mouth.

best sequel you’ve read so far in 2023? I don't usually read series, but I made an exception for Hannah Whitten's For the Wolf, and I'm so glad I did. it took me a while to fall in love with this fantasy twist on Red Riding Hood, but once I did, I fell hard, and I'm planning on reading the sequel For the Throne once it's finally released.

new release you haven’t read yet, but want to: I don't really keep up with releases, but the new releases I've enjoyed most recently are The Guest by Emma Cline, about a low-level con woman drifting through the New York upper class, and Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, about a sound editor in 1990s Mexico who gets caught up in an occultist's plot dating back to old Hollywood.

most anticipated release for the second half of the year: this is cheating because it's coming out in February, but the teasers for Saint Gibson's An Education in Malice already have me drooling.

biggest surprise: I picked Art and Madness: A Memoir of Lust Without Reason by Anne Roiphe at random off a prop bookshelf backstage, and immediately experienced that wonderful shock you get when meet a stranger who understands you perfectly.

favorite new author (debut or new to you): Jeannette Ng, whose Victorian gothic fantasy romance Under the Pendulum Sun I devoured in less than 24 hours.

newest favorite character: a tie between Catherine Helstone (Under the Pendulum Sun) and Noemí Taboada (Mexican Gothic).

book that made you cry: The Unexpurgated Beaton. these are British photographer, designer, and former Bright Young Thing Cecil Beaton's unedited diaries from the last ten years of his life, and I knew this going in, but still, somehow, it snuck up on me that he dies in the end.

book that made you happy: Maurice by E.M. Forster! what a relief, what a joy, to know that tales of queer love could have happy endings, even in 1914.

most beautiful book you’ve bought so far this year (or received): that honor would have to go to Kit Mayquist's modern gothic novel Tripping Arcadia!

what books do you need to read by the end of the year? Gods of Jade and Shadow (Silvia Moreno-Garcia), Save Me the Waltz (Zelda Fitzgerald), The Language of Fashion (Roland Barthes), and Other People's Shoes: Thoughts on Acting (Harriet Walter)

[richincolor]

New Releases

A whole slew of books to start our summer off right. Which of these is your first summer read?

Northranger by Rey Terciero illustrated by Bre Indigo HarperAlley

Cade has always loved to escape into the world of a good horror movie. After all, horror movies are scary–but to Cade, a closeted queer Latino teen growing up in rural Texas–real life can be way scarier.

When Cade is sent to spend the summer working as a ranch hand to help earn extra money for his family, he is horrified. Cade hates everything about the ranch, from the early mornings to the mountains of horse poop he has to clean up. The only silver lining is the company of the two teens who live there–in particular, the ruggedly handsome and enigmatic Henry.

But as unexpected sparks begin to fly between Cade and Henry, things get… complicated. Henry is reluctant to share the details of his mother’s death, and Cade begins to wonder what else he might be hiding. Inspired by the gothic romance of Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey and perfect for fans of Heartstopper and Bloom comes a modern love story so romantic it’s scary.

Pedro & Daniel by Federico Erebia illustrated by Julie Kwon Levine Querido

Pedro and Daniel are Mexican American brothers growing up in 1970s Ohio. Their mother resents that Pedro is a spitting image of their darker-skinned father; that Daniel likes dolls; that neither boy plays sports. Both are gay and neurodivergent. They are alike, but they are dissimilar in their struggles, their dreams, their approach to life.

Pedro & Daniel is a sweeping and deeply personal novel that spans from childhood, through their teen years, and into adulthood. Theirs is a bond that won’t be broken. Together they endure an abusive home life, coming out, first loves, first jobs, and the AIDS pandemic, in a coming-of-age story unlike any other.

Despite everything, there is much joy in the stories in the book. Their resilience and special bond help the boys face one evil after another. While Pedro suffers more at home, Daniel is particularly susceptible to the malevolence of the outside world.

They are similar: gay, neurodivergent Latinos in love with all things Mexico.

Son tal para cual. They are cut from the same cloth.

They are different: Pedro is darker-skinned, oppressed, repressed, introverted, and agnostic. Daniel is precocious, carefree, mischievous, religious, and unguarded.

Mismo perro, distinto collar. Same dog, different collar.

When it All Syncs Up by Maya Ameyaw Annick Press

Ballet is Aisha’s life. So when she’s denied yet another lead at her elite academy because she doesn’t “look” the part, she knows something has to change–the constant discrimination is harming her mental health. Switching to her best friend Neil’s art school seems like the perfect plan at first. But she soon discovers racism and bullying are entrenched in the ballet program here, too, and there’s a new, troubling distance between her and Neil. And as past traumas surface, pressure from friends and family, a new romance, and questions about her dance career threaten to overwhelm her. There’s no choreography to follow–for high school or for healing. Aisha will have to find the strength within herself–and place her trust in others–to make her next move.

Good as Gold by Candace Buford Disney Hyperion

Casey’s life in Langston has been charmed. She’s the queen bee of her prep school, a shoe-in for prom queen, and on her way to the Ivy League come fall. She can’t wait to leave the whole town of Langston behind her. That is until her father loses his job and she finds herself on the brink of losing her ticket out of town.

The town of Langston is known for its picturesque lake and robust summer tourism. Everyone who lives in town has heard the rumors at some point– there is a treasure buried deep below the surface that no one has ever been able to find. Few people actually believe in the treasure, and even fewer have searched for it. But some have tried . . .

Suddenly an outcast from her popular squad, Casey falls in with a new group of friends who are exactly the opposite of her usual crowd, but are more accepting. Together they devise a plan to find the elusive treasure, in a quest to get the money and save Casey’s family and her future. But what they find is much more complicated than just a pile of gold. With thrilling twists and turns and high stakes adventure, fans of Outer Banks will devour this summer adventure.

The Dos and Donuts of Love by Adiba Jaigirdar Feiwel & Friends

“Welcome to the first ever Junior Irish Baking Show!”

Shireen Malik is still reeling from the breakup with her ex-girlfriend, Chris, when she receives news that she’s been accepted as a contestant on a new televised baking competition show. This is Shireen’s dream come true! Because winning will not only mean prize money, but it will also bring some much-needed attention to You Drive Me Glazy, her parents’ beloved donut shop.

Things get complicated, though, because Chris is also a contestant on the show. Then there’s the very outgoing Niamh, a fellow contestant who is becoming fast friends with Shireen. Things are heating up between them, and not just in the kitchen.

As the competition intensifies , Shireen will have to ignore all these factors and more― including potential sabotage―if she wants a sweet victory!

The Grimoire of Grave Fates edited by Hanna Alkaf & Margaret Owen Delacorte Press

Professor of Magical History Septimius Dropwort has just been murdered, and now everyone at the Galileo Academy for the Extraordinary is a suspect.

A prestigious school for young magicians, the Galileo Academy has recently undergone a comprehensive overhaul, reinventing itself as a roaming academy in which students of all cultures and identities are celebrated. In this new Galileo, every pupil is welcome—but there are some who aren’t so happy with the recent changes. That includes everyone’s least favorite professor, Septimius Dropwort, a stodgy old man known for his harsh rules and harsher punishments. But when the professor’s body is discovered on school grounds with a mysterious note clenched in his lifeless hand, the Academy’s students must solve the murder themselves, because everyone’s a suspect.

Told from more than a dozen alternating and diverse perspectives, The Grimoire of Grave Fates follows Galileo’s best and brightest young magicians as they race to discover the truth behind Dropwort’s mysterious death. Each one of them is confident that only they have the skills needed to unravel the web of secrets hidden within Galileo’s halls. But they’re about to discover that even for straight-A students, magic doesn’t always play by the rules. . . .

Contributors include: Cam Montgomery, Darcie Little Badger, Hafsah Faizal, Jessica Lewis, Julian Winters, Karuna Riazi, Kat Cho, Kayla Whaley, Kwame Mbalia, L. L. McKinney, Marieke Nijkamp, Mason Deaver, Natasha Díaz, Preeti Chhibber, Randy Ribay, Tehlor Kay Mejia, Victoria Lee, and Yamile Saied Méndez

Secret of the Moon Conch by David Bowles and Guadalupe Garcia McCall Bloomsbury

In modern-day Mexico, Sitlali has no family left and has caught the attention of a dangerous gang leader. She has no choice but to make the perilous trip to the US border and track down her long-absent father. The night before her journey, she finds a beautiful conch shell detailed with ancient markings.

In 1521, Calizto is an Aztec young warrior in Tenochtitlan, fighting desperately to save his city from Spanish imperialists. With his family dead and the horrors of war surrounding him, Calizto asks a sacred moon conch for guidance.

Connected by the magical conch, Sitlali and Calizto can communicate across centuries, finding comfort in each other as they fight to survive. With each conversation, they fall deeper in love, but will they be able to find a way to each other?

Ride or Die by Gail-Agnes Musikavanhu Soho Teen

Best friends Loli Crawford and Ryan Pope have earned their nickname, the “Bonnie and Clyde of Woolridge High.” From illegal snack swapping in kindergarten to reckless car surfing in high school, they have been causing trouble in their uptight California town forever. Everyone knows that the mischief starts with Loli. When it comes to chasing thrills, drama, and adventure, no one is on her level.

At least until Loli throws the wildest party Woolridge High has ever seen just to steal a necklace and meets X, a strange, unidentified boy in a coat closet, who challenges her to a game she can’t refuse—one that promises to put her love of danger to the ultimate test.

Loli and X begin an anonymous correspondence, exchanging increasingly risky missions. Loli’s fun has always been free and easy, but things spin out of control as she attempts to one-up X’s every move. As Loli risks losing everything—including her oldest friend—she’ll face the most dangerous thing of all: falling for someone she shouldn’t.

The Queens of New York by E.L. Shen Quill Tree

Best friends Jia Lee, Ariel Kim, and Everett Hoang are inseparable. But this summer, they won’t be together. Everett, aspiring Broadway star, hopes to nab the lead role in an Ohio theater production, but soon realizes that talent and drive can only get her so far. Brainy Ariel is flying to San Francisco for a prestigious STEM scholarship, even though her heart is in South Korea, where her sister died last year. And stable, solid Jia will be home in Flushing, juggling her parents’ Chinatown restaurant, a cute new neighbor, and dreams for an uncertain future. As the girls navigate heartbreaking surprises and shocking self-discoveries, they find that even though they’re physically apart, they are still mighty together.

Always Isn’t Forever by J.C. Cervantes Razorbill

Best friends and soul mates since they were kids, Hart Augusto and Ruby Armenta were poised to take on senior year together when Hart tragically drowns in a boating accident. Absolutely shattered, Ruby struggles to move on from the person she knows was her forever love.

Hart can’t let go of Ruby either…. Due to some divine intervention, he’s offered a second chance. Only it won’t be as simple as bringing him back to life—instead, Hart’s soul is transferred to the body of local bad boy.

When Hart returns to town as Jameson, he realizes that winning Ruby back will be more challenging than he’d imagined. For one, he’s forbidden from telling Ruby the truth. And with each day he spends as Jameson, memories of his life as Hart begin to fade away.

Though Ruby still mourns Hart, she can’t deny that something is drawing her to Jameson. As much as she doesn’t understand the sudden pull, it can’t be ignored. And why does he remind her so much of Hart? Desperate to see if the connection she feels is real, Ruby begins to open her heart to Jameson—but will their love be enough to bridge the distance between them?

Something More by Jackie Khalilieh Tundra Books

Fifteen-year-old Jessie, a quirky loner obsessed with the nineties, is diagnosed as autistic just weeks before starting high school. Determined to make a fresh start and keep her diagnosis a secret, Jessie creates a list of goals that range from acquiring two distinct eyebrows to getting a magical first kiss and landing a spot in the school play. Within the halls of Holy Trinity High, she finds a world where things are no longer black and white and quickly learns that living in color is much more fun. But Jessie gets more than she bargained for when two very different boys steal her heart, forcing her to go off-script.

[libraryleopard]

Mid-Year Book Freakout 2023

Tagged by @violaeade, thanks Sabrina!

1. Best book you’ve read so far this year

Aaaahh that's so hard, I've had a really good reading year. I finally read She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan and it really blew me away–the characters! the tension! the narrative foils! the revenge! the ambition! the complicated queerness! I absolutely tore through it even though I was busy with school and walked around thinking about the ending for weeks. I can't wait for the sequel this August and also I am terrified to see what will come.

2. Best sequel you’ve read so far this year

THE THOUSAND EYES BY A.K. LARKWOOD!! Fucking fantastic sequel, took some incredible risks that really paid off and did some amazing things with the characters. Caused me exquisite agony in the best ways possible. Shuthmili's character arc in that book lives in my head RENT free.

3. New release you haven’t read yet

I'm hoping to read A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon this summer (it is so long but I am so excited for more dragons and lesbians). Also, When the Angels Left the Old Country by Sacha Lamb because I love their short fiction!

4. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year

A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid (gothic YA fantasy about Welsh mythology and a creepy seaside manor) sounds exactly like my kind of book and I'm quite excited for it.

5. Biggest disappointment

Probably The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas. I've gotten really into gothic literature lately and I was super excited at the idea of a postcolonial gothic set in 1800s Mexico but it just felt kind of like a middling mash-up of Rebecca and Mexican Gothic. Subpar gothic atmosphere, some nonsensical plot points, boring romance, standard prose. Alas!

6. Biggest surprise

I read Little Blue Encyclopedia (For Vivian) by Hazel Jane Plante on kind of a whim because the idea of a novel told in the form of an encyclopedia entry for a fictional TV show sounded interesting (I love stories that experiment with form) and it turned out to be an incredible exploration of grief and friendship and trans community that packed a lot of nuance and emotion into a very short work.

7. Favorite new author (debut or new to you)

Ava Reid! Her debut novel, The Wolf and the Woodsman, was a personally kinda underwhelming to me, but their second novel, Juniper and Thorn, was an incredible gothic fantasy exploration of abuse and I think she really found her authorial voice through it. Super excited for their YA debut coming out this fall, it sounds very up my alley. Also, having read Andrew Joseph White's debut novel Hell Followed With Us, I am absolutely keeping an eye out for his future works.

8. Newest fictional crush/newest favorite character

I'm reading Spindrift by Anna Burke right now and Morgan Donovan I am free to hang out on Thursday when I am free to hang out…

Also, Heather After from G. Willow Wilson's Sandman spin-off comic The Dreaming: The Waking Hours is incredible (trans anarchist sorceress) and I love her.

9. Book that made you cry

I don't really cry over books, but Among Others by Jo Walton made me so unbearably sad as someone who has a twin sister (though I do have some problems with that novel).

10. Book that made you happy

 I read Highly Suspicious & Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert because I enjoyed her adult romance novels and thought it was adorable, absolutely top-notch YA rom-com. (Also, I relate to Brad so much considering he is a teenage boy jock named Brad.)

Tagging uhhhh oh god @kazz-brekker @acewizard @shirleyjacksons @displayheartcode and any other book-inclined people who see this and want to answer? (i'm very bad at remembering mutuals off the top of my head, sorry!)

[deadboyfriendd]

hello, i saw you're director's cut post and wanted to ask about bisbee? are you planning on writing sort of a fic story or are you planning on continuing with your letters format? i think the epistolary approach is really cool and such a good way of letting us inside a character's head fully while maintaining a focus of narrative and story since it's literally them communicating what they think is important for the recipient to know! you've mentioned before that you want this story to go in a more violent western path than like a spaghetti western, so i was wondering how you try to maintain that sort of tone along with, what i'm assuming would be a romance with y/n (pls correct me if i'm wrong!), like in atmosphere or character? i'm asking because the new frontier model always reminds me of the garrison mentality, the anxiety you feel in the fortress you've built against the empty nature outside, silent and unknown and waiting to catch ya, and i was sort of wondering if the romance would work in favour (like a part of the same chaotic messy world) or against it (a brief reprieve from the violent chaotic world)? i hope this question makes sense, but if you're not interested in it, that's totally cool and i'd love to get your general thoughts/something you want to talk about that no one's asked about! i still remember the first time i read stone gothic and was so in awe of it and brought back so many memories of my deep fascination with Catholicism and catholic architecture as a child and i was just blown away with the level of detail and care you put in your work! i'm the same age as you and i do a double take when i see how much talent someone my age has, i really am wishing you the best with whatever you decide to do with it, whether it becomes a career or a hobby, i hope it always brings you joy! hope you have a nice one and happy holidays!

Tbh, I've been thinking all day about how I was going to answer this ask because Bisbee is SO important to me and all of these things are things that I've been dying to talk about but didn't seem interesting enough to splat on the dash without someone asking first.

To answer your first question, yes, I do planning on making it a full-length fic with narrative and grief and bloodshed and romance. The letters gave me a really good way to ease myself into how I plan on building this version of Steve as the main protagonist of this fic, since I am planning on this being steve-centric as well as character building for my reader. I also think that my thought process when releasing the letters first serve as a prologue and a table of contents for the love story that I'm planning on having unfold between Steve and Y/N (Who I've affectionately named Elsie when I discuss her as a character- though I do plan on this fic being a second-person reader insert)

My biggest inspiration for this fic so far has been my latest read, Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy. It is a historical fiction work in which a fourteen year old runaway from Tennessee joins the army for the Republic of Texas in the 1850s and stumbles into the midst of the indian scalp trade in Mexico. I think it is a very graphic and violent depiction of the events that were actually transpiring without being shock-valuey or violence without purpose. It's a good breakaway from the mindless splatterpunk I've been reading for a while. I would LOVE to capture even a shred of Cormac McCarthy's prose in my silly little fic. I think this being my backing for my own narrative vastly differs from Cochise, where my main inspirations were Tombstone, and the Yellowstone spinoff 1923, which read a lot more like spaghetti western badassery and a narrative of coming-of-age and falling in love during westward expansion. In Cochise, I was also heavily inspired to create a character that spoke heavily of grief and the qualms of the west as a woman, especially one who had no choice but to carry on.

This version of Steve will probably go through similar things that The Kid in Blood Meridian will have to go through, and he will be hardened from the events that transpired in his life without choice. I do have my reader's main character arc being the fact that she is running from something in secret (and you will also see characters from Cochise frequently in Bisbee!). Instead of processing grief through each other, I plan on their love story being one in which Steve softens himself for her, and she, in all of her naievity and cloudiness, brings her back down to earth. Elsie is not from the west, and is learning quickly what they had to go through to get there. She was a merchant's daughter from Louisiana, and he thinks she has never known violence a day in her life. You talked about the garrison model and the anxiety that you feel is catching up to you, and that ideal is going to be SO heavy handed in the way I build this Steve. I originally panned him out as the Doc Holliday character, and it ended up morphing more into my eddie character. However, a recurring mentality that Doc Holliday ends up talking about was a sense of violent impending doom. Doc always felt like he was going to meet a violent and sudden end, and was always prepared for his death, and on his deathbead in the Sanitarium with Wyatt Earp, he talked about the irony in the gentle way he was dying. This was the one thing I wanted to retain with Steve's character in Bisbee, and where I got the, "I will not know gentleness in the way I love you." line. I can't WAIT for everyone to see how that plays out.

As for Stone Gothic, THANK YOU. That was one of my first works where I strayed away from writing silly little fics to where I wanted to write actual stories. I think that's kind of where I found my flame again and fell in love with creating that kind of narrative.

Thank you SO MUCH for this ask <3, I really appreciate having someone pick my brain and make me think about my work like this. If you have any more questions I would LOVE to chat about it anytime!

[light-macadamia]

Mid Year Book Tag [2023]

Starting off with the stats to reel you in: I’ve read 25 books (against 58 acquired, for shame), of which 60% were in audio format. Literary fiction made every other genre eat it (incredibly odd for me), and the majority (30%) did not feature a prominent romantic plot/subplot. Usually it’s a cockfight between wlw and straight, if I am honest.

Best book you’ve read so far in 2023: If We Were Villains

It’s tragic, it’s twisted, it’s messy, and it kept a tight hold on me for two days nonstop. Since then I have picked up the Secret History and Bunny, to compare and measure against the dark academia vibe, and found them all to be vastly different books!

Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2023: A Prayer for the Crown Shy 

Becky Chambers needs to make a chain email with all the little adventures of this duo. Although they can be too mellow for my tastes, it is an irresistible serving of the cosy every now and again. 

New release you haven’t read yet, but want to: In The Lives of Puppets

Most anticipated release for the rest of the year: Alecto! Alecto! Alecto!

Biggest disappointment: The Hacienda

It had all the markings of being a favourite – gothic horror in the backdrop of Mexico. But the gothic lacked novelty, the horror lacked in general, and the romance was so boring. Together it did very little to wash away the peeve I had over a topic introduced seemingly for nothing but ~vibes~,  which is the abuse suffered by maids and servants at the hand of masters.

Biggest surprise: Drive your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead

As well as Frankenstein: both are amazing, incredibly immersive and full of reclusive reflection. Frankenstein impressed me so much I ended up giving a talk to unsuspecting high schoolers just to rope them into discourse about it.

Favourite new author: Madeline Miller

Newest favourite character: Edmund “Bunny” Corcoran

Bunny from The Secret History is SUCH a pissbaby, my face lit up every time he came up in a scene. Whatever mix of nasal infection and posh accent Donna Tartt gave him in the audiobook, is now a voice filter that lives in my head rent free. Comes in very handy when I have to read sour emails.

Book that made you cry: ???

I am clearly saving them for something big, cause nothing comes to mind.

Book that made you happy: ???

I am equally stingy with my glee, it seems, cause nothing comes to mind either.

The most beautiful book you’ve bought so far this year: Our Hideous Progeny

I do not have it in physical copy but damn what an eye candy to have on bookshelves (or storygraph).

Favourite book to movie adaptation you’ve seen this year: Nimona

Bestie and I read the graphic novel years ago, so we reprised by watching it together and crocheting.

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 4/5

Book Blurb: From the New York Times bestselling author of The Daughter of Doctor Moreau and Mexican Gothic comes a fabulous meld of Mexican horror movies and Nazi occultism: a dark thriller about the curse that haunts a legendary lost film—and awakens one woman’s hidden powers. Montserrat has always been overlooked. She’s a talented sound editor, but she’s left out of the boys’ club running the film industry in ’90s Mexico City. And she’s all but invisible to her best friend, Tristán, a charming if faded soap opera star, though she’s been in love with him since childhood. Then Tristán discovers his new neighbor is the cult horror director Abel Urueta, and the legendary auteur claims he can change their lives—even if his tale of a Nazi occultist imbuing magic into highly volatile silver nitrate stock sounds like sheer fantasy. The magic film was never finished, which is why, Urueta swears, his career vanished overnight. He is cursed. Now the director wants Montserrat and Tristán to help him shoot the missing scene and lift the curse . . . but Montserrat soon notices a dark presence following her, and Tristán begins seeing the ghost of his ex-girlfriend. As they work together to unravel the mystery of the film and the obscure occultist who once roamed their city, Montserrat and Tristán may find that sorcerers and magic are not only the stuff of movies.

Review:

A sound director and her best friend/childhood crush who is a washed up actor find themselves fighting for their lives as a they are faced with a deadly curse, Nazi occultists, and ghosts. Montserrat is a talented editor who is constantly overlooked at her job... and by her best friend Tristán, a charming faded soap opera star whom she’s been in love with since she was a child. Tristán discovers that his new neighbor is a cult horror movie director by the name of Abel Ureta who is famous for the last movie he was in... that was cursed. According to Abel, everyone in that movie was cursed with bad luck and death, Nazi occultists imbued magic into highly volatile silver nitrate stock and the magic film was never finished and since it wasn’t finished Abel swears he is cursed. Abel wants Montserrat and Tristán to help him shoot the missing scene and lift the curse... but Montserrat begins to notice a dark presence following her and Tristán starts seeing the ghost of his exgirlfriend. Now Montserrat and Tristán must find a way to figure out what truly happened to the film and what is behind the curse and how to break it before it’s too late. They’ll find themselves facing off against ghosts, monsters, and even Nazi occultists and cult members, all the while dealing with their own complicated feelings for one another. This was such a fun read, I adored the whole horror movie/mystery element and the way Montserrat and Tristán have such a complicated history with one another, from best friends who are so codependent on one another and the fact that they are exactly perfect for each other. This was a mystery, a horror story, and a bit of a romance story all rolled up into one and I had a blast!

*Thanks Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[annarellix]

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Carlota Moreau: A young woman, growing up in a distant and luxuriant estate, safe from the conflict and strife of the Yucatán peninsula, the only daughter of a genius – or a madman.

Montgomery Laughton: A melancholic overseer with a tragic past and a propensity for alcohol, an outcast who assists Dr Moreau with his scientific experiments, which are financed by the Lizaldes, owners of magnificent haciendas with plentiful coffers.

The hybrids: The fruits of the Doctor’s labour, destined to blindly obey their creator while they remain in the shadows, are a motley group of part-human, part-animal monstrosities.

All of them are living in a perfectly balanced and static world which is jolted by the abrupt arrival of Eduardo Lizalde, the charming and careless son of Doctor Moreau’s patron – who will, unwittingly, begin a dangerous chain-reaction. For Moreau keeps secrets, Carlota has questions, and in the sweltering heat of the jungle passions may ignite.

My Review (4.5*/5) Silvia Moreno-Garcia excels at genre-hopping and I can’t remember one of her book as “bad” or “not valid”. The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is a slow burning book inspired by H.G. Wells’ “The Island of Doctor Moreau”. It’s not a follow up or a spin-off, Ms Moreno-Garcia is inspired by the original book and deliver a plot that mixes horror with historical facts, feminism, romance, and interesting social and political remarks. Carlota is a well developed and interesting character: a 14 years old girl who’s becoming a woman and is questioning what she sees around her. A well read and clever girl and an interesting human being. The characters are fleshed out and interesting: you can love or hate them but they are never flat. The tension in the book builds slowly and takes you to the last part keeping the attention alive and making you turn pages. My only note is the repetition at the beginning of the chapter that makes it a bit too slow in the first chapters. I liked the story as it’s riveting and gripping. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Jo Fletcher Books and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Book page: https://www.jofletcherbooks.com/titles/silvia-moreno-garcia/the-daughter-of-doctor-moreau/9781529417999/

The Author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia is the multi-award-winning author of Mexican Gothic (a New York Times bestseller), Gods of Jade and Shadow (one of Time magazine’s top 100 fantasy novels of all time), among others, The Beautiful Ones, Certain Dark Things, the noir thrillers Untamed Shore and Velvet was the Night, and the forthcoming The Daughter of Doctor Moreau. She has also edited several anthologies, including the World Fantasy Award-winning She Walks in Shadows (a.k.a. Cthulhu’s Daughters). Born and brought up in Mexico, she now lives in Vancouver, Canada.

Website: https://silviamoreno-garcia.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smorenogarcia/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/silviamg Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/silviamg.author/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/silviamg

[mantrasong]

Dispatches from the New Queue

Or "Here's some interesting stuff I found looking at the new ebooks at my local libraries and I wanted to share them."

Regrettably, I am About to Cause Trouble, by Amie McNee - Caught my attention for the title alone. Tagged "historical fiction" and "romance". Per the summary, the book is about a woman in the 1500s who has a birthmark that her husband decides is the sign of a witch, and has their marriage annulled, and she goes and makes a home for herself among the town witches, and describes itself as "a tale about being ostracised, and finding our power and family in unusual places."

Rules of Redemption, by T.A. White - I actually was caught by the newest release in the series, Trials of Conviction, but since I haven't read any of them, I'm marking the first book in the series. This is a sci-fi salvager story, which is basically my catnip, about a woman who salvages from alien ships and holds the key to peace between alien races. Is it tropey? Probably! But it looks interesting. Also the series is called "The Firebird Chronicles" and I will admit to always being there for pheonixes.

The Hells of Notre Dame, by R. L. Davennor - this is, apparently, a sapphic retelling of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame", where, and I quote, "Hunchback collides with The Phantom of the Opera in the streets of gothic Paris". This doesn't actually look like my cup of tea, but I love the concept, and I'm always here for more explicit f/f books.

The Carpet Merchant of Konstantiniyya, by Reimena Yee - I think the opening paragraph of the blurb for this one really says all that it needs to: "Set in seventeenth-century Istanbul, The Carpet Merchant of Konstantiniyya, Vol I is a beautifully drawn meditation on love, home, faith and loss. It tells the story of Zeynel, an ordinary man surrounded by the extraordinary – his life, his death, and the aftermath of his transformation into a vampire." Also, the cover art is fantastic:

Empire of the Feast, by Bendi Barrett - literally all the blurb on this says is "A unrelenting story of galactic empire charged with erotic queer horrors." Which, honestly, is enough to make me interested all on its own, so props to them, I guess? This one actually ended up on my holds list

Exodus 20:3, by Freydis Moon - speaking of queer monstrosity, this book bills itself as "Religious eroticism and queer emancipation meet in a claustrophobic monster-romance about divinity, sexuality, and freedom…" and seems to be a story about a man falling in love with an angel or nephilm, or something similar, while refurbishing an old church in Mexico. Probably not something I want to read, but an interesting premise.

Swarm, by Jennifer Lyle - tagged as YA, my initial impression of this book is it's Hitchcock's The Birds, except with... giant butterflies? An alien butterfly invasion? The cover art has butterflies with giant teeth, so...🤷‍♀️

[lucillebarker]

Kim being from Nebraska is important because, even when stripped of the nostalgic knick-knacks he accrued throughout the years, Jimmy can never truly escape Kim Wexler.

[unreadableee]

VAMPIRES OF EL NORTE. 🧛🏼🧛🏼‍♀️🧛🏼‍♂️💃🏻

Set in 1840's Mexico, 'Vampires of El Norte' by Isabel Cañas follows Nena, an independent and strong-willed curandera determined to prove herself to her ranchero father before she is arranged to be married. Néstor, a vaquero from the auxiliary cavalry and Nena's childhood sweetheart, returns after a 9-year absence - after the day that Nena was attacked by a vampire and presumed dead. Now, with the growing threat of the United States looming over Mexico and sightings of the blood-sucking creatures increasing, Nena and Néstor must work together once again to face dangers from all sides.

I absolutely loved this. It felt like a Gothic Western and it was such an enjoyable blend of horror, historical fiction, and romance. I'll be real with you - it wasn't what I initially expected. There was a high focus on the relationship aspect and I'm not a romance reader but I ended up really enjoying the dynamic between Nena and Néstor. Think: mild telenovela but with vampires and a gothic atmosphere. I mean, come on. That sounds AWESOME, right? I completely fell in love with Néstor's character. The longing, the passion, the undying love... I admit, I was swooning over this fictional man.

This is one that I'll be recommending a lot. It covers a lot of different genres and I think it has something for everyone. Second chance/forbidden romance, vampires and gruesome deaths, and a historical setting with the Mexican-American War as its backdrop. All with beautiful, romantic prose and vivid atmosphere. I think it's perfect for new horror fans who are testing the waters or anyone who prefer milder horror elements.

𝙸 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚏𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝚜𝚊𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚖𝚢 𝚏𝚊𝚟𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚜 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚢𝚎𝚊𝚛! 𝟺.𝟻 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚜!

🖤🧛🏼🧛🏼‍♀️🧛🏼‍♂️🤠🐎🏜️🌵🐄⛰️

[themculibrary]

Clint/Darcy Masterlist

come on sweet catastrophe (ao3) - twistedingenue T, 10k

Summary: Darcy Lewis is whisked away from her dorm at Culver in the middle of the night, and really, the secret agent shit is already getting old.

Don’t Tease A Hawk (ao3) - WordsmithDee E, 6k

Summary: Darcy is bored but Clint is busy with paperwork. She learns there are repercussions for teasing the Hawk.

Emotion in Motion (ao3) - Smittywing (Smitty) E, 6k

Summary: For the prompt, Darcy’s a virgin. It’s not a big deal or anything. She just hadn’t met anyone worthy of being a first time. This guy Clint, well, he takes anything as a challenge.

Gift of Asylum (ao3) - carleton97, sister_wolf E, 47k

Summary: The story of how Darcy Lewis accidentally helps found the Avengers while having an epic, failboaty romance with that dude she nailed in a bar two years ago. Tasers, jackbooted thugs, Tony Stark, and life-altering job offers are par for the course when you help discover an alien/god dude with amazing pecs.

Having A Bit Of A Day, Here (ao3) - kellifer_fic N/R, 7k

Summary: Where Darcy gets a super power, kind of, sorta. Geez, she's just having a bit of a weird week, alright?

if you wanna fill your bottle up with lightning (ao3) - twistedingenue T, 14k

Summary: In the wake of poor life choices involving redheads and red cars, Clint’s responsible decision making skills take another header after learning that Dr Foster and Darcy have missed their last few check-ins and winds up driving out to New Mexico with Kate.

i may have a bit of a bias (ao3) - kellifer_fic T, 4k

Summary: Having an Iron Man and Captain America plush duo on your desk that you can place into compromising positions is a totally valid way to amuse yourself.

I’m Game (ao3) - DresupiF E, 13k

Summary: Darcy needs a date for her family Thanksgiving dinner to settle a bet, and Clint’s personal ad was the one she answered.

in deep with you darling (ao3) - t_fic (topaz), topaz, topaz119 (topaz) M, 48k

Summary: Darcy could have, under normal circumstances, resisted the aesthetics (however awesome they are, and holy crap are they awesome), but there’s an itch under her skin—apparently, nearly dying by giant, fire-breathing robots from space in the middle of Nowhere, New Mexico will start you questioning your life choices. Who knew?

Say it aloud (break the night into the day) (ao3) - twistedingenue E, 9k

Summary: Darcy Lewis has a very specific skill set, it mostly has to do with looking and acting like a college student. Clint does not approve of her missions shenanigans.

the best of life is but intoxication (ao3) - kellifer_fic G, 4k

Summary: Where Steve and Darcy are platonic BFFs and Tony and Clint just aren't buying it.

The Perfect Weather (ao3) - Fraulein G, 10k

Summary: Clint's paranoid. Darcy’s bravery is put to the test. Jane has a rude awakening in regards to her research. Also, Clint learns he should never underestimate a girl with a taser who’s willing to use it.

The Space Between Feathers (ao3) - thegirlgrey T, 60k

Summary: All Darcy wanted was 6 college credits and her iPod back.

(That's what she wanted, but not what she got.)

This is Not a Gothic Romance (and Clint is Not Heathcliff) (ao3) - shinykari (meinterrupted) E, 4k

Summary: Clint Barton is an idiot. This isn’t news to Darcy. What is new is waking up in his bed and hearing him talking to another woman in the other room.

T-R-O-U-B-L-E (ao3) - WordsmithDee T, 2k

Summary: Darcy Lewis and Clint Barton have an interesting first meeting that comes back to haunt Darcy.

Two Truths and a Lie (ao3) - hawksonfire G, 3k

Summary: Darcy Lewis does not lie. Clint Barton doesn’t think she can always tell when someone is lying. So they make a bet.

[dylanobrienisbatman]

TBR!

Aka, Tailored Book Recommendations! TBR is, you guessed it, a fully personalised book recommendation service! Sign up, fill out their questionnaire (extensive, and you can always edit!), and wait for your carrier pigeon email with 3 recommendations to arrive!! You can also get hard copies of the books mailed to you, if you prefer! So far, they’ve stepped just outside of my comfort zone and recommended me things I wouldn’t have picked myself but I think I’m going to love!

Velvet Was The Night - Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Noir mystery meets historical thriller in this new book from Moreno-Garcia. Set in 1970’s Mexico, the story follows a secretary who accidentally gets involved in a dangerous lot to take down students protests after her neighbor goes missing.

Recommended based on my interest in the author (also suggested Certain Dark Things, Gods of Jade and Shadow, and Mexican Gothic) and my interest in historical fiction! Definitely not something I would have thought to pick up but I’m super interested!

We have always been here - Lena Nguyen

A ship psychologist watches her crew descend into paranoia in this science fiction thriller. After being trapped onboard by a radiation storm, this crew of specialists begins acting increasingly erratically. Even the androids are affected. And as the walls begin to close in on Dr. Park herself, she realises that nothing - not the ship, not the crew, and not even the planet - is what it appears.

Recommended based on my love of sci-fi! Never read a thriller before, but the premise is so interesting and I’m stoked to dig in!

A Marvellous Light - Freya Marske

This historical fantasy novel features a bit of everything: magic, adventure, mystery, and romance. When an administrative error leaves Robin as the new liaison to a hidden magical society, he discovers an extraordinary reality that has always been hiding just beneath the surface of the British Isles

Recommended based on my love of fantasy, historical fiction, and dark academic, plus my request for LGBT romances or characters!! Very excited!

Phoenix Extravagant- Yoon Ha Lee

Phoenix Extravagant is a Korean inspired Sci-fi/Fantasy that blends the genres to create a story unlike any other. The story follow Jebi, a painter blackmailed into joining a top secret government program to help bring mechanical dragons to life.

Recommended based on my preference for sci-fi/fantasy, and my request for different cultural inspirations in those genres! Also, written by a trans author of colour and includes LGBT characters! Definitely the most off the wall rec so far but it seems very cool!

Finna - Nino Capri

Ever thought stepping into IKEA is a bit like exploring an alternate universe? Finna takes that concept to a whole new level when a worm hole opens up in a big box furniture store and the two most recent employees learn it’s their job to go rescue the customer who fell through it. To make matters worse, they also happen to be exes. This novella is a super fun take on speculative fiction.

Unique world building and characters, plus speculative fiction? Let’s do it! Never read a novella before, but this concept is so funky I have to try it!

Light From Uncommon Stars - Ryka Aoki

This novel combines sci-fi and fantasy to incredible effect. A family of alien refugees running a donut shop and a renowned violin instructor paying off a deal with the devil find their lives intersecting and are finally brought together by a runaway trans music prodigy searching for belonging. The disparate threads of this story come together to create something truly original.

Talk about out of the box and off the wall!! But I’m always down for SFF stories, and this one sounds weird and cool!!

If anyone has read any of these I’d LOVE to hear your (spoiler free) thoughts! I love the books I’ve been suggested so far, and plan to continue with TBR going forward! Absolutely recommend to anyone trying to broaden their bookshelves and find new, unique books to read!

[ace-trainer-risu]

oh here! i’ll come ask you for book recs lol. do you have any spooky and/or autumn-y book recs? or just your fave books :)

First of all, I'm sorry this took me SO long to answer. I want to say I've been busy but it's just been general [waves hand vaguely] life.

ANYWAY thank you for asking! I actually don't read scary stuff a lot b/c I'm a wimp, but I have a few spooky/autumnal books up my sleeves! Let's see what we've got!!

1) The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters

Let me just start by saying that Sarah Waters is one of my absolute favorite authors ever! All her novels are suspenseful, twisty historical novels with great female and queer characters. Although, fair warning, actually The Little Stranger is like her one novel that isn't queer, but it is VERY good. If you read The Little Stranger and like it, please read Fingersmith and/or The Paying Guests.

The Little Stranger is set in the countryside of post-WWII England and follows a mild-mannered doctor as he becomes increasingly involved in the lives of the family living in the local, increasingly decrepit, possibly haunted mansion. Think Downton Abbey but creepy. Strange things keep happening inside the house, from dog bites to mysterious sounds to creepy black spots. Literally just typing that gave me goosebumps. It seems like someone may be out to get the family, but who...or what? Is it simply the ghosts of their own painful memories, or is something more? Sarah Waters is excellent at lush, intricate historical detail, and she leans into that here to create an atmosphere of slowly building dread and horror and mystery.

That being said, as a person who isn't normally a fan of horror, I don't think this book is too scary. It's more of an atmospheric, psychological horror than a jump-scare, bloody horror. It's not a book that will give you nightmares (probably), but you might lie awake thinking about it.

Also. Pro-tip. As a haunted(?) house story, the house is obviously fairly central to the story. Dear fellow Americans, keep in mind that the British refer to the floors of a building differently than us. For Americans, the ground-level floor is called the first floor, the floor above that the second floor, etc. For the British, the ground-level floor is the ground floor, and the floor above that is the first floor, etc. There's all sorts of creepy references to characters hearing noises above them on the first floor, but I was just like, Why are they always in the basement?

2) Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno Garcia

This and the above are two very different books, and yet they are both set in the mid-1900s and both are about weird, creepy, maybe-haunted houses. What can I say, I like gothic fiction.

After our heroine, Noemi, receives a bizarre, borderline incoherent letter from her beloved cousin, she sets out to visit her in the literally decaying mansion she resides in with her husband and his new family deep in the countryside of Mexico. All Noemi wants to do is persuade her cousin to come back home with her, but her cousin's new in-laws are very determined not to let that happen...or to let Noemi leave either. Secrets abound in the bizarre house and even creepier nearby cemetery, and soon Noemi finds that she too is suffering from bizarre dreams and visions...although, are they just dreams?

This book is so weird, but in such a good way? I read it for a book club and every week we had increasingly bizarre theories about what was going on, we were googling alchemy and fungi and St George, and some of our theories were even right. Although definitely not all. Another very twisty one that keeps you guessing.

In terms of scariness, interestingly I think there's more overtly creepy and horrifying moments in this novel than The Little Stranger, but I found TLS more overall scary? But that may be because I read it quickly, which I think is the ideal setting for suspenseful stuff, and I read Mexican Gothic over a longer amount of time since it was for a book club. This one does have some more typical horror elements to it, but I don't think it's more creepy than terrifying.

3) The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey

I listened to this one as an audiobook and the audiobook is excellent so would recommend that, but have no doubt it would also be great to physically read.

Oh my god this book...it's more thriller than horror, but I think it fits the brief. There were multiple moments listening to this book that I literally gasped or said "OH MY GOD!" out loud, and there are moments which are very creepy and horrifying. There's a particular scene in the backyard... Again, incredibly suspenseful and twisty. And the character development and character psychology is just! really really good! There's also really interesting and knotty feminist stuff which is a lot more complicated and nasty than some of the "girlboss" stuff which is popular right now.

Super minimal summary: All you really need to know is that it is a sci fi novel about a scientific researcher trying to pick up her life after her marriage has imploded, only for everything to go BATSHIT WRONG. Trust me, that's all you need to know, it's better to go into this not knowing what's going to happen or what to expect. I had no clue what this novel was about when I started it, and holy shit. Very good book, absolutely recommend this if you want some super suspenseful, creepy sci fi that will make you say "oh my GOD" repeatedly.

Okay, shifting gears a little now b/c autumn isn't just spooky, it's also cozy and restful and daydreamy!

4) The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic by Emily Croy Barker

This isn't maybe a cozy book per se, but it's a great book to cuddle down with on a dreary day and lose yourself in. If you've ever asked yourself, "What would it be like if you crossed Pride and Prejudice with Howl's Moving Castle except the wizard was way worse but somehow still sexy" - then you should read this book! I actually came across this book b/c I was like, I wanna read a book that's a portal fantasy but for adults, and this book was like OH here's everything you wanted.

It's about a grad student, Nora, who has totally stalled out on her dissertation and is at a shitty wedding when she accidentally wanders through a portal into a beautiful, fantastical fairy world. At first, everything is amazing and literally perfect...but surprise surprise, not all as is it seems, and soon everything goes to, how should I put it, shit. Nora escapes, but rather than returning home, she finds herself trapped in a far more dreary realm. But not one without it's own charms and it's own magic, and Nora finds herself the student-slash-sorta-captive of the crochety, sexy, maybe-killed-his-wife magician Aruendiel* and she begins to learn magic herself.

Unlike the above books, this is not a fast-paced, twisty book, and I think if you go into this expecting high fantasy along the lines of Game of Thrones, you may be disappointed. It's not really a typical high-fantasy novel, it's more of a cross of an 18th/19th century realist novel, a fairy tale, and a fantasy novel. But if you want that, then it's REALLY good! I loved this book! And the magic in it is so cool, something about the way its described feels so visceral and real and like you could really do it if you just tried hard enough. There is a romance and it's totally, intentionally hashtag problematic, but it's very laid back, very slow burn, so I think even if you aren't a person who digs romance you can still enjoy this. If you're looking for a feminist-leaning fantasy novel that you can just sink into and lose yourself in, this is the perfect book. You will long to magically fix broken plates.

5) The Ruthless Lady's Guide to Wizardry by C.M. Waggoner

Honestly I can't even justify why I think this one is an autumn book. It simply is. It's autumn colored in my head. It is the coziest book I have ever read about necromancy and crime. Also I just want to recommend it. This is another one that I listened to as an audiobook and it's also a good audiobook, for those who are interested. But it also means I will not be able to spell absolutely any of the character's names.

This novel follows Delly, an enterprising young scoundrel of a fire witch with a teeny tiny gin habit as she attempts to support herself and her hot-mess of a mom in the roughest neighborhoods of Fantasy-City-That-I-Can't-Remember-The-Name-Of. Lice...gate? When Delly comes across an advertisement for a bodyguarding job for young women for a hefty fee, it seems like the answer to definitely not all but at least some of her problems. She accepts, along with an interesting assortment of other sorcerous young ladies, including a wonderfully bitchy Absentia (my love), a young woman who can turn into a boar, boar girl's necromancer mother, and the very sexy part-troll Winn, who in my imagination looks like Gwendoline Christie and talks like Miranda Hart. Which. Perfect woman. Winn being a fine, wealthy young lady, Delly can't help but think to herself that it wouldn't be such a bad thing if Winn happened to fall in love with her and carried her off to be rich and spoiled the rest of her life.

Of course, things quickly don't go to plan, and soon Delly and her companions find herself caught up in wicked schemes of murder, drugs, and an undead mouse named Buttons who says BONG. I love Buttons SO MUCH.

This book is just a silly romp of a novel which worms into your heart and your brain. It's fun and cute and gay, and also it made me cry. I haven't stopped thinking, "Not quite regulation hammerball" since I listened to it like half a year ago.

Also, while I'm here, this novel is set in the same world as and features a few of the same characters as Unnatural Magic. Which is also a hell of a book. Literally the best bisexual relationship I have ever fuckin read. It's a winter book tho, so I simply can't go into it here.

Aaaaand...that it's! Happy autumnal reading :)

[flying-elliska]

Hey i see that you made book commentary sometimes and Im trying to get back to reading so I wondered if you do some recs for great female protagonist? You really don’t have to of course but thank you so much if you do :)

Ooooh what a great question I love it ! That said it also really depends on what type of protagonists you like, haha, because that can be super subjective. But here are a few cool, complex female protagonists I love :

- Noemi from Mexican Gothic (Silvia Moreno-Garcia). My fave book last year, a twist on the gothic lit trope of a young woman arriving at a creepy old manor full of secrets, Jane Eyre vibes but in Mexico. Noemi is confident, frivolous and very sharp-minded, flawed but ultimately badass, which she needs to survive the horror she's landed in. I loved that her lust for life is presented as an advantage when faced with a family of creepy European eugenists who hold her cousin captive. I just loved her inner voice in general, and the book is big on female solidarity and the importance of women being believed and trusting themselves.

- Lyra from His Dark Materials (Philip Pullman) My fave books as a kid, also very readable as an adult. Lyra is wonderful, half-feral, resourceful and very unruly, which serves her well when she's faced with a child-abducting authoritarian church. Her special talent is the ability to make-up stories on the spot to get herself out of any sticky situation. It's such an important message for little girls, that you don't have to be obedient all the time, especially when the world is after you. The series really doesn't do justice to her spirit.

- Jane from Jane, Unlimited (Kristin Cashore.) This book is just so cool. It's a modern riff on Jane Eyre (lol notice the theme) and also a choose your own ending thing, where the book splits at a point where Jane has to make a decision - each ending becoming a different genre (sci-fi, fantasy, crime, horror, romance) and highlighting a different side of her character, which is such an interesting take on the idea that our choices make us who we are. I need to reread it.

- Vasya from the Winternights Trilogy (Katherine Arden) Another feral weird girl (another theme here) in this Russian folklore inspired medieval tale. She talks to horses and sees spirits and sticks out like a sore thumb in her little peasant community ; she's free spirited, reckless, stubborn as hell, and refuses to be cowed by the gender norms of her society (but not in that fake YA kind of way where it makes things too easy for her). She's also deeply kind and compassionate even as she goes through some really awful shit. I love her a lot and seeing her come into her power is awesome.

- Immanuelle from The Year of the Witching (Alexis Henderson). She lives in a fantasy version of a Puritan cult and is somewhat of a pariah because of her mother's involvement with witchcraft before she died. She's very brave and very caring, but also very much a product of her society who was taught women are meant to be subservient. She has to unlearn that and she keeps struggling between her need for independence and truth, and her need to be loved and fit in. It feels very real and very compelling (and also scary, since this is a horror book).

- Tiffany Aching, from the Tiffany Aching Series (Terry Pratchett) She is a witch in training and the books follow her from age nine to her late teens as she grows into her job, befriending a family of rowdy, chaotic miniature fairies. She's down to earth, practical and clever, and her calling is caring for people even when it's difficult or not very rewarding. These books are really a comfort read for me, funny and warm and full of wisdom.

- Diane, Duchess of Tremontaine and Ixkaab Balam from Tremontaine (Ellen Kushner and others). This is a prequel to the Riverside series (fantasy without magic but full of queer people, also awesome) centered around two women who are two equally complex forces of nature : one is a scheming duchess who came from humble beginnings and hides her cleverness behind her beauty, the other is a disgraced trader's daughter who becomes a spy to preserve her family's fortune. The whole thing is written as a serial with episodes by different authors, there are 2 seasons so far (I need to catch up with the last one) and it's a lot of fun.

Honorary mentions to the Six of Crows duology (fantasy heist + gang of misfits found family) and the Diviners series (1920s New York but with magic and grisly murder) who have ensemble casts with great female characters. There are probably others but these are the ones that come to mind right now....I feel like I need to read more non YA books....