Eira Grey

I have zero valid complaints about this book. A queernorm m/m fantasy based on Welsh folklore and history sounds like it was written specifically for me, so I had to get into it as quickly as possible. I don't usually read the first in a series unless there's at least another book out, so I was really cranky with the cliffhanger ending here, but that's on me for not paying attention! While reading Princeweaver, my only gripe was that I just found it difficult to really care about the characters until the second half of the book, but I think the series is headed in a great direction! Excited for book two. 🦊

Interesting take on the Tarot. Rachel Pollack infuses all her books with such genuine wisdom! Personally, this work did not resonate with me as much as it should have, as I'm very much a Tarot newbie, so I think it will be something to come back to later in the journey. I can definitely see how it would be tremendously helpful for experienced Tarotists in shifting some entrenched ways of looking at the entire system. Pollack urges readers to "play" with the Tarot, encouraging a sense of wonder, which is a refreshing break from studying formulaic meanings and structures.

I was looking for smutty escapism and Soul Eater delivered 😅 Kicking myself for not checking out Lily Mayne's work sooner! The rest of the series looks great too.

This was a horrifying, heartbreaking, and weirdly sweet conclusion to the Angels trilogy. I think Nicolás really stuck the landing! I would've been unhappy with another tragic ending or an HEA, but the ending was just ambiguous enough.

The world was bigger than anyone could ever know. Maybe that was hardly a bad thing.

Palaver was the first audiobook I've listened to in a while, and the narration was flawless. I usually hate it when narrators do "voices" for the characters (part of why I usually avoid audiobooks), but André Santana did a phenomenal job bringing each character to life. I highly recommend listening to this book, rather than reading it!

This book is a great example of what I crave in queer fiction. Washington's characters and the setting were both so vivid! I feel like I've been to Tokyo now, and I already miss the main character's beautiful queer friend group. The evolution of the MC's difficult relationship with his mother was spellbinding in kind of a voyeuristic way, and genuinely made me hopeful for reconciliation with some of my own estranged family members someday.

In short: Washington nailed it. I can't think of a single thing I didn't like about Palaver. Definitely one of my top books this year-I have been ranting about it to anyone who will listen!