May featured the Nebulas and continued work on myself during this unemployed time.
No special posts this month, but definitely an interview with K.A. Doore coming your way in June.
Read Cover-to-Cover in May
Out of Body by Jeffrey Ford
- Adult horror mystery about sleep paralysis
- Takeaway: Immersive world-building in a small package
Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender
- Young adult contemporary novel about a Black trans teen experiencing first love and dealing with transphobia from different sources
- Takes place during Pride in NYC
- Full of feels, bring tissues, and then hug the book
- Takeaway: The care taken into depicting the queer experience with so much nuance and heart
The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea by Maggie Tokuda-Hall
- Young adult fantasy about a gender fluid pirate saving a princess with magic and mermaids
- Complex, nuanced world-building
- Takeaway: Gender identity rep that tackles the question of gender in prophecy and spells
Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh
- Adult queer romantic fantasy about a new proprietor getting entangled with the Green Man and his ex troubles
- Takeaway: Concise, dense prose as lush as the woods the story takes place in
The Unconquered City (Chronicles of Ghadid #3) by K.A. Doore
- Finale in a queer adult fantasy trilogy about using magic and community to stave off an undead threat
- So many excellent pairings
- Takeaway: Creating a sense of community to solve a world problem; not one hero
The Fiery Crown (Forgotten Empire #2) by Jeffe Kennedy
- Adult fantasy romance about enemies to spouses trying to take down a larger enemy
- Political intrigue galore
- Takeaway: Deep interiority that adds complexity to characters we thought we knew
Audiobooks
We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal
- Young adult fantasy about a young hunter and a deadly prince on a quest to return lost magic
- Epic in scope, deep in feelings
- Takeaway: Allowing vulnerability on a grand adventure
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
- Adult dark fantasy about a young woman infiltrating Yale’s secret magical societies
- Several trigger warnings
- Takeaway: Expectations and the book don’t always match
Lady Hotspur by Tessa Gratton
- Adult fantasy retelling of Henry IV featuring so many complicated female relationships
- Lesbians with swords galore
- Takeaway: New favorite kinds of fantasy
The Haunting of Hill House by Lana Popović
- Young adult dark fantasy retelling of the life of Elizabeth Bathory
- F/F villain romance
- Takeaway: Gothic horror with a character-driven plot
Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators by Ronan Farrow
- Nonfiction account of Ronan Farrow trying to break the Harvey Weinstein via NBC studios and the layers of conspiracy within
- Several trigger warnings
- Takeaway: Excellent narrative voice to a harrowing account
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
- Adult fantasy retelling of Rumpelstiltskin woven with elements of Persephone and Hades that’s deeply Eastern European
- Takeaway: Balancing six first person POVs
It Devours! (Welcome to Night Vale, #2) by Joseph Fink & Jeffrey Cranor
- Second tome of additional adult paranormal novels taking place in the world of the Welcome to Night Vale podcast
- Gods, monsters, and science vs. religion
- Takeaway: Keeping a story in the world without needing too much external knowledge about the world
The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in Your Home (Welcome to Night Vale, #3)
by Joseph Fink & Jeffrey Cranor
- Third tome of additional adult paranormal novels taking place in the world of the Welcome to Night Vale podcast
- Piracy, revenge, crimes, and more
- Multiple time periods
- Takeaway: Sympathetic but terrifying MC
Comics
Bloodborne: The Death of Sleep (Bloodborne #1) by Aleš Kot & Piotr Kowalski
- Adult dark horror comic that’s a novelization of the video game
- Deeply true to the spirit of the game while telling a different story
- Takeaway: There is also more to explore within a world you love
No solid plans for June, aside from maybe starting a rewrite of a previously written project.
Until next time,
Jo
Jo Writes Fantasy 