The writing is engaging, but Moreas' internal dialogue of how she could of had it worse as a slave in a different home is uncomfortable to read.

I love the way Zhao writes about trauma, it's incredibly real. Fellas, is it Queer to be attractive another boy's calligraphy.

 

I received an ARC of this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Windfall is a tale of loyalty, magic, and revenge aboard the pirate ship of the same name. Captain Liana Foley and her crew are pirates with a conscience. Each crew member was distinct and played an important role in this found family dynamic. The stakes are high as several crew members are seriously injured, as the crew navigates runaway princesses and power hungry men.

The big three strengths of this fantasy, to me, were the characters, worldbuilding, and small moments. 

Starting with the characters, the reader can absolutely understand why everyone in the crew admires Liana. As captain, she has to make tough decisions at times, but she always has everyone’s best interest at heart. She ensures that crews' families are provided for comfortably and allows second chances when mistakes are made. Ameen is a fantastic partner, and an interesting character of his own merit as well. His character arc was just as engaging as those of Liana and Rhian, and we appreciate this ace quartermaster. Speaking of Rhian, it’s easy to see how she becomes enamored with life on the sea, and Liana herself. One of my favorite quotes from the book actually pertains to Rhian and Dillon: 

‘King Lyell saw that Rhian’s focus fixed behind him, and he turned to see Whyte with a stupid lovesick grin upon his face.’ pg. 245.

On to the Worldbuilding, there are several islands and colonies mentioned during Part 1 and I appreciate the attention given to different languages and religions of this world. These were details that definitely had an effect on the remainder of the story (Liana and Ameen having roots in different cultures, etc.). Shawna Barnett went through the effort of creating words for months in this world, which is a nice detail as well. This is an adventure that spans years, so the calendar reference is helpful.

The best little moments here were the sea shanties and daily life aboard the Windfall. Shawna Barnett certainly lucked out with sea shanties growing in popularity in 2020 and 2021, and here it helps the story feel even more immersive. When the Windfall’s rudder was damaged, it took time to be replaced. These are the realities of seafaring and are all part of the journey. 

The only criticism I could think of is pacing. Part 1 is slower paced, which is understandable given the setup required. However, there is an important character moment that takes place during Part 3, and the reader isn’t privy to it/it happens very quickly.

Overall, this was a fun Queer pirate story, with well plotted twists, and I’ll probably pick up the sequel Between Wind and Water. I’d recommend this to anyone who’s Bisexual awakening was Elizabeth Swan in the Pirates of the Caribbean Series, or those who enjoy other Queer pirate stories such as The Mermaid, Witch, and the Sea by Maggie Tokuda-Hall and Scavenge the Stars by Tara Sim. 

The Witch's Heart provides agency to an overlooked character of myth, one of Loki's wives Angrboda.
This book revisited some classic tales, including Loki's brutal stitches and the time Thor was poorly disguised as Freya.
This work is undoubtedly well researched, and the scenes as presented got emotional at times (I teared up towards the end!).
I loved the voices given to Fenrir and Hel, and how emotive Jormungand was. I felt as though the beginning of the book was a little slow, but once Boda's children were born, the pace picked up. I was hooked at the end of Part 1 for obvious reasons.
Boda's trauma surrounding her death, forgetting her past, and at times forgetting how to use magic, was a real strength of this story. She's incredibly powerful, but has been through some terrible things and has to access parts of herself that were sealed off. Despite all she's faced, her drive to help people with medicine provided depth to her character.
My favorite character is of course Skadi. Her loyalty and determination was well balanced against Loki's mistakes and punishments from the Aesir. This quote form her will stick with me for awhile: 
"I loved you then. I love you now. I will love you until the day I die. And even after, whatever comes then, I will love you still..."
I'd recommend anyone that enjoyed this to keep an eye out for The Goddess of Nothing At All by Cat Rector, in October 2021, which focuses on Sigyn, who we caught some glimpses of here as well.

This is an important book that I still recommend to others. I can't finish reading it right now though because it reminds me too much of how self destructive I used to be while traumatized.

It's surprising that this book has less than 30 reviews! I hope more people pick it up based on the cover alone. The shutter-stock bats reminded me of the flying bats in the Castlevania animated series opening and are super eye catching.
In The Lights of Prague a vampire Ora, and a lamplighter/monster hunter Domek, find themselves caught up in conspiracies to cure or kill all vampires, respectively. 
The true strength of this book is the characters. I wanted Ora to be okay and she's having a hell of a week! It was really satisfying to see Domek reflect on his actions and gain self awareness over time (we love a man that is capable of unlearning). The reader can see why characters made decisions they did, and the characters themselves are messy, which I love.
The mystery aspect of this was incredibly engaging, and I found myself heavily invested in the wisps' well-being as well. Yes, vampires are the main monster focus here, but knowing that there were other paranormal creatures involved makes the world feel full. I can absolutely see the comparison to The Witcher, based on the theme of finding humanity among monsters.
The romance plot line was handled tastefully and was a key component to the overall story.
This historical fantasy included vivid details on a city that I'm not too familiar with, which was an added bonus.
The conclusion does feel a little rushed, with bringing every character back one after the other, but overall it was great fun.
I can't wait to see where Nicole Jarvis takes us next.

I'm coming to accept that anything by Sarah Gailey is an automatic 5 star read for me.
Magic For Liars contained many of my favorite elements aspects for a book to have:

Other aspects that I really enjoyed were the romance subplot (with casual bi rep!), a chosen one trope where the chosen one isn't the main character, and the authenticity of the aftermath of losing a parent to cancer in high school.
The way interactions between characters are written out, with emphasis on mirroring people, hit really hard as an autistic reader.
The twists were a wild ride, well plotted and hinted at in a satisfying way.

 I received this book free from Nyx Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

This Sapphic retelling of the Orpehus and Eurydice myth was an absolute treat. 
The cover is beautiful. Seeing two enamored strong women with daggers on the cover never gets old.
Although this is a novella, I took my time with this, to savor every detail. 
I'm not an expert in Greek classics, so this review will focus more on other aspects of the story that I feel I can speak to.
I love stories that are based around trauma, and this is certainly one of them. Teagan's grief around her mother's death is authentic. I've known that feeling of sadness when your mother can't see you get married or meet your partner. I like how Part 1 really focuses on Teagan working through her memories and an unforgiving environment, motivated only to see Cress again. 
The pace of Part 2 is rapid compared to the first, but appropriate given the high stakes. Learning more about the Shadow Princess' history was fascinating too. 
The largest strength this book has is the relationship between Teagan and Cress. I appreciated how this relationship was already established as this story began, and the techniques used to outline their relationship history. Cress is incredibly driven and somewhat hot-headed, so you can see how Teagan fell for her. Their disagreements make sense.
Since this was released last week, I'd like to share two quotes that stuck with me from the beginning, regarding their relationship, that I hope to soon verify were included in the final published work:

 ‘Her resolve strengthened; she trusted Cress and she’d follow her wife anywhere, even to almost certain death.’  pg. 10.

 'As Teagan looked around, she saw a Goddess of her own' pg. 13 That's so gay!! Me too!

All of this to say, I enjoyed it and am looking forward to future works by Holly J. Underhill, as well as anything through Nyx Publishing.

I'll return to this one when I'm motivated again for more Witcher content.