Author: Rach @ Anxious Nachos

Educational publisher, writer and cat mama.

Book review: Wicked Fox by Kat Cho

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Title: Wicked Fox by Kat Cho

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers

Publication date: 25 June 2019

Genre: Fantasy | Young adult

Page extent: 429 pages

Goodreads blurb: A fresh and addictive fantasy-romance set in modern-day Seoul.

Eighteen-year-old Gu Miyoung has a secret–she’s a gumiho, a nine-tailed fox who must devour the energy of men in order to survive. Because so few believe in the old tales anymore, and with so many evil men no one will miss, the modern city of Seoul is the perfect place to hide and hunt.

But after feeding one full moon, Miyoung crosses paths with Jihoon, a human boy, being attacked by a goblin deep in the forest. Against her better judgment, she violates the rules of survival to rescue the boy, losing her fox bead–her gumiho soul–in the process.

Jihoon knows Miyoung is more than just a beautiful girl–he saw her nine tails the night she saved his life. His grandmother used to tell him stories of the gumiho, of their power and the danger they pose to humans. He’s drawn to her anyway.

With murderous forces lurking in the background, Miyoung and Jihoon develop a tenuous friendship that blossoms into something more. But when a young shaman tries to reunite Miyoung with her bead, the consequences are disastrous . . . forcing Miyoung to choose between her immortal life and Jihoon’s.

I can’t express how much I loved reading about the Korean mythology in this book – this was such a fun concept!

Wicked Fox is a story about  Miyoung, a young girl who is part human, part gumiho (a nine tailed fox demon). To survive, she must feed on the gi (life energy) of men, a process that kills them. Miyoung does not like her violent nature, and so only feeds once a month at the full moon, following directions from Nara, a girl who can speak to spirits, to find men who’ve committed heinous crimes to feed on. But one night, she runs into a dokkaebi attacking Jihoon, and in the process of saving him she loses her fox bead – and Miyoung will die without her fox bead. The book then follows Miyoung and Jihoon as they try to fix her bead back inside her. 

My favourite part about this book was Miyoung. I thought she was a great character, stubborn and cold on the outside for reasons which made so much sense. Her relationship with her mother was extremely interesting, guiding all her actions even if she didn’t realise it. Particularly in the first half, her anger at Jihoon felt realistic and played out well. 

I also loved the Korean mythology. The excerpts of the gumiho mythology were so interesting to read, and I really liked whenever we met one of the other supernatural beasts – particularly Nara, who despite her small time on page felt fleshed out and I loved her arc. I feel like we didn’t scratch the surface on Junu, a dokkaebi who sells protection charms. I wished we’d gotten more of his back story as I feel he would be a really interesting character. 

Another character I wish we’d had more of is Yena, Miyoung’s mother. She fills the page whenever she’s written about, very clearly executed who she is, and I wish she’d featured more. 

Unfortunately, in the second half of the book, the plot gets a little repetitive, and I did struggle to keep reading in the middle of the book. The middle focuses quite heavily on the forbidden romance mentioned in the blurb, and I can’t say I was very interested in it. I wasn’t hugely emotionally connected to the two together – and there’s actually a fantastic line about Jihoon being Miyoung’s best and only friend, and I kind of wish it had just played out as friendship, especially given that throwaway line, which ended up being one of my favourites in the book. 

All in all, Wicked Fox gives is a really fun story based on Korean mythology, with the mysterious and dangerous gumiho making a very interesting concept. There were some great characters who I wish we’d focused on more, but ultimately I wasn’t emotionally connected to the romance which heavily impacted my struggle to finish the book. 

Paws out,
Rach + Draco

Book review: The Grace Year by Kim Liggett

Rach @ Anxious Nachos1 Comment

Title: The Grace Year by Kim Liggett

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Publication date: 8 October 2019

Genre: Dystopian | Young adult

Page extent: 416 pages

Goodreads blurb: A speculative thriller in the vein of The Handmaid’s Tale and The Power. Optioned by Universal and Elizabeth Banks to be a major motion picture!

“A visceral, darkly haunting fever dream of a novel and an absolute page-turner. Liggett’s deeply suspenseful book brilliantly explores the high cost of a misogynistic world that denies women power and does it with a heart-in-your-throat, action-driven story that’s equal parts horror-laden fairy tale, survival story, romance, and resistance manifesto. I couldn’t stop reading.” – Libba Bray, New York Times bestselling author

Survive the year.

No one speaks of the grace year. It’s forbidden.

In Garner County, girls are told they have the power to lure grown men from their beds, to drive women mad with jealousy. They believe their very skin emits a powerful aphrodisiac, the potent essence of youth, of a girl on the edge of womanhood. That’s why they’re banished for their sixteenth year, to release their magic into the wild so they can return purified and ready for marriage. But not all of them will make it home alive.

Sixteen-year-old Tierney James dreams of a better life—a society that doesn’t pit friend against friend or woman against woman, but as her own grace year draws near, she quickly realizes that it’s not just the brutal elements they must fear. It’s not even the poachers in the woods, men who are waiting for a chance to grab one of the girls in order to make a fortune on the black market. Their greatest threat may very well be each other.

With sharp prose and gritty realism, The Grace Year examines the complex and sometimes twisted relationships between girls, the women they eventually become, and the difficult decisions they make in-between. 

***

The Grace Year is another chillingly terrifying feminist novel in the likes of The Handmaid’s Tale and The Natural Way of Things. With an achingly familiar message of strength and resilience, The Grace Year adds its own spin to the classic feminist tale of resistance.

The Grace Year begins with main character Tierney, on the eve of her Grace Year. In order to remove the evil magic that so tempts men, girls on the cusp of womanhood are sent to an encampment in the wilds to last a year. There, strange occurrences happen as their magic arises and burns out, and nobody knows who will last the year as poachers try to hunt them, selling their parts back to the county.

The Grace Year is a familiar yet new story about finding the strength to resist. It’s a tale about trust and forgiveness. Although we open in the county with their strict control of the women, the majority of the book is set in the encampment. The setting is so beautiful and made for such a haunting and creepy atmosphere throughout. With ghostly stories, there was always an edge to everything, as if we didn’t quite understand what was true and what wasn’t (which we really don’t). I loved the uncertainty – the mysterious atmosphere and magic of The Grace Year affected Tierney so much that it was hard to know what was real and what wasn’t. I loved that at the end of the day, the most danger came from the girls themselves as opposed to the men of the county, or the poachers. So caught up with the power granted to them during the year, they become mad with the power, the last sliver of ‘freedom’ before they are forced into marriage or work.

It is such a dark and brutal journey, one which I think really debates the definition of a happy ever after. I loved some of the secondary characters – the way Tierney’s mother comes to life throughout the book is wonderful, and I loved the slow reveal of Ryker. There are many twists and turns, some utterly shocking which I never saw coming but which are just so clear afterwards! I feel like this is a book that will shine even more in a reread, with so much foreshadowing more noticeable.

Although a dark novel, there are moments of hope and joy. There is fierce love and friendship and ultimately, there is such resilience and strength in these characters. This was a brilliant read, and one which follows its predecessors shoes very well!

Paws out,
Rach + Draco

Book review: Wilder Girls by Rory Power

Rach @ Anxious Nachos2 Comments

Title: Wilder Girls by Rory Power

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Publication date: 9 July 2019

Genre: Horror | Young adult

Page extent: 353 pages

Goodreads blurb: It’s been eighteen months since the Raxter School for Girls was put under quarantine. Since the Tox hit and pulled Hetty’s life out from under her.

It started slow. First the teachers died one by one. Then it began to infect the students, turning their bodies strange and foreign. Now, cut off from the rest of the world and left to fend for themselves on their island home, the girls don’t dare wander outside the school’s fence, where the Tox has made the woods wild and dangerous. They wait for the cure they were promised as the Tox seeps into everything.

But when Byatt goes missing, Hetty will do anything to find her, even if it means breaking quarantine and braving the horrors that lie beyond the fence. And when she does, Hetty learns that there’s more to their story, to their life at Raxter, than she could have ever thought true.

***

Well that was as creepy and haunting as every single book review told me it would be! I’m not usually one for horror, but I really liked this – it was a very beautiful, picturesque horror…if that makes any sense at all?! And I can absolutely never resist media about viruses. 

Wilder Girls is set at an all girl’s school on Raxter Island, where everyone has been quarantined after becoming sick with a virus they call the Tox. 18 months after the first infection, Byatt, Hetty’s best friend, has gone missing so Hetty vows to break the quarantine to find her, in the end discovering so much more about the virus and what’s happening on the outside than she imagined possible.

First off: what a setting! The mysterious Raxter and the enchanting yet deadly forest surrounding it is just stunning and sets such a creepy tone for the whole novel. There was such a sense of fear every moment we spent in the forest, and in the unknown of what now lived there. 

The premise of Wilder Girls is so immediately interesting: at 18 months into the virus outbreak, we don’t know what the girls have lived through, and we find out in glimpses – an eye fused shut, scales on a hand, a second spine. The progression of our insight into how this virus has affected the girls and teachers through this chilling body horror is just phenomenal. There are so many brutally horrific descriptions – which I really think enhances the realness of it all, as it feels as deadly as if it’s happening in real life. And I think that’s why I particularly love torturing myself with virus-style forms of media, because there is such a constant fear of ‘this could actually happen right now’ that just terrifies me. And I think Wilder Girls really nails this fear!! 

I thought all three of our MCs were brilliant in their depictions – all fully flawed and so powerfully human in their portrayal. Hetty, the POV we read from for the majority of the book, fiercely loyal and loving and unwilling to back down to save those she loves – even if it comes at the cost of everyone else. Byatt, who’s POV intersperses Hetty’s in a dream-like haze, who loves testing people and pushing the boundaries of what she can do, with horrific consequences. And finally Reese, who keeps her emotions bound up so tightly to keep from falling apart. These three are fighters and fight to be together till the end. 

Which brings me to the ending. I did feel like I’m missing something. I wanted another 30 pages to finish everything off, it was all extremely sudden and hugely open and I really wish we’d had even a tiny bit more. 

But all in all, minus the ending, Wilder Girls is a great horror novel – it’s a psychologically horrific take on three young girls and their fight to stay alive.

Paws out,
Rach + Draco

My favourite October releases

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So I have known for months now that October is THE month for book releases this year for me. I have so many I am looking forward to. I have been filled with both dread and excitement at the thought of all the books I want to read. So here’s just a few that I want to jump and dance about!

Crier’s War – Nina Varela

Pub date: 1 October

Queer, f/f, enemies to lovers, SIGN ME UP RIGHT NOW. This is one of my most anticipated books of the year.

Goodreads blurb: After the War of Kinds ravaged the kingdom of Rabu, the Automae, designed to be the playthings of royals, usurped their owners’ estates and bent the human race to their will.

Now Ayla, a human servant rising in the ranks at the House of the Sovereign, dreams of avenging her family’s death…by killing the sovereign’s daughter, Lady Crier.

Crier was Made to be beautiful, flawless, and to carry on her father’s legacy. But that was before her betrothal to the enigmatic Scyre Kinok, before she discovered her father isn’t the benevolent king she once admired, and most importantly, before she met Ayla.

Now, with growing human unrest across the land, pressures from a foreign queen, and an evil new leader on the rise, Crier and Ayla find there may be only one path to love: war.

The Beautiful – Renée Ahdieh

Pub date: 8 October

I am so keen for vampires to come back into book fashion. I need more vampires in my life – and this one sounds so sultry and mysterious!

Goodreads blurb: New York Times bestselling author Renée Ahdieh returns with a sumptuous, sultry and romantic new series set in 19th century New Orleans where vampires hide in plain sight.

In 1872, New Orleans is a city ruled by the dead. But to seventeen-year-old Celine Rousseau, New Orleans provides her a refuge after she’s forced to flee her life as a dressmaker in Paris. Taken in by the sisters of the Ursuline convent along with six other girls, Celine quickly becomes enamored with the vibrant city from the music to the food to the soirées and—especially—to the danger. She soon becomes embroiled in the city’s glitzy underworld, known as La Cour des Lions, after catching the eye of the group’s leader, the enigmatic Sébastien Saint Germain. When the body of one of the girls from the convent is found in the lair of La Cour des Lions, Celine battles her attraction to him and suspicions about Sébastien’s guilt along with the shame of her own horrible secret.

When more bodies are discovered, each crime more gruesome than the last, Celine and New Orleans become gripped by the terror of a serial killer on the loose—one Celine is sure has set her in his sights . . . and who may even be the young man who has stolen her heart. As the murders continue to go unsolved, Celine takes matters into her own hands and soon uncovers something even more shocking: an age-old feud from the darkest creatures of the underworld reveals a truth about Celine she always suspected simmered just beneath the surface.

At once a sultry romance and a thrilling murder mystery, master storyteller Renée Ahdieh embarks on her most potent fantasy series yet: The Beautiful.

The Never Tilting World – Rin Chupeco

Pub date: 15 October

I was lucky enough to get on the blog tour for this book, run by Shealea at Caffeine Book tours! It’s my first blog tour and I can’t wait to read this!

Goodreads blurb: Frozen meets Mad Max in this epic teen fantasy duology bursting with star-crossed romance, immortal heroines, and elemental magic, perfect for fans of Furyborn.

Generations of twin goddesses have long ruled Aeon. But seventeen years ago, one sister’s betrayal defied an ancient prophecy and split their world in two. The planet ceased to spin, and a Great Abyss now divides two realms: one cloaked in perpetual night, the other scorched by an unrelenting sun.

While one sister rules Aranth—a frozen city surrounded by a storm-wracked sea —her twin inhabits the sand-locked Golden City. Each goddess has raised a daughter, and each keeps her own secrets about her sister’s betrayal.

But when shadowy forces begin to call their daughters, Odessa and Haidee, back to the site of the Breaking, the two young goddesses —along with a powerful healer from Aranth, and a mouthy desert scavenger —set out on separate journeys across treacherous wastelands, desperate to heal their broken world. No matter the sacrifice it demands. 

War Girls – Tochi Onyebuchi

Pub date: 15 October

Everything about this book just sounds incredible – family dynamics, dystopian climate change destroyed world, incredible tech!

Goodreads blurb: Two sisters are torn apart by war and must fight their way back to each other in a futuristic, Black Panther–inspired Nigeria.

The year is 2172. Climate change and nuclear disasters have rendered much of earth unlivable. Only the lucky ones have escaped to space colonies in the sky.

In a war-torn Nigeria, battles are fought using flying, deadly mechs and soldiers are outfitted with bionic limbs and artificial organs meant to protect them from the harsh, radiation-heavy climate. Across the nation, as the years-long civil war wages on, survival becomes the only way of life.

Two sisters, Onyii and Ify, dream of more. Their lives have been marked by violence and political unrest. Still, they dream of peace, of hope, of a future together.

And they’re willing to fight an entire war to get there.

Acclaimed author Tochi Onyebuchi has written an immersive, action-packed, deeply personal novel perfect for fans of Nnedi Okorafor, Marie Lu, and Paolo Bacigalupi.

Tarnished are the Stars – Rosiee Thor

Pub date: 15 October

Another of my hotly anticipated queer October releases! This sounds so steampunky! I always love any form of media (film, tv, books!) that has an epidemic at the centre of it so this book sounds perfect!

Goodreads blurb: The Lunar Chronicles meets Rook in this queer #OwnVoices science-fantasy novel, perfect for fans of Marissa Meyer and Sharon Cameron.

A secret beats inside Anna Thatcher’s chest: an illegal clockwork heart. Anna works cog by cog — donning the moniker Technician — to supply black market medical technology to the sick and injured, against the Commissioner’s tyrannical laws.

Nathaniel Fremont, the Commissioner’s son, has never had to fear the law. Determined to earn his father’s respect, Nathaniel sets out to capture the Technician. But the more he learns about the outlaw, the more he questions whether his father’s elusive affection is worth chasing at all.

Their game of cat and mouse takes an abrupt turn when Eliza, a skilled assassin and spy, arrives. Her mission is to learn the Commissioner’s secrets at any cost — even if it means betraying her own heart.

When these uneasy allies discover the most dangerous secret of all, they must work together despite their differences and put an end to a deadly epidemic — before the Commissioner ends them first.

I Hope You Get This Message – Farah Naz Rishi

Pub date: 22 October

How cool does this premise sound?! 7 days till the world might end! What do you do when you’ve been given 7 days to live?

Goodreads blurb: Seven days. Seven days. The Earth might end in seven days.

When news stations start reporting that Earth has been contacted by a planet named Alma, the world is abuzz with rumors that the alien entity is giving mankind only few days to live before they hit the kill switch on civilization.

For high school truant Jesse Hewitt, though, nothing has ever felt permanent. Not the guys he hooks up with. Not the jobs his underpaid mom works so hard to hold down. Life has dealt him one bad blow after another — so what does it matter if it all ends now? Cate Collins, on the other hand, is desperate to use this time to find the father she’s never met, the man she grew up hearing wild stories about, most of which she didn’t believe. And then there’s Adeem Khan. While coding and computer programming have always come easily to him, forgiveness doesn’t. He can’t seem to forgive his sister for leaving, even though it’s his last chance.

With only seven days to face their truths and right their wrongs, Jesse, Cate, and Adeem’s paths collide even as their worlds are pulled apart.

The Light at the Bottom of the World – London Shah

Pub date: 29 October

This is one of the books I’ve been most excited for all year, it just sounds so unique! Weird and intriguing virus, everyone lives underwater, and a mystery to save family!

Goodreads blurb: Hope had abandoned them to the wrath of all the waters.

At the end of the twenty-first century, the world has changed dramatically, but life continues one thousand feet below the ocean’s surface. In Great Britain, sea creatures swim among the ruins of Big Ben and the Tower of London, and citizens waver between fear and hope; fear of what lurks in the abyss, and hope that humanity will soon discover a way to reclaim the Earth.

Meanwhile, sixteen-year-old Leyla McQueen has her own problems to deal with. Her father’s been arrested, accused of taking advantage of victims of the Seasickness-a debilitating malaise that consumes people,often claiming their lives. But Leyla knows he’s innocent, and all she’s interested in is getting him back so that their lives can return to normal.

When she’s picked to race in the action-packed London Submersible Marathon, Leyla gets the chance to secure his freedom; the Prime Minister promises the champion whatever their heart desires. The race takes an unexpected turn, though, and presents her with an opportunity she never wanted: Leyla must venture outside of London for the first time in her life, to find and rescue her father herself.

Now, she’ll have to brave the unfathomable waters and defy a corrupt government determined to keep its secrets, all the while dealing with a secretive, hotheaded companion she never asked for in the first place. If she fails, or falls prey to her own fears, she risks capture-and her father might be lost forever.

A River of Royal Blood – Amanda Joy

Pub date: 29 October

Another one that has family at its heart and sounds oh so good – two sisters having to fight it out to win the crown, assassins, and magic!

Goodreads blurb: An enthralling debut perfect for fans of Children of Blood and Bone set in a North African-inspired fantasy world where two sisters must fight to the death to win the crown.

Sixteen-year-old Eva is a princess, born with the magick of marrow and blood–a dark and terrible magick that hasn’t been seen for generations in the vibrant but fractured country of Myre. Its last known practitioner was Queen Raina, who toppled the native khimaer royalty and massacred thousands, including her own sister, eight generations ago, thus beginning the Rival Heir tradition. Living in Raina’s long and dark shadow, Eva must now face her older sister, Isa, in a battle to the death if she hopes to ascend to the Ivory Throne–because in the Queendom of Myre only the strongest, most ruthless rulers survive.

When Eva is attacked by an assassin just weeks before the battle with her sister, she discovers there is more to the attempt on her life than meets the eye–and it isn’t just her sister who wants to see her dead. As tensions escalate, Eva is forced to turn to a fey instructor of mythic proportions and a mysterious and handsome khimaer prince for help in growing her magick into something to fear. Because despite the love she still has for her sister, Eva will have to choose: Isa’s death or her own.

A River of Royal Blood is an enthralling debut set in a lush North African inspired fantasy world that subtly but powerfully challenges our notions of power, history, and identity.

Beyond the Black Door – A.M Strickland

Pub date: 29 October

I don’t know what to say to make this more interesting than the blurb already does, it sounds INCREDIBLE! Soulwalkers! Opening the door to your own soul! Court mystery! Queer!

Goodreads blurb: Kamai was warned never to open the black door, but she didn’t listen …

Everyone has a soul. Some are beautiful gardens, others are frightening dungeons. Soulwalkers―like Kamai and her mother―can journey into other people’s souls while they sleep.

But no matter where Kamai visits, she sees the black door. It follows her into every soul, and her mother has told her to never, ever open it.

When Kamai touches the door, it is warm and beating, like it has a pulse. When she puts her ear to it, she hears her own name whispered from the other side. And when tragedy strikes, Kamai does the unthinkable: she opens the door.

A.M. Strickland’s imaginative dark fantasy features court intrigue and romance, a main character coming to terms with her asexuality, and twists and turns as a seductive mystery unfolds that endangers not just Kamai’s own soul, but the entire kingdom …

Full Disclosure – Camryn Garrett

Pub date: 29 October

Full Disclosure is a book that sounds so deeply powerful and emotional, and I know will likely be a rough, but hopeful and empowering read about acceptance and love!

Goodreads blurb: In a community that isn’t always understanding, an HIV-positive teen must navigate fear, disclosure, and radical self-acceptance when she falls in love–and lust–for the first time. Powerful and uplifting, Full Disclosure will speak to fans of Angie Thomas and Nicola Yoon.

Simone Garcia-Hampton is starting over at a new school, and this time things will be different. She’s making real friends, making a name for herself as student director of Rent, and making a play for Miles, the guy who makes her melt every time he walks into a room. The last thing she wants is for word to get out that she’s HIV-positive, because last time . . . well, last time things got ugly.

Keeping her viral load under control is easy, but keeping her diagnosis under wraps is not so simple. As Simone and Miles start going out for real–shy kisses escalating into much more–she feels an uneasiness that goes beyond butterflies. She knows she has to tell him that she’s positive, especially if sex is a possibility, but she’s terrified of how he’ll react! And then she finds an anonymous note in her locker: I know you have HIV. You have until Thanksgiving to stop hanging out with Miles. Or everyone else will know too.

Simone’s first instinct is to protect her secret at all costs, but as she gains a deeper understanding of the prejudice and fear in her community, she begins to wonder if the only way to rise above is to face the haters head-on…

***

Let me know if you’re excited for any of these books, or if there’s any others I’ve missed but you are excited to read!

Paws out,
Rach + Draco

Book review: Like a Love Story by Abdi Nazemian

Rach @ Anxious Nachos2 Comments

Title: Like a Love Story by Abdi Nazemian

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Publication date: 4 June 2019

Genre: Historical (1980s) | Young adult

Page extent: 432 pages

Goodreads blurb: It’s 1989 in New York City, and for three teens, the world is changing.

Reza is an Iranian boy who has just moved to the city with his mother to live with his stepfather and stepbrother. He’s terrified that someone will guess the truth he can barely acknowledge about himself. Reza knows he’s gay, but all he knows of gay life are the media’s images of men dying of AIDS.

Judy is an aspiring fashion designer who worships her uncle Stephen, a gay man with AIDS who devotes his time to activism as a member of ACT UP. Judy has never imagined finding romance…until she falls for Reza and they start dating.

Art is Judy’s best friend, their school’s only out and proud teen. He’ll never be who his conservative parents want him to be, so he rebels by documenting the AIDS crisis through his photographs.

As Reza and Art grow closer, Reza struggles to find a way out of his deception that won’t break Judy’s heart–and destroy the most meaningful friendship he’s ever known.

***

Sometimes you find a book you know reading will change you. And as I now sit, my face aching from clenching my jaw to stop tears, my heart feeling ripped open and feeling the strength and courage that raged through this book, I am not surprised. Because Like a Love Story is one of those powerful, unflinchingly beautiful stories about friendship and family, love and fear, but above all else, the power of life. 

Set in the late 80s, during the height of the AIDS crisis, Iranian Reza, closeted gay teen, has moved to New York with his family. There he meets Art, beautiful, strong Art, who is so colourful and brave and lights up Reza’s life. But Reza is growing up in the age of AIDS, with the fear being drilled into young people so much that he cannot face who he is, the terror that he might die overwhelming him. Instead, he finds himself befriended by Judy, Art’s best friend. Judy is Reza’s first friend, and in his struggle to accept himself and fear of losing Judy, he begins to date her. In the backdrop of the story of these three friends, told across each of their POV’s, is the struggle and fight of the ACT UP movement. We met Stephen, Judy’s gay uncle, slowly deteriorating as the disease takes over, who introduces these teens to the world of activism and the ACT UP movement. We meet so many beautiful characters, their utter strength and courage singing through the pages, even if we only see them for a glance. Art, budding photographer, photographs individuals across the book, taking snapshots of people and moments of history, and through these images he takes and his descriptions on the page, we see these characters in such a startlingly colourful way. From just a few lines describing a moment in the book, it feels like we know them so much more as Art brings these characters to life in his POV. 

The raw emotion sweeps through this book. But despite the pain and the honest depiction of loss and death, there is such a powerful message of hope and love. We see this in the scenes at protests, the fire and drive of this community roaring; we see it in the extracts from Stephen’s notebook, a series of numbered life notes on topics like Madonna, High School and Love. But most of all, we see it in the very fabric of the book, in the relationships between these characters and they’re ability to overcome such intensely difficult odds to survive. 

Art is such a powerfully intense character – his impulsiveness drives him and his complete fearlessness in the face of fighting. 

Reza, sweet innocent Reza who is so terrified of a disease which might kill him, and so hates himself from being unable to face the truth. 

Judy, kind and loving Judy who just wants someone to appreciate her and love her, and latches on to the first person to do so. I do admit, I disliked her more than the others – I couldn’t really forgive her for her horrific reaction to Reza’s coming out, no matter how terrible that must feel to her, particularly given the way she seemed to throw herself at Reza from their first meeting without ever really waiting for him to even acknowledge or show interest in her. As Art notes, the assumptions of the heterosexuals… 

These three characters are so different and yet so entwined and their individual voices shine through so well. These characters are each spectacular in all these flaws, but I thought it was Stephen who really shined through the most. He was so vibrant on every page, across every POV, being such a driving force in the journey of each of the three teens – and ultimately, driving their acceptance of themselves, and teaching them how to love themselves as he loves them.

Whilst there are moments of pain, these are always accompanied with joy and laughter, love and life: because even when dying, there is life and love and that is the legacy of these characters, this book, and the huge history on our shoulders that is left behind. This book felt like a slice of history, I could feel the power of the ACT UP movement, the unequivocal power of Madonna and the strength she gave, and even the brief mentions of Princess Diana and the way she changed the world by shaking someone’s hand.

This book is beyond phenomenal for so many reasons. For the hope, the passion, and the raging desire to fight back and be unashamedly who you are. 

Paws out,
Rach + Draco

Happy Bisexual Awareness Week: Bi Books

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Bisexuals Assemble!

So in my role as Failure Bi™ I completely missed Bi Visibility Day this week.

So to make up for my failure, I thought instead I’d make a list with some of my favourite books with bi characters as well as some of my most anticipated bi books to come!

Books I’ve read

Deposing Nathan – Zack Smedley

Fine, well, even if you’re only one percent into dudes, it can still count. ‘Bisexual’ is a pretty broad term.

This book is one of my favourite books of the year, it absolutely broke me. Discussing the intersectionality of religion and bisexuality, this is the story of Nate and Cameron, how they fell in love, and how Nate ends up stabbing Cam. This book is so emotionally powerful, addressing the validity of bisexuality as an identity and at it’s heart has a powerful message about learning to love yourself and who are it. It is utterly captivating, and I so want you to read it! If I haven’t yet persuaded you, check out my full review of this book here!

The Fever King – Victoria Lee

Bisexual isn’t gay.

I still can’t believe this book only published in March, I feel like I’ve had it in my life and obsessed over it for so long. EVERYONE in this book is queer! And if that doesn’t sound incredible enough itsmyfavouritebookeverandtyoureallyreallyreallyneedtoreadit. Set in a dystopian US where most of the population has been wiped out by a deadly virus, Noam wakes up and survives – but he’s changed. He has magic now. Taken in by Calix Leher, one of the most poweful men in the new state of Carolinia, Noam is tutored in magic and science, alongside Dara and Ames. But Noam wants to bring the government down – and though he’s falling for Dara, he just doesn’t seem to be on the same side… Be warned: The Fever King will cause you so much pain. This book owns my heart – find out more in my full review here!

I Wish You All the Best – Mason Deaver

“Why would you think I’d want to lose you like that?”

Another book that immediately jumped to my all time favourites, I Wish You All the Best has TWO bisexual MCs: Ben and Nathan. This is Ben’s story: when they come out as non-binary to their parents, they are kicked out of home. Highly emotional and personal, this book is an inspiring coming of age story about acceptance and love and it is honestly just so perfectly stunning!! Full review here!

Shatter the Sky – Rebecca Kim Wells

Dragons & bisexuals, bisexuals & dragons – could a book need more? How about a kind of bi love triangle that actually shows BOTH sides of bisexuality?! That would be a yes yes yes. When Maren’s girlfriend Kaia is kidnapped by the evil oppressors who rule their country, Maren vows to rescue her. She sneaks into the dreaded Dragon training fortress, aiming to steal a dragon and rain fire to get Kaia back. On route, she mets Sev, a guard at the fortress who seems to be hiding a secret as well. I adored the magic system in this book, and the way the dragons could be controlled with different aromas. The dragons are both fearsome and adorable, and I’m so keen to read the sequel! A full review can be found here.

Missing, Presumed Dead – Emma Berquist

 That’s what people always get wrong about ghosts; they aren’t cold. They don’t make your breath cloud, or give you goose bumps. They’re heat and weight and the taste of metal coating your tongue.

This book is so awesome – it’s dark and gritty, fantastic portrayal of mental illness, oh and a girl who falls in a love with a ghost?! Lexi has the power to see when a person dies – if she touches them, she sees their death. When she see’s the death of Jane, it’s particularly violent. And then Jane comes back as a ghost, to exact revenge on her killer and Lexi, feeling guilty for not saving Jane, helps her hunt the killer down. This has magic, mystery, thriller elements and I loved the MC Lexi. I loved how the book shows how the magic really impacts on Lexi, and how lonely she is because of it – I feel like it’s really rare to see such a horrifically negative impact of magic on someone? Usually even if bad things happen, there is still wonder in having the magic – but in Missing, Presumed Dead it really is such a burden for Lexi, and it’s so emotional at points as we see Lexi suffer. I have a full review of this book here!

💖💜💙

Books to come

The Henna Wars – Adiba Jaigirdar

Pub date: Spring 2020

Goodreads: Page Street has acquired Adiba Jaigirdar’s The Henna Wars. Pitched as When Dimple Met Rishi meets Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, the romcom is about two teen girls with rival henna businesses who fall in love. The projected pub season is spring 2020. You can find out more about The Henna Wars on Adiba’s website!

Scavenge the Stars – Tara Sim

Pub date: January 2020

Scavenge the Stars is a gender-swapped retelling of The Counte of Monte Cristo with a bi MC and I am so here for this! Goodreads: When Amaya rescues a mysterious stranger from drowning, she fears her rash actions have earned her a longer sentence on the debtor ship where she’s been held captive for years. Instead, the man she saved offers her unimaginable riches and a new identity, setting Amaya on a perilous course through the coastal city-state of Moray, where old-world opulence and desperate gamblers collide. Amaya wants one thing: revenge against the man who ruined her family and stole the life she once had. But the more entangled she becomes in this game of deception—and as her path intertwines with the son of the man she’s plotting to bring down—the more she uncovers about the truth of her past. And the more she realizes she must trust no one…

The Love Hypothesis by Laura Steven

Pub date: March 2020

BI ROMCOM ALERT BI ROMCOM ALERT BI ROMCOM ALERT. I adore Laura’s Exact Opposite of Okay series – she is probably the funniest author I’ve ever read. And now she’s coming with a BI ROMCOM if you hadn’t already got that. Goodreads: Physics genius Caro Kerber-Murphy knows she’s smart. With straight As and a college scholarship already in the bag, she’s meeting her two dads’ colossal expectations and then some. But there’s one test she’s never quite been able to ace: love. And when, in a particularly desperate moment, Caro discovers a (definitely questionable) scientific breakthrough that promises to make you irresistible to everyone around you, she wonders if this could be the key. What happens next will change everything Caro thought she knew chemistry – in the lab and in love.

Is her long-time crush Haruki with her of his own free will? Are her feelings for her best girl friend some sort of side-effect? Will her dog, Sirius, ever stop humping her leg?

Ace of Spades – Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

Pub date: 2020

Faridah wrote a create post regarding the bi rep in Ace of Spades earlier this week – check it out here to learn more about this book! Also there’s a cat called Bullshit in this book and if that isn’t the greatest thing ever, I don’t know what is.

Goodreads: Usborne has acquired an “explosive” high-school thriller by debut author Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé that examines institutionalised racism.

Ace of Spades is about Devon and Chiamaka – rivals at the Niveus Private Academy. An anonymous texter starts spreading secrets about the two students, who find themselves at the centre of a disturbing game. 

Only Mostly Devastated – Sophie Gonzales

Pub date: March 2020

Bi rep in a book advertised as Grease but gay?!? As a massive musical fan THIS IS MY JAM! I have an eARC of this – thank you for granting my wish on NetGalley – and I cannot wait to read!

Goodreads: Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda meets Clueless, inspired by Grease.

When Ollie meets his dream guy, Will, over summer break, he thinks he’s found his Happily Ever After. But once summer’s ended, Will stops texting him back, and Ollie finds himself one prince short of a fairytale ending. To complicate the fairytale further, a family emergency sees Ollie uprooted and enrolled at a new school across the country—Will’s school—where Ollie finds that the sweet, affectionate and comfortably queer guy he knew from summer isn’t the same one attending Collinswood High. This Will is a class clown, closeted—and, to be honest, a bit of a jerk.

Ollie has no intention of pining after a guy who clearly isn’t ready for a relationship. But as Will starts ‘coincidentally’ popping up in every area of Ollie’s life, from music class to the lunch table, Ollie finds his resolve weakening.

The last time he gave Will his heart, Will handed it back to him trampled and battered. Ollie would have to be an idiot to trust him with it again.

Right? Right.

💖💜💙

I hope you enjoyed this list featuring some of my favourite bi books of the year as well as some of the 2020 books I cannot wait to read! I would absolutely love to hear some of your favourite bi recs – because in making this list, I realised how few I actually have on my shelves and that needs immediately RESOLVED. So send all your bi recs my way, stay strong, and remember: your bisexuality is valid regardless of your relationship.

💖💜💙

Paws out,
Rach + Draco

Book review: An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

Rach @ Anxious Nachos1 Comment

Title: An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

Publisher: Razorbill

Publication date: 28 April 2015

Genre: Fantasy | Young adult

Page extent: 446 pages

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Goodreads blurb: Laia is a slave. Elias is a soldier. Neither is free.
 
Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.
 
It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.
 
But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.
 
There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.

Wowowowowowoow An Ember in the Ashes has immediately been added to my favourite ever fantasies. THIS WAS SO DAMN GOOD. 

After seeing her family brutally murdered, and brother taken away in chains, Laia runs to the Resistance, a group of rebel Scholars trying to overthrow the evil Martial rule. To gain their trust, Laia gives away a secret she has kept for years. But now they’ve asked her to spy for them, on the cruel and awful Commandant of Blackcliff academy, the military training ground for the terrifying Masks. If she does as they ask, they promise to resuce her brother. 

Meanwhile, Elias is the son of the Commandant, and the best student at Blackcliff. But he doesn’t want any of part of it, aiming to escape. Somehow he gets caught up in the quest to find a new Emperor and must give away all of himself to to escape with his life.

This is an absolutely astounding tale full of interesting and deep characters, violence and cruelty, and finding strength to stand up and fight. I cannot express how much I adored every single one of these characters (adored because of how much I hated them, in some cases!) They are all so so grey, nobody is the paragon of goodness and light and I love it so much! Elias has such a struggle with having to be a Mask, doesn’t want any part of what he’s asked to do, and yet he still finds himself going along with everything. Meanwhile Laia, terrified Laia who is so scared she won’t live up to her parents’ memory, tries to fight but keeps failing. And though she’s with the Resistance, she’s slowly discovering they aren’t as wonderful as she thought.

All the secondary characters were excellent as well: Helene, so understadedly evil, the one who refuses to break the rules at Blackcliff and Elias’s best friend who doesn’t understand who he’s becoming. Keenan, Laia’s handler who at first doesn’t want to help her but grows to see her side. Izzi and Cook, two people Laia befriends who are so downtrodden and beaten as slaves but still fight. I am so keen to see if we find out more about Cook in the later books – I feel like there’s a lot more left to discover about her character. The absolutely terrifying Commandant who we see whip a boy to death with glee, her cruelty and coldness seems to know no bounds. And yet when we see her interact with Elias near the end, there does seem to be a sliver of humanity. An Ember in the Ashes is fantastic in what it asks of its characters. They are asked to give up their souls in their fights, and as a reader we can only read on in shock and horror as they do so. 

“Draw a line in your mind. Never cross it again. You have a soul. It’s damaged, but it’s there. Don’t let them take it from you, Elias.”

There was slivers of magic and fantastical elements to foreshadow throughout: the efrits and ghuls and jinn, the dreaded Nightbringer who seems to be behind everything but we haven’t quite discovered what he’s after. But most of all I loved the Augurs, those who run the Trials and seem to have powers to see the future, to read minds. They seem to guide and control the events but you’re never sure why they’re doing what they do. I can’t wait to see more of them and find out what is motivating them.

The only problem I had (and it’s fairly minor) was one of the romantic relationships in the love square (I think it’s a square?) To avoid spoilers I won’t specify names, but I just didn’t think it was particularly believable compared to the others, there was much less time spent on it so it seemed rather sudden and unreal.

All in all, I absolutely adored this novel – I cannot wait to read the rest of the series and I am so excited there are already two I can sink my teeth into! 

Paws out,
Rach + Draco

Top 5 Tuesday: Fall Reading Recommendations

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Top 5 Tuesday is created and run by Shanah at Bionic Book Worm. You can join the fun by checking out the topics for the month here.

Hello from the land of Spring! Baby lambs are being born, baby birds are a-chirping and the sun is finally beginning to shine again.

Whilst it is absolutely nowhere near the lovely time of Autumn in Australia, I have actually read quite a few books which feel really Autumny recently. To me, the perfect books for Autumn are those quieter, spooky, atmospheric and mysterious books – the ones which might not have as much action and drama, but which still pack the most powerful emotional punch.

Wilder Girls by Rory Power

Ohmygosh this book is absolutely killer. This quiet horror book tells the tale of Raxter Girls School, where all the students and teachers have come down with a mysterious and deadly virus. Under quarantine, and with girls dying regularly, when Hetty’s best friend Byatt goes missing she vows to break quarantine, threatening everyone at the school for a chance to find her friend. This is a story about frienship and loyalty and giving everything up for the ones you love, no matter the cost. Set in a dark and terrifying forest, with horrors around every tree, Wilder Girls is so perfect for Autumn! I have a full review of this one coming soon!

The Weight of the Stars – K. Ancrum

I was lucky enough to get gifted this book for my birthday from my wonderful partner and I read it on holiday on a beach which I realise doesn’t sound very Autumny. BUT! This is a very quiet and understated contemporary romance, with some light sci-fi. K. Ancrum’s books are so special – from the way they are designed to the beautiful, soft prose. The Weight of the Stars tells such a beautiful story of two girls whose love will take them to the stars. The secondary characters really shine in this one, and I loved the elements of sci-fi and space travel.

The Grace Year – Kim Liggett

And back to the creepy, mysterious, dark Autumny books! The Grace Year publishes on 8 October and I was lucky enough to read an ARC of this title! In a similar vein to The Handmaid’s Tale, The Grace Year is a fiercely feminist story. When girls turn 16, they are sent outside to a camp, forced to survive a year in the haunting wild, to ‘burn off’ their magic, the magic that so tempts men. But in The Grace Year, things happen and the girls change as their magic burns off – and soon they turn against each other. This is a brilliant tale about fighting back – both quietly and loudly. It’s about the bonds between women, and how these bonds can change the world. It’s also set in another terrifying, mysterious forest where the evil Poachers lie, waiting to hunt the girls down – which makes it absolutely perfect for Autumn! Full review to come!

The Wicker King – K. Ancrum

Yes I have another K. Ancrum book on this list because they are AMAZING! Ancrum writes so atmospherically, with so much emotion, they just fit in Autumn! The Wicker King is about Jack and August, their friendship and what happens to them when Jack begins to hallucinate. Their relationship is so fiercely loyal – even when it hurts them both. It’s such an emotional book, with your heart being broken every page. And like The Weight of the Stars, the design is absolutely stunning!

Other Words for Smoke – Sarah Maria Griffin

And finally, another atomspheric, almost fairy-tale like story about a house in Ireland where something lives, and controls. The mysterious, mystical nature of the book is fantastic – the setting so picturesque and perfect for a creepy novel about owls who live in the walls and like to eat people. Not forgetting of course, the giant talking cat, a witch who can control the house, and a coming of age tale as brother and sister fall for the same person. So Autumny in it’s atmosphere and it’s spookiness!

That’s it for this week – I hope everyone enjoys these Autumny reads and I can’t wait to see what books make you think of Autumn!

Paws out,
Rach + Draco

Book review: The Infinite Noise by Lauren Shippen

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Title: The Infinite Noise by Lauren Shippen

Publisher: Tor Teen

Publication date: 24 September 2019

Genre: Light fantasy| Young adult

Page extent: 336 pages

Goodreads blurb: Lauren Shippen’s The Infinite Noise is a stunning, original debut novel based on her wildly popular and award-winning podcast The Bright Sessions.

Caleb Michaels is a sixteen-year-old champion running back. Other than that his life is pretty normal. But when Caleb starts experiencing mood swings that are out of the ordinary for even a teenager, his life moves beyond “typical.”

Caleb is an Atypical, an individual with enhanced abilities. Which sounds pretty cool except Caleb’s ability is extreme empathy—he feels the emotions of everyone around him. Being an empath in high school would be hard enough, but Caleb’s life becomes even more complicated when he keeps getting pulled into the emotional orbit of one of his classmates, Adam. Adam’s feelings are big and all-consuming, but they fit together with Caleb’s feelings in a way that he can’t quite understand.

Caleb’s therapist, Dr. Bright, encourages Caleb to explore this connection by befriending Adam. As he and Adam grow closer, Caleb learns more about his ability, himself, his therapist—who seems to know a lot more than she lets on—and just how dangerous being an Atypical can be.

“What if the X-Men, instead of becoming superheroes, decided to spend some time in therapy?” (Vox on The Bright Sessions)

***

These quiet fantasy books are absolutely killing it! I came to The Infinite Noise completely new, I’ve never listened to the podcast it’s based on, but I am 100% going to do so now! This was quiet and understated but engaging and had so many scarily real quotes about depression.

Either I feel everything too much or I feel nothing at all, and I honestly couldn’t tell you which is worse.

The Infinite Noise comes from the podcast The Bright Sessions, a podcast series featuring people with super powers in therapy. The episodes follow several characters across a number of therapy sessions, and in The Infinite Noise we meet Caleb, a young empath. Following Caleb as he learns to control his abilities, we meet Adam, the only person outside of Caleb’s family who seems to be able to calm Caleb’s emotions. Interspersed with therapy sessions with Dr Bright, psychologist to the superheros, we discover the world of hidden Atypicals, and the danger lurking beneath the surface.

The Infinite Noise is not about action or superheros. It’s about the characters beneath the powers and very much focuses on Caleb and his development. Full of Caleb’s emotional turmoil as an empath, the book excellently expresses his struggle and really gets across the mess of emotion Caleb feels pretty much all the time. We have both Caleb and Adam’s POV, and though Caleb’s is intense in its unpredictability and overwhelming feeling of different emotion, Adam’s was even more poweful. Shippen really managed to throw some uncannily familiar and distressing quotes about Adam’s depression which made such a huge impact.

Maybe if I stay in bed long enough, I’ll just cease to exist.

I so enjoyed the quiet nature of the book, and loved the character focus but in saying that, I did get caught up in the mysterious organisation watching Atypicals and wanted to find out more about the AM group who seem to be doing creepy and unethical experiments to Atypicals. Perhaps more will be revealed in the later novels in the universe!

All in all this was a really enjoyable read, and it has definitely sold me on the podcast! Very keen to hear more from Caleb and Adam.

Paws out,
Rach + Draco

Book review: When Michael Met Mina by Randa Abdel-Fattah

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Title: When Michael Met Mina by Randa Abdel-Fattah

Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia

Publication date: 28 July 2016

Genre: Contemporary | Young adult

Page extent: 354 pages

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Goodreads blurb: Before Mina, my life was like a completed jigsaw puzzle but Mina has pushed the puzzle onto the floor. I have to start all over again, figuring out where the pieces go.

When Michael meets Mina, they are at a rally for refugees – standing on opposite sides.

Mina fled Afghanistan with her mother via a refugee camp, a leaky boat and a detention centre.

Michael’s parents have founded a new political party called Aussie Values.

They want to stop the boats. 
Mina wants to stop the hate.

When Mina wins a scholarship to Michael’s private school, their lives crash together blindingly.

A novel for anyone who wants to fight for love, and against injustice.

Honestly I am so here for all these political activism books I’ve been reading this last month. What a book. This is an absolutely unforgiving, honest, incredible portrayal of refugee politics in Australia.

When Michael met Mina he was on the opposite side of a protest. Accompanying his parents, founders of new political party Aussie Values, Michael is protesting to protect white Australian values – he’s all about stopping those boats, refugees should wait in the queue and all the other racist Australian shit. 

Mina is on the other side. As a refugee from Afghanistan, Mina has lived through entering Australia via boat, and the subsequent detention centre. When Mina wins a scholarship to Michael’s prestigious school in the Sydney Northern Shores, their paths cross again. Here, Mina faces the aggression and hate that has become everyday and normal for people of colour. Idiot teachers and idiot students dislike that she’s different and strong and fierce and not afraid to show it. She isn’t afraid to hide her views, and will shut you down if she disagrees. She is SO AWESOME.

When Michael Met Mina is a tale about activism and growth. Michael is a product of his upbringing. A classic case of what happens when you just go along with your parents’ beliefs. He’s never questioned their beliefs, or his own, until he meets Mina. The feelings he develops for Mina lead him to question what he’s learned.

He’s a bit of a shithead. I won’t lie, I can’t say I ever really got on board the Michael train. His utter privilege and lack of consideration for Mina as he ‘grew’ as a person and learned how not to be a racist asshat just really made me unable to root for him and the relationship. And if he hadn’t thought Mina was hot and wanted to get to know her….would he ever really have changed, since that was the spark that led to his growth?

“You want me to make it easier for you to confront privilege because God knows even anti-racism has to be done in a way that makes the majority comfortable?”

At the end of the day: Mina deserves so much better. She is such a strong character, such an absolute fighter. She’s so fierce and brilliant and can stand up to people like Michael. I just don’t understand how she could fall for him. Even as he’s changing as a person, he does it in a way that makes it all about him. Not cool, Michael.

The book does however fight stereotypes in a brilliant way – whenever someone makes a comment typical to hear in Australia, it is questioned and fought against. Nothing is ignored, and the book delves deep into some very recognisably Australian values, making it an extremely real and relatable book. It pictures both small and large acts of racism, from the little constant comments and stares, to the physical violence. I also thought the way Michael’s parents were pictured was absolutely spot on – they are nice, kind people. They have a ton of friends. They are cool, calm, and collected. But they’re also racists – and I liked that they were portrayed as such. Not all racists are the stereotypical incel-Nazi. We interact with them everyday. It was excellent to see this portrayal, which is something I don’t think often pictured in books – we usually only get the obvious racist, not the more common calm and polite racist. And really, it could be argued that they are the ones with more power to harm, given how they do often appear so rational and collected, as Michael’s parents did in all their interviews in the book.

When Michael Met Mina is a great story about addressing stereotypes and fighting against racism. But the romance fell short for me as I really didn’t get behind Michael’s problematic behaviour and comments.

Paws out,
Rach + Draco