The Final Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawnie Walton
Length: 368 Pages
Genres: Historical Fiction
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

A special thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing me with a copy of this book!

"Yet instantly I knew that this timing was smart. A tour had the potential to excite not only the Mercurials, as Opal & Nev's old cult of fans call themselves, but a new generation--crowds ready to scream along, with these crazy progenitors of dissidence and dissonance, that Black lives matter, that love is love, that the future is female. Ready to embrace Opal Jewel not as ahead of her time, but as now now now."

Triggers Warnings in this book for Racism, Violence, and Language (Homophobic and Racist Slurs)

Let me introduce y'all to my new favorite book: The Final Revival of Opal & Nev, a book that is so well written, so captivating, so meticulously researched that it can't be anything other than good, good, good. When I first saw it, I was drawn to the cover, the stark red, white, and black; the silhouette of girl's face, her expression strong and proud, stuck inside the image of an acoustic guitar. Another big draw was the style in which it was written. It was touted as the next Daisy Jones' and the Six, and while I have yet to read that book, I bristle at the idea of this book being called anything but wholly original.

Opal Jewel is entirely entrancing, fierce when she needs to be, soft when she wishes she wasn't. I rooted for her again and again, and felt heartbroken when it seemed everything in life was stacked against her. The glamour and the tears and waves of change of the 70's worked as a perfect backdrop for her. I could easily imagine her fitting in alongside Diana Ross or Grace Jones (especially when it comes to outfits!). The story is told via recorded interviews with Opal, Nev, and the many people involved in their whirlwind lives, and through editor's notes from S. Sunny Shelton, the woman who is writing the book about them. Her father was the band's drummer, Jimmy Curtis III, and a sort of infamy surrounds him, not only as Opal's lover, but as the victim of a riot started at one of their shows, which ultimately ends in his life being taken. 

Following her from discovery in Detroit, to partnering up with Nev Charles, who came to adulthood in Birmingham, England, to the fateful Rivington Showcase and her decline, Walton weaves an energetic story about misfits, the cyclical nature of prejudice, and in the end, about our friends and allies, and whether they are truly ever that.

Fifteen Books by BIPOC/AAPI Authors You Should Preorder (Like, Right Now!) 2021 - Part One

      

Every day I'm absolutely thrilled by all the new titles that are going to be released, and I felt the need to put them in all one place, so I can keep up with them! In this post I'm going to be focusing on releases by BIPOC and AAPI authors! I tried to cover a plethora of genres, so everyone can find something to like. Please let me know the ones you're most excited for, or ones I might have missed!

Beasts of a Little Land by Juhea Kim (Historical Fiction)

This novel sounds absolutely amazing and promises a story of love and war, set in 1917 during the Korean Independence Movement!

"In 1917, deep in the snowy mountains of occupied Korea, an impoverished local hunter on the brink of starvation saves a young Japanese officer from an attacking tiger. In an instant, their fates are connected—and from this encounter unfolds a saga that spans half a century.

In the aftermath, a young girl named Jade is sold by her family to Miss Silver’s courtesan school, an act of desperation that will cement her place in the lowest social status. When she befriends an orphan boy named JungHo, who scrapes together a living begging on the streets of Seoul, they form a deep friendship. As they come of age, JungHo is swept up in the revolutionary fight for independence, and Jade becomes a sought-after performer with a new romantic prospect of noble birth. Soon Jade must decide whether she will risk everything for the one who would do the same for her.

From the perfumed chambers of a courtesan school in Pyongyang to the glamorous cafes of a modernizing Seoul and the boreal forests of Manchuria, where battles rage, Juhea Kim’s unforgettable characters forge their own destinies as they wager their nation’s. Immersive and elegant, Beasts of a Little Land unveils a world where friends become enemies, enemies become saviors, heroes are persecuted, and beasts take many shapes."

Tidesong by Wendy Xu (Middle Grade, Graphic Novel)

I absolutely love the art style for this one! It's bright and comforting, and reminds me of a Studio Ghibli film.

"Features an ambitious 12-year-old who moves to a seaside town with her aunts for an apprenticeship in magic and realizes that it may be more than she bargained for."

Son of the Storm by Suyi Davies Okungbowa (Fantasy)

I'm so ready for this fresh take on fantasy, which has a society based on Pre-Colonial West Africa!

"A young scholar's ambition threatens to reshape an empire determined to retain its might in this epic tale of violent conquest, buried histories, and forbidden magic.

In the thriving city of Bassa, Danso is a clever but disillusioned scholar who longs for a life beyond the rigid family and political obligations expected of the city’s elite. A way out presents itself when Lilong, a skin-changing warrior, shows up wounded in his barn. She comes from the Nameless Islands–which, according to Bassa lore, don’t exist–and neither should the mythical magic of ibor she wields. Now swept into a conspiracy far beyond his understanding, Danso will have to set out on a journey that reveals histories violently suppressed and magic only found in lore."

The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri (Fantasy)

Coming out in June, there is still plenty of time to buy this Sapphic love-story set in an India inspired fantasy world.

"Author of Empire of Sand and Realm of Ash Tasha Suri's The Jasmine Throne, beginning a new trilogy set in a world inspired by the history and epics of India, in which a captive princess and a maidservant in possession of forbidden magic become unlikely allies on a dark journey to save their empire from the princess's traitor brother.

Imprisoned by her dictator brother, Malini spends her days in isolation in the Hirana: an ancient temple that was once the source of the powerful, magical deathless waters — but is now little more than a decaying ruin.

Priya is a maidservant, one among several who make the treacherous journey to the top of the Hirana every night to clean Malini’s chambers. She is happy to be an anonymous drudge, so long as it keeps anyone from guessing the dangerous secret she hides.

But when Malini accidentally bears witness to Priya’s true nature, their destinies become irrevocably tangled. One is a vengeful princess seeking to depose her brother from his throne. The other is a priestess seeking to find her family. Together, they will change the fate of an empire."

Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead (Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction)

The newest book by two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, Colson Whitehead, set in 1960s Harlem.

"'Ray Carney was only slightly bent when it came to being crooked...'

To his customers and neighbors on 125th street, Carney is an upstanding salesman of reasonably priced furniture, making a decent life for himself and his family. He and his wife Elizabeth are expecting their second child, and if her parents on Striver's Row don't approve of him or their cramped apartment across from the subway tracks, it's still home.

Few people know he descends from a line of uptown hoods and crooks, and that his façade of normalcy has more than a few cracks in it. Cracks that are getting bigger all the time.

Cash is tight, especially with all those installment-plan sofas, so if his cousin Freddie occasionally drops off the odd ring or necklace, Ray doesn't ask where it comes from. He knows a discreet jeweler downtown who doesn't ask questions, either.

Then Freddie falls in with a crew who plan to rob the Hotel Theresa -- the "Waldorf of Harlem" -- and volunteers Ray's services as the fence. The heist doesn't go as planned; they rarely do. Now Ray has a new clientele, one made up of shady cops, vicious local gangsters, two-bit pornographers, and other assorted Harlem lowlifes.

Thus begins the internal tussle between Ray the striver and Ray the crook. As Ray navigates this double life, he begins to see who actually pulls the strings in Harlem. Can Ray avoid getting killed, save his cousin, and grab his share of the big score, all while maintaining his reputation as the go-to source for all your quality home furniture needs?"

Harlem Shuffle's ingenious story plays out in a beautifully recreated New York City of the early 1960s. It's a family saga masquerading as a crime novel, a hilarious morality play, a social novel about race and power, and ultimately a love letter to Harlem.

But mostly, it's a joy to read, another dazzling novel from the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning Colson Whitehead.

Book Review: Hall of Smoke by H.M. Long

Hall of Smoke by H.M. Long
Length: 432 Pages
Genres: High Fantasy
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

"'Eang, Eang,' I murmured, willing my words to be heard across distance, time and division between worlds. 'The Brave, the Vengeful, the Swift and the Watchful...'"

Trigger Warnings in this book for Gore and Violence

I have only one question: WHY AREN'T MORE PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT HALL OF SMOKE!

H.M. Long's Hall of Smoke was on my list of Most Anticipated Books of 2021 and I can report with happiness that it greatly exceeded my expectations. It was tense, moving, exciting, evocative and most importantly, so much fun. 

Hessa is an Eangi, a group of specially chosen Priests and Priestesses of the Goddess of War, Eang. She burns with magical fire, a power that makes her stronger and faster, heals minor wounds, and on occasion, boils your enemy's eyes in their head. The titular Hall of Smoke, which is not only a temple to their Goddess but the place where they eat and sleep together, is all she's known since she was a child. When the book opens, she's been banished from her people and has taken the "Climb of Atonement" for failing to carry out an order given to her from Eang herself. She hopes that she will be forgiven, but if she's not, it could mean ostracization...or death. Her fears are put to the side when she hears the tell-tale sound of the war horn from her village, and her life is turned dramatically upside down. She is thrust into a war between her people, the Algatt, the eclipsing empire of Arpa, and the Divine.
Soon, she realizes that everyone has secrets, including the Gods, only theirs are much more dangerous.

I devoured this book. Hessa is one of my new favorite heroines and I adored her strength, her wits, and that fiery personality. The worldbuilding was absolutely incredible, and for someone who has been obsessed with mythology since I was very young, it was as addictive as candy. Even though Hall of Smoke clocks in at 432 pages, I wished it was even longer just so I could spend more time in the world of Eang and Hessa and Omaskat and Nisien.

Now I'm obsessed and the only thing I can think about is that a sequel is coming 2022!

Book Review: The Lost Village by Camilla Sten

The Lost Village by Camilla Sten
Length: 352 Pages
Genres: Horror and Mystery
Rating: 3.5 Stars out of 5

A special thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for providing me with an ARC of this book

"The church looms large over the small buildings on the eastern side of the village, its tall, proud spire topped by a slender cross that glistens, impossibly bright, in the light of the setting sun. The houses look almost as if they've sprouted from the church like little mushrooms, falling and moldering to form walls and silhouettes along the coppery-red river running down to the small woodland lake that village its name: silvertjärn, silver tarn."

Trigger Warnings in this book for a Suicide Attempt, Gore and Violence, Abuse of a Disabled Person, Discussions of Mental Illness, and Implied Rape

Alice Lindstedt has one goal in life - to make a successful documentary about the lost village of Silvertjärn, Sweden. Her grandmother grew up in the village, and her parents and younger sister were among the 900 people who vanished without a trace in 1959. All that was left behind was a newborn baby, and the body of Birgitta Lidman, stoned and strapped to a pole in the middle of Silvertjärn.

Alice brings Tone, a troubled friend who has her own links to Silvertjärn; Max, the backer of the project, and Emmy and Robert, who have filming experience. Emmy just so happens to also be a friend of Alice's from college that she hasn't spoken to in years and their troubled past crackles through the rest of the group like electricity. Soon, they start to experience strange things - a sighting of a figure out in the rain, strange laughter over the walkie-talkies, and a explosion that leaves them trapped and without resources as they come to the horrifying conclusion that they are most definitely not alone.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2021 and I have to admit I was a little let down. I absolutely loved the setting of the spooky and remote Swedish village, with all the identically colorful little houses, looming church and creepy mines. It even contained one of my favorite tropes - the evil and seductive priest. However, I feel that The Lost Village was really let down by its writing, which came across amateurish and telling, especially in the "Then" chapters, which followed Alice's great-grandmother, Elsa. It did improve over the course of the book and I wonder how much of the problem has to do with translation, as the author is Swedish herself.

 Another main issue I had was with the character of Birgitta. She is guessed at by Alice and the others as being Autistic, or having a "chromosomal problem", and is shunned by the majority of the villagers. Her storyline greatly disturbed me, and I could hardly read the chapter that details her death.

I think as a society, we need to move past using mental illnesses as a crutch in horror. It's not a "Gotcha!" moment, and for me, comes across as a cheap tactic to inspire shock. Alice, Tone, and Birgitta all have mental illnesses and the handling of them all seemed ham-fisted at best. While Alice and Emmy's relationship is one of the most interesting of the book, I couldn't quite bring myself to understand or forgive Emmy's actions, and I didn't especially like the way they were framed in the book, as if Alice was the one truly at fault.

Overall, I think of The Lost Village as a scary B movie - entertaining and light, nothing more, nothing less.

Book Review: A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson

A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson
Length: 248 Pages
Genres: Horror, Fantasy, Historical Fiction
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Spoilers Ahead!

"You did not let me keep my name, so I will strip you of yours. In this world, you are what I say you are, and I say you are a ghost, a long night's fever dream that I have finally woken up from. I say you are the smoke-wisp memory of a flame, thawing ice suffering under an early spring sun, a chalk ledger of debts being wiped clean. I say you do not have a name."

A special thanks to NetGalley and Nyx Publishing for providing me with a copy of this book!

Trigger Warnings in this book for Blood, Gore, and Mental and Physical Abuse

The very first time I saw Bram Stoker's Dracula (at much too young an age, might I add) I've been fascinated with his brides. Played in the film by the beautiful Monica Bellucci, Florina Kendrick and Michaela Bercu, they cut seductive, yet somber figures. Powerful, yet squashed beneath Dracula's thumb, reduced to living off the meager scraps he brings home (Live babies anyone?). 

In S.T. Gibson's A Dowry of Blood, we get answers to all the burning questions we've always had. What were their lives like before? Did they consent to become creatures of the night, or were they forced? And most importantly, what happens after his story ends?

Following his first bride Constanta, from her rebirth to his inevitable end, we learn just how sweet - and how cruel - he can be. He gives her the run of the house, excepting his laboratory where he researches their kind, but won't let her leave. Then he takes another bride, the willful and intelligent Magdalena. He lets her have just enough freedom to placate her - then snatches it all away. Constanta can't help herself and falls head over heels for Magdalena - her sister, her lover, her confidante. Eventually another bride is made, a beautiful and poor boy living through the October Revolution called Alexi, and he turns their world upside down. Constanta loves him, first as a son, later as much more. He challenges their master when the others are too scared, even brings human friends back to one of their many houses. As Dracula's anger and violence grows, Constanta decides something must be done. It's him, or them.

S.T. Gibson perfectly captured the eras, from old war-torn Romania to 1920s Paris, in her seductive and lyrical prose. I felt this was one of the most accurate depictions of Dracula outside of the original novel, and loved him and hated him as much as his brides did. Constanta was a breath of fresh air for female protagonists. Gibson let her be strong, but didn't demonize her for showing her naivete and weakness. She waited, even if it meant biting her tongue, for the perfect moment to save all their lives.

I couldn't recommend this more. It is one of the best vampire novels I've read in a very long time.

Book Review: Strange Practice by Vivian Shaw

Strange Practice by Vivian Shaw
Length: 320 Pages
Genres: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal
Rating: 5 out of  Stars

"It was the adder that stung King Arthur's knight at Camlann, starting the last battle. It rode in the hearts and minds of those who set fire to the Library of Alexandria. When the Mongols took Baghdad in 1258 and the waters of the Tigris ran black with ink from ruined books and red with blood from ruined men, ninety thousand dead, it feasted."

When it comes to all sorts of fantasy, whether it be Urban Fantasy, High Fantasy, (I would even maybe throw in Paranormal Romance), I know exactly what I like, and exactly what I don't like. Maybe it comes with the territory, as fantasy tends to be my favorite genre to both read and write, and I can be very, very picky with it. So when I picked up the first book in the Greta Helsing series, and it was everything I wanted and more, I was ecstatic! During these days of COVID-19, Politics that threaten people's very lives, and, for me, spells of depression and OCD, Strange Practice is like a warm, beautiful light at the end of the tunnel. It was funny, thrilling, and heartwarming.

Greta Helsing has inherited the, strange indeed, family practice of being Doctor to London's array of fantastical creatures, from Vampires (and Vampyres, don't forget the Y!) to Weres to Ghouls and Banshees, and calls many of them friends, like Lord Ruthven, of John William Polidori's "The Vampyre" fame, and Fastitocalon, who has been a friend of the family for so long she worries it would be rude to ask him just what exactly he is. When Sir Francis Varney, he of the Victorian penny dreadful "Varney the Vampyre", shows up at Lord Ruthven's with a strange wound, Greta is called around to Ruthven's lush Thames Embankment home to check it out. The wound is puzzling, and Varney isn't healing normally, and even stranger, he claims to have been attacked by men dressed as monks, chanting about devils and evil. When Greta makes the connection between the monks, who have strangely glowing blue eyes, and the deaths plastered all over the news at the hands of the "Rosary Ripper", who has struck fear into the hearts of Londoners, they soon find themselves up against something as powerful and old as the universe itself.

I just adored the worldbuiling in this novel, and thought it was all such a refreshing take. I also loved how Shaw bucked a lot of the tropes of these sort of characters, like with Lord Ruthven, who is charming, fun, and social, as opposed to the more typical depressed and solitary Varney. The relationships between the characters is truly the heart of the story, and if you love tales of found family, paranormal characters told with a great sense of humor, and a dash of horror, I would highly recommend (to be honest, I'm recommending it to about everyone) Strange Practice!

Book Review: Half-Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan

Half-Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan
Length: 343 Pages
Genres: Historical Fiction
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

"Folks think a lifetime is a thing stretched out over years. It ain't. It can happen quick as a match in a dark room."

Trigger Warnings in this book for Racism and Statutory Rape

Simply put, this book made me want to quit writing. I was sitting there, lapping up every description, every simile, every word that Esi Edugyan put on the page, just in total awe over how someone can create a group of people, a story, that is so real. Fortunately (or unfortunately), I will not quit writing, despite knowing that this, at least to me, is it!

I think one of the most interesting things in the world is how one moment, one choice, can change the rest of someone's life irrevocably, and Half-Blood Blues is a excellent exploration of that. This is a tale told by a wonderfully unreliable narrator, Sidney "Sid" Griffiths, who in 1939 to 1940, jumped around from Berlin to Paris as a member of the Jazz band the Hot-Time Swingers. Among the players is his oldest friend and troublemaker, Chip Jones, and Hieronymus "Hiero" Falk, the youngest member who also happens to be a "Mischling" or "Rhineland Bastard": a child of a German mother and a father who was an African soldier. Hiero is only twenty but is already a musical genius on the trumpet, and the boys are overjoyed when they hear that Louis Armstrong is interested in them (especially Hiero) via the beautiful singer, Delilah Brown. Sid's love for Delilah, and overwhelming jealousy towards her relationship with Hiero, is the first step to sewing deep seeds of betrayal among them, all coming to a shocking end. An end that will haunt them for the rest of their lives.

In 1992 Sid, in his eighties now, is living a boring life back in Baltimore. He gave up music, has been married thrice, and is loathe to dwell on the past. Unfortunately for him, the past comes roaring back to life when Chip shows up, claiming to have received a letter from the long assumed dead Hiero. Now he has to make amends with his past, whether he wants to or not.

Although I'm a huge fan of WWII stories, I have to agree with the majority of Historical Fiction readers when they say they're getting tired of them. It seems as if every story has been told again and again and again. But that's not the case with this book. Half-Blood Blues finally tells a story that seems to almost be forgotten, that of the "Rhineland Bastards", of the people of color swept up in the brutality of war who were just trying to flee the clutches of Jim Crow. It's utterly moving, refreshing, and, in my honest opinion, should have won the Booker Prize.

Book Review: L'Origine: The Secret Life of the World's Most Erotic Masterpiece by Lilianne Milgrom

Edited For Clarity

L'Origine: The Secret Life of the World's Most Erotic Masterpiece by Lilianne Milgrom
Length: 288 Pages
Genres: Historical Fiction
Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars

"There, at last, was an image that encapsulated the female paradox - Creator of Life and Seductress. Holy and Profane."

Trigger Warnings for Mild Antisemitism in the WWII passages

Firstly I would like to thank Emma at France Book Tours and the author, Lilianne Milgrom, for sending me a copy of this book to review in exchange for an honest review! Thank you both so much for the opportunity.

I've always loved art, ever since I was little when I still thought I myself might make it big as some sort of artist! But, much to my embarrassment, I had never heard of Gustave Courbet or his most controversial piece - L'Origine du monde or "The Origin of the World" - which is startling even to this day. I can only imagine the scandal it caused in 1866! It depicts the lower half of a naked woman, legs spread, her genitals the main focus of the piece.

Lilianne Milgrom set out to tell the story of L'Origine, and throughout this novel you come to understand that it is indeed the protagonist of the book. It reminded me a lot of a favorite movie of mine, "The Red Violin", which follows this amazing instrument from its inception all the through the centuries, focusing a little segment on each of the owners all the way up to modern times. Unfortunately, I felt that "L'Origine" suffers much from the same faults as the movie, where some characters were far more interesting than others. I wished we had more time with each of them, specifically the artist himself, or the actress Sylvia Bataille, who after the death of her psychoanalyst husband, Jacques Lacan, wishes to see the painting fall into female hands. I also feel like that method of storytelling works slightly better on film, as I struggled to keep up with and remember the names of so many characters whom we usually only get a couple of chapters with!

Milgrom's descriptions were wonderful, and I felt I could really see, smell, and hear what it could have been like in 19th century France or war-torn Hungary or post-war Paris.

My least favorite portion was the prologue, which is based on the author's (who is an artist herself) experiences travelling to France and being granted permission to reproduce L'Origine. I thought the style in which it was told (sort of immature, trying to be relatable and funny but not quite succeeding), didn't fit with the rest of the rather serious tone of the historical parts. Another issue I had was the portrayal of the Turkish characters. Khalil Bey, the Ottoman Diplomat who commissions L'Origine, using his lover Constance Quéniaux, a dancer at the Paris opera, as the model, is in his very first description noted for his "Oriental" eyes. Although that would have been the term used at the time, it still left me feeling uneasy, as did the rest of the scenes involving Turkish people. To some extent the Jewish characters suffer this same hint of "otherness" or "exoticism", but it shouldn't impede one's enjoyment in the slightest!

Overall, I think "L'Origine" is a very interesting book, and will best be appreciated by art and history lovers, or perhaps someone who wants a glimpse of a secret side of France.

Lilianne Milgrom

on Tour January 18-29 with      

L’Origine: The Secret Life Of The World’s Most Erotic Masterpiece

(historical fiction) Release date: July 28, 2020 at Little French Girl Press 255 pages

2020 Indie B.R.A.G. Medallion Award

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Buy It Here

Amazon | Bookshop

*** See the book on Goodreads

SYNOPSIS

‘L’Origine‘ traces the extraordinary, clandestine odyssey of an iconic 19th century painting that shook up the author’s world and continues to scandalize all who set eyes upon it. Gustave Courbet’s portrait of a woman’s exposed torso and sex – audaciously entitled ‘L’Origine du monde’ (The Origin of the World) – was so shocking it was kept hidden for a century and a half, surviving revolution, Nazi plunder and the foibles of its eccentric owners. Today it draws millions of visitors to Paris’ Orsay Museum. Lilianne Milgrom brings a fresh, feminine perspective to an iconic work of art created specifically for the male gaze. ‘L’Origine‘ offers readers more than a riveting romp through history–it also reflects society’s complex attitude towards female nudity.

NB: this is a historical novel, no explicit scenes

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Lilianne Milgrom
Paris-born Lilianne Milgrom is an award-winning international artist, writer on the arts and author. Her art can be found in both private and institutional collections around the world and her articles have been published in Huffington Post, Daily Art Magazine, Ceramics Now and Bonjour Paris. Her 5-star, bestselling novel ‘L’Origine‘ is the result of ten years of research and was accepted into the Historical Novel Society. Lilianne lives in Washington DC with her husband. Follow the author on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram Join her mailing list

***

You can enter the global giveaway here or on any other book blog participating in this tour. Visit/Follow the participating blogs on Facebook/Twitter, as listed in the entry form below, and win more entry points!

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY

Tweeting about the giveaway everyday of the Tour will give you 5 extra entries each time! [just follow the directions on the entry-form] Global giveaway open to all 5 winners will receive an ecopy of this book

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Book Review: Possession by A.S. Byatt

Possession by A.S. Byatt
Length: 555 Pages
Genres: Literary Fiction
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars

"I cannot let you burn me up, nor can I resist you. No mere human can stand in a fire and not be consumed."

Trigger Warnings in this book for Attempted Sexual Assault, Lesbophobia and Biphobia

(This review, like all of mine, contains spoilers!)

I honestly cannot tell you how long this book has been not only on my TBR, but in my own possession. What I can tell you was that I was afraid to start it. I worried I wouldn't be smart enough to understand, or enjoy it, when I had such high expectations. But I'm so proud that I finally tackled this monster (more in the style of the prose vs. the length!), and made it my second book, of 2021.

"Possession" is complicated. It is incredibly dense, sometimes meandering, certainly for a specific kind of person with specific kinds of interests. We follow a plethora of characters, with our main focus being Dr. Maud Bailey, a Feminist expert on Christabel LaMotte, and Roland Michell, a man adrift in the world of Academia, harboring an obsession with Randolph Henry Ash, another poet. And through letters we learn the story of the two mysterious poets, LaMotte and Ash, and of a secret and all-consuming affair between the two, which will change what was thought of them - forever.

I loved the medium this story was told in, with us following Maud and Roland in the present, and with letters, pages from books, poetry, diaries, etc., interspersed, giving us tantalizing glimpses of the past and the fascinating people at its center. A.S. Byatt's writing was incredible. I loved how descriptive she was, in a way that was somehow both floral and matter of fact, and the accuracy in which she wrote Victorian love-letters from two brilliant minds was such an enjoyment. There are so many threads and so many topics broached, from feminism (which gets a bad rap, but is probably just an unfortunate product of its time), to relationships between men and women, to Religion and bugs and sea-anemones, and more.

This book suffered from what I think most 400+ books do, a sagging in the middle, and I couldn't help but feel it could have been cut down about a hundred pages to make it more concise. I was expecting to give this book four stars, however several things knocked half a star off of it. Firstly, the character of Leonora Stern. I actually think Leonora could have been a really interesting character if it was not for the handling of her sexuality. She is a bisexual Professor from America, who has a close friendship with Dr. Bailey. While staying with her, she attempts to sexually assault Maud. It smacked of "bisexual/lesbian women are predators" and left a very bad taste in my mouth. Leonora is also described as having a "touch of Africa" about the lips, which was just another thing that left me cringing. Lastly, and continuing on with the previous theme, Christabel has a very close, some believe romantic, relationship with a woman she lived with. This woman does everything to keep her from being with Randolph, going so far as to rips up the letters he sends before she can read them, going to his wife with proof of their affair, and in the end, committing suicide. A.S. Byatt seemed to have a real bias against Sapphic women, portraying them predatory and unhinged and I really, really wasn't a fan.

If you can get past those aspects, there is really a gem of a story here, and an excellent choice for history and poetry lovers, for English majors, or for someone, who like me, wants a challenge.

Book Review: Fierce Dreamer by Linda Lafferty

Fierce Dreamer by Linda Lafferty
Length: 315 Pages
Genres: Historical Fiction
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

"'Artemisia. Boys will be jealous of you for the rest of your life. You have a gift they would kill for. Yes, you have the promise of physical beauty, but there are plenty of pretty girls in Rome. You possess something much more rare. You have God-given talent. You will be a great painter. And many will hate you for your art.'"

Trigger Warnings in this book for Rape, Sexual Assault, and Violence

My first book of 2021, and oh, how wonderful it was! I picked this up solely because I am participating in this year's Buzzword Readathon, hosted by Kayla at BooksandLala. This month's buzzword was dream, or dreamer or dreaming, anything along those lines. Honestly, I have to thank the Readathon for pushing it to the top of my TBR!

I have always had a fascination with Artemisia Gentileschi, a woman who became an accomplished painter, and so much more, in a time when women were nothing more than wives, mothers, servants, or even prostitutes. Born to the artist Orazio Gentileschi, a follower of Caravaggio's, and Prudenzia di Ottaviano Montoni, we follow Artemisia through her hard but sheltered childhood, constantly at her father's feet, until her early adulthood and through the trial that would shadow the rest of her life.

Artemisia is exceptionally gifted, headstrong and passionate, of her father's "Tuscan blood", as is remarked by others. She is Orazio's pride and joy, and as a child and remarkable protégé, she is allowed to come and go as she pleases, visiting various bottegas to learn from the masters themselves. She is even taken to the execution of Beatrice Cenci, a woman who killed her father who was raping her, something that sticks with her and even goes on to mimic her own life, only with a different outcome. But, as she matures, her father's love turns to control, especially as she comes into undeniable beauty. She is soon kept inside like a caged bird, only allowed to paint still lifes at her father's instruction. Artemisia longs to be free, to paint the dark and dramatic works she dreams of, like her idol Caravaggio.

I absolutely adored Artemisia, her strength, her conviction, her refusal to let those more powerful than her win. When the horrible day of her rape by her tutor, Agostino Tassi, comes, as anyone who knows her story will anticipate, her emotions were my own. Her outrage, her fear and broken heart. She understands immediately that she has lost, perhaps, her only ticket to freedom via her virginity and a chance for marriage. This quote, from one of her first conversations with Tassi, sums up her personality perfectly:

"The maestro studied the nude and then shifted his gaze to her. 'I think it will be a challenge and a pleasure to teach you, Sinorina,' he said. 'You have tremendous potential.'
She looked at him coldly. "I have tremendous skill, Maestro Tassi.'"

Every man in this story I hated at least once, from Agostino to the loathsome Cosimo Quorli to Artemisia's eldest brother, and even, and maybe in particular, her mercurial father who only suggests she bring her rapist to trial when he fears for his own reputation. The strongest characters in this book were of course the women, especially how they interacted with one another, including the fleeting and loving moments with Prudenzia before her untimely death, and Tuzia, the neighbor who would later become Orazio's lover, and eventually, be tried at court for involvement in the rape. 

Artemisia, who overcame so much, is brought wonderfully to life in "Fierce Dreamer". I'm excited to pick up another book by Lafferty, and if they are anything like this one, she will surely become a favorite of mine! I just adored this book, and I think you will, too.

The Best Books of 2020!

I think I've done more reading this year than I've ever done in my life, and with all of that come some truly excellent books. I humbly present to you my top five of 2020, in no particular order and please, let me know which books were your top five of the year!

1. The Wicked King by Holly Black

One of the few books that doesn't have a review on here, simply for the fact that I had read the first in the series, "The Cruel Prince", back before I started the blog and didn't want to review the last two and not the first! I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a series so much. For those who don't know me, I'm not big on series and have the bad habit of picking up the first and never finishing the others - but that all changed with the "Folk of the Air" series. In this one, our main character, Jude, has much more power than in the last book and wields it with Machiavellian ease. She is one of my favorite heroines in a long time, one that isn't afraid to get her hands dirty...sometimes, even, with blood. If you love fairies, amazing worldbuilding, and antiheroes (plus one amazing occasional antiheroine!) then you will adore this series.

2. The Animals at Lockwood Manor by Jane Healey

At the heart of this perfectly Gothic book is a beautiful love story between two damaged women, and for those who are wondering, it does indeed have a happy ending! This book reminded of the classics of the genre, and the house itself was almost as much of a character as the people within it! For the full review check out this post!

3. The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware

This was one that had been on my backburner for a long time and I really kicked myself for not having read it sooner! My sister, who is obsessed with mysteries and thrillers, told me I just had to read it and I'm so glad I listened. I think this is one of the best, most engrossing mysteries I've read in a long while, and if you're unsure about the genre, or are looking for a great place to start, I highly recommend it! See the full review here.

4. The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo

Fairly short at just 112 pages, "The Empress of Salt and Fortune" by Nghi Vo packs quite a punch. I loved seeing this side of fantasy, one that wasn't saturated with the regular medieval Europe and white-centric point of view, and I hope this becomes a trend we see even more of! For something wholly original, check this book out, and read the full review here.

5. The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline

Another short one that I read in a day, I simply couldn't put down "The Marrow Thieves". A refreshing take on the tried but true Dystopian story, this middle grade book can easily be enjoyed by adults and references the very dark past of the way Indians were treated, and still are, by Canada (and the US). Come and read the full review here!