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The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo
Jordan Baker grows up in the most rarefied circles of 1920s American society—she has money, education, a killer golf handicap, and invitations to some of the most exclusive parties of the Jazz Age. She’s also queer and Asian, a Vietnamese adoptee treated as an exotic attraction by her peers, while the most important doors remain closed to her.
But the world is full of wonders: infernal pacts and dazzling illusions, lost ghosts and elemental mysteries. In all paper is fire, and Jordan can burn the cut paper heart out of a man. She just has to learn how.
Why you should read it: I honestly don't think any review I leave can properly convey how much I loved this book. I'm not even that big a fan of The Great Gatsby, but this retelling had me absolutely riveted. The world building and magic felt so subtle and integral to the story, and Jordan was flawed and lovely and painfully nuanced. All of the characters are reimagined in a way that feels true to the original story, but I never quite knew what to expect, and was blown away by the brilliantly executed ending. Seriously, this book is SO GOOD, and I recommend it fiercely.
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Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty
On a spaceship far from earth, someone is murdering the crew. And the crew’s newly awakened clones will have to find their killer-before they strike again.
Maria Arena awakens in a cloning vat streaked with drying blood. She has no memory of how she died. And no one is alive to tell her; her whole crew is dead. Maria’s vat is one of six, each one holding the clone of a crew member of the starship Dormire, each clone waiting for its previous incarnation to die so it can awaken. But this time no one knows who has killed them all.
Why you should read it: This was a lot of fun to read, largely thanks to its intersection of genres (but also because the writing was a gorgeous balance of descriptive efficiency). I kept being surprised at how much I liked the characters, despite the fact that describing their pasts as 'complicated' is sometimes a VERY GENEROUS way to put it. I got very attached to some of them by the end. Excellent sci-fi, excellent murder mystery. I have already made my mom buy a copy of this book, and you definitely should too.
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A Spindle Splintered by Alix Harrow
It's Zinnia Gray's twenty-first birthday, which is extra-special because it's the last birthday she'll ever have. When she was young, an industrial accident left Zinnia with a rare condition. Not much is known about her illness, just that no-one has lived past twenty-one.
Her best friend Charm is intent on making Zinnia's last birthday special with a full sleeping beauty experience, complete with a tower and a spinning wheel. But when Zinnia pricks her finger, something strange and unexpected happens, and she finds herself falling through worlds, with another sleeping beauty, just as desperate to escape her fate.
Why you should read it: I enjoyed the hell out of this cross-dimensional fairy tale novella. It felt self-indulgent in the best ways, and the characters really resonated. Honestly, just a lovely queer adventure romp.
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The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo
Jordan Baker grows up in the most rarefied circles of 1920s American society—she has money, education, a killer golf handicap, and invitations to some of the most exclusive parties of the Jazz Age. She’s also queer and Asian, a Vietnamese adoptee treated as an exotic attraction by her peers, while the most important doors remain closed to her.
But the world is full of wonders: infernal pacts and dazzling illusions, lost ghosts and elemental mysteries. In all paper is fire, and Jordan can burn the cut paper heart out of a man. She just has to learn how.
Why you should read it: I honestly don't think any review I leave can properly convey how much I loved this book. I'm not even that big a fan of The Great Gatsby, but this retelling had me absolutely riveted. The world building and magic felt so subtle and integral to the story, and Jordan was flawed and lovely and painfully nuanced. All of the characters are reimagined in a way that feels true to the original story, but I never quite knew what to expect, and was blown away by the brilliantly executed ending. Seriously, this book is SO GOOD, and I recommend it fiercely.
- — - — - — - — -
Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty
On a spaceship far from earth, someone is murdering the crew. And the crew’s newly awakened clones will have to find their killer-before they strike again.
Maria Arena awakens in a cloning vat streaked with drying blood. She has no memory of how she died. And no one is alive to tell her; her whole crew is dead. Maria’s vat is one of six, each one holding the clone of a crew member of the starship Dormire, each clone waiting for its previous incarnation to die so it can awaken. But this time no one knows who has killed them all.
Why you should read it: This was a lot of fun to read, largely thanks to its intersection of genres (but also because the writing was a gorgeous balance of descriptive efficiency). I kept being surprised at how much I liked the characters, despite the fact that describing their pasts as 'complicated' is sometimes a VERY GENEROUS way to put it. I got very attached to some of them by the end. Excellent sci-fi, excellent murder mystery. I have already made my mom buy a copy of this book, and you definitely should too.
- — - — - — - — -
A Spindle Splintered by Alix Harrow
It's Zinnia Gray's twenty-first birthday, which is extra-special because it's the last birthday she'll ever have. When she was young, an industrial accident left Zinnia with a rare condition. Not much is known about her illness, just that no-one has lived past twenty-one.
Her best friend Charm is intent on making Zinnia's last birthday special with a full sleeping beauty experience, complete with a tower and a spinning wheel. But when Zinnia pricks her finger, something strange and unexpected happens, and she finds herself falling through worlds, with another sleeping beauty, just as desperate to escape her fate.
Why you should read it: I enjoyed the hell out of this cross-dimensional fairy tale novella. It felt self-indulgent in the best ways, and the characters really resonated. Honestly, just a lovely queer adventure romp.
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