“Being Ace” Review

“Being Ace: An Anthology of Queer, Trans, Femme, and Disabled Stories of Asexual Love and Connection” edited by Madeline Dyer

A disabled vigilante trying to save her kidnapped girlfriend, a little mermaid who loves her sisters more than suitors, a slayer whose virgin blood keeps attracting monsters and more, the works in Being Ace are anything but conventional.

Whether in psychiatric hospitals, space ships, haunted cemeteries, or under the sea, no two aces are the same in 15 unique works that highlight asexual romance, aromantic love, and the many sub-identities of the asexual spectrum umbrella.

From a mixture of established and emerging YA writers, contributors include Rosiee Thor, Akemi Dawn Bowman, Linsey Miller, and Moniza Hossain.

Book Review

This is a great collection of fantasy and science fiction stories with asexual characters! I had a lot of fun reading all of the stories in the collection. I really liked that there wasn’t just one type of asexual representation but multiple variations on the theme and how it drove the stories. There was also great disability representation involved with some stories as well. I’m definitely checking out all the authors to see what else they’ve written.

Warnings and additional reviews are available on the StoryGraph page for “Being Ace”.

Book Details

The cover is purple with a darker shade at the top and lighter at the bottom. There is a person wearing a white outfit and shoes within the title - there areas are wrapped around some of the letters oof the title and their feet go through the letters as well. They are holding the Asexuality flag (stripes of black, grey, white and purple).

Editor’s Website
Madeline Dyer

Publisher / Date
Page Street Publishing, October 2023
Genre
Fantasy, Science Fiction, Short Stories
Page Count
353
Completion Date
October 29, 2023

“Redemptor” Review

“Redemptor” (Raybearer No. 2) by Jordan Ifueko

For the first time, an Empress Redemptor sits on Aritsar’s throne. To appease the sinister spirits of the dead, Tarisai must now anoint a council of her own, coming into her full power as a Raybearer. She must then descend into the Underworld, a sacrifice to end all future atrocities.

Tarisai is determined to survive. Or at least, that’s what she tells her increasingly distant circle of friends. Months into her shaky reign as empress, child spirits haunt her, demanding that she pay for past sins of the empire.

With the lives of her loved ones on the line, assassination attempts from unknown quarters, and a handsome new stranger she can’t quite trust . . . Tarisai fears the pressure may consume her. But in this finale to the Raybearer duology, Tarisai must learn whether to die for justice . . . or to live for it.

Review

This was a great conclusion to the first story! I really enjoyed everything about Tarisai’s journey and her relationships with the various character. As with the previous book I do wish there had been more development of all of the council members. It would have made the book longer obviously, but we hardly got to know any of them besides a small core group. The way everything ends up being resolved is great.

Warnings and additional reviews are available on the StoryGraph page for “Redemptor”.

Book Details

A head shot of a young woman is shown in the center of the cover wearing a head band that is silver and her hair spread out behind her. Her head is turned slightly to the right so that more her cheek is showing with dots of white paint lining her cheeks and a thick necklace. The rest of the cover is purple with different shapes around it. The title and authors name are at the top and bottom of the cover.

Author’s Website
Jordan Ifueko
Publisher / Date
Harry N. Abrams, August 2021
Genre
Fantasy, Young Adult
Page Count
336
Completion Date
October 24, 2023

“Raybearer” Review

“Raybearer” (Raybearer No. 1) by Jordan Ifueko

Nothing is more important than loyalty. But what if you’ve sworn to protect the one you were born to destroy?

Tarisai has always longed for the warmth of a family. She was raised in isolation by a mysterious, often absent mother known only as The Lady. The Lady sends her to the capital of the global empire of Aritsar to compete with other children to be chosen as one of the Crown Prince’s Council of 11. If she’s picked, she’ll be joined with the other Council members through the Ray, a bond deeper than blood.

That closeness is irresistible to Tarisai, who has always wanted to belong somewhere. But The Lady has other ideas, including a magical wish that Tarisai is compelled to obey: Kill the Crown Prince once she gains his trust. Tarisai won’t stand by and become someone’s pawn—but is she strong enough to choose a different path for herself?

Review

This was really fun to read. I loved all the characters and their stories. Especially Tarisai figuring out how to overcome everything that she had been forced into. There’s a time jump in the story that I wish had been a little clearer as I almost missed that it happened. Also I wish we’d gotten to know more about the other council members instead of just the few we did but it would have made the story even longer. It’s still a great story though and I’m looking forward to reading the sequel which finishes the story.

Warnings and additional reviews are available on the StoryGraph page for “Raybearer”.

Book Details

A head shot of a young woman is shown in the center of the cover wearing a head covering that is gold and her hair spread out behind her. She dots of white paint lining her cheeks and forhead and a thick gold necklace. The rest of the cover shows various cylinders displayed in rays around the image. The title and authors name are at the top and bottom of the cover.

Author’s Website
Jordan Ifueko
Publisher / Date
Amulet Books, August 2020
Genre
Fantasy, Young Adult
Page Count
400
Completion Date
October 15, 2023

“Children of Virtue and Vengeance” Review

“Children of Virtue and Vengeance” (Legacy of Orïsha No. 2) by Tomi Adeyemi

After battling the impossible, Zélie and Amari have finally succeeded in bringing magic back to the land of Orïsha. But the ritual was more powerful than they could’ve imagined, reigniting the powers of not only the maji, but of nobles with magic ancestry, too.

Now, Zélie struggles to unite the maji in an Orïsha where the enemy is just as powerful as they are. But when the monarchy and military unite to keep control of Orïsha, Zélie must fight to secure Amari’s right to the throne and protect the new maji from the monarchy’s wrath.

With civil war looming on the horizon, Zélie finds herself at a breaking point: she must discover a way to bring the kingdom together or watch as Orïsha tears itself apart.

Review

I enjoyed this one for the most part – same great characters and everything. Still it does have the problem of being the middle story in a trilogy! Things aren’t resolved completely and the ending is a cliffhanger! A really abrupt one at that. I also had to remind myself that Zélie, Amari and other characters are in fact teenagers and are reacting accordingly. Even given their history they’re still reacting like teenagers to the situations. It’s still a good story and I’m looking forward to the final book when it comes out next June.

Warnings and additional reviews are available on the StoryGraph page for “Children of Virtue and Vengeance”.

Book Details

A young black woman is on the cover looking backwards slightly her white hair is spread out behind her across the cover. She is wearing a red and blue head covering with a blue jewel in the center. The title is shown at the bottom of the cover and the author's name at the top.

Author’s Website
Tomi Adeyemi
Publisher / Date
Henry Holt and Co. (BYR), 2019
Genre
Fantasy, Young Adult
Page Count
404
Completion Date
September 30, 2023

“Children of Blood and Bone” Review

“Children of Blood and Bone” (Legacy of Orïsha No. 1) by Tomi Adeyemi

They killed my mother.
They took our magic.
They tried to bury us.
Now we rise.

Zélie remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. When different clans ruled – Burners igniting flames, Tiders beckoning waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoning forth souls.

But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, anyone with powers was targeted and killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope. Only a few people remain with the power to use magic, and they must remain hidden.

Zélie is one such person. Now she has a chance to bring back magic to her people and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must learn to harness her powers and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.

Danger lurks in Orïsha, where strange creatures prowl, and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to come to terms with the strength of her magic – and her growing feelings for an enemy.

Review

This was fun read. I loved the characters and the world building. Everything was great about this book! I really enjoyed reading it as everything unfolded. The point of view characters had their own stories to tell and a lot to figure out about what they wanted and how they were going to get it. I liked that it wasn’t as easy to bring magic back as Zélie wanted and that there were larger concerns beyond just bringing magic back. This is the first book in a trilogy and I’ve already finished the second book. The third will be released next summer and I’m looking forward to seeing how this all goes.

Warnings and additional reviews are available on the StoryGraph page for “Children of Blood and Bone”.

Book Details

The face of a young black woman is visible at the bottom of the cover from the nose up she's wearing a read head covering and her white hair is flowing up towards the top of the book cover. The title and authors name are shown in the middle of the cover in red and black

Author’s Website
Tomi Adeyemi
Publisher / Date
Macmillan Children’s Books, March 2018
Genre
Fantasy, Young Adult
Page Count
352
Completion Date
September 25, 2023

“The Haunting of Tram Car 015” Review

“The Haunting of Tram Car 015” (a Dead Djinn Universe story) by P. Djèlí Clark

Cairo, 1912: The case started as a simple one for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities — handling a possessed tram car.

Soon, however, Agent Hamed Nasr and his new partner Agent Onsi Youssef are exposed to a new side of Cairo stirring with suffragettes, secret societies, and sentient automatons in a race against time to protect the city from an encroaching danger that crosses the line between the magical and the mundane.

Review

This story takes place prior to “A Master of Djinn” which I read first. Anyway I really enjoyed this one – it’s a short story but one that felt complete as the agents were dealing with a someone easier case than the larger story. I like the way it worked out and the addition of the suffragettes sub-plot ended up feeling like it fit in. I liked seeing a couple of the side characters from the later story in here as main characters. Overall it’s a fun read.

Warnings and additional reviews are available on the StoryGraph page for “The Haunting of Tram Car 015”.

Book Details

View of a city square with multiple buildings and people in view and a green tram car moving overhead

Author’s Website
P. Djèlí Clark
Publisher / Date
Tor Books, February 2019
Genre
Alternate History, Fantasy
Page Count
96
Completion Date
September 7, 2023