LGBTQIA+ – Made of Stardust and Stubbornness

“Contingency Plans for the Apocalypse And Other Possible Situations” Review

September 1, 2024September 1, 2024 Jen

Two people are standing on the surface of a planet holding hands while looking upward at a sky filled with greens and blues and purples of a nebula and another planet at the top right of the cover. The title of the book is in the center of the cover with the authors name below that. Written by S.B. Divya
Published by Hachette India January 1, 2019
264 Pages
Completed August 31, 2024

A sickly biologist shuts herself off from the world and its deadly pollutants to research her beloved microbiota in peace – until a chance encounter drives her to venture out into an unlivable Bangalore. In a dystopian Arizona, a couple performs forbidden life-saving abortions amid the threat of tanks and drones, the strict report of automatic weapons and the spying eyes of neighbors. A young woman competes in a grueling challenge, determined to win a place in a world where body modifications equal class and grant people the privilege of transcending gender.

In this collection of 14 layered stories featuring dying cities, undying humans, amorphous bodies, cyborg racers and magic beetles, internationally acclaimed writer and data scientist S.B. Divya treads the line between the present and the future, while exploring the eternal conundrums of identity and love in speculative worlds.

I’ve read (and reviewed) S.B. Diva’s two Alloy Era Novels “Meru” and “Loka” so I knew what to expect from her writing and the short stories were no surprise. I really enjoyed them all and how the author handles everything from disability to gender to various technologies and how it can be used for good or bad. I really enjoyed all of these stories though with any short story there are a couple I wish had been longer.

LOSS OF SIGNAL – This is an interesting story about a dying teenager whose consciousness was uploaded into a spaceship – the first test flight of such ships as an alternate way to explore space. It’s a lot of internal thoughts as the teen is flying the ship towards the moon and thinking about his previous years and the choices he’s making.

CONTINGENCY PLANS FOR THE APOCALYPSE – A dark story about surviving after being attacked for performing lifesaving abortions in Arizona. The surviving spouse (who always expected to be the one killed) has to get their children out of the state. One might wonder if the cost of staying was too great but the help they gave was also vital.

MICROBIOTA AND THE MASSES: A LOVE STORY – This one would not be my usual cup of tea since it’s a love story but it’s got an interesting premise. The main character, who is also a biologist, has been isolated in their home because of the pollution making them sick. So their house is completely contained with clean air and water. The way they end up making various choices was interesting and I liked the way they end up helping everyone while falling in love with a repair man who came to their home.

AN UNEXPECTED BOON – This was an interesting story of a young girl who has ODC or Autistic traits (though it’s never named as such) and her older brother. The brother is a bit of a jerk but it’s actually an understandable issue because he’s been left to take care of her temporarily by his parents and he insisted he could do it without considering what it would mean. I like the way it plays out though with the girl being stronger than he thinks despite everything that happens.

NAVA – I’m pretty sure this is a story set in the author’s Alloy Era series (probably an early version since this book was published before both “Meru” and “Loka”). Or it’s different take on that universe. It has an interesting concept with a living ship having been created and needing to learn how to function as its maker intended.

BINARIES – Interesting glimpses in time of a person’s long life. The method for which they live their long life isn’t explained but it seems like it has to do with being converted to digital signals. But in the end though it has to do with family and finding someone who was lost.

THE EGG – This one is really short on details and the ending is a little vague but it’s a look at choices people make and consequences. The vague unknown ending is actually the point given what happens. The looming unknown after a death changes everything.

DUSTY OLD THINGS – Cool story about someone talking to an alternate version of themselves through a light board. It’s not clear exactly how the technology worked as the version that discovered the technology is the one in the alternate universe. I liked the way it played out and that the differences in their lives was an important part of the story.

THE BOY WHO MADE FLOWERS – In a world where superpowers are real a boy develops the power to make flower. He of course hates it at first but soon learns what his power can mean for others. I really enjoyed how this one ended up.

SHIPS IN THE NIGHT – A very brief look at the life of someone who can see the future and what happens when they meet an immortal. Interesting story and I liked the way it plays out. Probably not what you’d expect but it makes sense when you think about it.

GAPS OF JOY, AND A KNOT FOR LOVE – This one is a little weird as I’m not sure what the ending is saying about the persons powers vs reality. He has the power to collect and share happiness but it’s not all that his family needs.

STRANGE ATTRACTORS – this one is an interesting look at a couple who marries and divorces and then meets again centuries later (no explanation other than technology being available). I actually liked the ending of this one because it felt very realistic for people who keep meeting up again despite everything.

SOFT WE WAKE – A person tries to adjust after waking up in the far future without the person who was supposed to be there with him. Everything is so different and he’s not comfortable with all the changes. I liked the way it played out and the friendship he ends up developing with another person who was revived at the same time. Her situation is different but with similar ideas of not being sure how to live again in such a changed world.

RUNTIME – I believe this one is the longest of the short stories in the book but it has a lot to say. I’m not entirely sure how the postnatal licensing works but naturally it’s yet another way to keep poor people poor since they can never afford to pay the fees and without it they can’t get jobs or better educations. Anyway the main character attempts a race to earn more money to get out of their situation. The way things go down was exciting and naturally it doesn’t go as planed. I did like how it worked out though.

See the StoryGraph page for “Contingency Plans for the Apocalypse And Other Possible Situations” for warnings and more reviews.

“Buffalo Is the New Buffalo” Review

August 31, 2024September 1, 2024 Jen

Written by Chelsea Vowel
Published by Arsenal Pulp Press, June 2022
341 pages
Completed August 31, 2024

Powerful stories of “Metis futurism” that envision a world without violence, capitalism, or colonization.

Inspired by classic and contemporary speculative fiction, Buffalo Is the New Buffalo explores science fiction tropes through a Metis lens: a Two-Spirit rougarou (shapeshifter) in the nineteenth century tries to solve a murder in her community and joins the nehiyaw-pwat (Iron Confederacy) in order to successfully stop Canadian colonial expansion into the West. A Metis man is gored by a radioactive bison, gaining super strength, but losing the ability to be remembered by anyone not related to him by blood. Nanites babble to babies in Cree, virtual reality teaches transformation, foxes take human form and wreak havoc on hearts, buffalo roam free, and beings grapple with the thorny problem of healing from colonialism.

“Education is the new buffalo” is a metaphor widely used among Indigenous peoples in Canada to signify the importance of education to their survival and ability to support themselves, as once Plains nations supported themselves as buffalo peoples. The assumption is that many of the pre-Contact ways of living are forever gone, so adaptation is necessary. But Chelsea Vowel asks, “Instead of accepting that the buffalo, and our ancestral ways, will never come back, what if we simply ensure that they do?”

Indigenous futurisms seek to discover the impact of colonization, remove its psychological baggage, and recover ancestral traditions. These eight short stories of “Metis futurism” explore Indigenous existence and resistance through the specific lens of being Metis. Expansive and eye-opening, Buffalo Is the New Buffalo rewrites our shared history in provocative and exciting ways.

I really enjoyed reading all of the stories in the book! The Locating Myself, Preface and Conclusion chapters are important to read as they give a lot of context for the kind of stories that are included. Something that is often ignored is that all of the stories about world ending invasions have already happened to many Indigenous populations. The stories in this book play on that concept in different ways. The introduction gives a short explanation for the stories included. Each story also includes an explanation of the story and several footnotes which are interesting to read as they give additional context for the story and the inspiration for them.

BUFFALO BIRD – I liked the way it played out though it was tricky keeping track of the story as it jumped between different times in the life of the shapeshifter character. Though I did think the different time and situations had a common thread that made it work.

MICHIF MAN – This one was interesting as it was split between a modern day academic presentation of whether or not Michif Man actually existed or was just a metaphor and then actual scenes from the character’s life. Interesting story!

DIRTY WINGS – This one is a dream / stream of consciousness story so it’s a bit tricky to get. It’s interesting though and I really enjoyed the explanation section for this one.

MAGGIE SUE – This one takes some work to get through because it’s a detailed story that the POV character is telling about an event that happened. The character isn’t the main character of the story but actually a side character who encounters the main character as they head off on a quest (basically). There’s a lot going on in the story with a few side stories as the character explains things and it does take work to follow along. Worth it though.

A LODGE WITHIN HER MIND – A pandemic story! Interesting take in the idea of being uploaded into a virtual reality and what it can mean for you afterwards. The ending of it is neat.

ÂNISKÔHÔCIKAN – This one has an interesting idea – using nanites to force all language heard by a person into Cree, from birth, in order to create more native speakers of the language. The story is short and it’s intended to raise more questions than answers as we only see the beginning years of the child’s life without a lot of detail. How will it work as the child grows up? There’s hints of the idea of how we claim that technology will save us but it never works without consequences.

I, BISON – This story takes the idea of digital uploads and expands on what it would mean in the context of spiritual connections to the body. It also explores the idea of disability or mental illness and what actually disabled us. I really liked the ideas presented and the explanation is after the story is interesting.

UNSETTLED – And this is the story that deals with the idea that Indigenous populations are already postapocalyptic. They’ve had their lands stollen and their people enslaved or killed. What would happen if they were given control back? What would it take for them to decide that it was worth whatever cost they had to make? It’s an interesting idea and makes an interesting point. The explanation afterwards is great too.

See the StoryGraph page for “Buffalo Is the New Buffalo” for warnings and more reviews.

“The Seep” Review

August 10, 2024September 1, 2024 Jen

The cover has a black background with for arms with their hands reaching across from left to right in various poses. Spaced over and in between the arms are flowers of various colors: red, yellow, black, white and blue. The title is at the top with the author's name at the bottom. Written by Chana Porter
Published by Soho Press, January 2020
216 pages
Completed August 9, 2024

Trina FastHorse Goldberg-Oneka is a fifty-year-old trans woman whose life is irreversibly altered in the wake of a gentle—but nonetheless world-changing—invasion by an alien entity called The Seep. Through The Seep, everything is connected. Capitalism falls, hierarchies and barriers are broken down; if something can be imagined, it is possible.

Trina and her wife, Deeba, live blissfully under The Seep’s utopian influence—until Deeba begins to imagine what it might be like to be reborn as a baby, which will give her the chance at an even better life. Using Seeptech to make this dream a reality, Deeba moves on to a new existence, leaving Trina devastated.

Heartbroken and deep into an alcoholic binge, Trina follows a lost boy she encounters, embarking on an unexpected quest. In her attempt to save him from The Seep, she will confront not only one of its most avid devotees, but the terrifying void that Deeba has left behind. A strange new elegy of love and loss, The Seep explores grief, alienation, and the ache of moving on.

This was an interesting read! It would appear that in the aftermath of the invasion Earth has become a utopia of sorts but there’s a lot of questions about how it all works and how good things actually are for everyone. While there were some hints, the story was focused almost entirely on Trina dealing with her grief over losing Deeba, so we don’t really get any definite answers to those questions beyond how she was impacted. The ending got very weird and I’m still not entirely sure what all happened (beyond what were apparently some Seep fueled hallucinations). Overall I enjoyed it even though I was left with more questions than answers.

See the StoryGraph page for “The Seep” for more reviews and warnings.

“Monstrilio” Review

August 9, 2024September 1, 2024 Jen

The background of the cover is textured gray/green and there are several shapes around the cover, triangles, squares and circles. At the bottom middle is the head and chest of creature with pointed ears larger than its head and red eyes. The title of the book is at the top with the author's name in the middle. Written by Gerardo Sámano Córdova
Published by Zando, March 2023
336 pages
Completed August 8, 2024

After her son dies, Magos carves out a small piece of his lung. Acting on fierce maternal instinct and the dubious logic of an old folktale, she nurtures the lung until it gains sentience, growing into the carnivorous little Monstrilio she keeps hidden within the walls of her decaying childhood home in Mexico City. But despite her best efforts to turn the monster into a man, Monstrilio’s innate impulses threaten to destroy this fragile second chance at life.

A meditation on grief, acceptance, and the monstrous sides of love and loyalty, Gerardo Sámano Córdova’s ambitious debut spans the globe from Brooklyn to Berlin, offering an uncanny and precise portrait of being human.

This was such a weird book (and a bit more sexually explicit, in a couple brief scenes, than I’d usually read), but also very good. The story is split into four sections with different narrators for each one – Magos, her best friend, her husband, and finally Monstrilio. Monstrilio’s section is probably the most complex as he is working out who he actually is and how he will continue to live. He ends up making a choice in the end that isn’t really a surprise considering all that has happened. Overall I felt like all four of the characters were unlikeable but sympathetic in their own ways, which made the book interesting to read. Monstrilio was obviously the most sympathetic because of how he was created and forced to be something he’s not by the choices others made.

See the StoryGraph Page for “Monstrilio” for more reviews and content warnings.

“Summer Bird Blue” Review

August 8, 2024August 9, 2024 Jen

The background of the book cover has the appearance of a painted blue and green wave of water curling up from the bottom towards the top of the cover with the. There are two drawn images of birds at the top of bottom of the cover with the bottom one sitting on a flower. The title is written in the center of the cover with the author's name at the bottom. Written by Akemi Dawn Bowman
Published by Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers, September 2018
384 pages
Completed August 5, 2024

Rumi Seto spends a lot of time worrying she doesn’t have the answers to everything. What to eat, where to go, whom to love. But there is one thing she is absolutely sure of—she wants to spend the rest of her life writing music with her younger sister, Lea.

Then Lea dies in a car accident, and her mother sends her away to live with her aunt in Hawaii while she deals with her own grief. Now thousands of miles from home, Rumi struggles to navigate the loss of her sister, being abandoned by her mother, and the absence of music in her life. With the help of the “boys next door” — a teenage surfer named Kai, who smiles too much and doesn’t take anything seriously, and an eighty-year-old named George Watanabe, who succumbed to his own grief years ago — Rumi attempts to find her way back to her music, to write the song she and Lea never had the chance to finish.

Aching, powerful, and unflinchingly honest, Summer Bird Blue explores big truths about insurmountable grief, unconditional love, and how to forgive even when it feels impossible.

I really enjoyed reading this book. Rumi has a lot to work through and her time in Hawaii helped put a lot of things into perspective. Her anger is a lot and she does come across as very mean but it’s also very understandable. I’m glad she developed such good friendships with Kai (along with his friend group) and Mr. Watanabe. While the situation with her mother seems horrible at first I ended up liking the way it was handled. It’s a lot more complicated than it first seems. Rumi isn’t always a reliable narrator in what’s happening due to her anger and grief, but there’s also things her mother needs to work as well. I thought the ending worked well for the story being told. There is a good outcome for the future as Rumi and her mother are dealing with their grief.

See the StoryGraph Page for “Summer Bird Blue” for more reviews and content warnings.

“Season One: Iris and the Crew Tear Through Space!” Review

August 4, 2024September 1, 2024 Jen

Written by Cait Gordon
Published by Renaissance Press, September 2023
302 pages
Completed August 4, 2024

In a galactic network known as the Keangal, where space is accessible.

Lieutenant Eileen Iris and the command crew of the S.S. SpoonZ haven’t a clue what it means to be disabled. An unexpected conversation with an intergalactic janitor brings up the question but offers no answers before he’s ‘ported away.

Unfazed, duties resume as Iris manages an overprotective guidebot; Security Chief Lartha and her sentient prostheses offer kick-ass protection; Mr. Herbert’s inventiveness is a godsend (although he’s not quite grasped how to flirt); Commander Davan’s affable personality comes through whether trumpeted, texted, or signed; and Captain Warq’s gracious but firm leadership keeps everyone at their best.

Until on one mission, where the crew tears through space.

Just a little bit.

I really enjoyed the characters, (which included both disability and LGBQIA+ representation), and the various adventures they all had. I thought showing how well they all worked together worked for the book and it’s a great concept. Here’s the thing – I would have enjoyed this more if the first chapter hadn’t contained the scene mentioned in the description where the intergalactic janitor calls the crew disabled and the crew has no idea what it means.

I understand the intent behind the book with all access needs being taken care of and everything is just fine – similar to the Star Trek: The Next Generation universe where everything is taken care of (with some exceptions once you look beyond the Enterprise). But I also felt like the author wanted to have it both ways. Never mentioning disability, just accessibility needs but there are still moments in the book where needs aren’t always met completely or in a way that works for everyone. Also there was a sub-plot about one character who was not sensitive to diverse body-minds and had to be made to be more aware of his behavior.

Now it could also be said that the reason “disability” is never mentioned is that several, if not all, of the crew members are actually aliens who have different access needs that present as real world disabilities (autistic, d/Deaf, vision issues, non-speaking with mouth words, etc). Which would be the actual reason why disability is never brought up because they’re not disabled in a way that we’d call it. But other terminology related to disability is used the same way we would use it, accessibility, wheelchairs, guide bots (as apposed to guide dogs) and so on. While you may be able to talk about various access needs without using the word disabled it makes it awkward to read about as a disabled person.

Also everything is ideal for the crew but no mention is made of anyone with higher support needs or intellectual disabilities. How are they taken care of in this universe? Are they helped or is all of this access for only the elite? It’s implied at one point that healthcare is paid (for some at least) but there are gaps in the world building that lead to more questions.

I honestly fee torn about this review, because I think without the “but you’re disabled” scene at the beginning I would have been focusing on the characters and the plot which are very good. In many ways the book does what the author appears to want to do with regard to showcasing how things could be. Unfortunately, for me the scene in the beginning brought up all the various questions about how the universe works. How did they get where they are without needing to use the word disabled? I also do wonder if I’m being hyper critical because I’m disabled too and have certain ideas about what we need to be saying about disability seem to be different from the author’s ideas.

“The Spirit Bares Its Teeth” Review

July 21, 2024August 4, 2024 Jen

Written by Andrew Joseph White
Published by Peachtree Publishing Company, September 2023
381 pages
Completed July 21, 2024

London, 1883. The Veil between the living and dead has thinned. Violet-eyed mediums commune with spirits under the watchful eye of the Royal Speaker Society, and sixteen-year-old Silas Bell would rather rip out his violet eyes than become an obedient Speaker wife. According to Mother, he’ll be married by the end of the year. It doesn’t matter that he’s needed a decade of tutors to hide his autism; that he practices surgery on slaughtered pigs; that he is a boy, not the girl the world insists on seeing.

After a failed attempt to escape an arranged marriage, Silas is diagnosed with Veil sickness—a mysterious disease sending violet-eyed women into madness—and shipped away to Braxton’s Sanitorium and Finishing School. The facility is cold, the instructors merciless, and the students either bloom into eligible wives or disappear. So when the ghosts of missing students start begging Silas for help, he decides to reach into Braxton’s innards and expose its rotten guts to the world—as long as the school doesn’t break him first.

This was such a good book with a lot of great characters besides Silas. While it doesn’t have quite as much gore as the other’s other book, there is some, all with a medical focus this time. I really enjoyed how Silas struggles to work everything out while dealing with everything else going on for him. The plot is very dark and disturbing but I really like how everything plays out. Certain things were not a surprise while others completely were and I really enjoyed it all. And I was really glad a particular plot point was resolved the way it did. The ending is a bit open ended but I think it makes sense given the storyline.

Be sure to take note of the authors warnings at the beginning of the book. Also be sure to read the authors end notes because while this story is fantasy the ugly truth is people always been sent a way because they were deemed unfit by society and many have been experimented on throughout history.

See the StoryGraph page for “The Spirit Bares Its Teeth” for more reviews and content warnings.

“Gideon the Ninth” Review

June 28, 2024June 28, 2024 Jen

Gideon the Ninth book cover showing a person standing holding a sword in one hand wearing all black with red hair and face painted as a skull. They are surrounded by parts of many different skeletons on a black background. The Title of the book is at the bottom with the author's name on top. Written by Tamsyn Muir
Published by Tor.com, September 2019
464 pages
Completed June 27, 2024

Brought up by unfriendly, ossifying nuns, ancient retainers, and countless skeletons, Gideon is ready to abandon a life of servitude and an afterlife as a reanimated corpse. She packs up her sword, her shoes, and her dirty magazines, and prepares to launch her daring escape. But her childhood nemesis won’t set her free without a service.

Harrowhark Nonagesimus, Reverend Daughter of the Ninth House and bone witch extraordinaire, has been summoned into action. The Emperor has invited the heirs to each of his loyal Houses to a deadly trial of wits and skill. If Harrowhark succeeds she will be become an immortal, all-powerful servant of the Resurrection, but no necromancer can ascend without their cavalier. Without Gideon’s sword, Harrow will fail, and the Ninth House will die.

I read this for one of my Discord book clubs and it’s ultimately not my cup of tea. I tried to give it a fair chance but the personalities of the main characters and the writing style made it harder to get through than I like. I also ended up needing the Wikipedia for the book series to keep track of all of the characters. All of the characters were referred to by first name, last name, nickname, or sometimes only a description, depending on who was talking and some had similar names, which made it hard to keep track. That said there were some interesting parts, the world building seemed interesting if not fully described, and I did like how the relationship between Gideon and Harrowhark developed despite my frustration with them in the beginning. I don’t believe I’ll continue the series at this time, but you never know.

“Loka” Review

June 4, 2024August 10, 2024 Jen

The cover shows a person and a small machine that looks somewhat like a dog in a valley between cliff sides with large patches of green up the sides. The two figures are in the distance standing on a rock looking upwards at the blue sky visible outside of the valley. The book title is written from top to bottom one letter at a time and the author's name is at the very top. Full Title: “Loka: The Alloy Era No. 2”
Written by S. B. Divya
Published by 47North, August 2024
367 pages
Completed June 4, 2024

Akshaya is the hybrid daughter of a human mother and an alloy, a genetically engineered posthuman―and she’s the future of life on the planet Meru. But not if the determined Akshaya can help it. Before choosing where her future lies, she wants to circumnavigate the most historic orb in the universe―the birthplace of humanity: Earth.

Akshaya’s parents reluctantly agree to her anthropological challenge―one with no assistance from alloy devices, transport, or wary alloys themselves who manage humanity and the regions of Earth called Loka. It’s just Akshaya; her equally bold best friend, Somya; and a carefully planned itinerary threading continent by continent across a wondrous terrain of things she’s never seen: blue skies, sunrises, snowcapped mountains, and roiling oceans.

As the adventure unfolds, the travelers discover love and new friendships, but they also learn the risks of a planet that’s not entirely welcoming. On this trek―rapturous, dangerous, and life-changing―Akshaya will discover what human existence really means.

This was a great book. It was a very quick read and I enjoyed reading Akshaya and Somya’s adventure around the world. Akshaya is a very typical teenager who wants to be able to make her own choices about everything and not feel forced to conform to what her mother wants for her. Both she and her mother have a lot to learn and do so throughout the course of the book. I really enjoyed the additional aspects of how disability was used. Like her mother Akshaya has sickle cell anemia and must figure out how to work with it on Earth where it’s more disabling than it would be on Meru due to different conditions. The entire story is about self discovery and figuring out where you belong in the universe.

While this book is a sequel to the previous book “Meru” – Akshaya’s parents are two of the main characters from that book – “Loka” works well enough as a standalone novel. I think anyone could read it without having read the first book. Though some plot points might be helpful to know for additional context.

Thank you to NetGalley, 47North and S.B. Divya for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“Tell Me How It Ends” Review

April 8, 2024April 21, 2024 Jen

The book cover is a drawing of a person sitting behind a table with a set of 5 tarot cards that are face up on the table. Everything is various shades of purple. Written by Quinton Li
Published by Quinton Li Editorial, April 2023
326 pages
Completed April 7, 2024

Iris Galacia’s tarot cards do more than entertain gamblers. With the flip of her fingers she can predict the future and uncover a person’s secrets. But under the watchful eye of her mother, she is on thin ice for pursuing a passion in the family business, and then cracks start to form until she eventually she falls through. She is given an ultimatum — a test to prove her worth: earn a thousand coins or leave the business, and the family.

Enter Marin Boudreau, a charming young person who can scale buildings and break off door knobs, who comes for her help to rescue a witch who’s been falsely imprisoned in Excava Kingdom. And Marin is willing to pay a high sum for her talents. But saving a prisoner from royal hands isn’t easy, nor is leaving home for the first time in eighteen years.

Now Iris must learn to trust in herself, Marin, and this new magical world, while racing the clock before the royals decide the fate of the witch, and before any secrets catch up to her.

I’m honestly not sure how I feel about this book because a lot of my issues with it can be explained by it being both a “cozy fantasy” and young adult. I did enjoy some things about it – the characters were interesting and all that. However, conflicts that should have been more serious are resolved almost instantly and with more compassion (from villains) than seems reasonable for anyone. Even the ending of the story with Iris making a choice about what to do next was too easy. Without spoiling too much, Marin never really proves themselves to be trust worthy and Iris feels too sheltered and naive to really be reliable in picking what she should do next. There’s a lot of reasons why she should escape her current life but it doesn’t feel like the found family she found is all that safe either. That said – how I feel about the ending of the book might be more about my personality (and age), along with the genres, than the story itself. One thing I did like was the way the Tarot cards were used in the story – there were a lot of good details about how they worked and how they helped Iris figure out what to do next. Not a series I’ll continue, but honestly if you like cozy fantasy with found family where things are resolved easily it might be more your cup of tea than mine.