laurareads87's reviews
572 reviews

To Root Somewhere Beautiful: An Anthology of Reclamation by Lauren T. Davila

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adventurous dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

I backed To Root Somewhere Beautiful on Kickstarter and received the e-book. The description reads (in part): “twenty-two diverse authors explore what nature's vengeance might be like, and how humanity could adapt and change, giving these stories of climate change and disasters a center of hope.” The stories stay close to the theme, each featuring end-of-world scenarios all related to humans having dramatically changed the earth. There is a fair amount of horror-leaning and dystopian writing though I didn’t find anything in the collection scary really – moreso thought provoking and, in some instances, quite disturbing. I did star rate each story individually just for my own reference while reviewing; almost all my ratings were 3.5 or above.

Like any anthology, any reader will enjoy some stories more than others. I do think that it was strong overall. My favourite stories included “The Last Singapore Girls” by Wen-yi Lee, “They Used to Build Parks Here” by SJ Whitby, “When the World Gives Out” by Rachal Marquez Jones, and “To Root from Flesh” by Isa Arsen.

Content warnings: body horror, violence, gun violence, murder, death of a child, racism, racial slurs, sexism, fire injury, abandonment, suicidal thoughts 


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How We Get Free: Black Feminism and the Combahee River Collective by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor

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hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.5

 It is hard to overstate the importance of the Combahee River Collective Statement and its impacts on political organizing and, in particular, the trajectories of intersectionality and Black feminism; I really enjoyed reading the Collective participants’ own words looking back on and contextualizing their work. Definitely recommend. 

Content warnings: discussions of sexism, sexual assault, racism, heterosexism, homophobia, police brutality, capitalist oppression 
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Magic of the Iron Pentacle: Reclaiming Sex, Pride, Self, Power & Passion by Gede Parma, Jane Meredith

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emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.5

The Magic of the Iron Pentacle is a book that, like Meredith & Parma’s previous co-authored work Elements of Magic, is inspired by a core class in Reclaiming tradition witchcraft. Unlike the prior book, this one is – at least as far as I can tell – authored entirely by Meredith & Parma. It reads as more cohesive and consistent as a result. As someone who hasn’t taken an Iron class, I found the material to be clear and thorough, definitely enough of an introduction for me to incorporate Iron into my practice. 

 The book is organized into eight parts: a brief introduction (including history, ‘how the book is set up’, etc.), a section for each of the five points of the Iron Pentacle, a section on ‘Iron Pentacle Tools’ (including both basics like grounding and centering that are relevant far beyond Iron as well as ways to run the Iron Pentacle), and finally the last part ‘Deeper Iron’ which gets into additional pentacles (rusted, gilded, and Pearl) as well as some ideas for experimenting with running iron in different ways, including in small groups. Overall, I think this structure works, though I do think that some readers will want to read the ‘Iron Pentacle Tools’ section first, particularly those less familiar with ritual structure and those who aren’t familiar with how Iron / pentacle work is run specifically. 

 Inevitably, there will be parts that work for some readers and not others. Each of the sections on a point of the pentacle includes several ritual ideas, and there are some that appeal to me that I can imagine trying and others I definitely wouldn’t, and I’m sure this will be true (with different rituals) for different readers. 

I appreciate that the authors have included a ‘further reading’ list, though I’d much prefer it didn’t include a so-called ‘feminist’ author known to be vehemently transphobic: this feels out of alignment with the rest of the book, which reads as quite inclusive. I also appreciate that they consistently identify where (ex. from Feri, from Reclaiming) different ideas and practices derive from. 
The Barrow Will Send What it May by Margaret Killjoy

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adventurous funny fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

3.5, rounding up. The Barrow Will Send What it May is the second in the Danielle Cain series and the sequel to The Lamb Will Slaughter the Lion. The series follows Danielle and her friends who, at the beginning of the text, hitchhike with a driver who tells them she used to be dead but came back; things only get stranger from there. I think I actually liked this one better than the first book – it had fun characters and a fast plot (perhaps a bit too fast moving at some points), but the politics and the punk felt less didactic and forced and more natural in this one. 

It somehow took me three years after reading the first book in this series to pick up this one. On that basis, I would say this almost reads as standalone. The plot of this novella is relatively self-contained; however, if one started here they’d miss out on character development so I’d suggest starting with the first book in the series before reading this one. 

Content warnings: violence, gun violence, death, murder, injury detail, car accident, brief mention of transphobia, brief mention of cancer 
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Worlds Without End: The Many Lives of the Multiverse by Mary-Jane Rubenstein

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informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

5.0

In Worlds Without End: The Many Lives of the Multiverse, Rubenstein traces theories of multiple worlds from ancient philosophy to modern physics. I found the text thought-provoking; as someone with a background in philosophy, I found it highly readable though admittedly, some parts were easier to follow for me than others (ie. I very much appreciated Nietszche's appearance toward the end but don't know that I can say I really grasp the cosmic microwave background). Perhaps most important, the book left me with more questions to ponder than I had when I started - for this, I'm appreciative.
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter is predominantly comprised of a 1912 journal written by a pastor that is, in the present day, discovered and provided to the pastor’s great great granddaughter. The events of the novel have their roots in an actual historical event – Marias Massacre – and interwoven with the pastor’s journal are his transcriptions of the oral accounts of Good Stab, a Blackfeet man who appears to have supernatural abilities. Stephen Graham Jones’ writing is incredible as always, the plot gripped me beginning to end, and I found myself simultaneously unable to put the book down and questioning whether reading it right before trying to go to sleep was a good idea. Three Persons / Pastor Beaucarne and Good Stab are both such fascinating POVs, and the alternation between them is really effective. Definitely recommend this novel with my only caveat being that the content warnings it warrants definitely mean it won’t be for every reader.

Content warnings: colonialism, racism, violence, gun violence, murder, torture, death, grief, animal cruelty, animal death, death of a child, death of a parent, rape, child abuse, gore, blood, body horror, injury detail, forcible confinement, genocide – the violence and gore in this book is graphic, on-page, and pervasive.
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Babel-17 by Samuel R. Delany

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adventurous challenging reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

Babel-17 has a lot I look for in a sci-fi novel – adventure, some great twists, and a Sapir-Whorf informed exploration of agency and the relationship between language and thought. The protagonist, Rydra Wong, is a well known poet and, here, ship’s captain investigating an unusual linguistic phenomenon, Babel-17, being used by Invaders in attacks on Alliance targets. There are strange weapons, spies, strange stretches of space, ‘pirates’ / salvagers, and a fantastic diverse crew. This is not my first Delany book and certainly won’t be my last. 

Content warnings: war, violence, gun violence, death, murder, medical content 
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Party of Fools by Cedar McCloud

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adventurous lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

Party of Fools is a food-infused fantasy novella with a lot to love – there is some solid world-building for such a short book, fun characters, a well-paced plot, and so many snacks. I wouldn’t say it quite landed for me as comedic, though it had its moments and there are some fantastic food-pun names. 

Recommend for those interested in a low stakes cozy adventure novella with well-executed diverse representation. I feel like this would appeal to fans of Travis Baldree; it reads a bit like a really fun D&D session where things go a bit sideways from the DM’s plan but where everyone has a great time. 
A Snake Lies Waiting by Anna Holmwood, Gigi Chang, Jin Yong

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5

I am enjoying this series but didn’t quite enjoy this instalment as much as the prior one. I did like how action packed this third book is, and all the discussion of the different kung fu styles. There were some absolutely fantastic scenes, and I liked the inclusion of a few illustrations in the version I read (they turned up well on e-reader too, which doesn’t always happen). Some of the challenge here I think is that a lot of the settings are very constrained – a boat, a deserted island, an inn – so the narrative feels cramped somehow and the pacing is seriously impacted by the fact that characters at times have nowhere to go. There are a lot of coincidences, people turning up just at the right time, overhearing things – a few too many I think – and as other reviewers have mentioned, it is somewhat frustrating to have the ‘good’ characters repeatedly demonstrating how virtuous they are by assisting the ‘bad’ ones, then inevitably suffering consequences as a result. I eagerly look forward to reading the fourth book & hope to watch an adaptation sometime soon as well. I would absolutely recommend this series to someone wanting to read wuxia, but will note that you really do need to start with the first book, not this one. 


Content warnings: violence, death, threat of sexual assault, suicidal thoughts, suicide, war, sexism, ableism, classism 
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The Edge of Worlds by Martha Wells

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adventurous emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

 In The Edge of Worlds, Moon and the Raksura of Indigo Cloud all experience a terrifying vision or shared dream; unsure of what it holds for the future of their court, they set off with a group of groundlings headed to an ancient city that may or may not be another Forerunner city (which anyone reading the series up to this point will know may hold terrible danger). There is some disagreement about who built the ancient city, and only getting inside will reveal the truth; at the same time, of course Fell are a concern, and they’re investigating the city too.

This series has so much that I love: an incredibly well developed totally non-humanoid species, gender and sexual diversity, complicated inter-species perceptions and dynamics, intrigue, adventure, and suspense. I have really been enjoying the Raksura series – it has become almost comfort reading for me, as I’ve fallen for the characters and just love spending time with them. I didn’t quite like this installment as much as the previous one – the pace did lag a bit at the beginning – but it kept me interested and the last 25% or so was absolutely riveting. I look forward to continuing the Raksura series. 

Content warnings: violence, blood, injury detail, gore (minor), kidnapping, death, grief 
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