Hanging with Vampires by Insha Fitzpatrick

Pub Date: March 28, 2023Publisher: Quirk BooksAuthor: WebsiteInfo: Goodreads

Are vampires real? Who was Vlad the Impaler? Do vampire bats ever feed on humans? Find out in Hanging with Vampires, a field guide for the curious and the adventurous. Crack open the lid on this guide and you’ll get:Bloodcurdling vampire mythology! What exactly is a vampire, anyway?Spine-chilling history and science! Uncover how the vampire legend got its start in the medieval ages.A who’s who of vampires! Get to know classic, iconic, and terrifying vampires in pop culture, from Dracula to Adventure Time.Hanging with Vampires is the first book in the Totally Factual Field Guide to the Supernatural series, a hilarious and haunting exploration of how myths and legends shape our lives. Sink your fangs into vampire lore and literature with enchanting illustrations and fun activities, like making garlic bread. It’s a spooky world out there–grab your guide, and let’s go! (goodreads.com)

Oh, my heart! This book is divine. I can't say enough good things about it.The art is superb. A hint spooky, a hint goofy, and completely darling. It balanced the topic at hand nicely.And the content is completely on the nose. A super high level look at the concept of vampires throughout history, with some scientific explanations thrown in, is a great introduction to the supernatural for anyone who's interested.My favorite part was when it got to vampires in film, and it got into Twilight. I was choking down the full page write up on what the movie was about, until I turned that page and read the full page caveat about how it's a problematic movie and why critics of it will say it is. I LOVED IT. And then the whole following section about the growing diversity around vampires and how not diverse the myth was until very recently. It's pretty much impossible not to talk about vampires in cinema without talking about Twilight, and I think Fitzpatrick addressed all that wonderfully.HANGING WITH VAMPIRES approaches topics like intersectionality, the value of representation in literature and film, and the deeper dives behind the cultural meaning of the vampire throughout history in a way that's understandable and relatable and puts things into context. It provides just enough nuance that, if a reader wanted to look deeper into a particular topic, the author has given that reader just enough of a hint as to where to go from there. Loved it.Unfortunately, that means it will likely get banned because Fitzpatrick deigned to bring a "woke" attitude to a classic creature. We don't want to indoctrinate our children, you hear? 🙄 <-- That's an eye-roll emoji in case you can't see it.This book is a great starting place for those new to the lore, young or old. The tone of the book is fun and upbeat, but it doesn't shy away from more difficult topics and some of the deeply rooted issues surrounding vampire lore. If you know of anyone who's toeing the line of the supernatural, HANGING WITH VAMPIRES is for them, regardless of age. Plus Fitzpatrick talks about two of my favorite movies: The Lost Boys and Vampires vs the Bronx. So of course it's fantastic. 😁5I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The Smutesaurus: The Ultimate Guide to Superior & Preposterous Language for Romance Writers by Samantha Swart

Published: February 15, 2023Publisher: SelfAuthor: WebsiteInfo: GoodreadsThe title pretty much says it all. Borne into this world by a romance editor on TikTok as a lark, Swark created a guffaw-inducing compendium of terminology NOT to use when writing a romance novel. I mean, I guess you COULD use it, but it's ill advised. I found myself cackling profusely, especially during the chapters highlighting the names of male and female bits. MY how creative society can get!There are also, dare I say, inspirational terms in here too, especially as they pertain to certain kinks. Those were a little harder to read as I fumbled my way through pronouncing a lot of them. But I did! Success!THE SMUTESAURUS is a must have for any romance writer, because if you find yourself using one of these more gregarious terms in your writing, it must be stricken forthwith! Unless you're writing a satire. In which case, carry on!5

Threadbare by Elle E. Ire

Published: August 20, 2019Publisher: DSP Publications, LLC.Author: WebsiteInfo: Goodreads

All cybernetic soldier Vick Corren wanted was to be human again. Now all she wants is Kelly. But machines can’t love. Can they?With the computerized implants that replaced most of her brain, Vick views herself as more machine than human. She’s lost her memory, but worse, can no longer control her emotions, though with the help of empath Kelly LaSalle, she’s holding the threads of her fraying sanity together.Vick is smarter, faster, impervious to pain… the best mercenary in the Fighting Storm, until odd flashbacks show Vick a life she can't remember and a romantic relationship with Kelly that Vick never knew existed. But investigating that must wait until Vick and her team rescue the Storm’s kidnapped leader.Someone from within the organization is working against them, threatening Kelly’s freedom. To save her, Vick will have to sacrifice what she values most: the last of her humanity. Before the mission is over, either Vick or Kelly will forfeit the life she once knew. (goodreads.com)

Hooked from the beginning.THREADBARE is another book I found on YONDER, the next generation reading app from the WEBTOON and Wattpad family of apps, that I'm really glad is available outside of it because I need more of this kind of scifi in my life. I would also call it a slight dystopia, just from how the government's kind of run, but scifi first and foremost.I think the biggest draw here is Vick and her inner struggle. Like literally. She's more machine than human, yet she retains enough of her humanity to really struggle with that new reality of herself. Never mind that she's not supposed to be that level of aware. She's sort of a prototype, which makes the ethics of it all the more interesting. It's definitely a book about man and machines and are machines that look human ever actually machines. I love playing around with that kind of thing and sitting with that information. Where does human end and machine begin, if at all?The dynamic between Vick and Kelly is wonderful, and the struggle the two of them have as they manage this very odd relationship they must navigate is something else to watch. Gripping and fascinating. I couldn't look away. Plus there's actually a fair amount of action in this book. It's not just focusing on two characters, but how these two characters function in this world and in this ever-increasingly dangerous scenarios that they're put in. I was never for a second bored, that's for sure.I love the world that Ire created and how familiar it still is while at the same time not being set on Earth for a good chunk of it. It's a very relatable scifi story for me and it makes the genre more accessible. It's low on jargon and high on incredible character development and plot, which is what I need. There's enough of the world to root me in the story and give me context, but it's not going on for pages with details on machine development or what the moon station looks like or anything.This is book one and I'm itching to get my hands on the others. I want to see where these women take their intense and complicated relationship and especially how Vick navigates the world with VC1, her machine self, kind of riding shotgun the entire time. Forever fascinated. Truly.5

Poster Boy by NJ Crosskey

Published: April 1, 2019Publisher: Legend PressAuthor: WebsiteInfo: Goodreads

Broadcast live, Rosa Lincoln takes to the stage at her brother’s memorial service with a bomb concealed beneath her clothes. Being in Jimmy’s shadow was never easy, even when he was alive, but in death he has become a national hero. When she crosses paths with the enigmatic Teresa, she discovers that those she has been taught to view as enemies may not be the real villains after all. The lies need to be stopped, and Rosa intends on doing just that. (goodreads.com)

I found this book on YONDER, the next generation reading app from the WEBTOON and Wattpad family of apps, and I'm so glad it's available to purchase outside of the app. POSTER BOY is a fantastic, gripping book with somewhat unlikeable characters, yet you can't pull your eyes away from them. There is a disturbing similarity between the society unfolding in the book and the one we're currently living it that I think makes the book all the more chilling and relatable. I think dystopias that play so close to the line like this make some of the best books for that very reason, because it makes us see what a couple more steps in the current direction can get us.It's a dual POV story with Rosa and Teresa narrating their own versions of the stories. Rosa is a very lost teenager who has always come in second to her brother, who died and whose death was warped for the needs of the state. Rosa finds herself basically out on her ass with no parental support. No surprise she spirals, but ultimately finds meaning before everything goes completely belly up. Teresa is telling her story on the same timeline, acting as a double agent working for the insurgents trying to overthrow the fascist government while working for said government. Hers is a personality that's a bit grating, and I think if the entire book were in her POV it would be hard to read because she is so single-minded and comes off rather robotic as a result. She's not necessarily unlikeable, and it's interesting watching how far she's willing to push the "by any means necessary" mantra for her cause, but she's not the most likeable character either.The book opens at the end, then reverts back to the beginning with how Rosa ends up on stage with the prime minister with a bomb strapped to her chest. My knee jerk reaction is "why would you give away the ending?" But it's not quite the ending, and the ending will kick your teeth in. I was wholly sucked into reading about how Rosa got to that point and where her road and Gridless's road intersects. I often found myself wondering where the story was possibly going. How does THIS end up THERE? There's not a whole lot of action in the story, and from that perspective it is a more character-driven narrative, but the characters are fascinating in a morbidly curious sort of way that I couldn't look away from.The ending was spectacular. Completely unexpected until the very last second. I honestly can't recommend POSTER BOY enough.5

The Black Queen by Jumata Emill

Pub Date: January 31, 2023Publisher: Delacorte PressAuthor: WebsiteInfo: Goodreads

Nova Albright, the first Black homecoming queen at Lovett High, is dead. Murdered the night of her coronation, her body found the next morning in the old slave cemetery she spent her weekends rehabilitating.Tinsley McArthur was supposed to be queen. Not only is she beautiful, wealthy, and white, it’s her legacy—her grandmother, her mother, and even her sister wore the crown before her. Everyone in Lovett knows Tinsley would do anything to carry on the McArthur tradition.No one is more certain of that than Duchess Simmons, Nova’s best friend. Duchess’s father is the first Black police captain in Lovett. For Duchess, Nova’s crown was more than just a win for Nova. It was a win for all the Black kids. Now her best friend is dead, and her father won’t fact the fact that the main suspect is right in front of him. Duchess is convinced that Tinsley killed Nova—and that Tinsley is privileged enough to think she can get away with it. But Duchess’s father seems to be doing what he always does: fall behind the blue line. Which means that the white girl is going to walk.Duchess is determined to prove Tinsley’s guilt. And to do that, she’ll have to get close to her.But Tinsley has an agenda, too.Everyone loved Nova. And sometimes, love is exactly what gets you killed. (goodreads.com)

Could NOT put this down. THE BLACK QUEEN is so twisty and turny, I was second guessing myself the entire time. I had the killers pegged from the beginning, but Emill kept throwing these diversions at me I was constantly thinking, "well, maybe not." He set so many characters up so well to be suspects that even if you think you know, you'll be guessing until the very end.I like how Emill didn't use a killer prologue here. I think it could have fit, but Nova isn't fodder for a story. She's a real person who Emill makes you love real quick before ripping her away. I liked that conscious choice to not make her a tool for other characters' growth right from the get-go.I also liked how Duchess and Tinsley started the story on these binaries, fitting into these very specific molds, and watching them get broken down over the course of the story. I think Tinsley was a little more self aware about the mold she was in than Duchess, just because Duchess suffered some truths about herself that really rocked her world and put her more in alignment with Tinsley than she ever wanted to be.Tinsley came off a little wish fulfillment in her character arc, but I don't fault Emill for having that kind of ideal for people to see the error of their ways. And for how wish fulfillment Tinsley played out to me, I think her situation was completely realistic. A lot of people just will not change course unless they're facing down something catastrophic, like a murder charge, that puts them in the shoes of the very people they've been complaining about in the first place. It's actually kind of sad that people need to be in these kinds of positions in order to change, and you can only hope it changes them. Sometimes it doesn't change anything, and it forces people to double down, which we also see in this story.I loved Duchess's reluctance to give Tinsley the benefit of the doubt. Especially with Ev in her ear, I don't fault her for her reluctance, but I'm glad she listens to her gut, even if that means going against the grain everyone expects her to travel on. I also love her grudging acceptance that maybe Tinsley is a product of her environment too. Add in the rather awkward situation of Duchess's dad being one of the lead cops on Nova's case and that adds a whole other level of complicated to Duchess's world view.It's just one thing after another in this story. If you're bored reading THE BLACK QUEEN, we didn't read the same book. It holds a mirror up to society while giving you this twisty, turny story that you desperately want to solve and will not rest until you do. Every single character will suck you into their story and make you question whether they are what they say they are, regardless of how long they're actually on the page. And the number of subplots on top of it all. SUPERB. I can't say enough good things about it.5I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.