reviews | my to-read list | review policy

Below you’ll find a list of reviews & recs from Aveline Reynard, specifically queer speculative fiction: in other words, books that have some kind of science fiction & fantasy element and prominently feature LGBTQIA+ characters. Occasionally I’ll read slightly outside of this, but that’s the vast majority of what I’m interested in reading. 

Check out my review policy for answers to questions like: How do I score my reviews? What do I warn for/how do I tag reviews? What do I particularly like or dislike? How do authors submit a book for me to review?

For book suggestions, please feel free to DM or mention me on Twitter! If you want to see if the book’s on my radar already, click here for my to-read list.

Reviews:

Please note that this is a work-in-progress! Some books I’ve read and rated but haven’t cleaned up a full review for the site; others should be coming soon. Review are organized first by Rating, then by Title.

Unless mentioned in that review, all the reviews I write are for books with queer content. Regarding the rating range below, I usually review books I consider 3 star or above (I tend to DNF books I’m not enjoying in some way and am less likely to review ones I don’t enjoy). 

Recommendations

A list of works I’d recommend, but which I haven’t written a full review for 

Ravenhearth by Lotus Oakes (Fantasy/Romance)
In a world covered in a deadly miasma, humans survive under the protection of the Keepers, powerful and mysterious mages. In Ash’s village, one person is selected every 10 years to go to the castle of Ravenhearth and become the Keeper’s companion. Ash, a young orphan who dreams of learning magic, chooses this fate for himself, but his heart soon grows conflicted when he meets Giles, Ravenhearth’s butler…
My comment: I was lucky enough to get to pre-read this one, and I adored it! Ash is a really delightful point of view character, and I loved the chemistry and tension in the developing romance. The cast as a whole is really solid, and I ended up falling in love with a bunch of side characters along the way.

Simon’s Cat by Lotus Oakes (Fantasy/Romance)
When Simon’s father dies, he leaves his oldest brother the business, his middle brother the house, and Simon, the youngest, his beloved Pet, Cat. While his brothers quarrel about what to do with the remains of their father’s estate, all Simon wants is for his family to go back to the way it was. He’s sure money will help. And clever Cat has an idea of how to get it.
My comment: A delightful retelling of Puss in Boots in a fantasy/futuristic setting. I LOVED Cat as a character, and I thought Simon was a sweetheart. It’s full of action, adventure, and trickery.

Feast for a King by Kosmic (Sci-fi/horror webcomic)
This world has gone terribly wrong. Worms—monsters who take many forms, but at their core are wriggling horrors—have taken over and humans are at risk, though fighting back. To the amnesiac human who wakes in an area that had been sealed off due to being full of worms and finds themself in an arena with corpses being eaten all around them, there’s no understanding what’s gone on. Monsters are everywhere, some friendly, most not. And the human who shows up to rescue them might not be the best sort, either. But to fully understand what’s going on, we’ll have to go further back…
My comment: I was introduced to FFAK within the last month and read everything like I was starving. The webcomic is written free-form without scripts and is an engaging, terrifying, delightful read full of exactly the types of monsters I like and a lot of complex political and emotional byplay. The story shifts between time periods and locations but is always building forward and I highly advise just putting your questions on the back-burner and letting the story answer them as it develops. Warning: nsfw for sex, nudity, and gore. The author has a full list of warnings on the webpage.