meredith’s reviews
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).
| Title | Author | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Young Avengers (2014) | Kieron Gillen & Jamie McKelvie | ★★★★★ |
| Young Avengers: The Children’s Crusade (2011) | Allan Heinberg & Jim Cheung | ★★★★ |
| Young Avengers: The Complete Collection Vol. 1 (2006) | Allan Heinberg & Jim Cheung | ★★★★ |
| The Magpie Lord (A Charm of Magpies #1) | K.J. Charles | ★★★★★ |
| Once Upon a Haunted Moor (Tyack and Frayne Mysteries #1) | Harper Fox | ★★★★ |
| Here There Be Gerblins (The Adventure Zone #1) | The McElroy family & Carey Pietsch | ★★★★ |
| Beyond the Pale (The Last Rune #1) | Mark Anthony | ★★ |
| An Offering of Plums | J. Emery | ★★★★★ |
| Stormhaven (Whyborne & Griffin #3) | Jordan L. Hawk | ★★★★★ |
| Possibilities (A King’s Council #1) | Nicole Field | ★★★½ |
| Anchor Points (Hawkeye: Kate Bishop #1) | Kelly Thompson | ★★★½ |
| The Lamb Will Slaughter the Lion (Danielle Cain #1) | Margaret Killjoy | ★★★★ |
| Threshold (Whyborne & Griffin #2) | Jordan L. Hawk | ★★★★½ |
| The Goblin Emperor | Katherine Addison | ★★★★★ |
| Widdershins (Whyborne & Griffin #1) | Jordan L. Hawk | ★★★¾ |
| Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda (Creekwood #1) | Becky Albertalli | ★★★★½ |
| Peter Darling | Austin Chant | ★★★★★ |
| The Merro Tree | Katie Waitman | ★★★★★ |
| To Summon Nightmares | J.K. Pendragon | ★★★★★ |
| Letters for Lucardo | Otava Heikkilä | ★★★★★ |
| Hexbreaker (Hexworld #1) | Jordan L. Hawk | ★★★★★ |
| Long Macchiatos and Monsters | Alison Evans | ★★★★½ |
| The Bone Key | Sarah Monette | ★★★★★ |
| A Tree of Bones (Hexslinger #3) | Gemma Files | ★★★★★ |
| A Rope of Thorns (Hexslinger #2) | Gemma Files | ★★★★½ |
| A Book of Tongues (Hexslinger #1) | Gemma Files | ★★★★ |
| A Distant Soil – The Gathering | Colleen Doran | ★★★★ |
| Style | Chelsea Cameron | ★★★★ |
| Ash | Malinda Lo | ★★★★½ |
| The Manny Files | Christian Burch | ★★★★★ |
| The Second Mango (Mangoverse #1) | Shira Glassman | ★★★★½ |
| Glitterland (Spires #1) | Alexis Hall | ★★★★★ |
| The Unintentional Time Traveler | Everett Maroon | ★★★★ |
Recommendations
A list of works I’d recommend, but which I haven’t written a full review for
Ravenhearth
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.