Skip to main content

Featured

Kinship and Kindness by Kara Jorgensen

Bennett Reynard needs one thing: to speak to the Rougarou about starting a union for shifters in New York City before the delegation arrives. When his dirigible finally lands in Louisiana, he finds the Rougarou is gone and in his stead is his handsome son, Theo, who seems to care for everyone but himself. Hoping he can still petition the Rougarou, Bennett stays only to find he is growing dangerously close to Theo Bisclavret. Theo Bisclavret thought he had finally come to terms with never being able to take his father’s place as the Rougarou, but with his father stuck in England and a delegation of werewolves arriving in town, Theo’s quiet life is thrown into chaos as he and his sister take over his duties. Assuming his father’s place has salted old wounds, but when a stranger arrives offering to help, Theo knows he can’t say no, even if Mr. Reynard makes him long for things he had sworn off years ago. As rivals arrive to challenge Theo for power and destroy the life Bennett has built, ...

Discount Armageddon by Seanan McGuire (InCryptid, #1)

Discount Armageddon is an exciting and pretty bloody way to kick off a series, and I love it. With a few twists I guessed and one that I definitely did not see coming, this fun and fast-paced story that has me excited to keep reading this series.

The cryptids described and/or referenced in the book are from a variety of cultures and appear to be interpretations which came out of a lot of research and care, though I’m unable to vouch specifically for any of the portrayals. The overall effect is to make it clear from the start of the series that cryptids are a worldwide phenomenon, with cryptids from cultures all over the world (no default-European nonsense here). There’s a pretty important secondary character whose journey involves learning to be less racist against cryptids, and occasionally he dips into microaggressions founded in real-world racism. It’s minor, and it’s called out by the other characters, but it is there.

Overall I really enjoyed this one. Having read some of the author's later (and better) writing spoils me a bit for this one because I know it gets so much better later, but I really like this book and it's a great start to a series that I've heard so many good things about. I love creature-features and that's the focus of this whole book so I was very happy reading it.

CW for racism against fantasy creatures, mild real-world racism, gore, violence, sexism, sexual harassment, death.

Bookshop Affiliate Buy Link

A young blonde woman in a pink bare-midriff top and short skirt casually leans on a rooftop with a gun in her hand.


Comments

Popular Posts