#mary vanalstine

[godzilla-reads]

I’ve been wanting this book for a hot minute and I was so excited to see the author is local, plus the story is based in St. Paul, which is just across the river. How exciting!!

#godzilla reads #deny me #Mary vanalstine #book blog #reading #reads #bookish #booklr #bookworm #booklover

[aurorawest]

Reading update

Brick Walls by LA Witt - 3.25/5 stars

Honestly not a great book, from a writing mechanics perspective. This definitely could have benefited from a few more editing passes. It dragged in parts because the characters kept having the same internal monologue over and over, and there were too many scenes of the two mains sniping at each other with the exact same argument. THAT SAID, the MCs themselves were charming and likable, and the second chance romance was compelling. I also thought the cocaine addiction storyline was pretty well done, especially considering this is a hockey romance.

Deny Me, the Nightshade Boy by Mary Vanalstine - 5/5 stars

This is the debut novel of a pal! Very fun book set primarily in Minnesota. It's gay, plus there's a cat named Arwen Undómeow, which is obviously an A+ pun. Also points for a dig at Chaska.

Young Men in Love, edited by Joe Glass and Matt Miner - 4/5 stars

Nice little queer comics romance anthology.

Fire and Sand by Andrew Grey - 3.75/5 stars

The Professor's Green Card Marriage by Heidi Cullinan - 4.25/5 stars

This book was delightful and taught me that I had selective mutism as a child, despite the fact that apparently the therapist I saw insisted I didn't. I was even able to forgive Cullinan's fudging of USCIS's requirements for dramatic purposes because the story was lovely.

Up in Smoke by Annabeth Albert - 4/5 stars

Once a Rogue by Allie Therin - 4/5 stars

The Doctor's Secret by Heidi Cullinan - 4/5 stars

His Reluctant Cowboy by AM Arthur - 4/5 stars

Charmed & Dangerous: Ten Tales of Gay Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy, edited by Jordan Castillo Price - 5/5 stars

One of the best short story anthologies I've ever read. There are some real legends in here, like Ginn Hale, KJ Charles, and Jordan L Hawk. Ginn Hale's story belongs to one of my favorite genres, "Harry Potter was a defining piece of fiction for me but what if I ran with its sketchy elements?" (see also: Rainbow Rowell's Simon Snow trilogy). I think a lot of the stories in this collection are spinoffs of the authors' already existing fiction (KJ Charles's definitely is—I had actually already read the sequel to the story in this anthology), but that didn't detract from my enjoyment.

Precious Metals by LA Witt - 4/5 stars

Lies We Sing to the Sea by Sarah Underwood - 2/5 stars

Oof. Look, I know it's YA. But I've read some great YA—and this is not it. First off, it's a myth retelling, which I categorically despise. Second, the blurb makes it clear there's a love triangle involved. Blech. The only reason I read this one is because I got it in an Illumicrate. And to be perfectly fair, I was enjoying it a fair bit until about the last quarter. That was the point at which we got Melantho's rape scene and, very shortly afterwards, Leto and Mathias having sex, which I found extremely squicky because it was structurally and narratively very similar to the rape, even though it's consensual. It made my skin crawl. Also I really Did Not Like the fact that Leto was in love with both Melantho and Mathias (yeah yeah polyships whatever, I hate polyships though). Didn't like the theme of 'choosing' one or the other when the choice was made for Leto but she still got to take credit for it. The idea that all the death could have been avoided if People Had Just Talked To Each Other made me wonder why the book had to be 490 pages long. The ending has none of the gravitas of an actual Greek tragedy, even though that's what it's supposed to be. And like, I got it. I got what Underwood was going for like 100 pages in. It wasn't subtle. Ultimately I think a better/more mature author could have pulled this stuff off, but Underwood was twenty-one when she wrote this, and it shows.

#deny me the nightshade boy #mary vanalstine #young men in love #charmed and dangerous #the professor's green card marriage #heidi cullinan #lies we sing to the sea #reading tag

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

Queer Books Coming Out January 2024

🌈 Good morning, my bookish bats! Struggling to keep up with all the amazing queer books coming out this month? Here are a FEW of the stunning, diverse queer books you can add to your TBR before the year is over. Remember to #readqueerallyear! Happy reading!

❤️ Tentacle Wonderland by Reese Morrison 🧡 Cupid’s Revenge by Wibke Brueggemann 💛 Okay, Cupid by Mason Deaver 💚 Soren by Miranda Page & Lina Ganef 💙 Just Happy to Be Here by Naomi Kanakia 💜 Stars and Soil by Dax Murray ❤️ Deep Sounding Chaos by Adrian J. Smith & Neen Cohen 🧡 Minor Disturbances at Grand Life Apartments by Hema Sukumar 💛 Evergreen by Devin Greenlee 💙 Matsdotter and Adrastus (Adventures in Levena #2) by Aelina Isaacs 💜 Thousand Autumns: Qian Qiu Vol. 3 by Meng Xi Shi and Me Mimo 🌈 Destined by Jen Carter

❤️ Her Spell That Binds Me by Luna Oblonsky 🧡 Her Mechanic Bear Mate (Crescent Lake Bears #3) by Arizona Tape 💛 That Bitter Sting by Melissa Polk 💚 Bioluminescence by Toni Duarte 💙 Lucky Bounce by Cait Nary 💜 Don’t Want You Like A Best Friend by Emma R. Alban ❤️ Bachelorette Number Twelve by Jae 🧡 How to Share a Cat and Other Life Lessons by Evelyn Fenn 💛 A Sheep in Wolf’s Clothing by Amy Allen 💙 Bound by Kate Hawthorne 💜 Moonbreak by Lise MacTague 🌈 Falling All In by Laina Villeneuve

❤️ Murder on Castaway Island by Alicia Gael 🧡 The Butler's Vessel by S. Rodman 💛 Tadek and the Princess by Alexandra Rowland 💚 Escaping Mr. Rochester by L.L. McKinney 💙 Amid Our Lines by Zarah Detand 💜 Most Ardently by Gabe Cole Novoa ❤️ A Doctor’s Touch by A.A. Fairview 🧡 So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole 💛 Never Be a Saint by Mark Runte 💙 Maude Horton's Glorious Revenge by Lizzie Pook 💜 Eli Harpo's Adventure to the Afterlife by Eric Schlich 🌈 City of Laughter by Temim Fruchter

❤️ Enthralled by Her by Chelsea M. Cameron 🧡 Knight of Staria by Iris Foxglove 💛 The Storm Gathers by Maelan Holladay 💚 Stars of Chaos: Sha Po Lang Vol. 2 by Priest 💙 Fence: Redemption SC by C.S. Pacat and Johanna the Mad 💜 Dreamer by Kris Bryant ❤️ Not Just Friends by Jordan Meadows 🧡 Winter's Spell by Ursula Klein 💛 Two is a Pattern by Emily Waters 💙 All Things Beautiful by Alaina Erdell 💜 Curse of Souls by Niranjan 🌈 Voyage of the Damned by Frances White

❤️ The Principle of Moments by Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson 🧡 Curse of the Dragon Shadow by Selina A. Fenech 💛 No Shelter But The Stars by Virginia Black 💚 Shards of Trust by Fox Beckman 💙 My Fair Brady by Brian D Kennedy 💜 The Summer Queen (The Buried and the Bound #2) by Rochelle Hassan ❤️ A Luminous Heart by Cailee Francis 🧡 To Cage a God (These Monstrous Gods #1) by Elizabeth May 💛 Out of Our League by Dahlia Adler and Jennifer Iacopelli 💙 Earth and Water by J.L. Gribble 💜 Rend Me, The Wayward Knight by Mary Vanalstine 🌈 Prince of Endless Tides by Ben Alderson

❤️ Sweet Wicked Thing by Jessie Walker 🧡 Ocean’s Blood by Thelma Mantey 💛 Breeze Spells and Bridegrooms by Sarah Wallace and S.O. Callahan 💚 A Reckless Oath by Kaylie Smith 💙 Fallen Thorns by Harvey Oliver Baxter 💜 Faded Moon by T.L. Morgan ❤️ Game On by Amy Aislin 🧡 The City of Stardust by Georgia Summers 💛 The Invocations by Krystal Sutherland 💙 Spark of Wrath by E.M. Lindsey 💜 Honeybloods by I.S. Belle 🌈 Love Me At My Worst by Adrian J. Smith

#queer fiction #queer books #queer community #queer romance #queer #lesbian pride #lesbian books #lesbian fiction #lesbian #sapphic books #sapphic romance #wlw romance #wlw fiction #gay fiction #gay romance #bi books #bisexual pride #bisexuality #batty about books #battyaboutbooks #books #book blog #booklr #bookstagrammer #new books #book reading #read queer all year

[cjaralore]

#FantasyIndiesJanuary Day 24: Books you're looking forward to in 2024 📚

🌱 The Heartwood Trilogy Book 3 by Mary VanAlstine 🤠 The Magic You Make by Jason June 🌳 Tree Gods by R. Lee Fryar ❄️ Otherworldly by F.T. Lukens ✨ Under the Dragon Moon by Mawce Hanlin 🔥 Infinity Kings by Adam Silvera

#fantasyindiesjanuary #queer reader

[twincitiesgeek]

Deny Me, the Nightshade Boy Is a Minnesota Urban Fantasy with Stronger Social Commentary Than Story

This local queer fantasy novel has interesting characters and hints of lore, but the story didn't quite hang together for our reviewer.

Mary VanAlstine There is something comforting for me about tales that blend the fantastic into the world of the mundane. It was a penchant of mine when it came to my reading selection in my youth, which I can confess now as an adult was a choice made with unfettered optimism and hope that maybe one day I too would stumble upon a dragon’s egg in a clearing, or be asked for help by some sprite or…

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#fantasy #finding fae #queer romance #urban fantasy

[godzilla-reads]

I’m really excited to start reading “Deny Me” by Mary Vanalstine because it’s about fae magic for one thing (queer romance is also a big part), but mainly because it’s based in St. Paul, MN. That’s right next to me! I live in the Twin Cities and finding books with MN as its basis is so hard.

Also, the author is so sweet and wrote me a handwritten note!

#godzilla reads #deny me #deny me the nightshade boy #book blog #reading #Mary vanalstine #bookish #bookworm

[godzilla-reads]

All three fairy books I’m reading right now 🧚

We’ve got:

⚔️ How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories by Holly Black

💕 Deny Me, the Nightshade Boy by Mary Vanalstine

🌙 The Night Fairy by Laura Amy Schlitz

#godzilla reads #fairy books #how the king of elfhame learned to hate stories #deny me #the night fairy #reading #currently reading #booklr #bookworm #bookish #book blog