Category: Reviews
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Review: The Mask of Haliya, Vol.1: Heir to the Warrior Moon
Imprint: Kwento Comics Genre: Fantasy Own Voices: Filipino mythology Audience: YA+ Creator: Cecilia Lim Writing Team: Kaitlyn Fajilan, Jenapher Zheng Art Team: Renoida Renovilla, Charlyn Duy, Kathryn Layno, Kristen Laroa, Ruth Anne Roman, Susan Bin, Justine Frany, Minerva Fox, Liezl Buenaventura, LA Guevarra, Mikaela Kaufman, Patricia Pria, Jamie Lee, Juliet H. Morin, and Haining San…
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Review: On Sundays She Picked Flowers by Yah Yah Scholfield
I finally have the words to describe one of my most anticipated and favorite reads of 2025. Yes, the literary horror novel On Sundays She Picked Flowers by Yah Yah Scholfield (they/ them) was traditionally published by Saga Press on January 27, 2026, but a version of the book had been circulating for some time.…
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Review: Timid by Jonathan Scott
The 2024 Scholastic Graphix, semi-autobiographical Timid is a coming-of-age story that follows Cecil Hall, a black middle schooler, as he navigates his new hometown of Boston, Massachusetts, and finds a friend group that appreciates his intersecting interests and beliefs. Originally from a predominantly black town in Florida, Cecil learns about code switching in predominantly white…
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The Dead Withheld by L.D. Lewis: A Sapphic Paranormal Neo-Noir Review
Neon Hemlock has another hit on its hands with The Dead Withheld by L.D. Lewis. Published in 2025, the sapphic paranormal neo-noir novella follows Desdemona “Dizzy” Carter in her quest to find the murderer of her wife, Lonnie, the Fallen Angels serial killer. Dizzy is a Private investigator and a deadwalker witch, one who can…
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Superman Smashes The Klan May Be A Favorite Read of the Year
It is with great sadness that I admit my favorite comic of the year may be a Superman graphic novel. I know. I see the disappointment etched across your face, but please, have faith in me. Know that the rare occasion of such mainstream treachery has a point founded in the social commentary you associate…
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Why Beginner Fantasy Readers Should Read Eve and the Faders by Berneta L. Haynes and Lornett B. Vestal: Book Review
Eve and the Faders has a complex, amazingly depicted main character in Eve Cooper. Eve is a queer woman in a Black polyamorous relationship, and I LOVED it so much. The couple (Eve, Zoe, and Gabriel) are not perfect, yet the authors explore the difficulties that can come with being in a poly relationship in…
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Harmattan Season by Tochi Onyebuchi: A Unique Postcolonial Fantasy Noir- Book Review
I wouldn’t call myself an arc reader because I rarely get to them in time, but I have two arcs I will have read and reviewed before they release! It’s the small wins in life that bring me joy these days. This first ARC is from Tor Books and is slated to be published on…
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Exploring Grief and Revenge in ‘The Lady Widow: Death Among the Stars’: Book Review
I saw it in a TikTok video. C.M. Lockhart was talking about her upcoming release about a woman who travels through space to get revenge for the murder of the love of her life. Naturally, I was interested. It took a while to unpack my feelings about this book, but overall, it did a great…
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No Seasoning, No Soul: The Shortsightedness of the White Imagination in Rain by David. M. Booher
It’s been a while since I hate-read something, and this graphic novel adaptation of Joe Hill’s short story “Here Comes the Rain Again” proves why there should be no inherent trust in white writers and artists and their depiction of non-white characters in their works. I have a brief rant about this book somewhere on…
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Musings on “Black Food Matters: Racial Justice in the Wake of Food Justice”
Two days after my son’s 8th birthday, the pain in my chest decided to take permanent residence. What was occasional pain after binge eating fast food now felt like I was being stabbed after every meal. My diet fizzled into a measly ½ cup of Cheerios and the smallest amount of unsweetened almond milk I…
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Exploring Themes of Love and Politics in Those Beyond The Wall by Micaiah Johnson: Book Review
I was scared for a bit but this book definitely delivered. The science fiction novel, Those Beyond The Wall, is a sequel to The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson. Taking place years after the end of book 1, several unexplained deaths occur, the most devastating being the death of Helene X. As a result,…