Review: Harley's Little Black Book

Harley's Little Black Book | Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti, John Timms, Mauricet, Joseph Lisner, Billy Tucci, Neal Adams, Simon Bisley

Published by: DC Comics, August 8th 2017

Genre: Comics, Superheroes

Pages: 256

Format: Ebook

Source: DC, via Netgalley

The fan-favorite creative team of Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti joins forces with a slew of superstar comics creators—including Neal Adams, Simon Bisley, Joseph Michael Linsner, Billy Tucci, John Timms and more—for HARLEY’S LITTLE BLACK BOOK. 

She’s the psychopathic psychotherapist with a heart of gold and a mind for mayhem. Now she’s uniting with the greatest heroes in the DC Universe in her very own team-up title. Ain’t it amazing?

With the Joker firmly in her rearview mirror, Harley Quinn has become an antihero like no other. But sometimes she runs into threats too, uhh, threatening for any one person to beat. That’s when she turns to a who’s who of the biggest, baddest, most bodacious heroes in the whole universe!

Superman. Wonder Woman. Green Lantern. Zatanna. Lobo. And…Harley Quinn???

Whoever’s tagging along, there’s one thing for sure: Wherever Harley goes, high-octane hijinks are sure to follow!

Flip through at your own risk! Collects the full six-issue miniseries. 

I honestly love these writers; they have yet to write a bad comic. I loved this whole book, start to finish. I was fangirling about Wonder Woman along with Harley. And I wanted to team up with Zatanna too! I loved Harley's little quirks and interactions with the big superheroes (I love her pinching superheroes' butts tbh.) The art in this is so good and just WORKS for Harley, and I love love loved the bombshells comic and that whole style. There's nothing I didn't like about this (not even Prick The Barbarian or whatever his name is from the last comic.) I laughed, I winced, I laughed some more. This was everything I wanted it to be and a whole lot extra on top (Harley in a Ghostbusters costume, anybody..?)

Don't miss this, seriously.

Characters ★★★★☆

Setting/world ★★★★☆

Writing ★★★★☆

#FreeReads - Stag's Run

Read if you like: queer romance, sweeping fantasy worlds, political tension, assassinations

Stag's Run | Zaya Feli

Series: Iron Breakers

Published by: Zaya Feli, November 18th 2016
Genre: Fantasy, LGBTQ+
Pages: 237
Format: Ebook
Source: Free on Kindle

Ren Frayne is the bastard son of the Queen of Frayne, a title he’s more than comfortable with when it brings him limited responsibilities and all the luxuries of life he could ever want. But when the king and Ren’s half-brother, Crown Prince Hellic are brutally murdered, Ren is accused. Now, he is forced to flee the city together with the mysterious prisoner Anik who may know how to survive in the wild, but who seems to have an agenda of his own, one that may spell danger for Ren.

Ren’s accuser now sits on his family’s throne, and things are about to get much, much worse. It may be time to seek help in unexpected places. 

There's a lot I could talk about with this book - the great characterisation, the growth, the well written world, the tense and exciting politics, the fast pace that kept me reading - but I just want to dwell on one particular plot point, and that's the fact that cows basically save the day. Cow soldiers. Cattle as secret weapons. This book is great - read it!

Review: The Bloodprint

The Khorasan Archives: The Bloodprint | Ausma Zehanat Khan

Published by: Harper Voyager, October 3rd 2017

Genre: High Fantasy, Feminism

Pages: 448

Format: Ebook

Source: Harper Voyager, via Edelweiss

A dark power called the Talisman has risen in the land, born of ignorance and persecution. Led by a man known only known as the One-eyed Preacher, it is a cruel and terrifying movement bent on world domination—a superstitious patriarchy that suppresses knowledge and subjugates women. And it is growing.

But there are those who fight the Talisman's spread, including the Companions of Hira, a diverse group of influential women whose power derives from the Claim—the magic inherent in the words of a sacred scripture. Foremost among them is Arian and her apprentice, Sinnia, skilled warriors who are knowledgeable in the Claim. This daring pair have long stalked Talisman slave-chains, searching for clues and weapons to help them battle their enemy’s oppressive ways. Now, they may have discovered a miraculous symbol of hope that can destroy the One-eyed Preacher and his fervid followers: The Bloodprint, a dangerous text the Talisman has tried to erase from the world.

Finding a copy of The Bloodprint promises to be their most dangerous undertaking yet, an arduous journey that will lead them deep into Talisman territory. Though they will be helped by allies—a loyal ex-slave and Arian’s former confidante and sword master—both Arian and Sinnia know that this mission may well be their last. 

I had no idea what to expect of this, but it was about feminists against the patriarchy in a fantasy world so of course I was on board. But this book has so many facets, and I loved every one of them. 

Religion in a positive light! The Claim is written so well - both how it makes the people who use it feel and the wording itself. Such a clever way to fuse religion and magic. The characters didn't let me down either - the main character has dedicated herself to freeing women from slave chains, by using her magic and status as First Oralist, and I loved her so much for that. There's romance as well, which I love (Daniyar is so sweet, honestly, he'd better be okay in book two!) and Sinnia, another female character, is awesome too. I love how the ladies of this book interact.

There's so much to praise and talk about - the world, the writing, the politics, different inclusions of race, tribes, culture, gender, the patriarchy, and especially the treatment of women. It had the right amount of fantasy and magic too - everything was balanced. I want to read the next book!

Characters ★★★★☆

Setting/world ★★★★☆

Writing ★★★★☆

Review: The Gentleman's Guide To Vice & Virtue

The Gentleman's Guide To Vice & Virtue | Mackenzi Lee

Published by: Katherine Tegen Books, June 27th 2017

Genre: YA, Historical, LGBT+

Pages: 513

Format: Ebook

Source: Katherine Tegen Books, via Edelweiss

Henry “Monty” Montague was born and bred to be a gentleman, but he was never one to be tamed. The finest boarding schools in England and the constant disapproval of his father haven’t been able to curb any of his roguish passions—not for gambling halls, late nights spent with a bottle of spirits, or waking up in the arms of women or men.

But as Monty embarks on his Grand Tour of Europe, his quest for a life filled with pleasure and vice is in danger of coming to an end. Not only does his father expect him to take over the family’s estate upon his return, but Monty is also nursing an impossible crush on his best friend and traveling companion, Percy.

Still it isn’t in Monty’s nature to give up. Even with his younger sister, Felicity, in tow, he vows to make this yearlong escapade one last hedonistic hurrah and flirt with Percy from Paris to Rome. But when one of Monty’s reckless decisions turns their trip abroad into a harrowing manhunt that spans across Europe, it calls into question everything he knows, including his relationship with the boy he adores.

I have several bones to pick with this book. I thought it was going to be a lighthearted, fun romp through Europe, and admittedly, it was, but I never signed on for all this heartache and pain and ANGST.

Monty and Percy and Felicity are the best characters I could ever ask for. I love all of them. They make this book so easy to love, and I identify so hard with Felicity. I can't wait to read her next adventures. As for the other two, they hurt me so much with their unrequited-but-actually-requited love, their longing glances, little touches, Gods, I love them. I'm so happy this book ended the way it did.

This book was so much more dangerous than I expected though, with everything from highwaymen to pirates to to-the-death fights on a crypt-island. Add to that a healthy dose of sarcasm, humour, and romance, and I honestly could not have loved it more. I do keep calling it The Gentleman's Guide to The Galaxy, though.

Characters ★★★★★

Setting/world ★★★★★

Writing ★★★★★

Review: Bone

Bone | Yrsa Daley-Ward

Published by: Penguin Books, September 26th 2017

Genre: Poetry

Pages: 176

Format: Ebook

Source: Penguin, via Netgalley

From the celebrated poet Yrsa Daley-Ward, a poignant collection of autobiographical poems about the heart, life, and the inner self. 
 
Bone. Visceral. Close to. Stark.
 
The poems in Yrsa Daley-Ward’s collection bone are exactly that: reflections on a particular life honed to their essence—so clear and pared-down, they become universal.
 
From navigating the oft competing worlds of religion and desire, to balancing society’s expectations with the raw experience of being a woman in the world; from detailing the experiences of growing up as a first generation black British woman, to working through situations of dependence and abuse; from finding solace in the echoing caverns of depression and loss, to exploring the vulnerability and redemption in falling in love, each of the raw and immediate poems in Daley-Ward’s bone resonate to the core of what it means to be human. 
 
“You will come away bruised. 
You will come away bruised
but this will give you poetry.”

I love this so much. This is one of those books I'm going to go back and read again and again. It's just so ... visceral, so real. It cuts right through the bullshit to the heart of everything - family, sex, relationships, femininity. I knew I would like this book but I really, really love it. It's one of those books that touches your soul. (Plus it's queer poetry, which I am ALWAYS looking for.)

Writing ★★★★★