Hello and welcome to the August 2024 edition of the Queer Lit Review! This month we are introducing Dani, a new reviewer, who comes to us from the South Boston Branch as a children's librarian!
Dani's fun facts include:
- I love having dyed hair, but have only ever done shades of pink and purple.
- My favorite (and most hard-won) hobby is translating Japanese manga into English. I’ve studied Japanese off and on over the past 15 years.
- I once chaired a national award for LGBTQIA+ children’s and young adult books, and it was awesome!
And now... on to the main event... our reviews!
Our reviews this month include a gay detective on a Cold Case Squad, a failed spellcrafter looking for a new job, and a young socialite and a Jewish magician uncovering their family's shadowy past.
These titles may be available in other formats or languages. Check our catalog for availability.
Happy Reading!
Title/Author: Madison Square Murders by C.S. Poe
Reviewer: Logan
Summary: Everett Larkin works for the Cold Case Squad: an elite—if understaffed and overworked—group of detectives who solve the forgotten deaths of New York City. Larkin is different from the others, but his deduction skills are unmatched, and his memory for minute details is unparalleled.
So when a spring thunderstorm uproots a tree in Madison Square Park, unearthing a crate with human remains inside, the best Cold Case detective is assigned the job. And when a death mask, like those prominent during the Victorian era, is found with the body, Larkin requests assistance from the Forensic Artists Unit, and receives it in the form of Detective Ira Doyle, his polar opposite in every way.
Factual reasoning and facial reconstruction puts Larkin and Doyle on a trail of old homicide cases and a murderer obsessed with casting his victims’ likeness in death. Include some unapologetic flirting from Doyle, and this case may just end up killing Everett Larkin.
Series/Standalone: Series; Memento Mori #1
Genre/Sub-Genre: Mystery
Book Format: eBook
Length: 260 pages
LGBTQ+ Orientation: Gay
Content Warnings: Murder
Well-Written/Editor Needed: Well-written
Would I Recommend?: Absolutely
Personal thoughts: I thoroughly enjoyed this series, and the interpersonal relationships in this book are so good. As someone who suffers with my mental health and can often beat myself up rethinking things, Larkin at times is very relatable. Doyle’s artistic background and the grounding energy he provides Larkin just make him so lovable. <3
Title/Author: Quill Me Now by Jordan Castillo Price
Reviewer: Jordan
Summary: Dixon Penn failed his Spellcraft initiation, and instead of working in his family’s shop, he’s stuck delivering takeout orders in his uncle’s beat-up Buick. Winning a Valentine’s Day contest at the largest greeting card company in the tri-state area would be just the thing to get his life back on track—but something at Precious Greetings just doesn’t add up. It doesn’t hurt that the head of security is such a hottie. If Dixon had any common sense, he’d be scared of the big, mysterious, tattooed Russian, but no one ever accused him of being too smart….
Series/Standalone: The ABCs of Spellcraft #1
Genre/Sub-Genre: Urban Fantasy/Romantic Comedy/Mystery
Book Format: eBook
Length: 73 pages
LGBTQ+ Orientation: Gay
HEA/HFN: HFN
Content Warnings: None
Ratio of Sex/Plot: Heavy on the plot
Well-Written/Editor Needed: Well-written!
Would I Recommend it?: YES
Personal Thoughts: I’ve been meaning to read and review this series for a long time, so I decided to dive in last week and take a little break from some of my recent, more serious books. I’m very glad I did! Jordan Castillo Price is one of my favorite authors, and, once again, she has not let me down.
Here, we have an urban fantasy mystery with some high stakes, underlying Dixon’s humor rounded out with a light romance. The magic is a bit unique in that a Seer draws a picture and a Scrivener writes a pithy line on the picture to create magic. This has the potential to backfire spectacularly, or to work as intended, and I loved getting to see both sides of the coin in entertaining ways.
Both characters were likeable and humorous, and I want to continue getting to know them. Because this is a novella told exclusively through Dixon’s point-of-view, we don’t get to learn as much about Yuri as I would have liked. However, this is only the first book in a 14-book series, so I have no doubt we’ll learn a lot about him in future installments.
Overall, this was a light, fun read, and I enjoyed every minute of it!
Title/Author: Uncommon Charm by Emily Bergslien & Kat Weaver
Reviewer: Dani
Summary: Recently returned to her magician mother’s house after her expulsion from boarding school, Julia meets Simon, her estranged Jewish cousin and her mother’s newest protégé. Around magical philosophy discussions and the social obligations required of the children (legitimate or not) of the 1920s upper crust, Julia and Simon uncover their family’s shadowy past, and come a little closer to finding their own places in the world.
Series/Standalone: Standalone
Genre/Sub-Genre: Historical fantasy
Book Format: Physical
Length: 94 pages
LGBTQ+ Orientation: Bi woman, gay man
Content Warnings: References to antisemitism, sexual assault, incest, abuse, death of a child, murder, gun violence
Well-Written/Editor Needed: Well-written
Would I Recommend?: Yes, to the right reader
Personal thoughts: I found this strange little book captivating. A distinctive voice makes the story shine; Julia's lively humor and candid observations bring this world's social milieu and characters to life. Her developing queer platonic relationship with Simon, characterized largely by Simon's shyness and her relentless teasing, is a delight to follow, and the hints of personal backstory peppered throughout slowly and compellingly build the context of their identities.
I was intrigued by how magic is imagined and how its parameters are sketched out through conversations about theory as much as through doing magic. Some of the story's strongest passages involve Simon articulating his understanding of his magic's relationship to Jewish theology. The apparent connection of Julia's mother's powers to neurodivergence is interesting, too.
The story achieves an impressive balance between the lightness of the narration and the heaviness of some of the content it ultimately handles. The impact that uncovering upsetting truths about her family has on Julia's usual breeziness makes these revelations feel as unsettling as they should. The slice-of-life pacing is surprisingly effective for conveying the bizarreness of coming to grips with how to move on in the aftermath.
For some readers, the lack of full-scale plot and the sheer number of ideas confined to the novella format may be frustrating. There are plenty of threads that never get teased out as far as they could. Nevertheless, I came away from this story with deep fondness for Julia and Simon, and an appreciation for the imagination at work.
Read for a quick jaunt with endearing characters.
DISCLAIMER: We do not review books by author request.
Add a comment to: Queer Lit Review: August 2024