Sponsored by Darling by K. Ancrum, with Fierce Reads
Reimagining Peter Pan for today’s world, this YA thriller follows Wendy as she gets lost on a dangerous adventure after following Peter into the city’s underground. “Darling is the Peter Pan retelling with the diverse cast and queer representation of your dreams.” —Aiden Thomas, New York Times–bestselling author of Cemetery Boys
Happy Friday, shipmates! It’s Alex, and for the last Friday of Pride, I’m coming at you with some books that have genderfluid protagonists and a little handful of links to check out. I’m still watching the Loki series–Infinity War broke my Asgard-loving heart–and so far, so good. Also, I have the audiobook for Witness for the Dead and I am unspeakably excited to start it! If you’re in the northern hemisphere, I hope you’ve been staying cool as we crossed over the longest day of the year. Stay safe out there, space pirates, and I will see you again on Tuesday!
Non-SFF-related, but I cannot get over the Big Breakfast song
Let’s make the world a better place, together. Here’s somewhere to start: https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/ and anti-asianviolenceresources.carrd.co
News and Views
NPR wants you to tell them about your favorite new SFF books
Adam Nimoy: I absolutely adored Spock. Loving Dad was much more complicated.
Looking for Body Positivity and Fat Protagonists in YA Fantasy
Wellington Paranormal is coming to America
The Trouble With Writing (Too) Smart Characters
The Personal Impact of Doctor Aphra
SFF eBook Deals
Wild Seed by Octavia E. Butler for $1.99
Not So Stories edited by David Thomas Moore for $0.99
Noumenon Ultra by Marina J. Lostetter for $1.99 (full disclosure: Marina and I share an agent.)
On Book Riot
10 great middle grade superhero books
15 books like A Court of Thorns and Roses
This week’s SFF Yeah! is about favorites from the last five(ish) years
This month you can enter to win a 1-year subscription to Audible, a Kindle Paperwhite, your own library cart, a $250 gift card to Powell’s Books, an iPad Mini, and a summer reading prize pack.
Free Association Friday
Hello friends! For this last Friday of Pride Month, let’s get in some SFF with genderfluid characters.
The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea by Maggie Tokuda-Hall
Two unlikely friends meet on the pirate ship Dove. Flora becomes Florian in the brutal life of a pirate, which is still better than being a starving street urchin. Lady Hasegawa is en route to an arranged marriage she doesn’t want, carrying her own casket with her. Soon they go on a series of wild adventures, including freeing a captured mermaid, finding an opportunistic witch, and going up against the Pirate Supreme.
No Man of Woman Born by Ana Mardoll
A collection of short stories with trans, nonbinary, and genderfluid characters that fulfill–and subvert–gendered prophecies.
Mask of Shadows by Linsey Miller
Sallot is a genderfluid thief who wants to use the skills they’ve developed in highway robbery to get closer to the nobles that destroyed their life. Their chance comes in the form of a chance to join the Queen’s personal assassins, but the audition is more than Sal bargained for. Their common criminal childhood didn’t prepare them for circus acrobats, apothecaries, and ex-soldiers, but they have to figure it out if they want to survive–and win the heart of the scribe they’ve fallen in love with.
Nine of Swords, Reversed by Xan West
Dev and Noam have lived a good life together for years, practicing magecraft together, caring for each other when their disabilities flare up, with Noam acting as Dev’s service submissive. But when Dev’s arthritis worsens, xe is unable to shield properly, which means xe can’t touch Noam without transferring too much of their pain via xyr empathy. Together, Dev and Noam must navigate this change in their relationship, with the help of a timely tarot reading.
No More Heroes by Michelle Kan
Young Vigilantes across the world keep watch over cities. A new enemy comes onto the scene, identity and motive unclear, but one thing’s for certain: they’re killing Vigilantes. When someone wants to disturb the peace in a city where the gifted make the rules, who will stop them?
Sing for the Coming of the Longest Night by Katherine Fabian and Iona Datt Sharma
Layla and Nat have nothing in common except a deep, mutual dislike–and a boyfriend named Meraud. But when Meraud vanishes during a magical experiment, they must work together to follow the cryptic clues and deadly obstacles that will lead them to him… and then possible let him get back home. Worse, their time is growing short–if they don’t get him home by the winter solstice, Meraud will be lost forever.
See you, space pirates. If you’d like to know more about my secret plans to dominate the seas and skies, you can catch me over at my personal site.