92. That Self-Same Metal by Brittany N. Williams
Y’all, we’re on a winning streak with the books this season! That Self-Same Metal by Brittany N. Williams is the first book in the Forage and Fracture Saga, and it’s set in 1600s England.. It’s got Fae, Orisha, Shakespeare, a cool magical system, and a gorgeous cover! Get thee to the library for a copy! Recommend if you like… Legendborn and Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn (Episode 51 and Episode 75, respectively) Folk of the Air series by Holly Black (Episode 8, Episode 16, and Episode 35) Shakespeare stuff, including adaptations Children of Blood and Bone by Toni Adeyemi (Episode 2) The Great White Bard: How to Love Shakespeare While Talking About Race by Farah Karim-Cooper “A…
84. Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen (and the end of Season 5!)
We’re finishing out Season 5 strong with this discussion of Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen. Simidele has been transformed into a Mami Wata (aka mer-person) by the orisa Yemoja, tasked with gathering souls of Africans who fall, jump, or are thrown into the sea from enslavers’ ships. Chaos ensues when Simidele strays from the brief and rescues Adekola (or Kola for short) from drowning. There’s a quest, a trickster figure, cool side characters, and the book is bursting with magic inspired by various African folklores, mythologies, and cultures. We both loved this book, from the unique premise and character development to the expansive world building that completely immersed us (no water…
72. The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros
Today we’re discussing an historical fantasy novel, The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros. Set in Chicago in the late 1800s, Romanian Jewish immigrant Alter Rosen is swept up in a city-wide mystery after his bestie and crush Yakov is killed (spoiler! Sorry not sorry but if you didn’t guess it was queer then what show do you even think you’re listening to?!). There’s an anarchist side kick, some possession, and lots of chaos! This book was suggested by the wonderful roro_suri on instagram, who always has really strong book recs. Many thanks to them and our Patrons for these book recommendations to start us off for Season 5. Content warning…
