We Will Set Right the Imbalance In the World

SPOILER ALERT
This review is for those who have read or are familiar with the previous books in the Avatar: The Last Airbender series, or don't mind knowing spoilers for them.
SPOILER ALERT

Avatar: The Last Airbender
Imbalance
By Faith Erin Hicks & Peter Wartman
in collaboration with Bryan Konietzko & Michael Dante DiMartino
Amazon ~ Powell's

When Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph return to Earthen Fire Industries--the factory owned by Toph's father--Aang is surprised when their arrival is met with a cold shoulder. As soon as the team is asked for help at a business council meeting, the reason for the slight becomes clear: a massive bender-versus-non-bender conflict has gripped the town and is threatening to turn violent. In order to heal the divide and save the town, Aang and the team will all face tough decisions about power and identity that could tear them apart.


This is it. The final chapter (so far) in Avatar Aang's journeys following the end of the war. I'll admit, I was both excited and cautiously apprehensive going into this. For all intents and purposes, this is the finale of the series, so a lot rides on this to get things right and give us a satisfying conclusion to everything that's come so far. But it should also work as its own story, and set up for the future we see in Legend of Korra. With so much riding on just one story, could it ever match my expectations?

A Northerner, a Southerner, and an Air Nomad, All Working Together

SPOILER ALERT
This review is for those who have read or are familiar with the previous books in the Avatar: The Last Airbender series or don't mind knowing spoilers for them.
SPOILER ALERT

Avatar: The Last Airbender
North and South
By Gene Luen Yang & Gurihiru
in collaboration with Bryan Konietzko & Michael Dante DiMartino
Amazon ~ Powell's

When Katara and Sokka return home to the Southern Water Tribe, they are shocked to find that it has gone from a small village to a bustling city! Malina, a Northerner, is behind the change and plans to unify the Water Tribes, but Gilak, a Southerner, leads a fierce rebellion to stop her. In the face of these two opposing tribes, Katara will have to make peace with her nostalgia and mistrust to save the home she loves from being permanently torn apart.


Welp, it's finally time to focus on Katara and Sokka. While they were present in books 1-3, and had a very short stint in book 4 (mostly setting up this book), I can't say the pair ever had much impact in their stories, aside from comic relief or sideplots. So I was happy to finally get them front and center, especially if their story was all it promised to be.

A Little Smoke Was All It Took To Get the Better of the Mighty Avatar

SPOILER ALERT
This review is for those who have read or are familiar with the previous books in the Avatar: The Last Airbender series, or don't mind knowing spoilers for them.
SPOILER ALERT

Avatar: The Last Airbender
Smoke and Shadow
By Gene Luen Yang & Gurihiru
in collaboration with Bryan Konietzko & Michael Dante DiMartino
Amazon ~ Powell's

The Fire Nation is threatened by a prophecy told by the Kemurikage--mysterious figures thought only to exist in legend: remove Zuko from the throne or the country will perish! Unrest is brewing as the New Ozai Society prepares to make its move against the crown, and children begin to go missing from their homes under mysterious circumstances! Avatar Aang and his friends are doing everything in their power to save them--but will it be enough?!


I'll admit, when I realized that this would be a continuation of Zuko's family's story following The Search, I was a bit more excited than I was for The Rift. I mean, I love Toph, and it's interesting seeing what the Fire Nation colonies are getting around to, but between Zuko and Azula and their mother, there's just so much drama and baggage to unpack. Add in some good political intrigue and a mystery to things, and I'm sold!

A Failed Queen Without a Kingdom

~This Woven Kingdom~
Book 1
By Tahereh Mafi
Amazon ~ Powell's

Clashing empires, forbidden romance, and a long-forgotten queen destined to save her people—Tahereh Mafi’s first in an epic, romantic trilogy inspired by Persian mythology.

To all the world, Alizeh is a disposable servant, not the long-lost heir to an ancient Jinn kingdom forced to hide in plain sight.

The crown prince, Kamran, has heard the prophecies foretelling the death of his king. But he could never have imagined that the servant girl with the strange eyes, the girl he can’t put out of his mind, would one day soon uproot his kingdom—and the world.


I'm obviously no stranger to Mafi's works, having made my way through her entire 11-part Shatter Me series. But upon finishing the last installment of that series last fall, I noticed a 2-chapter preview of her upcoming fantasy work, This Woven Kingdom, and decided to try it. Having also read through her fantasy books, Furthermore & Whichwood, I knew she'd dabbled in the genre before, but I was interested to see what track she'd take with fantasy, romance, and YA. Needless to say, I was immediately hooked, and was then forced to eagerly await the book's release. A secret queen of a magical people, forced to hide her identity in squalor and servitude, tormented by whispers from the devil, and unknowingly headed toward a forbidden romance—what more could I ask for?

We Rise From the Ashes Together

SPOILER ALERT
This review is for those who have read or are familiar with the previous book, Wings of Ebony, or don't mind knowing spoilers for it.
SPOILER ALERT

~Ashes of Gold~
Wings of Ebony
Book 2
By J. Elle
Amazon ~ Powell's

Rue has no memory of how she ended up locked in a basement prison without her magic or her allies. But she’s a girl from the East Row. And girls from the East Row don’t give up. Girls from the East Row pick themselves back up when they fall. Girls from the East Row break themselves out.

But reuniting with her friends is only half the battle. When she finds them again, Rue makes a vow: she will find a way to return the magic that the Chancellor has stolen from her father’s people. Yet even on Yiyo Peak, Rue is a misfit—with half a foot back in Houston and half a heart that is human as well as god, she’s not sure she’s the right person to lead the fight to reclaim a glorious past.

When a betrayal sends her into a tailspin, Rue must decide who to trust and how to be the leader that her people deserve…because if she doesn’t, it isn’t just Yiyo that will be destroyed—it will be Rue herself.


This was kind of a surprise pickup for me. I didn't love the first book, finding it just okay when compared to some of the other books surrounding the same sort of topics, so I wasn't exactly chomping at the bit to return to Rue's world. But when ads described this as the conclusion to a duology—a surprise to me—I figured it would be a good idea to go ahead and finish the series. So I went ahead and re-read Wings of Ebony and jumped straight in on this sequel.

Did I Ever Mention How Much I Love Wolves and Cheetahs?

SPOILER ALERT
This review is for those who have read or are familiar with the previous two books in the Teen Titans graphic novel series, or don't mind knowing spoilers for them.
SPOILER ALERT

Beast Boy Loves Raven
Teen Titans
Book 3
By Kami Garcia & Gabriel Picolo
Amazon ~ Powell's

It seems like years, but it’s only been a few days since Raven Roth recovered her memories, trapped her demon father, Trigon, into her amulet, and had her heart broken for the first time. But she doesn’t have time to think about the past…she has to focus on finding a way to get rid of Trigon for good.

Garfield Logan still can’t believe he has powers that allow him to change into different animals, but the price of knowing that his parents kept this secret hidden from him just feels too high. And what’s more, his difficulty controlling these abilities could have unexpected consequences.

Both are seeking answers from the one person who seems to have them all figured out: Slade Wilson.

When their paths converge in Nashville, Raven and Gar can’t help but feel a connection, despite the secrets they both try to hide. It will take a great amount of trust and courage to overcome the wounds of their pasts. But can they find acceptance for the darkest part of themselves? Or maybe even love?


Coming off of both characters introductions, I was itching to finally move on with their story. Add to that the anticipation of seeing one of my first major OTP's coming into the story, and you can bet I was that much more impatient to dive in. After waiting for my library to finally get a copy in, I wasted no time getting into it.

Vampires Are Eternal, Reborn, and Living in Our Nightmares

~Vampires Never Get Old~
Tales With Fresh Bite
An Anthology by Zoraida Córdova, Natalie C. Parker,
Samira Ahmed, Dhonielle Clayton, Tessa Gratton, Heidi Heilig, Julie Murphy, Mark Oshiro, Rebecca Roanhorse, Laura Ruby,
Victoria "V.E." Schwab, & Kayla Whaley
Amazon ~ Powell's

Eleven fresh vampire stories from young adult fiction’s leading voices!

In this delicious new collection, you’ll find stories about lurking vampires of social media, rebellious vampires hungry for more than just blood, eager vampires coming out―and going out for their first kill―and other bold, breathtaking, dangerous, dreamy, eerie, iconic, powerful creatures of the night.

Welcome to the evolution of the vampire—and a revolution on the page.


My library has been a bit hit-or-miss with the Vampire Book Club's selections, but I was able to find this one for December. Admittedly, I wasn't in the best mental space to read books surrounding death and immortality, having lost my grandmother last year and having that wound reopened with our cat's death (cancer) just after reading the first story. But after a bit of time (and some Christmas movies & music) I was excited to dive back in and experience some new takes on one of my favorite paranormal creatures.

Do You Wish to Know the Truth of the Divine?

SPOILER ALERT
This review is for those who have read or are familiar with the previous book, Axiom's End, or don't mind knowing spoilers for it. This book, however, will not be spoiled.
SPOILER ALERT

~Truth of the Divine~
Noumena
Book 2
By Lindsay Ellis
Amazon ~ Powell's

The human race is at a crossroads; we know that we are not alone, but details about the alien presence on Earth are still being withheld from the public. As the political climate grows more unstable, the world is forced to consider the ramifications of granting human rights to nonhuman persons. How do you define “person” in the first place?

Cora Sabino not only serves as the full-time communication intermediary between the alien entity Ampersand and his government chaperones but also shares a mysterious bond with him that is both painful and intimate in ways neither of them could have anticipated. Despite this, Ampersand is still keen on keeping secrets, even from Cora, which backfires on them both when investigative journalist Kaveh Mazandarani, a close colleague of Cora’s unscrupulous estranged father, witnesses far more of Ampersand’s machinations than anyone was meant to see.

Since Cora has no choice but to trust Kaveh, the two must work together to prove to a fearful world that intelligent, conscious beings should be considered persons, no matter how horrifying, powerful, or malicious they may seem. Making this case is hard enough when the public doesn’t know what it’s dealing with—and it will only become harder when a mysterious flash illuminates the sky, marking the arrival of an agent of chaos that will light an already-unstable world on fire.


No complicated backstory with this one. I follow the author on YouTube, read the first book, knew the sequel was coming out, and picked it up when it did. After the quasi-cliffhanger we were left, with regard to Cora and Ampersand's newly formed bond, it was really a no-brainer that I'd feel compelled to continue the series. And so I did.

Impossible That Anything Could Break up the Squad

~Squad~
By Maggie Tokuda-Hall
& Lisa Sterle
Amazon ~ Powell's

When Becca transfers to a high school in an elite San Francisco suburb, she’s worried she’s not going to fit in. To her surprise, she’s immediately adopted by the most popular girls in school. At first glance, Marley, Arianna, and Mandy are perfect. But at a party under a full moon, Becca learns that they also have a big secret.

Becca’s new friends are werewolves. Their prey? Slimy boys who take advantage of unsuspecting girls. Eager to be accepted, Becca allows her friends to turn her into a werewolf, and finally, for the first time in her life, she feels like she truly belongs.

But things get complicated when Arianna’s predatory boyfriend is killed, and the cops begin searching for a serial killer. As their pack begins to buckle under the pressure—and their moral high ground gets muddier and muddier—Becca realizes that she might have feelings for one of her new best friends.


When this one popped up on my Facebook newsfeed, I immediately knew I had to grab it. Between the enticing cover, the premise of hunting skeevy guys, and the fact that it featured werewolves—my absolute favorite of all supernatural creatures—it seemed the perfect fit to fill a slot in my spooky month! You know what they say about too much hype, though...

Vampires Are United by One Unavoidable Fact: We Are Our Hunger

~Certain Dark Things~
By Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Amazon ~ Powell's

Welcome to Mexico City, an oasis in a sea of vampires. Domingo, a lonely garbage-collecting street kid, is just trying to survive its heavily policed streets when a jaded vampire on the run swoops into his life. Atl, the descendant of Aztec blood drinkers, is smart, beautiful, and dangerous. Domingo is mesmerized.

Atl needs to quickly escape the city, far from the rival narco-vampire clan relentlessly pursuing her. Her plan doesn’t include Domingo, but little by little, Atl finds herself warming up to the scrappy young man and his undeniable charm. As the trail of corpses stretches behind her, local cops and crime bosses both start closing in.

Vampires, humans, cops, and criminals collide in the dark streets of Mexico City. Do Atl and Domingo even stand a chance of making it out alive? Or will the city devour them all?


This month's pick for Maven's Vampire Book Club is a recent reprint following the author's wildly successful Mexican Gothic, which I admittedly haven't read yet. So, other than knowing that this author has gotten a lot of praise for her suspenseful and beautiful writing, I had absolutely no idea what I was getting into. I'm not one who usually enjoys gritty stories (I'm a bit put off by the mention of "narco-vampires"), but a kick-ass vampire on the run with a charming human sounds like it could be fun, right? Right?

Gotham High School - Home of the Bats

~Gotham High~
By Melissa de la Cruz
& Thomas Pitilli
Amazon ~ Powell's

After being kicked out of his boarding school, 17-year-old Bruce Wayne returns to Gotham City to find that nothing is as he left it. What once was his family home is now an empty husk, lonely but haunted by the memory of his parents' murder. Selina Kyle, once the innocent girl next door, now rules over Gotham High School with a dangerous flair, aided by the class clown, Jack Napier.

When a kidnapping rattles the school, Bruce seeks answers as the dark and troubled knight--but is he actually the pawn? Nothing is ever as it seems, especially at Gotham High, where the parties and romances are of the highest stakes ... and where everyone is a suspect.

With enchanting art by Thomas Pitilli, this new graphic novel is just as intoxicating as it is chilling, in which dearest friends turn into greatest enemies--all within the hallways of Gotham High!


I'm actually not that big of a Batman fan. Okay, so I've watched the Christopher Nolan films, the Adam West movie, all of Batman Beyond, a bit of The Animated Series, the first season of Gotham, reviews of some of the more well-known comics, playthroughs of the Arkham games, and his appearances in Justice League stuff, but...is that really enough to be called a fan and not just culturally knowledgeable? Lol. Anyway, after seeing this as a recommendation off of the Teen Titans novels I just reviewed, I figured another modern YA interpretation of classic characters might be fun to continue in this spooky month.

Start Calling Me the Beast Boy

~Beast Boy~
Teen Titans
Book 2
By Kami Garcia & Gabriel Picolo
Amazon ~ Powell's

Garfield Logan has spent his entire life being overlooked. Even in a small town like Eden, Georgia, the 17-year-old with green streaks in his hair can’t find a way to stand out–and the clock is ticking. Senior year is almost over. If Gar doesn’t find a way to impress the Chosen Ones–the social elite at Bull Creek High School–he will never know what it’s like to matter. Gar’s best friends, Stella and Tank, don’t understand why he cares what other people think. They miss their funny, pizza-loving, video game-obsessed best friend.

Then Gar accepts a wild dare out of the blue. It impresses the Chosen Ones and his social status soars. But other things are changing, too. Gar grows six inches overnight. His voice drops and, suddenly, he’s stronger and faster. He’s finally getting everything he wanted, but his newfound popularity comes at a price. Gar has to work harder to impress his new friends. The dares keep getting bigger and the stakes keep getting higher.

When Gar realizes the extent of his physical changes, he has to dig deep and face the truth about himself–and the people who truly matter–before his life spirals out of control.


As I said last time, my first introduction to the Teen Titans was via the Cartoon Network show. Beast Boy always appealed to me, partly because of his sense of humor, and partly because his super power was becoming any animal you could think of. Granted, all his animals were green, but just the ability to be a human one moment and a bird the next was definitely a power fantasy of mine. So when I saw him on a book cover, I immediately knew I had to check the series out. Coming off of Raven's quick-paced introduction, I had my suspicions that this might be a flashback of sorts...but there was only one way to find out!

My Friends Call Me Raven

~Raven~
Teen Titans
Book 1
By Kami Garcia & Gabriel Picolo
Amazon ~ Powell's

When a tragic accident takes the life of seventeen-year-old Raven Roth’s foster mom—and Raven’s memory—she moves to New Orleans to live with her foster mother’s family and finish her senior year of high school.

Starting over isn’t easy. Raven remembers how to solve math equations and make pasta, but she can’t remember her favorite song or who she was before the accident. When strange things start happening—things most people would consider impossible—Raven starts to think it might be better not to know who she was in her previous life.

But as she grows closer to her foster sister, Max, her new friends, and Tommy Torres, a guy who accepts her for who she is now, Raven has to decide if she’s ready to face what’s buried in the past...and the darkness building inside her.


My first introduction to Raven and the Teen Titans was via the Cartoon Network show which ran from 2003 to 2006, while I was in high school. I loved the action, the comedy, and all the characters, but especially Raven—who had the perfect amount of snark and intelligence to appeal to teenagers, plus a ton of drama and angst to keep you invested in her story—and Beast Boy—the shapeshifter and goofball. So when I saw they each had a new book/graphic novel out, I knew I had to jump in on that nostalgia and see what my fave Titans were up to.

With Every Flap of the Strixes’ Ink-Black Wings Came Shadows

SPOILER ALERT
This review is for those who have read or are familiar with the previous books, Crown of Feathers & Heart of Flames, or don't mind knowing some spoilers for them.
SPOILER ALERT

~Wings of Shadow~
Crown of Feathers
Book 3
By Nicki Pau Preto
Amazon ~ Powell's

I had a sister, once…

Veronyka is no longer an orphaned stable boy or a nameless Phoenix Rider apprentice: she is the daughter of Pheronia Ashfire, the last queen of the Golden Empire…and the niece of Avalkyra Ashfire, the resurrected rebel queen who tore the empire apart.

We shone brightly, burned fiercely.

Now that the secret is out, everyone at the Eyrie treats Veronyka differently, and with Tristan still a hostage of the scheming Lord Rolan—and Sev with him as a spy—Veronyka feels very much alone. Except for her beloved phoenix, Xephyra, of course, and her new friend, Kade, who has his own reasons for wanting to save Tristan.

Was it always going to come down to this? Sister against sister? Darkness against light?

Veronyka is determined to do whatever it takes to get Tristan back, even if that means revealing her identity to the world and inheriting a throne she’s not sure she wants. But when she discovers that Avalkyra has bonded with a strix—a legendary creature of darkness that feeds off the life force of others—Veronyka realizes she has more to deal with than an encroaching war with the empire. Val is willing to destroy everything to get her revenge on a world that rejected her, and if Veronyka wants to bring peace to the empire and Pyra alike, she must face down her sister once and for all.

The world began with Ashfire queens…perhaps they will also be its destruction.


I can't begin to tell you how pumped I was for this book. I didn't even want to read the book's summary, I was so ready to just dive in. With the last couple series enders I've read being a bit disappointing, I probably should have had a bit more apprehension going in, but with my re-read out of the way (and two amazing audios enhancing my experience) I was eager to see what the shadows had in store for me...

Roses Can Bloom in the Hardest Conditions

~Concrete Rose~
By Angie Thomas
Amazon ~ Powell's

If there’s one thing seventeen-year-old Maverick Carter knows, it’s that a real man takes care of his family. As the son of a former gang legend, Mav does that the only way he knows how: dealing for the King Lords. With this money he can help his mom, who works two jobs while his dad’s in prison.

Life’s not perfect, but with a fly girlfriend and a cousin who always has his back, Mav’s got everything under control.

Until, that is, Maverick finds out he’s a father.

Suddenly he has a baby, Seven, who depends on him for everything. But it’s not so easy to sling dope, finish school, and raise a child. So when he’s offered the chance to go straight, he takes it. In a world where he’s expected to amount to nothing, maybe Mav can prove he’s different.

When King Lord blood runs through your veins, though, you can't just walk away. Loyalty, revenge, and responsibility threaten to tear Mav apart, especially after the brutal murder of a loved one. He’ll have to figure out for himself what it really means to be a man.


Returning to the world from The Hate U Give, this time in a prequel featuring Starr's dad, I'll admit I was hesitant to jump in this time. Not only have I been continually heartbroken and dejected the more I hear and read about Black people's ongoing plight in the US lately, and I know this author never pulls her punches, but I was also apprehensive about focusing on gang activity, recalling some of Maverick's past from the first book. Even knowing what he would become in the future, I was hesitant to know just what her dad had been involved in before turning his life around. Still, I trust Angie Thomas by now, so I went ahead and took the plunge.

Welcome to Cheshire Crossing

~Cheshire Crossing~
By Andy Weir & Sarah Andersen
Amazon ~ Powell's

The three meet here, at Cheshire Crossing--a boarding school where girls like them learn how to cope with their supernatural experiences and harness their magical world-crossing powers.

But the trio--now teenagers, who've had their fill of meddling authority figures--aren't content to sit still in a classroom. Soon they're dashing from one universe to the next, leaving havoc in their wake--and, inadvertently, bringing the Wicked Witch and Hook together in a deadly supervillain love match.

To stop them, the girls will have to draw on all of their powers . . . and marshal a team of unlikely allies from across the magical multiverse.


I actually came upon this book when I was searching the library catalog to put an early hold on Project Hail Mary. So when I pulled up Andy Weir on Libby, along with his other sci-fi novels, this one popped up. A MG/YA illustrated fanfic about Alice, Wendy, and Dorothy exploring multiple universes together? Uh, sounds kinda crazy, but sign me up!

Damned to Darkness for All Eternity

SPOILER ALERT
This review is for those who have read or are familiar with the previous book, The Beautiful, or don't mind knowing spoilers for it. This book, however, will not be spoiled.
SPOILER ALERT

~The Damned~
The Beautiful
Book 2
By Renée Ahdieh
Amazon ~ Powell's

Following the events of The Beautiful, Sébastien Saint Germain is now cursed and forever changed. The treaty between the Fallen and the Brotherhood has been broken, and war between the immortals seems imminent. The price of loving Celine was costly. But Celine has also paid a high price for loving Bastien.

Still recovering from injuries sustained during a night she can’t quite remember, her dreams are troubled. And she doesn’t know she has inadvertently set into motion a chain of events that could lead to her demise and unveil a truth about herself she’s not quite ready to learn.

Forces hiding in the shadows have been patiently waiting for this moment for centuries. And just as Bastien and Celine begin to uncover the danger around them, they learn their love could tear them apart.


This is the first sequel The Vampire Book Club has picked thus far, so I was pretty excited to enter this world. I caught up on The Beautiful earlier this week and really enjoyed it, finding it a fun and well-crafted mix of familiar modern and classic stories. With that experience fresh in my mind, and a bombastic ending to boot, I was eager to continue the story and see just where Bastien and Celine got to next.

It May Be Beautiful, but Beauty Is a Danger to Behold

~The Beautiful~
Book 1
By Renée Ahdieh
Amazon ~ Powell's

In 1872, New Orleans is a city ruled by the dead. But to seventeen-year-old Celine Rousseau, New Orleans provides her a refuge after she's forced to flee her life as a dressmaker in Paris. Taken in by the sisters of the Ursuline convent along with six other girls, Celine quickly becomes enamored with the vibrant city from the music to the food to the soirées and—especially—to the danger. She soon becomes embroiled in the city's glitzy underworld, known as La Cour des Lions, after catching the eye of the group's leader, the enigmatic Sébastien Saint Germain. When the body of one of the girls from the convent is found in the lair of La Cour des Lions, Celine battles her attraction to him and suspicions about Sébastien's guilt along with the shame of her own horrible secret.

When more bodies are discovered, each crime more gruesome than the last, Celine and New Orleans become gripped by the terror of a serial killer on the loose—one Celine is sure has set her in his sights . . . and who may even be the young man who has stolen her heart. As the murders continue to go unsolved, Celine takes matters into her own hands and soon uncovers something even more shocking: an age-old feud from the darkest creatures of the underworld reveals a truth about Celine she always suspected simmered just beneath the surface.


This is the first of the Vampire Book Club picks that I've gotten to from before I joined. That's right, it's time I catch up on some of the prior club picks...so I can read the current club pick, the sequel to this book! I swear, I'll get to more of the previous club books (I'm especially interested in A Discovery of Witches), but this makes as good excuse as any, right? Honestly didn't know anything going in other than the cover was pretty, it has vampires, and the first line of the summary places it in the 1800s. What have I got to lose?

I Wouldn’t Believe These Stories Either, but Hey, They Happened

You'll Never Believe
What Happened to Lacey
Crazy Stories about Racism
By Amber Ruffin & Lacey Lamar
Amazon ~ Powell's

Now a writer and performer on Late Night with Seth Meyers and host of The Amber Ruffin Show, Amber Ruffin lives in New York, where she is no one's First Black Friend and everyone is, as she puts it, "stark raving normal." But Amber's sister Lacey? She's still living in their home state of Nebraska, and trust us, you'll never believe what happened to Lacey.

From racist donut shops to strangers putting their whole hand in her hair, from being mistaken for a prostitute to being mistaken for Harriet Tubman, Lacey is a lightning rod for hilariously ridiculous yet all-too-real anecdotes. She's the perfect mix of polite, beautiful, petite, and Black that apparently makes people think, "I can say whatever I want to this woman." And now, Amber and Lacey share these entertainingly horrifying stories through their laugh-out-loud sisterly banter. Painfully relatable or shockingly eye-opening (depending on how often you have personally been followed by security at department stores), this book tackles modern-day racism with the perfect balance of levity and gravity.


I've been watching Late Night with Seth Meyers for a few years now, and have always loved Amber's segments. Whether it's Amber Says What, Point, Counterpoint, Jokes Seth Can't Tell, or now The Amber Ruffin Show on Peacock, she is always amazing at telling stories or quips filled with heart and humor. I feel like we got our first taste of her skill with finding the humor in dark situations when she shared stories of her run-ins with police following the murder of George Floyd in 2020. So it was with both eagerness and apprehension that I found this book. Sure, I knew I was in for some entertainment, but it's one of those things where you're not sure if you're supposed to laugh or just feel horrified.

Gilda Had Written the Stories of Their History

~The Gilda Stories~
By Jewelle L. Gómez
Amazon ~ Powell's

Before Buffy, before Twilight, before Octavia Butler's Fledgling, there was The Gilda Stories, Jewelle Gómez's sexy vampire novel.

This remarkable novel begins in 1850s Louisiana, where Gilda escapes slavery and learns about freedom while working in a brothel. After being initiated into eternal life as one who "shares the blood" by two women there, Gilda spends the next two hundred years searching for a place to call home.

An instant lesbian classic when it was first published in 1991, The Gilda Stories has endured as an auspiciously prescient book in its explorations of blackness, radical ecology, re-definitions of family, and yes, the erotic potential of the vampire story.


Breaking out of my reading slump to read last month's pick in Maven of the Eventide's (aka Elisa Hansen's) Vampire Book Club proved to be no easy feat. Unfortunately, my library did not carry the audiobook, and it turned out I had other obligations the night of the meeting. Luckily I found a copy of the audio online, and, as always, the book club meetings are saved for posterity, so while I wasn't there for the live discussion, I was able to participate in some ways (unlike the previous month's when my library didn't even carry a text copy for The Silver Kiss). And though I'd never heard of this book before the club picked it out, the premise seemed especially intriguing and I was eager to experience it. Let me just say, wow.