Last Halloween season, I reviewed a delightful collection called Women’s Weird, which sought to highlight female authors of Weird fiction in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This year, the same folks have brought out a second volume, giving us more stories from this under-appreciated area of literature. Women’s Weird 2: More Strange Stories by Women, 1891–1937, edited by Melissa Edmundson, comes out tomorrow, October 27. Continue reading Review of Women’s Weird, Volume 2
Review of The Midnight Bargain—Fantasy and Feminism
Would you risk everything for magic? Beatrice Clayborn faces this choice in C. L. Polk’s latest fantasy novel, The Midnight Bargain. Polk expertly explores themes of women’s rights and bodily autonomy by taking the tropes and atmosphere of a Regency romance and transporting them into an original fantasy world where the practice of magic is segregated by gender. The Midnight Bargain was released just last week, and you can find it in stores now. Continue reading Review of The Midnight Bargain—Fantasy and Feminism
Review of Castle of Horror Anthology Vol. 4: Women Running from Houses
If there’s one thing I’ve discovered from this blog, it’s that I love themed horror anthologies! Whether it’s one of Ellen Datlow’s preeminent collections, an indie press striving to highlight diverse voices, or a scholar dredging up forgotten classics, there’s something irresistible to me about many different authors coming together to bring their unique voices and interpretations to a shared subject. So you know my ears perked up when I heard about a new anthology coming out from the creator of the Castle of Horror podcast that would be inspired by the classic illustrations on the covers of pulpy Gothics from the ’60s and ’70s. Castle of Horror Anthology Volume 4: Women Running from Houses, edited by Jason Henderson, comes out tomorrow, October 13, just in time for Halloween season. Continue reading Review of Castle of Horror Anthology Vol. 4: Women Running from Houses
Ghostly Animals in Gothic Literature
It’s officially spooky season! Now that it’s October, everyone’s got ghosts and ghouls on the mind. Of course, most of my Halloween décor is up all year round, including this delightful art print of spectral kitties by Heather Franzen Rutten. Staring at it the other day got me thinking: Do animals have ghosts? There’s been plenty of philosophical and religious debate on the subject (often hinging on whether animals have souls), but if we turn to Gothic literature, the answer is a resounding “yes!” Below are a few of my favorite stories that feature spectral animals:
Back to School Reading List, Part 2
“Back to School” doesn’t look quite the same this year. Whether you’re attending virtually, in person, hybrid, or still waiting on your school administrators to figure that out, things are sure to be rather chaotic as we try to navigate this new reality of educating during a pandemic. I figured I would try to reintroduce a little normalcy to this fall season by bringing back my old tradition of putting together a mini-syllabus of classic Gothic works for the start of the school year. In my initial Back to School Reading List, I highlighted a few Gothic novels you’re most likely to come across in class. I followed that post up with a Short Story Edition, Drama Edition, and Poetry Edition of the reading list. Today, I’m returning to novels to spotlight a few more classics that didn’t make it into the initial post: Continue reading Back to School Reading List, Part 2
Review of Mexican Gothic
Who says the Gothic has to be relegated to creepy old castles in Europe? While American Gothic has been an established subset of the genre since the nineteenth century, in recent years the Gothic has really expanded into a diversity of settings and perspectives. Celebrated Mexican-Canadian author Silvia Moreno-Garcia brings classic Gothic tropes and story structures into the Mexican countryside in the straightforwardly titled Mexican Gothic, which came out earlier this summer. Continue reading Review of Mexican Gothic
Review of The Scapegracers—Queer Witches and Reckless Magic
It’s The Craft meets Mean Girls—except more heartwarming and queer. That’s the best way I can describe The Scapegracers, the start of a new YA fantasy trilogy by debut novelist Hannah Abigail Clarke. If you love a good found family trope, but also want to see some teen witches funnel their angst into reckless magic, then The Scapegracers is the book for you! It comes out tomorrow, September 15. Continue reading Review of The Scapegracers—Queer Witches and Reckless Magic
September Releases Roundup
I usually only do list posts of new books coming out around New Years, so we can get an idea of what’s in store for the year ahead. But since 2020 has been approximately a million years long, and many things have changed since January, I think we’re due for a check-in. Why now? Well, there’s an unusually high number of books coming out this September—particularly in YA—which is at least partially due to the fact that many releases scheduled for the early days of the pandemic were pushed back to the fall. With so many books coming out this month, I want to highlight a few that shouldn’t get missed:
- Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas (released September 1)
This book was on my original list at the beginning of the year, but its release date got pushed from June to September, so I want to make sure it doesn’t get buried! Cemetery Boys is a debut YA fantasy novel that follows a trans teen named Yadriel as he navigates his community’s gendered magic system and ends up falling in love with a ghost. If you want to hear more, check out my review!
- Wayward Witch by Zoraida Córdova (released September 1)
This is the third and final book in Zoraida Córdova’s Brooklyn Brujas series. If you’re unfamiliar, check out my reviews of the first two books: Labyrinth Lost and Bruja Born. Each book in this series follows a different Mortiz sister as she comes into her powers as a bruja while also negotiating the various trials of adolescence. Now it is the youngest sister’s turn: Rose Mortiz has always been a fixer, trying to smooth over the messes made by the rest of her chaotic family. One such mess is the sudden reappearance of her allegedly amnesiac father. As Rose tries to investigate her father’s past, the two of them get swept into the fairy realm of Adas. In order to make her family whole again, Rose will need to use the full extent of her powers to help heal the realm.
- Scapegracers by Hannah Abigail Clarke (releases September 15)
I’ll be reviewing this one next week, so keep an eye out for more of my thoughts then, but to sum it up: Scapegracers is basically The Craft meets Mean Girls, but heartwarming and queer. Sideways Pike is a lesbian, witch, and lifelong outsider, but when three of the most popular girls in school become interested in magic, they join with her to form a powerful coven. Together, they cast curses on boys, fight off fundamentalist witch hunters, and explore the impressive reaches of their power—yet the most magical thing of all to heart-hardened Sideways might be this messy, complicated, beautiful thing called friendship.
- Horrid by Katrina Lino (releases September 15)
It’s the cover on this one that really draws me in. Horrid is a YA contemporary horror novel about a teenager named Jane North-Robinson who moves with her mother back into her mother’s childhood home in New England. But like any good Gothic setting, North Manor is full of secrets—particularly, a locked door that leads to a little girl’s bedroom that has been left untouched for decades. As Jane learns more about her mother’s past, she must grapple with grief, mental illness, and perhaps something far more sinister.
- Vampires Never Get Old: Tales with Fresh Bite edited by Zoraida Córdova and Natalie C. Parker (releases September 22)
I cannot even begin to express how hyped I am for this anthology! As soon as I saw the deal announcement many months ago, I knew it heralded something I’ve been waiting years for: vampires are back in fashion! Well, truthfully, vampires are never out of fashion. But we seem to be on the brink of a fresh wave of vampire fiction, this time centering new viewpoints from diverse voices. Vampires Never Get Old contains stories written by some of today’s most celebrated YA authors including Dhonielle Clayton, Rebecca Roanhorse, Mark Oshiro, and many more! I can’t wait to sink my teeth into this collection and see in what new ways these ancient creatures have grown.
What are you reading this September? Are you planning to get any of these new releases? Let me know in the comments!
Review of Cemetery Boys—Ghosts and Gendered Magic
It’s one thing to bring a boy home in Yadriel’s traditional Latinx family—but it’s quite another thing to bring home a ghost boy… It’s finally here! The book I’ve been most excited for this year. Cemetery Boys is a YA fantasy novel by debut author Aiden Thomas that combines queer romance, gender transition, coming-of-age, latinx culture-inspired magic, and a murder mystery. It was originally scheduled to come out in June, but thanks to coronavirus reschedulings, we’ve had to wait three more agonizing months. Thankfully, the book will finally be out tomorrow, September 1. Continue reading Review of Cemetery Boys—Ghosts and Gendered Magic
The Ever-Changing Characteristics of Vampires
Vampires have been a staple of Gothic and horror literature since they first came to Western Europe’s attention in the mid-eighteenth century. And yet, they never seem to be depicted the same way twice. Can they transform into bats or pass through locked doors? Do they kill with every bite or coexist peacefully with humans? Every author that tackles the vampire must first lay out some ground rules, picking and choosing from contradictory elements of the vampire mythos. Below are just a few of the characteristics that vary from vampire to vampire:
Continue reading The Ever-Changing Characteristics of Vampires