Evie and the Pack-Horse Librarians by Laurel Beckley
CW: racial slights, mentioning of amputation
If you want a very cute fantasy novella featuring a joyous cast of LGBTQ+ people, Evie and the Pack-Horse Librarians should be your top choice.
Where Dreams Descend (Kingdom of Cards #1) by Janella Angeles
Glorian is a cursed city. When a magician competition was held there, Kallia, eager to leave Jack’s club and prove that women should have a place in performance magic, joined it despite Jack’s warning. Things went awry from there and no one knew why.
Soldier of Dorsa (The Chronicles of Dorsa #2) by Eliza Andrews
I am definitely biased because I adore Princess of Dorsa.
While Soldier of Dorsa did not grasp my heart as much as the first book did, I still enjoyed it very much. There were times I was so scared for Tasia and Joslyn that I dared not continue reading. But I pushed myself to read on because the suspense of not reading was killing me anyway. The overall plot was very good despite some flow disruptions due to multiple flashbacks and alternations between Tasia’s and Joslyn’s storylines. The pacing was also a bit too fast towards the end as even more things were happening at the same time. I figure the story would flow amazingly if adapted to screen.
Princess of Dorsa (The Chronicles of Dorsa #1) by Eliza Andrews
A book that leaves me a puddle from my own sheer emotion is always a good book.
I haven’t read fantasy in a couple of months and Princess of Dorsa has made me want to find all the fantasy books with strong, queer, female leads and read them. While I would not say it is perfectly written (an example, and sole example to date, of a perfectly written fantasy is Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn), the overall story is amazing and I love it for igniting all kinds of emotions within me.
Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows #2) by Leigh Bardugo
Even more compelling than Six of Crows, I find myself loving this book. The story was a rollercoaster, unveiling new surprises after every sharp turn. A riveting book indeed.