4.5⭐️ This book is my Roman Empire. It was written for the lovers of all things gothic, the creampuffs who are now adults, and people obsessed with va4.5⭐️ This book is my Roman Empire. It was written for the lovers of all things gothic, the creampuffs who are now adults, and people obsessed with vampires.
I’ve read so many Carmilla retellings & watched many more that at this point it takes something I adored to stand out. This adaption was both so incredibly different whilst remaining true to the feel of the original book.
Without giving spoilers it’s gritty and spicy, dark and eerie whilst being so incredibly romantic in a slowburn rivals to lovers kind of way.
Rep// Plus sized Lesbian MC, Sapphic MC, Lesbian SC, Queer SCs. Relationship featured is WLW, though there is one group sex scene involving two women and a man.
Thank you to Orbit for sending me a copy for review!
TW’s listed below, please skip if you don’t want vague spoilers.
Tw// gore, blood drinking, sex, group sex, public sex, kink (including binds and edging), alcohol and drug use, smoking, inappropriate relationship between student & professor (no sex etc.) ...more
3.7⭐️ Sapphic witches, paranormal creatures, and a serial killer to track down.
This gave me Mystery Inc vibes only make them all scorned women with m3.7⭐️ Sapphic witches, paranormal creatures, and a serial killer to track down.
This gave me Mystery Inc vibes only make them all scorned women with magical powers in a world that’s a whole lot more gritty and gruesome.
It’s a great book for a cold winters night and great for horror, crime, fantasy and mystery fans.
I did enjoy this but at times wasn’t always keen on the pacing. The ending in particular felt rather rushed and I wanted to see more of it explored. However the plot was gripping and I didn’t predict where it was going.
Rep// lesbian MC with chronic pain, sapphic MC.
Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy for review.
TW’s listed below, please skip if you don’t want vague info.
Tw// death of a family member, death, serial killer themes, graphic murder and bodies, vomiting, drug use brief, parental abandonment, chronic pain, gun violence, knives & self harm (brief, for blood magic), abuse (physical, NOT sexual)...more
The audiobook narration of this is probably the best narration I’ve ever heard. 10/10.
Now for the story itself, Ring Shout is incredibly fast paced, The audiobook narration of this is probably the best narration I’ve ever heard. 10/10.
Now for the story itself, Ring Shout is incredibly fast paced, bleak, and emotional.
It takes place in 1920s Georgia and deals with themes of racism and the KKK.
What was odd was that my favourite character was actually a side character. I love when a story puts just as much focus on building up the stories of those around the central character, and Sadie and Chef in particular were a joy to listen to and their backgrounds held just as much emotional depth as the MC.
Rep// Black MC, Black Lesbian Prominent SC, BIPOC SC’s.
TW’s listed below, please skip if you don’t want spoilers.
Tw// racism (heavy themes), KKK and extremist views, hangings, shootings, death of family members (past), mentions of enslaved people, mentions (off page) of rape of enslaved person, death, eye gore, animal death (dog), some scenes that may trigger trypophobia, antisemitism, house fire and burns. ...more
What in the ever loving f*** did I just read? I wanted a horror but holy hell will this make your st3.7 ⭐️ Category is Unhinged Cottagecore Sapphics.
What in the ever loving f*** did I just read? I wanted a horror but holy hell will this make your stomach turn in a repulsive kind of way. *yes I will read it again thank you*
I know folk are saying this is predictable, and it is, but I also feel like this is intentional. Because the whole story you will feel vile because of exactly that.
I really enjoyed this. It’s a quick read and I will say it doesn’t feel entirely original but I’ve consumed so much horror that little does. Regardless this kept me interested and I didn’t put it down.
Rep// Sapphic MC’s, Relationship featured is WLW / sapphic.
Thank you Titan for providing me with an ARC for review.
TW’s listed below.
Extensive TWs I will add after the books release, but this does include heavy themes of childhood assault (past, on page description vague) & heavy gore.
3.5 ⭐️ An interesting Chinese mythology twist on the classic.
I’m glad this wasn’t simply another Carmilla retelling because I feel like we’ve had so 3.5 ⭐️ An interesting Chinese mythology twist on the classic.
I’m glad this wasn’t simply another Carmilla retelling because I feel like we’ve had so many recently and many are very close to the original text. Saying that I am WEAK for all things Carmilla.
This comic explores Carmilla through a different lens and also gave us a butch/androgynous sapphic MC.
It’s gritty and still horror but perhaps more leaning towards action horror than gore. I wasn’t hugely keen on the artwork and the story was fairly predictable if you’ve read or seen any Carmilla content in the past but the mythology did shake that up. I’m glad I read it and did enjoy it but it’s not one I would re-read.
I also felt the harm to the trans character was a little unnecessary and didn’t actually add anything of impact to the story.
Rep// Chinese American Butch/Androgynous Sapphic MC with Buddhist family, Black Sapphic SC, White Sapphic MC. Relationship focus is WLW.
TWs below, please skip if you don’t want vague spoilers.
Tw//CW// cancer, murder of trans person (on page), murder of black character (off page), deadnaming, misgendering, police brutality, homophobia, homophobic slur, murder, dead bodies depicted, addiction themes, alcohol, xenophobia, ageism, death of a family member, scenes with fire....more
3.4 ⭐️ Sapphic couple inherits a haunted house from hell… okay I’m intrigued.
Will be interested to see where this series goes. The first instalment wa3.4 ⭐️ Sapphic couple inherits a haunted house from hell… okay I’m intrigued.
Will be interested to see where this series goes. The first instalment was fairly solid and the artwork was a classic style that I enjoyed with bold colour pallets.
If you’re looking for a horror paranormal romance with a lesbian couple then this was an enjoyable read.
It’s fast paced, intriguing and I will be picking up the next volume should we get one.
What I didn’t like? Pacing. We have around 3 storylines going on simultaneously that whilst they align at certain points gets a little messy. We either needed less of the theft side or less of the ending plot twist because everything together felt chaotic.
I also get a bit iffy when the ‘d’ slur is used by non lesbian authors, and as far as I know no lesbians/sapphics were involved with this. It’s only used once but personally I felt like it wasn’t needed. We can gauge the homophobia in this without the use for it. It felt forced and dramatised for little reason like it was thrown in as an afterthought.
Also with the ending I do worry how homophobia centred the second instalment will be. I’m hoping it doesn’t lean more into that but we’ll see.
Rep// WLW White MC, WLW BIPOC Butch MC, central relationship is sapphic / WLW.
Tws listed below, please skip if you don’t want vague spoilers.
Tw//CW// homophobia, slur use (homophobic d slur), gore, ghosts, dead body, stabbing, guns, themes, mentions of drug addiction including drug overdose, self harm (under possession of ghost), death of dog (drowning), possession, huge spiders, strangulation, Christian oppression/homophobia & abuse, parental abuse, PTSD....more
Zoe Thorogood’s art NEVER misses but Joe Hill’s writing occasionally does.
This is a beautiful delve into grief. It looks at love and loss but there weZoe Thorogood’s art NEVER misses but Joe Hill’s writing occasionally does.
This is a beautiful delve into grief. It looks at love and loss but there were definitely aspects I wasn’t here for.
Yes, this is a bury your gays story. I get that in horror we do see gay deaths but I do wish they would have given her girlfriend more of a story rather than killing her off 2 pages in for shock value from the get go. It makes it harder to connect with her death because you know nothing of the character.
I also felt like the majority of the Black characters in this novel met gruesome deaths. Whilst I can understand killing a certain percentage of characters off (it’s a horror after all) I did wonder why all the Black characters were being introduced only to die. I wanted so much more for all of them than what we got. Most of the surviving and ‘hero’ characters are White.
I marked this up to a 3 star purely because Zoe’s art is always something bloody beautiful. I will read literally anything Zoe illustrates at this point.
I also wasn’t keen on the ending twist *sighs*
Saying that I did enjoy the story of this otherwise. The idea of the shards of death rain and the messages about homophobia & global warming were set deep into this.
Rep// WLW MC, WLW SC, central WLW relationship (death of one of them, bury your gays trope)
TW’s listed below please skip if you don’t want spoilers.
Tw//CW// gore, blood, violence, eye gore/horror (multiple scenes), guns, hostage situation, bodies depicted of humans and animals, bury your gays trope, homophobia (prolific, including from parents) brief alcohol mentions, religious themes and oppression, global warming themes, brief scene of islamaphobia, mention of suicide (repeated, brief), death of children, police scene....more
3.3 ⭐️ The first I really enjoyed. This sequel I don’t regret reading because it fleshed out that cliffhanger ending, but I also felt like I didn’t ga3.3 ⭐️ The first I really enjoyed. This sequel I don’t regret reading because it fleshed out that cliffhanger ending, but I also felt like I didn’t gain much at all.
This felt rushed especially in the last, 50 pages or so. There is a very slow pace for the first 4/5 and then it’s rushed so fast that everything happens that matters in the space of a few pages.
If the book was being handled this way personally I think it would have been better to have cut out a whole bunch of the book and release it as either a novella or tack a few extra chapters onto the first book.
The spelling and grammar issues were worse in this than the first, to the point that the first major issue was found in the first few pages. I really do think the author could benefit from either beta readers or an editor. I would be surprised if they do have an editor because there was so many glaring issues even with basic spelling that gave it a rushed fanfic feel.
Saying that I still enjoyed it, and the author gave us a strap scene which I screamed at. Hell yes ...more
Was there issues with grammar and consistency yes? Did I eat this the f up? YES.
I demolished this in 24 hours which was a task considering how long itWas there issues with grammar and consistency yes? Did I eat this the f up? YES.
I demolished this in 24 hours which was a task considering how long it is.
Over the years I’ve read so much vampire lit and this is the closest I’ve found that’s sapphic that hit the same spot as other mainstream straight counterparts did. As a lesbian I just wanted a half decent vampire story and this is one of the first I’ve found that I didn’t want to throw at a wall.
Is there grammar/ spelling issues? Yes. It needed another edit through and I’m guessing the author may not have a editor because many were glaringly obvious. Saying that it wasn’t frequent enough to detract from the story.
There was also SA scenes that felt more descriptive than necessary but certainly weren’t as extreme as others I’ve come across. As someone who normally avoids those triggers they were iffy but for me personally weren’t too descriptive / long and were easily skippable for the handful of pages they occurred on.
The sex scenes were also a little repetitive but regardless my gay ass was here for the (heaps) of spice in this. And truly the story held my interest and felt fresh.
If you’re looking for something cheesy that you can binge with a boat load of spice then this is a good read. Honestly I devoured it even though it wasn’t a masterpiece it is a solid read.
Rep lesbian MC, sapphic MC, MLM sc, central relationship is WLW.
Tws listed below, please skip if you don’t want spoilers.
Tw//CW// death of family/ loved ones, poison, SA on page (one scene with attempted SA brief but interrupted, another scene with SA biting of breasts and other body parts, biting fuelled arousal and loss of mind against will. Whilst I don’t think there was penetration (it was fairly vague in description) it described a forced aroused state), one scene with slight dubcon (involving alcohol), child abuse in past (hitting, starving etc described on page briefly), unnecessary ‘small dick’ joke, forced drinking of blood, blood donors (and unwilling ‘donors’) torture on page, murder, gore, many scenes with consensual sex (including kink themes such as knife play, praise, begging etc)...more
Sapphics need more rep in this genre and Bayron said it’s okay gays I’ve got you.
I read the whole boo**spoiler alert** Think vague Fear Street vibes.
Sapphics need more rep in this genre and Bayron said it’s okay gays I’ve got you.
I read the whole book in a day. Is it flawless? No, it is fairly predictable at parts… but others? Okay yes, consider me shocked.
It reads as more entry to horror younger YA as it’s not to gore-centric or terrifying. (That’s not to say there isn’t any, there’s a good bit.)
I think my real issue with this book was that I needed another 100 pages to flesh the story out. Parts felt haphazard or rushed like the reveal… and that may leave some readers confused or wanting more.
Update: Some reviewers have pointed out that a few of the themes fall into antisemitic tropes (owls, secret societies.) All of these are present and are fairly key themes within the story. I feel it’s important to highlight this- please check out other reviews that have more extensive info on each point / theme.
Rep// Black lesbian MC, Sapphic SC. Romance featured is sapphic.
Thank you to Bloomsbury for providing me with an arc copy for review.
TW’s listed below, please skip if you don’t want spoilers.
This is my first Jane Marks novel and I will likely be reading more. If you like James Patterson, Harlan C3.8 ⭐️ A fast paced sapphic detective novel.
This is my first Jane Marks novel and I will likely be reading more. If you like James Patterson, Harlan Cobden, this will likely be for you.
I’m always annoyed how few sapphic detective novels there are so finding a solid one is always a joy. Whilst not overly graphic there is a fair bit of gore and grit and a plot that will keep you guessing.
My only qualm was that the chapters were very short and we had frequents changes in POV (many chapters are 2-5 pages long) which made it a bit hard to get into at first because I was being quickly taken from one scene to another.
Thank you to the author for sending me a copy for review.
TWs listed below, please skip if you don’t want vague spoilers.
Tw// mention of cancer, serial killer themes, graphic murder (on page), mention of SA, joke about penis size, alcohol, mentions of rape (brief, not on page), mentions of child SA (not on page), mentions of sex trafficking (brief), suicide (not on page but discussed at some length), knives, abduction. ...more
**spoiler alert** 3.5 ⭐️ ‘Apparently I’m taking be gay do crime too far.’
A non-binary lesbian tracking down a masked killer with her anime loving best**spoiler alert** 3.5 ⭐️ ‘Apparently I’m taking be gay do crime too far.’
A non-binary lesbian tracking down a masked killer with her anime loving best friend? Yes..
The humour in this is really well polished as is the banter between the best friends.
I also really appreciated how coming out is handled in this, it was a comforting and fresh take on the subject. It’s a lot lower angst surrounding the subject, a lot less pressure and urgency, which I appreciated.
This is a murder mystery with slight mystery crew feels and a dash of Knives Out if it was set in high school.
I would like to point out some -possibly problematic- antisemitic tropes featured in the second half involving secret societies, wealth, and other themes. It would be interesting to hear other opinions.
Rep// MC is a Non-Binary Lesbian, Queer Black SC (boy), Pansexual Chinese SC (girl), Trans SC(boy), Non Binary SC, Many other queer/non binary SC’s that are more background
Thank you to Harper Collins for providing me with a copy for an honest review.
TW’s (please skip if you don’t want vague spoilers.)
TW// Watching people against their knowledge, mentions of suicide, Murder, Drugging (off page), Threats, Knife crime, Themes of coming out (handled positively), Negligent Police, Gaslighting...more
I picked this up as I’m a sapphic who loved horror but honestly I appreciated this so much more than expected.
Firstly, there isCreepily captivating.
I picked this up as I’m a sapphic who loved horror but honestly I appreciated this so much more than expected.
Firstly, there is so much diversity in this book. As a neurodivergent myself I’m living for the MC lesbian autistic rep, there is also deaf rep in two of the fairly centric twin characters.
Though this book contains a large focus on 6 or so MC’s the two central and most talked of characters are queer (one bi/pan and the other lesbian) though their romance is touched upon there is little serious romance scenes between them, just lightly touched upon moments which are still entirely cute. However I do wish maybe this was a heavier focus in some parts just to give breath to the heavy scientific content.
If you love sci-fi you will love this. It’s horror meets sci-fi but with a heavy scientific dialogue and well managed and planned backstory/ biology behind the ‘mermaids’.
I know a lot of people have complained about the ‘science waffle’ but as a lover of science and fantasy I found this added to the story and truly enjoyed learning so much about their methods of communication and biology. If I had to compare I would state it were detailed similarly to Stephen King works, with a parallel in the levels of description, prose and pacing.
My only complaints were I felt maybe the ending was slightly rushed, I would have appreciated more detailing there, and that the romance could have been slightly more explored just because I felt as if a page or two was kind of rushed. These are minor complaints though in a book I struggle to fault. It is one I wouldn’t pick up again until a few years had passed mainly because the biggest grip of reading this is the surprises and twists. ...more
Think sapphic Heathers meets Mean Girls meets Teen Wolf.
I had high hopes for this and read the first part last year and enjoyed it. But when I reallyThink sapphic Heathers meets Mean Girls meets Teen Wolf.
I had high hopes for this and read the first part last year and enjoyed it. But when I really got into it and finished it I felt a little underwhelmed by how some topics were handled.
I think comparatively Mean Girls worked so well because there’s a realisation of the wrongs that never comes with Squad. I needed the themes like racism and diet culture to be explored rather than passed off as constant jokes that went unchecked and the ending didn’t sit well with me.
I feel like this had such a good premise, and the artwork was superb, but I feel like the message of empowerment was lost along the way.
I still enjoyed it, and it was an interesting horror in a genre sapphics get little rep in, but I don’t know if it’s one I would re read.
Rep// Asian Sapphic MC, White Sapphic SC, Black Straight SC. Relationship is WLW / sapphic.
TW’s listed below, please skip if you don’t want vague spoilers.
Tw// fatphobia, diet culture, racism, murder, death, some gore, attempted SA (on page), lesbo slur, slut shaming, nudity (nothing extreme.)...more
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