The Secret Life of Writing

These are just a few of my favorite things, thanks to Coulhurst's descriptive imagery. One thing that I know is not a favorite of others though would be spoilers, so don't worry about them being included in this review. Similar to RoseBlood , I came across this novel in an OwlCrate. Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst follows the stories of Denna and Mare as they intertwine by a fast-approaching arranged marriage. I knew immediately that this book would be one of a kind when not even twenty-four full pages in, she addresses a same-sex couple with ease. Via Mare's eyes, we see that she "bumped into a pair of men dancing" who gave her a dirty look for the bump, but otherwise continued dancing as so does she. I am well aware this shouldn't be as groundbreaking as it is, but I believe in stating the truth. It is too rare to read anything with an LGBT+ character in it, let alone state it so casually and move on. The way that Coulthurst addresses same-sex re...

I hope I will be forgiven for the obvious pun-inspired title for this review of a Phantom of the Opera -inspired retelling, but I like to imagine I am not the first reader to smile at the thought. No major plot-spoilers will be used in this review, and I hope it inspires at least one reader to pick up RoseBlood by A.G. Howard and enter the fantasy. I was fated to find the book, one brought to me via an OwlCrate subscription awhile back, and have found a writer who will fit beautifully next to my pieces by Gregory Maguire ( specifically Mirror, Mirror ). Research on Howard had me not surprised to find she had a series inspired by Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland  ( The Splintered series ) as I felt several connections within this novel as well. The idea of white roses dripping with blood, nods at Through the Looking Glass , and the addition of the Ghost Kitty are just a few items that had me visualizing the web of connections. Outside of the connections to other stories, th...