I’ve decided that, at least for the foreseeable future, I’m going to be participating in WWW Wednesdays, which is a meme hosted over at Taking On a World of Words. To take part, you just answer the three questions below, and link back to TOaWoW!

WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING?

The Helm of Midnight (The Five Penalties, #1) by Marina J. Lostetter
Genres: Secondary World Fantasy
Representation: Queernorm world, minor nonbinary characters
Published on: 13th April 2021
Goodreads

A legendary serial killer stalks the streets of a fantastical city in The Helm of Midnight, the stunning first novel in a new trilogy from acclaimed author Marina Lostetter.In a daring and deadly heist, thieves have made away with an artifact of terrible power--the death mask of Louis Charbon. Made by a master craftsman, it is imbued with the spirit of a monster from history, a serial murderer who terrorized the city with a series of gruesome murders.

Now Charbon is loose once more, killing from beyond the grave. But these murders are different from before, not simply random but the work of a deliberate mind probing for answers to a sinister question.

It is up to Krona Hirvath and her fellow Regulators to enter the mind of madness to stop this insatiable killer while facing the terrible truths left in his wake.

I thought this was going to be another Jack-the-Ripper-esque thing, and not only do I not care for that kind of thing at all, but I’ve been burned way too many times by fantasy takes on Jack. But then there were mentions of interesting magic and there was a sample you could download for free…and I was hooked pretty much instantly. It’s ornate and baroque and it feels like something made out of porcelain and I love it! Unless something very weird happens, this is looking likely to be one of my faves of 2021.

WHAT DID YOU RECENTLY FINISH READING?

Sun-Daughters, Sea-Daughters by Aimee Ogden
Genres: Sci Fi, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Bi/pansexual MC, major AFAB character
Goodreads

Gene-edited human clans have scattered throughout the galaxy, adapting themselves to environments as severe as the desert and the sea. Atuale, the daughter of a Sea-Clan lord, sparked a war by choosing her land-dwelling love and rejecting her place among her people. Now her husband and his clan are dying of an incurable plague, and Atuale’s sole hope for finding a cure is to travel off-planet. The one person she can turn to for help is the black-market mercenary known as the World Witch—and Atuale’s former lover. Time, politics, bureaucracy, and her own conflicted desires stand between Atuale and the hope for her adopted clan.
Sun-Daughters, Sea-Daughters has all the wonder and romance of a classic sci-fi novel, with the timelessness of a beloved fairy tale.

I became obsessed with this novella after an excerpt was posted pre-release on Tor.com, and devoured it in one go when it was released yesterday! So, so exquisite. I don’t know if I can write a review of it that will do it justice, but I need to try!

WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’LL READ NEXT?

A Dark and Hollow Star (A Dark and Hollow Star, #1) by Ashley Shuttleworth
Genres: Queer Protagonists
Representation: All-queer cast
Goodreads

Choose your player.

The “ironborn” half-fae outcast of her royal fae family.
A tempestuous Fury, exiled to earth from the Immortal Realm and hellbent on revenge.
A dutiful fae prince, determined to earn his place on the throne.
The prince’s brooding guardian, burdened with a terrible secret.

For centuries, the Eight Courts of Folk have lived among us, concealed by magic and bound by law to do no harm to humans. This arrangement has long kept peace in the Courts—until a series of gruesome and ritualistic murders rocks the city of Toronto and threatens to expose faeries to the human world.

Four queer teens, each who hold a key piece of the truth behind these murders, must form a tenuous alliance in their effort to track down the mysterious killer behind these crimes. If they fail, they risk the destruction of the faerie and human worlds alike. If that’s not bad enough, there’s a war brewing between the Mortal and Immortal Realms, and one of these teens is destined to tip the scales. The only question is: which way?

Wish them luck. They’re going to need it.

I’ve been looking forward to this book for literal years – ever since the publishing deal was announced! – so hells yes, it’s ready and waiting on my ereader. I’M SO EXCITED.

What’s everyone else reading this week?