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Fate's Bane

C. L. Clark

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Ignyte Award-winning author C. L. Clark brings fantasy to the fens with Fate's Bane, a tragic sapphic adventure.

Warring clans. Burning hearts. Deadly fate.

The clans of the fens enjoy a tenuous peace, and it is all thanks to Agnir, ward and hostage. For as long as she can remember she has lived among the enemy, learning their ways, growing strong alongside their children. When a burgeoning love for the chieftain’s daughter lures them both to a hidden spring, a magic awakens in them that could bind the clans under one banner at last—or destroy any hope of peace.

By working their intentions into leather, they can weave misfortune for their enemies… just like the Fate’s Bane that haunts the legends of the clans.

Ambitions grow in their fathers’ hearts, grudges threaten a return to violence, and greedy enemies wait outside the borders, seeking a foothold to claim the fens for themselves. And though their Makings may save their families, the legend that gave them this power always exacts its price.

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Posts about this title from Celestial

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Jan 5

here are some of my favorite fantasy & science fiction books that I read in 2025!

here are some of my favorite fantasy & science fiction books that I read in 2025!

honestly, it was very hard to narrow down because I had SO many incredible speculative reads.

📚 books mentioned: - Fate’s Bane by C.L. Clark - The Maid and the Crocodile by Jordan Ifueko - Saltcrop by Yume Kitasei - The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar - The Maiden and Her Monster by Maddie Martinez

👗💄: - dress is from Free People, rented from Nuuly - eyeliners are Vegan Longwear Liners (Lilac and Ocean) from Pacifica Beauty - shimmer is Eyeshadow Single (Sparklepuff) from Half Magic - lip combo is Lip Lingerie Liner Stain (Up To No Good) from NYX Cosmetics and Bisou Jelly (Aissa) from Violette FR - (also if you have a question about my makeup or something i’m wearing, most of it is curated in my shopmy!)

thanks to Tor and Tordotcom for the gifted copies!

#bestfantasybooks #readingwrapup #bestbooksof2025 #nycinfluencer #bookstagram @tordotcompub @abramsbooks @abramskids @flatiron_books @torbooks @freepeople @nuuly @halfmagicbeauty @nyxcosmetics @violette_fr @pacificabeauty

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top books of 2025 • favorite yearly reads • annual reading wrap up • favorite SFF books • SFF book recs • favorite books of the year • best books of 2025 • best reads of the year • fantasy books • science fiction books • fantasy book recommendations • science fiction book recommendations • diverse books • Tordotcom • Amulet Books • Flatiron Books • Tor Books


5 books

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Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Dec 8 2025

💭 what’s your favorite 2025 book?

💭 what’s your favorite 2025 book?

drum roll please … welcome to the THIRD annual StarrySteph Book Awards! no questions at this time!

📚 books mentioned: - The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones - The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar - The Phoenix Pencil Company by Allison King - Saltcrop by Yume Kitasei - Perfect Victims and the Politics of Appeal by Mohammed El-Kurd - Detained: A Boy’s Journal of Survival and Resilience by D. Esperanza and Gerardo Iván Morales - Fate’s Bane by C.L. Clark - Hammajang Luck by Makana Yamamoto - Magic in the Melanin by C.M. Lockhart - Somadina by Akwaeke Emezi - Love Be Damned by Briana Garrett - The Coven Tendency by Zoe Hana Mikuta

👗💄: - dress is from Free People, rented from Nuuly - eyeshadow is In Trance palette from Colourpop - lip combo is Lingerie Lip Liner Stain (Send Nudes) and Jelly Job Gloss (Honey, It’s Jelly) from NYX Cosmetics - (also if you have a question about my makeup or something i’m wearing, most of it is curated in my shopmy!)

thank you to Saga Press, Tordotcom, William Morrow, Flatiron, Atria/Primero Sueño Press, Harper Voyager, Ingram, Get Underlined, and Disney Hyperion for the gifted copies!

#goodreadschoiceawards #starrystephbookawards #bestbooksof2025 #bestbooksoftheyear #2025books #fantasybooks #scifibooks #horrorbooks #bookrecs #starrysteph #nycinfluencer #diversebookstagram #nycbookstagram #bookstagram #SagaSaysCrew #sagapressbooks #SagaSays #TorPartner #WilliamMorrowPartner #atriapartner #FlatironPartner #HarperVoyagerPartner #GetUnderlinedPartner #ingram @sagapressbooks @tordotcompub @williammorrowbooks @flatiron_books @haymarketbooks @atriabooks @primerosuenopress @harpervoyagerus @writtennmelanin @ingramsparkbooks @getunderlined @disneybooks @freepeople @nuuly @colourpopcosmetics @nyxcosmetics


12 books

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Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Nov 20 2025

as was highly requested: (some!) adult fantasy book recs by trans authors!

as was highly requested: (some!) adult fantasy book recs by trans authors!

(i couldn’t include everything i’ve read; please don’t be too grumpy with me in the comments)

(young adult fantasy coming next!)

📚 books mentioned: - Vagabonds! by Eloghosa Osunde - The First Bright Thing by J.R. Dawson - Fate’s Bane by C.L. Clark - The Bruising of Qilwa by Naseem Jamnia - The Deep by Rivers Solomon

👗💄: - dress is from Free People, rented from Nuuly - corset is from Scarlet Darkness - eyeshadow is In A Trance palette from Colourpop - (also if you have a question about my makeup or something i’m wearing, most of it is curated in my shopmy!)

thank you to Tordotcom for the gifted copy!

#fantasybooks #fantasybookrecs #adultfantasy #transauthors #transbooks #starrysteph #nycinfluencer #diversebookstagram #nycbookstagram #bookstagram #TorPartner @riverheadbooks @torbooks @tordotcompub @tachyonpub @sagapressbooks @nuuly @freepeople @scarletdarkness_brand @colourpopcosmetics


5 books

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Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Oct 29 2025

fall scents and books!

scents and memories go hand in hand, so let’s create some immersive & memorable reading experiences together!!

📚 books mentioned: - Fate’s Bane by C.L. Clark (Sacred Santal from Cyklar) - The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson (Only Human from NOYZ) - The Maiden and Her Monster by Maddie Martinez (Vanilla Blackberry from PHLUR) - The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar (Blond Musk from Ellis Brooklyn) - The Fall That Saved Us by Tamara Jerée (Kama Noir from Embarouge / Bellavita)

👗💄: - eyeshadow is Sparklestiks and single shadows from Half Magic - sweater was from a vintage street fair in Italy so I can’t help ya there! - (also if you have a question about my makeup or something i’m wearing, most of it is curated in my shopmy!)

thank you to Tor Books and Tordotcom for the gifted books!

#booksandscents #fantasybooks #perfumereviews #fragrancerecs #romancebooks #starrysteph #nycinfluencer #diversebookstagram #nycbookstagram #bookstagram #TorPartner #torbooks #cyklar #noyz #phlur #ellisbrooklyn #bellavita @torbooks @tordotcompub @delreybooks @cyklarofficial @noyz_official @phlur @ellisbrooklyn @bellavita.official @halfmagicbeauty


5 books

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Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Sep 5 2025

happy sapphic september!! here are some sapphic books i adore.

happy sapphic september!! here are some sapphic books i adore.

📚 books mentioned: - Fate’s Bane by C.L. Clark - The Blonde Dies First by Joelle Wellington - This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone - The Skin and Its Girl by Sarah Cypher

thank you to Tordotcom and Simon Teen for the gifted copies!

#sapphicseptember #sapphicbooks #fantasybooks #scifibooks #thrillerbooks #literaryfiction #sapphicfantasy #starrysteph #nycinfluencer #diversebookstagram #nycbookstagram #bookstagram @tordotcompub @simonteen @sagapressbooks @ballantinebooks


4 books

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Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Aug 16 2025

i read HOW MUCH while traveling? this was shocking in the end.

i read HOW MUCH while traveling? this was shocking in the end.

📚 books mentioned: - Love Be Damned by Briana Garrett - The Macabre by Kosoko Jackson - Fate’s Bane by C.L. Clark - The Midnight Shift by Cheon Seon-Ran - A Game in Yellow by Hailey Piper

thank you to Ingram, Harper Voyager, Tordotcom, Bloomsbury, and Saga Press for the gifted copies!

#travelvlog #readingvlog #readingchallenge #fantasybooks #horrorbooks #BloomsburyCreatorCircle #SagaSaysCrew #sagapressbooks #SagaSays #starrysteph #nycinfluencer #diversebookstagram #nycbookstagram #bookstagram #nycbookstagram @ingram_books @harpervoyagerus @harpercollins @tordotcompub @sagapressbooks @bloomsburypublishing @bloomsburybooksus


5 books

Posts about this book from across Bindery

Bee's Books\ \ Bailee Russo\ \ • Jun 26

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Wronggggggg.\ \ Now, we can have a conversation about how publishing house conglomerates and the trend-led mass-market led by an overwhelming white, straight, etc, majority creates a homogeneity of stories...sure. We can talk about that all day long.\ \ But if we do, we also need to talk about how consumers drive that market, and how our choices -- on social media feeds, on review platforms, at the bookstore -- make an impact on those publishing trends. That, I think, is a more interesting conversation.\ \ Because if we put in the effort to follow book reviewers from a diversity of perspectives, to support indie and underrepresented authors, to review the books we read with critical self-reflection, to support our local book vendors, libraries, etc...then we will find a huge, wide world of weird and wonderful literature just waiting for its audience. And in doing so, we can make an impact on publishing as a whole, too.\ \ So, here are a few unique books that I think you might love, featuring cannibalistic nuns, Faustian bargains, shape-shifting mermaids, talking animals, alternate futures, parasitic aliens, swampcore haunted cabins, cryptids, and more.\ \ Herculine by Grace Byron: an all Trans girls commune haunted by demons.\ \ The Reformatory by Tanarive Due: a segregated reform school and the evil inside.\ \ Wife Shaped Bodies by Laura Cranehill: the trad wives are sprouting mushrooms.\ \ A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft: a dark academia quest for a magic spring.\ \ Sky Full of Elephants by Cebo Campbell: a new world where all the white people have disappeared.\ \ The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones: A Blackfeet vampire seeking vengeance.\ \ The Starving Saints by Caitlin Starling: a medieval castle under siege and the cannibalistic fever dream that unfolds inside.\ \ What We Feed to the Manticore by Talia Lakshmi Kolluri: a collection of compelling short stories all told from the perspectives of animals.\ \ After Love by Tanya Byrne: a fantastical lesbian love story that literally transcends death itself.\ \ Green Fuse Burning by Tiffany Morris: a grief-stricken Indigenous artist who arrives at a cabin in a remote, swampy forest, before strange things start to happen.\ \ Fate's Bane by CL Clark: sword-wielding, star-crossed lovers from rival clans, inspired by Celtic folklore.\ \ As Many Souls as Stars by Natasha Siegel: a Faustian Bargain between a witch and a demon, and their game of cat-and-mouse that spans multiple lifetimes.\ \ A Feast for the Eyes by Alex Crespo: four teenagers hunting the local cryptic that feeds on secrets.\ \ They Bloom at Night by Trang Thanh Tran: a red algae bloom causes strange mutations in a small Louisiana town.\ \ The Seep by Chana Porter: a parasitic alien invasion that creates a strange utopia, and one woman's quest to stop its spread.\ \ The Gloaming by Kirsty Logan: a hungry sea, a family beset by grief, and a strange woman who climbs up from the water.\ \ Happy reading!\ \ -B

"Books are all the same now."


15 books

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Fairly Queer Books\ \ Fareeha\ \ • Jan 14

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Book Club is Back !

Comic Cove Book Club 2026 Calendar


12 books

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Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Jan 5

here are some of my favorite fantasy & science fiction books that I read in 2025!

here are some of my favorite fantasy & science fiction books that I read in 2025!

honestly, it was very hard to narrow down because I had SO many incredible speculative reads.

thanks to Tor and Tordotcom for the gifted copies!

.


5 books

2

Tubby & Coo's Traveling Book Shop\ \ Sentient Queer Bookstore 📚🌈\ \ • Dec 30 2025

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Quick Hits 🪅

Queer Novellas We Think You'll Love


5 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Dec 8 2025

💭 what’s your favorite 2025 book?

💭 what’s your favorite 2025 book?

drum roll please … welcome to the THIRD annual StarrySteph Book Awards! no questions at this time!


12 books

1

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Nov 20 2025

as was highly requested: (some!) adult fantasy book recs by trans authors!

as was highly requested: (some!) adult fantasy book recs by trans authors!

(i couldn’t include everything i’ve read; please don’t be too grumpy with me in the comments)

(young adult fantasy coming next!)

thank you to Tordotcom for the gifted copy!


5 books

1

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Oct 29 2025

fall scents and books!

scents and memories go hand in hand, so let’s create some immersive & memorable reading experiences together!!

thank you to Tor Books and Tordotcom for the gifted books!


5 books

4

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Sep 5 2025

happy sapphic september!! here are some sapphic books i adore.

happy sapphic september!! here are some sapphic books i adore.

thank you to Tordotcom and Simon Teen for the gifted copies!


4 books

1

The Inkborne Society\ \ Azhangia\ \ • Sep 3 2025

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A little late, but here are some sci-fi and fantasy books coming out in September! Please note, this is not a comprehensive list of every SFF book coming out this month, rather just a compilation of ones that caught my eye. Reviews of ARCs I have already read are included in the post.\ \ SEPTEMBER 2ND: \ \ Wild Reverence (Rebecca Ross)\ \ A young goddess who serves as the herald of the gods must forge a path for herself - and her heart - in this enchanting romantasy from the author of Divine Rivals.\ \ My Rating & Review: ⭐ 4.75 - Wild Reverence is Rebecca Ross’ best work so far, and this story of love, sacrifice, and the power of words was absolutely exquisite. Ross’ prose is so lyrical and evocative, and this book had me crying and smiling within the same page (I was rooting for Matilda and Vincent’s relationship SO HARD). I would say Wild Reverence could be read as a standalone fantasy novel, but it does provide a lot of additional context to Divine Rivals, so if you’re someone who loved that duology and wanted more lore about the gods, this is a must-read.\ \ Thorn Season (Kiera Azar)\ \ Shadow and Bone meets The Selection in this first book of a debut YA romantasy trilogy. In a world of Hunters and Wielders, Alissa Paine knows how to keep out of trouble. But when debutante season begins, Alissa doesn't know which mysterious suitor she can trust with her dangerous secret in this gripping romance filled with twists and tension.\ \ Boudicca's Daughter (Elodie Harper)\ \ The story of Boudicca, the notorious warrior queen who led a legendary rebellion in 60 CE against the Roman Empire in Britain, following Boudicca's meteoric rise and devastating fall through the eyes of her youngest daughter, Solina, who seeks revenge against Rome.\ \ Honeyeater (Kathleen Jennings)\ \ A richly imagined dark fantasy that pulses with the beautiful destruction of a town reclaimed by the natural world.\ \ A Land So Wide (Erin Craig)\ \ Drawing from Scottish folklore, a deeply atmospheric and profoundly romantic exploration of freedom versus security in a stunning celebration of one woman's relentless bravery on a quest to reclaim her lost love - and seize her own future.\ \ SEPTEMBER 9TH: \ \ The Maiden and Her Monster (Maddie Martinez)\ \ An atmospheric debut fantasy rooted in history, folklore, and sapphic romance about a forest that eats the girls who wander out after dark and a dangerous bargain.\ \ The Macabre (Kosoko Jackson)\ \ A stand-alone novel blending time travel and globe-hopping adventure, art history, and dark fantasy about magical paintings and the lengths people will go to collect them, destroy them…or be destroyed.\ \ You Weren’t Meant to Be Human (Andrew Joseph White)\ \ Alien meets Midsommar in this chilling debut adult novel about identity, survival, and transformation amidst an alien invasion in rural West Virginia.\ \ Play Nice (Rachel Harrison)\ \ A woman must confront the demons of her past when she attempts to fix up her childhood home in this devilishly clever take on the haunted house novel.\ \ SEPTEMBER 16TH: \ \ To Clutch A Razor (Veronica Roth)\ \ Drawing from Slavic folklore, a fantasy novella that explores family, duty, and what it means to be a monster in this sequel to When Among Crows.\ \ My Rating & Review: ⭐ 4.00 - When Among Crows was one of my surprise hits of last year, and I was so excited when I heard that Veronica Roth had written a sequel. I’ve always been drawn to stories about redemption, and Roth’s ability to explore that theme while blending rich Slavic folklore with modern urban fantasy in both When Among Crows and To Clutch A Razor was so fascinating to me. I didn’t love this sequel quite as much as the first book, but I thought it was a well-paced and immersive novella overall!\ \ The Summer War (Naomi Novik)\ \ In this poignant, heartfelt novella, a young witch who has inadvertently cursed her brother to live a life without love must find a way to undo her spell.\ \ Among the Burning Flowers (Samantha Shannon)\ \ With the awakening of fire-breathing dragons, Among the Burning Flowers sees the first sparks of danger that threaten to consume the world in The Priory of the Orange Tree. Take your first steps into the epic. Yscalin, land of sunshine and lavender, will soon be ablaze.\ \ The Faerie Morgana (Louisa Morgan)\ \ A reimagining of the story of Morgan Le Fay, one of the most enigmatic and powerful women in Arthurian legend.\ \ The Book of Guilt (Catherine Chidgey)\ \ In an alternate world where nobody won WWII, three brothers are the only boys left in an orphanage whose dark secret is the reason for their existence - and the key to their survival.\ \ SEPTEMBER 23RD: \ \ The Second Death of Locke (V. L. Bovalino)\ \ A devastatingly romantic epic fantasy about the undying bond between a knight and their mage.\ \ Alchemised (SenLinYu)\ \ In a riveting dark fantasy debut, a woman with missing memories fights to survive a war-torn world of necromancy and alchemy - and the man tasked with unearthing the deepest secrets of her past.\ \ The Court of the Dead: A Nico di Angelo Adventure (Rick Riordan, Mark Oshiro)\ \ A new adventure in which Nico di Angelo teams up with his half-sister Hazel Levesque to protect... monsters?\ \ One of Us (Dan Chaon)\ \ A playfully macabre and utterly thrilling tale about orphaned twins on the run from their murderous uncle who find refuge in a bizarre traveling carnival.\ \ SEPTEMBER 30TH: \ \ Daedelus is Dead (Seamus Sullivan)\ \ Reimagining the Greek myth of Daedelus, a meditation on fatherhood, grief, and the monstrous truths we build around ourselves.\ \ My Rating & Review: ⭐ 4.50 - Daedalus is Dead had a depth and complexity I was not at all expecting going into the novella, and I think lovers of Greek Mythology will find this to be a really thought provoking read about fatherhood, grief, and the monstrous truths we build around ourselves to become the heroes of our stories. That said, I probably wouldn’t recommend it to readers unfamiliar with Greek myths, as it leans somewhat heavily on references that aren’t always explained. Overall, I was really impressed by this - I’ve always wanted a mythology retelling of Icarus, but a retelling of the myth from his father Daedalus’ perspective proved far more interesting than I could have imagined.\ \ Fate’s Bane (C.L. Clarke)\ \ A sapphic tragedy novella of warring clans, burning desires, and inescapable fate.\ \ My Rating & Review: ⭐ 4.25 - A sapphic tragedy that felt like a story being told by ancestors around a fire, Fate’s Bane delivered all the yearning I could ever want. Set in a Celtic inspired swampy world filled with warring clans and inescapable fate, this novella offered a take on Romeo and Juliet that felt both familiar and fresh. It’s beautifully written and well-paced, and I had a hard time putting it down!\ \ Saltcrop (Yumei Kitasei)\ \ An epic tale of two sisters who sail across oceans to find their missing third sister - and Earth’s environmental salvation.\ \ Midnight Timetable (Bora Chung)\ \ A novel-in-ghost-stories, set in a mysterious research center that houses cursed objects, where those who open the wrong door might find it’s disappeared behind them, or that the echoing footsteps they’re running from are their own…\ \ \ \ Join for free or login

September 2025 New SFF Book Releases (+ My Thoughts & Ratings)


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The Inkborne Society\ \ Azhangia\ \ • Aug 31 2025

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With multiple books hitting 4.5 stars or above, August turned out to be quite the month for good reads! Here are some thoughts on each of the books I read:\ \ My Top 3 of the Month \ \ ⭐4.75 - The Works of Vermin (Hiron Ennes)\ \ One of the most fascinating fantasy books I’ve read in a while, The Works of Vermin featured sharp and deliberate writing, a trans main character, innovative worldbuilding (the magic system is based on a chemical toxin from a giant worm and weaponized perfumes), and a setting that was the perfect backdrop for the book’s themes of systemic exploitation, societal decay, and class division. The veneer of progress hides the rot eating away at society, both literally in the form of vermin and metaphorically in the way corruption thrives, and time and time again, the working class is forced to endure with the tenacity of roaches. This is a story that has crawled under my skin, unsettling and unforgettable, and I can’t wait for more readers to discover it!!\ \ ⭐4.50 - The Strength of the Few (James Islington)\ \ I read The Will of the Many in 2023, which means I have been left on that brutal cliffhanger for two years now… so I was very excited when I got an early copy of The Strength of the Few! In TSOTF, the stakes are heightened, the intrigue ramps up, and though we’re still left with many questions by the end of the book (and another brutal cliffhanger), it is so exciting to witness the puzzle pieces starting to come together!! I also appreciated how Vis felt less like a YA main character in this book, as his perfection became more of a burden and the weight of his responsibility was directly addressed. Overall, I thought this was a very solid sequel and am looking forward to the next installment of the series.\ \ ⭐4.50 - Clockwork Angel (Cassandra Clare)\ \ I was a big fan of The Mortal Instruments series in my pre-teen years, but never got around to reading The Infernal Devices. Boy was I missing out, because this series had everything I wanted in a YA fantasy series, and I was having the time of my life reading it (ily Will Herondale). It feels so nostalgic to be back in the world of the Shadowhunters, and I have been forewarned that this series will cause some emotional damage…can’t wait to get to that point :)\ \ \ \ ⭐4.50 - Daedalus is Dead (Seamus Sullivan)\ \ Daedalus is Dead had a depth and complexity I was not at all expecting going into the novella, and I think lovers of Greek Mythology will find this to be a really thought provoking read about fatherhood, grief, and the monstrous truths we build around ourselves to become the heroes of our stories. That said, I probably wouldn’t recommend it to readers unfamiliar with Greek myths, as it leans somewhat heavily on references that aren’t always explained. Overall, I was really impressed by this - I’ve always wanted a mythology retelling of Icarus, but a retelling of the myth from his father Daedalus’ perspective proved far more interesting than I could have imagined.\ \ ⭐4.50 - A Little Hatred (Joe Abercrombie)\ \ Many people have said that the Age of Madness trilogy is Joe Abercrombie's best work, so I was incredibly excited to finally pick up this series after finishing the previous books in the world of the First Law. A Little Hatred sits at the dawn of a new technological age, with characters grappling for power and control amidst the conflict between technology vs. magic and innovation vs. tradition. This book reminded me a lot of The Legend of Korra (a god-tier show for those who haven’t seen it, I was also actually picturing one of the characters as Asami), and the blend of grimdark and steampunk elements combined with Abercrombie’s signature wit made this a highly enjoyable read. Can’t wait to read the rest of this trilogy soon!\ \ ⭐4.25 - Fate’s Bane (C.L. Clarke)\ \ A sapphic tragedy that felt like a story being sung by a bard around a fire, Fate’s Bane delivered all the yearning I could ever want. Set in a Celtic inspired swampy world filled with warring clans and inescapable fate, this novella offered a take on Romeo and Juliet that felt both familiar and fresh. It’s beautifully written and well-paced, and I had a hard time putting it down!\ \ ⭐3.75 - The Memory of the Ogisi (Moses Ote Utomi)\ \ Inspired by African folklore and set in various desert civilizations, each book in the Forever Desert series reads like a fable, exploring the different forms that oppression can take. While I did appreciate The Memory of the Ogisi, the final book of the series, the story felt slightly repetitive at times. Given that the first book can technically be read as a standalone, I don’t know if I would recommend the rest of the series, but I do think book one, The Lies of the Ajungo, is very much worth a read.\ \ ⭐3.25 - Of Monsters and Mainframes (Barbara Truelove)\ \ I can 100% see how other people enjoy this book, but it unfortunately just wasn’t for me. I loved the quirky blend of science fiction and pulp horror, but I struggled to become emotionally invested in the characters, which ultimately dampened my enjoyment of the read. I still thought it was a lot of fun though!\ \ Since there are some new faces in this community following the launch of the book club, I just wanted to re-introduce some things you can expect from this page in addition to the book club. At the end of each month, I share one of these wrap-up posts with reviews of books I've read, and at the beginning of each month, I share a list of upcoming fantasy & sci-fi releases that have caught my eye (with reviews of ARCs I have read). Other content will be popping up at random (giveaways, deep dives, etc.) - so excited you are all here!\ \ Join for free or login

August Reading Wrap-Up (Ratings & Reviews)


8 books

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Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Aug 16 2025

i read HOW MUCH while traveling? this was shocking in the end.

i read HOW MUCH while traveling? this was shocking in the end.

thank you to Ingram, Harper Voyager, Tordotcom, Bloomsbury, and Saga Press for the gifted copies!


5 books