Author: Kassa

Difficulties of Writing QUILTBAG Genre Fiction

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PowerInTheBlood_AReI’m so happy to welcome one of my favorite publishers to my blog today – Storm Moon Press. I was pleased and honored when they offered to stop on my blog during their blog tour event to celebrate SMP’s third anniversary. I’ve spoken consistently about how much I enjoy this publisher; their incredible art work, clean writing, and variety of books offered. I almost never get a bad book from SMP. It’s one of my “go-to” publishers by far. I considered writing posts every day filled with all the reasons why I like this publisher so much, but that may wait for another day. Instead check out 4 reviews of other books. It’s a bit of a random smattering from longer to shorter, f/f to anthologies. I think it gives a good look into the publisher.

For today please check out the excellent post by Roger Armstrong from SMP after the break and be sure to enter the giveaway! It’s actually one of the best in a long time. You can enter here or any of the blog stops. I can’t encourage this enough. Now on with the show…

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Review: Fraternal Devotion

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Fraternal Devotion
Fraternal Devotion by K. Piet
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

I’m behind the curve with this anthology. It’s been out a while and well reviewed by several great reviewers but I’ll be honest I didn’t really know anything about that when I read this anthology. I happen to like the incest kick and wanted to read SMP’s take on a complicated issue. Stories in this niche tend to be angst ridden or sex filled, both of which I like, but I was hoping for something more well rounded and nuanced from Fraternal Devotion. Thankfully almost all the stories delivered this and offered a range of interpretations. Not all stories resonated with me as a reader but all are well-written and interesting takes on this particular kink. As an anthology I think the collection works very well and is worth buying. I especially like that this collection offers 5 well thought out stories than 20 extremely short ones. One final point I wanted to add is that the collection as a whole is edited beautifully with a wonderful flow of topics and interpretations. It works well reading them all in one sitting. Continue reading →

Review: After the First Taste of Love

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After the First Taste of Love
After the First Taste of Love by Talon Rihai
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

It’s rare that a SMP book fails to deliver for me but sadly I struggled with this one. It’s only a novella but I kept wishing it’d end sooner so I’d be done. It’s not a bad concept but the execution leaves something to be desired. The story attempts to add complexity and depth in numerous ways but I’m not convinced any of them actually worked. Instead of a story about long time friendship turning into true love, this reads more like an examination of cultural and societal issues. The main couple do not feel like a committed, ever lasting couple so much as friends that have sex because they both have too many issues to be with other people. Ultimately this novella failed to entice me to want to read it and I think failed to convey the many messages it attempted. Continue reading →

Review: Under the Bridge

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Under the Bridge
Under the Bridge by Geoffrey Knight
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I got this one due to the author, who I knew wrote funny and very entertaining stories. Under the Bridge is definitely not what I was expecting as it’s a tense, gripping, and possibly surprising story. It’s not romance nor is there a happy ending. It’s more of a brief glimpse into a tense situation. The writing is incredible though and I’d consider this one an easy recommendation for fans of interesting literature. It goes beyond the typical m/m genre in the best ways. Continue reading →

Review: Lily of the Wastelands

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Lily of the Wastelands
Lily of the Wastelands by Gabriel Belthir
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Lily of the Wastelands has the kind of meaty world building I’ve been craving. The story is very short so the plot and characterizations suffer somewhat for the intricate world building and solid happy ending. There’s simply not enough time and space for an in depth exploration of all the issues brought up but as is, the story is a nice foray into the genre with some creativity. The romance is well crafted and fits with both the shortened space and overall atmosphere. I think the story would have really benefited with a longer length and the ability to flesh out the intriguing concepts and issues brought up but I can’t complain about a tight, well crafted short story either. Continue reading →

Review: Divergent

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Divergent
Divergent by Veronica Roth
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

*WARNING: This review may contain minor spoilers. This is the kind of information that would be revealed very early on in the book and nothing regarding later outcomes.

It’s been a while since I’ve devoured a book. The kind of reading where you don’t want to put it down and find yourself sneaking in time to read it. I read this during our NYE celebration because it’s that good; at least to me. It’s not a perfect book by any means and it struggles in some places but the creativity and writing easily stands out. The best part for me is the moral ambiguity. The gray space of right and wrong, struggling to do the right thing when it’s not entirely clear what the right choice is. The very real and concrete consequences combined with the atmosphere of violence gives a visceral authenticity to the book. Anything can and will happen to almost anyone. No one is safe and what is safe anyway? Continue reading →

What I’m craving…

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I’ve been slowly – ever so slowly – getting back into reading and reviewing. Well I should say I’ve always been reading but the genres seem to be all over the place. I’m reading a ton of non-fiction biographies, a bunch of running guides (Oh yea because I needed another time sink, soul sucking hobby), dog guides (because yes the dog CONTINUES to eat the house and every remote in sight. I won’t get into her dirty clothes fetish), and even back to the dreaded m/f romance.

The thing is whenever I’m in a rut or lost in my reading I always default to urban fantasy. It’s my tried and true first love of all genres, along with post-apocalyptic delight. I’m currently reading Justin Cronin’s The Twelve. Well actually I listen to it during long runs because I figure the longer I run the more chance I have of finishing the audiobook in about a year.

kesslercomicBut I’m seriously, seriously craving some meaty urban fantasy. I’d LOVE if it were m/m but finding one is about as likely as winning the lottery. There’s the odd story here and there but for most part, all I’m seeing are re-releases and nothing much. If I’m missing something, by all means please point it out and I’ll get it within minutes. Yes, I want it that badly.

I’m even sinking so low that I accept mediocre urban fantasy with cliched female leads that always have 2-3 guys vying for her as she ignores them all because she’s “just one of the guys.” I could probably write one of these books they’re so formulaic and bland. But I want that urban fantasy world building, that excitement of a new world from someone’s imagination. All new rules to learn and magic and futuristic possibilities.

Why is that m/m is almost entirely contemporary or historic romance?
Why aren’t there more science fiction, urban fantasy, fantasy in general books?

I miss these genres so much and it means that I only go for m/m when I want basic romance and that makes me sad.

Review: Book Of Secrets

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Book Of Secrets
Book Of Secrets by R.J. Scott
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I’ll say first that I haven’t read the first book of this series. I didn’t actually realize it was a series until I started reading and oops, yea book two. You certainly can read this one without reading the first book, as I did, but there is so much missing information that I wouldn’t suggest it. There is no independent character development – I assume it all takes place in the previous book – and the plot is incredibly complicated for no real reason. The end result after a madcap of heists, escapes, death threats, gun fights, and a ton of magic is a little girl helped when there had to be an easier solution. At least there is a lot of action. Continue reading →