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Review: “Lord of the White Hell: Book One” by Ginn Hale

Lord of the White Hell

Title: Lord of the White Hell Book One Series: Lord of the White Hell #1, The Cadeleonian Series Volume #1 Author: Ginn Hale Genre: Gay Fantasy Publisher: Blind Eye Books Pages: 353 Blurb Kiram Kir-Zaki may be considered a mechanist prodigy among his own people, but when he becomes the first Haldiim ever admitted to the prestigious Sagrada Academy, he is thrown into a world where power, superstition and swordplay outweigh even the most scholarly of achievements. But when the intimidation from his Cadeleonian classmates turns bloody, Kiram unexpectedly finds himself befriended by Javier Tornesal, the leader of a group … Read more

ANNOUNCEMENT/GUEST POST: Lord of the White Hell, by Ginn Hale

Lord of the White Hell

QSFer Ginn Hale has a new Queer YA Fantasy book out: eBook On Sale for just $2.99 from 9/11-9/16 Kiram Kir-Zaki may be considered a mechanist prodigy among his own people, but when he becomes the first Haldiim ever admitted to the prestigious Sagrada Academy, he is thrown into a world where power, superstition and swordplay outweigh even the most scholarly of achievements. But when the intimidation from his Cadeleonian classmates turns bloody, Kiram unexpectedly finds himself befriended by Javier Tornesal, the leader of a group of cardsharps, duelists and lotharios who call themselves Hellions. However Javier is a dangerous … Read more

ANNOUNCEMENT: The Rules and Regulations for Mediating Myths & Magic, by F.T. Lukens

The Rules and Regulations for Mediating Myths & Magic

QSFer F.T. Lukens has a new MM YA Fantasy tale out: Desperate to pay for college, Bridger Whitt is willing to overlook the peculiarities of his new job—entering via the roof, the weird stacks of old books and even older scrolls, the seemingly incorporeal voices he hears from time to time—but it’s pretty hard to ignore being pulled under Lake Michigan by… mermaids? Worse yet, this happens in front of his new crush, Leo, the dreamy football star who just moved to town. Fantastic. When he discovers his eccentric employer Pavel Chudinov is an intermediary between the human world and … Read more

ANNOUNCEMENT: The Tiger’s Watch, by Julia Ember

The Tiger's Watch

QSFer Julia Ember has a new MM YA fantasy book out: Sixteen-year-old Tashi has spent their life training as a inhabitor, a soldier who spies and kills using a bonded animal. When the capital falls after a brutal siege, Tashi flees to a remote monastery to hide. But the invading army turns the monastery into a hospital, and Tashi catches the eye of Xian, the regiment’s fearless young commander. Tashi spies on Xian’s every move. In front of his men, Xian seems dangerous, even sadistic, but Tashi discovers a more vulnerable side of the enemy commander—a side that draws them … Read more

ANNOUNCEMENT: Heathens, by Jonah Bergan

Heathens

QSFer Jonah Bergan has a new gay YA sci fi book out: Can one very angry boy save the world? I mean sure, maybe he could if he had super powers, but he doesn’t. He only has a little talent. He can push things with his mind. That’s something, but it’s not enough. He can fight. That’s something too, but that’s not enough either. Since the world ended that’s pretty much all he’s done anyway-fight. It hasn’t changed anything—not for the better anyhow. No, he needs something else. He needs some kind of real power. He needs the one thing … Read more

Rabid Reader Recommendations — R3 Wednesdays!

WELCOME to Rabid Reader Recommendations, or R3 WEDNESDAYS! We host this discussion the first Wednesday of every month; it’s a great opportunity to recommend and discuss works you have enjoyed in queer speculative fiction. For March R3, the theme is: YA! (I’m defining young adult literature as literature featuring protagonists under the age of nineteen and over the age of twelve.) HOW IT WORKS: The works have to be related to the theme. This is a reader discussion. Don’t recommend your own works–get someone to do it for you! Please include a Goodreads link or something comparable. You can create … Read more

Gay Characters Taking Over YA Fiction

Drag Teen author Jeffrey Self

Gay characters remain a minority in television and film, but they have become a sensation in young adult fiction over the past seven years. Teenage readers have gobbled up books with titles like One Man Guy and Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda. Queerness has always existed between the lines in novels about teenagers. Authors like Nancy Garden, Jacqueline Woodson, and Francesca Lia Block all highlighted gay undertones in their young heroes and heroines. In 2003, David Levithan—the author of Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist and now the publisher and editorial director of Scholastic—ushered in a golden age of gay … Read more

Announcement: Hold, by Rachel Davidson Leigh

QSFer Rachel Davidson Leigh has a new YA sci fi book out: Luke Aday knew that his sister’s death was imminent—she had been under hospice care for months—but that didn’t make her death any easier on him or their family. He returns to school three days after the funeral to a changed world; his best friends welcome him back with open arms, but it isn’t the same. When a charismatic new student, Eddie Sankawulo, tries to welcome Luke to his own school, something life-changing happens: In a moment of frustration, Luke runs into an empty classroom, hurls his backpack against the … Read more

Announcement: As I Descended, by Robin Talley

As I Descended

QSFer Robin Talley has a new YA FF horror book out: From the acclaimed author of Lies We Tell Ourselves, Robin Talley, comes a Shakespeare-inspired story of revenge and redemption, where fair is foul, and foul is fair. Maria Lyon and Lily Boiten are their school’s ultimate power couple—but one thing stands between them and their perfect future: campus superstar Delilah Dufrey. Golden child Delilah is a legend at exclusive Acheron Academy, and the presumptive winner of the distinguished Cawdor Kingsley Prize. But Delilah doesn’t know that Lily and Maria are willing to do anything—absolutely anything—to unseat Delilah for the … Read more

For Writers: Pen Names and YA

Pen Name

Today’s writer topic comes from QSFer Denise Dechene: If you are an author and write contemp MM romance and want to branch out into YA or NA should you have a new pen name or just tag it as adult, curious as to the authors thoughts. It’s a good question, especially for those of us who write toward the more erotic end of the LGBTIQA pool… I know we have a number of authors here who have done just that. Wanna talk about your thoughts and reasoning for it? Join the chat