POC – Page 16 – The Bookish Mutant

goodreads monday header.jpeg

Happy Monday, bibliophiles!

Goodreads Monday is a weekly meme created by Lauren’s Page Turners. All you have to do to participate is pick a book from your Goodreads TBR, and explain why you want to read it.

I’m so sad that I forgot about this one for a while, because it seems like everything that I’d want in a fantasy novel–witches, forbidden love, and apparently, loads of LGBTQ+/POC representation! I mean, what could possibly go wrong?

Image result for magneto perfection gif

Let’s begin, shall we?

GOODREADS MONDAY (2/17/20)–FROM UNDER THE MOUNTAIN (TRIDENT CHRONICLES, #1) by C.M. Spivey

Image result for from under the mountain

Blurb from Goodreads:

As the second child of the Aridan imperial family, nineteen-year-old Guerline knows exactly what is expected of her: be unobtrusive, be compliant, and do not fall in love with her low-born companion, Eva. She has succeeded at only two of those.

But before her feelings for Eva can become a point of contention for the royal house, Guerline’s calm and narrow life is ripped away from her—in the course of a single night—and she is abruptly cast in the role of empress.

Faced with a council that aggressively fears the four witch clans charged with protecting Arido and believes they are, in fact, waging war against the humans, Guerline struggles to maintain order. As her control over the land crumbles, she learns that the war is rooted in a conflict much older than she realized—one centuries in the making, which is now crawling from under the mountain and into the light. With the fate of Arido hanging in the balance, Guerline must decide who to trust when even her closest councilors seem to have an agenda.

Darkly cinematic, From Under the Mountain pairs the sweeping landscape of epic fantasy with the personal journey of finding one’s voice in the world, posing the question: how do you define evil, when everything society tells you is a lie?

So why do I want to read this?

Wow, everything about this novel seems like the perfect ingredients for the fantasy book that I’ve always wanted to read! Aside from the aforementioned reasons, From Under the Mountain seems incredibly intricate and complex, touching on the gray area between good and evil, questioning how society defines the other, and discovering yourself–all themes that I always adore seeing in books. Plus, that cover looks pre-tty gorgeous, if I do say so myself. 😜

Today’s song:

That just about wraps up this week’s Goodreads Monday! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!

thank you for reading.jpg

Happy Monday, bibliophiles!

Goodreads Monday is a weekly meme created by Lauren’s Page Turners. All you have to do to participate is pick a book from your Goodreads TBR, and explain why you want to read it.

This one caught my eye not long ago: Not only is it a premise set around sirens, but a) they’re POC sirens, and b) it’s a pretty obvious metaphor for the other? COUNT ME IN! I’ve yet to read it (obviously…), but I’ve got high hopes…

Let’s begin, shall we?

GOODREADS MONDAY (12/9/19)–A SONG BELOW WATER by Bethany C. Morrow

Blurb from Goodreads:

Tavia is already at odds with the world, forced to keep her siren identity under wraps in a society that wants to keep her kind under lock and key. Nevermind she’s also stuck in Portland, Oregon, a city with only a handful of black folk and even fewer of those with magical powers. At least she has her bestie Effie by her side as they tackle high school drama, family secrets, and unrequited crushes.

But everything changes in the aftermath of a siren murder trial that rocks the nation; the girls’ favorite Internet fashion icon reveals she’s also a siren, and the news rips through their community. Tensions escalate when Effie starts being haunted by demons from her past, and Tavia accidentally lets out her magical voice during a police stop. No secret seems safe anymore—soon Portland won’t be either.

So why do I want to read this?

As I said earlier, I’m always aching for a good mermaid/siren novel. Not only that, our siren protagonists, Tavia and Effie, are both POC.

What I got from the synopsis is that the whole siren/human situation is an incredibly dicey one, with a history of prejudice, discrimination, and fear. (Sound familiar? Hello, almost every minority that I can think of in the U.S. and elsewhere…) If all goes well, this sounds like an excellent metaphor for minority groups and the other, well-supported by its plot and characters. And who wouldn’t swoon over that gorgeous cover?

A Song Below Water doesn’t come out until June of next year, and you know that I’m eagerly awaiting its release! 😀

Thanks for stopping by, everyone! Stay tuned for more content later in the week! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and remember: you are so loved. 💗

thank you for reading.jpg

Tag: POC

Goodreads Monday (2/17/20)–From Under the Mountain

Goodreads Monday (12/9/19)–A Song Below Water