B- Reviews / Book Reviews / C+ Reviews#ownvoices / Asian characters / Fantasy / found family / LGBTQ / Malaysia / novella / POC / POC author / religion / Wuxia2 Comments
Zen Cho returns with a found family wuxia fantasy that combines the vibrancy of old school martial arts movies with characters drawn from the margins of history. A bandit walks into a coffeehouse, and it all goes downhill from there. Guet Imm, a young votary of the Order of the ... more >
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I was tempted to make a list of my favorites among the 2019-published books I read this year. In the end I decided to focus on my favorite 2019 reads (first time reads; I didn’t include books I had read / reviewed in prior years) without regard to their year ... more >
A- Reviews / B+ Reviews / Book Reviews / Recommended Reads#ownvoices / diversity / dragons / f/f / Fairyland / Fantasy / fiction with strong romantic elements / LGBTQ / Magic / magical powers / Malaysia / POC / POC author / Regency England / SFF8 Comments
Dear Ms. Cho, Three and a half years ago, Sunita and I reviewed your first novel, a regency-set fantasy titled Sorcerer to the Crown. I liked it enough to request an ARC of the sequel, The True Queen. I have to admit, though, that I was a little apprehensive because ... more >
Publishing NewsBritish Library / censorship / commercial fiction / digitization / genre fiction / Malaysia / Outlander / Romance / sexual consent / sound recordingsComments Off on Tuesday News: Malaysian pulp fiction, British Library digitizes sound recordings, ‘cup of tea’ consent video, and Diana Gabaldon interview
Malaysians Seek Escape in Pulp Fiction as Government’s Grip Tightens – This is such an interesting piece (putting aside some of the usual pejorative language around mass market fiction, especially that aimed at women) about the rise of a new species of pulp fiction in Malaysia that coincides with more ... more >
B Reviews / Book ReviewsAsian heroine / Dragon / ghosts / Historical Fantasy / Malaysia / Paranormal / POC / POC author / William Morrow11 Comments
Dear Ms. Choo, I’m very much a genre reader. It’s not that I have anything against the more literary-minded novels. It’s just that they’re not my thing, the way westerns and soulbonded lifemates aren’t my thing. But the premise of your debut intrigued me. A paranormal novel set in late ... more >