Book Reviews / C Reviews / C- Reviews / DNF Reviews / Reading Lists#ownvoices / contemporary fantasy / Ghost / gods / Harlequin Historical / historical romance / immigrant / long lost heiress / Malaysia / POC / POC author / Reading lists / Regency6 Comments
Black Water Sister by Zen Cho I enjoyed Zen Cho’s two books in her Sorcerer Royal series, with their lovable characters, whimsy, humor, and Heyer homages, so when I saw she had a fantasy novel set in modern-day Malaysia coming out, one that was initially billed as a third installment, ... more >
B Reviews / Book ReviewsAsian characters / diversity / dysfunctional family / family relationships / gender-based violence / Ghost / god / homophobia / immigrant / lesbian / LGBTQIA / Malaysia / Paranormal / POC / POC author / prejudice / revenge / ViolenceNo Comments
A reluctant medium discovers the ties that bind can unleash a dangerous power in this compelling Malaysian-set contemporary fantasy. When Jessamyn Teoh starts hearing a voice in her head, she chalks it up to stress. Closeted, broke and jobless, she’s moving back to Malaysia with her parents – a country ... more >
B- Reviews / Book Reviews / C+ Reviews#ownvoices / Asian characters / Fantasy / found family / LGBTQIA / 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 >
A Reviews / A- Reviews / B+ Reviews / Reading Lists / Recommended Reads / Top Ten Lists#metoo / #ownvoices / 1870s / 1920s / 1970s / accountant / Agent/Spies/Undercover / arranged-marriage / Asian heroine / Asperger's / audiobook / book editor / California / class differences / Contemporary / custody battle / dragons / enemies to lovers / epistolary / f/f / Fairyland / fake relationship / family / Fantasy / farming / friends-to-lovers / gods / heroine in disguise / high-school / historical romance / Hong Kong based world / illegitimate-child / LGBTQIA / Literary fiction / London / look alikes / mafia / magical powers / Malaysia / martial arts / Mexico / nobleman / Northern Ireland / nurse / POC / POC author / political intrigue / quest / Reading lists / reformed hero / Regency-based world / romantic-elements / roommates / saga / single dad / streetwise heroine / Time-Travel / Vietnam / waitress / war19 Comments
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 / LGBTQIA / 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 >