Staff Picks Reviewer: Madison

The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez [Book]

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It’s very difficult to recommend this book while trying to keep all of its wonderful secrets and surprises under wraps! At its simplest, The Spear Cuts Through Water is a gripping adventure story following two young men, both with mysterious histories of their own, as they rescue a kidnapped goddess and attempt to protect her on a treacherous journey across a country ruled by a corrupt emperor and his three powerful and villainous sons. This description, while accurate, doesn’t capture what makes this book so magical–but rather than spoil the details for you, I will just say that Simon Jimenez tells this story in an utterly unique way, and his lyrical and emotional writing brings the tale to life. No part of the journey goes the way the reader might expect, but every twist and turn adds to the ever-growing danger closing in on the three adventurers, who must learn to trust one another or face certain death. At times violent and grim, it’s certainly not for everyone, but fans of She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan, Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse, and Netflix’s The Untamed will find plenty to enjoy in this romantic and folklore-driven fantasy.

Sounds like Titanic by Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman [Book]

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After a childhood spent driving over the mountains of West Virginia to take violin lessons, Jessica is now officially a music student at Columbia University and on track to achieve her dream of becoming a professional violinist. As her first semester wears on, however, something becomes abundantly, horribly clear: Jessica isn’t good enough to play the violin professionally. Not even close. And the cost of her education is slowly crushing her, forcing her to take any job she can to survive.
So when Jessica is unexpectedly hired to play the violin at craft fairs and art shows by a mysterious man (identified only as The Composer throughout the book), she jumps at the opportunity. The Composer has a large, dedicated fanbase who obsess over his inoffensive, pennywhistle-heavy instrumental music, but Jessica quickly realizes that something is amiss about his live performances: they’re not live at all. As Jessica gets more and more involved in her work with the Composer, eventually touring across America with his group, she has to reckon with her own ideas of success and authenticity—all while pretending to play the violin in front of concert halls full of people.
This quick-moving memoir is a story of coming to terms with one’s own inescapable mediocrity after a lifetime of being called “gifted.” It’s also a funny and brutal look into the experience of someone who kind of, but not really, got to live out a dream—as well as a peek at the strange and mercurial composer whose fame was primarily based on the fact that his music shamelessly mimicked the soundtrack of the 1997 movie Titanic. Fans of quirky, biting, beautifully-written memoirs will love this quick read.

Dead Collections by Isaac Fellman [Book]

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Sol Katz is the head archivist of an LGBTQ historical society, an avid fan of retro sci-fi television, a Jewish trans man, and a vampire. Any sun exposure could kill him, so his work organizing queer ephemera in a windowless basement suits him well. When Elsie, the widow of a well-known television writer, comes to donate her late wife’s papers, Sol is consumed by the project–both because the writer was the showrunner of his favorite 90’s space drama, Feet of Clay, and because of his growing attraction to Elsie. But things begin going wrong in the archive: film reels disintegrate, papers wither into dust, and Sol begins to suspect that a force beyond nature is to blame. As Sol searches for answers and learns more about the writer’s troubled life and career, he also grows closer to Elsie and begins reckoning with the way his vampirism limits and defines his life.
Though it’s easy enough to say that this is a book about a trans vampire archivist, mere description of the plot doesn’t do it justice. It’s a love letter to archives, but it’s also a meticulous and tender exploration of online fan communities and queer media. The story takes on many forms from chapter to chapter, including emails, forum posts, and scripts. This is my favorite book of the year so far, and I especially recommend it to anyone who enjoys explorations of gender, introspective horror, or Star Trek fanfiction.

She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan [Book]

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In 14th-century China, a fortune-teller reveals to twelve-year-old Zhu Chongba that he is destined to achieve greatness. But when he dies in a bandit raid on their impoverished village, his younger sister assumes his identity and his fate in order to achieve the thing she wants above all else: to survive. She Who Became the Sun is a beautifully written, character-driven story that follows the new Zhu Chongba as she fights to keep her secret and her life in a world upended by war and rebellion in the aftermath of the collapse of the Mongol Empire. Shelley Parker-Chan seamlessly weaves fantasy, humor, and romance into a queer historical military fantasy unlike anything else on the shelf.

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo [Book]

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In 1950’s San Francisco, seventeen-year-old Lily Hiu’s Chinatown community, including her parents, are constantly under scrutiny for not being “American enough.” Lily works hard to fit in at school and with her friends, but she has a secret she can’t share with anyone: she’s attracted to other girls, a dangerous realization that could put her family’s citizenship at risk. When classmate Kathleen Miller invites Lily to the Telegraph Club, a bar for San Francisco’s underground lesbian community, Lily is torn between her duty to her family and her fascination with the forbidden Telegraph Club—and with Kathleen. At turns hopeful and heartbreaking, Last Night at the Telegraph Club paints a vivid portrait of mid-century San Francisco and the people whose lives were endangered by the fear-mongering and needless moral panic of the Red Scare.

The Unspoken Name by A.K. Larkwood [Book]

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Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey [Book]

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The Midnight Lie by Marie Rutkoski [Book]

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This YA fantasy novel is the first in a duology about Nirrim, a young woman who lives in a remote island city. Nirrim is Half Kith, which means she cannot wear bright colors, eat flavorful food, or leave the walled-in neighborhood she calls home. Beyond the walls, the privileged class known as the High Kith live lavishly. When an unlucky accident lands Nirrim in the city jail, she meets Sid, a traveler with a mysterious past who somehow convinces the guards to let Nirrim free. Sid has questions Nirrim never thought to ask, like: why do the High Kith get all of life’s pleasures? How was the city founded? And who built the wall around the Half Kith? Together, Nirrim and Sid set out to find the answers.

Though this plot description has elements that will be familiar to anyone who reads YA fantasy and dystopian sci-fi, I found it to be a unique and engrossing story that isn’t quite like anything I’ve read before. The island of Herrath, where Nirrim lives, is immersive and detailed, and Marie Rutkoski’s writing brings it vividly to life. The primary romance in this book is between two women, and the characters feel well-developed and real. I picked this book up on a whim one Sunday morning and didn’t put it down until it was finished–it totally hooked me from the first few pages. Highly recommended to teens and adults who love complicated heroes, LGBTQ romance, and unique fantasy worlds.