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F/F I read in 2021
Dec. 31st, 2021 10:04 amI didn't read a lot this year, and most of what I did read was nonfiction. But here is the handful of f/f books I read in 2021.
Diamonds & Pearls by Vesper St. Clair
Historical Romance, Novella
Rating: 4/5
This was a fun and very hot novella set in the Jazz Age Manhattan about an heiress and a jewel thief. I haven’t read the other books in this series, but I didn’t need to— this one stood alone.
Founders Trilogy #1: Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett
Fantasy
Rating: 5/5
The worldbuilding in this trilogy is like nothing I’ve ever encountered— magic is more akin to a programming language than anything else, and it’s fascinating! And this is all set against a city ruled by four ruthless families with unthinkable wealth and citizenry who live in unfathomable poverty. The f/f is a subplot, as the main plot is a heist to save the city, but I loved it (and wasn’t expecting it!)
Founders Trilogy #2: Shorefall by Robert Jackson Bennett
Fantasy
Rating: 4/5
More of everything I enjoyed in Foundryside! The worldbuilding expands and is fascinating— I wasn’t 100% enthralled with everywhere it went, but I was along for the ride— and the f/f relationship was very sweet. I’m just disappointed that the third book isn’t available yet!
Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
Rating: 5/5
This is (of course) the sequel to Gideon the Ninth. I don’t even know how to properly talk about this book. It’s brain-breaking and fun. It plays with format in completely unexpected ways. You’ve probably already read it, but if you haven’t, you should. (Read Gideon first!)
Malice by Heather Walter
Fantasy, Fairy Tale Retelling
Rating: 5/5
A retelling of Sleeping Beauty from the witch’s point of view. This has been done before, but I liked this version— it’s a fascinating setup about how magic works, about the bond between Alyce and Aurora, and about what drives Alyce to her later actions. It’s the first in a duology, so the book is really more of a prequel to the fairytale— I’m interested to see how the second book will play out.
Moontangled by Stephanie Burgis
Fantasy, Novella
Rating: 3/5
A frothy novella about a misunderstanding, fey trickery, and magic. Juliana is studying to be a magician, and her fiance Caroline is a budding politician, but after a misunderstanding leads them to break their engagement, they have to work together to escape from the fey and return to their own realm.
It’s extremely short and I’m not sure the plot makes very much sense, but it was a fun, quick read.
Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust
Fantasy, Fairy Tale
Rating: 3/5
I got so frustrated with this book that at one point, I put it down for a few months before picking it back up again. But I did pick it up again, so.
This is a beautifully written original fairy tale, about a girl whose very touch is poisonous and her search for freedom— and for someone who she can trust. It’s exactly the kind of story that appeals to me. But in this case, I got incredibly frustrated with the main character. Soraya makes incredibly bad decisions, over and over again— and that’s not bad in and of itself. I like difficult characters, especially when they’re women! But none of Soraya’s bad decisions are bad in interesting ways; they’re just frustrating, and this is made worse by the fact that she is almost always being deceived by at least one person close to her.
There’s a lot to like here, but I didn’t love it.
The Scapegracers
Paranormal, Fantasy
Rating: 5/5
This is the story about an outcast teenage lesbian witch who makes friends with the popular girls and forms a coven with them…and the popular girls don’t turn out to be evil! It turns a few standard YA tropes on its head, which definitely kept it fresh. The friendships between all the girls were sweet, the magic was super fun, and the book was appropriately spooky and a real page-turner. Once again, I’m ready for the sequel!
Historical
Diamonds & Pearls by Vesper St. Clair
Historical Romance, Novella
Rating: 4/5
This was a fun and very hot novella set in the Jazz Age Manhattan about an heiress and a jewel thief. I haven’t read the other books in this series, but I didn’t need to— this one stood alone.
Speculative Fiction
Founders Trilogy #1: Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett
Fantasy
Rating: 5/5
The worldbuilding in this trilogy is like nothing I’ve ever encountered— magic is more akin to a programming language than anything else, and it’s fascinating! And this is all set against a city ruled by four ruthless families with unthinkable wealth and citizenry who live in unfathomable poverty. The f/f is a subplot, as the main plot is a heist to save the city, but I loved it (and wasn’t expecting it!)
Founders Trilogy #2: Shorefall by Robert Jackson Bennett
Fantasy
Rating: 4/5
More of everything I enjoyed in Foundryside! The worldbuilding expands and is fascinating— I wasn’t 100% enthralled with everywhere it went, but I was along for the ride— and the f/f relationship was very sweet. I’m just disappointed that the third book isn’t available yet!
Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
Rating: 5/5
This is (of course) the sequel to Gideon the Ninth. I don’t even know how to properly talk about this book. It’s brain-breaking and fun. It plays with format in completely unexpected ways. You’ve probably already read it, but if you haven’t, you should. (Read Gideon first!)
Malice by Heather Walter
Fantasy, Fairy Tale Retelling
Rating: 5/5
A retelling of Sleeping Beauty from the witch’s point of view. This has been done before, but I liked this version— it’s a fascinating setup about how magic works, about the bond between Alyce and Aurora, and about what drives Alyce to her later actions. It’s the first in a duology, so the book is really more of a prequel to the fairytale— I’m interested to see how the second book will play out.
Moontangled by Stephanie Burgis
Fantasy, Novella
Rating: 3/5
A frothy novella about a misunderstanding, fey trickery, and magic. Juliana is studying to be a magician, and her fiance Caroline is a budding politician, but after a misunderstanding leads them to break their engagement, they have to work together to escape from the fey and return to their own realm.
It’s extremely short and I’m not sure the plot makes very much sense, but it was a fun, quick read.
Young Adult
Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust
Fantasy, Fairy Tale
Rating: 3/5
I got so frustrated with this book that at one point, I put it down for a few months before picking it back up again. But I did pick it up again, so.
This is a beautifully written original fairy tale, about a girl whose very touch is poisonous and her search for freedom— and for someone who she can trust. It’s exactly the kind of story that appeals to me. But in this case, I got incredibly frustrated with the main character. Soraya makes incredibly bad decisions, over and over again— and that’s not bad in and of itself. I like difficult characters, especially when they’re women! But none of Soraya’s bad decisions are bad in interesting ways; they’re just frustrating, and this is made worse by the fact that she is almost always being deceived by at least one person close to her.
There’s a lot to like here, but I didn’t love it.
The Scapegracers
Paranormal, Fantasy
Rating: 5/5
This is the story about an outcast teenage lesbian witch who makes friends with the popular girls and forms a coven with them…and the popular girls don’t turn out to be evil! It turns a few standard YA tropes on its head, which definitely kept it fresh. The friendships between all the girls were sweet, the magic was super fun, and the book was appropriately spooky and a real page-turner. Once again, I’m ready for the sequel!
