Cleopatra, a name synonymous with witch, whore, villain. Known as last reigning Pharaoh of Egypt; history written by men have painted her as a deviant who bewitched men and brought destruction. Saara El-Arifi takes make her story in way that is powerful and human. Where she is given a story that shows her to be a capable though flawed ruler and was her own person not dictated by Julius Caesar or Marcus Antinous. A healer, a skilled fisherman and a ruler who loved Egypt who her whole body and soul has this retelling root for her.

Cleopatra's relationships with her siblings, her children and her most loyal friend Charmion supersedes her relationships with men. Her relationship with Charmion is lovely and heartbreaking, a beautiful show of female friendship and deep love. There is also this magical element related to the Egyptian Gods and how each of her blood line had the marking of a particular God. For Cleopatra it was Isis which help support her in being a healer. Overall, I adore El-Arifi’s written and I loved this book, I will need to pre order my copy asap. This will go up on the shelf with Madeline Millers Circe and Claire North’s Songs of Penelope Series as strong stories that reshape histories of forgotten or overlooked women.

First off I want to point out how stunning this cover is. The artwork is eye catching and fits the story.

Caskey Russell is an enrolled member of the Tlingit Nation(Eagle/Kooyu Kwaan) in Alaska and the influences he pulls from his community and teachings tells an engaging fantasy that does not hold the hand of the reader.

I enjoyed following Elan on his journey to find the artifact to eliminate the colonizers (In this story they are referred to as the Koosh.) with the some what help from Raven and his band of warriors they set out on this journey that sends them through out the world where the political machinations between different communites/nations is interesting and complex and highlights that Indigenous People are not a monolith. They may share similarities but also can be vastly different.

Overall an enjoyable read, though I will admit if you are not familiar with Raven his Crass and flippant attitude can be a little off putting. Personally I didn't mind it. I can't wait for the second book and see Eagle's place in the story.

Set in three timelines, this story follows three generations of a family haunted by demons both literally and figuratively in this beautiful and heartbreaking story. When Qianze‘s father comes back into her life 11 years after he abandoned her and her mother on her 14th birthday. Her father is a haunted shell of a man with message of a prophecy.

The story like a folk tale of a family that has been haunted starting with Qianze’s grandmother Ming and the Japanese invasion of China, and also following her father who during the Cultural Revolution committed terrible crimes while in the red guard.

And the lengths need to finally put a stop to the trauma and colonial harm that can plague a family for centuries. A haunting unsettling story that also has a glimmer of hope.

This was fine, there were some short stories that hit better then others, and you can tell they were written from some of the best authors in Canada to date but damn, I am glad this was anonymous because there is some authors where writing sex might not be their thing.