Thank you to Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for the Reader's Copy!

Now available.

Sadeqa Johnson's YELLOW WIFE is a page-turning and harrowing account of a Black enslaved women's journey in Antebellum Virgina. Pheby is quite the protagonist, as headstrong and brilliant as she is young, naive, and vulnerable. Johnson spares us little detail and we see Pheby and her family and friends experience the brutal living conditions on the plantations and in the penal system and how interconnected the two really were (and still are to this day). I especially appreciated how Johnson shows us the nuances of racial identity in the South and how Black and white the system really isn't. YELLOW WIFE tries to make sense of that ambiguity, both as a place of privilege and complaince with white suprmacy. Be prepared with a strong stomach, a box of tissues and a bit of time on your hands because you cannot look away.

Thanks Ecco and NetGalley for the Reader's Copy!

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Nishant Batsha's MOTHER OCEAN FATHER NATION is a glimpse into an often overlooked part of the Indian history. The story follows a brother (Jaipul) and sister (Bisha) as they deal with the political disenfranchisement, intimidation, and unjust persecution of Indo-Fijians in the late 1980s. The story starts right after the government coup led by Lieutenant Colonel Sitiveni Rabuka and his party, which framed Indian immigrants (many of whom arrived as indentured laborers) as a privileged class who didn't assimilate or share their opportunities with the native population. Batsha's story, however, is much removed from the political dramas and instead highlights what life must have been like for everyday Indian families, desperately trying to make sense of it all. For example, we see how the inconsistent and often contradictory and restrictive business laws lead Jaipul to resort to the black market. I really enjoyed getting to know these characters and watching them preserve through all of the hurdles. Bishant's writing style is melodic, lingering on details that make the Southern Pacific buzz with life. The book raises interesting questions about citizenship, queerness, Indian identity, cultural belonging and self-identity.

Thank you to NetGalley and DAW for the Advanced Reader's Copy!

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I picked up this book because I deeply loved John Wiswell's previous book, Someone You Can Build a Home In. The Dragon Has Some Complaints is markedly different with a quicker pace and more fantastical elements. I found myself struggling at some parts (such as Rania's inevitable romances) and struggling to keep up with some of the world building (how did the FFR come to be? Where did all the old dragons go while all of this was happening? Why is Raina so go with the flow??) . The dialogue between the three dragon heads is whip-smart and hilarious (especially Upperhead's struggle to understand himself as a dragon). Sometimes I wish the physiology of the dragon was made clearer so I could better understand the world. But the last few chapters were absolutely outstanding and very satisfying. I look forward to the next adventure.