A really fun middle grade story that explores modern retelling of traditional Chinese folklore and myth. Listening to audio added another layer of enjoying oral storytelling tradition ❤️ Definitely going to look into the companion novels as well.

I was skeptical of this book prior to picking it up; the synopsis did not appeal to me, but it was the first book in the Starbright subscription and I couldn't skip it. This book is very light on the scifi. At its heart, it is a contemporary family narrative with a literary lean. If this appeals to you, read on. However, that entire thing is an anti-buzzword for me. Three stars were out of respect for obvious quality writing, but I did not enjoy this one 😅

**I was provided an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.** Marie Howalt presents A Study in Black Brew, a scifi retelling of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's A Study in Scarlet. Readers follow the perspective of Kellieth, a chemist with chronic illness who was retired from the field due to an aggravation of that illness. Kellieth is a wendek, one of several alien species mentioned in the world Howalt develops. When Kellieth moves to accommodate their new level of income, they rapidly finds themself swept up in the antics of their strange new neighbor, Raithan. Raithan, another wendek, is summoned to a murder investigation and Kellieth is along for the journey. As is likely apparent, Kellieth fills the role of our Watson character and Raithan is our Holmes. This retelling is a pretty beat-by-beat type of retelling under the influence of the scifi world and with the technological advancements as well as various species included as part of that world. That being said, Howalt pays homage to the original story by Doyle while also introducing characters who are charming in their own right. I really just found this retelling to be fun and would be willing to follow this pair in the future (perhaps on their own adventures?), though Howalt notes A Study in Black Brew as a standalone. I will absolutely be looking into Howalt's backlist and happily recommend this story to Sherlock fans and murder mystery fans alike.

**I was provided an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.** Estlin McPhee presents their poetry collection In Your Nature, with focus on queer and trans experiences. McPhee ties in themes of folklore, lycanthropy, transformation, and religion as well as various pop culture references. I will admit that I rarely read poetry. Typically, I read maybe one book or so of poetry each year. I was drawn in first by the beautiful cover art for In Your Nature, and then by the mentioned themes. I could see myself in a lot of the pieces McPhee collected, and could appreciate their methods of incorporating both religion and folklore into the collection. I also liked the variety of structural composition methods and was grateful for the small explanations of each piece at the back of the collection. I enjoyed my time with In Your Nature and would happily recommend it to those poetry fans that can appreciate the topics included.

**I was provided an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.** Lee Mandelo serves as editor for Amplitudes, a speculative anthology exploring the potentials of queer and trans futures. 22 authors contribute with a broad variety of takes on the theme. This anthology is definitely for an adult audience as it includes mature content and themes not intended for younger readers. This anthology has a lot of variety in style and in approach, which absolutely means there is a high likelihood not all of the stories will strike true for all readers. Some stories I actively disliked where others I rather enjoyed. Some edged into very weird and strange areas of speculative fiction and others played things a little more upfront. My individual story ratings varied between 2.5 and 4 with the following stories being highlights from the collection for me: MoonWife by Sarah Gailey, There Used to Be Peace by Margaret Killjoy, Copper Boys by Jamie McGhee, and The Garden of Collective Memory by Neon Yang Gailey, Killjoy, and Yang are all authors I have enjoyed work from previously, but McGhee is a new author to explore for me which is a win. Ultimately, I enjoyed taking my time with this anthology and would happily encourage others to pick it up if the theme appeals. If the story you're currently reading isn't the one for you, the next one will be vastly different :)