Hi, I’m MK. (they/she)

This blog is dedicated to reviewing diverse, debut, and indie books written by women/nonbinary authors only.

Connect with me on TikTok (@specficjournal) or Storygraph! (@specficjournal)

my favorite books

Kill the Beast by Serra Swift, What Feeds Below by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne, Road to Ruin by Hana Lee, Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao, Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir, Hijab Butch Blues by Lamya H., The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon, A Song of Legends Lost by M.H. Ayinde

book reviews

I often request ARCs on NetGalley and will post reviews there but also I leave them on StoryGraph, PageBound, Goodreads, this blog (of course!), TikTok, BlueSky, Instagram, and Retailer websites when possible.

a word on…

BOOK TRACKERS: StoryGraph is my source of truth for book tracking at the moment although I am not supportive of their usage of AI. I’ll jump to another suitable alternative if it comes up in an instant.

I am FIRMLY against AI, especially generative AI and will continue to support companies that align with these ethics as well.

E-READERS: My primary device is a Kobo (always has been, always will NOT be Amazon). I do not support Amazon and will never recommend buying books from them or subscribing to Kindle Unlimited.

BOOKS: I get books from my library or used on Pango or ARCs from NetGalley. If I am buying new, I purchase from an independent bookstore.

AUDIOBOOKS: If not from my library, I buy audiobooks from LibroFM. Audiobooks absolutely count as reading and are incredibly important for accessibility needs. If you would like to try them out and support this blog at the same time, you can use my referral link below!

Click here for audiobooks 🙂

BOOK BOXES: Right now, I’m only signed up to Ardvark!

I’ve tried Fae Crate for one month and then cancelled. They are a bit too messy for my brain and ship late and inconsistently and the book designs aren’t my cup of tea.

PUBLISHERS: Bindery is awesome, however there’s a bit of a conflict for me on this because while they are one of the few presses that actively promote diverse voices, their investor is very much pro-AI and invests in other AI companies.

Aunt Lute Books and Feminist Press are where I’d like to buy more books from.