SPEC.FIC

all about diverse, debut, and indie sci-fi & fantasy books written by women and nonbinary authors

Author: bookishmk@protonmail.com

  • ARC Review: The Age of Calamities by Senaa Ahmad

    ARC Review: The Age of Calamities by Senaa Ahmad

    Absurd. Poetic. Provocative. Cannot recommend this ENOUGH!!

    The Age of Calamities by Senaa Ahmad is a collection of short stories that are as absurd as they are poetic and unexpected. Just when you think you know where the stories are going, BAM!…total-and-complete-upside-down-throw-the-tables-across-the-room switch up of events.

    It’s a delight to be surprised by movements in the plotlines after reading a lot of predictable fiction. It feels like traveling through wormholes…we are in one place and then suddenly we have been whisked away to a different place. All with elegance and a flourish after which trails a smirk you can feel shining at you through the page.

    Bullet summary:

    • short story collection (of 9 tales)
    • absurd twist of historical figures
    • poetic, hilarious, and provocative writing style

    The most memorable stories for me were Let’s Play Dead, The Wolves, and Choose Your Own Apocalypse (one which I can see why this is placed last and I would recommend reading last). While each story centered around “calamitous” moments and figures of history, they still felt very unique in the structure of how the author offers a point or statement or commentary. Each one felt like a new adventure or disturbing nightmare or hilarious happenings until they aren’t so hilarious anymore. It’s a bizarre set of tradgedies really. Funny, but not funny h.a.h.a…

    I highly highly recommend this to anyone who’s looking for something clever, for something different, for something to get swept up in for awhile, and for those of you that simply want to be in awe of the human imagination.

    Thank you to Henry Holt & Co. for the review ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All my thoughts are my own.

    Buy from Bookshop.org here.

    Disclaimer: This blog is part of the Bookshop.org affiliate program and I may earn a very small amount for each purchase made.

    Find more information on the author’s website linked here!

  • Wayward Souls by Susan J. Morris

    Wayward Souls by Susan J. Morris

    Harker and Moriarty are back again in the sequel to Strange Beasts, solving murders, battling creatures, and trying to fight their personal demons at the same time. All whilst being hovered over by an annoying one-dimensional Dutchman.

    Following something as great as the first book in this series was going to be tough and the author almost pulls it off. The character development dives more into each protagonist’s personal minefield while at the same time creating a new battlefield in the middle of their relationship. All while they are on the clock to solve the spooky things happening to people around them and to themselves as well.

    • LGBTQIAP+ representation
    • Irish culture & mythology
    • Critique of controlling/belief systems (ehem patriarchy)
    • Feminist?
    • Secrets, ghosts, dark creatures of old legend

    I REALLY enjoyed the elements of this book that involved atmosphere, setting, creatures, action, danger, etc. It draws on Ireland’s history, myths, and magic and seemed to mash all the creatures and gods together. Morris weaves a delightful spooky adventure.

    What I didn’t enjoy were the relationship dynamics that border on toxic and controlling and extending very little autonomy over decision making. There was so much back and forth it became frustrating. This may be considered character development but it went on too long and became waffling instead. The arcs weren’t satisfying and I finished the book annoyed in a way about this.

    Other than that, it’s a great book and I would still recommend it to anyone looking for a spooky murder mystery involving creatures of myth and legend.

    Thank you to Inky Phoenix Press & Bindery Books for providing this ARC for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

    Buy from Bookshop.org here.

    Disclaimer: This blog is part of the Bookshop.org affiliate program and I may earn a very small amount for each purchase made.

    Find more information about the author and their books at their website linked here!

  • Strange Beasts by Susan J. Morris

    Strange Beasts by Susan J. Morris

    No notes.

    Loved this book!

    If you are looking for a combination of murder mystery, detective work, and creatures of myth & legend that is set in London/Paris featuring women leads in a man’s world, this is the book for you.

    I really enjoyed the story crafted here that draws on history while also critiquing the systems of oppression that would see woman as less than.

    Interestingly, the author makes a choice to have both protagonists be Catholic although nothing about them IS Catholic. None of their actions or beliefs from what I can remember stick out to me as characters that are part of this faith. This is coming from someone who spent their childhood forcibly indoctrinated in this religion. It didn’t fit the story, it didn’t fit the characters. Or the author didn’t make the connection and it’s purpose clear.

    Aside from this, I enjoyed the book and it began to border on horror a bit in some places. It wasn’t too much so this might be a good beginner horror book for those looking to test out the waters so to speak?

    5 stars.

    Buy from Bookshop.org here.

    Disclaimer: This blog is part of the Bookshop.org affiliate program and I may earn a very small amount for each purchase made.

    Find more information about the author and their books at their website linked here!

    susan j. morris screenshot
  • Firstborn of the Sun by Marvellous Michael Anson

    Firstborn of the Sun by Marvellous Michael Anson

    HIGHLY recommend this book – especially the audiobook. What an amazing performance from narrators Adjoa Andoh and Folake Olowofoyeku!!

    This is the first part of an epic fantasy series rich in Yoruba inspiration. Forbidden powers, political maneuvering, and secrets upon secrets. The magic system is well thought out and explained. The political lineage was a bit confusing at first as to who was related to who but eventually as the story progressed, it became very clear. So, if you are confused initially, continue to go with the flow – it’s worth it.

    I love the complex world that the author weaves with excellent character building and development, it’s incredible and I can’t wait for more!

    Find more information about the author and their books at their website linked here.

    Marve has been writing for over a decade and has self-published a thriller, HIS DARK REFLECTION, to critical acclaim. Her debut fantasy novel, FIRSTBORN OF THE SUN, is the first in a trilogy being published by Penguin Michael Joseph in October 2025. This novel also placed her as a finalist in many competitions, including the 2023 Future Worlds Prize for Fantasy Writers of Colour.

    Marve is an award-winning filmmaker, and when she’s not weaving fantastical tales, you can find her exploring life as a serial hobbyist, delving into everything from obsessing over myths and histories, collecting books and passionately assembling her own personal library to indulging in an unapologetic obsession with all things Christmas. She is represented by Ciara Finan and Flo Sandelson at Curtis Brown Literary Agency (UK) and United Talent Agency (USA).

    She can be found online @justmarvewrites and justmarve.org

  • ARC Review: Burn the Sea by Mona Tewari

    ARC Review: Burn the Sea by Mona Tewari

    Burn the Sea is a rich historical fantasy that calls attention to the true story of Rani Abbakka Chowta, a Queen who led her people and allies in a successful resistance against the Portuguese colonizers in the 16th century.

    Mona Tewari’s writing brings history to life in a beautifully woven story of politics, love, loss, and a fight for freedom. I can’t fault the style, the pacing, the world-building. It’s lovely and well crafted. While there were some directions that the plot took that I found frustrating, it might be consistent with the historical inspiration and I think without would have made the plot and character development quite flat.

    Instead of a magic system, we have an imagined belief system involving Spirits and this was one of my favorite parts of the book. The interactions our protagonist has with the Spirits is incredibly charming and adds another wonderful layer of depth to the story.

    Burn the Sea flips the euro-centric historical script that often “others” those it seeks to conquer. This is told from the side of the people defending their shores against invasion and how they see the would-be colonizers.

    This is the first in a duology and Book #2 has been announced so stay tuned for more!

    I would highly recommend to fantasy and historical fiction lovers who adore a female protagonist leading a political fight for freedom against would be oppressors.

    Thank you to Boundless Press at Bindery Books for providing this ARC for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

    Buy from Bookshop.org here.

    Disclaimer: This blog is part of the Bookshop.org affiliate program and I may earn a very small amount for each purchase made.

    Find more information about the author and their books at their website linked here.

  • ARC Review: Devil of the Deep by Falencia Jean-Francois

    ARC Review: Devil of the Deep by Falencia Jean-Francois

    This is a MUST read for 2026. A brilliant biting critique on christian faiths that manipulate believers with falsehoods, especially in order to control women and do away with others who don’t fall within their circle of acceptable ways.

    Devil of the Deep by Falencia Jean-Francois is an amazing Haitian, LGBTQIAP+, and feminist story of pirates, mermaids, and gods. It sets itself apart with lush world building, mythology and lore, and characters representing those who have found their stories historically pushed out of traditional publishing. This is a beautiful book and I would highly recommend it!

    • LGBTQIAP+ representation
    • Haitian culture & mythology
    • Critique of harmful belief systems
    • Feminist / Matriarchal
    • Betrayal, romance, swordfights
    • A pirates life for me please 🙂 🙂 🙂

    Even though I read the eARC, I will absolutely be getting a physical copy to re-read!! (I don’t often re-read books)

    Thank you to Left Unread & Bindery Books for providing this ARC for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

    Buy from Bookshop.org here.

    Disclaimer: This blog is part of the Bookshop.org affiliate program and I may earn a very small amount for each purchase made.

    Find more information about the author and their books at their website linked here.

  • ARC Review: Weavingshaw by Heba Al-Wasity

    ARC Review: Weavingshaw by Heba Al-Wasity

    SPECTACULAR…give me 14 of them right now!!

    This dark and haunting masterpiece just absolutely barrelled itself into my book-loving heart and obliterated whatever poor soul had previously held the title of ‘the best book I’ve read in recent memory’. The way I became an obsessive unrecognizable creature absorbing this story, these characters into my veins as directly and swiftly as possible, while at the same time mourning the fact that I would never again be able to read this book for the first time.

    Heba Al-Wasity sweeps us away with her beautiful, well-edited manuscript, her characters that burrow and nestle themselves in the dark corners of your heart, and a masterclass in creating atmosphere, depth, tension, anticipation, and feeling.

    Being pitched as a gothic fantasy, this means pain, and no doubt there is suffering here. You will feel it, you will feel everything, and it climbs and it builds like a wave about to devastate the shores of a sleeping village, unaware of the beast about to change its entire world in one crash. I was that sleeping village. And I’m awake now.

    Dear potential reader, I could summarize the plot and tell you about all of the poignant themes brilliantly laid bare for your consumption in Weavingshaw, but I promise that no matter what, once this book comes out, there will be severe FOMO for those who don’t immediately shell out what little value money has in the exchange of such a treasure.

    * Gothic

    * Political

    * Demons

    * Ghosts

    * Mysteries

    * A slow burn you will devour

    Leena Al-Sayer can see the dead; this is her most severely kept secret. But when she needs to exchange it for the life of her brother in a deal that will threaten to upend her already fragile situation, she bargains with the Saint of Silence. Not a Saint but a haunting mystery, one that slowly unravels into madness, demons, ghosts, and dark corners of the world that might have been better left unturned.

    The first book in a TRILOGY.

    Recommendation: I’d recommend this book to anyone, everyone!

    Additional compelling themes/commentary:

    * Legacy – and what men will do/have done to maintain it. How self-important they make themselves and how monstrous…how they feel fit to make decisions of fate like gods for those they see as less than or in control of simply for greed.

    * Exploitation – of the poor, the migrant, the refugee. How they are used and bled for the continued vitality of the rich and ruling class. How prison systems become businesses, profits before people…How ‘othering’ people makes it so easy to treat them as less than, to rationalize harming them.

    * Secrets – even the smallest of these can change the course of a life.

    * Family – and how sometimes the ones we love the most will move and shake our lives so violently we might find resentment haunting our relationships

    * Fear & Control – and that maybe, just maybe we might be stronger than we think when it comes to fighting our ghosts.

    Thank you to Del Rey for providing this ARC for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

    Buy from Bookshop.org here.

    Disclaimer: This blog is part of the Bookshop.org affiliate program and I may earn a very small amount for each purchase made.

    Find more information about the author and their books at their website linked here.

  • ARC Review: To Ride A Rising Storm by Moniquill Blackgoose

    ARC Review: To Ride A Rising Storm by Moniquill Blackgoose

    Everything is turned up a notch in the second installment of the story of Anequs and Kasaqua! Politics, romance, new allies and dangerous enemies…once again Moniquill Blackgoose pens a piece of work that should be required reading for all.

    To Ride A Rising Storm is The Second Book of Nampeshiweisit following To Shape A Dragon’s Breath. We pick up right where the first one ended and continue to follow the journey of Anequs, a young indigenous woman chosen by Kasaqua, the first dragon her island home of Masquapaug has seen in a long time. This is the story of them attending the colonizer’s dragon academy and facing the Anglish ways and customs, including standing up to those who would do away with her people altogether.

    Review:

    I requested the ARC of The Second Book of Nampeshiweisit because I absolutely loved the first book. And if you loved the first book, you will enjoy the second. It’s very much the same style and format as the first. The writing is consistent, pragmatic, and practical – just like Anequs. The pacing is measured and even until you reach the very last pages where it then explodes into chaos. Similar to the first book, my only critique is that there is a lot of info dumping at times.

    One of my favorite parts of this book is the way the author weaves in stories alongside the main plot. Characters will sit down and listen to a story being told (which will last for a chapter) and it’s like finding myself around a campfire with friends and family while someone recounts a folk tale.

    Again, as in the first book, much of the story is comparing the differences between Anequs’s culture and that of the Anglish (European-centric-esque). Book #2 explores more of the differences pertaining to romantic relationships especially and themes around courting, marriage, and family inheritances.

    Recommendation:

    Readers who want to take their time with a story, who want to read from the perspective of an indigenous woman navigating a world that is completely different than her own, and who love dragons! As I said for the first book, I would recommend this to be required reading.

    The release date is January 27, 2026 so mark your calendars!

    Thank you to Del Rey for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

    Buy from Bookshop.org here.

    Disclaimer: This blog is part of the Bookshop.org affiliate program and I may earn a very small amount for each purchase made.

    Find more information about the author and their books at their website linked here.

  • ARC Review: Villain by Natalie Zina Walschots

    ARC Review: Villain by Natalie Zina Walschots

    Henches, superheroes, sidekicks, and villains are back for round 2 in this long awaited sequel to HENCH #1 by Natalie Zina Walschots.

    Plot Summary:

    Anna and the crew at Leviathan are recovering from the events of Book 1 including the defeat of Supercollider there are some FEELINGS being dealt with. Working through this, they are taking on the Draft. Not a superhero but a super-corporation. And Anna meets her nemesis.

    Review:

    Being a newcomer to Hench #1 this year, I didn’t realize how long awaited this sequel was…and that the author mentioned having to start completely over about 4 times. Dates were pushed back and it sounds like the author had a hell of a time getting this one done. So, firstly thank you to Natalie for completing this project.

    The first book came out in 2020 and a lot can happen in the years since then that the author would have been writing. She mentions herself that she isn’t the same person and Villain is definitely a very different book than Hench. We still have the same relative punchy fun writing style that layers in character development, clever plotting, and social commentary. But as things develop, different themes are explored more heavily and relationships between the characters get a bit messier.

    I enjoyed the sequel overall and much of what I loved about book #1 was the same for Villain. That being said, I would check trigger warnings because the heat was definitely turned up a notch in this one. Both for content but also relationship development. I’m not a fan of poor communication and misunderstandings or assumptions (or really any kind of toxic nature) between characters when it comes to intimate relationships but this is a personal preference. There is a lot explored here around power dynamics and agency between people with strong feelings about each other. While it definitely is interesting to reflect on psychologically speaking, it wasn’t comfortable to read (not that books have to make us feel comfortable).

    Once again though, I appreciated the diversity of Walschots characters like the first book and there is a lot of representation here. One of my favorite parts of this book is the plotting, the fallout, the scheming, the rebellion/rage against the machine disguised as cartoonic villainy. There is a lot of commentary and themes around social justice, corporations, evil masquerading as heroism.

    I love the ending – Walschots is a pro at creating tension and sparking curiosity and the last page was no exception…so, will there be a book 3? I’m not sure this story is over yet but we’ll see.

    Author bio (from their website):

    “Natalie cultivates fandoms, builds new communities, develops character voices, leads interactive fiction workshops, designs alternate reality games, constructs branching narratives, and most mornings opens Tumblr before opening her eyes. Her client list includes scrappy indie game studios, critically acclaimed television shows, mixed martial artists, print magazines, talk shows, NGOs, and a few more that defy categorization.

    tl;dr: free lance, writer, memesmith, bailed academic, nerd, gamer, metal head, SJW, world builder, supervillain.”

    Buy from Bookshop.org here.

    Disclaimer: This blog is part of the Bookshop.org affiliate program and I may earn a very small amount for each purchase made.

    Find more information about the author and their books at their website linked here.

  • Book Review: Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots

    Book Review: Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots

    Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots is a hilarious, fun, and devious story about superheroes and villains where you might just side with evil on this one. I certainly did.

    Plot Summary:

    Anna is a low-level assistant to villains working temp jobs when she is seriously injured by the most famous superhero alive. While recovering from her injury, she ends up calculating the costs of damage done by said superhero and others like him. Suddenly she finds herself employed again and diving into the world of true villainy or is it heroism? And maybe the superheroes aren’t so super after all?

    Author bio (from their website):

    “Natalie cultivates fandoms, builds new communities, develops character voices, leads interactive fiction workshops, designs alternate reality games, constructs branching narratives, and most mornings opens Tumblr before opening her eyes. Her client list includes scrappy indie game studios, critically acclaimed television shows, mixed martial artists, print magazines, talk shows, NGOs, and a few more that defy categorization.

    tl;dr: free lance, writer, memesmith, bailed academic, nerd, gamer, metal head, SJW, world builder, supervillain.”

    Review:

    I rated this book five stars and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys analyzing data and human psychology that feels like they might have a tiny villain inside.

    The author hits on several themes surrounding good and evil as we would call it. How some people we put on a pedestal don’t live up to how high we have built them and how some people we condemn are the farthest thing from evil. And the costs of doing “good” can far outweight the good done and was any good done at all?

    One of my favorite discussions that can be had from this book is that of the creation of a villain. How are villains made? And sometimes, are heroes to blame for the existence of evil? How careless acts can damage and how covering it up hurts even more…

    At first, this book seemed all fun and games but then by the end, it became a cavern of depth. Heavy on the theme of collateral damage of “doing good”. There was a lot of development of the themes, of characters, of plot action, and suddenly I was so invested, I was figuratively biting my nails until the last page.

    I very much enjoyed the found family formed but make it villain. There’s also an aspect of how success can create a space for jealousy and the loss of a former life and contacts.

    I was buckled in for the ride on this one and I CANNOT WAIT to start reading the ARC for the next installment, VILLAIN – coming out May 2026.

    Buy from Bookshop.org here.

    Disclaimer: This blog is part of the Bookshop.org affiliate program and I may earn a very small amount for each purchase made.

    Find more information about the author and their books at their website linked here.