Happy Pride Month everyone! This month we have a mershark who needs to kill the merman he's falling for, two holiday princes at odds while hunting for a thief, and a goblin witch and her best friend trying to stop a mall from getting demolished.
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Lastly, don't forget to check out our We Are Pride 2025 booklist! Not only is it online, you can also find physical copies at any one of our branches.
Happy Reading!
Title/Author: Castle Swimmer by Wendy Martin
Reviewer: Jordan
Summary: Kappa is a merman. He’s also known as the Beacon, a chosen one destined to fulfill the many prophesies of the ocean’s sea creatures. Prince Siren of the sharks knows his fate is to kill the Beacon to save his people from an illness that is slowly destroying them. Yet… Siren can’t kill him and the longer he waits with Kappa in captivity, the more he begins to fall for him.
Series/Standalone: Castle Swimmer Vol. 1 (Vol. 2 is set to release in June!)
Genre/Sub-Genre: Fantasy Graphic Novel
Book Format: Hardcover
Length: 272 pages
LGBTQ+ Orientation: Gay
Content Warnings: Siren is supposed to kill Kappa so it’s talked about a lot, and there are one or two brief battles between sea creatures.
Well-Written/Editor Needed: Written well enough
Would I Recommend?: Yes
Personal thoughts: If you like cute, fun, light handling of darker topics, this may be for you! While I enjoyed it, I also felt like I wanted more details, more world building, and more character history and arcs. I wanted to know more about Kappa and Siren, what do they like or not like, how do their backgrounds come through in how they act and what they do. Do they have friends they regularly hang out with or used to hang out with? Does Kappa have family?!?! I feel like we get some of this information, but not enough for me. I have a lot of questions! I also recognize that this is the first book in a series and I expect to get more of those things over the course of the series, including more of a romance arc. I felt a glimmer of an attraction between them, but it could have been bigger.
I liked the artwork! It's a bit simple and I wanted a few more details but the cool colors, mostly blues and greens, evoke an underwater atmosphere really well. Though it feels like it's meant for a much younger audience (I'm also pretty sure Kappa and Siren are supposed to be teenagers), it still drew me in and kept me flipping pages.
So, yes, I recommend this. It was a fun and fast read, but I still wanted more details in the storyline and the artwork.
Title/Author: Go Luck Yourself by Sara Raasch
Reviewer: Lo
Summary: Kris, the spare prince of Christmas, is just trying to get through Oxford and figure out his interpersonal relationships between his friends and his brother when he learns that someone's been stealing Christmas magic. With the only clue being a single shamrock, Kris goes undercover as an ambassador from Christmas to St. Patrick's Day, where he clashes with his rival, Prince Lochlann. The man is infuriating, stubborn, loud, obstinate... and hot. And they're going to need to team up to figure out just what exactly is going on.
Series/Standalone: Royals and Romance #2 (Sequel to The Nightmare Before Kissmas)
Genre/Sub-Genre: Romance
Book Format: eAudiobook
Length: 10hr 32min
LGBTQ+ Orientation: Gay/ Bi
HEA/HFN: HEA
Content Warnings: Parental Neglect/Abuse/ Death of a Parent
Ratio of Sex/Plot: This one is quite a bit steamier than the first book, I’m going to go with ~5-7% spice
Well-Written/Editor Needed: Well-written but felt rushed.
Would I Recommend it?: Yes, I definitely recommend the audiobook since Lochlan and his sister's accent and use of the Irish language are part of the plot.
Personal Thoughts: I did really enjoy this book, however it is a much different feel, pace, and dynamic to the first book. This is much more about Kris’ crisis about who he is and how he fits into the different aspects of his life, and compared to Coal’s story having focused more on the uncovering of the corruption and what to do about it. Additionally, Coal and Hex are a much more sweet and wholesome couple whereas Kris and Lochlan really start off as antagonists, then more to a physical relationship before the mental and emotional aspects come into play. This book does suffer a bit for it taking place almost instantly after the first book and feels very rushed not only in the plot but also in the writing/publication. Is it still an enjoyable little romp with some magical holiday royal romance? Yes, yes it is. Could it have been better with some more time both in the story and in real life? Also yes. Honestly, the romance isn’t the standout here, the aspects that stood out the most were the friendly and familiar bonds as well as the sense of self and passion versus the sense of duty and responsibility.
Title/Author/Artist: Beetle & the Hollowbones by Aliza Layne
Reviewer: Dani
Summary: Twelve-year-old Beetle doesn’t want to learn goblin magic under the tutelage of her Gran; she just wants to hang out with Blob Ghost, who haunts the mall. When her former best friend returns to ‘Allowstown, Beetle can’t help but feel jealous that pretty, high-achieving Kat is studying sorcery and has over two thousand followers on Swarm. But Kat’s apprenticeship to Aunt Hollowbone isn’t as glamorous as social media makes it out to be, and when Beetle and Kat learn that the Hollowbone matriarch is planning to tear down the mall, they must help Blob Ghost find a way to escape.
Series/Standalone: Series
Genre/Sub-Genre: Middle Grade Graphic Novel
Book Format: Physical
Length: 256 pages
LGBTQ+ Orientation: Lesbian
Content Warnings: Emotional abuse
Well-Written/Editor Needed: Well-written
Would I Recommend?: Yes!
Personal thoughts: The recent release of Aliza Layne’s Beetle and the Chimera Carnival prompted me to revisit an abiding favorite of mine, its predecessor, Beetle and the Hollowbones. This middle grade graphic novel completely stole my heart when I first read it. It has delightful characters, inventive world-building, and a great sense of humor. I’d be remiss not to mention the art as a highlight, too, particularly the standout color design.
I was pleased to discover that the sequel is also phenomenal. The annual meeting of dragons over ‘Allowstown expands the scope of this unique world in interesting ways and fills in more of the backstory introduced in the first book. Where Hollowbones offers first-crush cuteness, Carnival goes on to explore what a supportive relationship looks like for two teens from very different backgrounds with different sources of trauma and anxiety, and the most cringe question of all, how do they tell other people they’re dating? Though there’s a third book in the works, now is a great time to get into this series because each book is so satisfying on its own.
I’d recommend this well-crafted, vibrantly illustrated series to graphic novel fans of any age.
DISCLAIMER: We do not review books by author request.
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