Pillows & Blankets
I'm a social geography student from Paris, and a contributor for a new blog dedicated to pop culture & intersectional feminism called Critical Writ. I'm particularly interested in lesbian fiction of every genre.
I have a preference for romance & Fantasy/sci-fi, and will pay a lot of attention to gender roles, healthy/unhealthy relationships and consent in stories I read.
The Big Reveal
Full review on Criticalwrit.com
The Open Window, another book by Eve Francis, was such a good read that I jumped on the occasion and requested an ARC for The Big Reveal when it was put up on Netgalley. And am I not regretting this a single second. Its subject took me entirely by surprise— The description of the book being somewhat obscure so as to better keep its cards hidden. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you why this book moved me so much without spoiling it a bit (a very small bit, don’t worry : it’s revealed in the first eight pages I believe) : Samus, one of the two main characters, is a trans woman. I’ve been on the lookout for lesbian trans fiction but since Netgalley only classifies it as LGBTQIA, I didn’t expect that I’d find what I was looking for in this book. One of the best points of The Open Window for me was that it featured a fat lead character, and it seems Eve Francis is still in the process of making their work more and more inclusive, with Jackie being a person of color.
Big changes are coming in Samus Mallory’s (if you’re thinking what I think you’re thinking, you’re right) life. She is now the sole teacher in her Fantasy Literature class, and as a firm believer in the idea that fantasy can change one’s life, she works towards helping her students dream big and create change. When she meets Jackie Vasquez, they quickly bond despite Samus’ fears that her being a trans woman will ruin everything. Jackie is a cosplayer who always cross-plays her characters, and while she’s not Samus’ student, their friendship and eventually their love will shed a new light on her life and open her eyes on her past as well as her future.
Both our characters are absolutely nerdy dears; Samus is the teacher anyone would probably enjoy having, while Jackie is a pretty cool math student slash cosplay seamstress. Their chemistry around board games and in general is great, and while I know very little about either board games or cosplay, I truly enjoyed getting glimpses of those worlds.
Full review on Criticalwrit.com
