Tiny Elf Arcanist

by

Mat

2024 Q2 Update

3–4 minutes

We’re halfway through the year already and it was a packed second quarter.

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Q2 Update

These couple of months have been busy! In April we got authors writing haiku for their books, some lists for Wyrd & Wonder during May, then the blog anniversary going on in June (for which it got a subtle revamp, many great guest posts from indie authors, and some issues for The Woke Agenda), the beginning of BBNYA 2024, and the approaching end of the Indie Ink Awards.

Netgalley

In my last update I talked about the second life of my NetGalley account and I’ve already taken it up to 67%! I wrote reviews for some top June releases, like Christopher Buehlman’s The Daughters’ War, and Running Close to the Wind by Alexandra Rowland.

I also got the chance to read and review a new Poorly Drawn Lines Collection coming out in September, Hope It All Works Out!, by author and illustrator Reza Farazmand. These comics have always brought me joy and I’ll make sure to get my own copy for when I need to smile.

Cover for The Daughters' War by Christopher Buehlman
Cover of Running Close to the Wind by Alexandra Rowland
Cover of Hope It All Works Out! by Reza Farazmand. With a short comic strip.[First panel - Mouse: "Everything is going according to plan." Second panel - Snail: "What's the plan?" Third panel - Mouse in large text a text bubble as the title: "Hope It All Works Out!"]

Someone stop me from making requests, please. I’m already biting more than I can chew. At least I’m taking it easy with BookSirens…

Q2 Reviews recap

Between April and June I only shared three reviews here, but two of those were Tiny Elf Approved:

  • Clytemnestra’s Bind, by Susan C. Wilson. This read was part of a book tour with The Write Reads and I’m glad I jumped on the opportunity. It’s a stellar Greek feminist retelling.
  • Savage Seas, by Monica Boothe. The Beneath the Black Flag’s covers have been calling me since I first landed my eyes on Sinking Sands; I need to check the rest of these standalone novels. The author is already planning a new series based on Arthurian leyends.
  • Queen of Shifting Sands, by Kaytlin Carter Brown. I could have loved this novel; it’s got disability rep, romance, and political intrigue in a desert kingdom. It’s got the bones, it just lacks a bit of polish.
Cover of Clytemnestra's Bind by Susan C. Wilson
Cover of Savage Seas by Monica Boothe
Cover of Queen of Shifting Sands by Kaitlyn Carter Brown

ARCs and future plans

I need to get better at planning and scheduling posts, but here’s the outline of what to expect in the third quarter of the year.

I got some ARCs I’m very excited for:

  • Pluralities by Avi Silver, a queer sci-fi novella of identity exploration. Narrated by the author.
  • Imbued by Helyna L. Clove, an introspective New Adult dark fantasy with forbidden magic.
  • The Wingspan of Treason by L.N. Bayen, an adult epic fantasy debut.
  • Until We Shatter by Kate Dylan, a YA sapphic fantasy standalone with a heist plot. (This one’s not indie)
Cover of Pluralities by Avi Silver. A long-haired person from the shoulders up with a detached face as if it was a mask. On their cheeck you can see a smeared "she". Behind the face there's a ship in space.
Cover of Imbued by Helyna L. Clove. White arum Lilly in the center, tied in glowing gold thread, surrounder by dark leaves.
The Wingspan of Treason by L.N. Bayen
Cover of Until We Shatter by Kate Dylan

July

It won’t take me long to finish Pluralities, so next week you’ll get to read my review for it.

I still have to finish reading phase 1 of BBNYA and I can’t talk about it yet, but I’ll join the tour for Legacy of the Brightwash which was last year’s 4th place finalist.

By the second half of the month, I’ll finally be able to post my reviews for Indie Ink Awards! I still gotta catch up with my remaining two reads, but so far I’ve enjoyed my participation this year.

August

I’ll keep sharing more Indie Ink Awards’s reviews, keeping it to one per week. I’ll make up for the lack of reviews of this last quarter.

September

Sometime during September we’ll be announcing the winners for the Indie Ink Awards. I’ll let you know when we have a definitive date.

The rest of the aforementioned ARCs should be getting reviews too during this month. I’ll also be participating in a book tour for Palmer Pickering’s latest release, Dark Town, which is narrated by Lindsey Dorcus and I loved what she did with The Dryad’s Crown.

Cover of Dark Town by Palmer Pickering
Cover of The Dryad's Crown by David Hopkins

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