Are you a bookworm? Are you a sapphic reader? As someone who is both, I was very excited to discover the sapphic september challenge this year. The reading challenge takes place every year in September and was created by landice, or @ manicfemme instagram. This year was the first year that I learned about the challenge, despite being on bookstagram for 3 years, so I really want to share this challenge with the world!
Essentially, there are 16 prompt categories and then readers can read or post about sapphic books that fulfill that category to complete it. I tried to read as many of the categories as I could this year, and I finished seven!
Here are all of my reviews:
The Mermaid, the Witch and the Sea: 5 stars
One of my new favorites; this book broke me into pieces and then put me back together again. It is so well written and although it’s true fantasy it’s not hard to follow. It’s about Evelyn, a young noblewoman who is sent away to marry some rich man she’s never met. Her parents don’t really care for her and their last act as her parents is to secure passage for her on a ship to the far away land where she will be married.
Florian/Flora is a sailor on this ship, and they have a really interesting identity in that they are female but they can choose to take on a male identity through a magic spell that they did when they first became a sailor. They have to be male on this ship because it’s believed to be bad luck for a ship to have a female sailor. It’s hard to explain, but the way that they were written and how they thought about gender was really interesting to read about and definitely resonated with me.
The two fall in love and as the story progresses, they have to face a lot. I can’t say anymore because basically everything is a spoiler, but I need everyone to read this book immediately. It’s soooo good. Tokuda-Hall is such a talented writer, flawlessly creating the main characters Evelyn and Florian/Flora and their world. The character development and plot progression was fantastic!
Suffice to say that I cannot recommend this book more.
Blessed by the Cupid Distribution System: 3 stars
This novella by Robin Jo Margaret follows Iris, a trans woman who is alone on yet another Valentine’s Day. Jaya, a cupid, comes across Iris on the cupid system, and chooses her to help on Valentine’s Day. Iris immediately likes Jaya, and they end up spending the holiday together, and the story goes from there. I liked this one for its simplicity and fun vibes but I personally didn’t get attached to the characters.
It was a good novella, and a quick read, but the pacing was too fast for me which again is a personal preference thing. I would definitely check this book out if you like quick pacing and/ or want a fun quick read or you like the insta love trope!
The Bookshop & the Barbarian: 3.5 stars
This cozy fantasy by Morgan Stang is about a woman named Marbella who buys an old bookstore in a far away town. She runs into a bit of a goblin problem when she enters her new shop, however, so she hires a barbarian warrior named Asteria as security. The book is super interesting and a nice cozy fall read as well as a slow burn romance. I really liked how the story ended as well, I didn’t see the ending coming at all and it was very satisfying!
I do have to say, though, when I first started this book, I was low-key shocked. It’s written unlike any book I’ve ever read, with fourth wall breaks and interactive quizzes. At first I didn’t like that, because it made it hard for me to get into the story, but it grew on me. I think it was a fun twist on a conventional novel! In terms of plot and characters, I really liked both main characters and I felt like their relationship progressed well. I also loved the cozy fantasy aspect as I always do! I definitely recommend this one with the caveat to expect the unexpected writing style :)
Mortal Follies: 3 stars
This story is told from the perspective of Robin, a faerie from the faerie court that is banished to the human world because he angered the faerie king Oberon (you may know this story, wink wink). Robin decides to find a good story that’s going on in the human world, because he thinks Oberon will forgive him if he finds a good one. Robin comes across a regency era woman named Miss Maelys Mitchelmore, and finds out that she has had a curse put on her where horrible and embarrassing things keep happening to her. He decides to tell her story. In the process of trying to figure out how to lift this curse, Miss Mitchelmore’s life is saved by the Duke of Annadale, who is actually a woman and not a duke. The Duke, actually named Lady Georgianna, has been essentially ostracized by society because it’s believed that she is a witch.
Obviously Maelys is enchanted with her from the beginning and I do not blame her. The two of them as well as Maelys’s friends try to figure out how to break her curse as dangerous things keep happening, and time seems like it may be running out. I liked the plot and several of the characters in this sapphic historical romance, but there were a few points where the story lost me. I’ve read Alexis Hall before and it seems like maybe that’s part of his style that I just don’t click with! But it was a cool story overall and I’d still recommend it.
Payback’s a Witch: 4 stars
I really loved this first book in the Thistle Grove series by Lana Harper! Emmaline Harlow returns to her hometown of Thistle Grove after 9 years away to preside over the magical trials that take place every 50 years. Her family is one of the four founding witch families and her family’s role in the trial is to serve as judge over the trials. Without her, the trials cannot continue, so she begrudgingly heads home. She loves her new life that she created on her own, and isn’t so sure about going back home.
Emmy was a fun character and I enjoyed her coming home and realizing she really did love the town she had left so many years ago. I can relate as someone who loves my hometown but left it behind a long time ago lol.
Her motivations were very real, complex, and interesting to read about. I really loved how the main romance unfolded as well. Emmy and Talia had chemistry immediately and Harper is such a good romance writer. She had me kicking my feet and giggling 🤭
The writing was also really good overall! The dialogue was especially well done and fully immersed me in the story, which is hard! I read this book in 2 days, I could not put it down. I also think it set up a fantastic world and I can’t wait to read the rest of the series! I think it’s going to be one of my favorite series!
Rise and Divine: 4.5 stars
I really liked the fifth book in the Thistle Grove series! It matched the tone of the first book well and although I haven’t read the other books in the series, it seems like it built on existing character relationships well. I was immediately drawn into the story on page one and I finished the book in one day, I genuinely could not put the book down (sorry to my schoolwork)! I loved Dasha so much and her personal motivations and character flaws were so real to me. I also adored Ivy and Amrita.
All of the interactions between the characters in this story were so well characterized and the dialogue was extremely well written. I was also very happy to be back in the Thistle Grove world. Rise and Divine is also the perfect book for fall/ spooky season! I cannot recommend this series more even though I have to go back and read the middle three books!
Mamo: 4 stars
This was a fun graphic novel with such cute sapphic characters. I enjoyed the writing and the art, and loved the found family aspects! I’m such a big fan of graphic novels so I have read very many, and I would highly recommend this one to any graphic novel fan.
So many more great sapphic books can be found under the sapphic september tag on Instagram!!