History That Never Was

Home of Dawn Vogel: Writer, Historian, Geek

Review of The Bone Orchard by Sara A. Mueller

| January 26, 2022

The Bone Orchard by Sara A. Mueller (Tor Books, 2022) is a ornate and lovely Gothic tale of intrigue, mystery, and lasting trauma. With a fantastical premise and world, the gorgeous prose will keep you glued to this book all the way through. The book revolves around Charm, the Emperor’s mistress and proprietress of a […]

Review of The Case of the Missing Marquess (Enola Holmes Book 1) by Nancy Springer

| January 19, 2022

The Case of the Missing Marquess is the first book in the Enola Holmes series by Nancy Springer (Penguin Young Readers Group, 2007), which was the inspiration for the Enola Holmes movie on Netflix in 2020. And while the basic premise between this middle grade book and the movie is similar, there are also distinct differences […]

Review of Beasts Made of Night by Tochi Onyebuchi

| December 29, 2021

Beasts Made of Night by Tochi Onyebuchi (Razorbill, 2017) is a gorgeous young adult fantasy novel touching on power and inequity with an epic background of magic. The protagonist, Taj, is an aki who is able to eat the sins of other people to keep them pure. He’s recognized by his peers as being one […]

Review of You Sexy Thing by Cat Rambo

| November 24, 2021

You Sexy Thing by Cat Rambo (Tor Books, 2021) is a action-packed sci-fi novel of found family, peril, and cooking, blended together in a remarkable and entertaining way. Niko and her restaurant staff are military veterans who managed to break away from their old lives by convincing the military that Niko is a culinary artist. […]

Review of To Climates Unknown by Arturo Serrano

| November 17, 2021

To Climates Unknown by Arturo Serrano (2021) is a masterful and epic novel spanning centuries and continents. Envisioning an alternate world in which the Mayflower did not reach North America, and the events that both led to that effect and the myriad changes that rippled out from that cause, Serrano has created a stunning portrayal of […]

Review of The Awakening by Dusk Peterson

| October 27, 2021

The Awakening by Dusk Peterson (Love in Dark Settings Press, 2021) is the first book in their Dungeon Guards series. An alternate history story, it consists of four interconnected novellas about guards who work in the Eternal Dungeon and their lives both within and out of the dungeon. The alternate history aspect of this book […]

Review of Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

| September 29, 2021

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2015) is the first book in their young adult space opera Illuminae Files series. A mix of sci-fi, thriller, and mystery, Illuminae is a story told in found documents from interview transcripts to AI artistry. Just a day after Kady Grant broke up with […]

Review of Powered Personnel: The Big Startup by K. A. Maxwell

| September 15, 2021

Powered Personnel: The Big Startup by K. A. Maxwell (2021) is an interesting look at how the corporate world might look when it’s controlled by people with super powers. The book centers on Chloe Ceres, recently hired by a major corporation to start a new department, along with her best friend, Melinda. The two women […]

Site Recommendation: 101 LGBTQ Picture Books!

| September 8, 2021

If you’re looking for a good book recommendation for a kid that’s more in the age range for picture books than books they read on their own, check out 101 LGBTQ Picture Books! Created by a college student who decided to read all of the LGBTQ picture books she could find, rather than trying to […]

Review of It Gets Even Better: Stories of Queer Possibility edited by Isabela Oliveira and Jed Sabin

| August 4, 2021

It Gets Even Better: Stories of Queer Possibility, edited by Isabela Oliveira and Jed Sabin (Speculatively Queer, 2021), is a lovely collection of 22 affirming stories of queer possibility. The stories range between science fiction and fantasy, worlds you can easily recognize and those you can’t, and always filled to the brim with queer characters […]