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Morgan Is My Name by Sophie Keetch (4/5)

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  Morgan Is My Name by Sophie Keetch is a Historical Fantasy novel about Morgan of Cornwall, whose life is turned upside down when Uther Pendragon kills her father and tricks her mother into marriage.  One of the things that sets Morgan Is My Name apart from other works of fiction that centre around the figures in the court of King Arthur of Camelot is that it is a deeply feminist novel about a character who, for most of history, has only really been seen through the eyes of the men around her. It was quite interesting to see her portrayed through her own lens. Keetch has a deep understanding of not only the period of time and the plight of women, but has respect for the women who live those lives that leave little room for agency.  I think that anyone who is interested in feminist works, especially fans of fantasy and mediaeval history, should read this book because of the perspective that it offers. At its core, the novel is about a young woman seeking to live her own life and have
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Path of Vengeance by Cavan Scott (5/5) [CONTAINS SPOILERS]

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Path of Vengeance by Cavan Scott is the second YA novel of Star Wars: The High Republic phase two. This novel encapsulates the events of the Battle of Jedha and the Battle of Dalna, with the Battle for the Path in between the two. These events have previously been seen through other perspectives in The Battle of Jedha by George Mann (audiobook), Cataclysm by Lydia Kang (adult novel), Quest for Planet X (middle grade novel) by Tessa Gratton, and The High Republic by Cavan Scott (comics). One of the biggest drawbacks from this book, through no fault of Scott or his co-writers in the initiative, is the fact that it does spoil the comics, as some have not come out yet due to delays. However, I find the story intriguing enough that knowing how it ends isn’t going to remove my enjoyment of the ending of the comics at all, this is just something that ought to be considered noteworthy. Path of Vengeance follows not only the Ro cousins that we met in Path of Deceit by Justina Ireland &
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The High Republic Adventures Bakeoff (∞/5) by Daniel José Older

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Ain’t no bake off like a High Republic bakeoff, because a High Republic bakeoff tells a story. The High Republic Adventures Bakeoff one-shot is probably one of the most wholesome things I have ever read in my life. Daniel Jos é Older completely sold me on the Kantam/Torban ship that I didn’t really see the hype for until I read this and was like, ‘oh, they really are a cute duo’. Maybe I had the beginnings of those thoughts with the Rumble Race, but we can’t be 100% certain. I just think that the way that Kantam was drawn looking at Torban… there is something there. We know Daniel Jos é Older likes feeding the Queer fans of Star Wars with his delightful works, so why can’t… Kantuckets (?) be canon too? Anyway, in addition to the one-shot, High Republic Twitter had its own little bakeoff, hosted by my lovely friend and Books and Beacons co-host, Lil, and that was such a fun day, seeing what everyone was baking in the hype. The story in this one-shot alone is a full five stars, but
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Crimson Reign #2 by Charles Soule (4.5/5)

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 In the second issue of Crimson Reign, Charles Soule, once again, blows one’s socks off. Simply wow. At first, my main thought is that I would have liked to see more of Qi’ra, fighting, plotting, etc., but then I realized that she was fighting in this issue, just in a different way. She’s fighting by using the strengths of those close to her to make her stronger. It was great having Ochi of Bestoon pull off a job on Coruscant, and Steven Cummings did an amazing job of making me tense up seeing the Imperial Palace, the former Jedi Temple, in Palpatine’s image. That one really hurt and gave me a moment to pause. Just wow. Although, it does make sense that Palpatine would take the former Jedi Temple as his seat of power, it was built atop a Sith shrine after all, and is a location of stronger power than even that of the Galactic/Imperial Senate. This issue really sold for me just how well Qi’ra knows those who are loyal to her and what they are capable of, what makes them want to figh
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Trail of Shadows #4 by Daniel José Older (5/5)

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Lesbian Chadra-Fan, check. Emerick and Sian lounging in her home while she plays music in her jammies for him, check. More Cuetoo, check. Sian in a sexy flight suit while she holds Emerick’s lightsaber, check. What more could a fan of The High Republic want from Trail of Shadows , issue 4 by Daniel Jos é Older delivers all of this, and more, in the stunning penultimate issue of the miniseries. All I ask for from Trail of Shadows is that I see Emerick and Sian being awesome, and DJO always takes that and delivers extra. Like the other issues thus far, issue four was a solid five stars for me because how could it not be. I’m constantly saying, every time someone brings up this miniseries, “ Trail of Shadows , my beloved”.   How much money have I spent getting all of the variant covers and then pre-ordering the Trade paperback? I’m pleading the fifth, and I’m not even an American. After having left Sian and Emerick on Starlight, hugging each other, it was really nice to see that
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Eye of the Storm by Charles Soule (4.5/5)

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 Issue #1 of Charles Soule’s Eye of the Storm comic duology follows the Eye of the Nihil, Marchion Ro himself, information about his father and grandmother, and the relationship that he has with Mari San Tekka, a crucial part of phase one of The High Republic . Even though I’m not the biggest Marchion Ro fan out there, I really enjoyed this story more than I thought I would, so much so that I give it 4.5/5 stars. I don’t have too much to say, because I specifically don’t want to speculate too far on this duology because of my level of fear. Yes, Marchion, I am scared of you. Are you happy? The worldbuilding surrounding the Evereni is natural storytelling and simply wonderful. I don’t think I had heard of the Evereni until I read Eye of the Storm , and now I have the basic ideas of who they are as a people. It’s quite clear from the beginning how Everon is described as a stormy place, a tempest place, and how that imagery and language has bled into the structuring of the Nihil. We ev
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Star Wars (2020) #20 by Charles Soule (5/5)

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Luke Skywalker meets the best Jedi ever? Yes, please. Anyway, Yoda seeing the Force as a sea is definitely Elzar’s impact. Anyway, this is probably my favourite issue in Star Wars (2020) that doesn’t have Ellian Zahra in it. She is very special to me, and I am looking forward to her return in the next issue, but this one did blow my socks off (and yes, I was wearing socks when I first read this issue). I was not expecting Elzar Mann content in the era of the original trilogy, and I’m really not mad about it. I really really love The High Republic , and now that my favourite has appeared in a comic, maybe finally soon we’ll get official concept art… maybe not with him in his Temple Robes (which he canonically hates). Thank you, Charles Soule, for this brilliant issue, and thank you, Marco Castiello, for bringing it to life with your art. Especially for bringing Elzar to life. One of my favourite things about this issue is that it teaches Luke, and the reader, so much about the Jedi, a
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