Far too often, it seems, an author loses their way and turns to attack other authors. It may come in the way of social media wars or, in this most recent case, review bombing.
If you’re not sure what I’m referring to – go Google Cait Corrain.
This saga seems to have unfolded over quite some time – though, like many of you, I didn’t hear about this unfortunate series of events until recently. Perhaps it’s because I’m not very active on Twitter/X or GoodReads – but whatever the reason, it’s out in the open now.
But rather than dwell on the sequence of events and details of what happened (which you can find in many places right now, including the Washington Post) – I wanted to approach this from another angle – by featuring those authors targeted by the attacks.
Also – if anyone is missing from this list please feel free to reach out to me and let me know and I’ll gladly expand this post to include any other victims.
The Poisons We Drink
by Bethany Baptiste
The Poisons We Drink by Bethany Baptiste
In a country divided between humans and witchers, Venus Stoneheart hustles as a brewer making illegal love potions to support her family.
Love potions is a dangerous business. Brewing has painful, debilitating side effects, and getting caught means death or a prison sentence. But what Venus is most afraid of is the
dark, sentient magic within her.
Then an enemy’s iron bullet kills her mother, Venus’s life implodes. Keeping her reckless little sister Janus safe is now her responsibility. When the powerful Grand Witcher, the ruthless head of her coven, offers Venus the chance to punish her mother’s killer, she has to pay a steep price for revenge. The cost? Brew poisonous potions to enslave D.C.’s most influential politicians.
As Venus crawls deeper into the corrupt underbelly of her city, the line between magic and power blurs, and it’s hard to tell who to trust…Herself included.
The Poisons We Drink is a potent YA debut about a world where love potions are weaponized against hate and prejudice, sisterhood is unbreakable, and self-love is life and death.
To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods
by Molly X. Chang
To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods by Molly X. Chang
Red Queen meets These Violent Delights and Iron Widow in an epic anti-colonial YA fantasy from debut author Molly X. Chang.
‘A thrilling tale of magic and murder, intrigue and betrayal.’ Cassandra Clare
‘Hauntingly poetic prose’ Xiran Jay Zhao
‘A thrilling gut-punch, both lavishly magical and devastatingly human’ Laini Taylor
Known as The Girl Blessed By Death, Ruying wants only to survive, but when her magic is discovered by an enemy prince she must decide if saving her family is worth betraying her country.
For as long as Yang Ruying can remember, the empire of Er-Lang has been occupied by Romans, whose advanced science and military make them Gods. But these Gods are not kind. Their only gifts: cruelty, opian, and destruction.
When Antony, the second Prince of Rome, uncovers Ruying’s power, she becomes what she always feared: the perfect assassin. As tensions mount and rebellion stirs, Ruying can no longer deny that peace is a death sentence for Er-Lang. A death she may not be willing to deliver.
So Let Them Burn
by Kamilah Cole
So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole
Whip-smart and immersive, this Jamaican-inspired fantasy follows a gods-blessed heroine who’s forced to choose between saving her sister or protecting her homeland—perfect
for fans of Iron Widow and The Priory of the Orange Tree.
Faron Vincent can channel the power of the gods. Five years ago, she used her divine magic to liberate her island from its enemies, the dragon-riding Langley Empire. But now, at seventeen, Faron is all powered up with no wars to fight. She’s a legend to her people and a nuisance to her neighbors.
When she’s forced to attend an international peace summit, Faron expects that she will perform tricks like a trained pet and then go home. She doesn’t expect her older sister, Elara, forming an unprecedented bond with an enemy dragon—or the gods claiming the only way to break that bond is to kill her sister.
As Faron’s desperation to find another solution takes her down a dark path, and Elara discovers the shocking secrets at the heart of the Langley Empire, both must make difficult choices that will shape each other’s lives, as well as the fate of their world.
Mistress of Lies
by K. M. Enright
Mistress of Lies by K. M. Enright
A villainous, bloodthirsty heroine finds herself plunged into the dangerous world of power, politics and murder in the court of the vampire king in this dark romantic fantasy debut.
Fate is a cruel mistress.
The daughter of a powerful but disgraced Blood Worker, Shan LeClaire has spent her entire life perfecting her blood magic, building her network of spies, and gathering every scrap of power she could. Now, to protect her brother, she assassinates their father and takes her place at the head of the family. And that is only the start of her revenge.
Samuel Hutchinson is a bastard with a terrible gift. When he stumbles upon the first victim of a magical serial killer, he’s drawn into the world of magic and intrigue he’s worked so hard to avoid – and is pulled deeply into the ravenous and bloodthirsty court of the vampire king.
Tasked by the Eternal King to discover the identity of the killer cutting a bloody swath through the city, Samuel, Shan and mysterious Royal Bloodworker Isaac find themselves growing ever closer to each other. But Shan’s plans are treacherous, and as she lures Samuel into her complicated web of desire, treason and vengeance, he must decide if the good of their nation is worth the cost of his soul.
Voyage of the Damned
by Frances White
Voyage of the Damned by Frances White
For a thousand years, Concordia has maintained peace between its provinces. To mark this honorary feat, the emperor’s ship embarks upon a twelve-day voyage to the sacred
Goddess’s Mountain.
Aboard are the twelve heirs to the provinces of Concordia, each graced with a unique and secret magical ability known as a blessing.
All except one: Ganymedes Piscero – class clown, slacker, and all-round disappointment.
When a beloved heir is murdered, everyone is a suspect. Stuck at sea and surrounded by powerful people, odds of survival are slim.
But as the bodies pile higher, Ganymedes must become the hero he was not born to be. Can he unmask the killer and their secret blessing before this bloody crusade reaches the shores of Concordia?
Or will the empire as he knows it fall forever?
