October was a busy month for me, but the four books I WAS able to read an listen to were all excellent.

Rather than going in the order I read these books, I would like to highlight Local Heavens before continuing chronologically.

Local Heavens, by K.M Fajardo- 4.5 Stars

Local Heavens was one of the audio books I was able to select during the month of October through Libro's Audio Listening Copy (ALC) program, where I am able to select up to 10 select audiobooks each month. The premise of a cyberpunk take on The Great Gatsby interested me, and I was not disappointed. Also worth mentioning is that Local Heavens is one of Bindery's recently published books, through the Inky Phoenix Imprint!

Local Heavens was a slightly slow start, but it drew me in quickly after the set up. Anyone who has read The Great Gatsby will have some familiarity with the overall story, going in to this novel, but Fajardo takes the time to set up the world and time that Local Heavens is set in. 2075 to be specific. The novel captures, if not improves the readers understanding and perception of the yearning between characters, class division and frustration of working class people, and emphasizes and writes what were queer undertones in the original, into a fully realized beautiful and tragic queer romance. Elements of the tiptoeing and tension that are seen in Pride and Prejudice between Darcy and Elizabeth also are frequently called to my mind, between multiple characters, but especially in regards to Jordan Baker and Jay Gatsby.

I'd highly recommend reading Local Heavens. I came away feeling I understood The Great Gatsby itself better. Seeing the class divides and the corporate imperialism and power is easier to grasp in a futuristic setting than the that of the original set in the era of Prohibition. I'll be thinking of this book for a while.

Assassin's Apprentice, by Robin Hobb- 5 Stars

I have been hungry for a series like The Farseer Trilogy for a while. Hobb creates a world that moves slowly, though I never felt bored. Everything, every scene, every conversation, serves a purpose, even the seemingly mundane ones. I appreciate being able to sit with the characters and getting to watch the world expand organically at a pace that does not feel rushed, an issue that seems to be prevalent in much of modern fantasy today. The royal family politics, backstabbing (though not quite as harshly portrayed as GoT, thank god) court intrigue, and magic systems are all interesting and I've already started Royal Assassin.

A Steeping of Blood, by Hafsah Faizal- 4 Stars

This is the second book of The Blood and Tea Duology. There were so many things about this book that I really loved; the vampires OF COURSE, the continued themes of found/made family, especially a crime family. The yearning is excellent, the friendships are key foundations to the plot, fighting colonialism and imperialism. The book had me all the way to the end. I'm going to make some allusions to the end of the book and try to ensure that its not spoiled if you do read this series. Consider yourself forewarned, reader. I understand the final choice by the author and why it was made, but I can't say I like it or agree with it.

When the Tides Held the Moon, by Vanessa Vida Kelley- 4 Stars

This was a lovely historic Romantasy novel, following a young metalsmith from Puerto Rico who emigrated to New York, and later finds himself working at a "freakshow" on Coney Island in the early 1900's, after helping to unknowingly capture and imprison a merman. This novel shines a light on the experiences of immigrants, and people who are and have been "othered "in society. The found family, and romance were very moving and I could not stop listening to this audiobook. The romance between Benny and Rio could have felt like a prisoner/savior situation (in a bad way) but Vanessa wrote in a way that you can truly see that Benny was almost as much of a prisoner as Rio is, and he is determined to free Rio, even though he is terribly afraid. Both of losing him, and of the consequences from the perpetrators of Rio's capture. This was a delightful romantasy novel, and the cover art is incredible.

I am super happy with all of my reads of this month and would recommend all of them.