Hello everybody!
Welcome to 2025, and yes, I did have to backspace there because I typed 2024 even though that is the entire purpose of the sentence. Brains? How do those things work?
I am feeling rejuvenated by the holidays, as are you, I hope. I learned how to do a new back stretch, which has been incredibly helpful, and I got some delightful books! One of which I am going to be talking about today!
Tavern Tale: A Sapphic Side Quest by Kristina W. Kelly is so up my street it’s basically living in my house. This book was so much fun, the characters were lovable and really interesting, and oh my gosh, the world building! I love worlds where the use of magic has shaped society and this was so good for that.
Folks, there was a bit where the characters discussed the economics of magically summoned food versus what could be grown! I literally went, “fuck yes,” as I was reading. I am such a nerd and I am not sorry!
It also looked into the history of magic in that world and how beliefs in it have changed and evolved over time. It was just, well, fantastic! I would love to read more stories set in this world, especially given some of the plot seeds that were merrily scattered throughout the novel. And oh gosh, there were some iiiiiinteresting plot seeds thrown around. The tricky thing about writing a review is that I don’t want to spoil anyone who has yet to read the novel, but also, to everyone who HAS read it. You know what I am talking about. There are definitely going to be some interesting repercussions from what has been discovered. That discussion towards the end felt suspicious to me, fake laughter is never, ever reassuring. Hmmmmm.
Anyway, back to less spoiler-laden territory.
The story is about Divine, who is on the hunt for the religious talisman that her duplicitous ex has stolen! But she meets the charming Saph, owner of a tavern and a great big axe! They go on a hunt across the city to find Divine’s talisman and to reunite her with her magic, before they set out on a quest to rescue a trapped magic user! The setting has magic and non-human characters, there are threats but it never gets too scary, and at one point someone takes their shirt off as a distraction! It is a lovely hug of a book, read it if you like fantasy, if you play D&D, and especially if you watch extremely queer D&D livestreams! I think that’s the vibe I got more than anything else, it felt like a bunch of over-caffeinated nerds were giggling just out of sight!
Here are some links to where you can pick up this book, which I highly recommend you do! I genuinely did enjoy it and I believe really strongly in supporting indie authors who don’t have the heft of publisher money behind them. So go grab it and write a nice review!
Stay safe out there,
K
Also, links to my book, which is a LitRPG with Sapphic characters and an off screen apocalypse.
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