Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time
| Log in
  1. Follow us on Facebook
  2. Follow us on Instagram
  3. Follow us on Bluesky
  4. Follow us on Goodreads
  5. RSS Feeds

  • Home
  • About
    • Getting Started in CBR18
    • Rules of Respect
    • Cannon Book Club
    • Diversions
    • Fan Mail
    • Holiday Book Exchange
    • Book Bingo Reading Challenge
    • Participation Badges
    • AlabamaPink
    • About Cannonball Read
  • Our Team
    • The CBR Team
    • Leaderboard
    • Recent Comments
    • Participant Interviews
    • Cannonballer Location Maps
    • Our Volunteers
    • Meet MsWas
  • Categories
    • Review Genres
    • Tags
    • Star Ratings
    • Featured Review Archive
  • Fight Cancer
    • How We Fight Cancer
    • Donate
    • CBR Merchandise
  • FAQ
  • Contact
    • Contact Form
    • 2026 Registration
    • Suggest a Review
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Newsletter Archive
    • Social Media

Join the CBR18 Book Bingo Reading Challenge—Now Underway!   

Oy Vey, What Dreck.

The Maiden and Her Monster by Maddie Martinez

July 10, 2026 by bjornsnipe 1 Comment

On its surface, The Maiden and Her Monster is a sapphic fantasy retelling of the old Czech folktale of The Golem of Prague. Malka, as the village healer’s eldest daughter (and assistant, and second mother to her younger sisters, and professional rage machine), knows about the darkness in the woods; young women go in and they don’t come out. (Meanwhile drunken men go in and they mostly come back; the reasoning for this is barely explained except for “men are garbage”). But the Ozmini Church […]

Filed Under: Fantasy, Romance Tagged With: czech folklore, golems, Jewish fantasy, Lesbians, Maddie Martinez, religious persecution

bjornsnipe's CBR18 Review No:30 · Genres: Fantasy, Romance · Tags: czech folklore, golems, Jewish fantasy, Lesbians, Maddie Martinez, religious persecution ·
Rating:
· 1 Comment

“Now you understand not every story shares the whole truth.”

The Maiden and Her Monster by Maddie Martinez

August 6, 2025 by faintingviolet Leave a Comment

By about 10% into the book, I was reminded viscerally of The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden. When reviewing that book I focused on the idea of there being a special power in taking a known story and envisioning it in a new way. I’m firmly of the opinion that approaching storytelling that way – taking what has existed previously and viewing it another way – can lead to some inventive storytelling. There are any number of ways to approach it, and The Maiden […]

Filed Under: Fantasy, Fiction Tagged With: ARC, cbr17bingo, golem, Green, Jewish fantasy, Jewish folklore, Maddie Martinez, read harder challenge, we need diverse books

faintingviolet's CBR17 Review No:29 · Genres: Fantasy, Fiction · Tags: ARC, cbr17bingo, golem, Green, Jewish fantasy, Jewish folklore, Maddie Martinez, read harder challenge, we need diverse books ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

Fantastic Jewish mythology middle grade!

The Ring of Solomon by Aden Polydoros

February 18, 2023 by LB Leave a Comment

I love Aden Polydoros’ books and when I saw he had a middle grade I was so excited. His books hit a very special place for me, and Ring of Solomon continues that trend. Zach and his younger sister, Naomi, find an old ring at the flea market and plan to get it for their mom for her birthday as she collects Judaica, but when they realize they can use the ring to communicate with animals, Zach decides to keep it for himself. He’s been […]

Filed Under: Fantasy, Fiction Tagged With: Aden Polydoros, gay, Jewish fantasy, Jewish mysticism, Jewish mythology, middle grade, queer, queer fantasy, ring of Solomon, similar to Percy Jackson

LB's CBR15 Review No:2 · Genres: Fantasy, Fiction · Tags: Aden Polydoros, gay, Jewish fantasy, Jewish mysticism, Jewish mythology, middle grade, queer, queer fantasy, ring of Solomon, similar to Percy Jackson ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments


Recent Comments

  • esmemoria
    on Quick Questions with bjornsnipe
    Best interview ever! And it is always those scamps the alpacas, isn’t it?
  • narfna
    on Looking forward to getting to know Emma
    Oooh, you're gonna be so into this.
  • narfna
    on Looking forward to getting to know Emma
    The audio is EXCELLENT by the way.
  • Emmalita
    on Quick Questions with bjornsnipe
    This is such a delightful interview. I had no idea that Belle Gunness and Emma Goldman were buried in Chicago....
  • faintingviolet
    on Looking forward to getting to know Emma
    I am waiting impatiently for my turn for this to come up from the library system, but there are so...
See More Recent Comments »

Support Our Mission

  • Support Our Mission, Donate Today!
  • FAQ
  • Shop
  • Volunteers
  • Leaderboard
  • AlabamaPink
  • Contact

Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo

The reviews and comments posted on this site reflect the opinions of individual posters and do not reflect the views of Cannonball Read.

© 2026 Cannonball Read Inc., a registered 501(c)(3) | Log in