Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time
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Join the CBR18 Book Bingo Reading Challenge—Now Underway!   

Anti-colonial historical fantasy

Aicha by Soraya Bouazzaoui

March 25, 2026 by LB Leave a Comment

I had such high hopes for Aicha because I love angry women, mythology, and historical fiction, so this sounded like it’d be exactly my jam. Unfortunately all those expectations fell flat. I wouldn’t say this is a bad book, and there were elements I enjoyed, I just don’t know that I’d say I enjoyed the book as a whole. Aicha is about the youngest daughter of a weapons smith, who is also a rebel, and how she also fights for her people’s liberation. But inside […]

Filed Under: Audiobooks, Fantasy, Fiction, History Tagged With: 2026 release, colonialism, debut, djinn, historical fantasy, Morocco, muslim author, muslim character, orbit publishing, Portugal, sisterhood, Soraya Bouazzaoui

LB's CBR18 Review No:4 · Genres: Audiobooks, Fantasy, Fiction, History · Tags: 2026 release, colonialism, debut, djinn, historical fantasy, Morocco, muslim author, muslim character, orbit publishing, Portugal, sisterhood, Soraya Bouazzaoui ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

One of my favorite fantasies

The Oleander Sword by Tasha Suri

July 15, 2025 by LB Leave a Comment

The Oleander Sword fulfills the “green” square on CBR17 Bingo. I read and reviewed this book for the first time back in 2022 and it still has me absolutely devastated and sitting here filled with feelings. Luckily this time around I have The Lotus Empire at hand and don’t have to wait to find out what happens next for Priya and Malini! The Oleander Sword takes place a year after The Jasmine Throne and is a story full of the ripple effects of war and […]

Filed Under: Fantasy, Fiction Tagged With: #fantasy, burning kingdoms, cbr17bingo, Indian fantasy, orbit publishing, queer, queer fantasy, sapphic, Tasha Suri, The Oleander Sword, tragic

LB's CBR17 Review No:12 · Genres: Fantasy, Fiction · Tags: #fantasy, burning kingdoms, cbr17bingo, Indian fantasy, orbit publishing, queer, queer fantasy, sapphic, Tasha Suri, The Oleander Sword, tragic ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments


Recent Comments

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    on CBR Diversion – Bingo – “Bird”
    Bird characters: Wild Robot by Peter Brown: has a significant character that's a goose The Guardians of Dreamdark: Windwitch by...
  • MsWas
    on CBR Diversion – Bingo – “Bird”
    I'd like to highly recommend a series that is new to me: Birder Murder Mysteries by Steve Burrows. Each book...
  • BlackRaven
    on CBR Diversion – Bingo – “Bird”
    Would Catherine, Called Birdy by Cushman work? (The new cover)
  • Jen K
    on CBR Diversion – Bingo – “Bird”
    Bird on the cover: The Correspondent This Kingdom Will not kill me (it’s a fantastical bird) Where sleeping girls lie...
  • Tracy
    on A Solid Sequel
    I was also disappointed by the Sunbearer sequel. This was a better sequel.
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