KM Bezner – Cannonball Read 17

There Is No Such Thing As Bad Hair

Frizzy by Claribel A. Ortega, Rose Bousamra

October 18, 2022 by KM Bezner Leave a Comment

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book via BookishFirst in exchange for an honest review. In a coming of age graphic novel reminiscent of The Prince and the Dressmaker, Supper Club, and As the Crow Flies, Claribel A. Ortega and Rose Bousamra deftly and beautifully tackle the injustice surrounding politicized appearances through the story of Marlene and her family. Marlene has spent her whole life hearing about good hair and bad hair…and her hair is, of course, bad. Meanwhile, everyone else around her, […]

Never Trust the Fae

Stars, Hide Your Fire by Kel McDonald, Jose Pimienta

September 28, 2022 by KM Bezner Leave a Comment

Somewhere in Massachusetts, two best friends, Darra and Andrea, struggle with the reality of growing up and growing apart. As they start high school and consider their futures, one wants to stay put while the other can’t wait to get away, which inevitably strains their friendship. When they break into an abandoned, supposedly haunted factory and the ghostly woman trapped there offers one of them eternal youth, they accidentally unleash something sinister on their unsuspecting small town. I really liked this one, which is unsurprising […]

Angry Mothers Raise Daughters Fierce Enough to Fight Wolves

The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo

When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain by Nghi Vo

September 28, 2022 by KM Bezner 1 Comment

Reviews for the Singing Hills Cycle by Nghi Vo! I’m reviewing in the order they were published, but they are connected by place rather than plot, and can be read in any order. The Empress of Salt and Fortune Chih is a cleric of the Singing Hills Monastery who travels the world to catalog, record, and document histories. Rabbit is the former servant of the exiled empress In-Yo. As Chih catalogs the contents of Rabbit’s house, Rabbit shares with them bits of stories related […]

Will This Be the Year the Earth Refuses to Forgive Us?

Notes from the Burning Age by Claire North

September 28, 2022 by KM Bezner Leave a Comment

Notes from the Burning Age deposits its readers sometime between Mad Max and The Broken Earth. The world that seems in the first chapter to be an unknown, fantastical place, is actually a snapshot of a future Earth, its landscape shifted by centuries of exploitation. Eventually, it seems the Earth fought back, defending itself by unleashing fearsome spiritual creatures called the kakui, who, depending on who you ask, burnt the world or saved it from the burning. Regardless, it was a hefty price that humanity […]

Who Belongs Here?

Sun and Sand by Jamila Rowser, Neil Brideau

July 7, 2021 by KM Bezner Leave a Comment

Sun and Sand is a fantastic new anthology zine from Radiator Comics and Black Josei Press. It collects ten mini comics from cartoonists living in south Florida, and explores the physical, emotional, cultural, and natural connections to the area. The artists guide readers through beaches, swamps, and the human communities woven into them. Many of the comics in Sun and Sand explore this theme with a sense of humor: assertive cockroaches, an alligator presenting an HOA violation, animals feasting on a dropped mango while the […]

Hands All Red

Maids by Katie Skelly

April 7, 2021 by KM Bezner 1 Comment

Katie Skelly’s latest outstanding horror comic Maids opens with a gory promise to its readers: keep reading to discover whose bloody eyeball is rolling across the floor. Although, if you’re a true crime fan you may already know the answer: Maids is based on the story of Christine and Léa Papin, two sisters working as servants in a wealthy household who in 1933 butchered their employer Léonie Lancelin and her daughter Genevieve. But even if you’re already familiar with the case, which sparked debates over […]

Zirza on A Gothic Classic for a ReasonIt's one of those wish-you-could-read-it-again-for-the-first-time books. I loved it.
Emmalita on “It came to something when you found yourself hoping that the footsteps you heard were ghosts.”I loved the ending! I don’t think it’s been out long enough to talk about why though.
Dixie on Track Her Down by Melinda LeighI am just starting Track Her Down and I have read them all in order till now and thought I...
Roland of Gilead on How can you give us the gift of a crazy character named Rando Thoughtful and then just as suddenly take that gift away? We need to talk, Uncle Stevie.I came across this randomly years after it was written because I was searching "Random Thoughtful. But I have the...
Emmalita on “Only you, Em, would refer to heartbreak as a distraction. I think I would have a more sympathetic response if I asked to marry a bookcase.”Oh my goodness, Gallifrey was beautiful. I’m sure her mittens were gloriously murdery.

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