Jen – Made of Stardust and Stubbornness

“Mother Tongue” Review

Posted on July 26, 2026 by Jen

“Mother Tongue” by Sara Nović

Sara Nović’s early years were steeped in music, Bible study, and a strong desire to fit in. But when she failed her school’s mandated hearing test, her worldview was thrown into chaos. Desperate not to be marked as different, she told no one, staying in the hearing world for as long as she could by brute force.

Eventually unable to ignore the fact that she was deaf, Nović sought out other deaf people and was welcomed into a tight knit community rooted in the beauty and joy of American Sign Language. Nović realized that rather than maintaining the facade of her old life or trying to straddle two worlds, she would need to cultivate an existence in the space between.

Now the mother of two young sons—one, biological and hearing, the other, adopted and deaf—Nović reflects on her life both before and after parenthood. She’s raising her children within the deaf world, offering them things her younger self needed, all the while knowing that as her children grow, their own paths will branch off from hers in ways she cannot fully predict or plan for.

Interwoven with Nović’s personal story is a remarkable portrait of America through reflections on some of its most complex histories: the rise of the Christian right, the thorny world of international adoption, and above all, the deaf and disabled communities’ stubborn survival in the face of persistent oppression.

Nović’s clear, bold voice is one readers will hold onto, learn from, argue with, and be inspired by, as she asks us to recognize difference as a source of opportunity rather than fear, as a chance to draw families and communities together, and to build something new.

Review

I really enjoyed this memoir and I liked that Sara made it clear what to expect from it. We weren’t going to get a full history of her life and some things were always going to be left unexplained. All of that made sense, however I did find one situation confusing because I wasn’t entirely sure who she was talking about – it was a little too vague. I thought it was interesting that Sara hid her hearing loss for as long as she could but it made sense given her other health issues that too priority.

I also like reading her thoughts on adoption and how she worked through various issues regarding the ethics of adopting a child from another country. I don’t think she fully answered all the questions she had but it’s clear she was thinking about the ramifications. I also liked the way the sections of the book also deal with deaf and disabled histories and how they impacted her life along with other events. She had a lot of things to work through growing up hearing and then becoming deaf later as well as her other health issues.

All in all I thought this was a good member that addressed a lot of different issues in a way that is accessible to anyone.

Book Details

The cover of Mother Tongue is yellow with the title and authors name written in black down the book. Over the top of the letters of the title and name are the ASL hand shapes for each letter of the title and name in white.

Author’s Website: Sara Nović
Publisher / Date: Random House, May 2026
Genre: Memoir
Page Count: 272
Date Completed: June 25, 2026

“The Splinter in the Sky” Review

Posted on July 26, 2026July 26, 2026 by Jen

“The Splinter in the Sky” by Kemi Ashing-Giwa

The dust may have settled in the war of conquest between the Holy Vaalbaran Empire and the Ominirish Republic, but the Empire’s surrender means little. Especially to a lowly scribe like Enitan, given her country’s continuing status as a Vaalbaran province. All she wants is to quit her day job and expand her fledgling tea business. But when imperial agents assassinate her lover and abduct her sibling, Enitan abandons her idyllic plans and embarks on a rescue mission, weaving her tea tray up through the heart of the Vaalbaran capital.

Her enemies are countless, clever, and powerful beyond measure. There’s a new God-Emperor on the throne, and her reign promises to change the star system forever. And as Enitan sinks deeper into the Empire’s bloody conspiracies, she discovers just how far she’s willing to go to exact vengeance, save her sibling, and perhaps even restore her homeland’s freedom.

Review

I enjoyed this book for the most part. It was interesting following Enitan as she worked to find her sibling and then worked to find a way to free her people. The world building was good but I felt like some things could have been explained with more depth. I also thought that some events were resolved to easily without serious consequences. There was more than one place where Enitan should have been killed but only lived because the plot required it. I did like the ending and was happy things worked out well for everyone.

Additional reviews and warnings are available on the StoryGraph page for “The Splinter Sky”.

Book Details

The cover of The Splinter Sky has a dark background with a yellow, red and purple/blue nebula in the center towards the right side. There is a diamond shape in the center and two spheres one on the upper left and one on the lower right. At the bottom there is a dark wet surface with a dark skinned person standing facing the diamond wearing a green dress with yellow edge along the bottom.

Author’s Website: Kemi Ashing-Giwa
Publisher / Date: Gallery/Saga Press, July 2023
Genre: Science Fiction
Page Count: 368
Date Completed: July 19, 2026

I’m raising money for MTPC and Transhealth

Posted on May 30, 2026May 30, 2026 by Jen

This Pride Month, I’m raising funds for the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition (MTPC) and Transhealth, two of the leading transgender support and advocacy organizations in Massachusetts! They’re working together to maintain access to gender-affirming healthcare for all Bay Staters and advance laws and policies that support equitable lived experiences for transgender and nonbinary people in Massachusetts.

Please join me in supporting MTPC and Transhealth this Pride month and help us keep building toward safer, joyous, and liberated new trans futures for everyone.

“The Republic of Memory” Review

Posted on May 26, 2026May 30, 2026 by Jen

“The Republic of Memory” (The Song of the Safina No. 1) by Mahmud El Sayed

The Safina is a city ship halfway through its four-hundred-year voyage from the ruins of Earth to a new colony world. Its crew maintain the ship, generation after generation, while protecting their ancestors in cryostasis so that one day they will be able to enjoy a fresh start under clear blue skies.

But when blackouts start, unrest follows.

The ship can only continue running smoothly with the cooperation of the crew. And the crew has had enough. As coordinated acts of resistance coincide with a much more complex conspiracy, a chain of events is set into motion that will change life on the Safina forever.

Review

I really enjoyed reading this book and the different perspectives included in it. I thought there was an interesting combination of characters from different parts of the escalating unrest. There were a lot of layers to what was going on and a lot of different situations happening all at once that influenced how things developed. I liked the way the characters were considering their position during the current time on the ship and how generations before them made choices that led to now and their choices would change the future for the future generations. I also thought that having the ship separated by language instead of culture or social economic status was an interesting choice since even now many people speak more than one language. But I believe I understood the intent – the change in focus to language instead of some other divide gave people a stronger connection to their people and culture no matter who they were.

Book Details

Author’s Website: Mahmud El Sayed (Instagram)
Publisher / Date: S&S/Saga Press, May 2026
Genre: Science Fiction
Page Count: 480
Date Completed: May 22, 2026

“Homebound” Review

Posted on May 10, 2026May 10, 2026 by Jen

“Homebound” by Portia Elan

It’s 1983 and Becks can’t wait to get the hell out of Cincinnati. She’s nineteen, blasting her Walkman, and hiding from the fact that her beloved uncle, the only person who understood her, is dead. But she has work to do: he left her a half-finished game to complete—one last collaboration to find her way out of loneliness.

Little does she know, what Becks is making will echo far into the future and shape the lives of a scientist, a sentient automaton, and a flinty sea captain in ways she cannot imagine. All are bound together by their search for connection—and by a futuristic traveler on a mysterious mission through space.

Review

This was a really good book – a bit complicated in places with the choice the author made in how they structured it but worth the read. I enjoyed reading all the different timelines and meeting the characters. I thought they were all great and I liked how things played out. The structure was a little disjointed as the timeline hopping was seemingly random but it ended up working out well. The ending of the book also felt like it fit the themes in the story. I don’t want to spoil anything because I feel like this one is one you have to get to yourself. I felt there were several different themes to the book include relationships and family ties and figuring out where you belong. The way the game ties everyone together is a bit more complicated than I was expecting but in the end it made complete sense.

Book Details

The cover of Homebound depicts a cloudy sky where the clouds are pink and purple against the blue sky. The title is written diagonally across the cover from top left to bottom right and the authors name is in the bottom left corner.

Author’s Website: Portia Elan
Publisher / Date: Scribner, May 2026
Genre: Science Fiction
Page Count: 304
Date Completed: May 9, 2026

“Articulate” Review

Posted on April 28, 2026May 30, 2026 by Jen

“Articulate: A Deaf Memoir of Voice” by Rachel Kolb

Rachel Kolb was born profoundly deaf the same year that the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed, and she grew up as part of the first generation of deaf people with legal rights to accessibility services. Still, from a young age, she contorted herself to expectations set by a world that prioritizes hearing people. So even while she found clarity and meaning in American Sign Language (ASL) and written literature, she learned to speak through speech therapy and to piece together missing sounds through lipreading and an eventual cochlear implant.

Now, in Articulate, Kolb blends personal narrative with commentary to explore the different layers of deafness, language, and voice. She tells the story of how, over time, she came to realize that clear or articulate self-expression isn’t just a static pinnacle to reach, a set of words to pronounce correctly, but rather a living and breathing process that happens between individual human beings. In chronicling her own voice and the many ways she’s come to understand it, Kolb illuminates the stakes and complexities of finding mutual and reciprocal forms of communication.

Part memoir, part cultural exploration, Articulate details a life lived among words in varied sensory forms and considers why and how those words matter. Told through rich storytelling, analysis, and humor, this is a linguistic coming-of-age in both Deaf and hearing worlds, challenging us to consider how language expresses our humanity—and offering more ways we might exist together.

Review

Memoirs can be tricky because while they are obviously just one person’s perspective, they can be written in a way that feels dismissive of other points of view. I think Rachel tried to speak to a large audience about her experiences and does acknowledge a lot of the struggles d/Deaf people face. That said I think in some places she failed to realize her own privileges. Her parents were wealthy enough that her mom could quit her job to take care of her. They are also fully on board with learning sign language and insisted on signing everything with her. She goes to various camps and rides horses and later goes to several different countries to study. The privilege of having money to do things however you want to do them is a lot and I’m not sure how aware Rachel was of that as she talked about her life.

I did like the way Rachel tried to explain various things about being deaf in a hearing world. The struggle to follow along with conversations, and dealing with school years and speech therapy. I do think some things could have been explained a bit further and perhaps with some additional thought on how they might be read by different types of people. Rachel seems to be aware that there are different experiences of being deaf (the experience of not being about to hear) and/or Deaf (Deaf culture experiences) – but in some cases some of it may have felt exclusive. I wish she had talked a bit more about her experiences with the Cochlear Implant and how it worked for her, or didn’t work as well as she’d hoped, as the case seemed to be. I think there’s a likely reason she decided not to use it as much, but I’m not sure it was as clear as it could have been. People don’t just randomly decide to not use their CIs or hearing aids for that matter. There’s usually a reason – like they don’t actually work to fix your hearing completely and you decide enough is enough trying to deal with people who don’t get it.

I also wanted to note that Rachel mentions having read the Harry Potter books often and how much they meant to her. Currently there is a lot of controversy around J. K. Rowling and her actions against the Trans community. Many believe Harry Potter should never be mentioned ever again. I do believe that it can be harder for some than others to let go of that series, but I also believe that it can be a sign of privilege to seemingly not care at all.

Book Details

The book cover for Articulate is a blend of purple on the left and dark pink on the right with the word Articulate written in all caps repeatedly down the cover, overlapping several times. The subtitle is at the bottom and then the author's name.

Author’s Website: Rachel Kolb
Publisher / Date: Ecco, September 2025
Genre: Memoir
Page Count: 304
Date Completed: April 25, 2026

“To Ride A Rising Storm” Review

Posted on February 7, 2026May 10, 2026 by Jen

“To Ride A Rising Storm” (Nampeshiweisit No. 2) by Moniquill Blackgoose

Anequs has not only survived her first year at Kuiper’s Academy but exceeded all of her professors’ admittedly low expectations—and passed all her courses with honors. Now, she and her dragon, Kasaqua, are headed home for the summer, along with Theod, the only other Native student at the Academy.

But what should have been a relaxing break takes a darker turn. Thanks to Anequs’s notoriety, there is an Anglish presence on Masquapaug for the first time ever: a presence which Anequs hates. Anequs will always fight for what she believes in, however, and what she believes in is her people’s right to self-govern and live as they have for generations, without the restrictive yoke of Anglish rules and social customs. And fight she will—even if it means lighting a spark which may flare into civil war.

Review

I thought this was a great sequel to the previous book. I enjoyed the continuation of Anequs’ story and her attempts to do right by her people. There is a lot of conflict in the book from the Anglish who have a negative view of Anequs and her people which comes to a head at the end of the book. This book is very obviously the middle book of a trilogy but I still think there were a lot of good things in it. I loved the continued development of various relationships Anequs has with everyone and the introduction of new characters and possibly allies. I really enjoy all the information in the book and the world building. I liked that we learned more about Anequs’ people and how they view relationships and everything. I eagerly await the next book!

Additional reviews and warnings can be found on the StoryGraph page for “To Ride A Rising Storm”

Book Details

The book cover is blue with a circle in the middle that has leaves and flowers coming off it. On the top left and bottom right of the circle are two flying dragons one pale blue and the other a darker blue than the cover. The title of the book is written one word on each line down the center of the book with the authors name at the bottom.

Author’s Website: Moniquill Blackgoose
Publisher / Date: Del Ray, January 2026
Genre: Alternate History, Fantasy, Young Adult
Page Count: 464
Date Completed: February 3, 2026

“Time to Orbit: Unknown” Review

Posted on January 11, 2026May 3, 2026 by Jen

“Time to Orbit: Unknown” by Derin Edala

Book 1: “The Javelin Program”

When Dr Aspen Greaves signed up for the Javelin Program, humanity’s first foray into colonising deep space, they expected to wake up to life in a thriving colony on a distant planet. Instead, they find themself five years away from their destination on a broken spaceship full of complex mysteries, dead astronauts, and a very unhelpful AI.

Aspen wasn’t trained for any of this. But if they can’t keep themselves alive, get the ship in working order, and find out what went wrong by unravelling a chain of mysteries leading all the way back to distant Earth, then neither Aspen nor the five thousand sleeping passengers in their care will ever see a planet again.

Book 2: “The Antarctica Conspiracy”

It hasn’t been easy, but under the careful hand of its makeshift crew, the starship Courageous limps towards its destination. With every passing day, the promise of ground under their feet and a new, safe home looms closer. But Aspen and the crew have only begun to untangle the knotted web of conspiracies and experiments that doomed their predecessors, and what awaits them at their destination is something that nobody expects.

You can run pretty far, in space. But sometimes, what you’re running from is a whole lot less important than what you’re inadvertently running to.

Review

I decided to do one review for both books because the second book follows directly after the first as a continuation of the storyline. I really enjoyed reading both books and I feel like the author did a great job with the world building and the development of the characters. There was a lot of information to learn as the story developed and I was interested in learning everything. The books started out as a web serial which explains the length as things just kept happening, but it never actually felt like it was over the top or dragging on. Ultimately I felt like I was reading a novelization of science fiction show that stuck to the main plot without fillers. Which meant the length never got annoying (except perhaps where there was a bit more telling of what happened than showing which included some time jumps).

I thought all of the characters were great and there were a lot of different relationships that developed throughout the books. I also liked the way the author handles both a gender and disability. A lot of it is in the background but it’s very clearly shown that identity is important and people should be able to make their own choices. The books reference a lot of the past but in vague terms and ideas because so much time has passed on Earth that a lot of the history was already lost even before the ship left. But the are some pretty obvious references to things. There isn’t a lot of information to be found about the author but I believe they are from Australia which provides some clues to the development of the plot.

In some ways I did the ending was a little to vague and maybe a little rushed (there was a lot more telling instead of showing by the end) but the ending does make sense for how everything plays out. While I would have liked to have had more answers, it’s also true that not knowing the all answers was the point. There were good reasons for it to happen that way so I wasn’t disappointed.

Additional reviews and warnings for books can be found on the individual StoryGraph pages for “The Javelin Program” and “The Antarctica Conspiracy”.

Book Details

Author’s Website: Derin Edala
Publisher / Date: Self Published, September 2024 (both books)
Genre: Science Fiction
Page Count: Book 1: 642, Book 2: 770
Date Completed: January 10, 2025

“Magica Riot Full Bloom” Review

Posted on December 21, 2025April 28, 2026 by Jen

“Magica Riot Full Bloom (Maidensong Magica No. 2)” by Kara Buchanan

Claire Ryland has just about figured this whole magical girl band thing out. The people of Portland really love Magica Riot, so much that they’ve been asked to play a concert at the biggest venue in town! But when not one but two villains decide to make their presence known, Claire, Sara, Cass, Hana, and Nova have to figure out a new approach to their magic and their music…with some help from unexpected friends!

Review

This was an excellent sequel to the first book. I really enjoyed everything about it and it felt like exactly what I needed right now. It was as whimsical and joyful as the original book and I enjoyed the relationships that developed throughout the book. I liked how all of the characters interacted and the way each of them responded to the situations that were happening. I thought this book showed a lot of development for Claire and the others as a team.

Additional Reviews can be found on the StoryGraph page for “Magica Riot Full Bloom” and warnings can be found on the page for the book on the series website linked below.

Book Details

Series Website: Magica Riot
Publisher / Date: Storm Maiden, November 2025
Genre: Fantasy
Page Count: 400
Date Completed: December 18, 2025

“They Bloom at Night” Review

Posted on December 13, 2025April 28, 2026 by Jen

“They Bloom at Night” by Trang Thanh Tran

Ever since a hurricane devastated the small town of Mercy, Louisiana, a red algae bloom has taken over. Mutated wildlife lurks in the water that rises by the day, but Mercy has always been a place where monsters walk in plain sight. Especially at its heart: the Cove, where Noon’s life was upended long before the storm at a party her older boyfriend insisted on.

Now, Noon is stuck navigating the submerged town with her mom, who believes their family have been reincarnated as sea creatures. Alone with the pain of what happened that night at the cove, Noon buries the truth: she is not the right shape.

When Mercy’s predatory leader demands Noon and her mum capture the creature drowning residents, she reluctantly finds an ally in his deadly hunter of a daughter and friends old and new. As the next storm approaches, Noon must confront the past and decide if it’s time to answer the monster itching at her skin.

Review

I really enjoyed this book and getting to know the characters. Noon is great and I really like the relationships they have with their mother and their friends. I’ve gone back and forth on thinking the writing style was to vague in places but also realizing that it was likely intentional on the part of the author. As much as what has happened in Mercy is important it’s not entirely the main point of the story. Noon figuring out their identity is the more important part of the story and in a lot of ways what has happened has influenced how Noon figurings things out. I really liked the extended friend group that Noon has and the way that group helps with everything.

This interview with the author adds some more context and explanations to the story: Trang Thanh Tran explores identity and transformation in They Bloom at Night.

Additional reviews and warnings at the StoryGraph page for “They Bloom at Night”.

Book Details

The cover of They Bloom at Night depicts a young person under water with a few bubbles around them. They have black hair and are wearing a white shirt. There red streaks of algae floating around the right side of the cover. The authors name is at the top with the title at the bottom

Author’s Website: Trang Thanh Tran
Publisher / Date: Bloomsbury YA, March 2025
Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Young Adult
Page Count: 262
Date Completed: Completed December 4, 2025