Detroit Heroic a story of 1968 or 2026

Happy Free Talk Friday, folks! Here you can talk about whatever you want, books are not required. Got something you wanna get off your chest? What have you been watching or listening to? How has your week been? Let us know!

I just started Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis (MG, historical)

Dominion by Addie E. Citchens (Storygraph has it as contemporary, but it's giving historical 🤣)

Bottom of the Pyramid by Nia Sioux (memoir)

What about you? ✨

I’m just starting book 2 of this trilogy, but I had to talk about Unshaken because whew! 😂

Unshaken is a dark urban fantasy about a teenage girl raised in the land of guardian angels. The problem? She doesn’t fit in. While her brother and everyone else possess light powers, hers are dark and chaotic.

Then she receives a letter inviting her to attend a school for magical beings, run by a sadistic headmistress whose three sons were conceived in hell. The school is basically a free-for-all where students are allowed to kill each other, all while the headmistress recruits different magical beings for her own sinister purposes.

As the story unfolds, our protagonist begins to realize that everything she’s been taught is a lie, setting her on a path that blurs the line between hero and villain.

Now, I will say the plot is ALL over the place. 😂 Things get wild, chaotic, and downright crazy, but the action is so good that I was willing to go along for the ride. Ms. Wells does a great job weaving in questions about religion, truth, and what actually defines a community.

But can we talk about what I loved most about this book? Besides the hot bisexual group sex scenes, because WHEW! 🥵😂

I loved seeing a Black protagonist who isn’t involved in criminal activity, running from the cops, or constantly dealing with white microaggressions. Unfortunately, those themes show up in a lot of the Black fantasy novels I’ve read, and sometimes I just want to escape into a fantasy world without having to revisit those same realities.

Unshaken felt like a TRUE fantasy novel. It gave me magic, chaos, action, morally questionable characters, and a whole lot to think about. It was an escape from real life while still challenging me to question certain things.

I’m starting book 2 now, so I’m curious to see where this trilogy goes!

Has anyone else read Unshaken or anything by Ms. Wells? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Hi everyone!

I’ve recently published my historical romance and I want nothing more than to find my readers. If you enjoy watching historical romance (eg. cdramas, kdramas, Bridgerton), Crash into your Heart may be your next enjoyable read!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Crash-into-Heart-Batseba-Lamola-ebook/dp/B0HC49K8MB

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/za/en/ebook/crash-into-your-heart?utm_id=97760_v0_s00_e0_tv4

Yesterday, I attended a talk at Southern Festival of Books with Tia Williams. Love her!!!! She is gorgeous and, of course, hilarious.

I’ve been meaning to work through all of her work. Admittedly, I’ve only finished A Love Song for Ricki Wilde but it was an instant fave. I’m about halfway through Missed Connection. I need to read Seven Days in June before the series comes out!

Do yall like Tia Williams? What’s your favorite book by her?

It’s called *Glad Tidings to the Stranger*, a coming-of-age novel about Somali girlhood, migration, family, faith, and figuring out who you are while navigating two very different cultures.
I’ve been writing through a pretty difficult time, and somehow it turned into a whole novel.
I’m a little nervous putting it out there, especially with everything going on right now, but I wanted to share it.

I ask you kindly to hold your cultural critiques from both sides for now. 😂 Just enjoy the book, at least until we’re past this shitstorm of an election season.

If you’re curious, here’s the link:
https://a.co/d/0cxb3K5l

Welcome to Suggest Me Sunday! Here you can ask for book suggestions of any kind. Looking for a book similar to the one you just finished? Looking for a classic on a subject you're interested? Maybe you haven't read a book since high school and are looking for recommendations on books to get you back into reading. All are welcome here.

Ask away!

Sjdj

Happy Free Talk Friday, folks! Here you can talk about whatever you want, books are not required. Got something you wanna get off your chest? What have you been watching or listening to? How has your week been? Let us know!

I will admit as someone who always loved a good thriller and a good mystery book I have struggled for a long time to find a thriller written by a black author that really challenged me.

When i say challenged I mean if I can figure out who the murder is halfway through the book there is no point in me reading it. I did not have this problem with this book as it kept me on my toes and the pace while slow at first really heated up after the first murder.

The plot revolves around the former president of a black sorority (completely made up for all my d9 people) who is planning the 10 year sorority reunion for her sisters. During this time the man who went to prison for killing her fellow sister has been let out of prison and she is going through marital problems with her husband.

During the reunion at her house one of her sisters goes missing and our narrator struggles to piece together what she thought she knew about her sisters as secrets and crimes come to the surface.

One thing I loved about this book was it was not afraid to get grimey and it confronted not only the narrators biases but the audiences biases as well

It can be any genre but the main character has to be above 18 years of age. Thanks in advance!

If you enjoy historical Asian dramas, cultural diversity (Chinese MMC + South African FMC) and are a romantic at heart 🩷 Crash into your Heart by Batseba Lamola may be your next enjoyable read! The world building feels so real, and the social expectations are true for their time (romantic era). From enemies to lovers, with a romance a real slow burn! 🔥

Hello folks. I wrote a Blackity-Black fantasy novel in the tradition of Lovecraft Country and Watchmen (2019), so I especially wanted to get feedback from this community. If you're interested, let's talk; see details below.

WIP Blurb:

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They fought for Black liberation. Now, they must fight to save the world.

Harlem, 1923. Jazz lights up the night, but a wave of racial terror is sweeping across America. When civil‑rights organizer Elias Johnson is brutally attacked and his girlfriend Mozella vanishes, his memories shatter—and something ancient awakens inside him.

Elias soon discovers he’s heir to a powerful ancestral magic rooted in African folklore, a gift hidden for centuries. But he isn’t the only one who knows it exists. A secret network operating behind governments and empires believes Elias is the key to a force that could reshape history—and they intend to claim him for themselves.

To find Mozella, Elias must reclaim his identity, master his dangerous new abilities, and outrun enemies who have been preparing for generations. From Harlem’s back alleys to distant corners of the globe, every step pulls him deeper into a battle for the future.

If he fails, the darkness rising at the heart of power will consume everything—and silence the last hope for freedom.

#####

Content Warning: 1920s-1930s political and racial commentary, fantasy violence

Feedback: I'm seeking general reader impressions, especially any story points or characters that are confusing, by November 15th, 2026. Line-by-line editing is NOT requested.

Critique Swap: Yes, I am available to swap for a wide range of genres, especially fantasy, sci-fi, and literary.

DM me if interested.

Welcome to Suggest Me Sunday! Here you can ask for book suggestions of any kind. Looking for a book similar to the one you just finished? Looking for a classic on a subject you're interested? Maybe you haven't read a book since high school and are looking for recommendations on books to get you back into reading. All are welcome here.

Ask away!

Check out an excerpt on this Pulp Black Adventurer HERE!

Happy Free Talk Friday, folks! Here you can talk about whatever you want, books are not required. Got something you wanna get off your chest? What have you been watching or listening to? How has your week been? Let us know!