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Shrike 🐦‍⬛

@shrikebait.bsky.social

300 followers 520 following 740 posts

he/they 🏳️‍⚧️✨ GAY WRONGS ✨🏳️‍🌈 Physician by day, feral birdthing by night. Pfp by Royal Poff 💖 https://linktr.ee/shrikebait

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Shrike 🐦‍⬛ @shrikebait.bsky.social · 16d

🐦‍⬛Unfortunately, I do love...
💖 tea
💖 cute agression
💖 trans wrongs
💖 parasitic flora
💖 monster boys
💖 murderous songbirds
💖 toxic codependence
💖 gay wrongs

Graphic of a shrike framed in a barbed wire heart with rainbow backsplash surrounded by rainbow and black hearts with text reading:

Unfortunately, I do love...
tea
cute agression
trans wrongs
parasitic flora
monster boys
murderous songbirds
toxic codependence
gay wrongs

Shrike 🐦‍⬛ @shrikebait.bsky.social · 3d

Thanks so much for the chance to check out a copy through BookSirens. I ordered a copy before I finished because I knew this was the kind of book I needed in my life.

Shrike 🐦‍⬛ @shrikebait.bsky.social · 3d

He blurs the line between desperate self-preservation and depraved self-interest until I could no longer tell the difference. The man is the worst. I love him.

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Shrike 🐦‍⬛ @shrikebait.bsky.social · 3d

Lamb, Stag & Wolf by Airic Fenn @airic-fenn.bsky.social

Ask my taste in books and I'll point at this novella until you read it.

I just adore a story about corrupted faith and old gods. Shelby struggles to maintain control while bitterness blackens his heart.

#queerhorror #chartreusehorror

Cover of Lamb, Stag & Wolf by Airic Fenn surrounded by bare tree branch graphics. An ink sketch of a shrike is happily nibbling on the book's spine above the text "Shelby is the worst (I love him)"

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Shrike 🐦‍⬛ @shrikebait.bsky.social · 3d

While I started this book expecting to feel unsettled, I don't mind subverted expectations.

Thanks so much for the chance to check out aka advance copy. I also purchased a copy for myself because how could I not, LOOK AT IT. I'm leaving this review of my own accord.

Shrike 🐦‍⬛ @shrikebait.bsky.social · 3d

For a story about grave-robbing cultists, the overall tone of First Oaths leans surprisingly cozy. The steady pace allows for dread to creep in but keeps urgency and angst relatively low while Penny and Kit find their footing.

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Shrike 🐦‍⬛ @shrikebait.bsky.social · 3d

First Oaths by @cjtuma.bsky.social and @cquinnwrite.bsky.social

First Oaths is a solid start to the Bone Men series. I closed this book with a good foundation for the story and anticipation for book two.

#thebonemen #firstoaths #mmromance

Hardcover of First Oaths by CJ Tuma and Quinn Cameron surrounded by animal bones and shredded brown paper on a brown background to simulate soil.

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Shrike 🐦‍⬛ @shrikebait.bsky.social · 5d

Thanks so much for the chance to check out an advance copy. I'm leaving this review of my own accord.

Shrike 🐦‍⬛ @shrikebait.bsky.social · 5d

Dysphoria is still a very real issue, but Cin's identity isn't invalidated by his family or his prince. There's also a delightful bit of aromantic rep. I thought Bryn did a fantastic job of normalizing natural differences in attraction even in the context of magical influence.

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Shrike 🐦‍⬛ @shrikebait.bsky.social · 5d

Cin's family aren't always the evil caricatures of some famous Cinderella tales. Cin also deals with more insidious abuse: parentification, weaponized incompetence, and complacency.

I also liked how the world of Cinder normalizes transness.

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Shrike 🐦‍⬛ @shrikebait.bsky.social · 5d

Cinder by D.N. Bryn @dnbryn.bsky.social

Shout out to D.N. Bryn for serving the weird bird representation we need.

I loved this take on Cinderella, especially this particular brand of familial manipulation.

#arcreview #mmromance #romantasy #grimmtales

Cover of Cinder by DN Bryn surrounded by falling grey feathers. The text below reads "Weird birds (the queernormative world is cool too)"

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Shrike 🐦‍⬛ @shrikebait.bsky.social · 7d

I really enjoyed the suspense and spice once things heated up. When the double meaning behind the title clicked for me, I was done for. I'm glad I stuck with this book.

I'm grateful for the chance to check out an advance copy. I'm leaving this review of my own accord.

Shrike 🐦‍⬛ @shrikebait.bsky.social · 7d

In the spirit of honesty... the slow start almost lost me, but WDF won me over in the end. I was hoping for more tension at the outset, particularly between characters who share years of mutual obsession.

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Shrike 🐦‍⬛ @shrikebait.bsky.social · 7d

What Death Forgets by Thea Verdone

What Death Forgets is a slow-paced gothic romance where obsession lurks beneath a pretense of propriety.

#bookreview
🌈📚💙

Mockup of the cover of What Death Forgets by Thea Verdone surrounded by paint swatches with the text "obsession beneath a pretense of propriety"

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Shrike 🐦‍⬛ @shrikebait.bsky.social · 8d

Killer Pride wasn't /technically/ a book event, but I knew I wouldn't make it out unscathed. 💋
Shout out to all the beautiful folks I met this past weekend. You're my favorite kind of weirdos.

#queerhorror #scaresthatcare #killerpride

Stack of books in front of a crochet blanket backdrop including:
Moonflow by Bitter Karella
Virus Shark by Cat Voleur
The White Bishop by Brandon Perrae-Sanchez and Aron Beauregard
In the Club We're All Monster by Phrique and Asher Dark
I Found Puppets Living In My Apartment Walls by Ben Farthing
We'll Always Be Here from Gloom House Pub
the Home by Judith Sonnet
From Dark Places by Judith Sonnet
Arcane Carolinas II and III
A Game in Yellow by Hailey Piper
Channels by Jason Nickey
Scissor Me Timbers by Phrique
Sleeping Among Wolves by Royal Poff
Perishables by Michael G Williams
Children of Solitude by Michael G Williams
How to be a Professional Mourner by Matt Forgot
Pappy by Nick Levi
The Cuck Chair by Bray, Nickey, and Shrader

Shrike 🐦‍⬛ @shrikebait.bsky.social · 8d

Enjoy! 🔪💋

Shrike 🐦‍⬛ @shrikebait.bsky.social · 9d

These are my first Scents Stories and Surprises candles and they're lovely! I'm a big fan of fresh tomato leaves and she captured that scent perfectly.

Shrike 🐦‍⬛ @shrikebait.bsky.social · 9d

Branching out from my usual preferences because how could I not own this. Incredible. Anything Goes Romance Book Box has set a fantastic precedent with this first pick and the extras are adorable. The bookmarks though 🙏🏻

#bookmail #anythinggoesromancebookbox #poundedbyproduce #gmfairy

Paperback of the special edition of Pounded by Produce by G.M. Fairy with art cards tucked into the pages, surrounded by fresh tomatoes.

Goodies from the AGRBB edition of Pounded by Produce including tomato and cucumber stained glass style bookmarks, tomato and cucumber stickers, pins, a keychain, and tomato and cucumber candles. Some bonus items including a bookworm bookmark and sticker as well as a cute leopard gecko with butterfly wings sticker and keychain

Shrike 🐦‍⬛ @shrikebait.bsky.social · 9d

While I came for the incredible commitment to the bit, GotD's more sober moments hit harder than I expected. Among the caricatures are stories of hard-won self-expression, chosen family, and nods to collective trauma.

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Shrike 🐦‍⬛ @shrikebait.bsky.social · 9d

These girls are nasty and I love them for that. GotD is full of crass humor, fecal follies, and descriptive language that's equal parts impressive and downright foul. The drag names were brilliant with double (and some triple) entendres. I was gagged in every sense.

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Shrike 🐦‍⬛ @shrikebait.bsky.social · 9d

Gig of the Damned by @splatterzaddy.bsky.social

Phrique understood the assignment. This book is not just a slasher with drag queens. Gig of the Damned is a genuine Drag Queen Slasher. The cover art captures the vibe perfectly.

🌈📚💙📚😱📚🩸
#queerhorror #bookreview

Paperback of Gig of the Damned by Phrique on a matching tote with the cover art next to a tall, leg-shaped drinking glass wearing a red heel and fishnets.

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Shrike 🐦‍⬛ @shrikebait.bsky.social · 16d

Maybe I missed or forgot that reference. For this reason, I'm not sure that this book would work as a standalone; I recommend reading the previous books first.

Thanks so much for the chance to check out an advance copy. I'm leaving this review of my own accord.

Shrike 🐦‍⬛ @shrikebait.bsky.social · 16d

I noticed many appearances of the characters of Little Red Riding Hood, Zel, and Hansel and Gerhardt. While some were integral to the plot or intersected with the plot of previous books, others felt disconnected. Hansel and Gerhardt's break-in was particularly confusing to me.

Shrike 🐦‍⬛ @shrikebait.bsky.social · 16d

Not exactly a convenient time to realize they're both falling for another man.

Johan could have easily felt like a third wheel, but I ultimately felt he was an equal part of their relationship. I especially loved seeing all three adapt their communication styles so everyone feels heard.

Shrike 🐦‍⬛ @shrikebait.bsky.social · 16d

The Elves and the Shoemaker by Emory Winters

While the titular elves are an established couple, their relationship feels new. I liked seeing Elias and Henrik learn more about each other and how they fit together as free men.

#bookreview #arcreview
🌈📚💙

Graphic of the cover for The Elves and the Shoemaker by Emory Winters surrounded by boot graphics with sparkle effects and the text "finding the perfect fit"

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Shrike 🐦‍⬛ @shrikebait.bsky.social · 16d

🐦‍⬛Unfortunately, I do love...
💖 tea
💖 cute agression
💖 trans wrongs
💖 parasitic flora
💖 monster boys
💖 murderous songbirds
💖 toxic codependence
💖 gay wrongs