Tag: representation

Books

Moon Cover Reveals: The Sun and the Void

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Look at the shiny beautiful cover that I can’t get over with and just swoon with me please because I cannot for the life of me stop staring!

And just wait until you read more about this book:

In a lush world inspired by the history and folklore of South America, a sweeping epic fantasy of colonialism, ancient magic, and two young women’s quest for belonging unfolds.
This stunning debut features Sapphic representation, and themes of race, heritage and colonialism, all wrapped up in a captivating magical system bestowed by warring ancient gods.

More you say?

Reina is desperate. Stuck living on the edges of society, her only salvation lies in an invitation from a grandmother she’s never known. But the journey is dangerous, and prayer can’t always avert disaster. Attacked by creatures that stalk the region, Reina is on the verge of death until her grandmother, a dark sorceress, intervenes. Now dependent on the Doña’s magic for her life, Reina will do anything to earn—and keep—her favour. Even the bidding of an ancient god who whispers to her at night.

Eva Kesare is unwanted. Illegitimate and of mixed heritage, Eva is her family’s shame. She tries her best to be perfect and to hide her oddities. But Eva is hiding a secret: magic calls to her. Eva knows she should fight the temptation. Magic is the sign of the dark god, and using it is punishable by death. Yet, it’s hard to deny power when it has always been denied to you. Eva is walking a dangerous path, one that gets stranger every day. And, in the end, she’ll become something she never imagined.

If you are as intrigued as me, please preorder here and delight yourself in this gorgeous book!

Book Review

Moon Reads: The Wildest Hunger

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The Wildest Hunger by Laura Laakso

Rating: MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px

Read before: No

Series: Wilde Investigations

I have been loving Laura’s books since Fallible Justice, and each time I love each one more and more. The overall story follows Yannia, one of the Wild Folk, living in London and solving magical crimes/investigations. It has mental health, chronic illness EDS/Hypermobility), a bisexual main character and various other representations in it.

The Wildest Hunger is probably one of the hardest adventures for Yannia, as it is about confronting what makes a Wild Folk one of them, and also, more than anything she has to deal with Dearon. As she investigates if it is indeed a Wild Folk and things get harder and harder to resolve, the book gets deep into what living with pain and illness.

As I read it, I kept finding several parts of chapters that struck me deep. There is one where Dearon treats Yannia in a way that I wish I would be treated, and I felt both seen and unseen because I have not had that I felt for Yannia because she was so unaware of how lucky she was in having that response from Dearon.

Then there was a conversation with Lady Bergamon which once again, struck deep on how we have expectations of ourselves, how living with a body that doesn’t cooperate sometimes makes you hide this and you know, make do, and so on, but again, it was very interesting to see and read.

So the main review is that I want more books, because the ending left me wanting more and needing to understand more, but also I love the books because the representation, the way it is written is amazing.

Oh and last but not least, I am in the acknowledgements and I love it and I am so happy to have been part of fueling this story in some way.

Discussion

Spill the Tea: On Photosensitivity representation

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Say what?

Photosensitivity is in the simplest form an allergy to light (most of the time this is just allergy to the sun). It presents in several degress (mild to “I have to live in absolute darkness”) and forms.

The most common is photosensitive eyes, which is when your eyes are very sensitive to light. It can also appear as a side effect of other illnesses (like lupus) or even of medication.

I was born with photosensitivity. In my eyes it is a medium-high degree, whereas on my skin/body it is mild-medium. Also, as far as I know, it is not a side effect of something, it just is.

Here are some facts about my own experiences:

  • I was diagnosed when I was 11-12. At the time I hated having my picture taken when flash was involved and wasn’t too happy with places that had a lot of bright lights.
  • Since my diagnosis I have worn Transitions/photosensitive glasses (I also need them to see). I can tell you how many leaps and bounds the technology has come along in the last 10+ years. (Quite a lot).
  • Talking of eyes and sight, sunglasses do NOTHING for me. Transitions help my eyes adjust much better. Computer glasses aren’t a good suggestion either. (Trust me, the number of times people suggest this, is beyond count).
  • Up until a few years ago I couldn’t wear contacts and even now, I can only do so rarely (they make some polarized special ones).
  • On a bad day, I can spend most of the day crying because my eyes cannot cope with the amount of light. This is not fun to explain.
  • I am sensitive to all kinds of light, not just the sun (it isn’t common to be affected by all kinds of light).
  • I get rashes and spots on my skin if I am exposed to too much light.
  • Fun fact: I tan easily (rather than burn).
  • I have never had a lack of Vitamin D (so no, not being out in the sun doesn’t mean I lack it).
  • I tend to wear tights and long sleeves or cardigans even in summer.
  • I can go to the beach but I have to be careful of my exposure to the sun.
  • I can also get a headache/migraine from being exposed to light.
  • Because I am so sensitive to light, I have good night vision.
  • I have a tendency to prefer warm soft lights if there is a need for one or having candles.
  • Fire is the only light source that doesn’t seem to trigger my allergy.
  • Allergy pills help a tiny bit, specially to not be as itchy with the rashes.
  • For years I would scratch the rashes and now I have so many tiny scars they sometimes look like freckles.
  • Sometimes I still scratch them, despite knowing it does me no good.
  • After having tattooed my thigh I realised I would scratch less so I got a tattoo on each arm/shoulder to discourage the scratching. It has worked to a degree.
  • There is very little representation of this condition in literature (I only know of two books).
  • Yes, I have heard the “you are a vampire” joke countless times, I will still smile but trust me, you’re not the first one to say it.
  • There is very little knowledge in general about it (or at least all the doctors I have had and dealt with don’t know much and as far as I’ve found, each person that presents this condition has a unique way of having it.)
  • I have adapted to it because I’ve had this all my life and it isn’t until people ask why I do certain things that I realise how odd they are.

Now let’s talk representation.

There is very little. I know of two books that actually try to talk about it. One of them is The Ice Garden by Guy Jones, which I have reviewed and enjoyed. However in it the MC isn’t affected by every light just sunlight so as much as it was delightful to read about it, it was still not the same as I have to live. Still, it was good and I didn’t feel annoyed but rather it left me wanting my own ice garden.

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The other book I know of, is Lovely, Dark and Deep by Justina Chen. I am still waiting to read this one but trust me, I am dying to do so. And I will post my review as soon as I have finished.

And well, that’s it. I do not know of any more books that represent this.

What I do know is that there isn’t enough information out there, and there is little representation. And I hope that this changes (not only for photosensitivity).