Diversity Spotlight #3

Diversity Spotlight Thursday is hosted by Bookshelves and Paperbacks, and involves featuring 3 diverse books every week. I'll be participating once a month, but I hope I'm able to convince you to get your hands on these books, and maybe in the process get some recommendations too! This week I will be looking at an alternative history series and an outer space sci-fi - two genres I haven't read too much of.



A Book On My TBR
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers | Goodreads
Diversity note: POC and f/f relationship
I don't know much about this book other than that my friend wholeheartedly recommended it and so I must read it. I got myself a copy on the kindle store for 99p but if I like it enough I might have to get myself a physical copy because that cover 😍. I don't think I have ever willingly read a book set in space so this should be interesting. I'm always worried that so much can go wrong and also I don't know much science to make sense of all the things going on. TV and film space sci-fis have been growing on me, though (I've finally watched the original Star Wars trilogy). What is also reassuring about this book is that I hear it's very character focused and super diverse which is right up my street, so I hope I love it as much as I want to!


A Book I Have Read
And I Darken by Kiersten White | Review | Goodreads
Diversity note: gay Muslim protagonist
It's the greatest feeling when you request an ARC that you end up adoring, and that's exactly what happened with me and And I Darken. It's an alternate history set in the 15th century and focuses on two siblings: Lada, a brutal princess-turned-fearful leader (a gender bent version of Vlad the Impailor), and Radu, her gentle younger brother who is secretly just as calculating. Their relationship is complex and was a joy to read about and follow, and I can't wait to see how it develops in the sequel. This book is so layered and explores politics very deeply in a way that didn't have me super confused, but also goes into depth with regards to the growth of Lada and Radu as characters. What I found particularly interesting was Radu's path to discovering his faith and his sexuality, which is something rare in historical fiction as far as I've seen, and even rarer to be seen side by side in one book.


A Book Not Yet Released
Now I Rise by Kiersten White | Goodreads
Diversity note: gay Muslim protagonist
Release date: 27th June 2017
I know little about the contents of Now I Rise and I'm going to try and keep that way so I won't know what to expcect. I'm most interested to see how the relationship between Radu and Lada develops and becomes more complex in their messy way of caring for one another. Surprisingly, I'm also interested in the politics and strategy that took up a fair portion of the first book. I didn't expect to engage with it very well because my knowledge of this era of history is non-existent, but And I Darken explained everything in a way that made sense without being patronising. Also I want to see if Radu will find any happiness, because he's a complicated and precious little darling. I expect to see him just as adorable but also descending into a darkness different to his sisters but just as intense and calculating.

What about you? What books would you put for these 3 categories? Have you read any of the ones I've listed? What did you think? Is there anything you would recommend to me?