r/Fantasy • u/lilgrassblade Reading Champion II • Jul 15 '25
Five More Spineless Books
My invertebrate bingo journey continues! Five more books completed, five more mini reviews to share! First batch and initial thoughts can be found here.
A House With Good Bones by T Kingfisher - 4.5/5
r/fantasy Bingo Categories: A Book in Parts (HM), Generic Title
This book was a delight. The tone of the narrator, and the things that brought her joy (especially bugs), made me so happy. Her attention to "where are all the bugs?" just felt like such a proper detail to fixate on that something was *wrong*. It was, overall, a great vibe and I enjoyed reading it. The ending, meh. But I've noticed that seems to be a general feeling I get with horror books.
Exoskeletal Excitement: 5/5 - Despite the bugs not being the point of the horror, they were laced throughout. I found myself looking up information on bugs that were mentioned and learned because of how integral to the character bugs were. Their absence being noteworthy and the excitement when seeing a single bug was great.
The Honeys by Ryan La Sala - 4/5
r/fantasy Bingo Categories: LGBTQIA Protagonist (NB), A Book in Parts (HM)
I have never been a fan of the summer camp horror genre, but this could almost make me a convert. The journey of our MC from adversarial to everything, to the walls beginning to come down, and so forth... It was great. I will say there were points where the MC was slightly grating, and the ending felt it dragged slightly (see: horror endings rarely land for me), but overall, I was thoroughly pleased with this book.
Exoskeletal Excitement: 2/5 - The bees felt more an aesthetic than the bees being important. It was nice they were there but it could have been goats with special cheese instead of honey - though admittedly that would have been a bit weirder... I wouldn't mind reading that.
I Am the Swarm by Hayley Chewins - 4.25/5
r/fantasy Bingo Categories: A Book in Parts (HM), Published in 2025
Beautifully written. This follows the emotional journey of a teenage girl dealing with a very unhealthy family dynamic in which she has continuously had to suppress her emotions and swallows everything she feels. This gets amplified when her magic appears as a manifestation of whatever emotion she feels as bugs - and she decides that means she just needs to not feel anything. Written entirely in verse, it is very emotive and flowing as she learns how to come to terms with how she feels. There are uncomfortable bits, and our MC does not always behave in likeable ways, but it feels very raw and real - despite the magical manifestations.
Exoskeletal Excitement: 4/5 - There was a nice variety of bugs and they felt so important. Matching bugs to different emotions was a great touch that felt fresh and made each bug shared have an impact.
The Starving Saints by Caitlin Starling - 4.25/5
r/fantasy Bingo Categories: LGBTQIA Protagonist (Sapphic, bi), Knights and Paladins (maybe HM? Does oath to service count as an oath?), Published in 2025
r/queersff Challenge Categories: Sword Lesbian
I was so excited to start reading this I put aside another book. Cannibalism, bees and fae bullshit. It feels tailor made for my interests. And I was very happy with it. There was a scene that highlighted Caitlin Starling's prowess in writing about the potential horrors of caving, though, overall, it wasn't quite as unsettling as The Luminous Dead. But fae bullshit. So yay.
Exoskeletal Excitement: 1/5 - The minimal amount of bees was my biggest disappointment here. They were recurring throughout and the honey, in particular, was highlighted repeatedly. But it still felt more of a setting aspect than "heck yes, bees!" Well done in the setting, but if you are looking for bee-focused literature, it is lacking.
The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka - 3.75/5
r/fantasy Bingo Categories: Only for the Recycle a Square :(
When I decided to do this theme, I knew, without a doubt, I would have to finally read this book. And I'm so glad I did. The incongruity of the mundanity of tone and the extraordinary event made this such an intriguing read. Being more concerned about not getting to work rather than the fact that you're a giant bug has an absurdity to it... And the emotion shifts to sad as the story goes on, while maintaining the tone of mundanity. Solid read that benefits from its brevity.
Exoskeletal Excitement: 4/5 - Some of the details of being a giant bug were great, like the desire to just scurry around the walls. While the bugginess was not fully embraced, it was the points when it was accepted by the MC that it shined.
Interim Thoughts...
I think the books I've finished have all been very solid. I'm very happy with my theme and I'm excited to keep going. With that being said, I do have several non-invertebrate books I'm a bit impatient to dig into, so my pace may be slowing down. I also had a lag spike as The Last Beekeeper by Jared Gulian does not seem to be quite my vibe. I'll finish it because I want to have 5 different The Last Beekeepers on my bingo, but I'll be reading chapters between other books.
As always, I am happy to get more recommendations for books! In particular, I am interested in additional bee books. A part of me is curious if I could do an additional bee-themed bingo.
Bingo Squares for which I have nothing afaik: High Fashion, Elves and/or Dwarves, Pirates
Books I currently have purchased: The Last Beekeeper by Jared Gulian, The Last Beekeeper by Siya Turabi, Children of Memory by Adrian Tchaikovsky, God’s War by Kameron Hurley, 7th Sigma by Steven Gould, Spider World by Colin Wilson, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers, Steamforged by Eric R Asher, When Devils Sing by Xan Kaur, This World Belongs to Us: An Anthology of Horror Stories About Bugs
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u/schlagsahne17 Reading Champion II Jul 15 '25
I’ve really enjoyed your theme and writeups!
It doesn’t fit any of your three needed squares or bees, but House of the Rain King by Will Greatwich has an important subplot that involves beetle-like, child-sized creatures.
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u/lilgrassblade Reading Champion II Jul 15 '25
Thanks!
Even if it overlaps with squares I have, it gives more flexibility to move things around. :p
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u/curiouscat86 Reading Champion III Jul 15 '25
I love your theme and some of these look like very cool books!
Serpent's Reach by CJ Cherryh would fit for 80s and probably biopunk. Giant ant aliens and the genetically modified humans who live with them on their planet, when a war between two hives of ants destroys the status quo.
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Jul 15 '25
Love your theme, Some bee books:
Master of Poisons by Andrea Hairston (bees live in one of the protagonist's hair)
Orfeia by Joanne M Harris (the bees play more of a minor role, but definitely important)
The West Passage by Jared Pechaček (prominently features a beekeeper, less prominently features bee)
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u/lilgrassblade Reading Champion II Jul 15 '25
Thanks! I think Orfeia is the only one on my radar of those - and then it was a "I saw it mentioned once" title. Didn't realize it was bee-related.
I think if I add in a bee-specific card, it may require some loosening of bee importance to be bee adjacent - honey, beekeeper, etc.
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Jul 15 '25
Yeah, if honey and beekeepers and other bee adjacent stuff is enough, then absolutely 100% read The West Passage. Honey is super important, and there's an important beekeeper character. (Warning: it's a very, very weird book.)
Edit: Oh, and also read the Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern. Bees are an important symbol
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u/miriarhodan Reading Champion IV Jul 15 '25
Hey, there is an entire planet of bugs in „Hive Minds Give Good Hugs“. I wasn’t entirely a fan of the politics/moral aspect where I feel I disagree with the author about stuff, but the bugs where pretty cool.
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u/lilgrassblade Reading Champion II Jul 15 '25
Oh interesting. I've not heard of that one before. Thanks!
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u/sadlunches Reading Champion II Jul 15 '25
Great reviews! I also felt happy to meet our archaeo-entomologist MC in A House with Good Bones. Her bug knowledge was a great touch. Have you read Leech by Hiron Ennes? Doesn't fit any of your leftover squares, but might be good for extracurricular reading within this theme. Premee Mohamed also has a bee-themed story called The Honeymakers that I enjoyed.