ash vale

He had grown up in a country run by politicians who sent the pilots to man the bombers to kill the babies to make the world safe for children to grow up in.

This is a fantasy novel about Nil, a several-hundred-year-old Elven assassin in unwilling service to a merciless goddess, pursuing a magical dagger. It’s a science fiction novel about Sook, whose father rules a corporate empire based on creating hundreds and thousands of clones of her. And it’s a spicy, spicy romance as the two women are drawn to each other. The pace is breakneck, the world-building a glorious, pyrotechnic mash-up of fantasy and sci-fi elements, with an extra helping of pathos and heart. In all honesty, it’s tongue in cheek and weird as hell, and it shouldn’t work, but the author goes into it so hard that you can’t help but be swept up in it, wondering where on earth it’s going next, and rooting for our two heroines to finally get their freedom. I liked both Nil and Sook immensely. In short, it was super. Very much looking forward to the conclusion of the story in the next book. I received an advance review copy for free (thank you to the author!) and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Boom Goes the Bride is a fast, explosive dive into a dystopian world where trillionaires pull the strings and everyone else fights to survive. Sook, daughter of a global power player, is kidnapped—possibly saved—by the enigmatic shadow Nil, kicking off a high‑stakes story where every alliance is questionable and every choice has consequences. The pacing is relentless: chases, gunfights, explosions, and just a spark of romance to keep things interesting. Despite the action, the characters feel sharp and human, and the worldbuilding lands hard without slowing the momentum. The bride goes boom—literally and metaphorically—and the cliffhanger ending makes a sequel feel inevitable. A quick, thrilling hit for fans of cyber‑fantasy, gritty dystopias, and morally grey heroes. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I was given this book complimentary from Book Sirens in e-book form in return for my honest review. Everything stated in this review is of my own opinion and I was not compensated monetarily for providing this review. A sapphic alternate university fantasy romance that once it gets past it's stuttering start really takes off and engages the reader. Nil is an elven thief enslaved by a goddess and Sook is a corporate princess enslaved to her father and when their paths cross sparks fly, both the romantic type and the high tech firepower chasing the pair. The author creates a fantastic universe merging Gods, demons and fantastic creatures from an elven universe with futuristic weaponry from a future earth brought together by an event called "the pulse" with destroyed the earth in the process. The romance is hot and the chemistry between the two main characters is great. The pace of the book is frantic and reminds me in parts of Hunter S. Thompson if we relace the drugs with magic and missiles. When I started this book I did not think I would like it but after finishing it I find myself looking eagerly forward to #2 Recommended to fans of sci-fi and sapphic romances. Five stars.

The cover of my novel BOOM goes the BRIDE. An elven woman riding a jetbike drops off an asian woman, who is dressed like a greek god. Buildings rise at extreme perspective around them. The word BOOM is in giant yellow letters at the top over a stylized gas giant, followed by a holographic sign on a buildiing saying "goes." The follows as a neon sign jutting from the building, with the "E" out, as if the sign has broken. The word BRIDE flows up an angled platform, with the I being replaced by the asian woman. It is a very energetic scene in lesbian flag colors and blues.

5 stars? How bout FIVE STAR AVERAGE BABY

"It’s tongue in cheek & weird as hell, and it shouldn’t work, but the author goes into it so hard that you can’t help but be swept up"

NOW! that's what I call MY BRAND

(pre)ORDER 💥BOOM GOES THE BRIDE👰 MEOW

boom-goes-the-bride.backerkit.com/hosted_preor...

I see "strange hole in the bathroom" and my mind goes to silent hill 4 👀 excited to read!!

a year and a half of work, planning, conversations and heart all to arrive here: the start of something wonderful. 💜💜

Are you going to do this in March too? Such a great idea!

MAKE AN EMERGENCY DONATION to Trans Continental Pipeline right now.

They are a Colorado based org that helps trans people relocate there and they are overwhelmed with requests. CO borders KS, and TCP has the infrastructure to help get people out.

GO DONATE.

tcpipeline.org

looks like a poster in my uni bar women's bathroom reminding you to cover your drink

Oohhh what a great name, congrats!!

The edmonton library has it in order!! 🥳

Alysa Liu with her gold medal

"I love struggling actually. It makes me feel alive." -Alysa Liu

Get out there and start falling on your ass!

This story rules.

To Be the Change When the heir becomes a daughter…

Nebula nominations close soon! I hope you'll consider my two Rhysling nominees for your Poetry category:

TO BE THE CHANGE: trans autonomy / intergenerational prophecies / harbingers tinyurl.com/ToBeTheChange

EAGLE-EYED: slipstream fantasy / distorted vision / body horror
tinyurl.com/EagleNMN

Lanugo - Uncharted The Hunger haunts me most when I’m nauseous, which feels like it’s all the time these days. Morning sickness, my ass. I throw up at a minimum once per day, and it’s not just in the morning. The nausea...

Lanugo
By Ash Vale

Do you like horror that sneaks up on you? Here you go.

@ashvalewrites.bsky.social

okay to actually like them and be denied them is unfair, I'm sorry lol! I'm just a hater

Get more from OTHERSIDE on Patreon a magazine of the queer fantastic.

We're hype for Issue 1 coming out SO SOON—March 1 for paid subscribers, March 15 for everyone else!

So... reply to this post with a number between 1-110 and we'll give you a spoiler-free line from that page of the issue 👀 And join us on Patreon if you want to be one of the first to read!

69!!!!!

THANK YOU fellow banana haters unite!!!

omg thank you for letting me know she has calendars I'm going to buy one 👀

YES it's so good, the illustrations are stunning!

GO! MY LABUBU MISSILE! KILL!

I'm with a lot of the people in this thread, if I have to eat a banana in any form my day is ruined

yes but we're all being very brave!

Little Witch Hazel by Phoebe Wahl, it's super cute

We just got this awesome book about a witch in the forest and I thought of you, she loves it!

It felt sort of right!

I panicked and just said "they punch out when they get too big"

before having kids i worried about being asked where babies come from

I never thought about being asked "how do baby owls know when to come out of their eggs"

it's coming out SO SOON NOW! look at this stunning art!

if you'd like to see the whole thing March 1st and be very special, you can subscribe to our Patreon at any paid tier: www.patreon.com/OthersideSpec

the CBC is forcing me to watch curling while I wait for hockey to resume, this is cruel and unusual punishment