Widdershins Review

I know surprise! I'm back writing this blog again. I know its a been a while but its just because I'm a total idiot. But I'm back now. So recently due to the fact we're all stuck inside I've been reading a lot. As part of that I've been trying to avoid the big corporations and buying from Indie bookshops. 

This book is from the totally badass Portal Books LBGT+ Bookshop in York. Their shop is awesome and is linked below. 

See I'm a certain age where I remember as a baby queer trying to find good LGBT books that weren't deadly depressing or written as side characters for straight people being super tricky. And to be honest I am so grateful to shops like Portal and others for having great LGBT content. There is so much better variety of awesome queer books that young me could never have dreamed of. 

So anyway with that out of the way lets get to Widdershins by Jordan L Hawk. A book that had me the minute I read the back (oh ok when I read the blurb on the website!). It's about a shy scholar with a penchant for reading languages who has to help a former Pinkertons agent solve a murder which involves a book of coded magic and all other sorts of evil. Oh and they fall in love.

I swear Jordan L Hawk saw me coming from a mile a way. It's a flipping huge series as well so my bank accounts now screaming for mercy I'll either have to ration myself or get me some kind of Sugar Parent to fund my book problems. 

So anyway this book was a delight. Whyborne is a repressed mess filled with deep regret over his friend who he had a massive crush on who died.Griffin too is disaster but of a different kind he's headstrong, calculating and traumatised by the death of his partner (Detective Partner not partner partner).  Although Christine is the best character ever and I will fight people over her. Although she's more likely to fight you than I am!

 I want to visit Widdershins museum so much now. It's a creepy old building made by an architect who allegedly went mad building it. It has a sunken library, secret passages and all sorts of secrets to it. 

In a weird way it reminded me of Edgar Cantero's Meddling Kids. I think it was the Lovecraftian bits thrown in with characters making dumb-ass decisions. I mean this with love. 

oh and there are a few saucy scenes so not one for those who prefer their books chaste. But for those of  you out there who are lonely during the lockdown enjoy the filth!

This is a less of a review and more a load of thoughts on a page but really I guess It's refreshing to read a book that is both a genre book and an lgbt book. Especially when it was so hard to find them before. This is a great book seek it out. 

Also support Portal Bookshop Please and Thank You