# Apotropaia ## Posts - [Reviewing Audrey Gilbert's "Herbal Dream Magic"](https://apotropaia.com/reviewing-audrey-gilberts-herbal-dream-magic/): Disclaimer: I received an advance copy from Llewelyn Publications for review. - [A Review of Sarah Jane Whitney’s Beyond the Dark & Deadly Woods: Where Gods Dare to be Squatters](https://apotropaia.com/a-review-of-sarah-jane-whitneys-beyond-the-dark-deadly-woods-where-gods-dare-to-be-squatters/): Disclaimer: I received this book as an advanced copy, but the review is my own! - [Four Book Festivals for November!](https://apotropaia.com/upcoming-book-festivals-you-dont-want-to-miss/): Autumn is the golden season for book lovers, bringing together storytellers, poets, and readers for weeks of literary celebration. - [Demons, Deceivers, and Dead Parents: Reviewing "The Demonic Inventions of Aurelie Blake"](https://apotropaia.com/demons-deceivers-and-dead-parents-reviewing-the-demonic-inventions-of-aurelie-blake/): Mara Rutherford’s The Demonic Inventions of Aurelie Blake promises a high-stakes, anti-progress dystopia with a dark "enemies-to-lovers" romance, but the novel ultimately buckles under the weight of unconvincing character motivations and unearned instant infatuation. - [5 Upcoming Writing Opportunities with low fees!](https://apotropaia.com/5-upcoming-writing-opportunities-with-low-fees/) - [Hellhounds and... Belly Rubs? A Review of M. H. Foster's "The Demon Overlord's Retirement Plan"](https://apotropaia.com/hellhounds-and-belly-rubs-a-review-of-m-h-fosters-the-demon-overlords-retirement-plan/): The Demon Overlord's Retirement Plan humorously blends cosmic warfare with cozy farming and community bonds. - [Upcoming Fee-Free Writing Opportunities (9.10.2026 - 12.31.2026)](https://apotropaia.com/upcoming-fee-free-writing-opportunities-9-10-2026-12-31-2026/): A long-running competition geared toward emerging, non-professionally established writers working in speculative genres, offering cash awards, publication, and career opportunities. - [Cultural Annihilation, Math Problems, and Freak Behavior: A Review of Yoon Ha Lee's Code and Codex](https://apotropaia.com/cultural-annihilation-math-problems-and-freak-behavior-a-review-of-yoon-ha-lees-code-and-codex/): A language-policing space empire, forbidden poetry, and a novel that makes you work for every pleasure. Yoon Ha Lee’s Code and Codex frustrated me—and won me over. - [I Support Women's Rights and Women's Wrongs: A Review of I.V. Ophelia's "The Poisoner"](https://apotropaia.com/i-support-womens-rights-and-womens-wrongs-a-review-of-i-v-ophelias-the-poisoner/): A delightful and violent romp between a spider and a snake - so long as you don't mind when two characters have their fangs removed before they can truly sink in. - [Where has the Whimsy Gone? - A Review of Peter S. Beagle's "I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons"](https://apotropaia.com/where-has-the-whimsy-gone-a-review-of-peter-s-beagles-im-afraid-youve-got-dragons/): Peter S. Beagle’s dragon-slaying tale starts with wit, warmth, and a hero who dreams of being a valet. For me, its later turn toward familiar fantasy tropes loses some of that promise. - [The Big Buff Fairies of the Otherworld: A Review of Geneva Lee's "Filthy Rich Fae"](https://apotropaia.com/the-big-buff-fairies-of-the-otherworld-a-review-of-geneva-lees-filthy-rich-fae/): Fae bargains, crime-family melodrama, and a sharp-tongued heroine: Geneva Lee’s Filthy Rich Fae is a campy romance whose charm outpaces its world-building. - [The Role of Reader’s Reports in Publishing Decisions](https://apotropaia.com/an-authors-guide-to-publishing-the-readers-report/): A practical, writer-friendly guide to reader’s reports: what they contain, how publishing professionals use them, and how to build one through a worked example. ## Pages - [Social Studio](https://apotropaia.com/social-studio/): Social Studio is the desk for captions, announcements, and replies. Draft them here, then take the finished note to the place it belongs. - [Curator Plus](https://apotropaia.com/curator/): Curator Plus is the desk for the reading ledger: the books behind the reviews, and the public shelf on the Repository page. - [Disclosures](https://apotropaia.com/disclosures/): This page sets out where money, free books, and other material connections touch anything published on this site. - [Services](https://apotropaia.com/services/) - [Reading Ledger](https://apotropaia.com/reading-ledger/): The public shelf from Curator Plus. Finished books with a review on this site are linked. - [Book Reviews](https://apotropaia.com/book-reviews/) - [Essays & Reader’s Reports](https://apotropaia.com/readers-reports/) - [Portfolio](https://apotropaia.com/portfolio/) - [Blog](https://apotropaia.com/blog/) - [Writing](https://apotropaia.com/writing/) - [Contact](https://apotropaia.com/contact/) - [About](https://apotropaia.com/about/) - [Repository](https://apotropaia.com/repository/): The public shelf from Curator Plus. Finished books with a review on this site are linked. - [About Anna](https://apotropaia.com/about-anna/): An MLIS candidate and MFA graduate whose work bridges editing, librarianship, and information science. ## Optional - [Agent (MCP protocol)](websites-agents.hostinger.com/apotropaia.com/mcp) [comment]: # (Generated by Hostinger Tools Plugin)