Katabasis by R.F. Kuang (feat. my anxiety nails RIP)

🕯️🪦☕️📓

“And if falling in love was discovery, was letting yourself be discovered the equivalent to being loved? For it tickled Alice to hear Peter make observations about her; to announce facts she’d never noticed about herself.”

Rating: 4 ⭐️

Review: If you want to be enveloped by pure, undiluted dark-academia—something with angsty romance, a spiraling heroine, and a sharp critique of normalized academic abuse—READ KATABASIS.

This follows two Cambridge graduate students’ descent into Hell. Their mission: to find their academic advisor and bring him back to the land of the living (let me just say—he’s a reeaaal piece of work).

Something that I LOVED is that this follows the classic heroine’s journey story arc! There are still external forces at play, but the bulk of the action centers around Alice’s internal conflict and character growth.

There’s a solid magic system (though Hell does make space for wonkiness). I rated it four stars because this flexibility led to some confusion on my end, and that was hard for me to entirely let go of.

There are lots of literary allusions, but trust me!! If you’ve taken a high school English class, you can pick up on a lot of it! I’m sure there were plenty of references that went over my head but I still had a great time.

All in all—prepare for things to get a little weird and just roll with it. And get ready to feel a rollercoaster of emotions and gain a new appreciation for heartfelt hugs and cups of tea 🥹

Lovely people, I'm VERY excited to announce a GIVEAWAY!

I’ve got one extra pass for BINDERYCON!

This is a very special event celebrating the latest round of Bindery titles (I talk more about each of them in this post here), where a bunch of Bindery Tastemakers and the authors of all the new books will get to mingle!

Additional info about BINDERYCON can be found here: https://binderycon.eventbrite.com/

This takes place on October 14th in Brooklyn, New York. (I'd love to see you!)

Here's how to enter:
1. Be subscribed to my Bindery (free or paid, doesn't matter!)
2. Comment on this post (anything at all!) 


That's it!


This giveaway is open to everyone, and the Bindery team will handle sending you your ticket.

This giveaway ends at 6pm Eastern Time on SUNDAY, September 14th, so keep an eye on your email to see if you've won!

As always, thank you so much for being here.

GUYS, I'm hosting a giveaway with bindery 🥹

We've got one pass to give away to BINDERYCON, which takes place on October 14th in Brooklyn and I'm SO jealous about the fact that you all get to go and I dont (cries in UK location) BUT one lucky winner can go and celebrate on my behalf AND then come and tell me all about it okay? 🥹🤎

More info about BINDERYCON: https://binderycon.eventbrite.com/

Here's how to enter:

• Be a follower or subscriber of my Bindery, either at the witch level (Free sub) or Chanterelle Keepers (paid sub)

• Comment on this post (anything at all!)

That's it! This giveaway is open to everyone, and the BINDERYCON team will handle sending you your ticket.

This giveaway ends on 19/09 or Next Friday at midnight UK timezone!

Hey there Bookwyrms!

I’ve got one pass to give away to BINDERYCON! More info about BINDERYCON: https://binderycon.eventbrite.com

BINDERYCON takes place on October 14th in Brooklyn. Meet amazing indie authors and the influencers publishing their books this fall! Books being featured in this event have been linked to this post.

Here's how to enter:

1. Be a follower or subscriber of my Bindery. (double entry for subscribers)

2. Follow me! Comment on TikTok or Instagram on the pinned giveaway post(or both!)

That's it!

This giveaway is open to everyone, and the BINDERYCON team
will handle sending you your ticket.

Please apply by September 14th!

Here she is! Our gorgeously terrifying cover art for THIS IS NOT A TEST and PLEASE REMAIN CALM! Designed by Charlotte Strick.

The official reveal is tomorrow, so please no sharing until then, but once we're in the green, share away!!!

Happy Tuesday, mis internet amigxs!

I'm beginning this post with an apology! I had a number of my September 2nd Latine releases marked as 2026 releases on my spreadsheet, so at the bottom of this post, you'll find 7 releases from last week!

I'm getting ready to start significant fall travel. Tonight, I leave for New York City for 4 days, back for a couple of weeks, headed out of town for my birthday and then home for a couple of weeks before heading to Dallas for the Hay Festival. It's going to be a busy fall intermingled with Latinx Heritage Month and I'm honestly so excited.

I'll be announcing The Posession of Alba Diaz by Isabel Canas as our October Book Club pick later this week on socials, but THIS post is YOUR chance, as Bindery subscribers, to have a chance at TWO copies of the book.

My last few introductions have been very long, but, this week, it's short and sweet to so we can get to all the amazing Latine releases this week, beginning with THE BOOK OF THE WEEK--

Middle Spoon by Alejandro Varela (Audiobook) National Book Award finalist is back with a literary fiction novel about heartbreak, unconventional love, and the way a society could be.

MIDDLE GRADE HISTORICAL FICTION

The Center of the Earth by Darlene Campos: Darelene is the co-founder of LatinxPitch and this story centers around Dahlia, a young Ecuadorian girl whose father is an ambassador bringing Werner from Germany at the time of Hitler's rise to become part of her family in Ecuador. A lesson in growing pains and found family.

YOUNG ADULT FANTASY

An Embroidery of Souls by Ruby Martinez (Audiobook) Jade can manipulate souls with the tug of a thread—it’s up to her, and a boy with a soul as bright as the universe to stop a creature on the loose before it claims its next victim in this lush, Mexican & German inspired romantasy.

FANTASY

The Maiden And Her Monster by Maddie Martinez (Audiobook) Atmospheric historical sapphic fantasy about a girl who must travel into the forest to bring out a monster in order to try and save her mother, but things get complicated when she finds feelings for the misunderstood gollem and the bargain unravels.

PICTURE BOOK

Just Shine! by Sonia Sotomayor and illustrated by Jacqueline Alcantara: "How to be a better you" and also available in Spanish today

When We Find Her by M. Garcia Pena and illustrated by Andre Ceolin

Rafi and Rossi Menu! by and illustrated by Lulu Delacre: Releasing in both English and Spanish today!

MIDDLE GRADE FICTION

In The Company of Wolves by Antonio Farias: Historical fiction novel about Jamie, who goes to live with his paternal grandmother on the family ranch in New Mexico after his father is killed in Vietnam.

POETRY

Cipota by Chelsea Guevara: Salvadoran poet, Chelsea Guevara, covers rage, reclamation, and homecoming in this collection

LITERARY FICTION

All That Dies In April by Mariana Travacio: Taking place high above the Argentinian pampas, this story follows a small family on a solitary journey through the treacherous mountains in search of a better life.

KID'S NONFICITON

Origin: An Illuminating Look at Indigenous Peoples by Nat Cardozo and translated by Maria Jose Ferrada and Layla Benitez-James: 22 portraits of Inidgenous children and their communities from around the globe that discuss their connection to the land and environment.

SEPTEMBER 2nd LATINX RELEASES

Flight Plan M. Soledad Caballero: Poetry

Little Rebels by Yuyi Morales: Picture Book

Mexico's Day of the Dead by Luisa Navarro and photography by Christine Chitnis: nonfiction

The Shadow of the Mammoth Fabio Morabato and translated by Curtis Bauer: Translated fiction

Waiting for Godinez by Daniel A. Olivas: Literary fiction that is inspired by Samuel Becket's Godot play and our country's shitting imigration policies

A Chronology of Blood by Teo Shannon: Poetry

The Giving Flower: The Story of the Ponsettia Alda P. Dobbs and illustrated by Emily Mendoza: Picture Book

xoxo, Carmen