If you’re not ready for the magic of Milan-Cortina’s Olympics figure skating to be over yet a/o you’re looking for something to tide you over till your next Heated Rivalry fix, then do I have the wlw graphic novel for you!
Set in the world of competitive figure skating, this book revolves around Lydia Chen, the driven Asian American figure skater whose athleticism lies at the heart of her approach to the sport. Her technical perfection, coupled with her standoffish demeanor, have earned her the nickname The Ice Queen. For Lydia, figure skating isn’t about making friends or having fun. It’s about excelling, and thereby helping support her single mom and their small family of two.
When she first crosses paths with Malaysian figure skater Elaine Yee, she’s taken aback by how friendly the other girl is. While Elaine doesn’t have the jumps that Lydia does, her grace and performance skills showcase how much she loves skating, making her a top competitor in the field. Lydia doesn’t have time for friends — besides Helen, the daughter of her coach, who doesn’t skate and therefore isn’t a rival — so she’s relieved that her encounter with Elaine is brief. She’s even more vindicated when she beats Elaine at the first Grand Prix they skate in together.
Fast forward several years and Lydia is shocked to learn that Elaine is moving from the Canadian rink where she’s been training to join her own coach in Boston. She’s curious to see how her rival has been performing behind-the-scenes, but definitely doesn’t want to let her get too close. As sparks fly between them, however, both women will have to start reevaluating their relationships, not only with each other, but with the people they love and the sport that unites them.
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2026/03/10/just-between-us-by-adeline-kon/
God bless short stories for how easily digestible they are, having stripped away so much extraneous matter to properly capture a mood and make a point, at least, tho not exclusively, in the literary genre.
Oliver Munday’s new collection of ten short stories exemplify this, almost to the point where I wanted more from several of the stories and felt that those works would have been better served as longer pieces. This is, tbc, different from feeling that the story could serve as the basis for a novel despite feeling complete in and of itself: fortunately there are far more of this latter than the former kind here. The opening story Fists, for example, is perfect as a tone piece about a father not knowing how to deal with the loss of his own youth, as he and his teenage daughter go on one of their annual vacations together. Would I love to read more about what happens next? Yes. Was it perfectly satisfactory on its own? Also yes.
Sterling, on the other hand, was one of those stories with too much build up and not enough denouement. Perhaps I am biased in this, however, as a committed Washington DC-lover who wanted to know exactly what happened at the end of the story. I was also far more inclined to feel kindly towards the older heroes (yes, all men) of these pieces. I had a lot more sympathy for the destructive — self or otherwise — urges of the parents who’d been through a lot and were still trying to cope as best they could. For example, Tom, the protagonist of Pizza Party, has to go through a mortifying destruction of the ego before he can find grace, as does the unnamed narrator of the collection’s closing story Dependents, tho in a very different way. Their struggles felt far more earned to me than the thrashing about of most of the younger protagonists showcased here.
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2026/03/09/head-of-household-by-oliver-munday/
Happy March, dear reader! Today we’ve got a terrific slate of upcoming books for you, as well as two novels I missed out on in 2025 that you should still definitely keep on your radar.
First up, we have Jessi Cole Jackson’s Ruinous Creatures, a standalone romantasy perfect for anyone wanting to dip their toes into the genre without getting sucked into a multi-book series that probably hasn’t even been completed yet (me, that’s me!)
Adela is a priestess whose sacred duty is to preserve the skulls of the magical creatures who perish in her valley sanctuary. Their bones are still laced with magic, and skulls can be matched with the privileged few who are able to wield the powers of the creatures whose skulls they wear.
Despite her long experience, Adela is surprised one day to discover a pair of phoenix skulls. Magical is one thing: phoenixes, otoh, are legendary. Her mentor warns her against it but Adela awakens the skulls anyway, unwittingly sending a shockwave of power through the valley that unleashes chaos.
Kian is a novitiate preparing for the upcoming matching ceremony. He has a secret tho: he blames his parents’ death on this tradition, and is looking for a way to end it and the magic of the skulls for good.
Fate has other plans, as an impulsive kiss between Adela and Kian seals them to each other and to each of the phoenix skulls. As they deal with the consequences of their connection, they discover that they’ll have to use the power that they now wield to either save The Valley or destroy it entirely.
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2026/03/06/tantalizing-tales-march-2026-part-one/
This picture book is extreeeeemely relatable to all older siblings. Idk what it is about younger sibs always wanting to get up in our business, but this book very accurately portrays that situation, then delightfully shows readers one way to resolve it.
Evie is your average kid. She believes very much in magic, and wishes she had some sort of spell to help control her rambunctious younger siblings, Wolfie, Bunny and Teddy (who are all charmingly and conveniently dressed in onesies reminiscent of their names throughout this book.) They’re always bugging her to play loud and chaotic games with them when she just wants to read a book or have some quiet time alone.
One wintry day, she devises a plan to sneak out past her whirlwind of siblings and enjoy some solitary time out in nature. But with the hypervigilance of little kids, they easily track her down. Out of sheer desperation, she casts a spell that helps her plunge right into a snowdrift and emerge into a fantastical world of beauty.
Wolfie, Bunny and Teddy, however, are relentless. Can Evie figure out a way to evade them so she can fully enjoy her new surroundings and finally get a little peace and quiet?
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2026/03/05/the-great-escape-by-deborah-marcero/
It feels weird to pretend that this horror novella is about the supernatural more than it is ultimately about the unraveling of an adolescent mind. I actually forgot in the lead up to writing this review that the title has mannequins in the plural as, if you go into this book without reading anything about it — which might actually be the best way to do it, so you can stop reading right here if you want absolutely zero spoilers, even tho pretty much everything I’m going to discuss is laid out in the first few pages of the novella — you might think this is about department store figures coming to life and terrorizing a bunch of people.
And there is a mannequin here, discovered by the narrator Sawyer and his friends as they’re growing up in small town Texas, in a creek that’s more mud than water behind JR’s house. They rescue the figure’s parts and use them for any number of games and pranks over the years.
But things are changing. The kids are getting older and taking on real responsibilities. Accidents happen and Shanna has to get a real job (well, as real as anyone still in high school can get) at the local movie theater. That’s when things get weird.
As a revenge prank against Shanna’s bosses, Sawyer, Danielle, Tim and JR decide to dress up the mannequin — which they’ve christened Manny — and prop him up in one of the theater seats during a movie. They’ll then call in management to handle a “disruptive” patron, hoping to jump scare whichever of the upper-level employees comes out and discovers Manny. But Sawyer, who’s watching while the assistant manager uses a discreet flashlight to methodically check everyone’s tickets, is surprised to get absolutely no reaction when the guy asks for and examines Manny’s ticket. Worse, at the end of the movie, the figure in Manny’s seat gets up and walks out of the theater.
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2026/03/04/night-of-the-mannequins-by-stephen-graham-jones/
Hello, dear readers! I don’t usually do excerpts of Middle Grade books here, so I have a delightful treat for you today with this magic-tinged adventure novel.
The third book in Kimberly Behre Kenna’s Brave Girls series is titled Lola Gillette And The Summer Of Second Chances. Our title heroine is so desperate to complete a Perfect Pairs Collection that she resorts to stealing… and gets caught. Out of frustration, her parents decide to send her to live with her “quirky” Uncle Milo in his ramshackle mansion on the banks of the Connecticut River for a month.
Once there, she becomes even more obsessed with her collection, convinced that if she can acquire a Lucky Baker’s Dozen of pairs, she’ll generate enough magic to avoid going to a boarding school for bad girls like herself. But misadventures with a Zen Garden, a glitchy projector that spits out holographic messages from her dead aunt, a beached houseboat and a displaced wolf soon have her reconsidering her relationship with magic and luck.
As this MG novel was partially inspired by Connecticut actor and inventor William Gillette (who’s perhaps best known for his iconic role as Sherlock Holmes in the early 1900s,) part of the proceeds from the book’s sales will be donated to Gillette Castle State Park.
Read on to get acquainted with Lola, her parents and her uncle!
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2026/03/03/lola-gillette-and-the-summer-of-second-chances-by-kimberly-behre-kenna-excerpt/
I’m going to say something controversial but not unexpected given my reputation as a queer-friendly Muslim and rabid Arsenal fan: everyone in this book has terrible taste in football teams. I was somewhat mollified by the fact that the actual football-playing scenes are really rad, tho the conceit that losing a competition would reflect poorly on the star player is a convenient nonsense that, fortunately, is not brought to any illogical conclusions here.
And that’s the genius of this excellent Young Adult novel about a Pakistani Canadian teenager struggling with his sexuality and faith: none of the conclusions feel glib or unrealistic or even overly dramatic. Everything in this book feels very real. And I’m saying that not only because this book was inspired by the author’s own life, but because I’ve lived through many similar experiences myself. I might not necessarily agree with everything our titular protagonist decides on (possibly because I come from a much less constipated school of jurisprudence than he does. Like, the prohibition on music and birthday parties made me lol, even tho I recognize that plenty of hardliners are against both,) but I do agree with him that Allah is the only one who can judge a person, and that it’s better to live and let live than to police those acts that don’t actually curtail others’ lives, liberties and pursuits of happiness.
Anyway, this novel tells the tale of Ramin Abbas, the eldest son of immigrant parents who’ve enrolled him in the conservative Muslim but academically rigorous Hikma High School. He’s dead set on getting into pre-med at NYU so that he can a) become a pediatrician, and b) check out shows on Broadway. His parents frown on music, and it’s probably best not to talk about the way his dad freaked out when Ramin tried on one of his mother’s hijabs and lipstick when he was much younger. Their family only eats halal and are all regulars at their (also) conservative mosque.
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2026/03/02/ramin-abbas-has-major-questions-by-ahmad-saber/
February is drawing to a close, the weather is getting nicer, and hopefully I will soon stop feeling ill so much of the time! In other cheery news, I have a slew of great books for you this week, beginning with Amara Lakhous’ critically acclaimed The Fertility Of Evil, translated from the original Arabic by Alexander E Elinson.
July 5th is Algerian Independence Day, a national holiday for a country still coming to terms with the insidious legacy of colonialism. Colonel Soltani of the anti-terrorist unit, however, will have to give up his day off in 2018 after his superior officer manages to track him down to his mistress’ home in the city of Oran.
A former National Liberation Front fighter and Algerian power broker has been found dead under remarkably gory circumstances. Soltani is put in charge of the case, with the clear message to close it quickly and cleanly. Despite this directive, the colonel and his team delve deep into the victim’s past, going all the way back to the 1950s in their pursuit of leads. Their investigations eventually bring them to a revolutionary cell founded long ago, whose three remaining members are all still very much viable suspects in this recent killing. Can Soltani sort through six decades of secrets and lies to uncover the truth and bring a murderer to justice?
Inspired by the author’s return to Oran after years spent living in Italy as a political refugee, this gripping novel balances psychological thriller with historical fiction. It presents a compelling portrait of post-colonial Algeria, its shadowy history and the long tail of corruption as religion and politics intertwine.
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2026/02/27/tantalizing-tales-february-2026-part-four/
Lol, idk why I didn’t realize this was part of a series when I first picked it up. I do think that this is one of those books that very much benefits from readers going in already knowing the rest of the lore, if you’re an adult. Younger readers who are more ready to accept things at face value may not mind as much (as I’ve certainly discovered when going back to read old favorites after the span of decades.)
Escape Room: Game Zero begins with Eden, a young girl who’s solved a series of online riddles and is now going in search of what’s been touted as the ultimate Escape Room. Eden loves puzzles and riddles, so is excited about getting a key to an online game known only as The Escape. Fortunately, the place she has to go to claim it in person is only a short walk away from her own home.
But the key she intends to pick up turns out to be something very different from the physical pass she expected. Instead, she’s drawn into a disorienting fantasy realm where she quickly discovers she can get badly hurt, both if she isn’t careful and if she doesn’t complete the quest to escape in time.
Both helping and hindering her is Ted, a deeply annoying kid who’s accessed The Escape via an expensive VR headset and is convinced that Eden is a mere NPC. As they explore this strange new world together, they encounter all manner of peril, even as they slowly discover that the game is much more dangerous than either of them had ever anticipated.
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2026/02/26/escape-room-game-zero-by-christopher-edge/
I cover quite a few coloring books here at The Frumious Consortium, but this is the first time I’ve ever seen a mass market volume specifically designed for watercolor and ink. I hope it’s not the last tho because this is genuinely a superlative product for anyone looking to paint some adorable manga-inspired scenes.
There are 24 such illustrations in this volume, of cozy fantasy characters that wouldn’t look at all out of place inside a Studio Ghibli or Toei Animation production. All of the line drawings come, however, from the world of acclaimed Italian Canadian pop-surrealist Camilla d’Errico. Some of the illustrations here are original to the book, while others are established favorites from her repertoire. The general theme is one of whimsy, tho if you look hard enough, you can see that these aren’t necessarily the uniformly inoffensive pieces one would expect from a commercial artist. Ms d’Errico’s artistic edges are not sanded off in this wild and wonderful collection.
As with other coloring books featuring fine art, the pages in this are perforated, making it easy not only to pull out individual pieces to work on, but also to frame, should you be so inclined. Each drawing is on one side of a page, with the other intentionally left blank or featuring non-art text.
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2026/02/25/pop-manga-paint-and-ink-coloring-book-by-camilla-derrico/
Set in the world of competitive figure skating, this book revolves around Lydia Chen, the driven Asian American figure skater whose athleticism lies at the heart of her approach to the sport. Her technical perfection, coupled with her standoffish demeanor, have earned her the nickname The Ice Queen. For Lydia, figure skating isn’t about making friends or having fun. It’s about excelling, and thereby helping support her single mom and their small family of two. 
Al Singh
Doug Merrill
Doreen Sheridan
Emily Lauer
John Pitzel
Lars N. Goldschlager
Laura Eilers
Professor X
Robert Maedgen
Sylvere Ap Leanan
The Shire