A picture with a dark red, gothic background with the text, “Bez Reviews Independent Books: #IndiePressMonth.” Beneath the text is my (Bez’s) mascot character Dogwater, a cat alien who has black fur on his right side, and cream-colored fur on his left side. The inside of his ears are purple, as are the leaf-shaped antenna sticking out of his head. His face is a TV screen that is currently displaying a triangle split in half with the word “Norbez” written on it. On the right side is the cover of Awaken, My Love: a dark-skin man with short brown hair and red eyes possessively carries a man with light skin and fair hair. The red-eyed man’s features are highlighted by the moon in the window behind his head, and he glares at the viewer, as if we are going to try and snatch up his love. The title of the book has pomegranates positioned around it, and behind those are taut chains.

A promo image for Awaken, My Love, featuring a dark background with pomegranates that have been split open. It reads, “A queer gothic vampire novel about a numb man, a hungry creature, and the castle that wants the rest. March 2026.”

A picture with a dark red, gothic background with the text, “The book is very moody, and everything about it bleeds gothic. From the sentence structure, to the vocabulary, to the plot.” with Dogwater underneath the text.

A picture with a dark red, gothic background with the text, “Link to review in replies!” with Dogwater underneath the text.

It’s another #IndiePressMonth review! Continuing from a short story I reviewed from the TORMENT anthology, we have Awaken, My Love, a debut by @maratearendel.bsky.social about a moody vampire and the man who saves him.
Link to review in the replies!
#BRIB #BookSky #queerbooks #awakenmylovenovel

A picture with a dark red, gothic background with the text, “I’m reading an ARC of Awaken, My Love.” Beneath the text is my (Bez’s) mascot character Dogwater, a cat alien who has black fur on his right side, and cream-colored fur on his left side. The inside of his ears are purple, as are the leaf-shaped antenna sticking out of his head. His face is a TV screen that is currently displaying a triangle split in half with the word “Norbez” written on it. He is holding a book up to his face with the cover of Awaken, My Love on it.

A picture with a dark red, gothic background with the text, “Full review coming tomorrow for Indie Press Month!”

I signed up to be on the review team of @maratearendel.bsky.social 's debut novel, Awaken, My Love. It's an M/M gothic romance with hungry vampires, emotional characters, and a castle full of secrets. My review for it is coming out tomorrow!
#BRIB #awakenmylovenovel #IndiePressMonth

A black image with gold text & a gold lace pattern on the top-left & bottom-right corners. It reads, “Bez Reviews Independent Books: #IndiePressMonth”. On the left side is my (Bez’s) mascot character Dogwater, a cat alien who has black fur on his right side, and cream-colored fur on his left side. The inside of his ears are purple, as are the leaf-shaped antenna sticking out of his head. His face is a TV screen that is currently displaying a triangle split in half with the word “Norbez” written on it. On the right side is the cover of TORMENT A GOTHIC ANTHOLOGY: a hand scratches a black background, leaving blood running from the wall underneath where the fingers were/are. On the bottom of the book it reads, “CURATED BY JUNIPER LAKE FITZGERALD.”

My first review of #IndiePressMonth is TORMENT: A GOTHIC ANTHOLOGY! This gothic, gay-as-hell collection of short stories, curated by @ardentgrove.bsky.social , has quite the variety. Should you pick it up? (Hint: yes!)
Link to review in the replies!
#BRIB #BookSky #queerbooks

A yellow banner with purple text that reads, “Bez Reviews Independent Books: #ReadAnEbookWeek”. On the left side is my (Bez’s) mascot character Dogwater, a cat alien who has black fur on his right side, and cream-colored fur on his left side. The inside of his ears are purple, as are the leaf-shaped antenna sticking out of his head. His face is a TV screen that is currently displaying a triangle split in half with the word “Norbez” written on it. On the right side is the cover of Higanbana: a dark, abandoned factory in blue hues, with a higanbana flower sprouting from the cracked floor, surrounded by angelic feathers in the air.

To close off #ReadAnEbookWeek I’m looking at one more novel from the A Very Queer March bundle, Higanbana by Jake Vanguard.
A man running from abuse finds a fallen angel. He takes in the angel, and discovers love he never thought possible.
Link to review in the replies!
#BRIB #BookSky #queerbooks

A yellow banner with purple text that reads, “Bez Reviews Independent Books: #ReadAnEbookWeek”. On the left side is my (Bez’s) mascot character Dogwater, a cat alien who has black fur on his right side, and cream-colored fur on his left side. The inside of his ears are purple, as are the leaf-shaped antenna sticking out of his head. His face is a TV screen that is currently displaying a triangle split in half with the word “Norbez” written on it. On the right side is the cover of Journey Home & Emergence: Emergence shows a man & woman standing across from each other in the backdrop of an orange sunset, and Journey Home shows two witches flying brooms in the backdrop of space & planets, with blue & purple hues.

Today for #ReadAnEbookWeek I’m looking at two short stories. Both are about the power of love—the one by @maybarros.com.br is about an aromantic QPR, and the other by @amweald.com is about a longing that surpasses physical space.
Link to review in the replies!
#BRIB #BookSky #queerbooks

A yellow banner with purple text that reads, “Bez Reviews Independent Books: #ReadAnEbookWeek”. On the left side is my (Bez’s) mascot character Dogwater, a cat alien who has black fur on his right side, and cream-colored fur on his left side. The inside of his ears are purple, as are the leaf-shaped antenna sticking out of his head. His face is a TV screen that is currently displaying a triangle split in half with the word “Norbez” written on it. On the right side is the cover of Yes, Captain: it is in orange tones, showing the main character Melissa looking shyly at a large, authoritative figure looking over her. There are shooting stars in the background, and the title is written in a cursive-ish, handwritten font. On the bottom right, it says, “by O.Z. Laws. Cover art by @Coffee_lyah.”

In today’s review, I’m looking at the NSFW short story Yes, Captain by @olipie.bsky.social ! A pastry chef and a starship captain have a secret relationship, and they sneak together to have a fun night.
Link to review in the replies!
#BRIB #BookSky #queerbooks #ReadAnEbookWeek

A yellow banner with purple text that reads, “Bez Reviews Independent Books: #ReadAnEbookWeek”. On the left side is my (Bez’s) mascot character Dogwater, a cat alien who has black fur on his right side, and cream-colored fur on his left side. The inside of his ears are purple, as are the leaf-shaped antenna sticking out of his head. His face is a TV screen that is currently displaying a triangle split in half with the word “Norbez” written on it. On the right side is the cover of Errant Wings: the main character, a tattooed punk named Aster, is smiling at the viewer with his angel wings spread out. He’s squatting on top of a building and holding a can of spray paint.

1st review of some of the stories in the book bundle A Very Queer March! Today I’m looking at Errant Wings by @earlronove.bsky.social , a novel about a punk who gets angel wings. How will his world change?
Link to review in the replies!
#BRIB #BookReview #queerbooks #ReadAnEbookWeek

A yellow banner with purple text that reads, “Bez Reviews Independent Books”. On the left side is my (Bez’s) mascot character Dogwater, a cat alien who has black fur on his right side, and cream-colored fur on his left side. The inside of his ears are purple, as are the leaf-shaped antenna sticking out of his head. His face is a TV screen that is currently displaying a triangle split in half with the word “Norbez” written on it. On the right side is the cover of Black Hole Science Is Filled with Apologies: a little girl points out the window of a dreamy bedroom, where her sister or mother is tidying up her collar. Out of the window is a dark, threatening sky, and a huge snake floating in the air.

. @traumbooks.bsky.social has their 1st poetry collection, an anthology of 10+ years of work by Never Angeline Nørth. What is Black Hole Science Is Filled With Apologies, & and why is this field of outer space so sorry?
Link to review in the replies!
#BRIB #booktwt #BookReview #queerbooks

Took a while to get to, but I FINALLY got around to making a #F2UBase for #Birdtaur OCs! Birdtaurs are fun to draw OCs for, but sadly, I don't draw them as often as I want to.

Maybe this will encourage more from me, who knows?

ko-fi.com/s/392109e879

🔳[ #Taur #Brib #Centaur #Taur #F2U #Base ]🔲

A yellow banner with purple text that reads, “Bez Reviews Independent Books”. On the left side is my (Bez’s) mascot character Dogwater, a cat alien who has black fur on his right side, and cream-colored fur on his left side. The inside of his ears are purple, as are the leaf-shaped antenna sticking out of his head. His face is a TV screen that is currently displaying a triangle split in half with the word “Norbez” written on it. On the right side is the cover of A + E 4Ever: two teenagers lying in the same bed, looking at each other. The cover is mostly black & white, but is colored by a few shades of blue. Next to it is a bookmark with a map on it.

Now that @traumbooks.bsky.social ‘s A + E4Ever has been reviewed, it’s time for my favorite part of reviewing physical books: playing bookmark RPGs!
Link in the replies!
#BRIB #booktwt #queerbooks #TTRPGs

A yellow banner with purple text that reads, “Bez Reviews Independent Books”. On the left side is my (Bez’s) mascot character Dogwater, a cat alien who has black fur on his right side, and cream-colored fur on his left side. The inside of his ears are purple, as are the leaf-shaped antenna sticking out of his head. His face is a TV screen that is currently displaying a triangle split in half with the word “Norbez” written on it. On the right side is the cover of A + E 4Ever: two teenagers lying in the same bed, looking at each other. The cover is mostly black & white, but is colored by a few shades of blue.

Yay, new book review! Lucky number nine!
Today, I’m reading a @traumbooks.bsky.social story: the comic version of a novel I’ve reviewed before, a + e. How does it compare to the book, and why was it reprinted after 14 years?
Link to the review in the replies!
#BRIB #BookSky #BookReview #queerbooks

A yellow banner with purple text that reads, “Bez Reviews Independent Books”. On the left side is my (Bez’s) mascot character Dogwater, a cat alien who has black fur on his right side, and cream-colored fur on his left side. The inside of his ears are purple, as are the leaf-shaped antenna sticking out of his head. His face is a TV screen that is currently displaying a triangle split in half with the word “Norbez” written on it. On the right side is the cover of CORRUPTED VESSELS: a head detached from a mound of monstrous flesh that's supposed to be their body.

I’m here with my longest review so far, of Corrupted Vessels by Briar Ripley Page, published by @traumbooks.bsky.social .
Two homeless queers have been chosen by the angels. But is all of it even real?
Link to the review in the replies!
#BRIB #BookSky #BookReview

UPDATE/EDIT 3/20/25: Hey everyone! Just wanted to come in with a few little notes to add to the review: 1. tRaum Books, the publisher of a+e, reached out to me to tell me about the graphic novel (and to provide me a review copy of another book, but we’ll get to that another time. . .)! To quote them, “[T]he book has a graphic novel published by another queer press (Lethe Press). It's called 'a+e4ever' and was published a while back (but it is the same exact story).” While the link to the book on Lethe Press’ website leads to a 404 page now, there is a Goodreads page for the book that’s still up. And through that I found out that it’s available on Amazon! Would y’all want me to review it in the future? 2. A few commenters on Pillowfort informed me that the way the dialogue is written in a+e is how dialogue is written in some international countries (to their knowledge, Poland & France at least). I found that insightful and good to know. Thank you to technoxenoholic & LilacLupin for educating me!

Gave my a+e review a tiny update today, which you can read below or in the link in the replies!
Also, my review of Corrupted Vessels is coming this weekend! I'm hoping to release it on Friday.
@traumbooks.bsky.social published both of those books btw!
#BRIB #booktwt #BooksWorthReading

A yellow banner with purple text that reads, “Bez Reviews Independent Books”. On the left side is my (Bez’s) mascot character Dogwater, a cat alien who has black fur on his right side, and cream-colored fur on his left side. The inside of his ears are purple, as are the leaf-shaped antenna sticking out of his head. His face is a TV screen that is currently displaying a triangle split in half with the word “Norbez” written on it. On the right side is the cover of Dead Pulsating Tree: a monochrome picture of a tree, with the title written in a serif font.

It’s time for another book review! Today, I’m looking at a short story collection by a mutual of mine, @starscozy.bsky.social ! From sci-fi to fantasy, these alien tales all explore the unknown, and what it means to be “other”.
Link to the reviews in the replies!
#BRIB #BookSky #BookReview

A yellow banner with purple text that reads, “Bez Reviews Independent Books”. On the left side is my (Bez’s) mascot character Dogwater, a cat alien who has black fur on his right side, and cream-colored fur on his left side. The inside of his ears are purple, as are the leaf-shaped antenna sticking out of his head. His face is a TV screen that is currently displaying a triangle split in half with the word “Norbez” written on it. On the right side is the cover of a + e: a monochrome drawing of a girl with short hair being hugged from behind by a guy with long hair and eyeliner.

It’s a new itch.io book review, y’all! Today, I’m looking at the first book in @traumbooks.bsky.social 's “Seasons” series: a + e. It's “short, manic and problematic read” about two queer teenagers.
Link to the review in the replies!
#BRIB #BookSky #BookReview

Finished writing a new itchio book review tonight! C: I'll release it sometime next week. #BRIB

A yellow banner with purple text that reads, “Bez Reviews Independent Books”. On the left side is my (Bez’s) mascot character Dogwater, a cat alien who has black fur on his right side, and cream-colored fur on his left side. The inside of his ears are purple, as are the leaf-shaped antenna sticking out of his head. His face is a TV screen that is currently displaying a triangle split in half with the word “Norbez” written on it. On the right side is the cover of The Last Bread Mage: a young man with brown, shoulder length hair and red robes is smiling with his palms together. Hovering above his hands is an egg with swirls & green & blue colors. The title & author’s name (M. Kirin) are written in an all-caps serif font.

It’s time for a new book review! Today, I’m taking a look at The Last Bread Mage by @mkirin.itch.io , a fantasy tale about the end of the world. Can a red mage, a saint, a knight, and a thief avoid certain doom?
Link to read in the replies!
#BRIB #BookSky #BookReview

A yellow banner with purple text that reads, “Bez Reviews Independent Books”. On the left side is my (Bez’s) mascot character Dogwater, a cat alien who has black fur on his right side, and cream-colored fur on his left side. The inside of his ears are purple, as are the leaf-shaped antenna sticking out of his head. His face is a TV screen that is currently displaying a triangle split in half with the word “Norbez” written on it. On the right side is the cover of HIS BODY, HER CHOICE: the organs of the human body are visible, from the lungs down to the intestines, all hyper-detailed and gruesome looking. The title and the words “Written by Hucklyberry Watts” are written in a white, sans-serif, all caps font.

It’s time to review another itchio book! Today, I'm taking a look at a graphic horror story written in the wake of Donald Trump's re-election: “HIS BODY, HER CHOICE” by @hucklewrites.bsky.social .
Link to the review in the replies!
#BRIB #bookreview #horror

A yellow banner with purple text that reads, “Bez Reviews Independent Books”. On the left side is my (Bez’s) mascot character Dogwater, a cat alien who has black fur on his right side, and cream-colored fur on his left side. The inside of his ears are purple, as are the leaf-shaped antenna sticking out of his head. His face is a TV screen that is currently displaying a triangle split in half with the word “Norbez” written on it. On the right side is the cover of Tales From The Screens: a store display windows showing many analog televisions showing flickering, distorted images—except for two TVs in the middle, which each show a wide eye. The two eyes stare at something (or someone?) in the distance.

Another book review? Already? Why, yes!
Today, I’m looking at Tales From The Screens by literal_roach_king, a Nightvale-inspired work about otherworldly TVs. So far, 3 zines are out for this story, and I checked them out!
Links to review in replies! ⬇️ #BRIB #BookReview #books #BookSky

Bez Reviews Independent Books 2: To Wield The Darkest Night Today I’m reviewing To Wield The Darkest Night by Beau Van Dalen, which is a medieval fantasy book I was looking forward to for quite some time.  It’s about a transmasc apothecary named Sol who is …

Finished my new #BRIB book review! I'll try and post it tomorrow!
In case you missed the last one, you can read it here: norbezdoes.wordpress.com/2024/11/26/b...

A yellow banner with purple text that reads, “Bez Reviews Independent Books”. On the left side is my (Bez’s) mascot character Dogwater, a cat alien who has black fur on his right side, and cream-colored fur on his left side. The inside of his ears are purple, as are the leaf-shaped antenna sticking out of his head. His face is a TV screen that is currently displaying a triangle split in half with the word “Norbez” written on it. On the right side is the cover for the book To Wield The Darkest Night: the cover is dark with a moon in the background, lighting up the main couple, Yohan & Sol, who are hugging in the center of the cover. Yohan (on the left) has light grey hair and is wearing knight’s armor, and Sol (on the right) has long brown hair and is wearing a brown robe; he also has glasses. They are holding each other close and their eyes are closed. The title & the author’s name (Beau Van Dalen) are both written in an all-caps serifs font.

Time to review another itch.io book: To Wield The Darkest Night by @beauvandalen.bsky.social , a transmasc medieval fantasy. When the knight of Sol’s dreams appears, will he get the courage to be himself around this handsome, cursed man?
Links to review in replies! ⬇️ #BRIB #BookSky #bookreview