Simetra

by M. Craig

Simetra is a queer fantasy novel that explores the nuances of typical ‘good’ and ‘evil’ tropes found in fantasy literature. The story shows Sim’s inner journey of self-discovery and spiritual awakening while she makes new friends and finds new love. Simetra will take you through genre meshing locales and across lush landscapes, to places as familiar as your local queer bar and as foreign as a fantasy world affords, while having you question- what does it mean to be a person who gives a f*ck in a world that’s built on exploitation and inequality, all while struggling to figure out who you are and what you stand for?

Simetra is a part of The Magicweaver Sequence, which also includes The Narrows. The books in this series are meant to be read in a random order-- the intention of the author is that readers start with whichever book they first encounter.

Genres: Lesbian, Fantasy, LGBT

339 pages, Paperback

Published December 4, 2021

About the author

m. craig (she/they) is a vagabond taurian wordsmith who wrote The Narrows and Simetra

Reviews

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simetra is a YA fantasy novel following Sim, a young girl running from her past while trying to rescue a friend/former crush from imprisonment. She arrives to a new city and is overwhelmed by the technology and amount of magic running through the city. She gets brought in by a group of questers and then embarks on a long journey of self discovery and many adventures. She explores many places in her world, meeting all sorts of people. Simetra explores queer identity, found family, and the nuances between good and evil.

I really enjoyed this book! Sim was a likable main character and I loved the found family aspect. It’s a book full of queer characters from all across the spectrum.

The beginning did take me a little to get into; the book just drops you into the world like a lot of other fantasy. Also there is a companion novel that takes place before this one that you don’t have to read before but there seem to be references that I feel I would have gotten more out of if I had read it. Once I got past the start, I really had a great time reading this book. I’m still not sure how I feel about the ending and I’m hoping that the author will write more in this world with these characters.

Overall, I would definitely recommend Simetra for lovers of fantasy and queer stories!!

ARC provided by the publisher

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the immersive world and cast of characters in Simetra. It's been a good decade since I read The Narrows, so I'm sure there's a lot I'm forgetting about the world, but my impression was that Simetra expanded and deepened the world in really exciting ways. There are so many forms of magic intermingling that gave the world a richness I really enjoyed. When Sim and the others leave the Enchanted Nations and enter the Ancient Kingdom's, the sudden shift from the magical industrial city setting into a high fantasy landscape was so delightful. One moment the team is dodging drone surveillance and having parties at industrial warehouses and the next moment they're riding on horseback through rustic landscapes past taverns, castles, and villages. Seeing Sim learn about the systems of exploitation that her world is built on felt really realistic and the author leaned into the complexity of Sim's position there. And I'm not usually into romance, but the love stories here had a nice slow burn and the relationships felt earned, both the primary ones and the secondary ones. It was great to see not only romantic queer relationships here but also the close platonic relationships that make up a tight-knit family.

I'll have to go back and revisit The Narrows at some point, but the books don't need to be read in order to be enjoyed, so I was plenty able to enjoy Simetra with only my fuzzy distant memories of the other book.

[Megahearn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent follow-up to The Narrows! Gorgeously written, and can't wait to find out what happens next!

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Epic adventure. The character growth is pretty big. Queer, witchy, steampunk/fantasy adventure that will leave you wanting more.

[Sage · Rating 5 out of 5]

ok so when does the third come out???