"August Prather is Not Dead Yet," by Danielle K. Roux

New Adult LGBTQ+ Fantasy / Magic Realism

Book Blurb

Katherine Garnet is a writer who has never cared much about much, making it awfully difficult to create new content. Despite the fact she has the “edge” of being trans (according to her cis male editor) she is not looking to capitalize on her own personal story. Garnet tries to sneak a peek at her rival, August Prather’s, latest fantasy manuscript about a quest for the elixir of life. While reading, Garnet gets accidentally dragged into a bizarre cross-country road trip that may or may not have a purpose and begins to see parallels in the story of the manuscript and the reality of their journey. Along the way, they encounter a parade of equally troubled individuals, including ghost-hunting priests, a robot magician, a discarded piece of furniture, a runaway teenager, and a Japanese rock star. As Garnet confronts her past, she begins to understand why someone might want to live forever.

My Review

Weehoo!! This week’s read was a weird and wonderfully wild ride. It was everything and nothing like I expected, all at once. 🤣 August Prather is Not Dead Yet, by Danielle K. Roux, is a positively divine and entertaining read. It takes you on a journey with unexpected twists and a whole heck-of-a-lot of heart. But the even cooler part? It’s kind of like you’re getting two stories for the price of one. And neither of them failed to delight.

This is one of those reads where I’m not quite sure how to describe it without risking spoilers. I went in blind and would highly encourage every reader to do the same. Having no expectations beyond the knowledge that Roux has a gorgeous voice thanks to her #writeLGBTQ posts, I found my jaw quite literally dropping more than once. The unexpected uniqueness kept me riveted, and Roux has a knack for dialogue and witty banter that’ll have you falling for each and every character she brings to life on the page.

I can’t say enough how much fun this read was. It truly does take you on two very different journeys—a story within a story—yet their parallels are fantastic and the effortless way Roux marries the two will make you quiver with readerly thrill. I absolutely cannot wait to read more by this author!

Overall, I would recommend this to any lovers of fantasy and unique world building/storytelling. Roux knocks both outta the park.

So, what are you waiting for? August Prather is Not Dead Yet is available for your immediate reading pleasure!