The Summer War by Naomi Novik: Book Review

The Summer War by Naomi Novik
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Celia took one step and then another back from the edge. She had promised to care, and she would keep her promise. She’d care about Roric, and she’d care about the people of Prosper, and she’d even care about the summerlings, and give them a chance to write new stories of their own.

A beautiful premise of love, acceptance and care given and returned, The Summer War is the enchanting tale of Celia who wants nothing more than care returned when given, who curses her brother in hate to never have love when she sees he doesn't care for her, and does everything she can including ending a hopeless war to remove this curse.

The novella combines Naomi Novik's multi-dimensional characters always trying to act for the best, and layers of magic where stories, promises and honour have power with her compelling writing. The plot is faerie-tale paced, wherein decades of war and tactics are summarized in a few pages, but every emotion in the inevitable stand described in detail.

The characters and their choices form the core of the story, each tactical decision made by characters to change the way things had been for decades. Celia's character growth was steady, slowly working towards more care in her life, and the redemption arcs towards the end added depth to the story. I would have liked a bit more depth to the magic system and details of the Summer Lands, but the novella as it stands fits in the faerie tale genre.

A light read with a nice concept, the story has some Spinning Silver vibes with summer woods instead of winter snows and especially the weight given to intent and choices behind vows - recommended for Naomi Novik fans and anyone looking to try her writing with a relatively short read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Random House publishing group for providing an ARC, the review is entirely honest.

🌟🌟🌟🌟1/2🌟
[One star for the premise; One star for the characters; 3/4 star for the plot and themes; 3/4 star for the world-building; One star for the writing - 4 1/2 stars in total.]

View all my reviews

Isles of the Emberdark by Brandon Sanderson: Book Review

 

Isles of the Emberdark by Brandon Sanderson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Here, he saw infinity. A horizon that seemed impossibly far away. That not-sea, it…just. Kept. Going. Look through binoculars, and it was the same. A flat expanse, completely uninterrupted. Upward, he saw only darkness and blue streaks. Downward, that smoky depth.
Infinity in three shades. Each more unnerving than the one before.

Brandon Sanderson crafts the secret project Isles of the Emberdark with some of the elements that I most look for in any fiction/ fantasy - character sketches with depth and introspection, people driven plot where their decisions matter, layered world-building, touching writing, and at the core, a strong premise. This novel also includes most of the previously release novella Sixth of the Dusk in its first part, and so can be read as a standalone, as well as the latest installment of the Cosmere for the fans interested in its workings.

Instead, he kept paddling. One man. Two birds. Three kinds of infinity. And an entire world that, remarkably, still needed him.

Isles of the Emberdark follows Sixth of the Dusk as he tries to find a way offering his people leverage in the rapidly changing politics with more technologically advanced worlds, explore the dangerous beguiling realm of the cognitive, and reconcile the stories of his people with the truth of world around him, all while trying to remain relevant without sacrificing everything he stands for.

But he felt old. Old like a horse-drawn carriage. Old like cobblestones in a city full of cement. Old like a handwritten letter when everyone was learning to type.

Sixth of the Dusk is a remarkably well sketched character, starting out as a stoic man at the height of his survival skills in an incredibly dangerous environment, but reframing his ideology in doing everything he can to preserve his people's identity and fit in with the rapid technological advancement on their own terms. His amazing birds not only provide him with a magical advantage, but also keep him grounded, and it's lovely to see his bonds with them! His growth arc and introspection in learning to trust and work with other people to finding a crew draws the reader in,whereas his brief hunting stint inspired by Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea is something to look out for!

Be better, he said. Soar, he challenged. Be amazing.

Starling's perspective with Firefly vibes is a breath of fresh air, especially for the people waiting to read a Cosmere dragon's story. Her crew of handpicked (mis)matches with their own cultures and histories play to their strengths in protecting each other and provides a great counterpoint to Dusk's journey. The plot is fast-paced given the scale of events happening, but the character growth and discoveries threaded in feel measured and considered.

“Most of the arcanists hate words like ‘wizard,’ as they reference people with magical knowledge. Most of them will insist nothing is ‘magic’ if you understand it.”

The world-building in this book is very Cosmere-aware and revelatory, easily going from the magic of discoveries to the science behind magic, blending aspects of traditional fantasy and science fiction. More than that, the themes of colonialism and cultural identity explored add depth to the history of the Cosmere, people interest stories to the vast machinations of power/ resource grabbing.

But when he spoke, they grew quiet. Words had their own economics, as sure as precious metals did. The ones in short supply were the ones that, secretly, everyone wanted.

The fantastic writing in this book, focused more on people, their actions and decisions more than on simply grand magic, beautifully wove the world-building, characters and plot together. As delightful as it was to read one Cosmere tidbit after another, it is the premise of the characters finding a niche for themselves without sacrificing their ideologies that stays with the reader at the end.

Recommended for all Cosmere and Brandon Sanderson fans!

🌟🌟🌟🌟1/2🌟
[3/4 for the premise and the whole book; One star for the characters and their growth; One star for the plot and themes; One star for the world-building; 3/4 star for the writing - 4 1/2 stars in total.]

Her master had warned her about this inclination to care for everyone she met. Apparently, it wasn’t an uncommon problem among the people he chose to work with. If you were going to travel the cosmere, you were going to find people with problems. If you got embroiled in their conflicts, you’d never get anything done.

View all my reviews

The Vengeance by Emma Newman - Book Review

 

The Vengeance by Emma Newman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

If she had known that it was the last hour of her mother’s life, Morgane would have done things differently. But that was the thing about a life at sea such as they had; there was no way to tell where death would come from.

The aptly named The Vengeance follows Morgane after the death of her mother (the captain of her pirate ship) as she leaves her life at sea and everything she knows to go to France hoping for vengeance. Dealing with several surprises coming up during her quest - chief of which is that she uncovers letters from her birth mother pleading for rescue, and a father who has been searching for her, she finds France and life on land very different from the life she led until then.

Morgane felt horribly awkward. Why did everyone care about being a man or a woman so much in France? On The Vengeance, the only thing that mattered was skill. But perhaps her aunt’s ship really had been an exception.

The interesting plot, action based but event driven, is the foundation of this book, and held my attention. Morgane is a great character, her strengths and weaknesses outcomes of growing up on a ship in a late medieval world. The overall duration of the book doesn't see a lot of change in Morgane's character, but she is pretty strong and street smart to start with.

“Nah.” Morgane sheathed the knife. “Any problem involving a man can always be solved with violence. Violence or gold, to be fair.”

A few good themes like gender-based expectations and rule of aristocracy came up, and meshed well with the other lead and secondary characters. The world-building contains some supernatural entities in addition to the medieval descriptions (as can be seen from the name of the series), but this wasn't explored as much as I'd like. Another quibble was that the plot progression didn't actually allow Morgane to spend much time with each of her parents, except for the mother who raised her, or actually see them in each other's company - which could have added to her character arc.

On the whole, The Vengeance is a fun read, and I'll keep an eye out for the sequel and more books by Emma Newman.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Rebellion publishers for an ARC, the review is entirely honest.

🌟🌟🌟
[3/4 star for the premise and the whole book; Half a star for the characters; 3/4 star for the plot and themes; Half a star for the world-building; Half a star for the writing - 3 stars in total.]

View all my reviews

The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association by Caitlin Rozakis: Book Review

 

The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association by Caitlin Rozakis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Vivian just had to make a good impression. In a town where she was by definition an outsider, in a culture she couldn’t hope to join, with nothing less than her daughter’s entire future riding on her success. She swallowed, her mouth gone dry.

Vivian and Daniel have to move to a new town with their kindergarten daughter Aria for school when she gets bitten by a werewolf and join The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association, which seems to have as many pitfalls for mundane reasons as for ignorance of magic culture. They all scramble with additional responsibilities, each dealing with the move in their own way, to try and fit in here as they don't think they'll get a chance like this in any other place.

Caitlin Rozakis writes a biting satire (sometimes too sharply), of the pressures the education system places on students and their parents, with a clarity that probably arose from some degree of familiarity but also a lot of wit to help them tide over their growing pains. And the characters do grow a lot, even the parents, as they realise they weren't as alone in this fight as they had originally thought - they just have to look for true friends.

Though primarily meant to be a cozy fantasy, the novel also takes a long look at how difficult it is to adjust to a new community with new rules, and how anxiety inducing it can be. While magical prophecies and doomsday proclamations can overset any event, the parents learn that sometimes it is the more mundane things like greed, ambition and fiduciary deception that can really hurt a community. The plot and narration tries to achieve a good balance of the fantastic new magics and cute kindergartener antics with the darker aspects of being the new-comers in over their heads, and sometimes the difficulties overweigh the fantastic but it was good to see therapy sessions having a positive effect through the book.

On the whole, recommended for anyone looking for cozy school fantasy with witty writing and a dash of reality mirrored in it.

She’d read her share of fantasy novels. Like most kids, she’d pictured herself in the role of the Chosen One plenty of times. She hadn’t given much thought to what it might be like to realize your kid wasn’t the Chosen One. Worse, was the Unchosen One, the bad guy in the prophecy.

Thanks to NetGalley and Titan publishers for the advanced reader copy, all opinions are honest.

🌟🌟🌟1/2🌟
[3/4 star for the premise and the whole book; 3/4 star for the characters; Half a star for the world-building; 3/4 star for the story and themes; 3/4 star for the writing - 3 1/2 stars in total.]

View all my reviews

A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett: Book Review

 

A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“Because you are a reasonably smart boy. I suspect you shall come to realize what many Iudexii eventually learn— that though the Legion defends our Empire, it falls to us to keep an Empire worth defending.”

Fiction is underestimated by many, but good fiction, even with elements of science fiction and fantasy can be thought provoking - and sometimes, or many times it is with people or situations in very different worlds that we can find things in common and patterns (yes, seeing patterns is a reference to this book) in the overarching themes. A Drop Of Corruption is primarily a mystery in the vein of Holmes and Watson, but at its heart a commentary on autocracies and the need for functional police systems. Ana and Din travel to another city that is in the midst of treaty negotiations with the Empire to solve yet another seemingly impossible murder and soon find that the reasons behind the murder are layered with the political systems and covert operations there.

The book fulfills its premise with a scintillating mystery that keeps the reader involved, with several seemingly impossible situations showcasing Ana's prowess and Din's capabilities. The intricate plot has many players, with political intrigue, bureaucratic procedures as well as cultural clashes, all while dealing with a Moriarty-esque antagonist. The writing is measured with fair mention of various clues that turn out to be relevant later and it is a joy to be able to deduce a few of the solutions/ character revelations ahead of the confirmation in the book!

But more than this, the book also prompts questions on governing systems, the importance of policing checks in any bereaucracy or city, country or empire and the dangers of autocratic management, even if not quite Moriarty-esque. This is beautifully reflected in Din's own thoughts, problems, arguments and career considerations. It was interesting to see Ana mentor Din in her own way, but what was really satisfactory was that they trust each other more now than when they started working together. The secondary characters are given due weight, but Ana and Din's character sketches and growth take the prime consideration.

And to note finally, the world-building! Robert Jackson Bennett reveals more questions than answers in this book (a bit more than the first). But the empire foundation, the various organisations, the magic (or bio-chemical) system, the cultures all take a backseat next to the elephant (or the leviathan, if you will) in the room! The world-building is still focused on the empire, the people and their advances with the bio-chemical manipulations of leviathan matter and though we see more exotic uses of these, the book reveals quite little of the leviathans themselves and their origins. But this curiosity and the hints of Ana's origin story are keeping me hooked for the next book in the series. A minor quibble with the writing is RJB's use of a few Indian languages to pepper phrases through the book in the non-empire language, and my word associations weren't quite the associations this world used it for, which was jarring.

Recommended for anyone who enjoys Holmes and Watson mysteries and fantasy mysteries with good world-building. Looking forward to more in this series!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing group for an advanced copy of this book, all opinions are my own.

🌟🌟🌟🌟3/4🌟
[One star for the premise and the whole book; One star for the characters and their arcs; 3/4 star for the writing; One star for the world-building, One star for the plot and themes - 4 3/4 in total, rounded up to 5 stars.]

“This work can never satisfy, Din, for it can never finish. The dead cannot be restored. Vice and bribery will never be totally banished from the cantons. And the drop of corruption that lies within every society shall always persist. The duty of the Iudex is not to boldly vanquish it but to manage it. We keep the stain from spreading, yes, but it is never gone. Yet this job is perhaps the most important in all the Iyalets, for without it, well … The Empire would come to look much like Yarrow, where the powerful and the cruel prevail without check. And tell me—does that realm look capable of fighting off a leviathan?”

View all my reviews

Mirrored Heavens by Rebecca Roanhorse: Book Review

 

Mirrored Heavens by Rebecca Roanhorse
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The war on earth may have yet to start as the gods claimed their vessels and set their stakes, but the war in heaven had already begun.
For what was earth but a mirror of heaven?
And what was she but a thing caught in between?

Mirrored Heavens, the final instalment of the epic Between Earth and Sky series, sees Serapio try to fulfil his destiny but still keep a piece of his heart to himself, Naranpa learn to walk the dreamland and deal with the threat there, and Xiala try to help save her people before finding Serapio. The series has a lot of the building blocks of epic fantasy like intricate world-building, a powerful magic system, conflicted characters, politics and character driven plot.

The immersive world-building based on Pre-Columbian American civilization is the strong foundation for this series and kept me going until the end. There is a lot to praise in the diverse cultural roots of the Meridian and the different backgrounds that the lead characters come from, even including a past storyline with Serapio's mother. Roanhorse's writing easily balances the character arcs with the plot and even goes beyond with snippets from songs and in-world books as epigraphs.

However, all these building blocks don't seamlessly come together for me as I found I couldn't relate to the characters and some of the decisions they make through this series (mostly in the third and second books). All the characters go through a lot and see quite a bit of growth, but disliking some of their actions and decisions deterred me from being invested in their arcs. The romance subplots I could understand, the 'do anything for undying love' plotlines felt forced, especially in the given timeframes. The plot is mostly character driven - which I appreciate more than just reactions to events, but there seemed to be too much simply acting towards perceived destinies for my taste.

On the whole, I would recommend the series for anyone interested in epic fantasy with diverse cultural roots, and would personally keep an eye out for more of the author's work!

Thanks to NetGalley and Saga Press publishers for an advanced copy of the book, all opinions are my own.

🌟🌟🌟1/4
[3/4 star for the premise and the whole book; Half a star for the characters; One star for the world-building; Half a star for the story and themes; Half a star for the writing - 3 1/4 stars in total, rounded down to an integer 3 stars.]

View all my reviews

Wheel of the Infinite: Book Review

 

Wheel of the Infinite by Martha Wells
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Maybe I am too old for this, she thought. Too old for war, too mean-tempered for peace.

Martha Wells' Wheel of the Infinite features a competent returned-from-exile middle-aged female protagonist which we don't have enough of in the genre. Asked to return to the capital when traditional rites linked to the world's magic system get buggy, the no-nonsense Maskelle travels to her city and immediately takes charge of the investigation, picking up a bodyguard along the way.

The next few days see a lot of action to solve the mystery before a strict deadline, with ever increasing stakes. The plot is compelling and the book is first and foremost action driven. While the characters are sketched out well and we see their dominant traits come to the fore, the short timeline of the book doesn't leave much space for growth or introspection. Given the strong character growth in the author's later work Murderbot, this was a bit less than what I expected going in. However, the action driven plot, actions which are still somewhat representative of the characters more than make up for it.

I liked the world-building done over the course of the story, giving out only what is required for the plot to the point where it's almost not enough. The magic system is interesting with unique flaws that were of course exploited, and I would have appreciated a bit more depth to the world-building. But more than everything else, I thoroughly enjoyed the author's wry humour and her writing manages to strike a balance with all elements in the book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for an ARC of the 2024 updated edition of this book, the review is entirely honest.

🌟🌟🌟3/4
[3/4 star for the premise and the whole book; One star for the story and themes; 3/4 star for the writing; 3/4 star for the world-building; Half a star for the characters - 3 3/4 stars in total, rounded up to 4 stars.]

View all my reviews

Upon a Starlit Tide: Book Review

 

Upon a Starlit Tide by Kell Woods
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Tears and salt. Sorrow and sea. There is magic in such meetings.

Stories are rarely simple, including 'once upon a time' fairy tales that can evolve with every retelling. And even stories that might seem like a retelling of the Little Mermaid because of the oceanic elements can include themes from other stories like Cinderella on a closer inspection. This is the story of Lucinde, a young woman who can leave her adopted parents' mansion only with difficulty but still hears the call of the sea and dreams of exploring shores far away. But what made Upon A Starlit Tide truly delightful to read was Kell Woods' added modulation to the age old themes from the fairy tales.

Luce's relationships with her two adopted sisters has overtones of Cinderella's relationships with her stepsisters, but it is refreshing to see them grow and be more mature as the book progresses. There are also no simple one-dimensional wicked sea witches and fairy godmothers in this story, the good and the bad are nuanced and Lucinde has to learn whom to trust. The world-building is wonderful, with layers of historical fantasy, war efforts and mystic fae magic developed with each other, and Woods' writing lends itself well to each aspect drawing the reader in slowly. I was invested in the book as a whole until the end, where the protagonists seemed off in what they tried to do before it ended as I expected anyway. But I'd recommend the book to everyone nostalgic about fairy tales and like more depth to them.

Thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio and Tor Publishers for an ARC of this book, the review is entirely honest.

🌟🌟🌟🌟1/2
[3/4 star for the premise and the whole book; One star for the characters; One star for the world-building; 3/4 star for the writing; One star for the story and themes - 4 1/2 stars in total, rounded up to 5 stars.]

View all my reviews

Blood Over Bright Haven: Book Review

 

Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Truth over delusion. Growth over comfort. God over all.

M.L. Wang depicts an unflinching representation of colonialism with her magic system in Blood Over Bright Haven. Her stark world-building provides a look at not only conservative sexism through Sciona's eyes as she becomes the first ever female Highmage in the Magistry, but also at racism through Thomil's POV who migrated to this so-called 'Bright Haven' Tiran when his tribe could no longer survive in the outer cold world.

The characters are undeniably rich - Sciona can be applauded for striving to carve a path for women through the sexism; she can be criticized for failing to appreciate the working women around her just because they weren't academic; and she can be hated for her implicit racism against the janitor-turned-assistant Thomil; but she has to be given credit for learning to respect their opinions and agree with their arguments as she grows through the book. Thomil likewise is intricately sketched as he tries to balance preserving aspects of his tribe with himself and his niece while surviving in a city that considers them subhuman.

The book on the whole packs a lot in its relative size and the immersive writing coupled with a grand plot prompts digesting it in slow bursts, especially when the plot goes in a direction you don't want it to, but can't fault given the circumstances. It is recommended as a thought provoking fantasy read, and given the author's insight into the human ego as well as emotions, I'll keep an eye out for her future work!

I will not turn my gaze, though Light burn me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Random House publishing group - Ballantine/ Del Ray for an advanced copy of this book, the review is entirely honest.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
[One star for the premise and the whole book; One star for the characters; One star for the world-building; 3/4 star for the story arc and plot; 3/4 star for the writing - 4 1/2 stars in total, rounded up to Five stars.]

View all my reviews

Wizard of Most Wicked Ways: Book Review

 

Wizard of Most Wicked Ways by Charlie N. Holmberg
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Age was a peculiar concept for Owein Mansel. He’d been born in 1624, and been spiritually conscious ever since, which technically made him 227 years old. However, the majority of that time had been spent embodied in a house on an island off the coast of Rhode Island, and houses were, by definition, not living. Of those 227 years, only sixteen had been spent as a human, so one might argue sixteen as his age. However, the body he now occupied—which had previously belonged to a boy named Oliver Whittock— was physically eighteen, as of five months ago. And so, when anyone asked after Owein’s age, he usually said that: eighteen.

Wizard of most wicked ways could be described as Silas' book in the Whimbrel House series, given the title and how much we see of his POV. It could also be described as Owein's coming of age book, as he transitions through adolescence and the existential crises peculiar to his situation, as adolescents are wont to do. But the one adjective I cannot get past is that it is superfluous to the series - as semi-spoiler, at the end of the book we find the characters and their situation to be more or less similar to what they were at the end of the previous book. 

All the characters remain well-sketched, as they have been since the beginning of the series, and it was fun to see the families again. There is also some good world-building in this book, particularly the scientific research into magic. However, this doesn't outweigh the meager story arc and the time worn love triangle. This book is recommended for anyone with nostalgia for this series, but there are no great revelations in it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers 47North for an advanced copy of this book, all opinions are my own and entirely honest.

🌟🌟
[1/4 star for the premise and the whole book; Half a star for the world-building; Half a star for the characters; Half a star for the writing; 1/4 star for the story arc- Two stars in total.]

View all my reviews

One Way Witch: Book Review

 

One Way Witch by Nnedi Okorafor
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I walked into the desert, in the opposite direction my daughter would soon walk and never return from. I wasn't afraid to be alone. Onyesonwu held me to this world. Without her, I was nothing. I clung to the weight of her. If only to be there for her if she somehow needed me. And so I walked into the desert to unlock something I'd put away long ago.

One Way Witch shows Najeeba's perspective of the time immediately before and after her daughter's remaking of the world, which story is told in Who Fears Death. This book acts as a bridge for Najeeba from these events to the role she knows she has to play in the future of the new world.

Though Nnedi Okorafor's writing is as evocative as ever of the pain and anguish experienced by the protagonists, this book is essentially some time off for Najeeba as she studies magic and processes her feelings to move on - and the slow story arc reflects this break. Her character arc remains strong as she actively journeys to where she wants to be in her life.

The book on the whole is still recommended for anyone who wants to follow the series and keep tabs on the world-building. The strengths of the book, and the series, are definitely the writing and the character arcs.

Thanks to NetGalley, Nnedi Okorafor and the publishers DAW for the advanced copy of this book for an honest review.

🌟🌟🌟
[3/4 stars for the premise and the whole book; Half a star for the writing; Half a star for the world-building; Half a star for the story arc; 3/4 stars for the characters - Three stars in total].

View all my reviews

The City In Glass: Book Review

 

The City in Glass by Nghi Vo
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

From the topmost tower of the observatory to the floating docks on the beach, the city of Azril lit up with paper lanterns, with candles, with girls throwing flaming knives and boys in firefly crowns, with passion, with desire, with hatred, and with delight.

This first sentence is representative of the whole book The City in Glass - beautiful writing, extensive imagery and little story. The book follows Vitrine, the demon of Azril, as she guides the rebuilding of the city she loves and her relationship with the angel who caused its destruction.

I enjoyed the flowing lyrical language, but the book seemed too hollow - indeed, like Vitrine's glass cabinet - and I soon found myself impatient for the book to conclude. The premise of forming a city around Vitrine's ideas did keep me invested to finish the book however.

The characterization of the demon and the angel, along with several secondary characters were done well, even if they rarely did something truly interesting. This combined with the lackluster world-building and slow story arc leaves me to think of the book as vignettes of a few people.

As he dug, Vitrine watched with interest as the angel’s shoulders shook. She wondered if his kind, so set on how perfect they were allowed to make the world, could cry, and if so, what emotion might move him to it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers Tor and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
The audiobook narrated by Susan Dalian was performed very well and suits the tone of the writing.

🌟🌟
[Half a star for the premise and the whole book; 3/4 star for the writing; Half a star for the characters; 1/4 star for the world-building; Zero stars for the story - Two stars in total.]

View all my reviews

Le Fay by Sophie Keetch: Book Review

 

Le Fay by Sophie Keetch
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

And they should fear me, the power I possessed, and the bright, ravenous rage that now fuelled my every breath. From that moment onwards, even I did not know what I was capable of.

Sophie Keetch's Le Fay tracks Morgan's journey from her ambiguous morality to in the first book Morgan Is My Name to... still ambiguous morality, even with the incredible premise, through all her losses suffered, despite the number of times she threatens to burn everything, and against all the potential antagonists.

Like the first book, there are some good secondary characters, but all the antagonists are one-dimensional men... the King of Gore returns of course, but even Merlin is portrayed as weirdly one-dimensional, and it takes some imagination to fit a potentially jealous credit-stealing male academic mentor like Merlin to a brilliant student like Morgan into the lecherous misogynist trope.

This book could have explored more of Morgan's relationship with Arthur and Guinevere, and how it devolves, but all we hear is the number of times Morgan says Arthur was her dear brother and she his trusted advisor. It would have been great to actually see Morgan help Arthur with any of the various aspects of running a kingdom, but we only see her help plan a tournament at the beginning of the book while trying to avoid Guinevere. Accolon's return starts off childish squabbles between them, which might have evolved into a mature relationship, but given the many number of times we hear that, it gives the exact opposite impression. And finally, we really should have seen Morgan explore her magic and study healing to the fullest extent here, but this is overridden by trying to blame Merlin for introducing dark magic to Morgan. Morgan le Fay's magic should have been the one thing that was completely hers!

In short, could have, would have, might have, should have is my review.

And all of this in Keetch's writing style, which I enjoyed in the first book, but was just too descriptive in this book.

To hear him tell it so plaintively was to feel it as the truth—Arthur’s truth, different from mine but no less lived and felt. I gazed across at this man, this King, my brother, his eyes shining silver with grief. His argument was convincing and logical, and blisteringly, devastatingly wrong.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada publishing group for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

🌟🌟🌟
[3/4 star for the premise; Half a star for the characters; Half a star for the story arc; 1/4 star for the writing; 3/4 star for the world-building- 2 3/4 stars in total, rounded up to 3 stars.]


View all my reviews

All Systems Red by Martha Wells: Book Review

All Systems Red by Martha Wells
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It's wrong to think of a construct as half-bot half-human. It makes us sound like the halves are discrete, like the bot half should want to obey orders and do its job and the human half should want to protect itself and get the hell out of here.
As opposed to the reality, which was that I was one whole confused entity, with no idea what I wanted to do, what I should do, what I needed to do.

Martha Wells has done an amazing job with making the construct Murderbot, as they call themselves in The Murderbot Diaries, completely empathizable! And this is coming from someone who doesn't like the robots-take-over-world trope. But Murderbot, doesn't care about the world, and does their job half heartedly, while devoting most of their free processing time to entertainment. Being a construct doesn't mean they are devoid of feelings or emotions however, and complex ones like social anxiety too. Working security with a team of scientists who don't just leave it alone gives space for a lot of character development.

It's tough to do inner monologues well, but it's great when done well and I really enjoyed Wells' writing. The book is a short novella with them escaping danger as the base plot, and more page space was devoted to characterization than world-building. But I didn't mind that, as the story could have been happening on any outer planet common in Sci-Fi. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series!

🌟🌟🌟🌟

[3/4 star for the premise and the whole book; One star for the characterization; Half a star for the world-building; 3/4 star for the story; One star for the writing - Four stars in total.]

View all my reviews

What Feasts At Night by T. Kingfisher: Book Review

What Feasts at Night by T. Kingfisher
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If this was a fairy tale, it was the kind where everyone gets eaten as a cautionary tale about straying into the woods, not the sentimental kind that ends with a wedding and the words, “And if they have not since died, they are living there still.”

What Feasts At Night by T. Kingfisher is the second book in the Sworn Soldier series, in which Alex Easton returns to their hunting lodge to find the caretaker dead, learns about the local superstition regarding ghosts appearing in dreams, confronts their belief/ non-belief in the supernatural and chooses to do everything they can to protect their friends.

Kingfisher's terrific world-building continues in this second book, this time leaning more on the supernatural. The characters retain their deadpan humour however and their interactions are still fun to read!

The story is fast paced, showing how belief in the supernatural is viewed by different characters. The writing weaves superstition, dreams, hallucinations and internal battles brilliantly, emphasizing survival instinct and acceptance of the battle to win.

It can’t have worked, I thought. You can’t really kill someone in a dream. This isn’t just a dream, though. It’s the war.

🌟🌟🌟🌟

[One star for the premise and the whole book; Half a star for the characters; Half a star for the story; One star for the writing; 3/4 star for the world-building - 3 3/4 stars in total, rounded up to 4 stars.]

View all my reviews

What Moves The Dead by T. Kingfisher: Book Review

What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I looked across the tarn to the house and sighed myself.
It was not a promising sight. It was an old gloomy manor house in the old gloomy style, a stone monstrosity that the richest man in Europe would be hard-pressed to keep up. One wing had collapsed into a pile of stone and jutting rafters. Madeline lived there with her twin brother, Roderick Usher, who was nothing like the richest man in Europe.

What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher is a slightly creepy retelling of the Gothic Poe original The Fall of the House of Usher, in which we see the protagonist Alex Easton visit their friends Madeline and Roderick Usher, get introduced to mycology, identify the cause of some strange behaviour in the wildlife there and help the Ushers in dealing with it.

The retelling seems to be more or less faithful to the original story and characters, though we see Kingfisher's characterization skills in the sworn soldier Alex, their valet Angus, the very British mycologist Miss Potter and the American Doctor Denton. This retelling is supported by some terrific world-building - not at all supernatural, but still alien enough to be horrifying - in explaining the Fall, literally and figuratively.

The dead don’t walk. The dead don’t walk. If they did, then … then … I don’t know what. Something dreadful.

The tone of the writing is horror with a healthy (or unhealthy) amount of creepy. Kingfisher still manages to infuse the writing with her deadpan humor, which I enjoyed. The most deadpan character would be Alex's world-weary horse Hob, with the valet Angus being a close second, and Alex's relationship with both is a comfort.

🌟🌟🌟

[Half a star for the premise and the whole book; 3/4 star for the characters; Half a star for the story arc; Half a star for the writing; 3/4 star for the world-building - 3 stars in total.]

I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons by Peter S Beagle: Book Review

 

I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons by Peter S. Beagle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The warning came in the form of a great wind, sudden and cold, sweeping the western mountains on a perfectly bland and cloudless summer day.

I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons is the story of people coming together to face this challenge, but more than that, it's the story of these teenagers realizing that they are not who their roles force them to be, and trying to figure out who they are in the face of this danger, what they need and what they want.

Peter S. Beagle's writing is straightforward, though quite descriptive and I think the book is accessible to pre-teens and early teens also. The world-building is more focused on the dragons than on their kingdoms, which I didn't mind.

It is the character development and their individual arcs which really carried the book for me, and the story is very much character driven. I enjoyed seeing Princess Cerise's arc, ostensibly interviewing princes but teaching herself to read, sword fight and even spitball in secret! Prince Reginald also turns out to be a solid character, who doesn't want to be a hero but finds himself to be quite heroic if the situation demands it. Robert's arc from an inherited job of dragon exterminator to not is particularly engaging!

The dragon's gaze held him in a grip far more powerful than that of the wizard, and once again he cried out - or thought he did, "Who am I? What do you want of me?" 

Thanks to NetGalley and Saga Press publishers for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

🌟🌟🌟🌟
The rating for this book is 3 1/2 stars rounded up to 4 stars as the book and the whole delivers a good read.

[Half a star for the premise and the whole book; One star for the characters; One star for the story; Half a star for the writing; Half a star for the world-building and description - 3 1/2 stars in total].

The Witchwood Knot by Olivia Atwater: Book Review

 

The Witchwood Knot by Olivia Atwater
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The hundred eyes of Witchwood Manor loomed above, grinning through torrential rain.

The Witchwood Knot by Olivia Atwater is a dark faerie tale with a Gothic ambience - wherein Winifred Hall untangles the dark menace behind Witchwood Manor, finds out information regarding the mysterious disappearance of her once-protector and rescues the kidnapped young heir to the Manor, all while conquering her inner demons and befriending the hostile faerie butler.

Winifred is a strong and clever lead character, bringing iron knives in her chateleine and lies with her governess guise to deal with whatever is tormenting Witchwood Manor. She is beset by both human and faerie menaces during the course of the fast-paced story and her character growth in dealing with them is doubly remarkable.

Though this book can be read as a standalone, the stakes grow higher as the story progresses and I'm looking forward to the next books in this series (Victorian Faerie Tales). I'm also intrigued enough by the layered world-building and several tidbits in the storyline to read the other books in this world (Regency Faerie Tales). Atwood's writing with the Gothic vibes complete the package!

Thanks to NetGalley, Starwatch Press publishers and Olivia Atwater for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

🌟🌟🌟🌟

The rating for this book is 3 1/2 stars, rounded up to 4 stars for Goodreads and NetGalley as I'm interested in this series.

[Half a star for the premise and the whole book; Half a star for the story arc; One star for the characters; Half a star for the writing; Half a star for the world-building and description - 3 1/2 stars in total].

A Study In Drowning by Ava Reid: Book Review

 

A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It began as all things did: a girl on the shore, terrified and desirous.

A Study In Drowning is a portrayal of a young girl's life and struggles with myth, misogyny and mental health in a combination of dark academia and dark faerie tale.

Ava Reid's lyrical prose provides a strong foundation to the novel and easily draws one into Effy's story. Though set in a time in the last century when girls were not even allowed to enroll in particular college courses, her struggles with misogyny were relatable as some of the instances and the writing just ring true.

The writing, hand in hand with the story sets the dark faerie tone of the novel and the inclusion of Angharad, the story within the story and Effy's well-used book, adds to the whole tone. Angharad provides the only functional bridge to understanding for Effy between her world and the world that she sees but everyone else dismisses.

This is overlaid with a mystery in a Gothic mansion and the world-building on the whole supports the story. Effy's character development as an unreliable narrator as the story progresses is interesting.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

🌟🌟🌟🌟
[One star for the premise and the whole book; One star for the characters; One star for the writing; Half a star for the story; Half a star for the world-building - Four stars in total.]

Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett: Book Review

Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I glared. I’m afraid I have not gotten over my resentment of him for saving me from the snow king’s court in Ljosland earlier this year, and have made a solemn vow to myself that I shall be the one to rescue him from whatever faerie trouble we next find ourselves in. Yes, I realize this is illogical, given that it requires Wendell to end up in some dire circumstance, which would ideally best be avoided, but there it is. I’m quite determined.

Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands journals Emily's activities as she searches for a door back to Wendell's faerie kingdom while dodging assassins sent by his enemy, following the trail of long lost scholars, bonding with her niece and saving Wendell.

The Emily Wilde series has a lot of components I like such as women in academia, researching magic systems and mysterious faerie worlds, but overall does not work for me. The characters seem flat to me, mostly because all the character development and important revelations happen off-page - as I noted while reading Book 1 Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries too. I couldn't relate to the characters - which is surprising as I would usually understand needing to be bribed with a book to attend a work party!

The plot rambled a little, suffering from the middle book syndrome. Or maybe that was just the dazed journal entries writing style - we get neither a clear third person narration of events as they unfold nor a reasoned documentation of relevant facts and important events written with hindsight. This detracts from my reading experience and I couldn't get invested in the story. Character relationships too are mostly glazed over - I would have liked to see more of Emily mentoring Ariadne (who could have been any assistant, her being Emily's niece was too much of a coincidence) and more of Emily's growing relationship with Wendell. What we actually see is too little for any private diary and too much to be included in a scientific journal.

The world-building, is interesting, but less detailed than I could have wished. I generally prefer magic systems that follow rules and complex worlds to stories that rely on random spells and artifacts acquired coincidentally. They also keep noting interesting tidbits suggesting they still don't understand much of the faerie worlds - to be expected - but don't seem to get around to researching any of them.

Overall, I might recommend this to people who like light academia as a quick read, but I don't think I'll be re-reading this series.

🌟🌟

[Half a star for the premise and whole book; 1/4 star for the characters; Half a star for the story; Half a star for the writing; 1/4 star for the world-building - Two stars in total.]

Emily Wilde #1: My Review of Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries