A solid read with cool Mesoamerican mythology and Jazz Age setting.
Casiopea Tun, a normal country girl from a small village in the Yucatán Peninsu4/5
A solid read with cool Mesoamerican mythology and Jazz Age setting.
Casiopea Tun, a normal country girl from a small village in the Yucatán Peninsula, got caught in her grandfather's secret which involved a messy divine entanglement. She quickly found herself accompanying a Mayan God of Death, Hun-Kamé, in his quest to gather his stolen body parts and reclaim the throne of Mayan underworld Xibalba from his treacherous brother, Vucub-Kamé.
While Gods of Jade and Shadow features adult swears and mature language in general, it still has the typical YA quest story beats; in which a plucky country girl travelled with a powerful/magical man in a series of fetch quests similar to some Greek legends. Eventually, romance budded between the unlikely couple.
I think I had wanted a bit more strangeness and Mayan/Indigenous Mexican lore with less Eurocentrism and Americentrism before reading this book. It also doesn't help that Casiopea herself was named after Cassiopeia, the Greek constellation and mythical queen. The setting also eventually shifted to the United States.
Despite my complaints, Gods of Jade and Shadow did shed the typical storytelling structure in favour of a gutsy ending. It was still a rushed ending for my tastes, but it also nicely captured the themes of (view spoiler)[maturing up and living a well-lived life. (hide spoiler)]...more
This is one of those timeless books that you'll eagerly read to your future children. After a mix up regarding her adoption, Matthew an4.3/5
Wholesome.
This is one of those timeless books that you'll eagerly read to your future children. After a mix up regarding her adoption, Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert of Green Gables accepted Anne (spelled with an E) Shirley a.k.a. Cordelia into their small family. With a vivid imagination, a temper as fiery as her hair, a penchant for using big words, and talent to get in scrapes every month or so, Anne quickly found her way into the hearts of Avonlea on Prince Edward Island in Canada.
The book then told the exploits of Anne's life in the picturesque Avonlea. Anne was a perfect protagonist in the sense that she was both flawed and likeable, and her growth throughout the years was truly inspiring. The wry, humourous exchanges between Anne and Marilla also kept me amused and laughing throughout the book, not to mention the variation of troubles Anne got herself into. While nearing the end of the book Anne's achievements got too smooth and saccharine to be true, it got tempered nicely with a curveball thrown by Montgomery, where it turned into a meditation of coping and moving on with life.
At the end of the day Anne of Green Gables is a book about living the fullest life and the importance of cultivating imagination....more
This review is a part of TBRindr initiated by Weatherwax Report. I received a copy of this book in exchange to an honest review.
Super mixed feeli3.9/5
This review is a part of TBRindr initiated by Weatherwax Report. I received a copy of this book in exchange to an honest review.
Super mixed feelings about this. In its core, The Yoga of Strength follows the story of Andrew Cardiff, a Squire and a wastrel who undergoes spiritual and magical encounters to be a Knight and a better person. Growing up bullied and despised by his father, his brother, and his peer, Andrew must shake off the chips on his shoulders to survive, and possibly save the kingdom from sinister conspiracies.
Of Lust and Love In overall, I quite enjoyed the story and the prose (which for some readers might be too purple). I also particularly dig the hermeneutic and yogic themes on Self, Love, Unity, and Separation. Rowe described Bhagavad Gita as one of the major inspirations/elements in this book and I can see where he's coming from. There are resemblances to how Krishna teaches and guides Arjuna in the eve of Bharatayuddha; a spiritual guidance to build conviction, to love others, and to be a better person.
On other hand, this book is not without issues. Its handling of female characters is problematic at times. Almost all female characters are seen as objects of lust and desire by the protagonist, including a major villain. The first 2/3 of the books is also weirdly fixated on prostitution and arousals in loin whenever women are in proximity. In general I don't have problems with sexual content, but when the female body parts and sexual elements are constantly referenced, it feels gratuitous and distracting.
The only exceptions to the sexual fixations are the protagonist's mother and a goddess, but even the lines get blurred sometimes with the protagonist's mother issues, as he seeks his mother's qualities in women. Even further, 'motherly coddling' is seen as a detriment that hinders the protagonist from his growth.
The handling of homosexuality is also troublesome. When a character discovers about his sexuality thanks to coercion/rape, the protagonist suggests him to 'learn about love' from it. While there are later discussions and attempts to clarify that sexuality shouldn't be used as a measure for sin or even quality of an individual, the depiction of sexual coercion and homosexuality is still awkward to say the least.
Eclectic Worldbuilding and Personal Growth In terms of worldbuilding, I can see that Rowe put a lot of effort and thoughts in crafting the world of Clovir. However, the constant references to real world mythology (e.g. Christ-man, Buddha-man, Odin's day, Kronos, Athena, Ouroboros, etc), technology (backpedal, electricity, barometer), and jargons (persona non grata, que sera sera) always broke my immersion. Although by the end of the book I could see how the real world references (particularly cross-cultural mythology) support the ideas of Yoga, Unity, and Separation, personally I would still prefer if Rowe had built his own mythology and pantheon, since he clearly is competent in doing so.
For instance, if you know me, I am not the biggest fan of faux-Medieval setting with Knights and Kings, but Rowe managed to make it work with his prose and interesting tidbits of lore and history. Like how he built Atika as a mixture of South America and South Asia with jaguars and Vanara (monkey people/tribe from Ramayana) abound. And as I mentioned above, thanks to his stylish prose and intriguing plot, I was never once bored when reading this. This book has that page-flipping factor that keeps you going for more.
There are rough patches here and there, however, in regards to Andrew's growth as a character. There are major interferences from external elements, and as a result, some growths feel undeserved. Early chapters also can be hard to read, since Andrew is petulant and whiny on that stage, ridden with a lot of mental issues. This part may turn some readers off, but I suppose I was in the right mental state and headspace when I was reading this. I have been in similar rough spot like Andrew, and I could understand the guilt and shame that tortures him.
The depiction of his mercurial relationship and opinion toward his father and brother also can be a bit too extreme to be believable, since he breaks to tears of hatred in one scene, but he thinks how he loves them in the next couple of paragraphs. I guess this is Rowe's attempt to depict complex love-hate relationships from an unreliable narrator's POV, but at some parts the extremity makes it immersion-breaking.
Despite those rough patches, the overall character growth is quite compelling in the hindsight. The changes in Andrew's character are gradual enough to be believable. He reflects a lot on his own journey, and by the end of the book you can see that he is confronting people and problems from his past, growing to be a better person in the process. I like that some issues are not totally resolved, but still properly addressed and acknowledged, especially since there will be two more books to come.
Conclusion Despite its problematic issues, The Yoga of Strength is still an eclectic and compelling read about personal growth and spirituality. With several more rounds of edit and sensitivity reading, this could have been a 4.5 stars material for me.
Go give it a try if you like Medieval Knights and Kingdoms with healthy dose of mysticism and spirituality....more
This Is How You Lose the Time War is a short yet delightful read about love letters.
Imagine this: [image]
...but with blue and red colour codes, r4.75/5
This Is How You Lose the Time War is a short yet delightful read about love letters.
Imagine this: [image]
...but with blue and red colour codes, representing Blue (of the biopunk Garden) and Red (of cyberpunk Agency). The two individuals have been fighting and deploying subterfuges throughout different strands of parallel universe, tweaking the courses of events to each organisation's plan while exchanging cheeky letters to brag each's achievements. As more correspondences are exchanged, the letters grow more honest and more intimate, revealing each sender's insecurities and invulnerability. The methods of delivery also grow more elaborate (at some point they involve tea leaves and tree rings) as each of them tries to impress and court her counterpart.
This book is definitely a genre bender, blending sci-fi, fantasy, romance, new weird, and literary fiction into an intimate and precious dialogue between opposing rivals. I could easily imagine Max Gladstone and Amal El-Mohtar having a blast while writing this book, unleashing each's arsenal of historical trivia and turns of phrases (naturally, since Red and Blue blends into Purple prose). Added with crazy science fantasy elements and jumps between settings, this book reads a bit like an anthology of short stories in some ways. Obviously these factors result in a quite niche and acquired taste, but for people who dig those elements, it's a rewarding read.
In meta level, the dialogue between Red and Blue can also be read as the dialogue between Gladstone and El-Mohtar. Both author prove to possess strong authorial voice that reflects the mindscape of the characters. Red (Gladstone's) sections are more mercurial and imaginative, featuring crazy worlds and forceful changes. Blue (El-Mohtar's) sections are more quiet and thoughtful, featuring introspective reflection and grounded meditations.
Conclusion This Is How You Lose the Time War is a delightful and intimate genre bender about love letters. While the jumpy settings, crazy science fantasy elements, and purple prose may turn some readers off; it can be an extremely rewarding read for those who dig aforementioned elements....more
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