This book was okay. I appreciated that the two main characters are queer because they just are. The beginning commentary on mind-numbing work at a bigThis book was okay. I appreciated that the two main characters are queer because they just are. The beginning commentary on mind-numbing work at a big box store and the way management can take line workers for granted was sharp, then the plot got a bit nonsensical but not in a good Alice way (at least not for me). The book is blessedly short. Book discussion later this week.
Merged review:
This book was okay. I appreciated that the two main characters are queer because they just are. The beginning commentary on mind-numbing work at a big box store and the way management can take line workers for granted was sharp, then the plot got a bit nonsensical but not in a good Alice way (at least not for me). The book is blessedly short. Book discussion later this week....more
I let this steampunk alternate history New Orleans novella just wash over me, relishing the details and not worrying about anything I didn't understanI let this steampunk alternate history New Orleans novella just wash over me, relishing the details and not worrying about anything I didn't understand. The world building, characters, and story are a ton of fun. Plenty of room for sequels - and a full book.
Merged review:
I let this steampunk alternate history New Orleans novella just wash over me, relishing the details and not worrying about anything I didn't understand. The world building, characters, and story are a ton of fun. Plenty of room for sequels - and a full book....more
Did I decide to read this because of the title? Yes, yes I did.
Imagine you are reading a novelization of an episode of Friends. Then imagine that it’sDid I decide to read this because of the title? Yes, yes I did.
Imagine you are reading a novelization of an episode of Friends. Then imagine that it’s not Friends, but a show like Friends. Only in this version, the friends are a witch, a wizard, a demon-spawn, a werewolf, a vampire, and a dragon. And they are each adorable in their own ways, and the focus is on their friendship and not their paranormal lives
The main character in this entry in the series is an adorkable witch who is terrible at casting spells and accidentally makes a pigeon her animal familiar. Everyone has paranormal problems and romantic interests and some of them are roommates or live near each other, but no worries. Everything is going to come out okay. If you are looking for a book you can read the same way you watch Friends in the background while you are doing something else, this may be a series for you.
I really enjoyed the author’s debut novel The Wishing Game, but The Lost Story didn’t work for me.
Two teenage boys, best frRounded up from 2.5 stars.
I really enjoyed the author’s debut novel The Wishing Game, but The Lost Story didn’t work for me.
Two teenage boys, best friends, disappear in a forest and reappear months later. One, Rafe, remembers nothing; Jeremy, the other, breaks all ties with Rafe. Fifteen years later, the two boys have no contact. Jeremy has become a finder of lost people, and a young woman seeks his help finding her sister, who disappeared in the same forest years before the boys. Jeremy is willing to look for the sister, but he requires Rafe's help.
The enchanted world that lies beyond the disappearances is based on a child’s imagined fairy tale, but it’s a little TOO “child telling you a long long boring story. ” “And then, and then there were UNICORNS, and Rafe became a PRINCE and Jeremy became a KNIGHT and there was a staircase in a TREE and there were silver tigers and red crows and everything was MAGICAL ….”
If you are going to mold your story around a child’s fairy tale, there has to be something new. Something extra. I didn’t feel like The Lost Story had anything new or extra. It legitimately felt at times like a story a six-year old made up and won't stop talking about.
The story does try to deal with abusive parents and childhood trauma but it mostly just feels like an excuse to aim at adults an ordinary and predictable (I knew who the bad King of Lost Virginia was as soon as he was mentioned) fairy tale for children by throwing in a lot of pop culture references and some wink-nudge comments about Rafe, Jeremy, and the big sexy bed.
The best part was the pet rat, and I enjoyed the West Virginia setting. I will read the author’s next book, but this one was a miss for me. I read an advance reader copy of The Lost Story. ...more
The Condor’s Riddle is a kitchen sink of a novel. A huge cast of zany characters and a plot full of politics, drugs and alcohol, religion, family dynaThe Condor’s Riddle is a kitchen sink of a novel. A huge cast of zany characters and a plot full of politics, drugs and alcohol, religion, family dynamics, a secret treasure, a mysterious dead man, a lost dog, and an archivist.
The main character (if there is one) reminded me of the main character in Being There. In fact, many things from this novel reminded me of many other books and movies, with everything being thrown in a blender for a wild ride. Bebéi is a middle-aged archivist who took a huge risk – he quit his job in France and took a new job in a small village in the Caribbean. He is a dreamer who pays attention to everything around him, and I enjoyed him a lot.
An orphan, he was taught by the uncle who raised him to “work as a submarine – so quietly that no one would notice him, and with such diligence that no one could complain.” (p. 6 of the advance reader copy) And so he did, until he arrived in Santa Clara by the Sea. One day, he is moved to join the school band in a parade through the streets. When the parade stumbles across a dead body and a loyal dog, the whole village becomes involved in solving the mystery. This is very much an It Takes a Village tale. “Poor Bebéi, little did he know what he was getting into.” (p. 27 of the ARC)
Other colorful characters include a drag queen who runs a bookstore, a walking philosopher, the owner of a shaved-ice stand and her three sons (the cop, the Rastafarian, and the petty thief), the mystical blind indigenous child, and too many more to mention.
There were parts of this book that I quite enjoyed, but overall for me as a reader it could have been a little shorter and there could have been a lot less politics. There’s a lot of shenanigans around drugs and money laundering, and drug runners, narcs, and CIA (and other) agents. There are kidnappings and torture. A list of the characters to refer to would be helpful. This could make a great movie in the right hands, tightened up and focused on the most interesting parts.
Love the cover. I was given an advance reader copy of The Condor’s Riddle by the author.
(Note, I read an ebook version but not on a Kindle. The hardcover version on Goodreads has no cover and no page count.)...more
Interesting concept, routine execution. The author probably hoped to recapture the success of Ready Player One, but it's not nearly as good. Ready PlaInteresting concept, routine execution. The author probably hoped to recapture the success of Ready Player One, but it's not nearly as good. Ready Player One had some original twists plus the 80s nostaglia; the characters were interesting and the action scenes had tension. I cared about what was going to happen in Ready Player One. Not so with The Shadow Glass.
This book is as much about a son's guilt over his relationship with his dad as it is about a fantasy world that is "believed" into being. The book was okay, but not exceptional in any way. Lots of predictable cliches.
It was a novelty to have the main character be middle aged instead of teen aged. This book could probably be made into a decent Galaxy Quest-type movie by the right team....more
A delightful little fantasy nugget, with a middle-aged female Jewish protagonist, some interesting companions, a male-male human-dragon couple, magicaA delightful little fantasy nugget, with a middle-aged female Jewish protagonist, some interesting companions, a male-male human-dragon couple, magical adventures, a mysterious realm, and poets. There’s no need for a sequel or companion novel set in the same world, but if there is one I’ll read it....more
I love a good Gothic novel, and this is one of the best I’ve read recently. It opens with a one-page prologue that teases events that are to come. It’I love a good Gothic novel, and this is one of the best I’ve read recently. It opens with a one-page prologue that teases events that are to come. It’s hard to build suspense and mystery in a novel, but the author does a good job here.
Narrator Margaret is a bit annoying as she allows herself to be bullied by another servant, but as we find out as the book goes along, she has Been Through Things, so her fear and timidity are not out of character. She lost hearing in one ear as a young woman, and in Victorian England, for a woman with no family and no money, that physical imperfection is a concern.
The house is beautifully described – I could imagine it quite well inside and out – and overall the atmosphere is a great combination of haunting and ordinary. Of course there is a distrustful village. Of course there is a handsome gardener. Of course there is a closed off wing to the mansion. But I thought the author deployed the stereotypical elements of a Gothic novel very effectively. All in all, The Secrets of Hartwood Hall is just a lot of fun. (And although it is definitely in the tradition of the Victorian Gothic novel, this book believably imparts messages about female strength and empowerment.)
I look forward to future works from author Lumsden. I read an advance reader copy of The Secrets of Hartwood Hall from Netgalley. ...more
I love Martha Wells. It is not an exaggeration to say that her Murderbot Diaries series helped me get through the pandemic with my sanity intact. The I love Martha Wells. It is not an exaggeration to say that her Murderbot Diaries series helped me get through the pandemic with my sanity intact. The Murderbot Diaries is science fiction; Witch King is fantasy. But it is every bit as engrossing, populated with fascinating and fully realized characters. Witch King is a tantalizing glimpse into another world, populated by normal people, demons, witches, and a bunch of characters with confusing titles like Immortal Marshall, Lesser Blessed, expositor, and Hierarchs. So many titles, so many names, so many similar names. This is a fascinating and detailed world, and we are dropped into the middle of a crisis where the main characters don’t even know what’s going on.
The book moves back and forth in time. In the Past thread, aggressors are killing anyone who resists them, including entire cultures. In the Present thread, almost 70 years have passed, and a coalition that defeated the aggressors are trying to find a new normal. Four main characters who are immortal or long-lived appear in both threads.
Did I like the Witch King the first time through? It’s by Martha Wells, so of course I did. However, I also found it a bit frustrating. I found the mixed-up timeline confusing and hard to follow. There are many books where the back and forth works well – Project Hail Mary wouldn’t work without it – but I found it particularly baffling here. Maybe because of the unfamiliar names, places, peoples, titles. There is a helpful list of characters at the front of the book, but I still got confused, especially by Bashat and Bashasa, who are not the same person but are related and carry the same title. It took me a long time to realize that.
When I finished reading Witch King I would have rated it 4 stars, maybe even 3.5. But this is Martha Wells! I can’t have that if I can avoid it! So I immediately reread it. First I read the Past sections in order, then I read the Present chapters in order. I enjoyed the book so much more the second time through and I now give it a solid 5 stars. Maybe just rereading it as written would have had the same effect, but I’m glad I read the timelines in order all the same.
I like the main characters and their relationships, which are deep and need more books to explain more fully. Kai (aka Witch King) is a demon of the underearth, who can step into the bodies of the recently dead and is as close as one gets to being immortal. Still, he is vulnerable to certain techniques.
Wells is clever to call Kai a demon. It sets up certain expectations, expectations that are not met. He actually reminds me a lot of the author’s other big character – SecUnit from the Murderbot series. Kai is a magical being in a fantasy world who wants to help people and, for example, shows concern for a whale enslaved to carry a ship. SecUnit is a being in a science fiction world who is crafted of technology and organic matter and is seen as cargo, property, and a dangerous weapon, when all SecUnit wants it to help people and watch entertainment serials. (Don’t get me wrong – the stories are completely different in most ways. But I think if they met Kai and SecUnit would find they have a lot in common.)
One of the things I like about Martha Wells is that her books are inclusive without being in-your-face-woke. Kai is a male demon who has had both male and female human bodies. In one of the main cultures represented in the book, women wear pants and are the soldiers, and men wear skirts. Two of the four main characters in both timelines are women who are married to each other, and Kai is attracted to men. The fourth main character shows traits we are familiar with – he doesn’t like much physical contact, he doesn’t pick up social cues, his communication is curt and often unhelpful to others – but he is not given a label of any kind. All of this is laid out as a natural part of the narrative and their characters. It’s refreshing compared to some books I have read lately where I imagine the author checking items off a list. (Trans? Lesbian? Gay? On the spectrum? check check check check.)
I do find the title odd, misleading, and inaccurate. Kaiisteron is neither a Witch nor a King. He describes himself as an immortal demon prince. He is called Witch King in legends of what happened in the past (but that almost seems like it is in the story so the book can be called Witch King). If this is not a series, The Rising World seems like a better title. If it is a series, The Rising World series, there still have to be a dozen better titles than Witch King.
Is this a standalone novel? It sure doesn’t seem like it. I hope not. I will read the sequel if one comes along. I read an advance reader copy of Witch King from Netgalley. ...more
I'm so tired of depressing dystopia. We are living it, I need to stop reading about it. (I chose this book for book club so it's my own fault.) The caI'm so tired of depressing dystopia. We are living it, I need to stop reading about it. (I chose this book for book club so it's my own fault.) The causes of the terrible future world in this book are all too close and believable. At least the dog (spoiler) dies of old age.
This book reads very YA.
I weep for the state of publishing, where a traditionally published book can contain a passage like this (p. 82): "Soon Arlo and I would be sixteen, the age that boys had to join Fundamentalist forces or be declared as traitors who would be sent to a work camp, or worse. At sixteen Arlo and I would be of age to join the Fundamentalist forces or be declared as traitors who would be sent to a work camp, or worse."
Harry Potter meets Temeraire in this magical-school-with-dragons series launch.
Anequs lives with her people on a remote island, living a life her peoHarry Potter meets Temeraire in this magical-school-with-dragons series launch.
Anequs lives with her people on a remote island, living a life her people have lived for many generations. They have an uneasy relationship with the Anglish, conquerors who see Anequs and her people as uncivilized barbarians. To have a dragon is a rare thing, and there has been no dragon among her people for many years. She finds a dragon egg, and the hatchling bonds with her. Her brother, who has left the island, tells her, “There’s a ministry for dragons. The Anglish have a ministry for everything. Dragons are supposed to be registered, and dragoneers need to be tested to prove they’re competent, because dragons are dangerous. There’s going to be trouble with the law if you don’t enroll in an academy.” (p. 27 of the advance reader copy)
An Indigenous person with a dragon is not something the Anglish dragoneers approve of, but there are some individuals working to change perceptions of the Indigenous people, and Anequs is reluctantly enrolled in an Anglish dragon school. Only one other girl is enrolled, and only one boy from an Indigenous people.
The world building is slow. You might even say languorous. We see what life is like on the island for Anequs and her kin. We hear about their food and drink. We hear their stories. We watch their dances.
Once Anequs makes it to school, the world building is also slow. She is hot tempered and often says and does things that are not wise. Most of her teachers and fellow students don’t want her there. They invent rules for her and the Indigenous boy. Everyone assumes she knows things about Anglish school that she does not. But she is also smart and clever, and she learns despite the odds against her.
I enjoyed To Shape a Dragon’s Breath very much, while also finding it a bit slow. Its strengths include world building, character development, and diverse representation. But there is also virtually no action until the end of the book, there are a LOT of new words/altered words to figure out, the author is fond of telling instead of showing, and some of the ideas she is trying to get across are repeated over and over. Still, I recommend it and look forward to the sequel.
I read an advance reader copy of To Shape a Dragon’s Breath....more
Super fun and enjoyable fantasy steampunk retelling of Shop Around the Corner/You've Got Mail.Super fun and enjoyable fantasy steampunk retelling of Shop Around the Corner/You've Got Mail....more
Don’t let this book’s unwieldy and somewhat misleading title put you off - it’s a ton of fun. The story is written (mostly) as Emily Wilde’s journal, Don’t let this book’s unwieldy and somewhat misleading title put you off - it’s a ton of fun. The story is written (mostly) as Emily Wilde’s journal, not as the encyclopaedia she is writing. She is a very serious-minded scholar who knows more about the fae than members of the fae themselves. She has worked very hard to be taken seriously as a researcher. The closest person she has to a friend is another scholar, named Wendell Bambleby, who is popular and charming but seems to sail through life with a minimum of work. She is both fond of him and mildly resentful of how easy things seem to be for him.
With her somewhat unnatural dog in tow, she travels to a remote Scandinavian village to investigate the fae of the north. She makes some big mistakes with the locals, as she understands the fae much better than she understands human beings. When Wendell arrives unexpectedly, it becomes clear to the reader but not Emily herself that Wendell’s interest in Emily is not just scholarly.
This book is not particularly original, but the author puts some nice twists of her own on the stories and legends of faerie. Some perilous things happen – as they do in all good fairy tales - but this is a book that left me in a good mood. The author really painted pictures for me of the various places (both real and magical) that Emily visits, and of the human townsfolk and the various magical creatures and people. I very much enjoyed the “it takes a village” mentality that is needed to bring all right in the world by the end. It’s okay to be both a capable independent woman and someone who has friends she can rely on.
This book reminded me of Genevieve Cogman’s Invisible Library series. It’s an entertaining romp that needn’t be taken too seriously. I’ve seen some indication that this is book one in a series, and I will look forward to book two. I read an advance reader copy of Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries from Netgalley....more
I really thought I might love this book from the description but - I did not. It reads like, I don't know, a novelization of an imaginary transformersI really thought I might love this book from the description but - I did not. It reads like, I don't know, a novelization of an imaginary transformers movie? Very bright and sparkly, but too much action straight off for me. Action that reads like a description of fight scenes in a transformers movie.
I like happy space operas, and science fiction involving music, but I just could not get into this one. DNFed after about a third of the book. The wait for the next entry in the Murderbot Diaries continues. ...more
Settle down on your comfy sofa with a nice cup of tea and an animal companion and sink into the restful comfort to be found in The Very Secret SocietySettle down on your comfy sofa with a nice cup of tea and an animal companion and sink into the restful comfort to be found in The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches. In the author’s acknowledgments, Mandanna notes, “When I started writing this book, we were eight months into the pandemic and all I wanted to work on was a warm, cozy, romantic story about magic and family. A story that was, above all things, about love and human connection.” It’s safe to say that she succeeded in her goal.
The main character is Mika Moon, an orphan who was born in India but raised in England. Through a series of unlikely events, she finds herself hired as a tutor for three unrelated young witches of color by their nonmagical guardians. The household includes two gay men in their 80s who have been a couple for many long years, a middle-aged housekeeper, and a suspicious 30ish librarian who ran away from his own unhappy family as a teenager. Mika arrives with her energetic dog and her magical pond of fish. After Mika unpacks way more belongings than could possibly have fit in her car, one of the girls says approvingly, “That was some excellent Mary Poppins shit right there.” (p. 47 of the ARC)
For Good Reasons, witches all over the world avoid each other’s company, meeting only occasionally and in secrecy. This is a safe practice, but one that leads to a lot of loneliness. Mika is both lonely and afraid to get attached to this unusual household, and Secrets Are Being Kept that will cause stress and anguish before we arrive at our happily ever after.
I loved the oh-so-English setting and the way the magic was visible as gold dust. There’s nothing especially original about this book, and the plot moves along a mostly predictable course, but it’s a lovely found family story. You’ll wish you too could move in to Nowhere House.
I read an advance reader copy of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches from Netgalley. ...more
I love words and dictionaries. I did not love this book about words and dictionaries. Nothing about it ever captured my interest. I did enjoy the presI love words and dictionaries. I did not love this book about words and dictionaries. Nothing about it ever captured my interest. I did enjoy the present day timeline more than the puzzling past timeline.
Decidedly not a "laugh-out-loud" debut for this reader.
Book discussions this week! We'll see how they go. ...more
Love the first book in the Wayward Children series, enjoyed most of the others, this one is boring and so heavy handed. Fat shaming is wrong, we get iLove the first book in the Wayward Children series, enjoyed most of the others, this one is boring and so heavy handed. Fat shaming is wrong, we get it. Being a mean girl is wrong, we get it. Being an evil villainous headmaster-in-disguise is wrong, we get it. Be true to yourself. Be your own hero. We get it. We need new and interesting stories to keep us reading.
The books in this series don't seem inspired any more. Am I going to keep reading? Probably. Glad Cora's book is over and done. ...more
Maybe The Paradox Hotel is a great book. It was not a great book for me to read right now, two years into a pandemic. I had trouble keeping the characMaybe The Paradox Hotel is a great book. It was not a great book for me to read right now, two years into a pandemic. I had trouble keeping the characters and the overlapping timelines straight. Main character January is one of those people the author keeps telling you is a terrible person, but you can see that she’s not. I’m sure the author is making Pointed Observations but I didn’t get most of them. (I think some of them have to do with comparing the book’s time travel to the climate crisis? Maybe?) (“It’s the people who don’t do any real work who end up hoarding everything.” Um yes, good point, and…?) I’m just too exhausted mentally to put the time and energy into understanding this book. Or maybe it would read just the same to me even if we weren’t in a pandemic.
The Paradox Hotel has some nice passages, some nice characters, and good representation of LGBTQ people. For example, there’s this passage, about January’s friend Allyn, who makes a pass at her one night after work. “When I told him I was gay, I expected the same reaction you get whenever you’re a woman who says you’re into women - you become repulsive or you become a challenge. Allyn just smiled and apologized, and we carried on after that like it never happened.” Yes, let’s normalize the behavior that when a woman rejects a man’s pass, he accepts it and moves on.
But I thought The Paradox Hotel was trying to be clever more than it was being clever. (I mean, the dinosaurs were fun, but I wanted more somehow.) I really wanted to love it, and maybe I’ll reread it some day. Kudos to anyone who read this book and was able to follow what’s happening. I am just left befuddled. I most likely will read whatever Rob Hart writes next, though.
I read an advance reader copy of The Paradox Hotel from Rob Hart from Netgalley. ...more
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