I hate zombies, but I loved this book for its indelible protagonist, who would now be my number one choice to protect me from a zombie horde. My frienI hate zombies, but I loved this book for its indelible protagonist, who would now be my number one choice to protect me from a zombie horde. My friend and I started the audio book on a nine hour drive. I'm not the biggest audiobook fan, but in this case the narrator was absolutely wonderful, and the book was a gripping, engaging audio experience. ...more
An unflinching story of magic and pain intertwined. I've seen some people say that the book glamorizes eating disorders, but I strongly disagree. MillAn unflinching story of magic and pain intertwined. I've seen some people say that the book glamorizes eating disorders, but I strongly disagree. Miller is a devastatingly evocative writer, and he makes it very clear what is at stake here....more
Bought this on Sunday to read at jury duty yesterday. I love when an author writes a side story about characters from a novel. This is a spinoff of ShBought this on Sunday to read at jury duty yesterday. I love when an author writes a side story about characters from a novel. This is a spinoff of Shadowshaper, and there are a couple of parts that lean on the novel, but not heavily. It's full of Older's musical use of language, and I appreciate both the non end-of-the-world story and the fact that it's a YA novella with two queer protagonists in a positive relationship - neither tragic nor a coming out story. Good stuff. ...more
I like the character, but I think the book itself could have used a little more fleshing out. I felt like information was doled out to me exactly whenI like the character, but I think the book itself could have used a little more fleshing out. I felt like information was doled out to me exactly when it would become useful, rather than early enough for me to make my own connections. Parts felt like summary....more
Daniel Jose Older's fiction always draws me in. His Brooklyn crackles with energy, and his characters are distinct and believable. His dialogue is reaDaniel Jose Older's fiction always draws me in. His Brooklyn crackles with energy, and his characters are distinct and believable. His dialogue is realistic and fun. His magic system makes sense and layers well onto everything. Having said all that, I think my favorite thing about this novel was just Sierra, a great character to hang a novel on. There's a journey laid out for her in the book, but she never sacrifices who she is, and all of her decisions and connections flow from that. She exists in interconnected communities, as most of us do, and her communities helps her in turn. ...more
I always find Cherie Priest tremendously readable. I meant to do other stuff this morning, but I ended up reading the last hundred pages lingering oveI always find Cherie Priest tremendously readable. I meant to do other stuff this morning, but I ended up reading the last hundred pages lingering over breakfast. It's very much YA - some dark subject matter, but with a breezy action-packed tone. I don't think the characters always took the best or most logical path, but who does, I guess? I liked the mystery buried within the comics, and the characters themselves were solid. Big points for a book built around friendships rather than romance. ...more
This is a sequel of sorts to Gifts. It features two of the same characters, but takes place at least eighteen years later. There's a new young protagoThis is a sequel of sorts to Gifts. It features two of the same characters, but takes place at least eighteen years later. There's a new young protagonist, a new setting, a new question about the nature and use of power. The book makes commentary on a number of large themes, among them education, war, forgiveness, books, responsibility, honor, religion, and loyalty, all hung on an earnest teenager named Memer. ...more
Lovely. Great world-building, clear prose, strong, believable characters with their own motivations. I'm glad I have the other two on my shelf now thaLovely. Great world-building, clear prose, strong, believable characters with their own motivations. I'm glad I have the other two on my shelf now that I've finally gotten around to reading this trilogy. ...more
This is a lovely, lyrical novel. It takes place long after a water shortage. The reader doesn't see the wars or the chaos, just the new world that hasThis is a lovely, lyrical novel. It takes place long after a water shortage. The reader doesn't see the wars or the chaos, just the new world that has emerged. The traditions and cultures that underpin the new society are at once recognizable and new. The main characters are capable and inquisitive teenagers who never act more heroic than is believable. I loved that the author didn't ever pander to the tropes of current teen lit. There's connection and conflict between characters, but no boy to moon over. There's nothing staged either: no Lottery, no Games, no test that everyone must pass. Just people trying to figure out how to live their lives. Even the antagonists are given complexity and nuance. And I'll return again to the language, which was absolutely delicious. "…I looked anyway, and wished I hadn't. That was what we did nowadays: tried to avert our gaze from the things that were happening, and failed, and then tried to live on as if we had not seen them. All the while those things stayed with us, made their home under our skin, in the thrumming, dark-red space of the chest, their unbending slivers scratching the soft, wet heart. When I walked on the streets, I could see people carrying these sights within: buried, but not deep enough not to cast an afterthought across their faces, altering them as a slow shift in light." This will definitely be one of my Norton nominees. ...more
Solid, well-written dystopic YA. I love the capable, smart protagonist. I love that her actions aren't governed by infatuation. I love that it's an SFSolid, well-written dystopic YA. I love the capable, smart protagonist. I love that her actions aren't governed by infatuation. I love that it's an SF take on Cinderella, rather than fantasy. I wouldn't have minded if said smart, capable protagonist had reached certain conclusions faster (as a reader, I figured out an important piece of information way before Cinder did). And really, I didn't need the Cinderella framework at all. The book stood on its own without that framework. It's really part one of a larger work, I should add, queueing up the sequel in the final pages. The Twilightish cover doesn't do justice to the solid work on the page, but that isn't the author's fault (and that's just my taste anyway). ...more
Squallwhales and stormsharks and airkraken and heartbirds. Shimmery prose, gentler than Headley's adult short fiction but still full of bite (did I meSquallwhales and stormsharks and airkraken and heartbirds. Shimmery prose, gentler than Headley's adult short fiction but still full of bite (did I mention stormsharks?). Two interesting, flawed POV characters in Aza and Jason. Lovely, lovely, lovely. ...more
I couldn't resist bringing this back from South Africa. I think it's going to come out in the US at some point. This book has a lot going for it: it's I couldn't resist bringing this back from South Africa. I think it's going to come out in the US at some point. This book has a lot going for it: it's stylish, energetic, suspenseful, vivid, cinematic. If none of the main characters are really likeable (the protagonist is a teenage porn dealer), well, that doesn't mean you don't find yourself rooting for them anyway. ...more
Things I liked about this book: The realistically diverse cast of characters. Nobody was a token anything. There were multiple characters of color, mulThings I liked about this book: The realistically diverse cast of characters. Nobody was a token anything. There were multiple characters of color, multiple queer characters, multiple characters with disabilities. Felt like Toronto. The very, very creative ways in which the city fell apart when the Chaos hit. Sojourner/Scotch,a strong and capable protagonist.
But: A few characters felt superfluous, like they were only introduced to make a point. The Thompson Twins, who appeared at the beginning and never showed up again. I know the Chaos was supposed to be, well, chaotic, but some elements seemed like they needed more explanation than they got. While I liked Scotch, she sometimes frustrated me. ...more
Well written YA. The concept isn't even a little new, but this version is well explored, and the characters worked for me. Sort of William Sleator meeWell written YA. The concept isn't even a little new, but this version is well explored, and the characters worked for me. Sort of William Sleator meets Buffy....more
This wasn't at all what I was expecting! This is a graphic novel of a different sort, one that uses periodic images (drawings and photographs and filmThis wasn't at all what I was expecting! This is a graphic novel of a different sort, one that uses periodic images (drawings and photographs and film stills) to enhance the text and propel it forward, rather than marrying the two. I saw the movie when it came out, and I have to say this is one of those cases of a book and movie that are both different and similar, and both wonderful in their own right. The movie has its own set of meta-considerations: it is a film based on a book about film. The book gets to do a couple of things that the movie doesn't, mostly regarding the tying up of threads at the end. That tying-up makes the book slightly more cohesive. Lovely. ...more
This is a lovely YA novel. It contains some similarities to the author's adult novel, Who Fears Death: a strong female protagonist who is just coming This is a lovely YA novel. It contains some similarities to the author's adult novel, Who Fears Death: a strong female protagonist who is just coming into her own power; a band of young friends who need to take on a larger evil; an African setting (far-future Sudan in that case, present day Nigeria in this one). If I remember correctly, both also begin with first-person sequences in which the protagonist gets a hint of her own power, and then segue into third-person for the remainder of the book. In both cases I get the impression that the story may have been written in first person and then changed to third in a subsequent draft.
There are a lot of similarities to Harry Potter as well, which is just to say that the book uses the touchstones of the YA-fantasy genre to tell a story that is entirely its own. A young girl named Sunny plays the role of the child who discovers that she has access to a magical world that goes unseen by the mundane majority. She is Harry Potter and Hermione rolled into one: smart, good at sports, self-conscious about her appearance, the child of two non-magical parents. She's an American-Nigerian, a Free Agent, and an albino, traits which combine to make her an outsider wherever she goes. Sunny is a great character and role model for young readers. The modern Nigerian setting and the infusions of West African folklore and culture are a welcome change from Europe and dragons and magic wands. ...more
I picked this one up when it reached 90% off at the Borders liquidation. The numbering system for the series has me hopelessly confused, and I think II picked this one up when it reached 90% off at the Borders liquidation. The numbering system for the series has me hopelessly confused, and I think I missed some stuff between wherever I stopped reading Runaways a few years ago and this collection. The manga style doesn't do anything for me. The main story is okay but a little simplistic. The short stories collected at the end are marginally better....more
A prequel to the excellent The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making, this story is pleasant but too slight to stand up on coA prequel to the excellent The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making, this story is pleasant but too slight to stand up on comparison. It does its job and provides some backstory for those who wondered how Mallow became queen of Fairyland. It crams a whole lot of fancy into a relatively small space. It's a stylistic match to the full length book, but without room to breathe the whimsy becomes a little overpowering. Still enjoyable....more
I invariably like steampunk more when it is taken out of its expected context. Kelly Link and Gavin Grant went out of their way to do that with this dI invariably like steampunk more when it is taken out of its expected context. Kelly Link and Gavin Grant went out of their way to do that with this delightful YA anthology. I love that the stories are set in Appalachia and Canada and Australia and ancient Rome, and that they intersect with the tropes of time travel and alternate world fiction, among other subgenres. The YA protagonists also provide a refreshing perspective on the genre. My favorite pieces in the book were Cory Doctorow's "Clockwork Fagin," Cassandra Clare's "Some Fortunate Future Day," Shawn Cheng's "Seven Days Beset by Demons," Kelly Link's "The Summer People," Christopher Rowe's "Nowhere Fast," and Dylan Horrocks' "Steam Girl." I think I've just named half the book. I should also add that this is an absolutely gorgeous hardcover....more
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