Tell yourself a story, make it just like mine, live inside that story, everything is fine
Everything is assuredly not fine since Mister Magic ended all
Tell yourself a story, make it just like mine, live inside that story, everything is fine
Everything is assuredly not fine since Mister Magic ended all those years ago.
White's foray into horror adds an impressive notch to her already diverse bibliography. The premise is relatively simple: 30 years ago, a beloved children's TV show abruptly ended due to a rumored tragic accident and now its surviving cast members reunite to piece together what happened. Mister Magic starts off slow because the protagonist Val has amnesia and it gets a bit frustrating clawing for answers alongside her, but once we get some solid information, I was racing to finish the book to find out exactly what happened on the day the show was last filmed.
In her author's note, White confesses that she used to be Mormon and this book is the result of her coming to terms with toxic religious institutions. I can definitely see the religious analogies between the fictional show, which "educates" children, and real-life religions or right-wing rhetoric that claim to guide humankind onto a better path, but is actually all about control and arbitrary restrictions. The world is becoming more fascist and intolerant (looking at Italy here for insisting only biological parents can be on a birth certificate), and it's important to remember that you should never have to dull your shine in order to appease a bigot.
The one quibble I have is with the ending, which I feel raises more questions than it answers. (view spoiler)[So Val becomes Mister Magic and prevents the cult in Bliss from sending in new kids. But she's basically stuck there now for all eternity. I assume she changed the rules of the rift, so that she would never die and the cycle would never restart. Do the leftover kids in the rift live forever too? Kitty was almost gone when Val became Mister Magic; has the darkness stopped feeding on her then because Val changed the rules? If they do live forever, do they experience the passage of time like we do? Will they eventually all go mad from endless eternity? Also they're bound to run out of lessons sometime; do the kids forget the lessons they've learned because they're unable to mentally age in that space? Will Val's values eventually become outdated as the society continues to progress and, for instance, become introduced to new sexual identities? The ending raises a lot of dark eventualities that are brushed under the rug. Or maybe I'm overthinking it. That tends to happen. (hide spoiler)]
All in all, a deliciously creepy read. Definitely adding Hide to my to-read list.
“As he emerges gently from his sleep, my husband moves closer to me, but I turn around in time to escape his grasp. That’s the rule. Last ni
4.25 stars
“As he emerges gently from his sleep, my husband moves closer to me, but I turn around in time to escape his grasp. That’s the rule. Last night, he went to sleep without wishing me good night, so he doesn’t get any cuddles from me now. It’s out of the question for me to give in.”
Conceptually, My Husband will appeal to fans of Gone Girl and You.
It has significantly less plot than these comparison titles, just as a caveat. This novel is a relatively quiet and introspective character study of a woman who is obsessed with her husband. The unnamed heroine used to be lower-middle-class until being catapulted to the upper rungs of society by her wealthy husband and now she spends her days maintaining her self-possessed image and the "perfect" relationship with her spouse. Nothing technically happens in the text beyond the humdrum of daily life (view spoiler)[except for the cheating (hide spoiler)]; the climax of the whole book is basically her thinking her husband is going to divorce her. However, it never feels boring due to the lyrical writing, insightful comments from the protagonist on womanhood and marriage (à la Gone Girl), and the pervasive feeling of unease that permeates her narrative like a horror story—because in a way, her fixation is the stuff of Stephen King.
"My husband has no name; he is my husband, he belongs to me."
Even though the book is about a woman obsessed with her husband, it's still weirdly feminist in a sense. She openly laments her all-consuming passion and wishes she were more independent, a trait that she tries to pass on to her daughter. She deliberately left a past lover who loved her more for her husband despite knowing that she's agreeing to a permanent power imbalance because she always loves him more, so in a way, she chose this dynamic and that gives her a bit of power, a bit of agency. She also rectifies the power imbalance by punishing her husband when she feels like he's not showing her enough attention, like denying morning cuddles when he doesn't hold her hand during a movie. Obviously, their relationship is unhealthy af and she desperately needs a therapist to deal with her issues, but it's fascinating to see how she claws power for herself in a skewed dynamic that she purposefully chose.
The epilogue is from the husband's perspective. That's all I'll say without spoiler tags. (view spoiler)[I thought the ending would be that she commits suicide, which isn't very feminist but I didn't see any other way it could end until I read the epilogue. Finding out that the husband does all these things on purpose to drive his wife mad makes their marriage more fucked-up. Honestly, they're made for each other and this way, they won't be single and ready to afflict their mind games on other unsuspecting singles in their area. (hide spoiler)]
An ARC was provided by Edelwiess. All quotes are taken from an uncorrected proof and might be subject to change later...more
It was the coldest of winters, the hardest of winter, the most memorable of winters."
Anthologies are always a mixed bag, so I chose to give Death
It was the coldest of winters, the hardest of winter, the most memorable of winters."
Anthologies are always a mixed bag, so I chose to give Death Among Us a neutral 3 stars. Most of the stories, I personally felt, were on the short side and a bit one-note. They didn't particularly engage me or offer any unique twists. The writing is also subpar in places.
Monitaur is an unexpected shining gem. It's a rendition of Rosemary's Baby. Of course, I have to mention Aly Locatelli's story, The Neighbours too, which is one of the best in the collection. I'm physically incapable of being unbiased because she's one of my closest friends, but her story is genuinely good, with gorgeous writing and a delicious twist.
Justice is Never Served by Robbie Cheadle had the potential to be amazing. It's based off of a real-life figure, a baby farmer called Amelia Dyer from the nineteenth century. But it has same issue most of the stories do—they're one-dimension. Amelia is portrayed as pure evil and no attempt is made to explore her character at all. I also had issue with how she's described as lacking in femininity and softness. In the Victorian era, society believed women had an innate maternal instinct, which contributed to the separate spheres mentality (i.e. women should stay at home and raise children). By characterizing Amelia as a baby killer, it echoes the ridiculous link between femininity and maternity. Women are way more than their reproductive organs.
I'm including this below quote from White Rose of Rapture for no reason except it's hysterically hilarious:
"In her bedroom, she drops her towel... Smiling, she cups her small breasts in her hands. "Still firm and perky." Next, she rotates her butt to the mirror. She smacks herself and proclaims, "Hot ass, baby."
“Between us, we have the fire and the water,” she said quietly. “I’m quite sure that together, we can take on the wind.”
In one of my stat4.5 stars
“Between us, we have the fire and the water,” she said quietly. “I’m quite sure that together, we can take on the wind.”
In one of my status updates, I asked, "Is it possible to be sexually attracted to a book?"
The answer is yes. Unequivocally yes.
Those of you that might have been worried The Dragon Republic suffers from Second Book Syndrome can rest easy. There's mountains of overarching plot in this baby. It picks up pretty soon after the events of the last book. Rin is commander of the Cike now that Altan is dead and has turned assassin for Moag, the self-proclaimed pirate queen, in exchange for troops and resources to take on Empress Daji. That falls apart rather quickly though and Rin soon finds herself thrown back into war—behind the Dragon Warlord, Nezha's father, as he plans a coup.
There are so many twists. Some I called ages ago, like (view spoiler)[ Nezha being alive and is a shaman, (hide spoiler)] but they were very neatly foreshadowed and didn't take away my enjoyment of the novel.
Hesperians finally make an appearance, after being vaguely referenced last book. Their religion Makerism is essentially Judeo-Christianity. One Maker against the forces of Chaos. The Pantheon with 64 gods, to them, is barbaric and unholy. Hesperians don't exactly come off looking well here, but it is accurate to history. They were the first colonialists, way back before Japan invaded China in the mid-nineteenth century.
Their role in this book can be summed up by one gif from Pocahontas:
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Rin continues to be one of the most morally complex characters I've ever had the pleasure to read. She's never just one thing. Take her relationship with Altan, for instance. It's incredibly complicated. She loves him, lusts after him, fears him, worships him, hates him, is involuntarily bonded with him through their shared Speerly heritage. Kuang never attempts to dilute it. It and Rin is gloriously messy, and I am one hundred percent here for it. Emotions and relationships are very rarely just one shade, and Kuang depicts it so well.
My favorite cinnamon roll Kitay is back, too. I’m glad he gets off his high horse a bit. At the end of the first book, he’s rightfully horrified at what Rin did, but comes off as a tad self-righteous. He becomes more morally complicated here, which makes me sad (my pure boy!) but also pleased. They grow up so fast.
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I hope they're giving out ARCS for the final book because I can't wait another year to find out what happens next.
“Magic was barter—the right words, actions, potions for the right result.”
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Well, that was... unexpected.
Sea Witch is marketed as a villain o
“Magic was barter—the right words, actions, potions for the right result.”
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Well, that was... unexpected.
Sea Witch is marketed as a villain origin story, namely the sea witch from The Little Mermaid. Being the weird kid in the murder corner, I eagerly requested on Edelweiss, thinking it'd be a dark and transgressive retelling along the lines of Marissa Meyer's Heartless or Fairest. What I got instead was a quiet, rather literary novel about friendship and social class.
The story does largely unfold the same way as the original tale: a mermaid saves a prince, then goes on land to try to win his heart in four days. If she fails, she'll be turned to sea form. A human witch called Evelyn narrates the novel, with third-person chapters recounting the past. The mermaid Annamette bears a striking resemblance to Evelyn's best friend who drowned four years ago and she naturally wants to persevere Annamette's life.
Honestly, Sea Witch didn't start getting interesting until the 60% mark, when a twist kicks things into high gear. The writing doesn't help either. It's difficult to explain, but it tries too hard in places, plugging descriptives when they're unnecessary and weigh down a sentence.
Most of the novel has a small-town atmosphere, focusing on Evelyn's struggle with her low birth and her friendship with the prince Nik. There are also lots of insights into Danish history and culture, the country The Little Mermaid originated from.
Sea Witch will appeal to a certain kind of reader, but it failed to hook me in. (Fish pun intended)
“He might be young, with the face of an angel, but there was no mistaking the truth in his eyes. He was a killer.”
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Guess what happens next.
“He might be young, with the face of an angel, but there was no mistaking the truth in his eyes. He was a killer.”
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Guess what happens next. Go on, guess!
Yes, my dear stranger on the Internet. They fall in love.
It's a hardly a spoiler. You know it's going to happen the instant Yumeko notices Tatsumui's chiselled abs.
Honestly, Kagawa's work of late is extremely predictable and derivative. Which makes me equally disappointed and annoyed because I love, love, love her Iron Fey series. I want Puck to show up at my window, make flowers bloom from my bedpost, and carry me off to a quiet meadow somewhere. Blood of Eden, though rather unmemorable, was a good read and most importantly, different from her previous novels.
The Talon Saga is where is all starts to go downhill and Shadow of the Fox, unfortunately, is a sad continuation. It also reaffirms my belief that most authors who hit it big during the Paranormal Romance craze are slowly becoming obsolete. We're seeing it with Lauren Kate, Alexandra Adornetto, Becca Fitzpatrick... The ones who continue to thrive, like Kiersten White, do so because they're willing to evolve with the times. No longer is YA willing to put up with rapey love interests and Mean Girls. It's become bolder, more diverse, more mature, more willing to push the envelope.
Shadow of the Fox is basically a mashup of familiar Kagawa tropes. Tatsumui is broody and emotionally closed off, so essentially a clone of the soldier guy whose name I can't remember from Talon and to a lesser extent, Ash from the Iron Fey. Yumeko is Meghan and Talon's heroine mushed together. Kind-hearted, sweet, naive with a mild independent streak. The ronin Okame is a sarcastic rogue and a comic relief caricature along the lines of Puck, the vampire guy from Blood of Eden, and the snarky dragon from Talon. And then there's a fourth miscellaneous character whose personality varies, but is always male.
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Seriously, what is with the lack of important female characters? There's the heroine, but that's it. Kagawa always insists on surrounding her with prominent male characters. And the villain is usually female. Make of that what you will.
Did I like anything? The Japanese mythology elements are interesting. Though it did get increasingly annoying when words like "hai" or "ano" are casually slipped in. Yes, yes, authenticity, but it's cheapened by so many anime fanfiction that do the same.
If you're going to read a Kagawa book, go for The Iron King. At least there's Puck and killer world-building in it.
“One day, a queen will rise,” he whispered, as if the books had ears to eavesdrop. “Perhaps it will be in our lifetime, perhaps the one to follow u
“One day, a queen will rise,” he whispered, as if the books had ears to eavesdrop. “Perhaps it will be in our lifetime, perhaps the one to follow us. But Maevana will remember who she is and unite for a greater purpose.”
My reading experience summed up in one gif:
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The Queen's Rising takes a bunch of familiar YA fantasy concepts and fails to do anything new with them. We have the bring-magic-back-into-world quest, the find-a-magical-artifact scavenger hunt, a cruel, two-dimensional usurper king, and of course, the classic reinstate-the-rightful-queen-to-her-throne extravaganza.
Things happen, but they feel muted. There’s no urgency to this book, nothing that makes me want to keep turning pages. Perhaps it's hasty to say that Ross does nothing new—I did enjoy the lack of petty jealousies between the female ardens at Magnalia, where they train to be a passion in either wit, music, art, knowledge, or dramatics. There are strong sisterhood undertones to the narrative. But it's not enough to save this book from being a total snorefest. Some plot-turning decisions that characters make are really stupid, too. (view spoiler)[Allenach accepts his daughter back just like that. How dense and convenient can you get?? (hide spoiler)]
The romance is equally bland. Anyone with a gram of foresight could tell Cartier, Brienna's passion master, would be the love interest. The only saving grace is that this book isn’t romance-centric, so I got to snooze through the monotone plot instead of the romance.
The writing is nothing to write home about either (haha). It tries too hard and simply comes off as cliche and purple:
“He could feel the magic teem about her, as tiny flecks of diamonds in her armor, as stardust in her hair, as moonlight on her skin.”
“I thought you knew the rules of the game, my dear.”
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So did I, Xia Zhong. So did I.
My biggest quibble with Descendant of the Crane is that i
“I thought you knew the rules of the game, my dear.”
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So did I, Xia Zhong. So did I.
My biggest quibble with Descendant of the Crane is that it was marketed as a Chinese Game of Thrones. I love the moral complexity and political intricacies of GoT, and He's book was listed as one of Leigh Bardugo's most anticipated reads of 2019, so obviously I applied for an ARC. Sadly, just like King of Scars let me down earlier this year, so did this book.
Hesina is a terrible schemer, alright? In terms of the player hierarchy, Hesina is right there with Ned Stark and first-book Sansa Stark. Why the fuck would you show a criminal a secret passageway to your chambers? Just because a soothsayer told you he'd be the key to finding your father's killer doesn't mean he might not have motives of his own. For all you know, he could be an assassin and/or in cahoots with the soothsayer to murder her. (Bit of background knowledge—sooths are hated and hunted in this fictional universe) Sooths receive benefits like an extended lifespan if they tell the truth, but it doesn't mean they can't twist the truth. Surely a lifetime in court should've put Hesina more on guard.
Look, I don't mind naive characters. Hesina does learn and grow throughout the book. But I was promised savvy scheming, dammit, and I didn't get it. The level of court politics is too juvenile. And don't sell me that crap about how it's YA. Six of Crows and And I Darken are some twisty serpents.
The romance between Hesina and the criminal Akira is about as obvious as a vacuum at a broomstick convention. Literally the first thing she notices is how handsome Akira is, even though she's there in a position of power to strike a deal with him for finding her father’s killer. I'd like to fast forward to the good parts, please.
Pacing is also on the slow side. Honestly, I didn't start getting invested until the last 20% when almost all the secrets are out. It took me almost two months to finish this.
There's a very clear setup for a sequel, and it seems Hesina has matured into a worthy player. She's still far from Littlefinger, but maybe the sequel will surprise me.
I requested A Thousand Beginnings and Endings for one reason and one reason only: Julie Kagawa. Her Talon series crashed and burned, she'll 3.75 stars
I requested A Thousand Beginnings and Endings for one reason and one reason only: Julie Kagawa. Her Talon series crashed and burned, she'll always have a special place in my heart due to The Iron Fey series. To my surprise, I found myself enjoying the other stories just as much, some even more.
Anthologies are always a bit of a mixed bag, so I'm going to review them individually:
Forbidden Fruit by Roshani Chokshi — 5 stars
“Do not trust the fruit of Maria Makiling.”
Alright, I didn't enjoy The Star-Touched Queen, but this was just wow. It's about a semi-forbidden romance between a mortal and a diwata (mountain spirit). The writing is lush and just the right amount of purple. It has very distinct The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic feel, which I love. A Filipino folktale.
Olivia’s Table by Alyssa Wong — 2.5 stars
“Don’t talk to strangers,” Mom had said, over and over. And don’t trust the ghosts, especially not during the Ghost Festival.”
This one revolves around the Chinese Ghost Festival. I'm Chinese and live in Hong Kong. One of my earliest memories involves around my mom telling me not to pick up the yellow paper money scattered on the ground because it’s for ghosts. Even though the theme is familial and revolves around coping with loss, it failed to make an emotional impact on me, partially because I'm too close to it in a way. There is another Chinese-inspired tale in this anthology that I quite liked though, so maybe it's not my thing.
Steel Skin by Lori M. Lee — 2 stars
“She has this memory. Only a chaotic set of images and sounds, but vivid, like neon scripts streaming across a black screen.”
Steel Skin takes place in the future where androids have been banned because they gained sentience and rebelled. The protagonist suspects her dad has been replaced by an android. The what-it-means-to-be-human plot is old and tired, this story was just too short to really do anything with it or hit the right emotional notes. A Hmong folktale.
Still Star-Crossed by Sona Charaipotha — 2.5 stars
“You don’t know how to choose until you’re right there, on the precipice, giving away your everything for something that may be real or may be a shadow, a ghost you’re chasing.”
There's really not much to say about this one without giving away the ending. Taara meets a beautiful, seductive stranger who seems to recognize her. It could have been longer because it ends abruptly without any closure. An Punjabi folktale.
The Counting of Vermillion Beads by Aliette de Bodard — 3.5 stars
“At night, it sings—a quivering, warbling sounds that rises in her dreams, becomes her sister’s voice. It wouldn’t be so bad, if the bird spoke of cryptic wisdom, or of the dream Tam had, the one that started everything, but instead it’s small, everyday things, the kind of talk they had before Tam changed.”
Asian folklore is speckled with stories of men and women transforming into animals. The Counting of Vermillion Beads is a beautiful story of sisterhood. Tam and Cam are forcibly escorted from their village to be census girls for the palace. One night, trying to climb over the wall and escape, Tam falls and transforms into a bird. A Vietnamese folktale.
The Land of the Morning Calm by E.C. Meyers — 2.5 stars
“Harabeoji says my mother is a gwisin. That’s the Korean word for ghost.”
A quirky millennial spin on Korean myths. The Land of the Morning Calm is a multiplayer RPG that the protagonist's mom used to play all the time before she suddenly passed away. Like Olivia's Table, it's a story about grief and moving on. It dives into gaming culture too.
The Smile by Aisha Saeed — 5 stars
“Belonging meant he could place me wherever he liked, whether in his bed or in this dank tower. Belonging is not love. It never was.”
I loooved this one. Gimme your feminist fairytale retellings. Saeed weaves a gorgeous narrative about freedom and choices with a peasant girl-turned-courtesan and the prince who invited her to the palace after he saw her dance. A South Asian folktale.
Girls Who Twirl and Other Dangers by Preeti Chhibber — 1.5 stars
“This whole holiday is about good defeating evil, right? Dinesh is not going to magically get what’s coming to him. So, it’s on us.”
My least favorite in the entire anthology. It's just really silly. Three girls team up to punish a rude boy, which parallels Navratri, a Hindu holiday. It's based on a myth that champions the physical manifestation of divine female energy to defeat a demon. I like the portrayal of female friendship, but that’s all.
Nothing Into All by Renee Ahdieh — 4 stars
“As the leaves fall/As the sky turn to night/Summon the magic/To turn nothing/Into all”
I still have issues with Ahdieh's writing (“...words of rebuke flowing past her lips like water from a steaming kettle”; I mean, come on), but this compact story appealed to me far more than anything else of hers I've read. Inspired by a Korean fairy tale called The Goblin Treasure, a sister is granted three wishes by goblins, but her jealous brother plots to steal it. Sibling rivalry is a traditional fairytale framework, though here it works perfectly.
Spear Carrier by Rahul Kanakia — 2 stars
“When I’d agreed to his offer, it was because I had thought I’d be a hero. But a hero wouldn’t be so lonely and so afraid.”
An interesting story about war from the perspective of a statistic—an ordinary person, out of millions on a battlefield, who dreams of becoming a hero. It didn't make me feel much though. A South Asian epic.
Code of Honor by Melissa de la Cruz — 2 stars
“I try not to let myself get angry because that’s when I most desire human flesh.”
Another story that has a fascinating concept, but left me feeling hollow. This Filipino-inspired tale touches on immigrants—an aswang (vampire) travels to America to flee prosecution in the Philippines.
Bullet, Butterfly by Elsie Chapman — 3 stars
“Don’t forget we’re only ever soldiers here in Shangyu and soldiers never get to be the ones who wake up from a spell, or who even get to break a spell. We’re just the dragons guarding the gate, ordered to keep breathing the fire of those who cast the spell in the first place.”
Each tale is followed by a short essay by the author explaining the inspiration behind the story. Bullet, Butterfly is a retelling of one of the most famous Chinese folktales, the Butterfly Lovers. They are kept apart by familial duty. Here, Liang disguises himself as a girl and sneaks into the armory for a bet, but ends up falling for Zhu, one of the workers there. A queer romance along the lines of Mulan.
Daughter of the Sun by Shveta Thakrar — 3 stars
“She yearned for someone who didn’t fear her brilliance.”
This one is very weird. It's set in modern times yet has a strong fairytale vibe. Maybe it's the purple-drenched writing—a girl with a heart that glows like the sun who falls for a boy with a heart as silver as the moon. Based on a South Asian epic called Mahabharata.
The Crimson Cloak by Cindy Pon — 5 stars
“Despite how the legend goes, the truth of the matter is, Dear Reader, I saw him first.”
The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl is another popular Chinese folktale. The star-crossed lovers are only allowed to meet on the seventh day of the seventh month each year when a bridge of magpies form the Milky Way. Pon puts a fresh spin on it by granting the usually silent weaver girl her own voice and reshapes certain events. I've read Pon's contribution to the villain anthology Because You Love to Hate Me: 13 Tales of Villainy and honestly, her writing is top-notch. I seriously need to pick up one of her novels soon.
Eyes Like Candlelight by Julie Kagawa — 3.5 stars
“Yuki met his gaze, eyes glowing a subtle gold in the candlelight, the tip of a bushy tail peeking behind her robes.”
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Best for last, I suppose? Ironically, I didn't like it as much as a few of the others mentioned. Nonetheless it's an enjoyable read with all the elements I've come to anticipate from Kagawa's work—solid writing and a forbidden romance between a mortal and a supernatural being. In this case, it's the well-known kitsune which appears time and time again in Japanese popular culture.
Ultimately, there were highs, there were lows. But the highs are worth it.
Because The Afterlife of Holly Chase was published in October instead of December, I thought this gif especially appropriate.
Ready? Sing along[image]
Because The Afterlife of Holly Chase was published in October instead of December, I thought this gif especially appropriate.
Ready? Sing along with me now!
On the twelfth day of Christmas Cynthia Hand sent to me: 12 helpings of warm fuzzies 11 Dickens references 10 pop culture nods 9 scoops of light-hearted fun 8 bundles of holly-wrapped Christmas Spirit Some unlikable characters that change and remind me of a protag I wrote once 5 well-written platonic relationships 4 feminist quips 3 plot twists 2 romantic ships and a modern Christmas Carol retelling!
Have you heard of this Thai movie called Bad Genius? It's a heist/spy thriller film set in high school. A high school honor student, who's dirt-poor, Have you heard of this Thai movie called Bad Genius? It's a heist/spy thriller film set in high school. A high school honor student, who's dirt-poor, helps students cheat on their exams for money. She gradually graduates to the big leagues—a transnational operation for Thai STIC applicants.
The shit they come up with is baller. Finger taps mimicking piano chord snippets to indicate multiple choice answers. Pencils with tailored barcodes showing answers. Erasers sporting scrawled answers dropped in standard uniform shoes, then swapped.
All this greatness, however, culminates in a disappointingly cliche ending with the recognition that cheating is wrong under all circumstances. Our criminal prodigy turns herself in, selling out her entire crew, despite near certain havoc on her reputation and future career opportunities.
This is How it Happened is Bad Genius. It takes an awesome concept and turns it into a straightforward public service announcement.
I'll save you the trouble of reading it: Online bullying is bad.
"I'm the girl whose gift is chaos, who can either save the realms or end them.
I lived up to my gift; I'm the one who broke the world."
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Lol,
"I'm the girl whose gift is chaos, who can either save the realms or end them.
I lived up to my gift; I'm the one who broke the world."
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Lol, I'm sorry. I just had to use that scene.
The Fallen Kingdom is a frankly disappointing finale to a series I've consistently rated 4 stars or above in the past.
Oh, sure, it's satisfying, I suppose. All the threads are tied up. But it's satisfying the way rice and vegetables are satisfying. It fills you up, but lacks the same giddy pleasure as cake or bacon.
There were so many times I just wanted to scream at Aileana. The romance used to be fun and a nice complement to the main plot, but now it's centerstage and recycles the same old YA Paranormal Romance plot:
Everyone: Kiaran is now dangerous. He will and can kill you. Look at these humans drained of blood he left on our borders!
Aileana: *waltzes into his territory and has repeated sex with him in his castle*
Everyone: One of the siblings has to die, or the world will end. Kill Kiaran, or choose to kill his sister Aithinne.
Aileana: My boyfriend for the world? I'm not sure that's adequate. I'm sure there's another way! *Hawaii explodes in the distance*
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I know their love is earth-shattering and shit, but after reading so many YA books, both good and bad, I find it increasingly hard to tolerate and sympathize with raging teenage hormones, aka choosing love over the fate of the whole world. Nina Zenik from Six of Crows would laugh herself sick at these two.
While I'm on the topic of Six of Crows, it's possible to create a good enemy-to-lover romance while making sure neither of the parties lose their heads and forget their loyalties. It's possible to both love and mistrust the person who has been a threat to you for so long. Aileana and Kiaran just don't have that nuanced relationship. I have to compare to Aileana to Bella when it comes to her sense of self-preservation. 'I love him and he loves me, and therefore he won't rip my throat out and I trust him unconditionally.' Yeah, no, it doesn't work that way.
(view spoiler)[She didn't even get mad at Kiaran for killing Derrick. Yes, he was being mind-controlled and she knows that, but there has to be that spark there, that pinprick of blame and hatred. Derrick was her best friend and companion. Hell, even Hiccup from How To Train Your Dragon 2, a freaking kid's movie, lost his shit when his dragon accidentally killed someone he cared about. (hide spoiler)]
The reveal that either Kiaran or Aithinne must die in order to save the world is shown rather early in the book, which I thought was a bad plot decision. It just makes Aileana look selfish and stupid when she frets that she can't kill her boyfriend, even though it'd save the world.
For the six billion people you just doomed to ashes and misery, I will slam a sword through you myself before cutting off Kiaran's head. Some moral quibbling is expected, of course, but showing your hand so early on just makes for lot of angst and a very irritated Cynical Natalie.
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The Fallen Kingdom also tries to sell that Aileana is Dark!Aileana now and ruthless, what with the "We always try to play the hero before we become the villain" quote, though honestly the only time she comes off as truly evil is when she won't despise her heart and kill her boyfriend. Once again for the folk in the back, for the world. For her human best friend and her husband, for Gavin who's an absolute gem, for those people Kiaran killed, for everyone who've never met and basically doomed.
The ending is a ridiculously convenient cheesefest. (view spoiler)[Of course, Kiaran comes back to life. Of course, Sorsha sacrifices herself for him, a man who will never love her back. Like Sorsha isn't a red-shirt no one gave a shit about anyway. The only death I really felt cut up about was Derrick's, but he's apparently not important enough to be resurrected. (hide spoiler)]
As fantastic as the first one. Anderson also talks about dealing with social anxiety—with the help of adorable pictures of course[image] [image] [image]
As fantastic as the first one. Anderson also talks about dealing with social anxiety—with the help of adorable pictures of course.
"Choose carefully, Nona. Let the Path lead you to a name."
Nona opened her mouth. "Cage," she said. "Let them call me Cage."
Red Sister is what you
"Choose carefully, Nona. Let the Path lead you to a name."
Nona opened her mouth. "Cage," she said. "Let them call me Cage."
Red Sister is what you get what you combine Arya's arc from Game of Thrones with Harry Potter.
There's stabbing and friendship. Magic and religion. Illicit potions and assassin lessons. Red herring villains and badass mentors. A "Chosen One" and prophecies.
You'll notice I put quotation marks around "Chosen One" because it's not what it seems. Everyone thinks Nona is the Chosen One after she arrives at the Convent of Sweet Mercy, fresh from the executioner's block, to train to be an assassin. Born a hunska, one of the four godly tribes, she is extraordinarily talented for a girl of eight and has more hand-eye coordination than I do while holding a cup of milk.
BUT there's a curveball. And another curveball. And another. This entire book is basically me getting hit in the face with curveballs, from the moment I noted the teenage-ish cover model and then discovered Nona is under twelve years old throughout the whole book. Except for sporadic chapters from the future (present?), we mainly track Nona's childhood in the village to her life in the Convent.
One of those curveballs is Ara. Beautiful, rich, and skilled, she's despised by Nona from the very beginning.
You can imagine how I reacted.
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But Nona grows to realize she's wrong. She discovers Ara is actually a really nice person, a loyal friend, and first impressions aren't everything.
"Ara's crimes appeared to be confined to being beautiful, being born rich and bring the Chosen One. Everything else, Nona realized, was something given to her by Clera or something assumed."
(I lowkey ship them. I know they're not old enough yet, but shhhh, let me dream of the future.)
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The world-building is woven seamlessly with the narrative. It's too complicated to explain and my goldfish of a brain no longer remembers the specifics, but know there are absolutely no info-dumps. Everything is presented to us naturally and smoothly.
All in all, I'm excited to see Nona grow into her cover model. And do more magic, stabby stuff.
"The great tragic love story of Percy and me is neither great nor truly a love story, and is tragic only for its single-sidedness. It is a
3.5 stars
"The great tragic love story of Percy and me is neither great nor truly a love story, and is tragic only for its single-sidedness. It is also not an epic monolith that has plagued me since boyhood, as might be expected. Rather, it is simply the tale of how two people can be important to each other, and then, one morning, quite without meaning to, one of them wakes to find that importance has been magnified into a sudden and intense desire to put his tongue in the other's mouth."
I don't know if you're familiar with the writer side of Twitter, but they have this annual event called #PitMad, where aspiring writers pitch their novels to literary agents and publishers in less than 140 characters.
The reason I bring this up is that if I had to pitch The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue in the space of a single tweet, I would write, "Gay boys (and one girl) go gallivanting over 18th-century Europe for gap year trip. Pirates & biracial romance included."
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Henry, his sister Felicity, and his best friend Percy are on their grand tour of Europe (which is similar to the gap year backpacking trips teenagers take) when they're waylaid by highwaymen and separated from their caretaker. What happens next is their own grand tour of Europe, studiously absent of opera houses and cocktail parties, and instead introducing them to pirates, the offspring of a mad scientist, camping in the dirt, running for their lives and generally getting a through education of the continent. Not necessarily in that order.
And it was just really, really fun. I swear everything that comes out of Henry's mouth—or goes through his head—is gold.
“I am somehow stuck with an obstinate mount that resembles less a horse and more a leggy sausage, and seems fond of ingesting my commands and then ignoring them in their entirety.”
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I have to warn you, Henry is an absolute ass at first. He's selfish, ignorant, and suffers from a severe case of first world problems. Lee does a wonderful job of sympathizing him to us though and he gradually, eventually, finally becomes more self-aware.
In terms of writing, I can safely say if you're anticipating a more archaic style, this book isn't for you. The Gentleman's Guide is rather modern in style, if not in setting. It's written in a fantastically witty way without crossing into silly territory.
I mentioned the setting because it doesn't shy away from racism, sexism or homophobia. These things existed and were widespread, and they're not shoved under a carpet here. Percy is of mixed race and has a darker complexion than most. People treat him differently because of that, including a brilliant, but cringe-worthy moment where a duchess declares she's against slavery and asks him whereabouts from Africa he lived, even though Percy tells her again and again he was born in Britain. Felicity too, who loves her brother and doesn't view him as "Other", finds it hard to accept that Henry is attracted to men.
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Mental/physical disability is also a major theme. I'm not sure how much I can say without giving away spoilers, but I will say that I like its stance on the Magical Cure. The Magical Cure is supposedly the handicapped person's dream, the elixir that will make him or her normal again. Here, it's not the afflicted who yearns for a cure, but the normal person who believes they are abnormal and will never be happy unless they're cured.
The plot is rather Point A to Point B. Really, it's mostly the characters tumbling into one mess and then another with a vague goal holding up the structure. (view spoiler)[And the ending, with Henry and Percy deciding to leave their families behind and start over with basically nothing, was a little too cheesy and impractical for my tastes. (hide spoiler)]
"The year I was seventeen, I had five best friends—a Pixie, a president, a pretender, a puker, and a douchebag—and I was in love with all of them f
"The year I was seventeen, I had five best friends—a Pixie, a president, a pretender, a puker, and a douchebag—and I was in love with all of them for different reasons."
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Dress Codes for Small Towns is like Starbucks's Unicorn Frappuccino. You like the idea of it. You think it looks sleek and colorful in those retouched Facebook ads or through an Instagram filter, but it just isn't good.
A lot of other people like it. It's just you.
The concept is unique and diverse. Billie is a gender-fluid teen living in a small town down South, which has conservative ideas regarding gender norms and sexuality. Her dad's preacher. Billie herself believes in God and never loses her faith.
"I decided that church members would never tell me what to do again. (Jesus could have his say—I was a person of faith; I just wasn't a person of legalistic bullshit.) Those women threw stones over a football and a girl who girled differently from them. That's the real problem—not people leaving the church, not Christians acting like Pharisees, not making up rules that don't exist."
But god, was it boring. The whole book is about normal teenagers doing normal teenager stuff and a competition for a Corn Dolly—a local community award exclusive to women. The sheer slice-of-lifeness of it all bore me to tears. And there's often unnecessary internal monologue about the town's history and customs, which I suppose has its appeal if you were heavily invested, but to me, it just added to the dull factor.
The dialogue comes off as pretentious at times, too.
"I don't kiss everyone. I kiss the people who have the little pieces of my soul I've been looking for."
Fans of YA Contemporary who are looking for a little diversity in their reads will adore this. But it wasn't my cup of tea.
"Why do you think that is, that you love these people you don't know."
Midnight at the Electric, like Anderson's other works, is a very literary so
"Why do you think that is, that you love these people you don't know."
Midnight at the Electric, like Anderson's other works, is a very literary sort of novel. It's quiet, character-focused, with prose that is simple yet elegant.
For that reason, her books often don't get the attention they deserve. It's too highbrow for YA. I confess I'm guilty of that too in this case. While Tiger Lily took my breath away with its quiet ferocity, Midnight at the Electric took me three months to read and left very little impact. I can't remember a single character's name, except for the niggling feeling that I should have enjoyed it more than I did.
What I can tell you is that it's a story of three women spanning decades and continents. It's a story of deep-boned love preserved like a flower pressed between pages.
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I do hope you give it a try. I know I didn't rate it high, but that's not a testament to its value. Not this time.
"'Once, I was a mouse,' she says and strips off her glove. She reaches into the cage to stroke the rodent's tiny bald haunches.
'But I am not anymor
"'Once, I was a mouse,' she says and strips off her glove. She reaches into the cage to stroke the rodent's tiny bald haunches.
'But I am not anymore.'
Since this worked out so well last time:
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After the bloody events of the Quickening last book, one would be forgiven for expecting, nay, anticipating murder, mayhem, and violent mind games this round. One would expect the queens to focus tunnel vision-like on the prospect of winning and continued existence.
...Right?
"Not as beautiful as that." Nicolas bends and kisses the back of her gloved hand. "Not as beautiful as you."
Katharine blushes and nods downfield toward the targets.
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Katharine, my reborn poisoner, my best hope for some slaughter, has reverted back to a blushing milkmaid in the presence of a new hot suitor. You'd think she'd show some suspicion or caution towards handsome, unusually nice strangers after what happened with Pietyr, but either she's the most confident idiot in the world or the most hormonal. Take your pick.
(view spoiler)[She buys Pietyr's explanation way too easily. Granted, it takes nearly the entire book for her to accept him again, but there's not nearly as much mistrust and hatred as I expected. (hide spoiler)]
As someone who's writing a thesis on literary doubles, it gets frustrating when the duality between Nicolas (Katharine's new suitor) and Pietyr are presented with the subtlety of a knock knock joke. Katharine literally says Pietyr is her better half, the one who wants her to be softer, kinder. Nicolas relishes violence and feeds her dark side.
There's just so much goddamn romance. The first 30% of One Dark Throne is occupied with the queens' various romantic storylines, with Katharine occasionally sending out poisoned clothes as a transparent attempt to create tension.
I don't mind romance. Honestly, I don't. But when the blurb promises high stakes and war, I expect blood to flow all the way up to my knees.
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Arinsoe and Mirabelle. I had little to no expectations for these two, so I wasn't that disappointed when they sat back like the vanilla bread rolls they are. This series tries so hard to sell me that it's morally grey!, these characters are dark! when they are as pure as fresh stream water. (view spoiler)[Katharine's newfound darkness, as it turns out, is the result of weird malevolent magic. (hide spoiler)]
What I do have are questions:
1) Why does Arinsoe's low magic spell work astonishingly well after the disaster with the bear last time?
2) Actually, why is she still using low magic at all, given what happened? Why doesn't she at least hesitate or show inner turmoil?
3) Why would anyone randomly pick up a knife off the ground and then use it to slice meat? This doesn't make much sense if you haven't read the book, but the aftermath of this ludicrous decision sets quite a few plot wheels spinning.
Dare I say, plot convenience?
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(view spoiler)[Joseph's death is yawn. Does anyone really care about him? He's like the Mal of this series. (hide spoiler)]
The writing and world-building are still frustratingly sparse. On the former, the narrative gives off a traditional "fairy tale" vibe where we have action and dialogue, but we never have a solid handle on its characters. One Dark Throne largely foregoes stream-of-consciousness narrative (inner thoughts/monologue, simply put), so it's hard for me, personally, to relate to these characters. It lacks intimacy. They're plot pieces, not people.
As for world-building, two full-length books have gone by and I still don't have a good idea what Fennbirn looks like nor the three clans' culture and surroundings. (Truthfully, I don't have a clue what the sisters look like either) There are poisoners and naturalists and elementals... and then what? There's nothing to expand on. All I get from Wolf Spring (naturalist Arinsoe's home) is they're big on fried clams. But it's been two books! I should know more than fried clams.
Towards the end, we are led to believe that we'll receive world expansion in the form of the mainland, though I stand by my point. It's been two books. Nearly 800 pages. We should know more. I should feel more.
“This brings us to the real start of our story: northern England, 1834, and the aforementioned penniless, orphaned girl. And a writer. And a boy wi
“This brings us to the real start of our story: northern England, 1834, and the aforementioned penniless, orphaned girl. And a writer. And a boy with a vendetta.
Let’s start with the girl.
Her name was Jane.”
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I'm currently doing an MPhil in English Literature and Jane Eyre is one of the books I'm examining. What this means is I know every freaking inch of the novel. I know what scholars have said, I know the dirty racist and imperialist undertones, I know critical interpretations of barely there minor characters like Rosaline or Grace Poole.
Reader, it could've gone very well or very badly. Unfortunately my experience inclines towards the latter.
It's too silly. My Plain Jane follows the same vein as its predecessor, so it's filled with absurd humor and wink-wink modern pop culture references. Whereas it mostly worked for My Lady Jane, I'm too involved with the original text to accept such liberties.
I did like that (view spoiler)[did away with Bertha's madness, though they basically went around and transmuted that problematic aspect onto another character. Grace Poole is dehumanized and turned into a flat sociopath, and not in an interesting Sherlock way either. (hide spoiler)] Female friendship also takes a front seat, in contrast to the original novel. You can bang on about Jane's childhood BFF Helen all you want, but you can't deny Bronte's debut is vicious against other women. Helen dies, by the way, and her death is used to further Jane's character development. But in My Plain Jane, the relationships are much more equal. Both Jane and Charlotte have their own storyline, complementing instead of overshining the other. Romance plays a relatively big part, though it’s rather typical and not as memorable as the platonic bonds.
One thing I absolutely have to bring up (and I suspect this will annoy a total of absolutely no one except me) is how often they bring up Mr. Darcy from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.
“Helen knew exactly what to say. 'Never in any Jane Austen novel did the love interest pretend to be a fortune teller,' Helen said. 'Why would someone do that? Jane, you must confront him.
Jane was having a difficult time ignoring her friend. Surely they couldn't expect any real person to compete with Mr. Darcy.”
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Charlotte Bronte loathed Austen. That’s cold hard fact. And it's very unlikely they would've had the opportunity to read Austen's works in the first place. Yes, Jane Eyre was a bookworm in the original novel. But Austen was published in the 1830s. Jane Eyre was published in 1847. Books were really expensive in the Victorian era. I can’t remember the exact sum but the average working-class man would have to save up at least several months of his wages to buy one novel. It was one of the ways the elites controlled the class system. Usually the public got their books from the library. I doubt the Reeds bought new books. Given that Bronte and Eyre are orphans, I doubt anyone bought them to the library to learn about Mr. Darcy. The real Bronte didn’t read Austen until her first novel was published.
I know this is a book about ghosts and spook-hunting and I have no grounds to complain about the historical accuracy of ancient author drama, but it goes back to my first point: I know too much about Victorian literature to suspend my disbelief.
Casual fans will adore this light-hearted retelling. Readers who adored My Lady Jane will rejoice. Sadly it wasn't for me.
"One night reviled, before break of morn, amid the roses wild, all tangled in thorns, the shadow and the child together were born. The bri
2.5 stars
"One night reviled, before break of morn, amid the roses wild, all tangled in thorns, the shadow and the child together were born. The bright sun did spin, the moon swallowed day, when one her dear twin forever did slay."
What happens in Spindle Fire, a retelling of Sleeping Beauty, you ask? Here's the short version:
Half sisters Isabelle and Aurora: Omg, we love each other!
Isabelle: I would do anything for you!
Aurora: I would do anything for you!
Evil government agent: Isabelle, we're sending you to a convent.
Isabelle: No, I don't want to go!
Isabelle's childhood best friend Gil: Yo, babe, I'm hitching a ride to my relative's house forever. Wanna come with?
Isabelle:
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Um, yeah. Btw, I hate Aurora now because she's a princess and I'm not.
(They leave)
Random faerie: *does faerie things*
Aurora: *wandering around sad in an aesthetic way* I have to get Isabelle back. I'm going to go after her right now—Ooh, an abandoned cottage! Ooh, shiny thing...
(She falls into a deep sleep and wakes in Sommeil, a land in a dream dimension)
Aurora: Wh-where am I?
Hot stranger Heath: Are you a malevolent spirit? ANSWER ME! No? Then *presses his finger to her lips* chill, babe, I'll protect you.
Aurora:
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Random faerie: *does faerie things*
Isabelle: Oh noes, my country has the sleeping sickness!? I must save my sister!
Gil: *thinking how much he loves Isabelle, but can't act on it because of honor* Huh? Oh, yeah, sure. Let's get in this boat.
Boat guy: We're a whaling ship. Here, blind girl, you man the harpoon.
Isabelle: *pulled off the boat and disappears into the sea*
Boat guy: Huh. Maybe that wasn't such a good idea.
Aurora: I have to return to my world, but Heath is so hot. When he touches me, I just—
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Isabelle: I'm alive! I have to find my sister's betrothed Prince William because only true love can save her. *breaks into the Prince's royal chambers* You have to come with me right now to my virus-ridden country!
Prince William: Well, it is highly unorthodox, but okay. We have to sneak out because my advisers would selfishly stop me from going.
Aurora: Oh, Heath. I mean, Isabelle. I have to go back.
Random faerie: *does faerie things*
Isabelle: Oh, Gil, love of my life, I miss you so. But William is really sexy. No, bad Isabelle, he's for Aurora.
Prince William: *breathes*
Isabelle:
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Random faerie: *does faerie things*
Isabelle: This convent that kindly took us in seems to be hiding something. Let's investigate!
Prince William: K
Nun: What the flip do you think you're doing?
Isabelle: Um—
Nun: That seems like a reasonable explanation. Come, you must make haste to rescue the princess!
Isabelle: Who? Oh yeah, her. Sorry, I've been really busy angsting over Gil and William.
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You get the idea. I love that the sisters are physically disabled (Aurora is mute and has no sense of touch, and Isabelle is blind), but the story surrounding them is lacking. Too much time was devoted to the multiple romances and not enough on the sisters' relationship. And the middle dragged like a cram school kid's backpack.
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