It came to Ho Thi Thao that perhaps she wanted to learn how else the scholar was beautiful, and even in what ways the scholar might be ugly, which
It came to Ho Thi Thao that perhaps she wanted to learn how else the scholar was beautiful, and even in what ways the scholar might be ugly, which could also be fascinating and beloved.
REREAD 2023. I understand why I gave this 4.5 stars the first time I read it, but upon reread... nah, it deserves nothing less than the full 5 stars. It's the perfect story to me, both in structure and in content, and even though I desperately want more about the tiger sisters, the Ho Thi Thao/Dieu story has my entire heart. Stories within stories remain one of my favourite devices, as well as seeing how stories mutate depending on who is telling it, and to whom, and where they got it from in the first place. Also, I just really think there should be more romances where predators fall in love with their food. That's my jam. Listened to the audiobook as read by Cindy Kay, whose voices for the tigers were just top notch. I'm very excited to continue this novella series with Chih!
“I am yours, and so I will be your light and your laughter. I am yours, so open your eyes to look at me, and open your mouth so that I may kiss it. I am yours, I am yours, and nevermore will I leave.”
--
“I will not eat unless it is from your hands.”
4.5 stars. I am so so so completely in love with this story, so much so that I'm tempted to go back and reread the first one, because maybe upon reread that one will work better for me? This was fascinating and lovely, so well-written, and has a better love story at its heart than a lot of romance that I've read. We're back with Chih, the travelling cleric, who is being guided through the mountains by a friendly mammoth rider. However, they find themselves cornered by three hungry tigers, and telling a story that just might, hopefully, save their lives. I LOVED this; one part of it particularly spoke directly to my id. Namely, of course, a predator falling in love with someone they would usually see as prey, and the unorthodox courtship that follows. Ho Thi Thao is SUCH a great character; someone who's clawed her way to the top, ruthless and direct, yet so devoted. As always, I love stories within stories, and I love how this one felt more involved than the one in the first novella? Like how the tigers kept interrupting Chih, and Si-yu would make her comments, and how we basically got told two versions of the same tale. (Predictably, I like the tigers' version better.) The poetry bits in this were hand-to-throat beautiful, and I kept lingering over them.
Listened to the audiobook as read by Cindy Kay, and maybe it's just because I enjoyed the material more, but I did enjoy her narration more than in the first novella. Especially her voices for the tigers. This has me very enthused about reading the other novellas in this series when Vo writes them. Chih is such an interesting central character, and I can't wait to see what other stories they'll uncover....more
When Ari opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was a splendidly potted and cared-for Barmensis nobu sitting on a small table across from her bed
When Ari opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was a splendidly potted and cared-for Barmensis nobu sitting on a small table across from her bed.
REREAD 2022. I read this for the first time only about six months ago, but I felt like I just had to reread it before the end of the year to see if it holds up as my favourite read of 2022. And unless something really good comes along in the next couple of weeks, it is. I adore this so so much. Everything I want in romance, with a dynamic and dialogue that just send me out of my mind. I feel like this could easily turn into a comfort read for me, like turning on a radio and just hearing all of my favourite hits play one after the next. I'm just so amazed and impressed that this book took so many things that I usually don't really like (the main character having very little interactions with anyone other than the love interest, a plot that involves the reader being aware of a plot twist long before the character, an age gap that's bigger than what I usually enjoy) and put it into a story and romance that I'm just obsessed with. This is an all-time favourite for sure.
--
“Don’t ask me to let you go. Do you understand? Do not ask me.”
When was the last time I started a book, and within the first chapter I already knew it was going to be a 5 star? I don't know! It's probably never happened before! The thing is, this book comprises so many things and situations that I normally wouldn't like or love, but somehow... this was perfect, holy crap. Obviously not perfect perfect, but perfect in so many ways that I don't care about the flaws. It's the best argument I could think to make for continuing to give things a try even if they aren't my favourite.
It's a sci-fi romance that takes place aboard an imperial space station. Ariana is the captain's eccentric, nerdy botanist daughter, and one day her father makes her a gift of a slave who was captured from an infamous pirate queen's ship. Her new slave is a cold, proud, wilful and darkly charming older woman who has no name; Ari takes to simply calling her 'Assistant', as she hates the practice of slavery and the thought of having one. This book started its life as fanfiction, which I could immediately tell, and I immediately loved. (Even though I've never seen TDWP. I know, I know, I'm probably the last gay in the village not to have.) Even though I don't read much fic these days, there's just something I truly love about fic writers' approach to romance. There was great development and chemistry and spark, and even though I'm THEE slow burn fanatic, I honestly didn't mind that this got steamy before the 50% mark. I kind of loved it. This is trope reversal in the way I love it best. Assistant is ostensibly a slave, but Ari only has power over her on paper, because she's dominant in every other way. I just adore this kind of intense love, first love, love that kind of edges into co-dependency. Not the healthiest thing! But I love it because they're both aware of it, even if they fight it to different degrees. They become everything to each other, and I believed it. One of my favourite types of dynamics. Also, it's D/s written in exactly the way I like it.
“There is no ‘should,’” Assistant said softly. “Not when it comes to this. Forget ‘should.’” She stroked Ari’s back, and Ari shivered. “Trust me,” she murmured. “Trust me.”
The big thing about this book that I usually wouldn't like is that we, as the readers, are aware of a certain detail from pretty much the start of the book, and Ari, our only POV character, has no clue. It's not something that should be obvious to her; it's just something that's clear to us because, well, we're reading a book, and we know how these things work. I usually hate that, having info and waiting for the characters to catch on. I'm pretty sure I mentioned it a few reviews ago. But I loved it in this case, because it dealt with identity, and was a great source of tension. Another thing I usually don't like is super naïve characters. I don't mind innocence at all, but only up to a point. However, I found Ariana's naïveté to be charming and sweet and lovely, not at all annoying, because it was balanced with her intelligence and strength of character. I truly truly loved her. As for Assistant... ...more
When I read the previous version of this collection last year, it was my favourite of the year. I loved t
What a fragile, necessary thing love was.
When I read the previous version of this collection last year, it was my favourite of the year. I loved this version just as much, and what's more, I'm super glad that I got to experience both versions. This collection was missing a few of the original stories, but there were some additions that I really really liked (including some short stories of Cho's that I'd read and enjoyed on their own). Everything I loved about the collection still stands: Zen Cho's creativity, the melding of fantasy with real life concerns, particularly in the way she integrates it with culture, language, dialect (...more
“You asked me not to.” They were ruined. They were broken.
RE-READ 2022. Nothing to add, really. Still pretty much a perfect book to me, speaks to m
“You asked me not to.” They were ruined. They were broken.
RE-READ 2022. Nothing to add, really. Still pretty much a perfect book to me, speaks to my id so absolutely it's almost a joke. Psychological horror at its best, with one of my favourite relationships... ever.
--
She hadn’t planned, because her goal hadn’t been in the future. It had always been behind her, pulling her back, pulling her down.
I'm flat on my back. This was one of the best books I've ever read.
I feel like I always say it: I don't like horror and I don't read it. I don't enjoy being scared and when any form of media uses cheap tactics or jump-scares or gratuitous gore to scare me, I get pissed off (and also scared, because I'm a giant baby). But recently, I've been talking to several friends about different types of horror and the ways writers employ them, and the one of the things discussed is that the most effective kind of horror for me is psychological horror that DOESN'T lean heavy on mental illness; the kind of horror that shows the characters in fear, and their fear makes you even more scared, just experiencing it with and through them.
I went into this totally blind, which I do think increased my fear. And I kind of think the blurb gives away a little too much? Some of the reviews I've seen were disappointed because the blurbs compare it to other books, and I do think it's best if you go in with no expectations whatsoever. But the basics are: we're on a colony on a mining world where a lot of people find work as lone cavers diving looking for lucrative minerals; very high risk, high reward. Gyre has just signed onto a job where she's not been completely honest about her qualifications, because she's desperate to get off-world. Usually, cavers are monitored through their complicated full body suits by a team full of handlers. But Gyre soon realises she only has one handler; a woman who's not quite what she seems, and isn't being totally honest about the job.
I spent... a solid 80% of this book scared out of my fucking mind. I mean, be aware that I am a consummate scaredy-cat, and as said before, I don't read a lot of horror (especially not ACTUALLY scary horror), so I don't have much to compare it to. But just... the creeping claustrophobia of this, the paranoia of the climb, the terror of not knowing what's waiting in the cave, all the uncertainty, all the slow reveals... I was so, so scared, and even though I hated it, it was so skilfully and artfully done I just have to give kudos. The writing was just SPOT on; beautiful and effective in the worst way. At times I would look at how much time was left on the audiobook, and wonder how the book could possibly go on for longer, but everything that happens was agonisingly perfect, and so well-paced and just really well done, and really terrifying. Again, to set expectations: I am a big baby. I get scared easy. But I genuinely think this was so freaking good.
Em was the only memory left to her, the only real person, and her imagination built a shrine to her.
All of that said, this wouldn't have been half as meaningful and memorable to me if it hadn't been for the relationship. I don't recommend anyone get into this JUST for the romance, because this is mostly about the horror, and also I don't think you can accurately even call it a romance, but this has some elements that I'm absolutely WEAK for when it comes to relationships and character interaction. Falling for someone when you don't fully trust them, falling for someone in a situation where it isn't really advisable, falling for someone (almost) through voice alone, people going through incredibly stressful and traumatic events together and growing closer because of it. Not everything is healthy, and these women are monstrously complicated, and so much about this is a little fucked up. And I absolutely loved every second of it. By the end of this I wanted to tear my hair out over these two.
Listened to the audiobook as read by Adenrele Ojo, which might be why I was so terrified. Listening to a book like this, where the dread and the fear are done so well, and you don't have the opportunity to skim text or skip ahead to see what's coming... oh boy. It was really well performed though, and I feel like I made a permanent bond with Gyre and Em, and because all of their communication took place ia voice alone, it was a great way to experience this.
This was just... pretty much perfect. This book gripped me tight and didn't let me go until it was good and ready, and I'm thankful that I came out of it feeling very satisfied; I don't think I could have borne it, if this book made me feel anything other than that. I don't know who I'd rec this to, if anyone, but jeez. I loved it.
Yes! YES!!! Any time I complain about mysteries or thrillers to saThat was what murder was - as easy as that!
But afterwards you went on remembering...
Yes! YES!!! Any time I complain about mysteries or thrillers to say that I'm not getting exactly what I want from them, THIS. This is exactly what I want! I want an engaging story that keeps me guessing, keeps me thinking of theories and ideas, makes me think that that story is good but predictable because it's clever and all but I've figured out the killer. Then it turns out that I'm dead wrong, I didn't know after all, but when everything is revealed it turns out I could have figured it out, I had the tools, the author laid out enough hints; I went back and looked at them. But she also skilfully directed my attention elsewhere, so I didn't think to use the information that I'd been given. I spent half the book thinking that there would be a very different plot twist, thinking that a certain piece of information was a red herring, when it was actually fact. And I love that so freaking much. This is mystery!
It also helps that I really am fond of this type of cosy, old-school storytelling and style in mysteries. I was reminded very pleasantly of reading a Holmesian novel. (I think Christie's plotting was better, though I didn't fall in love with any of her characters like ACD made me fall in love with Holmes and Watson.) I looooove ensemble cast mysteries; they're the only type of books where I not only don't mind, but like having an omniscient POV. Honestly, I find that I only like omniscient POV in older books; some day I'll manage to put a finger on what exactly it is that the authors do to make me like it.
Shame about the island name and the yikes of the overall motif/rhyme.
Listened to the audiobook as read by Hugh Fraser, and it was a really good time. He did a great job with all the POVs and the emotions and keeping the tensions high when it needed to be so. Very enjoyable!
I just feel so lucky that in all my years of reading I wasn't spoiled for this really remarkable book that's just everything I look for in a mystery, totally up my alley. Clearly I need to get off my ass and read more of Christie. I love a reading experience like this, where I'm so engaged. 4.5 stars. Loved it!
(It has to be mentioned, because I'm gay and approximately 5 years old: I giggled every time someone was described as queer or "not straight; not straight at all!" Lol. Sorry.)...more
“I must no longer accept,” she said slowly, “being a stranger to you.”
REREAD 2022. No notes! This is one of my all time favourites for a reason, a
“I must no longer accept,” she said slowly, “being a stranger to you.”
REREAD 2022. No notes! This is one of my all time favourites for a reason, and I knew I couldn't go into Nona without rereading it again. Buddy read again with Hsinju! The relationship in this book is like, perfectly tailored to the things I love in fiction, and losing myself in this world again was sublime.
--
“Death first to vultures and scavengers.”
REREAD 2021. Another great buddy read with Hsinju! ...more
I adored this collection of novellas; ADORED IT. It was my second experience with Le Guin, and while I liked "O, o, Ye-o-we, nobody never comes back."
I adored this collection of novellas; ADORED IT. It was my second experience with Le Guin, and while I liked the first one a lot (LHOD) it was in this collection that I really saw what people mean when they talk about the beauty of Le Guin's writing. I listened to this on audiobook but I know if I'd read it, half of it would be highlighted, so awed was I by the loveliness of her prose. As it is, I have a bunch of clips saved. In The Left Hand of Darkness I was struck by the simplicity of her writing, and that's still there, but it's also so rich and raw. And the world building is so extensive and intricate and far-reaching and exploratory... THIS IS SCIENCE FICTION! I can't really explain what I want out of scifi, though it's one of my favourite genres, but whatever it is that I want, Le Guin delivers! And she delivers it while commenting on gender and sexuality and race and slavery and humanity. Which you just don't expect to get meaningful commentaries on in scifi of this era. Or I guess I don't expect to? Haha so much scifi is so bad...
But this was GOOD.
Let me get this out of the way: I didn't like the Earthsea stories. Like I said, I'm fairly new to Le Guin and I'm not familiar with the Earthsea world and nothing about them really clicked with me. It was neat, sure, but there was a lot I didn't understand. It was only afterwards that I read a review that mentioned that the Earthsea stories would really benefit from familiarity with the rest of the books/world. But also I mean... I'm not super familiar with the Hainish Cycle either and I devoured those stories. I guess they just weren't for me. I'm actually going to take A Wizard of Earthsea off of my 'Want to Read' list because I don't think I actually do want read it. And I'm at peace with that.
And now, a few brief words on the novellas I liked best.
(view spoiler)["Buffalo Girls Won't You Come Out Tonight" - Very creatively charming, even while it was very sobering. I love crass, swaggering, uncouth women in fiction, especially as motherly figures (which Coyote was, even while she decidedly wasn't).
"The Matter of Seggri" - This was sooooo good. What a creative and engaging way to tell a story; across characters and generations, different points of view, fiction and non-fiction. And generally I don't think I'd care for a 'look at sexism, except reversed!' type of story, but you can't describe this novella in those terms without oversimplifying the themes. I really loved the MC in the last biographical account; his yearning just to be allowed to BE touched me in a very particular place.
"A Fisherman of the Inland Sea" - My favourite story of the collection and the reason I bought it in the first place. I've wanted to read this story for years! Not just to learn more about sedoretus from the source (and GOD, I love it even more now, why aren't there billions of stories about the intricacies and ins-and-outs of societal polyamory) but for everything else. I'm a sucker for time travel and second chances and love that creeps up on you. And this novella had some great background characters; I loved all of Hideo's parents. "Bad! None of 'em will ever drown!"
"A Woman's Liberation" - I liked all of the stories in 'Four Ways to Forgiveness' but this one stood out to me especially. (And I do want to read the fifth story some day!) Rakam's story was hard, almost crushingly so, but by the time we got around to it I was glad, because these stories about Yeowe and Werel needed a perspective from within. Very well told; I like how it shone light on abolitionists who seem to think they can write away the problems of slavery in an afternoon (with disastrous results) and the ways women can be complicit in other women's subjugation, even amidst their own discrimination.
"Paradises Lost" - *pounds fists on table* SCIFI!!! I think I'm obsessed with transitional stories now. Or, what do you call this, generational space travel? Whatever: it was VERY good. All about the particular society that emerges amongst a people who live to travel, survive simply so that their descendants will reach the place that their ancestors plotted a course for. As the middle generations, they have almost no agency; they didn't decide to get on the ship, and they'll barely be alive when it's time to get off the ship. And so of course, for some people, life becomes more about the journey than the destinations... The story and characters that Le Guin builds up around this premise is phenomenal. (hide spoiler)]
Really great collection. Took me two months of slow listening but it was very much worth it....more
Which seems strange after we’ve killed so many of them to do it, but it’s been obvious since the beginning that wars make no sense. You kill people toWhich seems strange after we’ve killed so many of them to do it, but it’s been obvious since the beginning that wars make no sense. You kill people to tell them you want to stop killing them.
Monsters of men, I think. And women.
Oh man. This one is going to stay with me for a long time.
(view spoiler)[Things I loved: - 1017. The Return. THE SKY. Definitely the standout character of the book, of the entire series if you take it all into consideration. I love him so much: his anger, his pain, his bitterness, his fury turned inside and out. I loved him even more for all of his similarities with Todd. One of the Land who can't kill. Events near the end almost destroyed me, because I felt so despondent and hopeless that he would kill Todd by accident of all things, because he lost his innocence in such a horrid nonsensical way. I'm so so happy at the way it actually did turn out, and that he can learn from this, and become a better Sky because of it. I ADORE the way it was paralleled with that Spackle Todd killed by the river, so long ago. - The Land. Nothing makes me happier than sci-fi set on alien planets where we actually get the point of view of the native species, where the aliens species aren't just humans with different coloured skin but have drastically different cultures and ways of speaking and living and THINKING. I was thrilled to get the Return's POV for this reason too. For a long time the Return was all I was reading this book for, because I was so excited to get more insight into the Land. And it did not disappoint. - Like I said, I was really upset about Todd's death (when I thought it was real) because it was such a horrible way to end, it made everything seem so pointless, but I'm so glad it happened that way. Since Book 2, I think, Viola's been wondering about whether or not how much she and Todd love each other is an asset or just dangerous, and then there was the bomb at the start of the book... She NEEDED to not take that step for revenge, she needed to feel the pain and awful loss of Todd's death and not kill the Sky for what he'd done, she needed to let it go for the sake of the planet and the planet's future. It could never not be personal for her, but she needed to look past it, despite her love for Todd. It was a good way to tie up things that have been brought up since the earlies. And I was so proud of her. - Ben. Holy crap! I love the idea that in the future humans and the Land can come together in an even more harmonious way, and Ben being the symbol of that was really beautiful. And I'm so glad Todd still has his father. T__T - The mayor is finally dead, thank god. The answer to the question "Is he redeemable?" is an obvious NO from me and I was a little worried things might turn out differently? But thank goodness, it didn't. Yeah boo hoo, too bad about the emptiness of his Noise and whatever but no one cares, have fun getting digested asshole. (I sort of would not have minded if 1017 had been the one to kill him, but it's much better this way.) - So many of the side characters! Mistress Coyle, revolutionary until the end. (Not... totally satisfied with how that played out, but I definitely foresaw both her and the Mayor dying before the end.) Bradley, unstoppable force for peace. Wilf, man and animals' best friend, always making solid good sense. - I listened to the audiobook and the performances from each voice actor was phenomenal, but mostly I loved Andrew McCleod as the Return. Holy shit. So raw, so emotional, so full of feeling... it was seriously great.
This was a great great ending to a great great series. I actually like that it ended before Todd actually wakes up, because it means we're left with one of the overarching themes of the series: hope. (hide spoiler)]...more
This is love. Not the kind that takes over your mind when you first meet someone and fall head over heels in love. Not the kind that grows between
This is love. Not the kind that takes over your mind when you first meet someone and fall head over heels in love. Not the kind that grows between two people when friendship is no longer enough. But the kind of love that is born from acute need, from kinship, from a pain so ruthless it leaves nothing in its wake.
REREAD 2023. I figured there was a good chance I wouldn't love this quite as much as I did the first time I read it. And I was kinda right on that score; I had my little issues with the writing, some of the believability, and the length. This really could have used 50 more pages of slow burn. If I'd read this for the first time today I'd probably give it 4 stars, maybe 4.5? But look, this still gets the full 5 stars from me because of pure nostalgia, and also because I am who I am! I love age gaps, I love a certain type of taboo, I love romances that aren't necessarily healthy but feel vital and real to both people. This was so good and I loved it so much. It starts out with a healthy dose of co-dependency, and you could argue that that never really goes away, but also... I didn't mind? Whoops. I loved them both so much. Dolores is a complete dream and I really liked being in Sophie's POV. I've read a fair few Harper Bliss books over the years, and I still think this is my favourite writing from her. The exploration of grief is really acute, and I'm glad that Ian is such a huge presence in this book. The books doesn't shy away from the strangeness of the dynamic, of dating the woman who was your mother-in-law in all but name. And IDK, the execution worked for me. I love this couple very very dearly.
Listened to the audiobook as read by Charlotte North, which was amazing. I'm so sad she doesn't narrate more sapphic books, because I love her voices and her style. The way she narrated Dolores was so dreamy. The entire book is really just catnip to me. I'll stop myself from saying more, because my original review is embarrassing and gushy enough. It's definitely not perfect, but it has a special place in my heart, especially as it's one of the books that really got me back into reading lesbian romance.
“But if a kiss can make you feel a little bit like your old self again, a little more human, a little more than the survivor you are now, then I’ll kiss you every day.”
--
HOLY CRAP WHERE DO I BEGIN I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH.
This should have been tacky. It should have been tacky and silly and I got it with that full expectation, I'm just a dumb lez who likes older women so I thought 'I'll read this and have a good laugh at how bad it is, hopefully it's sexy'.
And while I did laugh, and it is sexy, it's so much more than I was expecting.
(view spoiler)[In part, it's a story of loss and grief. And that aspect was never trivialised, never minimised. As someone who's also had someone close to me die, I always cringe internally at books that involve grief, because it's often never quite right. Especially in romance novels, where you can just feel the author getting tired of the subject and just wanting to get to the sex and the romance. I was actually just complaining about this very recently from multiple books, albeit vis-à-vis suicide and mental illness and racism; where authors just bring up the topic to lend their book gravitas, but they don't actually address the issue. But this book didn't do that; the grief felt tangible, and even though Ian is dead at the beginning of the book, he felt like a character in his own right, with how much both Sophie and Dolores loved and missed him. And again, it was never trivialised, it never felt tacky or weird. It was SO well written in that aspect.
But this is also a love story, and it's sooooo fucking good at that. An unconventional one, but the romance was sooooooo good. This could have all fallen apart if it was badly written or (arguably worse) badly paced but it was great in that aspect. I adoooooore slow burn, and this was slow enough to more than sate me. (I wouldn't have minded if it had taken even more time for them to realise that their growing feelings for one another were romantic, but this isn't a complaint, because when it did happen it was so ksjhfskjdhfskj GOOD.) Also I love that it all started with one of my favourite tropes, sharing a bed. And it was totally innocent, just about sharing their grief and finding comfort in one another. I would have HATED if it just started out with sex. The fact that it took time to turn into more... I loved it! Sophie and Dolores were great characters, oh man, I care about them so much. Dolores in particular was so well-written. Her age was addressed but not overemphasised, and her experience and light and love for the people in her life came through really well. Even though the book is told solely through Sophie's eyes I feel like I came to know Dolores just as much.
Oh, sidebar: Sophie's letters to Ian? GREAT ADDITION, it really went a long way towards making the whole process feel less weird, more natural, because she worked through her feelings about Dolores in front of both him and us. So to speak.
I just... kept waiting for this book to disappoint me and it didn't. I thought it might, when Dolores and Sophie had their fight and Dolores told Sophie that she should speak to her mother. I was worried for a while that it would devolve into Sophie realising that her mother isn't that bad, or that she should make an effort, or that she's been unfair to sort of cut her mother out of her life. But it didn't! She didn't change her mind! And Dolores apologised for suggesting it! And it was great. Many people, like myself and Ian, have great mothers who we love, but other people DON'T. Sometimes your parents are shit (intentionally or otherwise) and you don't owe them shit. And the fact that this, a momfucker book, brought that up, means so much to me.
(Yeah, I've been calling it the momfucker book in my head.)
What else... the romance, as I said, was good. The sex was, lol, really good. It made me laugh, it made me tear up. The side characters were real and varied and believable. There was no immediate, unconditional acceptance of Sophie and Dolores' new relationship. Sophie came to the realisation that she's bisexual without much fuss, which I was glad for; so many f/f and m/m books seem to be allergic to the B-word. Of course, I need to mention that I listened to this as an audiobook. Charlotte North did an amazing job. One, she just had a voice that I liked, and two... I don't know, she was just really expressive and evocative.
Man... as with all other books that I give 5 stars, I feel compelled to say that it probably wasn't a perfect book. There are probably flaws that I noticed while reading that I'm forgetting now in the happy haze of finishing a book that I really enjoyed. But that's the point. I really really enjoyed this book, I loved it so much, and that's worth the 5 stars to me. (hide spoiler)]...more
Probably one of the most important books I'll ever read. I love science fiction as a genre because it's a way to escape, and this story did that for mProbably one of the most important books I'll ever read. I love science fiction as a genre because it's a way to escape, and this story did that for me while making me feel closer to home, more than ever. I think I also just read this at the very right time that I needed to. Another time all the beat down Tan-Tan get beat down might have sour me too much to enjoy it properly, but by the end of the book, I couldn't vex. I just felt strong, and good. It feels good to have so many familiar things captured in a vivid, beautiful, painful story like this.
Hopkinson does such a good job of melding Trini/Jamaican (and possibly others that I didn't recognise) culture with fantasy and science fiction, it took two twos for it to just hook me in. Douens as a whole different race! Granny Nanny, mother of all! Papa Bois, part of the flora! And jeez, the Midnight Robber. Such a traditionally masculine figure, but she feminised the role so well through Tan-Tan, and it was just as fierce and strong and cutting. Her last robber speech had me near tears in the best/worst way.
I don't know, there are a few things that I might have wished to be done differently (view spoiler)[(up until the last few pages, I was still fervently hoping that Tan-Tan would find a way to get the abortion that she wanted) (hide spoiler)] but it's not often that I get to read a book that takes me back to my childhood and catapults me into the future like this. The book left me hungry for more; it's amazing as is, but I would still read a hundred more verses of Tan-Tan as the Robber Queen.
God, I appreciate this book so much. What it does with language and vernacular is legitimately beautiful to read, and it was so great to see AAVE treaGod, I appreciate this book so much. What it does with language and vernacular is legitimately beautiful to read, and it was so great to see AAVE treated as something epic and creative and worthy of heroic characters and a fantasy landscape and a grand adventure. It's so amazing to me when writers use modern world characteristics in their fantasy settings, and it was impeccably done here.
(view spoiler)[I would have loved this story based on that fact alone, but there was also gorgeous, at times downright musical writing, and characters whom I fell in love with right off the bat. Demane, despite all his power and demigod status, was so very human, and the way he was helplessly smitten with the Captain was something anyone could relate to. And it was so lovely to read.
I also really liked the structure of the book itself, all the meta aspects. Again, everything about it was so creatively done, it's like a work of art in itself.
Some criticisms:
- This is entirely subjective, but man, the gore. So much of it. Wilson's writing is incredibly vivid and evocative, and that extends well into the fight scenes. Usually I only have trouble looking at graphic violence but I had to pause more than a few times to look away from the screen. That's just me though. - I've seen some comments about how Wilson's writing might be too intricate, to the point of being difficult to understand, and I agree to a certain extent. I think that this is a book that deserves to be read lovingly and slowly, and doing that makes it easier to parse. But there are a few moments that I think deserved some more clarity. The last chapter was way more obscure than I felt it needed to be. - Gosh, I wish this book was longer! Haha... besides having more of it to enjoy, I feel like it would be better for the pacing, too. The journey into the Wildeeps should have been at least as long as, or even longer than the time spent at the Mother of Waters. I would have loved to spend more time with the brothers, get to know them more, get more insight into the merchants, get a little more of the romance between the Sorcerer and the Captain... Any or all of that could have contributed to making a great book an amazing book.
Despite my little complaints, I loved this book to pieces. It was a breath of fresh air. Fantasy that includes queer characters is automatically dear to my heart, and this book is a wonderful addition to a too-tiny subset. I really hope to see more stories set in this world with these characters, and failing that, anything new from Wilson. He's fast becoming one of my favourite authors in my favourite genre.
RE-READ 2018
Jesus I either blocked out the ending or just didn't remember it properly upon writing my first review. Because while I still find it frustratingly vague it's also very much Not Vague and I want to cry all over again. DON'T DO THIS TO ME KAI ASHANTE WILSON I WANT MY GAY BLACK HAPPY ENDING.
In any case, I still love this book so much it's hard to talk about it. Demane is easily one of my favourite characters ever; he's big and strong and gentle and queer and just the absolute sweetest sweetheart. I love this book for it's gorgeous writing and the fantasy and the magic/science, but it love it just as much for the characters and romance. I LITERALLY CLUTCHED MY CHEST SO MANY TIMES THEY LOVE EACH OTHER SO MUCH.
This play has a few of my favourite passages ever. And it's sometimes so unintentionally funny I can't bear it. Also: gay.This play has a few of my favourite passages ever. And it's sometimes so unintentionally funny I can't bear it. Also: gay....more
Oh man. What is there so say that hasn't already been said?
- Gorgeous, expressive, really creative writing and manipulation of English to give us a neOh man. What is there so say that hasn't already been said?
- Gorgeous, expressive, really creative writing and manipulation of English to give us a new 19th century slang that painted pictures in your mind. It took a while to get used to, certainly, but wasn't difficult to read at all. - A protagonist who wormed his way into my heart from the very first. It's not every day I get a black, queer, dyslexic street punk who gets to reluctantly save the world and fall in love (twice!) along the way. I LOVE Piccadilly so much. I don't think I would have loved this story half as much if it hadn't been told through his eyes. - Absolutely FANTASTIC world-building, from the aerial travel to the phlogiston and its uses to the city in the air to the eldritch nightmares lurking the skies. It was super creative all over. - A great cast of diverse characters. I was delighted with Byron Kae, and I hope they, as well as their relationship with Dil, get more screen time in the rest of the series. Miss Grey was wonderful. (“I am trying,” she said betwixt gritted teeth, “to fuck.” My heroine.) And my opinion on Milord never really got a chance to settle, but I adored Ruben/Milord, and I was rooting for them 90%. (The other 1o% of course being for Ruben/Piccadilly, which I couldn't help but love.) It's true, Ruben does makes everyone around him better. - Just a really fun story in general! I laughed out loud more than once.
I enjoyed this book a LOT, I can't stop grinning. I will say that there was a lot of ableist language that the book could have definitely done without, but otherwise? Definitely a favourite. I recommend it highly.
Absolutely lovely. The kind of queer love story that I needed. I fell in love with Joan and Paloma almost from the first; it made me so happy to see tAbsolutely lovely. The kind of queer love story that I needed. I fell in love with Joan and Paloma almost from the first; it made me so happy to see them get their happy ending. And I loved that there was no miracle cure for Joan's disability.
4.5 (and only because the plot was pretty slow moving at times, but it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book at all)....more
Absolutely stunning writing, sometimes lyrical and sometimes penetrative. This book made me feel uncomfortable a few times in ways that I think it wasAbsolutely stunning writing, sometimes lyrical and sometimes penetrative. This book made me feel uncomfortable a few times in ways that I think it was supposed to. Not always very easy to read, but each character was vivid and real and absolutely came off the page. I loved the non-linear narrative, I loved the short stories that actually bolstered the plot, I loved all of the historical and literary references. It was also genuinely scary at times, but without leaning too much on ableist tropes.
I enjoyed this book a lot; I'm going to be thinking about it and turning it over in my head for a very long time....more
“Every thing in the world can wait but one. Only love can’t wait.”
RE-READ 2022. It's weird to think that my first read of this was 8 years ago. I'
“Every thing in the world can wait but one. Only love can’t wait.”
RE-READ 2022. It's weird to think that my first read of this was 8 years ago. I've held it up in my mind for so long as one of my favourite books, and even though I'm a different person and a different reader than I was all those years ago, this still touched me super deeply. A lot of what I feel for this now is irrevocably connected to my nostalgia; that is, thinking about the way this affected me when I first read it makes my heart so full. It didn't quite inspire that depth of emotion on the reread, but it still has so much of what I want out of fantasy, out of queer lit, out of storytelling. I love fairly tales, I love stories within stories, I love relationships between women and all the different shades and forms that can take. Tamras and Maara's relationship means soooo much to me. How can I not adore the long and loving exploration of a warrior/apprentice relationship, as told from its shaky beginnings and as it matures into something beautiful? I can't not love it!
I listened to parts of this via the audiobook as read by Janis Ian while reading along with my copy. Not my favourite narrator ever, but I did like the musical interludes, and the way she rendered the songs. This is really something special, holds up so well, and I can't wait to continue and finally finish this series.
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I don't even know how to express how much I loved this book. It had so many things that were important to me. It's low on plot, true enough, and I might have been too generous with my rating, but I can't remember the last time I read a book where I was so completely satisfied with everything and there was pretty much nothing that I disliked.
The book thrives on relationships between women, and I loved that above all else. Friendships, romantic relationships, mother/daughter relationship, mentor/apprentice... they all played an important part of the story and I was so happy about that. I absolutely adored Tamras and Maara's relationship, and how they slowly came to trust each other, and learn from each other, and love each other. It was amazing to read, and I loved it all the more because I can't think of the last time I read something where relationships between women were the driving force.
It was beautifully written as well, and I loved the worldbuilding and the stories that were woven throughout. My heart genuinely leapt with delight every time a section opened with "In ancient days, when only women were warriors..." It was a lovely and inventive way to tell us more about the world and their folklore and customs.
I LOVED this book, and I can't wait to get my hands on the others in the series....more
To love a new world, you had to get close to the ground and listen.
An absolute delight. Everything I want out of fantasy. Spoke to me on so many diffeTo love a new world, you had to get close to the ground and listen.
An absolute delight. Everything I want out of fantasy. Spoke to me on so many different levels. Every single story in this collection was good. I didn't adore every one of them, but the ones I did love, I loved SO MUCH, I want to burst thinking about them.
One, I love stories written in and including dialect. English is never so beautiful to me as when it's put into the hands of colonised or enslaved people, and contorted and transformed and mixed with native languages, given new syntax and grammar and just made into something new. It's why I love Caribbean literature, and I especially adore it when it's in in sci-fi and fantasy. (Shout out to Kai Ashante Wison.) There's just something about dialect when used in tandem with magic and fantasy that's just... I LOVE IT! This was my first major exposure to Malaysian dialect and I loved it to pieces. Didn't take long to get used to it.
Two, Zen Cho's writing is everything. Witty, beautiful, packs a punch, simple. She writes really effective descriptions, makes wonderful lush use of nature and settings. I went into this not knowing anything in particular about Malaysian spirits or folklore, but with Zen Cho's writing and a some intermittent googling, I devoured these. I love how she melded fantasy and the modern, in rural settings, in cities, abroad, in her home, in other worlds... This was just such a creative collection, and every story had something great to offer. A lot of great interrogation on feminism, love, immigration, colonialism... this was all so good.
Also, gotta say, I went in expecting it to be all straight and... I was wrong! Wonderfully wrong!! And of course, the queer stories ended up being my faves.
A few words on a few stories:
(view spoiler)[The House of Aunts My first big favourite. Mix teens girls and monsterhood and I'm THERE. It was such a sweet story of friendship, and love, and misunderstandings, and family. And powerful sense of sisterhood. "It's already suffering enough to be a woman," Ah Lee recited. "Don't need people to eat you some more."
The Mystery of the Suet Swain I mean first off there's a pun in the title. Secondly I knew I love Sham with my entire being from her first line, and it became clear why when Zen Cho said in her notes that she's based on Holmes. Third, I LOVE stories of girls looking out for one another, and there was some great stuff in here about harassment, and how the harassers thrive on people not saying anything, and like, the moment where Belinda tells Bullet to fuck off and feels so shocked and proud of herself... this was so great. Also Sham and Belinda are completely dating now.
The Fish Pond This was so good it hurt. A painfully accurate look at what it feels like to be in school, and depressed, and in pain, falling behind and feel like you're drowning, and everyone who's supposed to throw you a lifeline can't even see it. This one gutted me a lot. (hide spoiler)]
Marvellous collection. Really can't wait to read more of this author....more
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