Carry On by Rainbow Rowell | Book Review

“My road to hell isn’t paved with good intentions – or bad – it’s just my road.”

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

SERIES: Simon Snow #1

LENGTH: 521 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Romance, YA, LGBT+, Fiction

PUBLISHER: St. Martin’s Publishing Group

RELEASE DATE: 6 October 2015

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

#1 New York Times best seller
Booklist Editors’ Choice 2015 – Youth
Named a Best Book of 2015 by Time Magazine, School Library Journal, Barnes & Noble, NPR, PopSugar, The Millions, and The News & Observer

Simon Snow is the worst Chosen One who’s ever been chosen.

That’s what his roommate, Baz, says. And Baz might be evil and a vampire and a complete git, but he’s probably right.

Half the time, Simon can’t even make his wand work, and the other half, he starts something on fire. His mentor’s avoiding him, his girlfriend broke up with him, and there’s a magic-eating monster running around, wearing Simon’s face. Baz would be having a field day with all this, if he were here–it’s their last year at the Watford School of Magicks, and Simon’s infuriating nemesis didn’t even bother to show up.

Carry On is a ghost story, a love story and a mystery. It has just as much kissing and talking as you’d expect from a Rainbow Rowell story – but far, far more monsters.

My Review

“You have to pretend you get an endgame. You have to carry on like you will; otherwise, you can’t carry on at all.”

I know, I know. It’s been a bit since I’ve last posted a book review. But last week was a bit… eh. Anyway, I’m here now, and with a book I started reading ages ago at that.

So reading Carry On in its entirety has been a long time coming for me. Honestly, after I DNF-ed it like – three or four years ago? – yeah, I didn’t think I was ever gonna come back to it. And trust me, I gave it a good shot too – I was like 40% through the novel before I gave up!

He’s still looking in my eyes. Staring me down like he did that dragon, chin tilted and locked. “I’m not the Chosen One,” he says.

I meet his gaze and sneer. My arm is a steel band around his waist. “I choose you,” I say. “Simon Snow, I choose you.

But something made me want to give it another shot, so I did. And for better or worse, I’m glad about it. This was, overall, a pretty good book.

Don’t get me wrong! The first third of the novel is an absolute slog to get through – I definitely had the same problems reading it the second time that I did the first. But it was easier to get through this time ’cause I’d already read it before so I kinda… skimmed a little bit. And once the plot (finally) started to really get moving, I really enjoyed what I was reading and had a little trouble putting the book down.

I enjoyed the characters, even though most of them felt a little basic, archetype-wise. Which is probably why Penny was my favorite – she seemed to be the most interesting. I liked Simon and Baz well enough too, even though their relationship felt a little shallow. And their pining – particularly Simon’s oblivious pining, kind of got annoying. Yes Simon, why are you so obsessed with what Baz is up to, I wonder??? Most of the dialogue and character interactions were really good though.

“Do you ever not go for the lowest blow? Like, do you ever think, ‘Maybe I shouldn’t say the most cruel thing just now?'”

“I’m trying to be efficient.”

The plot of Carry On was a fun riff on the Chosen One trope, not to mention all the other dark academia and magic school tropes. (And Harry Potter tropes – like, Simon and Baz share just a few similarities with Harry and Malfoy, respectively.) And I like it when authors do it – it’s fun. The twists were also pretty decent (even though Rowell isn’t shy of showing her hand full of breadcrumbs leading to them – predictably, I figured them out pretty early on, lol).

The climax and the ending were probably my favorite parts of the book, both because of how action packed they were, and because the biggest twists on the tropes were either revealed here or occurred here. The POV changes did get somewhat out of hand at this point, which was kind of distracting and annoying, with some of them only being like a sentence long. But it was mostly okay.

“People who tell you that slamming and bashing into things won’t make you feel better haven’t slammed or bashed enough.”

Anyway, I enjoyed Carry On. It gets three quarters of a star off for the 30% slog of a beginning, however, as well as an additional three quarters of a star off for smaller things that bothered me about the novel. Otherwise, I generally liked it.

As always, thank you all so much for reading, and I hope that you have an amazing day/night!

See ya ~Mar

MY LINKS:

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A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers | Book Review

“Oh, that’s lovely,” Mosscap said.

“What Is?” said Dex.

Mosscap pointed. “Crown shyness is so striking, don’t you think?”

A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers

SERIES: Monk & Robot #2

LENGTH: 152 pages

GENRES: Science Fiction, LGBT+, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Tordotcom Publishing

RELEASE DATE: 12 July 2022

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

A Prayer for the Crown-Shy is a story of kindness and love from one of the foremost practitioners of hopeful SF.

After touring the rural areas of Panga, Sibling Dex (a Tea Monk of some renown) and Mosscap (a robot sent on a quest to determine what humanity really needs) turn their attention to the villages and cities of the little moon they call home.

They hope to find the answers they seek, while making new friends, learning new concepts, and experiencing the entropic nature of the universe.

Becky Chambers’s new series continues to ask: in a world where people have what they want, does having more even matter?

My Review

The thing about fucking off to the woods is that unless you are a very particular, very rare sort of person, it does not take long to understand why people left said woods in the first place.

A Prayer for the Crown-Shy, though not quite hitting the same spots for me as A Psalm for the Wild-Built that convinced me to give it a perfect star rating, was still a very fantastic novella to read. I really enjoyed my time with this book, as well as being heck in this world and seeing Dex and Mosscap again. I was a bit worried that it wouldn’t live up to the first one enough, which is why I put off reading it for a bit, but luckily my concerns were unfounded.

This little sequel builds a little bit on the world first introduced in Psalm. But gently – this is still a soft sci-fi series, after all. Not to mention that these little books are primarily character focused. But yeah, I enjoyed reading about Dex and Mosscap going around and interacting with people and places here, it felt like a very natural way to explore (and explain) the world.

It was also such a treat to meet new characters and have Dex have more than a couple lines of dialogue with them. Don’t get me wrong – I love how the first novella pretty much completely focused on Dex’s thought process and his evolving new friendship with Mosscap. But I really, really like character interaction, and a good chunk of book one is just walls of text.

The new characters we met were pretty decent too. At the very least their dialogue was good. It flowed naturally and felt like actual conversations. My favorite interactions were with Dex’s family (finally we get to meet them!) and one that almost entirely happens off-screen interactions with Ms. Amelia. (The one we see is also funny, but the implied interactions between Mosscap and the old lady seem golden.)

“Is this customary?” Mosscap whispered to Dex as Leroy fetched some herbs from the pots on his windowsill. “In some of the books I read last night, people made each other breakfast after having sex, but not universally.”

Dex threw Mosscap a look and lowered their voice as far as it would go. “What kind of books does Ms. Amelia collect?”

“Oh, entirely pornography,” Mosscap said. “It was very educational.”

Of course, the heart of this story is still the growing friendship between Dex and Mosscap, and how it changes them as a person and an object. Dex is also still struggling with the stuff from Psalm as well and, at the moment, Mosscap is currently the only one they feel comfortable sharing with. Mosscap is also going through it a little – as it’s realizing that it is getting older, and may start to break down sooner rather than later. Time keeps moving, after all.

And it wouldn’t be a Monk & Robot book without discussions of philosophy and self, so of course there’s a bunch of that here, once again. Not to the degree of the first book, ’cause of the slight differences in story structure, but A Prayer for the Crown-Shy definitely doesn’t… shy away from the topic either.

“Well, I didn’t know then,” Dex said, “and I still don’t. But what I do know is… you help. You’re helping me figure it out. Just by being here. You help.”

“Then we have the same answer,” Mosscap said. “I don’t know, either. But you are my best help, Sibling Dex.”

All in all, this is an absolutely solid follow-up to A Psalm for the Wild-Built. I love the soft sci-fi system, and how character focused it is. And I definitely recommend A Prayer for the Crown-Shy to those who enjoy these things as well, and who like quieter and more contemplative stories.

As always, thank you to everyone for reading, and I hope you have an amazing day/night!

See ya ~Mar

MY LINKS:

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Wrath of the Triple Goddess by Rick Riordan | Book Review

October. Best month ever.

The air was crisp. The leaves were changing colors in Central Park. And my favorite food cart on 86th Street was serving pumpkin-spice burritos.

Wrath of the Triple Goddess by Rick Riordan

SERIES: Percy Jackson and the Olympians #7

LENGTH: 322 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, YA, Middle Grade, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Disney Hyperion

RELEASE DATE: 24 September 2024

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

In his continuing quest to earn college recommendation letters from the gods, Percy has to pet-sit the goddess Hecate’s polecat and giant mastiff during Halloween week. What could go wrong?

Rick Riordan’s newest Percy Jackson adventure is full of hilarious set pieces, a diverse cast of gods and monsters, and many other delightful tricks and treats.

Percy Jackson, now a high school senior, needs three recommendation letters from the Greek gods in order to get into New Rome University. He earned his first one by retrieving Ganymede’s chalice. Now the goddess Hecate has offered Percy another “opportunity”—all he has to do is pet sit her polecat, Gale, and mastiff, Hecuba, over Halloween week while she is away. Piece of cake, right?

Percy, Annabeth, and Grover settle into Hecate’s seemingly endless mansion and start getting acquainted with the fussy, terrifying animals. The trio has been warned not to touch anything, but while Percy and Annabeth are out at school, Grover can’t resist drinking a strawberry-flavored potion in the laboratory. It turns him into a giant frenzied goat, and after he rampages through the house, damaging everything in sight, and passes out, Gale and Hecuba escape. Now the friends have to find Hecate’s pets and somehow restore the house, all before Hecate gets back on Saturday. It’s going to take luck, demigod wiles, and some old and new friends to hunt down the animals and set things right again.

My Review

Her onyx eyes glittered. She sat forward and laced her fingers, looking more like a principal than my real principal ever did. “You may call me the Torch Bearer, the Star Walker, the Night Wanderer, the Disturber of the Dead, the daughter of Perses and Asteria, the Triple Goddess!”

“Uh-huh,” I said, still clueless.

You’re probably thinking, Percy, you’ve been dealing with the Greek gods for years. How could you not know her?

So Percy Jackson book seven came out… and I enjoyed reading it. And yes, I understand that nostalgia had some impact on my reading experience and overall rating, as it did with book six. Because of this I have altered my rating accordingly for Wrath of the Triple Goddess. (As even though when I read both books six and seven both felt like five star reads, I know in my soul that they weren’t as good as The Battle of the Labyrinth or The Last Olympian. So think of four and a half stars as the same rating for Chalice of the Gods now, I guess. I was a bit overzealous with that review.)

Out of the two new PJO novels, I’m honestly not sure whether I enjoyed The Chalice of the Gods or Wrath of the Triple Goddess more. On the one hand, TCOTG was the first actual-not-a-spinoff Percy Jackson book in years, and I loved the cameos and references, and seeing how Percy, Annabeth and Grover have grown up. But book seven was fun too, and it had Halloween vibes out the wazoo, which I always adore. I guess I enjoyed them equally?

Anyway, I never knew I needed a PJO book set around Halloween until now. It was great, and the book was released during the literal perfect time of the year for it. It’s still a little weird to me reading novels from this series that take place in the fall – nearly all of them, except for The Titan’s Curse which takes place over winter break – are set over the summer. But it’s a nice change.

Grover and I exchanged a look of relief. Whenever Annabeth joined the chat, the odds of us doing something idiotic went way down. The odds were never zero, mind you, because I was still in the mix.

Percy is still as sassy as ever, perhaps even more so than book six, and Annabeth and Grover still balance him perfectly. This really is one of the greatest trios I’ve ever had the pleasure of following. Grover also doesn’t feel like a third wheel here, which was a very minor problem in TCOTG, and his feelings on potential third wheel status and Percy and Annabeth moving on from him are addressed here and it’s great.

And I can’t forget about Percabeth, one of the greatest relationships ever written. Still here and still fantastic – Percy and Annabeth really are a great couple. They just work so unbelievably well together.

Annabeth and I were more than just two people. We were a pair, and when we stood at the crossroads, we did it together.

The plot, even though I really enjoyed it, might be a slightly weaker aspect of this novel, as it was with book six. But that probably feels that way because it doesn’t feel as big as the plots of my memories, nor is it a world ending prevention story like basically all other Percy Jackson novels and spinoffs. It was fine on its own, but is far more down to earth than the rest of the series (save TCOTG).

I can’t believe the final book in this additional trilogy to the original Percy Jackson and the Olympians is coming out next year. That’s twenty years after the original book, the one that started it all – The Lightning Thief – did. I can’t believe it’s been that long already. Just, the timing. I can’t wait to see how this ends. But at the same time, I’ll once again feel a little sad to see it go.

“Hey, Wise Girl,” I said, trying to keep the panic out of my voice, “be wise. I don’t know much, but I do know we’re stronger together. Always.”

I definitely recommend Wrath of the Triple Goddess to fans of the Percy Jackson series. Alsoto fantasy fans who enjoy middle grade and YA stuff. But mostly to preexisting fans, ’cause you have to read the original five books (and book six) and have some knowledge of the sequel/spinoff series the Heroes of Olympus to really enjoy this novel. Also, read this book in October – the vibes are perfect.

Anyway, as always, thank you so much for reading, and I hope you have a fantastic day/night!

See ya ~Mar

MY LINKS:

Goodreads

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The Glass Scientists: Volume Two by S.H. Cotugno | Book Review

Mornin’, Doctor. Having a happy haunt today are we?

The Glass Scientists: Volume Two by S.H. Cotugno

COMIC: The Glass Scientists

LENGTH: 240 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, YA, LGBT+, Graphic Novel, Fiction

PUBLISHER: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers

RELEASE DATE: 24 September 2024

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

The second book in the YA graphic novel series about star-crossed lovers and misunderstood monsters, which is already a webcomic phenomenon!

All Dr. Henry Jekyll wanted to do was make London a safe place for rogue scientists. That’s why he and his best friend Robert created the Society for Arcane Sciences in the first place, and why their upcoming exhibition to show the public all the incredible things they can do for the world is so important. But ever since Frankenstein arrived, nothing has gone according to plan….

And now Jekyll’s dirty little secret is about to become a huge problem. Hyde, his devilishly devious alter-ego, is fed up with being jerked around and Jekyll not letting him out to play. And he’s just discovered a new trick that will allow him to take the driver’s seat of their shared body. With Hyde behind the wheel, it’s not just the impeding exhibition and the future of the society in jeopardy. The ruffian threatens to destroy something that’s even more dear to Jekyll: his relationship with Robert. Will Jekyll be able to regain control of his mind, body, and life, or will he lose everything he has been fighting for?

Volume Two collects Chapters 8-12 of this beloved webcomic, which is available in print for the first time ever. It also features loads of exclusive bonus content including a brand-new prequel story (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Meet Dracula!!!), a behind-the-scenes look at the comic’s origins, and more!

My Review

“Who are you, Mr. Hyde?”

As I mentioned in my review for volume one, I absolutely love this comic. And that hasn’t changed at all with the second one. The Glass Scientists is still amazing. Sage is still going incredibly strong with their retelling of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Everything I said in my previous review for this graphic novel still stands, so I’m not going to talk much about the story and the characters, as I feel it’s a little redundant. But! The way that the story and characters evolve during this installment is sooo good. And the angst begins here – though it hasn’t even gotten close to the way it is currently in the original webcomic. (It’s getting real, guys. These last few weeks – oh boy.)

There’s also a bit of a slow-burn starting to happen between Jekyll and Lanyon at the point of the comic that volume two covers, and it’s wonderfully written. (And it’s gonna make the angst coming up so much sweeter.) We also learn a lot of interesting things about several characters, and Jekyll and Hyde’s relationship is currently deteriorating beautifully. I can’t get enough of this world.

And of course, the art is still gorgeous. S.H. Cotugno is a fantastic artist with a lot of experience and it definitely shows. I enjoy their art style quite a bit. Oh! And I almost forgot, I loved the little extra added here (that being the little prequel story). I loved the one added to the last installment too, but in a different way.

So yeah, I realize that I didn’t really have as much to say about The Glass Scientists this time around, but I both didn’t want to spoil anything nor be redundant. Rest assured, I still super enjoyed this volume and definitely recommend it to fans of volume one, gaslamp fantasy, comics and graphic novels and the original Strange Case novel.

This book is also perfect for the upcoming spooky season, so if it sounds intriguing to you, I’d give it a shot. The vibes are excellent for October.

And, as always, thank you to everyone so much for reading, and I hope you have an awesome day/night!

See ya ~Mar

MY LINKS:

Goodreads

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Darker by Four by June CL Tan | Book Review

Everyone dies sooner or later.

Darker by Four by June CL Tan

SERIES: Darker by Four Duology #1

LENGTH: 425 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, YA, LGBT+, Fiction

PUBLISHER: HarperTeen

RELEASE DATE: 2 April 2024

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

The Shadowhunter Chronicles meets Chinese diaspora folklore in Darker by Four, the first in an epic contemporary fantasy duology from Jade Fire Gold author June Tan.

A vengeful girl. A hollow boy. A missing god.

Rui has one goal in mind—honing her magic to avenge her mother’s death.

Yiran is the black sheep of an illustrious family. The world would be at his feet—had he been born with magic.

Nikai is a Reaper, serving the Fourth King of Hell. When his master disappears, the underworld begins to crumble…and the human world will be next if the King is not found.

When an accident causes Rui’s power to transfer to Yiran, everything turns upside down. Without her magic, Rui has no tool for vengeance. With it, Yiran finally feels like he belongs. That is, until Rui discovers she might hold the key to the missing death god and strikes a dangerous bargain with another King.

As darkness takes over, three paths intersect in the shadows. And three lives bound by fate must rise against destiny before the barrier between worlds falls and all Hell breaks loose—literally.

Perfect for fans of This Savage Song and Only a Monster, Darker by Four will pull readers into a world of love and desperation and revenge—a world where every deal has a catch, no secret stays buried, and no one is exactly who they say they are.

My Review

Yiran turned from the road. “Why is it that when something bad happens, it’s always the three of us?”

“The hell would I know,” Zizi muttered.

So I found Darker by Four to be… Pretty good. It wasn’t my favorite book of the year by any means, but it wasn’t even close to the worst one. I actually enjoyed most aspects of it. Since it was on my second quarter of anticipated books of 2024, I’m especially happy. Particularly after how The Lost Story and The Girl With No Reflection went for me.

Anyway, the things I primarily liked were (some of) the characters, parts of the plot, some of the world building and the writing. But I also disliked parts of these same aspects of the novel. It’s a little complicated, I guess.

I ended up really liking Rui, which surprised me since I thought I wouldn’t. I’m very picky about the female lead characters that I read about, because most of the time I find that people don’t write them well (regardless of what gender the author is). But I actually really enjoyed her story and character arc, and found her to be decently written.

My least favorite character – and one of the other leads – was Yiran. There were just some things about him that I couldn’t stand, and aspects of his personality and decisions he made annoyed me often. But it seems like most of his stuff was merely building up his character arc for the sequel, so maybe he’ll be more tolerable then.

Nikai is a character that I don’t really have any feelings for. He appeared fairly infrequently and usually only when the plot needed to happen, so he felt more like a plot device sometimes rather than a character. So yeah, I don’t really know what to think about him.

Honestly, Zizi felt more like a main character than Nikai did. He was also one of my favorites and I enjoyed his personality and sass. The eccentric , sassy genius with a secret heart of gold is a character archetype I never get tired of following. His relationship with Rui was also something I loved following.

“You’re not wearing pajamas,” Rui burst out.

“How good of you to notice,” Zizi said.

The romance here was hit or miss for me. As I mentioned above, I really enjoyed what Rui and Zizi had going on. Their banter was great, and everything about their friendship and evolving romance felt very natural. I thought they were a good couple. And there was no love triangle BS going on here, which was something I was concerned about for a time while reading.

I didn’t like the romance between Yiran and Yuki though. Like, it literally came out of nowhere, and was one of the least natural things I’ve read in a while. I’m sure it was put here to set up the other half of the duology, but it still felt like it didn’t really belong here.

Zizi was cradling her face in his hands, gently wiping her tears. “That’s the difference between you and me, Rui,” he said, voice rough. “You want to save the world and the innumerable fools in it, whether they deserve a chance or not. But I— I would give up this entire world for a single breath to leave your lips again. And I don’t need you to feel the same way about me to do it. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

The plot was pretty okay and I enjoyed it well enough. Tan clearly wore her inspirations on her sleeve – like certain anime, xianxia, and other eastern influences – but I didn’t find it to be a bad thing. I liked getting the references, haha. I always enjoy reading how an author turns a story with a lot of common and well used tropes to their own. I also predicted most of the twists waayyy ahead of time (like within the first ten chapters early), which was a bit disappointing, but I ultimately didn’t mind too much.

My favorite thing about Darker by Four, however, was definitely the writing itself. There are enough descriptions where you can imagine everything well enough, but there aren’t so many that they’re cluttering up the novel and making it drag. The dialogue also felt very natural and snappy. I liked reading how the characters interacted.

I did find some of the descriptions themselves to be a little lacking, though. I didn’t like how the author described a couple of things, particularly faces. Just… the words used just didn’t feel like they worked too well. Other than that though, everything else was pretty alright.

“She means a lot to you, doesn’t she?”

“She means everything.” Zizi had spoken so bluntly it could only be the truth.

So yeah, all in all, I thought that Darker by Four was pretty okay. And the ending was interesting enough that I’m actually interested in reading the sequel to see how everything ends. Against all odds, I’m a little invested in these characters and how their stories will end.

I recommend this to people who enjoy Asian fantasy, YA, and anime. I think it works as a good read for anytime of the year – no particular seasonal vibes stuck out to me.

Anyway, thank you all for reading, and I hope that everybody has an amazing day/night!

See ya ~Mar

MY LINKS:

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Lake of Souls by Ann Leckie | Book Review

There was a lake by the village, but it wasn’t the Lake of Souls.

Lake of Souls: The Collected Short Fiction by Ann Leckie

LENGTH: 416 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Short Stories, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Orbit

RELEASE DATE: 2 April 2024

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Hugo, Nebula, and Arthur C. Clarke award-winner Ann Leckie is a modern master of the SFF genre, forever changing its landscape with her groundbreaking ideas and powerful voice. Now, available for the first time comes the complete collection of Leckie’s short fiction, including a brand new novelette, Lake of Souls.

Journey across the stars of the Imperial Radch universe.

Listen to the words of the Old Gods that ruled The Raven Tower.

Learn the secrets of the mysterious Lake of Souls.

And so much more, in this masterfully wide-ranging and immersive short fiction collection from award-winning author Ann Leckie.

My Review

“The days are longer near the end, are they not?”

The Lake of Souls short fiction collection by Ann Leckie has been on my radar since it came out earlier this year, in April. I’ve been interested in reading it since; I don’t read collections of short stories super often, and I’ve wanted to read more of them. So when I found out about this one, it immediately caught my eye.

And… it was pretty good. I liked most of the stories included here, and some of them I even really enjoyed. I’ve also been interested in picking up something by Leckie for a while, but wasn’t quite sure if I wanted to dive into anything, or which of her works I wanted to. This collection gives a very nice glimpse into her style and the way she writes. And I’m very glad I read this just for that. I wish more authors would do this, it gives a great look into the way people write without committing to something too large or time consuming, and allows a reader to experience a smaller sample of their writing.

A good chunk of these little stories were extra tales from universes that Leckie has already published works for, so I think a few things might have gone over my head, or I otherwise enjoyed some of the stories less than I might’ve because of this. All the stories were very followable, however, and I never got confused with anything that was going on with any of them. So if you’ve never read any of the author’s other stuff, you don’t have to worry about not understanding things. They’re all written in such a way that a newcomer shouldn’t feel overwhelmed.

“There are hard ways to do things, and easy ways,” said Saest. “The hard ways cost more. If a god makes a general statement, it could easily come true the hardest way possible. And it might have other consequences.”

Speaking of the short stories featured in Lake of Souls, these are my favorites:

Footprints
The Justified
The Sad History of the Tearless Onion (Note: This one is my favorite.)
Night’s Slow Poison
The Creation and Destruction of the World
The Nalender
The Unknown God
Saving Bacon

All the others are at least very interesting, though they didn’t grab me as much as these. All of the little tales included here are all very diverse, and I think that anyone will find a story to enjoy here.

I especially loved all of the varied settings and characters included in all of these different stories. Even the ones from universes the author had already created were all very distinct from one another, at least to some degree. Honestly, reading this collection made me interested in someday maybe picking up one of Leckie’s other works. (Which was definitely one of the goals of this short fiction collection, I’m sure.)

Can you speak of a thing without naming it?

I enjoyed my time with Lake of Souls and I’m glad I read it. Genuinely, I kind of recommend this to anybody – as long as you enjoy sci-fi or fantasy, that is – because I feel like everyone might find something to like here (as I mentioned earlier).

Anyway, as always, thanks to everybody so much for reading, and I hope you have an incredible day/night!

See ya ~Mar

“All humans die. The question is only when and how. Would you prefer a death you chose knowing the true circumstances? Or would you prefer to die deluded?”

“I would prefer not to die.”

MY LINKS:

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Piranesi by Susanna Clarke | Book Review

The Beauty of the House is immeasurable; its Kindness infinite.

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

LENGTH: 245 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Literary, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Bloomsbury Publishing

RELEASE DATE: 15 September 2020

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Piranesi’s house is no ordinary building: its rooms are infinite, its corridors endless, its walls are lined with thousands upon thousands of statues, each one different from all the others. Within the labyrinth of halls an ocean is imprisoned; waves thunder up staircases, rooms are flooded in an instant. But Piranesi is not afraid; he understands the tides as he understands the pattern of the labyrinth itself. He lives to explore the house.

There is one other person in the house–a man called The Other, who visits Piranesi twice a week and asks for help with research into A Great and Secret Knowledge. But as Piranesi explores, evidence emerges of another person, and a terrible truth begins to unravel, revealing a world beyond the one Piranesi has always known.

For readers of Neil Gaiman’s The Ocean at the End of the Lane and fans of Madeline Miller’s Circe, Piranesi introduces an astonishing new world, an infinite labyrinth, full of startling images and surreal beauty, haunted by the tides and the clouds.

My Review

‘I said that this is a perfect world. But it’s not. There are crimes here, just like everywhere else.’

Oh. My. Stars. What an amazing little read this book was. Piranesi has been on my radar for years, but I’ve always put it off for various reasons. But I finally got around to reading it, and I’m very glad I did. Because this was a very good book.

I’m not gonna talk a lot about the stuff I usually talk about in my book reviews – and as a result this might be a shorter review – because I don’t want to ruin the experience of reading this novel for anyone who might read this post. Because the thing I absolutely loved the most about this book was how you could slowly piece together the plot and the backstory and the way all the characters (alive and dead) related to each other. It was a bit of a slow burn in a way, but a fantastic one.

I enjoyed following Piranesi’s journal entries and observing how he viewed his world. I think I said it in my first Emily Wilde review and I’ll say it here: We need more epistolary novels! The other characters were interesting as well – I especially found Piranesi’s evolving perception of The Other and 16 to be fascinating.

Perhaps that is what it is like being with other people. Perhaps even people you like and admire immensely can make you see the World in ways you would rather not. Perhaps that is what Raphael means.

The way Clarke describes here world is beautiful and otherworldly. The Labyrinth is serene and whimsical and mysterious and terrifying all at once. I especially enjoyed the Coral Halls – they sounded absolutely breathtaking. Her writing is also very, very good.

This novel was an even bigger breath of fresh air for me because it was a much better reading experience than the last book that I read and reviewed. I’m always nervous about starting a new book after reading a book that I didn’t care for or outright hated. So it was wonderful to read a book that I really, really loved.

I’m also looking forward to the Laika adaptation (probably) coming out a few years from now. I think they’re perfect for adapting this particular book, and hope that they do it justice.

So yeah, I know this is a shorter book review – especially compared to my last one – but like I said, I don’t want to taint any one’s experience reading Piranesi for the first time. Because it truly is an actual reading experience. So just read it – I think most people will really enjoy it.

As always, thank you so much for reading, and I hope you have an amazing day/night!

See ya ~Mar

The sight of the One- Hundred- and- Ninety- Second Western Hall in the Moonlight made me see how ridiculous that is. The House is valuable because it is the House. It is enough in and of Itself. It is not the means to an end.

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The Girl With No Reflection by Keshe Chow | Book Review

She had lived eighteen years without falling through a mirror. Why had that suddenly changed?

The Girl With No Reflection by Keshe Chow

LENGTH: 496 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, YA, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Delacorte Press

RELEASE DATE: 6 August 2024

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

A young woman chosen as the crown prince’s bride must travel to the royal palace to meet her new husband—but her world is shaken when she discovers the dark truth the royal family has been hiding for centuries—in this lush fantasy debut perfect for fans of Song of Silver, Flame Like Night and Violet Made of Thorns.

Princess Ying Yue believed in love… once upon a time.

Yet when she’s chosen to wed the crown prince, Ying’s dreams of a fairy tale marriage quickly fall apart. Her husband-to-be is cold and indifferent, confining Ying to her room for reasons he won’t explain. Worse still are the rumors that swirl around the imperial palace: whispers of seven other royal brides who, after their own weddings, mysteriously disappeared.

Left alone with only her own reflection for company, Ying begins to see things. Strange things. Movements in the corners of her mirror. Colorful lights upon its surface. And when, on the eve of her wedding, she unwittingly tears open a gateway, she is pulled into a mirror world.

This realm is full of sentient reflections, including the enigmatic Mirror Prince. Unlike his real-world counterpart, the Mirror Prince is kind and compassionate, and before long Ying falls in love—the kind of love she always dreamed of.

But there is darkness in this new world, too.

It turns out the two worlds have a long and blood-soaked history, and Ying has a part to play in the future of them both. And the brides who came before Ying? By the time they discovered what their role was, it was already too late.

My Review

“You and me. We’re like yin and yang. Dragon and phoenix. Two halves of one whole.” He took her face in his hands, caressing her. “One of us can’t exist without the other. You are water and fire. And I’m the wood and the mountains. It’s all related that’s what the alchemy is.”

For me, The Girl With No Reflection ended up being… a bit of a disappointment. Which kind of sucks, because I was really looking forward to this one. A magical world of reflections and mythical money? Traveling between the two? A mystery? It all sounded so intriguing and exciting. And it mostly fell flat for me.

First off, I’m gonna talk about the stuff I liked. I really love the cover – I think that the cover artist and designer did a phenomenal job. It’s beautiful and very eye-catching and it did its job very well. I love all of the ribbons and little dragons and flowers and carp, and the way the mirror is shattering looks amazing.

Another thing I enjoyed was the initial setting and the way the magic system was first presented. It makes you want to read more to find out how the magic system is defined and what’s going on. Because there’s a bit of a dark mystery afoot. Honestly, I think the beginning of this novel is the best part of it. Which is unfortunate.

Because I was either indifferent to, or I disliked everything else pretty much. Which sucked, because again: I really wanted to love this book. Ugh.

“Wait.” Mei Po stopped Ying with a wrinkled, icy hand on her forearm. She gestured for her to come closer.

“Remember,” she said. Her breath was cool. “Remember who the monsters are.”

Ying and Prince Zhang were very promising characters at the beginning, I will give them that. But they either got fairly unlikeable as the story went on (Ying) or they just got boring (Zhang). The other characters didn’t really have anything interesting about them (they were either blah or angry) either – besides the Mirror Ying, Prince Prince and Mei Po, and even then Mei Po was really the only interesting one.

The romance in The Girl With No Reflection was also terrible. I absolutely hated how it was written. I’m also really tired of characters suddenly getting horny for each other at ridiculous times – like when their lives are in danger or something. In the end, I didn’t want anyone to end up with anybody. It sucked.

The plot also stops and starts with no rhyme or season, except for when the story needs it to. The main character, Ying, also had basically everything handed to her, the conflict came from her being either too stupid or too arrogant to figure something out. Which, by the way, was annoying to follow. The writing was also not the best, and the dialogue nearly always felt clunky to me. This felt like a second draft at best.

I will say this though: something this novel could’ve done to improve itself was to have more than one point of view. Ying’s just… wasn’t enough. The story would’ve been more compelling or interesting if it was a dual POV novel, with the other one being Zhang. It would’ve fleshed out the book more and probably even would’ve improved the romance – because in the novel as it is, Zhang and his feelings feel weirdly disconnected from the story sometimes.

To Ying, it was as though she finally felt it, really, truly felt it: she was the Fish, she was a dragon, and she would save her own world and all the people in it.

So yeah, that’s how I felt about The Girl With No Reflection by Keshe Chow. It wasn’t the novel that I’d hoped it would be, unfortunately, but someone’s probably gonna like it. I think that at least a few people that like YA and fantasy and romance and don’t mind the most annoying tropea and stuff that comes with them (’cause all of the most annoying tropes are in here, trust me), then you might enjoy it. Also if you don’t mind mediocre writing and dialogue.

As always, thank you for reading, and I hope everyone has a wonderful day/night!

See ya ~Mar

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The Ghostkeeper by Johanna Taylor | Book Review

When a house is beset with a great and terrible haunting, people in Rookwood send an exorcist.

But when the haunting is, by all accounts, rather mild…

They send for me.

The Ghostkeeper by Johanna Taylor

LENGTH: 272 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, YA, Graphic Novel, LGBT+, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Putnam’s

RELEASE DATE: 23 July 2024

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Perfect for fans of everything from Lockwood & Co. to The Haunting of Hill House, this gothic graphic novel follows a young medium with the gift—or curse, as some might say—to communicate with the dead. This ghost story “powerfully, tenderly, and empathetically examines death, grief, and the afterlife” raved Kirkus in a starred review!

Dorian Leith can see ghosts. Not only that, he listens to their problems and tries to help them move on to the afterlife. It’s a gift that’s made him an outcast to everyone in town. That is except for his dearly departed grandmother, who he’s partnered with to turn this paranormal ability into an honest living, and the local bookshop owner, who seems to be the only non-deceased person willing to give him a chance. But it’s all worth it to Dorian, who feels like he’s been given a bigger purpose. A chance to save those who cannot save themselves.

Then one day, the key to Death’s Door is stolen, trapping all the ghosts in the land of the living. Since he’s only one who can see them, the spirits rely on Dorian to retrieve the key before it is too late. If they can’t move on, they’ll soon be consumed by a ghostly rot that has begun to plague them.

As it continues to fester and spread, and the ghosts become desperate for relief, Dorian must do whatever it takes to find a way to bring peace to the restless dead—even if that peace comes at the cost of his own….

My Review

“There’s no fate worse than being forgotten.”

So, I was actually hoping to get this finished and posted yesterday, but I was really busy on Saturday , so I thought I might not. And I didn’t. Anyway, my review for The Ghostkeeper by Johanna Taylor is here now, even if it’s a day late.

I really enjoyed this graphic novel; far more so than the last graphic novel I reviewed. Part of it was definitely because it was a ghost story, and I love those. But I also really liked the setting, the characters, the story, and – of course – the art.

Dorian Leith was a sweet protagonist to follow. I loved his personality and his caring nature, and how a big part of this story was dedicated to his character development. It was great to watch him realize that he can take time for himself, and to learn that his health and happiness matter.

I also enjoyed Brody, his housemate and love interest. I loved his quiet personality (and how he ran an independent bookstore!), and how he was a gentle soul. This book reminded me that, in fact, you can have two kindhearted and wholesome people in a romantic relationship without one of them being sassy.

Also, unlike The Lost Story – the last thing I read – this was a solidly built relationship. It was obvious why Dorian fell for Brody, and in turn it was very clear why Brody had feelings for Dorian. Neither of them were doormats either – both of them were willing to help each other, and not just willing to remain complacent when one of them was in denial of something. Their relationship was also very sweet and wholesome, and they’re definitely the cutest couple I’ve read about this year so far.

The two other important characters – Dorian’s grandmother, Lavinia “Lazarus” Leith, and little Lucy – were also wonderful and necessary additions. This graphic novel would not be the same without them, and even though they’re ghosts, I feel that they drive the plot forward even moreso than the living characters. Grandma Lazarus loved Dorian so much, despite the heavy burden of her regret, and I loved their dynamic. We need more grandmas in fiction. Dorian and Lucy’s sibling dynamic was also very sweet. Watching these two characters – even though they were ghosts – grow and evolve as characters was awesome.

I loved how the plot was nineteenth century esque, and was set in a fantasy setting similar to Gothic Britain. It was simultaneously cozy and mildly creepy, and absolutely perfect for the ghostly story it was telling.

The art was also fantastic. I also loved the colors and the way that hues and shades were used. It all really set the vibe well. The character designs were also great.

Also, and I didn’t mention this above, but I really liked the theming and parallels and other literary devices that Taylor decided to use. I’m not going to spoil anything, but the way that everything came together in the end was wonderful. I also loved all the world building she was able to sneak in, and how everything introduced had a purpose. It was a great story to follow.

This is something I absolutely recommend to fans of Gothic fantasy settings, ghost stories, and graphic novels. I think it would be best read sometime in October, paired with a latte of your choice. As well as a pumpkin spiced candle.

As always, thank you so much for reading, and I hope everyone has a wonderful day/night! And that whatever book you’re reading currently is something you’re enjoying!

See ya ~Mar

Quotes I Enjoyed

[Dorian] “That’s the thing about “normal.” It’s different for everyone, and it’s always changing. It’s frustrating. And uncomfortable. And sometimes even feels pointless. And when there isn’t a point to be found, you simply have to make one yourself.”

[Dorian] “So this is how I die.

[Dorian’s Grandmother] “See you on the other side Dorie… One way or another.

[Dorian’s Grandmother] “Well. If i were in your loafers, I would have made a big to-do. And shown that Prudence Greeves a real haunting. Scary music! Flickering firelight! books flying everywhere!

“And the only way to put a stop to the MAYHEM would be for her to watch as her a her very house. In blood! And then they reconcile their differences… She pays you double for ridding her of a ghostly menace… et cetera.”

[Dorian] “Why do you keep suggesting i scare PEOPLE INTO submission?”

[Dorian’s Grandmother] “Because it would work, dear.”

[Morrigan] “Welcome to limbo… Dorian Ghostkeeper.”

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The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer | Book Review

Once upon a time in West Virginia, two boys went missing.

The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer

LENGTH: 338 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Romance, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Ballantine Books

RELEASE DATE: 16 July 2024

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Inspired by C. S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia, this wild and wondrous novel is a fairy tale for grown-ups who still knock on the back of wardrobes—just in case—from the author of The Wishing Game.

As boys, best friends Jeremy Cox and Rafe Howell vanished in a West Virginia state park, only to mysteriously reappear six months later with no explanation for where they’d gone or how they’d survived.

Fifteen years after their miraculous homecoming, Jeremy is a famous missing persons investigator with an uncanny ability to find the lost, while Rafe is a reclusive artist unable to stop creating otherworldly paintings and sculptures he shows to no one. He bears scars inside and out from his disappearance but has no memory of what happened while they were gone.

Jeremy alone knows the fantastical truth behind their time in the woods. While the rest of the world was searching for them, the two missing boys were in a magical realm filled with impossible beauty and terrible danger. However, Jeremy has kept Rafe in the dark since their return for his own inscrutable reasons.

But the time for burying secrets comes to an end when vet tech Emilie Wendel hires Jeremy to find her long-lost sister… the long-lost sister he and Rafe knew while living in that hidden kingdom. Now the former lost boys must confront their shared past, no matter how traumatic the memories. Alongside the headstrong Emilie, Rafe and Jeremy return to the enchanted world they called home for six months… for only then can they get back everything and everyone they’ve lost.

My Review

First you were missing. Then you were lost. Then you were forgotten.

Hey, I know it’s been a hot minute since I’ve posted a book review. But I caught Book Indecision Syndrome last week after reading more of One Piece, so that’s why it’s been over two weeks. Sorry.

Anyway so, this book ended up disappointing me. Slightly. I’d really wanted to like The Lost Story. The premise interesting and unique and it has a lovely cover. But then, I don’t know, I guess I hyped it up way too much in my head, so when the book started to go a little downhill for me, I was more disappointed than I normally would’ve been.

Let’s just get into it. Okay, so I really, really liked the first third of the book. I thought the intrigue and buildup was great. But once the group actually got to the magical fantasy world (known as Shanandoah) the novel started to irritate me a little. I don’t really know why – it was probably a mix of different things, I guess.

For one thing, the world building took a dive. Like, without the intrigue and Shanandoah no longer being of the unknown, it kind of fell flat on its face. To me anyway. The magical fairytale aspect was gone entirely (which might have been the intention, IDK) and I realized that that was the only aspect the magical fantasy land had going for it in my mind. And Shanandoah didn’t live up to the hype for me, I guess, and that was probably my biggest issue with it. Also, the magic system was poorly defined and I had multiple issues with it that I don’t feel like going into.

I did like some of the cast, however. Rafe was the most interesting and compelling character in the book for me, and I enjoyed Jeremy and Emilie quite a bit as well. But after they crossed the border to Shanandoah, they and their dynamics with one another got marginally less interesting. And sorry, but Rafe and Jeremy’s romance really annoyed me. Mostly because it only got development from Rafe’s side. Jeremy was just immediately in love with him the second he laid eyes on him as teenagers, which is one of the absolute worst of romance tropes because then authors decide they don’t have to build on or give a reason (or reasons) that Character A is in love with Character B. It’s just so, ugh, and I really think it did a disservice to both Jeremy’s character, as well as his romance with Rafe.

Skya was the absolute worst though. She’s hyped up to be super amazing, and that might be part of the reason that I hated her. Also, for whatever reason, everything she did irritated me. And her relationship with Emilie never felt genuine to me. Maybe if she’d left to seek out her sister herself I’d feel like she cared about her the way the book says she does, but she didn’t so I didn’t. (I don’t care if she’s a queen or not, Shanandoah is a magic realm and they were fine without her before she got there as far as I can tell.) Sure, she got a beautiful room set up for her, but she basically just sat on her ass and waited for her sister to show up. For fifteen years.

The characters near complete disregard for the Earth dimension really bothered me. Like, it would have been so much more interesting to me if they came to realize that Earth has some good stuff too, that there were good things to be found besides moms, and that you can’t just go live in a magic world and forget all your problems forever. Which, I guess was one of the book’s points – and it does explore it (a little) – but I don’t like the way that it was executed. At all. (We the readers live on Earth, and the author makes it seem either boring and awful. I didn’t like that).

Also, the “big choice” near the end of the book is ultimately made for the characters, so it felt anticlimactic. Both climaxes also felt extremely anticlimactic, because The Lost Story‘s foreshadowing is so terrible and unsubtle that you know everything is gonna be alright both times. Also, everything in this book is ridiculously predictable, and that annoys me.

The thing that irritated me the most, though, was the Storyteller’s Corner section of the book. They interrupted the flow of the story, and needlessly clarified things or padded out the book unnecessarily. This line in particular irritated me especially:

“I wrote the story. I don’t make the rules.”

YES YOU LITERALLY DO! That’s the whole point of crafting and telling a story! The rules just don’t write themselves – they have to come from someone’s brain. I hate it when authors say crap like this, it feels like they’re trying to sound clever or pushing accountability off of themselves or something. (Neither works by the way – you just sound pretentious.) I don’t know. This is just something that makes my blood boil whenever I hear/read it. And to read it in such a meta way, in a work of fiction no less, felt extremely conceited to me. To write a story, you have to write the rules surrounding it. There’s no other way. Also, it was extremely annoying.

But the book wasn’t all bad. Like I said, the first third of the book was great – not to mention the ending was decent. I also liked that the book has a map of Shanandoah at the beginning. Maps in books are great. The characters also had their moments – except for Skya – and I did like them for the most part. The dialogue was also well written and natural for the most part, though it did get a little too quippy at certain times. (Enough so to be irritating.) The descriptions were also well done, and I liked that the book ended somewhat open ended, but mostly not. (If there’s ever a sequel however, I’m probably not going to read it.) The best part of the book for me, and the reason it got three stars in the first place, was because it has a great recipe at the end of the novel.

I do find it funny though, that this cover has been so often compared to the Chronicles of Narnia, and, one one occasion was called Narnia meets CSI. Because I didn’t think it was like that at all. (Also, the person who said the thing about CSI must not have seen it, because it wasn’t like that at all. Jeremy just had a magical tracking ability, there wasn’t any science or any biochemical testing whatsoever.) I thought it felt more like Peter Pan or even The Wizard of Oz, especially vibes wise. Actually, the only thing that reminded me of Narnia was kids falling into a magical world and then eventually leaving for some reason or another. (Though the plot of The Silver Chair is brought up and it sounded a bit like the plot of this book. I admittedly don’t know hardly anything about the Narnia books aside from the first four.

I think people who greatly enjoy and have nostalgia for classic fantasy fiction like I’ve listed above will enjoy The Lost Story. Also, those who like certain romance tropes will probably like it as well. If you’re expecting a fleshed out fantasy world with a well written magic system, however, you might be a little disappointed. This book is far too whimsical for that, and it’s not interested in telling its story that way. (Sorry if this review got a little ranty BTW – I had some things to say, lol.)

As always, thank you so much for reading, and have a wonderful day/night!

See ya ~Mar

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