As the Empirium Trilogy ended up being pretty middling for me on the whole, I'm not sure how much I'll remember it as time goes on.
But for the rest ofAs the Empirium Trilogy ended up being pretty middling for me on the whole, I'm not sure how much I'll remember it as time goes on.
But for the rest of my life, I will never ever forget Eliana going back in time, approaching Odo Laroche and straight up telling him, "I'm Rielle's as-of-yet unborn daughter. I've time-traveled back 1,000 years to save the world. Can you take me to her?" And he responds like, "Great, right this way." NO FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONS.
In my review of Furyborn, I ended it by writing, "I can only see the series improving as it goes on." Egg on my face.
Merged review:
As the Empirium Trilogy ended up being pretty middling for me on the whole, I'm not sure how much I'll remember it as time goes on.
But for the rest of my life, I will never ever forget Eliana going back in time, approaching Odo Laroche and straight up telling him, "I'm Rielle's as-of-yet unborn daughter. I've time-traveled back 1,000 years to save the world. Can you take me to her?" And he responds like, "Great, right this way." NO FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONS.
In my review of Furyborn, I ended it by writing, "I can only see the series improving as it goes on." Egg on my face....more
Just like the shape of the country that ""inspired"" this ""fantasy world""... it's a boot.
[image]
This duology is so bad.
Much as I disliked This ViciJust like the shape of the country that ""inspired"" this ""fantasy world""... it's a boot.
[image]
This duology is so bad.
Much as I disliked This Vicious Grace, it at least had a semblance of a story; mostly because it copied its beats from the 2000 X-Men movie.
This Cursed Light is lost. Never does it find its way, and it goes nowhere.
It has nothing new to say about love, faith, responsibility, or sacrifice.
It has no contribution to make to fantasy, the genre of imagination.
Listen, if Wrath of Khan could convince us to accept the death of a character as universally as beloved as Spock—because to love him is to understand truly that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few...or the one—This Cursed Light trying to pull the same stunt with that much weight with as petulant and self-serving a character as Alessa is beyond unearned.
Just because Dante loves her doesn't mean the audience should be compelled to.
In the climax, when all it took to save every living soul was for her to die, I was like, "fucken werk". [image]
And I knew it wouldn't last. The duology isn't mature enough to tackle death, nor consequences of any kind. Rather, these are books where Happily Ever After is secured with a kiss.
It promised so many themes I love - family secrets, uneasy reunions, coming of age, a tight-knit community (This wasn't exactly what I was hoping for.
It promised so many themes I love - family secrets, uneasy reunions, coming of age, a tight-knit community (a 12-mile-long MA island), and summertime isolation (vis-à-vis jobs at an island resort) - but these aspects went largely unrealized.
The Cousins is a rather short book, keeping its focus tightly, almost stubbornly on the mystery storyline:
- Why were the titular cousins invited to their Grandmother's island resort for the summer? - Why did she disown their parents?
So those themes I mentioned before were only explored when relevant to the mystery, then no further - except for the family secrets; while I found them to be a bit underwhelming, I especially enjoyed the flashback chapters to Allison's youth in 1996. While they were only loosely plot-related, they gave the book much-needed texture.
For it was certainly lacking elsewhere!
Uneasy reunions? The three cousins, although raised separately and in different circumstances, immediately team up - there's one twist, but it provides little conflict...even becomes something of a boon. And their interactions with their estranged grandmother are minimal.
Coming of age? Aubrey matures enough to break up with a bad boyfriend and tell off her dad. Whether she needed this particular summer experience to do so is debatable.
A tight-knit community? The cousins only meet and interact with townspeople relevant to the mystery. We're told there is a considerable class divide between the Story family, who own most of the island's businesses, and the townsfolk, but we never see what the latters' lives look like. Their downtown area is described as "a mini Fifth Avenue", implying a certain level of affluence...but is it in service of just one family? How is that practical for an island of majority hotel employees? Where do they shop? Where do they hang out? What do their homes look like?
Summertime isolation due to summer jobs? The cousins have to work at their grandmother's resort for the summer, Aubrey as a lifeguard, Jonah as a busboy, and Milly as a server... but we never read of them working. No job orientation, no interactions with coworkers, no balancing sleuthing with work schedules, nothing. This is a particular bummer for me because I'm a Baywatch superfan - I love lifeguards. [image]
So...was the mystery worth all that got glossed over? Not really, not at all. But I guess I don't regret reading it; the messy as hell gala scene alone was worth it....more
Here's the difference between Dread Nation and its sequel Deathless Divide:
Where Dread Nation used a fantastical device (zombies) to take a critical Here's the difference between Dread Nation and its sequel Deathless Divide:
Where Dread Nation used a fantastical device (zombies) to take a critical look at America's postbellum history, Deathless Divide leans into a different kind of fantasy, that of the Western, a genre that celebrates the fiction of America's imagined past.
I happen to really like Westerns - Winchester '73 (1950) is in my top 3 favorite movies. But there's a good reason why the genre went from being mainstream in the Mid-Century to being niche now: We know it to be a falsehood.
Westerns portrayed this idea of brave white pioneers and cowboys, facing hardships and taming the "wild West", claiming "new" land for their own. Seeing such heroic portrayals in books, movies, and television 100% would embolden white audiences to believe their right to American land and resources was hard-earned, and more valid than that of non-whites depicted much less favorably, and to believe in our history that we did nothing wrong, and no reparations need be made.
Yet historical record shows most cowboys were non-white, but a quarter of them were black, and a third Hispanic (the word "buckaroo" coming from the Spanish word "vaquero"). Cowhearding was a dangerous, wearisome job with meager pay; a job white men had the privilege to pass up, but others had no choice but to take. We know that white miners were extremely hostile toward the Chinese during the California Gold Rush, often using intimidation and even murder to jump their claims.
And we know that the West was never "won" - it was taken from the Native Americans, their land exploited to richen the pockets of white colonizers.
So Westerns died a slow death in the '70s, the colossal flop of 1980's Heaven's Gate perhaps being their death knell. Any attempts thereafter were really one-offs, and always trying a different approach - comedic (Three Amigos, Lust in the Dust), modern (City Slickers), satirical (Blazing Saddles), Brat Packish (Young Guns), girl power (Bad Girls) - but never to reignite the previous heyday.
Westerns today tend to be less about the genre and more character-driven, like the Coen Bros.' True Grit (much more about Mattie than Rooster than the 1967 adaptation was), The Revenent, The Beguiled, and The Power of the Dog, for example. Either they look history head-on and acknowledge its truth, or set themselves on so small a stage that the implications of the time period aren't relevant to the story.
Unfortunately, Deathless Divide rather does neither, instead making a full pivot into a traditional Western story played extremely straight, tropes and all. Where its predecessor Dread Nation had much to say about America's history of slavery and how it was replaced with another institution requiring non-whites to fight zombies for employment, Deathless Divide says little. It leans more into the zombie-fighting action, wild wild West adventure to propel its narrative.
We see the main characters Jane and Katherine separated to each participate in different Western cliches: Jane bounty hunting, Katherine wagon training. This is a crushing blow, as the heart of these books is their relationship. They're two sides of one coin; each others' North Star - separate, their plotlines lacked momentum and guidance, not to mention witty banter. They're instead given new, less compelling companions for their individual journeys - and a one-year time jump ensures we don't see how these new relationships form and change. They’re just passing time until Jane and Katherine meet up again.
Additionally, important characters from Dread Nation are killed off willy-nilly. All but one death is impactful, the others being null. (view spoiler)[And I have major misgivings about Jackson being killed immediately after he's discovered to be a nonviable love interest for Jane. Whether it’s a male or female character, killing them when they're unavailable to the protagonist is shoddy handling. And he's not even allowed peace in death, serving as guide to Jane as a ghost... Wouldn't he rather visit his wife and new baby? Especially as he died before the baby was born? (hide spoiler)]
And while the Shamblers (the zombies) were a massive threat to contend with in Dread Nation, they’re small potatoes here. As this story takes place in a new location, California, the author chose to write in conveniences that made the communities there inexplicably better protected than elsewhere…despite it being previously established that the Shamblers were more plentiful and effective in warmer temps…
Ultimately, Deathless Divide didn't feel like a completion to the story Dread Nation began. Not at all. While I wouldn't say it's necessary to read after the first book, it is well-written, if a bit lazy in places. Author Justina Ireland remains a great talent, and this book is readable. Just not great, nor a worthy successor to Dread Nation....more
Haunted house stories are so much more effective when the homes are part of the family; the place where lies were first told and secrets Adored this.
Haunted house stories are so much more effective when the homes are part of the family; the place where lies were first told and secrets remain kept, where façades are dropped and everyone reveals who they truly are. Where good times and bad are baked into the walls.
A place where trauma repeats time after time, hidden behind its closed doors.
It creates such a ripe environment for horror, and oftentimes the supernatural threat is less scary than the familiar one.
Such is the home young Daisy and her mother Grace inherit; a mansion in rural Canada where the latter spent many childhood summers but is hesitant to return to. She reveals nothing of what happened there, keeping her defenses up so constantly that even Daist struggles to break through them. Moving to the mansion teaches Daisy not only of her mother, but of the family secrets that shaped her.
A second POV takes place a decade later from horror podcaster Brittney, working on an episode about Daisy and the mansion. While her investigation was an interesting addition to the narrative, hinting at certain events to come, I'm not the biggest fan of true crime - even in its fictional form.
Brittney also had her own tension with her mother, who once stayed at the mansion when Grace ran it as an Airbnb, then wrote a bestseller about her life-changing experience there. Details about her mother's book are left murky, though we know Brittney has a low opinion of it. Knowing more about it, especially those details that informed her strained relationship with her mother, would've benefitted her POV chapters greatly.
As this is a YA book, it doesn't go overboard in its horror descriptions, though there was one body horror scene that I genuinely felt sick over. More disturbing are the discussions of abuse that remain a throughline the entire book. These are not gratuitous, graphic, or exploitative, but the subject matter is extremely heavy. Author Liselle Sambury has a full content warning for Delicious Monsters available on her website - https://lisellesambury.ca/delicious-m... It's never a bad idea to check out content warnings, and it's awesome to see an author protect vulnerable members of their audience <3...more
My favorite movie is Yoshifumi Kondō's Whisper of the Heart from Studio Ghibli. [image] One of its major plotlines is main character Shizuku's initiaOk,
My favorite movie is Yoshifumi Kondō's Whisper of the Heart from Studio Ghibli. [image] One of its major plotlines is main character Shizuku's initial attempt at writing. [image] She sets a deadline to produce a fantasy story by, then throws herself into it entirely. She forgoes sleep and her studies, much to her family's ire, focused only on her goal. When the time comes for someone to read her writing, she knows it’s raw. She knows it still needs work, yet is heartbroken to hear this confirmed.
But she is also told her story has potential. [image] Her spirits are lifted when her reader gives her a geode, just slightly cracked to show the gems inside. Like the geode, her story needs time and polishing—not deadlines—for its gems to be revealed.
It's the loveliest thing. [image]
Why do I bring this up? Well, I like talking about Whisper of the Heart. Also because in Redemptor's afterword, author Jordan Ifueko reveals the first book, Raybearer, took her twelve years to finish writing. Redemptor was written and published in a much shorter period of time.
Raybearer didn't astound me, but I recognize it as a fundamentally good story. My feeling towards it was that it was disorganized. Choices were made that put the book’s events out of order to me, but I could see in them Ifueko's vision. More or less, they felt intentional—that it was a book with twelve years' attention put into it.
My feeling for Redemptor is that it wasn't ready. The difference between the two books' creation adequately explains why.
Redemptor was all over the place. Some ideas were meandering. Since were sudden. Since were dropped. Character motivations, particularly Tarisai's, were way off from the first book, and any character development felt forced. Diplomacy was as simple as loving and being loved by other nations’ leaders. Monarchy was fine so long as the leaders are good people. New elements were introduced (like kuso-kuso leaves) for the story's convenience, and new threats (like the Crocodile) were actually (view spoiler)[just hawt princes in disguise, trying to incite the population to overthrow individual bad leaders, not the systems they designed to oppress (hide spoiler)]...
I know that Jordan Ifueko feels she uncovered the gems in Raybearer; they didn’t shine as brightly for me, but I know they’re there. I'm less certain she feels the same about Redemptor. Maybe there was something sparkling here, but the time was not allowed to polish it....more
Raybearer is a good fantasy book, but it's disorganized. It opens and ends strong, but there were some choices along the way that threw me off.
There aRaybearer is a good fantasy book, but it's disorganized. It opens and ends strong, but there were some choices along the way that threw me off.
There are 3 key things to know about protagonist Tarisai:
1. She has special powers from special parents, 2. She is to participate in a competition to select the crown prince's future council, and 3. She must obey her mother's command to kill said crown prince or else.
This is a solid framework for a story; each piece fits so perfectly with the others that it really writes itself.
While time jumps have their place, they need to be executed carefully so as to not be disorienting. The time jump in Raybearer skips over Tarisai's formative years from ages 11-15, most of the selection process for the prince's council (aka the eleven Anointed Ones), worldbuilding opportunities (esp. Aritsar's relationship to Songland and the Underworld), further development of the magic system, Tarisai's growing friendships - just so much, really. Too much to get skipped.
As the Anointed Ones' magic system is reliant on their bonds to one another and Prince Dayo, skipping over Tarisai growing up with them and building these relationships is such a misstep. Once all the Anointed Ones are chosen, aside from Tarisai, Kirah, and Sanjeet, we're just given a laundry list of who the others are and what powers they have. These eight others then peace out until the book's climax, when we're told how much Tarisai cares about them. Honestly, this is just lip service because the narrative is only interested in Tarisai's relationships with Sanjeet, Dayo, and Kirah. (hide spoiler)]
I'll give Raybearer credit here: the amnesia subplot is directly related to Tarisai's powers - being able to read, subdue, and give memories. To avoid fulfilling her mother's order of killing Prince Dayo, Tarisai uses her magic on herself to repress her memories. She subsequently forgets her parents, her upbringing, her teachers, her homeland of Swana - everything until she got to the palace.
But a tired plotline's a tired plotline.
What's weird is that Tarisai loses her memory on page 89, only to regain it on page 155. That's only 67 pages of memory loss. 67 pages of stilted blissful ignorance. It's so inconsequential, I don't understand why it was included.
Author Jordan Ifueko did a great job conveying Tarisai's guilt over her mission, especially as her affinity for Dayo grew. Writing in an amnesia subplot halts this character work and lowers the stakes - two things Ifueko had already been handling well. I'm not sure why she incorporated it, especially if Tarisai was going to remember and try to kill Dayo in ~67 pages anyway.
Later, at the 80% mark, Dayo reveals he knew about Tarisai's mission and memory loss...and tried to ensure she never remembered. He did this by not allowing her to think about Swana - her homeland or her culture - or interact with any of her people... And this is presented as a good thing, "to protect them both". I'm not sure if the amnesia was ultimately implemented for this “relationship development”, but it's not a good look. (hide spoiler)]
Choice #3 (view spoiler)[Tarisai tries to kill Dayo too early.
After getting her memory back and recalling her mother's command to kill the prince, Tarisai stabs him on page 160. Considering the 3 key elements I mentioned earlier, it would seem to me that this event would be the logical climax of the book, with everything - their growing bond, their shared experiences - leading to this moment.
But it instead happens less than halfway through the book.
After a four-year time jump.
After an amnesia subplot.
Maybe this is only significant to me, but I felt the order of the whole story was thrown off. Tarisai faces no consequences for stabbing the prince, aside from Sanjeet being pissed at her. She should've been arrested, her removal then throwing the other Anointed Ones into calamity for their separation from her...but everyone (including stabbed Dayo, minus Sanjeet) is very forgiving of her.
As Tarisai is left to her own reconnaissance, the book becomes her and Sanjeet, now friends turned enemies, fast-traveling together to gain information she already knew: Her mother's command can only be disobeyed if her mother is killed. Conveniently, just when Tarisai wants to confront her mother, she learns that she had already been arrested back at the castle offscreen. (hide spoiler)]
Choice #4 (view spoiler)[Not enough focus on Songland and the Redemptors.
In the Empire of Aritsar, the people of Songland are forced to sacrifice their children to appease the spirits of the Underworld, a duty forced upon them for refusing to relinquish their sovereignty generations before. For this same reason, they aren't allowed to trade with any of Aritsar's twelve nations, despite their bountiful rice production, leaving them with limited resources.
Sometimes, the Redemptor children come back from the dead, haunted and changed. Most times, they don't.
Tarisai, a citizen of Aritsar, interacts with two Songland citizens: Woo In, a former Redemptor and onetime prince who became one of her teachers, and Ye Eun, a little girl due to be sacrificed. Woo In first introduces her to Songland's oppression and brings Ye Eun to her to put a human face to the crisis.
As she had been assigned the role of the prince's High Judge, Tarisai considers ways to use her power to stop the sacrifice, but such deliberation gets waylaid due to prince-stabbing and friends-to-enemies traveling. Songland's issues aren't returned to until the very end when Woo In literally flies Tarisai there and Ye Eun shows up like, "Remember me?"
While Tarisai makes a deal with the Underworld in hopes of stopping further sacrifice in the 2nd book - a conclusion I found satisfying, I wish this plot hadn't been pushed aside until Tarisai's personal issues were sorted out. To me, Songland's concerns were much more pressing than anything else in the book, and I wish they had been given more focus. (hide spoiler)]
Semi-Choice #5 - something that might be addressed in Redemptor (view spoiler)[The power structure.
The Empire of Aritsar has a history of horrible rulers in its monarchy. Ifueko deftly illustrates how individual idiosyncrasies, jealousy, and greed can lead to poor policymaking, and she shows some of the fallout of these poor decisions, e.g. Songland. As demonstrated by the previous rulers' behavior, it would seem for the best that Aritsar's crown be overthrown and a new system of governance be instituted.
But the conclusion reached in Raybearer makes me nervous this won't happen, though I'll hold out hope.
Tarisai discovers precedent for an Emperor and an Empress to rule Aritsar (a position traditionally only held by male heirs), and, having been revealed as Dayo's cousin, prepares to assume rule with him. Both are confident they can check and balance each other, leading to a better reign.
While this is nice, I find it shortsighted. Sure, Tarisai and Dayo are good people, but what about their great-grandchildren? Their great-great-grandchildren? What guarantee is there that the cycle of bad leadership will end with them?
The solution to a bad king isn't a good king - the solution is no king at all. From Redemptor's description, I understand a character called the Crocodile will inspire dissent in the Empire. I hope they're successful! (hide spoiler)]
Regardless of these choices, Raybearer remains a solid YA fantasy, and among the better ones. I enjoyed it, despite some side-eye ;)...more
The Smell of Other People's Houses follows four Alaskan teenagers through the year 1970. In the winter, Ruth catches pregnant, Dora comesI loved this.
The Smell of Other People's Houses follows four Alaskan teenagers through the year 1970. In the winter, Ruth catches pregnant, Dora comes into a windfall, Alyce mortgages her dreams for her family, and Hank and his younger brothers run away. Through the seasons that follow, their lives bob and weave into each others', filling in gaps in each others' stories, and each finds their own resolution.
This interconnected storytelling paints a contained, but hyper-detailed portrait of life in post-statehood Alaska. The setting informs everything about the characters' lives. Featuring a majority native Alaskan cast, we see families trying to keep their culture alive against increasing Americanization.
Also explored is a way of life unique to their community, diverse as the landscape they live in. Identity, family, and friendship are explored while poverty, income inequality, alcoholism, and grief are discussed. The relationship to these themes shifts with each POV, and even these change with perspective or circumstance by each story's end.
What is accomplished is a book short, but so complete. So full of everyday magic, and so fulfilling. So perfect. ✨...more
There are some things I liked in Bloodmarked more than in the first book (for example, Alice's role gets amped up -Such a worthy sequel to Legendborn.
There are some things I liked in Bloodmarked more than in the first book (for example, Alice's role gets amped up - loved that), and some things I liked a little less (ex. I felt there was so much focus on the Arthurian magic system and not enough on the Root; Legendborn had such a perfect balance as both were slowly being discovered).
But I'm leaving this read with immense trust in Tracy Deonn and where she'll take this story next. I'm so excited for the next book. Until then, I'll be listening to Loreena McKennitt's The Lady of Shalott on repeat....more
This book is very entertaining; I was engaged the entire time I was reading it, even when it began to fall apart.
It starts out solidly. Alice is a lowThis book is very entertaining; I was engaged the entire time I was reading it, even when it began to fall apart.
It starts out solidly. Alice is a lower-income student at an elite Beijing private school. Despite being one of the school's top two students, she feels isolated from her wealthier peers, especially as tuition is rising and her parents won't be able to afford it. When she suddenly gains the ability to turn invisible, she teams up with the other top student to monetize her new power as a sort of super-spy through an app they create called "Beijing Ghost". She snaps pics of cheating parents, deletes sensitive material off exes' phones, and even steals test answers. All the while, she is burdened with incredible stress trying to maintain perfect grades and keeping this power secret.
All of this is great and makes for a good YA book. The commentary on wealth inequality and how Alice was already essentially invisible to the upper crust might've even made it a great YA book.
But it goes completely off the rails.
Alice is hired to commit a felony, (view spoiler)[to help kidnap another student (hide spoiler)], and her decisions thereafter BOWLED ME OVER.
(view spoiler)[SHE FRICKEN DOES IT. SHE HELPS KIDNAP THE KID!!! She does get caught, and her teachers are inexplicably like, "...can you turn invisible?" Any speculation on her powers is dropped immediately afterward. In fact, she doesn't go invisible again for the rest of the book, nor does she comment on this. While I'm glad she faced repercussions, they are not realistic considering the severity of her crime (again, KIDNAPPING). She strongarms the student who hired her for the kidnapping to take the brunt of the blame, pretending her espionage app was just for tutoring. When the school board still wants Alice punished, her two rich friends threaten to use their influence and platforms to bash the school until they agree that the other kid is the guiltier party. Alice gets to finish the semester, but it's mutually agreed upon that she'll not continue on after. But one of her teachers still puts in a good word for her at another private school and sends her off with a letter of recommendation. (hide spoiler)]
It was WILD. (view spoiler)[This girl was really making out with her new boyfriend while the kid she helped kidnap was hospitalized. (hide spoiler)]
What bothers me most is that, ultimately, wealth and privilege saved the day. Alice, despite possessing an unheard-of supernatural power, wasn't as effective as two rich kids throwing their names around. This isn't looked at critically but is instead seen as a boon. Sure, Alice might be better off for having these new friends in her corner, but it doesn't change anything for the underprivileged students who would come after her. Really hurts the nuance of class explored earlier in the book, and ends the story on a whomp-whomp....more
Very distressed to say that I feel I liked Kingsbane less than Furyborn...
I hadn't planned for this. I was certain the story would find its footing afVery distressed to say that I feel I liked Kingsbane less than Furyborn...
I hadn't planned for this. I was certain the story would find its footing after the introductory installment, that the world would open up, that the plot would tighten...that the writing would mature... (And it is mature in its graphic content, not so much in its narrative and which story threads it chooses to follow.)
Some spoilers I'm frankly stunned by:
#1 (view spoiler)[Turning Harkan and Audric into unreasonable, disagreeable jerks - the former becoming a kidnapper and the latter committing a pseudo-assault on Rielle - so bad boys Simon and Corien look more appealing by comparison. These heel-turns were so cartoonish, and childish in their abruptness. (hide spoiler)]
#2 (view spoiler)[That the story's climax wasn't upon Eliana's time travel to meet Rielle, her long-lost mother, but instead happened later at Rielle's wedding (past) and the Imperial Jubilee (future). That an event as major as the two protagonists finally meeting (facilitated by TIME TRAVEL!!!) was reduced to a single chapter, then have all momentum brake to attend two parties baffles me. I get that Claire Legrand wanted to describe their gowns, but come on. Such a bizarre choice. Also, the timeline doesn't get disrupted in the least by Eliana's sudden appearance in the past. (hide spoiler)]
#3 (view spoiler)[The weird non-comment that is ultimately made re: oppression. The angels were brutally beaten by the humans & their saints, then banished into a limbo hellscape, and the ones able to return to Avitas either have to appropriate a human's body or live on as a disembodied wraith - all horrible circumstances. In Furyborn, Eliana learned the truth of what the saints did to them, and how humankind's mythology was a lie, and readily admits what happened to the angels was wrong. But then we have two angel perspectives - Ludivine's and Zahra's - that reassure the protagonists that it's all chill? That the angels should've been oppressed because they would otherwise use their power against the humans - the same thing the humans successfully did to them? And then the only other angel we see is Corien, who is power-hungry and abusive, ergo freeing the angels was a mistake and all of them are bad? It's a very unnuanced take, and I'm not confident that this discussion will be handled deftly in the last book... (hide spoiler)]
One last thing: I remembered Sawkill Girls during this read and realized Claire Legrand has quite the affinity for bad boys (literally) on the brain. Between Val's demon and Corien, she loooooves twisty, manipulative, seductive intrusive thoughts.
One of the best books I've ever read. So hard to read, but so hard not to read.One of the best books I've ever read. So hard to read, but so hard not to read....more
I will say that this book felt a little imbalanced, which I think is due to its beinLyrical writing + episodic narrative + food focus = happy Jorie :)
I will say that this book felt a little imbalanced, which I think is due to its being for a slightly younger audience. Many of the answers came a little too easily, with several details about logistics left murky (ex.: what exactly did Emoni's busy schedule look like? We read about her going to school, working, doing homework, cooking both at home & school, and raising a baby, but we don't know how it all fits into the day.) I was exhausted just imagining all that, yet her energy seemed boundless. There was also just one (1) moment of Emma being difficult; otherwise, she was an idealized angel baby.
But, like comfort food, easy answers can still be satisfying....more
The Honeys began as an easy 5 Stars for me. If there's one setting I love, it's summer camp. This location, with its isolation and forced proximity, dThe Honeys began as an easy 5 Stars for me. If there's one setting I love, it's summer camp. This location, with its isolation and forced proximity, demands friendship-building - you simply can't get away from having company - and there is a supposed sense of safety and sunshine. Juxtapose this with main character Mars' very private grieving, forcing it to happen so publicly. Throw in some slight spookiness and I was hooked.
Then it lost sight of itself, and the things I had been enjoying twisted into convoluted knots...
(view spoiler)[The camp's secret society turned into a global conspiracy; the summer camp was the front for a massive, magical bee-themed religion? All the parents were in on it, and, at the 11th hour, it turned into a commentary on the old exploiting the young. So the teenagers kill the heads of this ancient, world-running organization - including Mars' parents! - and take over operations at the camp...running the magic bee cult? (hide spoiler)] Vibes very reminiscent of two 2006 movies, The Wicker Man and Silent Hill... Both of which are not as good as their original incarnations, respectively.
What really bothers me is the incorporation of cancer into magic systems. (view spoiler)[Mars' sister's brain tumor was created by the magic cult to get rid of her :( (hide spoiler)] I'm not certain what author Ryan La Sala's personal experience with cancer is, esp. brain cancers, but it was a brain tumor that took my older brother's life at just 35. It was the worst experience my family ever went through. To see something like this used as a plot device is an inelegant choice....more
There is a lot to admire about The Nature of Witches; it's like it was created Frankenstein-style by grafting parts of Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, DiThere is a lot to admire about The Nature of Witches; it's like it was created Frankenstein-style by grafting parts of Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Divergent and Twilight together, wrapping it in a skin of Instagram-friendly boho-witchiness. The result is an easily consumable YA product, and there is nothing at all wrong with that.
It just had no momentum. I felt trapped in the school setting, especially one so sparse. There were no interesting classes (Clara mostly does one-on-one training, a device to secure her romance with her mentor Sang), and her classmates and teachers had little to no personality. They were just given blanket traits indicative of what Season of magic they used.
Every event and conflict stemmed from one root: Whether or not Clara would utilize her powers. It fell into a formula of Clara being thrust into a situation forcing her to use her powers, and everyone around her subsequently being amazed by them. She would then regret it and shy away until the next catastrophe occurred, and the cycle would repeat.
What bothers me most about The Nature of Witches is its weaksauce metaphor for climate change. It is an alternate history where non-magic users made shortsighted eco/environmental decisions because they thought the witches would reverse the damage. If it wanted to sell this gross oversimplification of our current climate disaster, I would've needed scenes looking behind the curtain at this world's policymakers and their thought processes, commentary from scientists on the roles witches play, and more descriptions of the state of the world than were ever given.
But we never step outside of the witch school. Instead, the book just ends assuming Clara will be a one-woman safety net against climate change. But at least she's got a nice boyfriend, right?...more