The entire time I was reading this book I was thoroughly immersed. The writing is so well done, I was so invested WOW! Talk about a well written book!
The entire time I was reading this book I was thoroughly immersed. The writing is so well done, I was so invested in everything the narrator was telling me and I truly didn't want the book to end. Love how this sci-fi was written in such an intriguing way. If this book isnt on your radar it should be!...more
First let me say that I could not read this book anytime after 6:00pm because I live alone and I am not preChilling, this book will give you shivers!
First let me say that I could not read this book anytime after 6:00pm because I live alone and I am not prepared for the repercussions of reading this and then falling asleep. This collection of 12 short stories will leave you with goosebumps and jumping every time you hear a sound. The stories are that convincing!
The Dangers of Smoking In Bed is like a bag of chocolates, you never know what you will end up reading about but I can tell you these stories gets under your skin and stays there. I think what I enjoyed most about this collection is how unassuming each story starts out but then leaves you with chills. From flesh eating teenagers, to kids coming back who were gone missing for years, to Ouija boards, to a woman fetishizing about heartbeats, it is all there and well executed.
Yes, some of the stories missed the mark for me, others made me go “mmmm, what’s that supposed to be about?” but then there are some that just did not leave. My favorite were: Where Are You, Dear Heart? The Well Meat Kids Who Come Back Back When We Talked to the Dead
If you love reading duppy stories, you will for sure enjoy this one! ...more
Updated June 27 I love this book so much I decided I must make it a BookOfCinz Book Club pick. In re-reading it a second time I was reminded why. Abs Updated June 27 I love this book so much I decided I must make it a BookOfCinz Book Club pick. In re-reading it a second time I was reminded why. Absolutely well done. A must read.
As the author says Here’s to hoping this book remains forever in the category of speculative fiction I also hope everyone who reads this take it as a warning because this could be our reality.
Set in 2084, the sun is so hot the people on the fictional Caribbean island of Bajacu have to sleep during the day and work during the night. If you are caught outside at dawn you will die- that is how hot the sun is. Food is scarce, water is scarce, children attend school online, internet is limited, the island is ruled by the Domins who are trained to kill and their only goal is to survive. People over 40 years old are considered old, no one lives to see 60. No one travels, no one has access to the internet- actually the internet isn’t even a thing, the only thing of top priority is SURVIVAL.
In Daylight Come we meet fourteen-year-old Sorrel who is living with her mother Bibi, an IT Tech who works with the Government. Sorrel is not able to sleep during the day and is up during the night, which in the long term cannot work. Bibi isn’t doing well having to deal with the constant relocating and providing for her daughter. With the city letting everyone know they have to evacuate Sorrel suggests to her mother that is it time that they go for the hills. Legend has it there is a thriving community of Tribal people who are living healthy and unaffected by the climate change. To get to this Tribal community Sorrel and Bibi will have to go through blood thirsty animals, rain booms, the sun and if they do reach, will this community take them in or turn them back?
Daylight Come is a warning we cannot hide from, yes, this is fictional book but we are already seeing ice cap melting, the sun was never this hot… the signs are all there. I think what stood out for me the disdain the young persons felt for the older persons living on the island who didn’t do anything to stop climate change. McCaulay paints a realistic picture of a Caribbean island suffering from climate change.
It is not every day you pick up a book writing by a Caribbean author, set in the Caribbean and it is about climate change and I was here for ALL of it. The author expertly explored themes of grief, trauma, survival, mother-daughter relationships and morality. I wanted the book to have a solid 100 more pages because I didn’t want this story to end. The book gives me a Hunger Games but without the ceremony, just a band of women doing everything to survive.
Diana McCaulay is an Environmental Activist in Jamaica and I loved that she used her gift of writing to tell a timely and relevant story.
I cannot recommend this book highly enough. If you plan on reading Caribbean, read this! Thanks Peepal Tree Press for this ARC ...more
In the novella The Black God’s Drum we meet Creeper a feisty teenager living on her own on the streets of New Orleans. Creeper wants to see more of In the novella The Black God’s Drum we meet Creeper a feisty teenager living on her own on the streets of New Orleans. Creeper wants to see more of the world and figured her only way to do this is to get a spot on the Midnight Robber- a smuggler airship. Luck presents itself one day and Creeper overhears a conversation that would be of interest to the Captain of the Midnight Robber. In exchange for a spot on the airship, Creeper tells Captain Ann-Marie about a kidnapped Haitian scientist and his creation called The Black God’s Drum. Captain Ann-Marie’s interest is piqued and she and Creeper and Oya – the African orisha of wind and storms who speaks to Creeper sets out to rescue the Scientist.
This is my first book by P. Djeli Clark and I am actually blown away by bis ability to build an all encompassing world and characters in just over 100 pages… WHAT MAGIC IS THIS?!!! It takes a skilled writer or magician to write so well in so few pages all while keeping me hooked the entire way.
I am not an avid reader of the science fiction/fantasy genre and when I do venture to these parts I am either blown away or underwhelmed. In this case, I definitely enjoyed being in Creeper’s world. I loved the mythology; I loved the history of Haitian and Captain Ann-Marie who is from Trinidad and it shows- I absolutely ENJOYED it all. I want more…. ! ...more
In Namina Forna’s author’s note she said “At the heart, the book is an examination of patriarchy. How it does it form Are we Girls or Are we Demons?
In Namina Forna’s author’s note she said “At the heart, the book is an examination of patriarchy. How it does it form? What supports it? How do women survive under it? And what abut men, or people who don’t fall into the binary? Who thrives and who doesn’t?” After finishing this magical novel, I can say without a doubt the Author did an amazing job of answering all these questions...and more.
In The Gilded Ones we meet Deka, who is from the snowy mountains of the Northern part of Otera. Deka is still grieving the lost of her mother who recently died, her mother was originally from the Southern Provinces of Otera. Deka now lives alone with her father and is preparing for The Ritual of Purity, which happens across all the Provinces in Otera.
The Ritual of Purity ensures that all teenage girls are “pure”, this is done under a religious ceremony where the girls are cut to see if they bleed red, or gold. This ceremony is a way for the Provinces to find out who are Alaki and who aren’t. Alaki are women who are “stronger, faster and hardier than regular humans and bleed golden blood.” On the day of the Ritual of Purity Deka bleeds golden and is proved to be an Alaki. She is taken by the religious leaders who bleeds her and sells her blood, and kills her…but she doesn’t die. Deka is held captive until a woman from the capital Hemaira recuses her and take her to be a part of the Emperor’s army.
Deka is thrust from the only world she knows, she wonders how she is able to bleed golden, how can she recover from death, why this mysterious woman wants her to be a part of her army. She arrives in the capital to start training with hundreds of other Akai some who are like her, able to recover from death, others who have superhuman strength, speed, and power. They all train to be among the elite for the Emperor’s Army whose main goal is to rid Otera of Deathshrieks who have been plaguing them for decades. Deka stands out amongst the Alaki because of her special power, she must now bear responsibility of riding Otera of Deathshrieks, she must fight the battle of her life, one she could not prepare herself for.
Everything about this book is beautiful as you can see from the cover. Forna did such a solid job of creating a world where Black Girls are seen as strong, fearless, as leaders and women who can hold their own. I love how she was about to able to show Deka transformation from a naive girl, not knowing her place in the world and sometimes ashamed of her skin color, to a strong fearless leader. Forna explored so many relevant topics and in such a nuanced way, particularly, patriarchy, religion, racism, colourism, classism, feminism, sisterhood and trauma. I particularly loved this plot because of how (black) female focused it was and how the author portrayed girls and women in positive light. Forna created a world unlike any I have visited before and I did not want to leave.
I can see this one being a favourite for many once it is released in July 2020. I don’t see a lot of these YA novels on the shelf and we need more of them starting with this. This one is for the culture and it is well done, well executed and trust me, you are going to want to read it.
Lena Johnson is a young black woman in the middle of her University studies. She is on scholarship and has a bright Thanks Amistad book for this ARC.
Lena Johnson is a young black woman in the middle of her University studies. She is on scholarship and has a bright future ahead of her. With the passing of her Grandmother, who basically raised Lena, she is forced to take stock of her family's finances. Her mother does not work because she suffers from an undiagnosed illness that leaves her "out of it" for extended period of time. Lena now has to take care of her mother, while figuring out how to pay off the family debt.
In the middle of Lena's trouble she receives an invitation to take part in a study. The study requires a lot- secrecy, Lena relocating to a remote town called Lakewood, her not telling anyone about the study- on the upside, Lena gets to make a lot of money and the health insurance is so good her mother would benefit a lot. It is a no-brainer for Lena, she leaves university and heads to this remote town of Lakewood.
Lena does not know what she is getting herself in, but she is told the study, if successful will change the world and make it better for future generations. Things get weird, really fast and Lena questions if she made the right decision....
I read this book in one day- I just HAD to know what happened and what the study was about. Megan Giddings pens a thrilling read that will keep you engaged for the entire read. I liked reading it because it was different and unlike anything I have read before. I was a bit let down by the ending and felt some areas needed tightening but overall, a really thrilling read. ...more
Having an idea about what the future would look like and then waiting for it to happen was like being permanently stuck in traffic.
J.P. Delaney del Having an idea about what the future would look like and then waiting for it to happen was like being permanently stuck in traffic.
J.P. Delaney delivers with this third novel The Perfect Wife ! This book is an absolute page- turner and I spent my entire Sunday devouring it! Delaney crafted the perfect thriller and suspense novel set in Silicon Valley and I could not get enough of it.
The book opens with Abbie waking up from a deep sleep where she was getting proposed to on a Diwali night in Jaipur to the man of her dreams- perfect right? She wakes up to find out she was in a terrible "accident" five years ago and through technology she will now have a second chance at life... but at what cost?
There is so much going on in this novel and I loved it! I was immersed in Abbie's world and her need for answers and piecing her life back together again. If you are looking for a page turner- look no further!
The Lesson by Cadwell Turnbull is unlike anything I have ever read before and I cannot stop talking about i And they didn't invade. They arrived...
The Lesson by Cadwell Turnbull is unlike anything I have ever read before and I cannot stop talking about it and I didn't want it to end.
Set on the U.S. Virgin Islands, we meet the members of the community of Charlotte Amalie-like most Islanders, they are pretty laid back, but all living complicated lives. Things get even more complicated when one day the sky opens up and an alien ship docks close to the island. The five hundred Ynaa came in "peace" and with advance technology to offer for their five year stay on the island. The Ynaa's message to the people of the U.S. Virgin Islands is that they are looking for "something", they needed time to "research" and "they would leave the planet as they found it". Yes, the Ynnas were very vague but their ask seemed reasonable at the time.
Fast forward to a year into the invasion and tension between the Islanders and Ynaas is strong. While the Ynaas's tries to blend in by using human disguise, they are easily prone to anger, so much so, a Ynaa ripped an Islander to his death. The Ynaa's Ambassador Mera, tries to keep the peace by using Derrick a fellow Islander to help her get the message out but things are now beyond her control. The Islanders realize there are no consequences for the Ynaas action. Things spiral, quickly.
When I say I have never read a book like this, I mean it. Cadwell is able to traverse and blend various genres together, it is hard to classify exactly what genre this book falls under. I think that is what I loved most about it. We get a bit of Sci-Fi, historical fiction and young adults. The book starts out exploring the complicated lives of the community members of Charlotte Amalie. We see a married couple coming to terms with the impending doom of their marriage and how their daughter might be affected. We meet a young man who grew up in church questioning Christianity, while wondering “what else could be out there?”
Cadwell, took his time in The Lesson to explore the history of colonialism and what the invasion meant for an island that have a history of being invaded and taken over. We get a historical look on how the island was colonialized, and the question was posed to the reader and the members of the community, whether the Ynaa invaded or they arrived.
If you are looking for a book that will grab you from the very beginning and won’t let go until the end, this is it. If you have never read about an alien invasion happening on an island- well this might be the only book for you to read.
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