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elliepassmore · 18 hours
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Cabbage review
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3.5 stars Recommended if you like: weird stories, eco horror
Big thanks to Albatross Books, Netgalley, and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This is....not horror. I would dare say it isn't even creepy. It is weird, I'll give it that, but I spent the whole novella bracing for something that never came. The last chapter arrived and I was kind of left sitting there like "that's it?". While I'm sure the events of the story were unsettling for the characters, I didn't find any of it all that worrisome.
Rosemary isn't that likeable of a character, and I don't think she's supposed to be, but other than at the very beginning, there's little to endear her to readers the way she seems to have endeared herself to Thomas. Thomas is remarkably devoted to her, even when she's awful to him, and it's clear he loves her and doesn't know how to help her, but at the same time...there's a distance between all those feelings and how I felt toward her. Similarly, while Thomas is the main actor in the story, he's also just kind of there. His horror at the garden's 'curse' is hollow and even the high point of his terror at the very end felt meh.
I think the problem with this book is that the setup is so fantastic, and I've been treated to fantastic takes of similar stories, that distant characters and a distinct lack of true horror makes this story fall flat. T. Kingfisher has a number of eco-horror novellas that are short but manage to pack both emotion and horror into them. Likewise, I've read some eco-horror YA novels that manage to convey the simmering, low-level terror characters get when something natural is just a little bit Off. I wanted this book to be like those. I wanted to feel unnerved and wanted to see the terror the garden could unleash, and instead things just fell kind of flat.
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elliepassmore · 3 days
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The Dangerous Ones review
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4.5/5 stars Recommended if you like: fantasy, vampires, dual POVs, historical fantasy
Big thanks to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
TW slavery, whipping, mentions of SA
This book definitely has an interesting premise. The Civil War, but if vampires and Saints (i.e., supernaturally strong and fast vampire hunters) were a thing. I thought it was an interesting take and I liked seeing how the different fantasy elements got woven into the existing history. This world ended up being more expansive than just vampires, Saints, and humans, and it would've been interesting to explore the other groups as well but there's not really room for it (but note, I would be interested in exploring them...maybe with Gus and Jules).
As it is, we get a good amount of info about the vampires and Saints. Vamps seem to be a pretty Eastern European thing, though I think they do come from other European locations as well. They're sensitive to sunlight, holy water will burn them, and a wound from a silver weapon will never heal. Saints are pretty much the perfect enemies of vampires. They're stronger and faster than the average human and tire out less easily. When a Saint knows what they are and has proper training, they're a formidable foe against vampiric enemies. Even without training they can pose a threat, as Jerusalem shows in the opening chapter. Saints seem to pretty specifically hunt vampires and we actually see them working alongside other supernatural creatures in the book as allies.
Jerusalem has escaped slavery and is now fighting with other Saints in the Union army, with her sights set both on liberation and revenge. She's filled with rage about what happened to her and her family, and she uses that to focus her skills as she trains and fights. Understandably she doesn't trust a lot of people, but the people she does trust are people she is thoroughly loyal to. It's clear that she cares deeply and has a strong protective streak, and part of the way that shows up is through fighting the Confederacy and vampires.
Alexei is a vampire who signed on to help the Union army and in particular helps the Saints take down other vampires. He has his own demons to face from earlier in his life in Eastern Europe, demons tied directly to his vampirism. While he eagerly fights against slavery and clearly states his disgust for the practice on more than one occasion, he has more mixed emotions about newly turned vampires, as he's aware that not all of them have chosen that life, which at times puts him at odds with the Saints. We get to see his softer side on multiple occasions and it's clear he's warm-hearted at his core, even if he is, quite literally, ice cold.
While Jerusalem and Alexei are set up to seem to already be in love (though unknowingly on Jerusalem's part) when the book opens, I do feel like we get a bit of instalove going on. Alexei is clearly in love with Jerusalem but holds off because he doesn't want to lose her as a friend (also the fact that he's a vampire and she's not, lol), but it takes Jerusalem much longer. She even tries to kill the guy 24hrs before she admits she loves him! I have a hard time believing that someone like Jerusalem would so quickly have an about-face. While her attempts to kill him were in the heat of a very emotionally intense moment, it doesn't change the fact that up until nearly the end of the novel, Jerusalem worries Alexei will try to feed on her. That doesn't really scream love to me. I don't mind the romance, they do work well together, but I would've liked to see some of that resolved prior to their confessions (or at least prior to them fully getting together).
I have to say, I was cackling at the descriptions for white people. They were absolutely hilarious and I think it's a funny way to call out (and contrast with) the ways Black and brown characters' skin tones are often described in books. I also think it's interesting linguistically since it creates a Black-normative perspective in the novel.
This book is pretty fast paced and fairly action-packed. While there are moments when Jerusalem and/or Alexei have to stop for resting or planning, a lot of the book is filled with either strategy or fighting in some form. I definitely flew through this book and its fast pace makes it a nice, quick read. The ending is very satisfying as well.
Overall I enjoyed this book and found it to be a good, fast-paced vampiric read. I did find it a bit predictable at times, but I don't think it's trying to be a book with a ton of plot twists, so it doesn't impact the story.
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elliepassmore · 8 days
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The Ornithologist's Field Guide to Love review
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4/5 stars Recommended if you like: romantasy, romantic comedy, light academia, magic
Big thanks to Netgalley, Berkley Publishing, and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
My rating for this book sits somewhere between 4 and 4.5 stars, though it's hard for me to pinpoint exactly where. My rating is somewhat biased. I didn't see the publisher until after I'd requested the book and so didn't realize how heavily romance-oriented it was going to be (I thought it would be more like Emily Wilde's), and that's not really a genre I tend to read. That being said, once the book got going I began enjoying it, hence the rating still being relatively high.
It took me a while to get used to the narrative style of the book. For one, it's set in the Victorian Era and with that comes a lot of thinking about societal politeness and propriety, which doesn't interest me too much. Then there's quite a bit of emphasis on insta-lust and the feelings associated with that, albeit with a Victorian slant, though as mentioned I should've been more mindful of the drama. However, once things start getting on with the Birder of the Year competition, the pacing speeds up and I stopped noticing/being bothered by those two things. I'd say around the 10-15% mark.
The plot itself was interesting and actually contained more humorous moments than I was expecting. The ornithologists take the competition seriously, and it's clear Beth and Devon do as well, but there's quite a bit of tomfoolery occurring as each ornithologist tries to one up the other, and I found some of the situations to be quite funny. I also think that these moments really go to show how far ornithologists are willing to go in this world, which helps provide some context. There are also some behind-the-scenes machinations going on in the competition, and I did have a hard time trying to figure out the true motivation of the competition. There are really two different things going on, one of them funny and one of them more troublesome, that helped add some tension to the plot.
I like the concept of magical birds and the very extra people who study and trade in them. We have the chance to meet a bunch of different birds over the course of the book, ranging from deadly to pretty. Beth takes her job as an ornithologist seriously and is dedicated to studying and protecting birds from more unscrupulous forces. While he may seem like a scoundrel at first, Devon too is intensely interested in keeping birds safe. Conversely, it's made clear that a large swathe of the ornithologist community are less scrupulous and more interested in the fame and glory than in the birds themselves. It's no wonder the competition ends up being what it is.
Beth herself is the very definition of a Proper Victorian Lady. Beth can be quite shy, though she does her best to get along with people, usually with success (the scenes with the French fishermen might be some of my favorite in the book). Part of her shyness comes from being mocked as a child for being a 'weird know-it-all' who was, and is, obsessed with birds, though another part of it comes from her struggling to find the unspoken social rules others seem to follow (as I was reading I suspected she was autistic, and the author's note confirms that Beth is definitely ND, though Holton doesn't provide specifications). As a result, she's a bit of a people pleaser to start the book, though over the course of the competition she begins to stand up for herself and others more, and by the end is truly a force to be reckoned with.
Devon is both similar to Beth and her opposite. For one, he's much more devil-may-care and rakish, willing to be loud and gregarious when the need arises. However, this also masks someone who spent their later adolescent and early adult years feeling apart from others and lonely. In his own way, Devon can also be fairly shy and at times feels inadequate. That being said, it's clear he feels deeply and has a deep respect from the get-go for Beth. I think Devon's rakishness and sensitivity work well together.
The romance works well between the two main characters. Both of them have a deep love for the same academic subject and few people with whom they can let themselves relax and fully be themselves, both personally and academically. As academic prodigies they've had similar experiences in life and thus understand where each other is coming from and where their needs might be in the relationship. While I'd say the romance is definitely insta-love and insta-lust, Devon and Beth both have a wellspring of admiration and respect for one another, which I think is integral.
Overall, this was a surprisingly funny romantasy and I enjoyed the plot and characters. It isn't really a genre I read a lot, so it did take me some time to get used to the narrative style and the focus on romance vs. action + fantasy elements, but I did have a good time reading it.
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elliepassmore · 10 days
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Ruin Their Crops on the Ground review
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5/5 stars Recommended if you like: nonfiction, medical anthropology, social justice, food studies
Big thanks to Netgalley, Metropolitan Books, and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Wow. I cannot sing the praises of this book enough. It goes in-depth into the way food and food policy has been, and continues to be, weaponized as a means of control. I got my BA in anthropology and got very into medical anthropology when doing that, so I knew a little about the stuff Freeman talked about, but she goes into detail and provides a lot of context for these topics and clearly elucidates the historical-to-contemporary connections. I learned a lot of new information from this book and found that it was presented in a very understandable manner. This is definitely one of those books that I think everyone should read.
The book is broken up into seven chapters and an introduction, the first three chapters each focus on an ethnic and cultural group in the US: Native American, Black, and Hispanic. In each of these chapters, Freeman looks at the traditional foods eaten by those groups and the benefits those foods provide nutritionally. She then examines how colonialization altered those foods and forced people in these groups to start eating according to how white people wanted them to, often switching from highly nutritious foods to foods of subpar quality and foods with empty calories (i.e., bison to canned meat, hand-made corn tortillas to white bread, etc.). From there she discusses the impacts, historically and modern-day, of those changes and the actions some people are taking to return to traditional foods.
I already knew some of the stuff covered in these chapters, but it was absolutely horrifying to learn more of the details and I found them to be very informative. It feels weird to say I liked these chapters because so much of the information contained in them is horrifying, but it's something I haven't seen touched on in too much depth in my studies and I want to learn about it. It's these chapters in particular that I feel people should read because they're so informative and provide a lot of historical and contemporary context, and I think it really showcases how things are connected through time.
The next two chapters of the book focus on specific aspects of American food and food policy. Chapter 4 looks at milk and the USDA's ties into the dairy industry. A majority of people in the world are lactose intolerant (including me, lol), though population to population the percentage changes, with Caucasians having some of the highest percentages of lactose persistence into adulthood. Not only did Freeman use this chapter to discuss the inadequacy and capitalistic-driven motivations of the USDA's milk requirements, but she also uses it to dive into the health issues associate with dairy products, as well as the racist rhetoric surrounding milk in the past and present. Chapter 5 looks at school lunches and again targets the USDA's Big Agriculture ties for why school lunches lack nutrition. Freeman also uses this chapter to touch on school lunch debt and the myriad of ways policies surrounding lunch debt serve to humiliate and starve children.
I found these two chapters to be interesting and informative in a different way than the preceding chapters. Like with the first three, I did already know a lot of what Chapter 4 covered before going into it. Milk, lactose intolerance/persistence, and the USDA were things we discussed in my medical anthro class, but the historical ties and legal efforts to change (or not change) things were new to me. I also didn't know a lot of the negative health side-effects Freeman discussed in the milk chapter and it was definitely eye-opening. Chapter 5 was interesting to me because I rarely ate school lunch as a kid, and then as a late-middle schooler and in high school I did school online so I wasn't exposed to a lot of the stuff Freeman discussed in the chapter. I definitely remember the school lunches though and how they often lacked veggies and seemed always to contain a milk carton. It was super interesting to read the politics behind what goes into school lunches and how laws to change them or keep them the same were often tied into monetary interests.
Chapter 6 talks about racist food marketing and turns somewhat away from food itself and focuses on how branding utilizes some of the things discussed in chapters 1-3 to brand food, advertise to certain groups, or both. It was definitely disgusting to hear about the racist marketing techniques and how long it took companies to actually start doing better. Chapter 7 looks into the laws surrounding food policy, and SNAP in particular, which is an area I don't know too much about. I found the discussion to be very interesting and am definitely interested in seeing how this area of law and policy develops over time, hopefully in a positive way.
Overall I found this book to be very impactful and informative. I've already recommended it to 3 or 4 people and definitely think this is an area of study more people should know about. I'll probably check out Skimmed by this author as well.
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elliepassmore · 15 days
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Sheine Lende review
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5/5 stars Recommended if you like: urban fantasy, mystery, Indigenous storytelling, historical fantasy
Elatsoe review
Big thanks to Netgalley, Levine Querido, and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
I really enjoyed Elatsoe so I was super excited to see there was going to be a prequel about her grandmother! This book ends with the suggestion that there's more stories from this world to come, so I'm hoping we get something from four/six-great-grandmother (more from Sheine Lende or Elatsoe would also be good, I'm not picky)
Much like with Ellie, Shane's story centers around a mystery, though this one is a missing person's case and not a murder. Shane's mother, Lorenza, utilizes her dogs and ghost dog to find people who are missing. More recently Shane has begun helping her and the two make a good ghost-calling, person-finding duo. I liked reading about how they tracked people down and how their work got spread around by word-of-mouth.
I was a little confused on when this story occurred, so I found the author's note saying it was the 1970s to be helpful. In this world at this point in time, fairy rings are still being implemented and they're a relatively new technology still. It was interesting to see how people talked about them and the various opinions and worries people had, especially considering they're so present in Ellie's time. The missing person's case is tied up closely with fairy rings, though in a somewhat unusual way, so there was some light dealings with the Fair Folk and, more interestingly, with an ex-academic who specialized in them.
When her mother disappears, Shane takes over both the investigation for the missing kid(s) and the investigation for her mother's disappearance. She actually finds the older girl pretty quickly, and by complete accident, and they have a chance to spend some time together and bond before they make it back to everyone else. I liked that Shane and Donnie became fast friends and were eager to help one another out. I also appreciated that Donnie's grandparents were more than willing to travel with the girls and Shane's younger brother, Marco, to various places in order to find Donnie's younger brother (the missing boy) and Shane's mom.
Despite having a few family members remaining, Shane has a good support system, from her friend Amelia, to their elderly neighbor, to her newfound friendship with Donnie and the help of Donnie's grandparents. Ellie has that too in her book, but she starts that way, Shane starts by feeling alone and I feel for this type of YA adventure, having a large support system of mixed teenagers and adults really breaks the mold. I also liked that the adults, particularly the newer ones, were willing to defer ton Shane's expertise and research and didn't just insist they were right.
Shane is confident in herself, though not to the point of ego, and is able to draw on her knowledge, what her mother taught her, and her own investigative skills to connect dots and come up with next steps. She's overall friendly but knows when to put her foot down and is more than capable of being firm and even intimidating when necessary. She's still coming into her ghost-raising power, so I also liked seeing her knowledge and experimentation in that area.
Beyond the mystery element, this book also deals with trauma, family, and the effects of colonialism. Shane, Marcos, and Lorenza definitely had a hard time for a while, are technically still having a hard time, and it's a direct result of historical and modern colonialist greed. The family also suffered some major losses when Shane was younger, resulting in there being only a few family members and the dispersal of their home community. Shane and Marcos both still have a lot of emotions about that, albeit different ones since Marcos was in utero when this was going on and only knows the aftermath. Shane also struggles with not knowing or misremembering traditional Lipan stories and has several moments when she deeply wishes there were community members around she could engage with. It was definitely heartbreaking to read about those aspects, but I did enjoy seeing Shane begin to set them to rights. I also think the loss of their original support system and the growth of a different one help mirror each other and the path of healing in the story.
Overall I liked this story and think it stands well both on its own and as an addition to the world of Elatsoe. Shane definitely has an interesting story, and I would say this book serves as both a mystery and a healing journey. I'm looking forward to whatever Little Badger writes next!
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elliepassmore · 17 days
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Someone You Can Build a Nest In review
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5/5 stars Recommended if you like: fantasy, light horror, monster main characters, LGBTQ+ characters
Big thanks to Netgalley, DAW, and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
TW: gore, animal cruelty, abuse
I definitely thought this was a novella going into this and didn't realize it wasn't until I got past all the acknowledgements, ARC stuff, and table of contents and the book was still on 1%. Most of the horror I read is in novella format, so I was a little worried I was going to end up with more than I'd bargained for, but luckily that wasn't the case!
This book definitely has gore in it, at times quite a bit, but I wouldn't really classify this as a gorey novel and, in that same vein, while Shesheshen is a monster and devours people, I wouldn't classify this book as 'horror' necessarily. I suppose it is somewhat in the same vein as The Salt Grows Heavy, though Shesheshen and the mermaid are very different. I actually thought some of the scenes of Shesheshen eating were funny at times, she has an interesting outlook to things that can be humorous.
Shesheshen herself is the only one of her kind that she knows. Her mother was killed when she was young and she devoured her siblings before they could devour her and has lived in monster solitude ever since. It's clear that her early life has a great impact on her since she wants to find someone to build a nest in who will be a better parent than her father was (and whom she views as just a setting, albeit a nice nest), how she wants to be able to be there for her offspring, and how she questions some things about her own existence since she had no one to teach her otherwise. I found Shesheshen to be interesting, particularly in the way that she can absorb items around her and utilize them to build her body's structure.
Despite being a 'monster,' Shesheshen clearly has empathy and feelings. Her best friend is a blue bear named Blueberry and the two are obviously close and Shesheshen definitely loves her. Likewise, she's able to recognize the hypocrisy of humans calling her a monster while killing what- and whoever they feel and being mean to one another. Shesheshen is also drawn to Homily's kindness and it quickly becomes clear that she has a strong protective streak when it comes to the people and things she cares about.
Homily is depicted as kindhearted and even expresses similar sentiments about hunting animals and monsters that Shesheshen does. These two are two of the things that most strongly draw Shesheshen to her. But Homily has also been through some shit and has a hard time around people as well as the tendency to let people hurt her, either in a "go along to get along" kind of way or because she thinks she deserves it. Despite this, Homily also has a strong protective streak and protects Shesheshen and others on multiple occasions.
While not a main character, I have to give a shoutout to Laurent, whom I find hilarious. May he be happily terrorized for the rest of his days.
I enjoyed reading about Shesheshen's attempts to stay close to Homily, and confess that she's the 'monster' who Homily thinks cursed her family (but definitely didn't), and how major hijinks ensue as a result of this decision. Shesheshen definitely has gotten herself into a situation here and it was funny to read her desperately attempting to outmaneuver the humans trying to hunt her down. She shows some remarkable cunning, and it's clear she has a good mind for strategy. But I did find her attempts to get out of the situation without devouring the whole hunting party to be quite hilarious.
While this is ostensibly a humorous story about a queer monster falling in love with a human, this book also tackles themes like abuse and the cycle of abuse. Shesheshen has suffered at the hands of humans who have come to kill her, which is one kind of abuse, but Homily has suffered through having a truly demonic set of family members who seem to delight in harming her, both physically and emotionally. A large part of this story is about healing from that and not falling into the same cycles, wittingly or unwittingly.
Overall I enjoyed this book and found it to be fairly light-hearted, despite its contents. There is some gore, but it's not too bad, and Shesheshen's 'monster' shenanigans are done very matter-of-factly and with a great deal of attention paid toward whether Homily would think it too weird.
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elliepassmore · 22 days
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The Prisoner's Throne review
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5/5 stars Recommended if you like: scheming, court intrigue, faeries, morally gray characters
Stolen Heir review
First, I want to say I called it regarding Oak being exactly the kind of person you would think he would be after being raised by Madoc, Oriana, Jude, Cardan, and Taryn (and the Court of Shadows). How any of his family members were surprised by that I have no idea. I'm also happy to say that Taryn actually does seem to have gotten herself together and is much more tolerable in this book than in TFOTA (of course, that was also 8 years ago and Oak's POV is not Jude's, but still).
I enjoyed Stolen Heir but I think I like this one better. I did miss Wren's POV, though like with Oak's in book 1 having her narrate would obviously give some things away. The first book was quest-based and so we got to see a lot of new people and places, and much of the plot centered around the details of the quest. This one, on the other hand, is more along the lines of what we saw in TFOTA, where it is court against court and scheming abounds among those who want power. Questing plots are fun, but I do think I prefer this kind of intrigue.
I was so excited to see Jude and Cardan! I found it interesting to see them through someone else's eyes, since in previous books we've only ever seen them through their own, but Oak is Jude's younger beloved younger brother and Cardan's nephew and BIL, so he has a very different view of them than they do of themselves. That being said, they are more or less exactly as we remember and I enjoyed getting to see their interactions and reading their sass.
Oak is a trickster and a liar. He is, as mentioned, exactly the kind of person you would expect considering his family and the people he grew up around. He's good at scheming and seeing what people want, but he's also incredibly loyal and would do anything for his family. Unlike his father and sister, Oak still doesn't have ambitions for the throne. But that doesn't mean he isn't still involved in court intrigue, and this book shows us just how involved he is and the manipulations he's willing to use to protect the throne. It was interesting to get inside Oak's head since he's a child in TFOTA and Wren is technically a newcomer. Oak does feel like he needs to live up to what his family needs and the sacrifices they've made for him (though let's be honest, Jude's queenly ambitions only started with Oak, she sustained them on her own), and that creates an interesting dynamic. Related to this and to his scheming, Oak has so many layers and masks to portray the things he wants people to see that he also feels like people don't really know him, and it was interesting to see how that plays out.
Oak and Wren spend a lot of time separated in this book, but it's clear Wren is trying to get a grasp on what's going on and what exactly she wants. There are enemies closing in on all sides, and she struggles to find a workaround for all the people demanding things from her, and who have the power to make those things happen. While I know it would probably spoil some of what she's planning, I would've liked to have Wren's POV in this book alongside Oak's. I feel like we are missing part of the story by not having it, and I'd like to know more of her thought processes and how she decided what was a strategic decision vs not. That being said, we do get to see how Wren behaves when she feels she's been betrayed, and we also get to see how far she'll go for those she's loyal to. She and Oak have that in common, and the two are seemingly willing to rend anything, including themselves, apart in order to save those they love.
I enjoyed following the schemes of this book and learning who the new enemies were. Bogdana is obviously a major player, but there are people in the background that get revealed as the book progresses. In TFOTA, the game is putting someone on the throne and keeping them there. In this book, it's about determining who is out for the throne and what (and who) they have on their side, all while trying to balance competing priorities.
I'm particularly interested in the setup at the end of the book that seems to promise at least one more book set in Elfhame/involving the Greenbriar-Duarte clan. Holly Black had an interview that basically said as much, so I'm super interested to see where that goes (here's hoping it's Jude and Cardan again!).
Overall I enjoyed this book and seeing how Wren and Oak's story ended. It was interesting being inside Oak's head, though I did miss Wren's POV as well. I'm looking forward to future books set in this world!
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elliepassmore · 24 days
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Brides of High Hill review
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5/5 stars Recommended if you like: fantasy, novellas, queer characters, light horror
Empress of Salt and Fortune review
When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain review
Into the Riverlands review
Mammoths at the Gates review
Big thanks to Netgalley, Tordotcom, and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
In this volume of Cleric Chih's journey, they're accompanying a young woman and her family to the woman's wedding. While the bride-to-be is charming, her parents are more suspicious of Chih than anything, and the groom's household is filled with mystery.
As usual, the story opens with Chih traveling and being with people who have the potential of a story. In this case, Chih sticks with the young woman, Nhung, as she explores what is to likely be her new home. Chih does attempt to talk to the kitchen staff and other workers, but they all shun them for reasons unknown. I was definitely curious because it seemed to have something to do with Chih's proximity to the Phams (bride's family) but more about the Phams' position at the household than the family themselves.
Nhung was charming and vivacious, and I liked her eagerness. She also showed compassion to the groom's "mad" son when everyone else seemed more disgusted or willing to dismiss him. For all her liveliness, she's still young and worries about things in dark corners and the rafters.
Zhihao was an interesting character in this one. He was written off as "mad" by his father and the workers of the household, but Chih clues in immediately that the young man isn't mad but has something else going on. While he does come across as rather abrasive, I think he genuinely was trying to warn Chih and the others.
I'll say this, I knew something was up, not just with the groom's household (which was obvious) but with Chih, I just didn't know what. I'll also say that Chih made some decisions that I was questioning but which made sense once the whole picture had been revealed.
I think this novella is most similar to When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain since both novellas feature some light gore (I actually think there's more in Tiger than this one but similar ideas). I'd seen another review mention horror elements but I was still pleasantly surprised at the turn of events. It felt like it was going more in the direction of Rabbit's story (re: her lover) from Empress but then things took a turn and we got to meet some devourers of flesh.
Overall I really enjoyed this addition to the Singing Hills Cycle. All the characters are pretty likeable even when they don't appear they will be at first. I really liked how the story ramped up and the light horror elements that were added to the latter parts of the book. I'm definitely looking forward to the next installment of Chih and Almost Brilliant's adventures!
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elliepassmore · 29 days
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Calypso review
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4/5 stars Recommended if you like: speculative fiction, weird fiction, novel in verse, sci-fi
Big thanks to Netgalley, Titan Books, and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
This was....interesting, to say the least. I will start by saying this is almost a novel in verse. I don't quite know if I would call it "in verse," but before going into it readers should be aware that the author experiments with the text structure and layout as an aspect of the story. It's definitely interesting, but I hadn't been expecting it and so it threw me off. Each narrator has a different banner to represent their POV, and each POV has a different text structure. I do think it was a really interesting way to write a book and I think it does well adding to the weirdness of the story and everything going on. But I don't know if I'd read something like this as more than a one-off kind of thing. A novelty, but not something I'd want in every novel.
Rochelle is ostensibly the main character, though there are four POVs in total. She's an unenhanced human in a world where that is a vanishing rarity and has religion in a world where that's nearly unheard of. Many of her interactions are framed based on these two things as well as her experiences with her family on earth. She is brought aboard the project because she and its leader, Sigmund, have opposing ideas and Sigmund thinks her challenging him will be helpful. I did kind of get annoyed with her at one point for not being able to recognize straight propaganda when it's said to her face, like come on. Aside from the thrill of helping to create a new earth and a new society, I struggle to understand why Rochelle chose to join the mission. I mean, she had a life and a family on earth and decides to go on this trip to another galaxy and when she wakes up centuries have elapsed on earth, and we never get an explanation as to why she chose this. In the end, it almost seems like she regrets it. I feel like we get a lot of background on Rochelle's life without ever truly understanding what motivated her to Calypso.
Catherine is one of the other engineers on the project and is an enhanced human that seems to be enhanced beyond what is typical. There's an interplay between her and nature, and the two are deeply intertwined in a way that's interesting. If I were meeting her as a stranger, like Rochelle, I might be a little wary of her. I did expect something to come up regarding Catherine and her underlying creepiness (I felt something Not Right under the surface when she was around and when she narrated), but nothing ever did. I did end up liking Catherine, she was interesting and I wish we could've gotten more time with her.
Sigmund is the type who seems friendly at first, but over the course of the book I did start getting a feeling that something was Off with him as well (at least in this I was not wrong). He definitely has a man's understanding of things and a man's solution to it. Nothing on earth or Mars or Venus satisfies him and his solution is to simply create a new world where the humans on it are completely ignorant of earth/Mars/Venus and their own humanity. I do think Sigmund is meant to be the villain of the piece, even though for most of it he isn't technically doing anything wrong.
I requested this book because I saw it was compared to Jeff VanderMeer's work and I have to say I disagree. While it is speculative fiction and it does get weird and verge into ideas about humanity and nature and humanity's connection to nature, I would say 1) VanderMeer does weird better, and 2) this book felt kind of empty. I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to think or even think about regarding this book. Is it about the ambition of man? About how a fresh slate for humans is impossible? Is it about faith? We touch on these things in the book without any of them really being the focus, so I can't quite grasp the deeper meaning of the book.
Overall this was a book that I can't really put my finger on. It was interesting enough, but I feel like Rochelle doesn't have a strong motivator for being involved, Sigmund just kind of sucks, and the interesting character, Catherine, doesn't get nearly enough page time. I wanted something more creepy and weird and with a little but more substance under the surface. Calypso is an entertaining read, and I think the use of text format to help tell the story is interesting.
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elliepassmore · 1 month
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Fathomfolk release!
Welcome to Tiankawi - shining pearl of human civilization and a safe haven for those fleeing civil unrest. Or at least, that's how it first appears. But in the semi-flooded city, humans are, quite literally, on top: peering down from shining towers and aerial walkways on the fathomfolk - sirens, seawitches, kelpies and kappas - who live in the polluted waters below. For half-siren Mira, promotion to captain of the border guard means an opportunity to help her downtrodden people. But if earning the trust and respect of her human colleagues wasn't hard enough, everything Mira has worked towards is put in jeopardy when Nami, a know-it-all water dragon and fathomfolk princess - is exiled to the city, under Mira’s watch. When extremists sabotage a city festival, violence erupts, as does the clampdown on fathomfolk rights. Both Nami and Mira must decide if the cost of change is worth paying, or if Tiankawi should be left to drown.
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I'm loving how there's been more post-apocalyptic/dystopian urban fantasy recently! Threads That Bind (a May 2023 release), Tainted Cup (Jan 2024 release), and Letter to the Luminous Deep (April 2024 release) are all post-apoc/dystopian urban fantasies as well and I love seeing the different iterations of it! Tiankawi is a half-submerged city, and I really liked the interplay between the advanced society and the remnants of what had come before.
My favorite narrator was Mira. I definitely sympathize with her position as someone who wants to be a positive changemaker for fathomfolk while at the same time needing to walk the lines the humans draw in order to accomplish those goals. I also understood Nami's position, but she could be bratty, so it was a bit harder to sympathize with her, lol. I definitely think she grows a lot over the course of the book though!
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elliepassmore · 1 month
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A Letter to the Luminous Deep review
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5/5 stars Recommended if you like: light academia, fantasy, mysteries, epistolary narrative, mental illness rep, LGBTQ+ characters
Big thanks to Netgalley, Orbit, and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
This book starts out relatively slow, and even when it picks up this is a character-driven novel more than a plot-driven one. I've seen it likened to Emily Wilde's, which I would have to agree with, and imo the pacing is pretty similar between the two. With that said, I think the pacing benefits this kind of novel and I enjoyed the unfolding of events and character relationships over the course of the book.
Likewise, this book is written epistolary style, so through letters and journal entries, which I've noticed becoming more of a thing recently. I think it's a really interesting way of telling a story and think it's a great way both to get to know a character and to introduce narrator unreliability (Henerey himself even points out that he purposefully will not write certain things down since he does not want them to be read). I think the way Cathrell utilized the epistolary narrative style for this novel was brilliant. The events that occur are, in and of themselves, a mystery and by having those events told via letter, the mystery is compounded through two layers of characters revealing things. It's a super interesting way to go through a mystery novel and I feel it added to the experience and the suspense. We already know the ending, but E. and Henerey nor Sophy and Vy nor us know how that ending happened, and only the latter two groups are going into this mystery with the knowledge of how it ends.
The world in this novel is quite interesting. It's a mostly-aquatic society that had to rebuild after falling out of the sky 1000 years prior in an event known as the Dive. It seemed to have decimated technology, land masses, and a good portion of the population, though society is now flourishing on it's three "campuses," each of which have slightly different cultures and seem to prize different virtues. I liked getting the snippets about the world and how it functioned, as well as getting to know the names for the animals of the world (some of them are familiar, most are variations on what we would know, such as the "toothed whale"). I look forward to learning more about the world in book 2.
The book is pretty evenly split between E. and Henerey's correspondence and Sophy and Vyerin's, leaning more toward Sophy and Vyerin's. I liked seeing the two sets of relationships grow, with E. and Henerey becoming romantic while Sophy and Vy become friends and help each other heal from the loss of their siblings. I also enjoyed seeing how each group put the puzzle pieces together and the ways in with Vy and Sophy are able to add some additional context both to the mystery as well as to their siblings' lives.
To start with, E. is afflicted with a "Malady of the Brain" with makes her extremely anxious and gives her OCD-like tendencies and thoughts (i.e., she repeatedly checks portholes and airlocks to ensure the Deep House is secure, feeling as though the house will spring a leak and kill her otherwise; she also has major intrusive thoughts), and ensures that she has spent most of her adult life within the confines of the Deep House. Despite her anxiety, she pens the letter to Henerey that gets their relationship, and the mystery, started. E. is remarkably inquisitive and seems to have a broad depth of knowledge in multiple subjects, not least ocean life and fantasy novels (two things she and Henerey bond over). I enjoyed getting tidbits about her childhood and seeing her open up to Henerey and their shared intellectual pursuits.
Henerey comes across as a mix of level-headed and endearingly enthusiastic (and nervous). He takes E. seriously from the get-go and the two are intellectual matches as they talk over the ocean, life, and novels. It's clear that Henerey is excited to have made a friend and I liked how much he cared about E.'s interests and opinions. I do feel that we didn't get to know him as well as some of the other characters, so I would like more insight into Henerey if possible in book 2 (Vyerin will def be in it, so hopefully he can provide more insight).
Speaking of, Vyerin felt very realistic to me. He still clearly misses his brother and is grieving his loss, even a year out from when it occurred. This has prevented him from doing much reading into Henerey's personal affects, but as he and Sophy converse via letter, he's able to reconnect with his brother through those letters and begin to both heal and become invigorated for the mystery central to the novel. While Vy seems more 'stuck' in the grief cycle as compared to Sophy (not to say Sophy isn't grieving still too), he's also able to be humorous at times and I enjoyed his quips, as well as the moments when he revealed more about his husband and children.
Sophy seems to have moved a step or two further in the grieving process than Vy, but she too still deeply misses her sister. She comes across as very determined, and even though she isn't in the career position she was in when E. died, she's still very academic in nature and approaches things in a very systematic and logical manner. I particularly enjoyed Sophy's letters because they gave insight not just into the E. and Henerey affair, but also into the Ridge Expedition, which was a major scientific expedition Sophy was on when the whole thing with E-H was going down. The expedition was alluded to have ended abruptly and to have returned few results, but imo it's clear from the get-go that the mission somehow ties in with what happened to E. and Henerey as well as into the book's central mystery.
Overall I greatly enjoyed this book and found myself immersed in the characters and the world. It's definitely slow paced but I think it works for the story and the narrative style. I absolutely love the epistolary nature of the story and the way both the story and the mystery unfolded in dual 'timelines.' I'm greatly looking forward to the sequel!
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elliepassmore · 1 month
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Heartless Hunter release!
On the night Rune’s life changed forever, blood ran in the streets. Now, in the aftermath of a devastating revolution, witches have been diminished from powerful rulers to outcasts ruthlessly hunted due to their waning magic, and Rune must hide what she is.
Spending her days pretending to be nothing more than a vapid young socialite, Rune spends her nights as the Crimson Moth, a witch vigilante who rescues her kind from being purged. When a rescue goes wrong, she decides to throw the witch hunters off her scent and gain the intel she desperately needs by courting the handsome Gideon Sharpe - a notorious and unforgiving witch hunter loyal to the revolution - who she can't help but find herself falling for.
Gideon loathes the decadence and superficiality Rune represents, but when he learns the Crimson Moth has been using Rune’s merchant ships to smuggle renegade witches out of the republic, he inserts himself into her social circles by pretending to court her right back. He soon realizes that beneath her beauty and shallow façade, is someone fiercely intelligent and tender who feels like his perfect match. Except, what if she’s the very villain he’s been hunting?
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This book has all the witchy vibes! I've been looking for more witchy reads lately, and this definitely fits the bill. It's also got a fantastic cat-and-mouse romance going on and I loved seeing how Rune and Gideon's attraction played out.
I really liked Rune's character because she really does have two lives. One where she's vapid and a fashion-obsessed heiress, and the other where she's a powerful witch determined to save other witches from the regime. I loved seeing how her internal conflict played out re: witches and Gideon.
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If you're looking for a more in-depth opinion, check out my review!
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elliepassmore · 1 month
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So Let Them Burn review
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5/5 stars Recommended if you like: fantasy, dragons, post-revolution stories, sisterly love
I was a little wary coming into this book because the last hyped dragon book I read was...okay but worse the more you thought about it. But my worries were unfounded because this book was amazing! It deserves all the love and is such a good read if you're looking for a new dragon story.
This book is set 5 years after the revolution that liberated San Irie from the colonial-imperialist clutches of Langley and turned one of the main characters, Faron, into a saint. I really like getting stories like this, where the revolution itself is over but new, related problems still arise and the revolutionaries are still haunted by their past. It's such a good setup too because the revolution already happened and so the looming threat and climax of the book isn't going to be a revolution, it's going to be something else.
San Irie is an island nation still recovering from its past trauma. The town Faron and her sister, Elara, grew up in is called Deadegg and for the most part seems to have rebuilt well. The people still have memories of the occupation and war, but by and large things are healing. The capital, Port Sol, has also come a long way toward healing but suffered more during the war due to being the capital and thus there's still further to go. I really liked the descriptions of the island and I definitely felt the tropical lushness and the saw the beautiful beaches Faron and Elara described.
San Iryans have ancestral magic, wherein they can call upon their ancestors for help and power. In some cases the 'astral' is used for long-distance calls but it can also be used to infuse the person with things like medical knowledge (medical summoner), combat prowess, etc. All San Iryans can do this kind of magic, but most can only call on one ancestor at a time and get weakened if they jump between ancestors too quickly/in too short a period. The stronger their powers are, the further back in the ancestral line San Iryans can reach. It was interesting to read about Faron's connection to the gods, because it kind of works like the ancestral connection that all Iryans have, but to a significantly greater degree and the gods can communicate things outside the purview of what the ancestors can.
The Langlish have different magic that seems to be centered on their dragons, though some of it seems internal as well. Riders have a bond with their dragons that lets them communicate with the dragon, their fellow rider, and any other dragons/riders in the same 'den' (i.e., dragon sibling unit). On top of that, relics from dead dragons can be used for gloves, boots, jewelry, etc. and allow the user to have certain powers such as fire summoning. The magic wasn't delved into too much here, but I'm interested to see how that develops in book 2. The main focus on Langlish magic in this book was on the Fury, a kind of mindless rage that slowly takes over a dragon and its riders, and that is posing a newfound threat to both Langley and San Irie.
I found it interesting how San Iryans merged technology with magic to combat the Langlish dragons. The dragons are real flesh-and-blood creatures who bond with two riders to ride into battle (or whatever else they might do). In response to the need to defend against literal fire-breathing dragons, the Iryans used magic and magical metal to create drakes, essentially mechanical dragons that function like warplanes and transports. Due to the magic infused in them, the drakes bond with four people, though they can be functional with fewer. I liked this interplay between magic and technology and found it super interesting.
The character setup is interesting as well, we have the grown child saint who went to war with the power of the gods at her fingertips, the older sister who went to war with her to protect her, the grown child queen who led the revolution, and the boy who betrayed his country to help San Irie to victory. Each of them have a complicated relationship with the past, with each other, and with San Irie, and I enjoyed seeing how these things played out.
Faron is, obviously, the child saint now grown. She's still haunted by the things that happened during the war, and mostly just wants to be left alone to live quietly. She's called a saint by her people, but resents the attention and expectation that puts on her and struggles under the weight of what that means. That being said, Faron is definitely a mischievous one and enjoys sneaking out and using her god-given powers to win petty foot races. She's less serious than her sister and wants to enjoy her life as much as possible. The love for Elara clearly shines through and I liked how, even though she's the younger sibling, she's willing to do whatever it takes to protect Elara. Faron doesn't always make the best decisions, she even makes some that she's aware are questionable in her desire to save her sister. But at the same time, I definitely see how Faron was pushed to do what she did. It's a situation of people not telling her things and so she functions off of half-known facts and the situation may have been avoidable if she'd just been told everything from the get-go.
Elara is the older sibling who came with Faron when she went to war. As such, she has much of the same haunting memories from the revolution, though instead of wanting a quiet life, Elara wants to join San Irie's army in the air division and continue to protect the island nation and its people the way she did as a child. She's more serious and studious than Faron, but due to her not being a saint, actually has a bigger friend group and is able to get out a bit more. Elara's hopes of being in the Iryan military are crushed though when she unexpectedly bonds with a Langlish dragon. I definitely felt bad for Elara considering everything she was going through. Not only did she have to give up her dreams, but she also had to go to Langley to train, again not only leaving everything but also entering the heart of the empire and training school that tried to crush her country. The experience was definitely isolating for her, but Elara was able to make some friends and allies while there, and she even found beauty in her dragon and their bond (and her bond, both magical and romantic, with her dragon's other rider).
Reeve is Langlish and the son of the general who led the army against San Irie. But Reeve is also the child who stole battle plans and ran across the front lines to deliver them to Faron, Elara, and the San Iryan queen, Aveline. Combined with Faron's abilities, knowing the battle strategies helped end the war and bring peace to San Irie, but rather than be hailed a hero, Reeve is still looked at by most as a spy playing the long game. Reeve actually seems mostly okay with this and he has a surprisingly steady and well-adjusted head about everything that's gone on in San Irie during and after the war. He seems to get that even though he helped win the war most San Iryans see anyone Langlish as a threat and a memory of both the war and the colonialism that precedes it and seems to respect that view and the fact that people act out when still healing. I was impressed by his fortitude, though at times it fringes on self-destructive and he perhaps needs to learn that there's a line between being respectful of people's pain and allowing people to hurt him on purpose. Reeve is more Elara's friend than Faron's, though the two grow closer as they try and find a way to bring Elara home.
Signey is Elara's dragon bond partner and is definitely a hard one to get to know at first. She's closed off and acts kind of mean to Elara when they're first bonded, but over time the two grow closer as they unite to uncover what General Warwick is hiding. I wasn't a fan of Signey at first because of how wretched she acted toward Elara, who naturally was upset about being torn away from her life and curious about everything in Langley since...you know....she'd never been there. But Signey cleans up her act and actually becomes a great friend and defender of Elara. I liked getting to know more of Signey's background and finding out she's more of a fighter and revolutionary than it first appeared. Her and Elara's flirtations were cute as well.
Even though Faron and Elara are separated by an ocean, the two are largely working toward the same goal. Faron wants to bring Elara home safe (and break her bond to the dragon) and Elara wants to be able to return home, though she's also interested in the Fury. Both of them discover things in parallel that threaten to upend the world, and magic, as they know it.
Overall I really enjoyed this book and definitely recommend it! The ending was poetical and I look forward to seeing how things progress in book 2. It's a shame I got this the month it came out, now I have to wait a whole year for the next one!
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elliepassmore · 1 month
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What Feasts at Night release!
Retired soldier, Alex Easton, returns in a horrifying new adventure.
After their terrifying ordeal at the Usher manor, Alex Easton feels as if they just survived another war. All they crave is rest, routine, and sunshine, but instead, as a favor to Angus and Miss Potter, they find themself heading to their family hunting lodge, deep in the cold, damp forests of their home country, Gallacia.
In theory, one can find relaxation in even the coldest and dampest of Gallacian autumns, but when Easton arrives, they find the caretaker dead, the lodge in disarray, and the grounds troubled by a strange, uncanny silence. The villagers whisper that a breath-stealing monster from folklore has taken up residence in Easton’s home. Easton knows better than to put too much stock in local superstitions, but they can tell that something is not quite right in their home. . . or in their dreams.
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Another creepy story by T. Kingfisher! This novella is a follow-up to What Moves the Dead as Easton returns to the countryside of their home only to discover more creepiness. I loved getting more insight into Easton and their life. I also loved Angus and Miss Potter again, and their continued light flirting was delightful to read!
This story is definitely very different from What Moves the Dead and takes on a more folklorish tone. It's interesting to me because I feel as though it has both less and more body horror than WMtD. I definitely recommend if you're looking for a creepy story for Feb!
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For more in-depth opinions, check out my review here! If you're new to the Sworn Soldier universe, you can find my review of What Moves the Dead, here!
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elliepassmore · 2 months
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The Witchwood Knot review
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4/5 stars Recommended if you like: Victorian era, fantasy, witchy reads, mirror worlds, Fae
Big thanks to Netgalley, Starwatch Press, and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
This book is connected to Atwater's Regency Faerie Tales, but set some time after, once the period becomes the Victorian Era. Characters from the Regency Faerie Tales are mentioned, and Winnie knows some of them quite well, so it's a little spoilery if you haven't read the other series. That being said, this one does stand on its own and you don't need to have read the Regency books to grasp what's going on here and how the magic system works. (I did not read the Regency Faerie Tales series, but now I'm kind of thinking I might).
I have to say, I appreciate Atwater's dedication not only to representing the time period she is writing about but also to the style and theme of writing from that time period. She has a 'review' here on Goodreads that goes over some pretty interesting things and I enjoyed finding hints of that in the book (it is a somewhat spoilery review though, so only read if you've finished or are OK w/ spoilers).
The book opens as all Proper Victorian Books must: with a stormy evening and a governess. You get an immediate sense that something about the manor is strange, first from the fact that the coachman wouldn't go near it and then from the skittish silence of the servants. I definitely liked how it set up a Slightly Off atmosphere, though Winnie's humor and matter-of-factness creates an illusion of calm. The weird goings-on at the manor are the result of Fae, not 'horror' creatures, and so you know the rules going in. That being said, Atwater creates Fae that are cunning and cruel, quick to press advantages and attempt to ruin things before they've begun.
I did think it was easy enough to figure out why the Fae were mad (it takes Winnie longer), but there are some interesting and gruesome twists in there that I wasn't expecting. I was definitely intrigued by the missing town's folk and quite enjoyed how some of Winnie's Fae stories came around in a different way later on in the book.
Winnie is used to Fae, was saved and tutored by one as a child, and so she's able to have a matter-of-factness about her that many of the other characters lack. Even if she doesn't practically know certain things, she knows them theoretically, and that's a leg up compared to people who have little information about them at all aside from their terrorizing of the manor. I enjoyed Winnie's practicality as well as the humor she suffused into many of her Fae interactions. I found her dislike of Robert to be relatable and honestly think she has more patience than I would in that situation. Despite her semi-tough exterior, and her own best attempts, it's clear Winnie cares deeply for people and is willing to go to great lengths to protect them, even if she still doesn't particularly like them.
Quincy is the butler for the Fae side of the manor and plays both harmless and horrifying pranks on the inhabitants. It was hard to get a good read on Quincy because he was clearly not on the side of the humans, but at the same time he seemed to have soft spots for them at times (such as for Cook). I didn't like him for a good portion of the book, but he grew on me in the last 30% or so and by the end I liked him.
There is romance in the story, and while I liked it, I also am not sure how I feel about it. I knew who would be involved and that it was coming, but I feel like we don't really get a solid buildup to it. I knew those things because I read fantasy with romance, and I've read fantasy/romantasy books like this before, but if I was new to the genre and didn't know the pattern and tropes, I would probably be confused as to where the romance was coming from. Now, that's not to say there aren't hints of the romance throughout, but it is to say that I don't feel like the hints really build up properly.
I liked the Fae elements of the book and the topsy-turvey version of the house. The mirror world was an interesting aspect, and I particularly liked how it seemed to grow and become labyrinthine as a way of confounding the humans caught in the mirror world. Quincy is the main Fae we come into contact with, but there are the standard Gentry partying in part of the house, and Lady Mourningwood plays a bit of a role too. As usual, I enjoyed the careful wordplay that the Fae engaged in and that Winnie and the others had to accommodate lest they get trapped. Winnie seemed particularly adept at using faerie rules, which proved a nice challenge for the Fae who weren't expecting her.
Overall I enjoyed this book. I'll probably read Half a Soul at the very least and see if I want to get the full Regency Era story.
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elliepassmore · 2 months
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The Tainted Cup release!
In Daretana’s greatest mansion, a high imperial officer lies dead—killed, to all appearances, when a tree erupted from his body. Even here at the Empire’s borders, where contagions abound and the blood of the leviathans works strange magical changes, it’s a death both terrifying and impossible.
Assigned to investigate is Ana Dolabra, a detective whose reputation for brilliance is matched only by her eccentricities. Rumor has it that she wears a blindfold at all times, and that she can solve impossible cases without even stepping outside the walls of her home.
At her side is her new assistant, Dinios Kol, magically altered in ways that make him the perfect aide to Ana’s brilliance. Din is at turns scandalized, perplexed, and utterly infuriated by his new superior—but as the case unfolds and he watches Ana’s mind leap from one startling deduction to the next, he must admit that she is, indeed, the Empire’s greatest detective.
As the two close in on a mastermind and uncover a scheme that threatens the Empire itself, Din realizes he’s barely begun to assemble the puzzle that is Ana Dolabra—and wonders how long he’ll be able to keep his own secrets safe from her piercing intellect.
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This book is perfect for fans of Knives Out and SFF! This is a book where the sci-fi/fantasy elements are the backdrop and the main focus of the story is on the murder that's occurred. Bennett balances humor and seriousness as the mish-mash investigative team tries to puzzle out what happened and why. I absolutely loved the character interactions and thought each character felt well-rounded and realistic. There's also some good rep in this book, with the MC Din being dyslexic and Ana being autistic.
The mystery was a lot of fun to try and figure out. Ana is often able to make large leaps before everyone else, but as the book continues, she becomes more secretive and gives space to the readers to piece together the clues ourselves. This is a very enjoyable read and is definitely my favorite of the year so far!
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If you're looking for a more in-depth opinion, check out my review here!
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elliepassmore · 2 months
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Tales of the Celestial Kingdom release!
Return to the Immortal Realm, a world of gods, magic, and legendary creatures—and embark upon new adventures of valor, danger, and love.
Tales from the Celestial Kingdom collects nine spellbinding stories—two previously published, seven original, including the epilogue to the duology—set in the enchanting world of Sue Lynn Tan’s stunning debut. Filled with magic and mythology, friendship and love, these stories intertwine through the past, present, and future of the two novels, told from the perspectives of multiple characters, including Chang’e, Shuxiao, Liwei, and Wenzhi.
With beautiful illustrations from Kelly Chong throughout, these wondrous tales make the perfect complement to Sue Lynn Tan’s breathtaking series.
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This is a fantastic add-on to the Celestial Kingdom duology! Each of the three parts--Dusk, Twilight, and Dawn--focus on a different time of life for characters of the duology. Each story provided insights into the characters and I really enjoyed seeing an expansion of their lives.
Relationships are an important part of this story collection, and it was interesting to see how each story centered a slightly different relationship and how that impacted the character(s) it focused on. There's a lot of friendship and romance in this (and we do get an extended HEA) for the Celestial Kingdom duology's main couple!
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Looking for a more in-depth opinion? Check out my full review for the book!
If you're new to the world of the Celestial Kingdom, check out my Daughter of the Moon Goddess review for where the story began, and my Heart of the Sun Warrior review for its continuation!
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