Overall my thoughts on this are that Marie Rutkoski is just a very good writer, and Kestrel is an absolutely incredible protagonist. There’s a lot morOverall my thoughts on this are that Marie Rutkoski is just a very good writer, and Kestrel is an absolutely incredible protagonist. There’s a lot more thought put into the worldbuilding of this book – and particularly its critique of empire – than in particularly the series’ first book, which I enjoyed. Kestrel and Arin’s dynamic is utterly fantastic here; there is a kindness and compassion to their love for each other, even in the midst of so much death, that I deeply enjoyed. Roshar, Risha, Sarsine, and Verex are all very well-written side characters, but particularly Roshar is simply a character of all time and grew on me entirely. I think book two of this series is its shining peak – Kestrel’s scheming is simply unbeatable – but this is absolutely a satisfying conclusion, and I’m glad I know these characters so well now. ...more
Bookshops & Bonedust is a prequel to Legends and Lattes, following Viv as she partners with ratkin bookshop owner Fern, annoying gnome Gallina, beautiBookshops & Bonedust is a prequel to Legends and Lattes, following Viv as she partners with ratkin bookshop owner Fern, annoying gnome Gallina, beautiful dwarf Maylee, and a skeleton named Satchel to rebuild Fern’s bookstore – and possibly take out a necromancer named Varine.
It’s very charming, but to be quite honest I found this just slightly unnecessary. I felt like Legends and Lattes was so utterly perfect that I didn’t really need more from Viv, and to some degree I just kept wishing I was rereading the former.
Still, it’s not without its charms. I was completely delighted by Satchel – he’s a fabulous character. All of the literary interludes are great, and the epilogue is pitch-perfect. I almost wished this was just a sequel about a side character starting a bookstore, because I wanted more of that. Perhaps I’m just a prequel struggler and I haven’t known that until now.
And I still can’t recommend Legends and Lattes enough!
The Ascent to Godhood is a drunken rant, as Lady Han recounts the story of her love affair with Hekate, former leader of the Tensorate. What is so strThe Ascent to Godhood is a drunken rant, as Lady Han recounts the story of her love affair with Hekate, former leader of the Tensorate. What is so strong about this novella is its treatment of its two leads, both of whom are incredibly complex – Lady Han, determined to please her love, and Hekate, determined to keep her place. Neon Yang has an understanding of power that I cannot help but adore – the ways it builds, and the way it can be appropriated.
I think this is arguably the most tragic of the Tensorate. As we follow Investigator Chuwan, we know from the starokay Neon Yang. Slay again I suppose
I think this is arguably the most tragic of the Tensorate. As we follow Investigator Chuwan, we know from the start that she is writing this from beyond the grave – that her story of Rider, Sanao Akeha, and whatever went down at the mysterious base in the mountains will end badly. But reading her account, cut with primary source documents, is still consistently interesting. The horrors of that base are slow to come, but speak perfectly to exactly what is horrifying about the world of Tensorate – the vivid exterior, and the dark interior within.
Jade Legacy is perhaps the single best series conclusion I have read in my entire life, to what is now my favorite fantasy series ever written. If youJade Legacy is perhaps the single best series conclusion I have read in my entire life, to what is now my favorite fantasy series ever written. If you enjoy heists and schemes, family drama, and geopolitics in your fantasy, you absolutely need to be reading this immediately.
I’ve already articulated what works best about this series in my reviews for Jade City and Jade War, but to highlight a few aspects that only work better here – Jade Legacy leans even further into geopolitical drama. The dynamic between Ayt Mada and Shae continues to be beyond compelling. I really respect that Fonda Lee saw the complexity of their dynamic; it would have been easy to make the conflicts into the far more wooden dynamic between Hilo and Ayt Mada, but we get something so much better. And the twenty-year scope of the novel is simply impressive.
Particularly, I adored the characterization of the three children: Niko (only son of Lan), Ru (stone-eye first son of Hilo and Wen), and Jaya (their daughter). Ru in particular is just a fabulous character. And I loved how they parallel their parents – Niko is just like Shae with a bit of Lan and Hilo, Ru is a bit of the Lan of the three, very much like Wen but the favorite of Hilo; and Jaya is, to me, just like Hilo.
Oh, and the ending. Satisfying, hopeful, devastating, pitch-perfect for this series. These characters are destroyed, and changed forever, but I know they'll stay in my head forever.
Wow, this was a lot of fun. The story is a bit confusing, I have to admit, but the super pretty art makes up for that.
Monstress takes place in an altWow, this was a lot of fun. The story is a bit confusing, I have to admit, but the super pretty art makes up for that.
Monstress takes place in an alternate steampunk-style Asia, focusing around multiple characters. There's Maika, our morally grey heroine. Plus her cat Master Ren, her younger friend Kippa, and her friend / maybe girlfriend Tuya. On the other side, we have the power couple Sophia and Atena.
This comic is well-written, well-paced, and entertaining as all hell. Monstress also hits all my main points for great work - it's driven by women, many of them women of color and many of them lgbtq, full of antiheroes and corrupted power, and all wraps up with themes about discrimination. Antiheroines are my thing, and Maika is a great one.
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Especially with her equally ambiguous cat companion and adorable fox-girl adopted daughter.
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And in terms of gorgeous art, I'm really not sure you can do better. I could stare at the panels all day. Sana Takeda is so talented. I'll definitely be on the lookout for more by her - and eagerly anticipating the next volume.
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There is one major flaw - the plot is so confusing. It took a couple hours and copious notes to figure out those plot notes at the beginning of my review. If you're reading this graphic novel for this first time, I would suggest looking through my basic spoiler-free plot notes below.
The plot is slightly convoluted, but I'll try to give a basic overview. On the left side of the continent, the human Cumaea forces are trying to take over major city of Zamora, led by the Inquisitrix and general Sophia's mother Yvette - the betrayer of protagonist Maika's mother. On the right live the Dusk court of the Arcanics, children of the Ancients and humans, ruled by an Ancient - the queen of wolves.
There's some interesting mythology surrounding the gods here as well. We find out that Ubasti, the mother of cats, banished the old gods herself - but may have left one behind in our world.
VERDICT: A great graphic novel that I'd highly recommend!!
Some spoilery plot notes so I can keep this all straight (view spoiler)[Atena is secretly working for the resistance with her brother Resak Maika took a fragment of a mask The commander of the tents is maybe one of the monsters as well? Maika is also a halfwolf Their cat betrayed Maika to the dusk court in exchange for freedom Yvette wanted the mask to reawaken power of the shaman, while Maika's mother was unsure. (hide spoiler)]...more
Lovely as always. This installment of the Singing Hells novella series sees Cleric Chih returning home, giving us better backstory on our darling clerLovely as always. This installment of the Singing Hells novella series sees Cleric Chih returning home, giving us better backstory on our darling cleric. It plays with their complicated homecoming in a way that I enjoyed, and gives us significantly more lore on the clerics’ history. This wasn’t my favorite of the novellas, but it was still a lovely one! ...more
When you love a person, you are expected to give them their freedom, but when you love a monster, you keep it caged.
Fonda Lee is constantly cement
When you love a person, you are expected to give them their freedom, but when you love a monster, you keep it caged.
Fonda Lee is constantly cementing herself as one of my favorite authors.
Untethered Sky follows Ester, a girl half-orphaned by a deadly manticore who becomes a rukher, a hunter of her own killers. In the course of her relationship with Zahra, her massive, deadly roc, as well as her fellow rukhers Yasmine and Darius, she finds a pathway towards her own recovery.
A thousand things could be said about Fonda Lee's fantastic writing, and brilliant, smart character writing. Untethered Sky engages itself with two beasts from Persian and Arabian folklore: manticores, man-eating beasts with human heads and lion bodies, and rocs, giant birds able to hunt them. Ester's narration is compelling strong.
But what truly struck me about this novella is the building of relationships between the rocs and the rukhers. The rukhers grow to truly love their rocs, wishing for their presence. The rocs survive. When one bird dies, there is always another roc to train. Yet the rukhers mourn their birds. By the time we reach the wonderful, emotional ending, I was near tears and thinking about my cat.
“This is for saying boobs, and for being boobs yourselves.”
(The Locked Tomb is a serious series about necromancy, lesbianism, and most importantly
“This is for saying boobs, and for being boobs yourselves.”
(The Locked Tomb is a serious series about necromancy, lesbianism, and most importantly the inherent intimacy of sharing your body with another person.)
HERE ARE MY NONA THE NINTH PROS: Nona is absolutely one of the best of the three so far in terms of general content. I loved that this got to be a book which wasn’t really about Gideon and Harrow at all; Nona felt so much more ensemble cast than even book one, which I loved. Nona is special to me, with a voice that feels extremely well-developed and managed to charm. Pyrrha is well developed; side characters such as We Suffer were an enjoyable addition; the Hot Sauce plot was also really sweet.
The Camilla and Palamedes content particularly made me absolutely crazy. I particularly enjoyed the fact that (view spoiler)[Cam and Palamedes can merge their bodies but it hurts them like crazy. Something about this made me super emotional. (hide spoiler)] Camilla’s “I don’t let go. It’s my one thing.” line truly killed me.
On a spoilery level, there was some really wonderful content going on here: I was SO happy to get more of John and Alecto’s story and the planet colonization especially, and the John backstory is insanely well done. And Ianthe’s parts in here were absolutely incredible:
“Prince Ianthe Naberius. Can you not fucking smoke in here?” “It’s a filthy habit. I didn’t think you cared though.” “I don’t, but there’s like a million smoke detectors.”
In general, I felt like this novel created a more well-built full world, rather than just putting a focus on the lyctors.
Generally, I had very few quibbles with the book as a whole, probably enjoying the reading experience the most of any book and definitely more than Harrow. Through the book, what’s going on made consistent sense, even when so much felt like a mystery — as my friend Bankston pointed out, the third act twists in Harrow and to some degree Gideon rely on G and H not realizing information that on some level they should be noticing (in her book, Harrow must be literally lobomitzed to not notice). I really enjoyed actually understanding most of what was going on, and that Nona has such a clear reason to not fully understand.
“Classic Blood of Eden move. Fucking insane, surprisingly effective, relies on a lot of soldiers pissing in a lot of fucking bottles.”
HERE ARE MY NONA THE NINTH CONS: I know Nona the Ninth was originally the first third of a book. But here is the thing. When Muir split the books, they didn’t really go “okay, time to put more of the finale plot points into here.” They just kind of split it in half and made that work. My question is… why? Why not pull forth a few of the ending complexities ready to come in Alecto, and give them space in Nona?
Generally, I thought the ending was underwhelming. Here are three reasons why: (view spoiler)[I texted a friend while I was reading this simply the phrase “why does Ianthe have Gideon Nav’s body am I dumb?” I was not dumb. Muir just never explains this, or even comments on the fact that it’s never explained (thus building it as a mystery). I think doing neither is a straight-up bad writing decision. (hide spoiler)] I additionally really didn’t love what happened with (view spoiler)[Gideon and especially with Gideon and Ianthe. (hide spoiler)] If a character is going to change so much between books, I’m going to need one tiny iota of context. I wanted the paul stuff to get a Bit more, it's so compelling and makes me crazy, but it kind of felt like 'read the next book for more' and I was like okay no I want just a tad more in this book actually. it wasn't a cliffhanger but also wasn't fully developed which sort of bothered me. Also, I thought there should've been more Corona and Judith content. The only reason they made me so crazy was the short story and I really, really feel like we should've gotten more of that in the actual book. No, this is not just because I am invested in them, I am also right.
The conflict of Nona is allegedly simple: Who is she? My disappointment with the ending was possibly added to by the fact that for some reason I was completely confident as to what the answer was. Here was my logic: Her identity was the right choice on Muir’s part. If she’d been one of the other options, it would’ve been borderline lazy and not nearly as interesting.
This is the ending of the first third of a book. It’s not quite a cliffhanger, but it’s not quite satisfying either. I am bored.
HERE ARE MY NOTES FOR THE NOVEL: (view spoiler)[The Cohort (with the white eyes), also known as the Nine Houses Army, is still fighting up against Blood of Eden. Surviving Characters: Camilla Hect and Palamedes Sextus, in the same body and now going by ���Paul”; Coronabeth Tridentarius; Judith Dueteros; Pyrrha Dve (in the body of Gideon (?), deceased); Prince Ianthe Tridentarius (at time shares with Naberius); We Suffer; Our Lady of the Passion aka Pash; and Nona/Alecto in Harrowhark Nonagesimus’s body. (hide spoiler)]
I'm a really big fan of how Nghi Vo crafts narrative; her commitment to preserving the mysteries of history and the ambiguities of storytelling alwaysI'm a really big fan of how Nghi Vo crafts narrative; her commitment to preserving the mysteries of history and the ambiguities of storytelling always hits exactly right. Chih's group for Into the Riverlands, including martial arts fighters Wei Jintai and Mac Sang and middle-aged couple Lao Bingyi and Khanh, are fantastic, each written with sound distinction. The historical tales here were my favorite of the novella. This didn't blow me away the same way one and two did, but still absolutely grabbed me and was a great read. ...more
“She had not realized that a nun was more powerful than a princess, that she could close a door.”
Marra tries to save her sister, Kania, from the evil
“She had not realized that a nun was more powerful than a princess, that she could close a door.”
Marra tries to save her sister, Kania, from the evil prince she’s married – with the help of a dust-witch, a bone-dog, a godmother named Agnes, a goblin-prisoner named Fenris, and a chicken with a demon in it.
Truly one of the most delightful fantasy books I’ve read recently. Two hundred fifty pages of perfect imagination, wonderful pacing, and delightful characters. I’d like to live and breathe the creativity of this universe. While this isn’t particularly cozy fantasy, I felt so deeply drawn in to these characters and this world that it read as such anyway – despite having some excellent horror elements.
I particularly cannot emphasize enough the love put into Marra, Kania, Agnes, Lady Fox, and Fenris. These characters each feel so delightful; their dialogue is beyond charming. Fenris’s arc is pitch-perfect, and the sibling relationship between Marra and Kania is wonderfully complex. And the romance between Marra and Fenris is lovely, subtly yet perfectly built.
It’s just this: Not everyone who hurts us is our father.
In the fifth standalone edition of the Graceling Realm series, Hava sails home from Winter
It’s just this: Not everyone who hurts us is our father.
In the fifth standalone edition of the Graceling Realm series, Hava sails home from Winterkeep with Bitterblue, Giddon, and their crew. Along the way, she's decoding Linta's work on the zilphium weapon in a tiny bedroom. But when the ship runs aground in the far north of the Royal Continent, they're stuck in a fight for their lives across winter grounds.
I will start with what I did not love about this book: I felt Seasparrow was too long, repeating storytelling and character beats. The first two sections - on the ship, and then across the continent - each drag in places, particularly in the first section, as character personas are established for a crew we hadn't previously known. It's a journey novel, but did not feel as solid for me as the original journey novel of the series, Graceling itself.
In comparison, the incredibly strong final third feels almost too short, providing payoff far faster than the rest of the book has progressed. There are so many fantastic points here - for Hava's character arc, for her realization of trauma, and for the character's relationships with the world as a whole. I found myself yearning for these for the often-bleak first 75% of the novel.
You knew what you were building too. But what am I building? And what am I building it out of? What am I made of? If I can blend into this bench and become a tree, how can I be anything, to anybody? Can a person be made of nothing?
What shines about Seasparrow is in Hava. Oh, Hava. Hava, graced with shapeshifting, has been taught all her life to hide - first from her father, a tyrannical king; then, from anyone who might discover her existence; and then, as spy to her half-sister Bitterblue. To allow herself to be seen crying, or feeling at all, is beyond her by instinct.
And yet then - spoilers! - comes Hope, a kidnapped blue fox found in the hold. When Hava takes her in and takes care of her, it is in part her deep care for the badly hurt fox that allows her to truly begin healing some of her own trauma. Her relationship with this badly injured mother is just like her relationship with her own badly injured mother.
There's an impressive additional set of side characters in the crew - Annet, the captain, who calls Hava after the multicolored Habpva bird; Navi, the second mate and her partner; Linny, a ship's boy with a kindness about him; Jacky, with the opposite; and Ozul, a kindhearted ship's cook. There's also Keran, a character just as complicated as she is easy to dislike. She is a truly fantastically done character which I appreciated a lot.
Is that what love is? Hope for other people?
Overall, while I have my critiques of this, there is a lot about this book that I loved. Hava will stay stuck in my head for a long, long time.
“If you let me feed you now, I will go home with you to the mountains, and yours will be the only story I speak at night.”
This is a love story.
Cl
“If you let me feed you now, I will go home with you to the mountains, and yours will be the only story I speak at night.”
This is a love story.
Cleric Chih, keeper of memories, finds themself in the northern Kihir Pass speaking to tiger Ho Sinh Loan, who claims herself as ruler of the Ogai region. There, Chih must tell the story of tiger Ho Thi Thao and the scholar she loved, and be corrected by the tiger and her younger sisters.
It's a novella about stories, how we pass them down and which narratives we decide to believe. It is about who is believed, and what appeals in love, and what can be loved. But it is also a story about love and desire. There are two specific lines I can't stop feeling myself drawn to, can't stop remembering, about the nature of love: ➽“She was almost afraid to look up to see how the tiger took them. When you love a thing too much, it is a special kind of pain to show it to others and see that it is lacking.” ➽“It came to Ho Ti Thao that perhaps she wanted to learn how else the scholar was beautiful, and even in what ways the scholar might be ugly, which could also be fascinating and beloved.”
It's a type of love built on seeing, built on showing of self, ugly and wonderful. As Ho Ti Thao sees the scholar clearly in the fox-house, as the scholar sees right past the tiger's defenses, as they each see the other caged, as they each tear at the bars. Always, in every version of the story, they must learn to see each other.
Nghi Vo is a genius.
Singing Hills Lore Note: Long ago, Ahnfi was the greatest city in the world—last remaining bastion of the Ku dynasty. Ahn was just one of sixteen warring states declaring itself heirs to the doomed Ku dynasty, maybe 200 years ago. Si-yu has had family in the corps since “Mei-an’s day”, which Chih points out is during the Xun dynasty, potentially “some two hundred years ago” before the Anh system. The southern defenses failed fifty to sixty years ago (both dates are given, so presumably it was a long invasion) when the northern mammoths stormed the mountain passes. After that, “Anh had forced the north into their reckoning.” It’s confusing to me whether Anh won or beat back someone else. (We'll return next book to see if I got any of this right.)
one of my best traits is that I am normal about characters from the Graceling Realm series. No one would ever accuse me of being deeply obsessed with one of my best traits is that I am normal about characters from the Graceling Realm series. No one would ever accuse me of being deeply obsessed with this series to a ludicrous degree and thinking about it constantly. That would be crazy.
Being alive was like a game, a race. She was going to win.
Queen Bitterblue of Monsea, along with her trusted advisor Giddon and her half-sister Hava, journey to a new land called Winterkeep. In Winterkeep, with a debate waging between Scholar and Industrialist parties over the legalization of zilfium, a valuable metal with dangerous environmental consequences, political daughter Lovisa Cavenda embarks on her own journeys.
This is the first book from the Graceling series with multiple primary narrators, making it a very different beast from the first three books. Winterkeep is a book with a lot of moving parts, and one that would - I think - have been easy to leave a mess. But she doesn't.
As usual, I think Kristin Cashore's shining moments are with her characters. Lovisa is just my beloved; she's a deeply complicated narrator who the author never fails to draw well. Her ending felt just right. Giddon as a point of view is unexpectedly fun; he's compelling in his grief and hard not to root for. Hava and Giddon’s friendship was one of my favorite dynamics of this book, hands down. And the fox as a narrator is fantastic, one of the highlights of the book.
I was surprised by how little I hated the new romance plot. I think that's all I really have to say.
It’s not a perfect book in terms of editing; at one point it’s just backfilled that Bitterblue was trying to establish a democracy if power were to transition, which is structurally unsound storytelling and should be changed. But overall, this one hit perfectly for me. I'm so excited for Hava's book, I can't even explain.
This world kept wanting to be bigger than she was letting it. Why did she keep trapping herself inside small things?
As The Hollow Heart, sequel to Midnight Lie begins, Nirrim has sold her heart, while Sid has returned to her home country of Herran to unite with her As The Hollow Heart, sequel to Midnight Lie begins, Nirrim has sold her heart, while Sid has returned to her home country of Herran to unite with her parents. And... there they will stay, until the last hundred pages of the book.
This series hardly needs a new promo that hasn’t already been given with The Midnight Lie—I think Nirrim is a genuinely brilliant character and I adore her deeply. Sid’s point of view is excellent, with her as a character impossible not to root for. Their relationship serves as a compelling one in part because it plays well at both of their character conflicts, requiring them each to change for their relationship to work.
As a book, however, I think this sequel suffers from structural issues. One brilliant aspect of this novel is that the main character arcs necessary for Nirrim and Sid both involve their connection with each other—Sid needs to let her guard down enough to love without lying, and Nirrim needs to see that not everyone will leave. So it’s frustrating that the two don’t see each other until the last fifty pages, I.e. the last sixth, of the book. To use a YA metaphor—it’s a bit as if when Inej was separated from the Crows at the end of Six or Crows, she stayed separate for 5/6 of the book rather than 1/6. The development of the ending thus ends up feeling just a little flat to me.
I feel like a more compelling, to me, way of dealing with Nirrim’s missing heart would veer less from what Nirrim actually wants. Instead of Nirrim being essentially possessed and not in control of herself when committing atrocities, it would be compelling for her to start off doing the type of dark things that Nirrim herself would deep-down want to do—for example, killing Raven and taking over the city—and slowly descend further into atrocities, either potentially with the tithe or I would lean closer to stuff with her sisters.
Then her and Sid need to interact in the second half—instead of the longstanding Sid and her parents miscommunication, Sid could get it established with her parents quickly that they don’t want her to get married, but not quite believe it. Then, as she realizes she loves and returns to try and save Nirrim, she can begin trying to reconcile with her own view of herself.
I also had a weird quibble with the dynamics of oppression. While the violence of Herrath is clearly intended to be a dynamic primarily of class, it’s at times played in part as racial oppression—the High Kith look different than the Half Kith. I think that lends a somewhat uncomfortable implication to evil Nirrim’s tithing of a tenth of the High Kith population. (Which, yes, is always meant to be bad.) Were this duology to be rewritten as class oppression and with all elements of racial oppression removed I think I would find the implications much more “French revolution” and less “genocide”.
“He said I fucked cows.” “Who hasn’t said you fuck cows? We’ve all said it.”
The Order of the Pale Moon Reflected In Water follows waitress and nun
“He said I fucked cows.” “Who hasn’t said you fuck cows? We’ve all said it.”
The Order of the Pale Moon Reflected In Water follows waitress and nun of The Order of the Pale Moon Guet Imm joins a wandering band of bandits, led by Fung Cheung, as they plan to sell an important artifact. But Tet Sang, their second in command, holds secrets of his own.
My main review? This novella is delightfully funny. I can’t tell you how much fun I had with Zen Cho’s sharp, witty writing.
She is a nun. How can you blame her for not fucking people? It’s like it I blame you for not knowing how to behave.
The twists and turns of the plot are a treat to read. Cho does a fantastic job hinting at future plot points to come with subtlety; I think on reread, this novella would only compel me more. And the lead characters are fantastic as well. Even with little pagetime, Tet Sang and Guet Imm were both easy to get invested in. I especially appreciated that every distinct member of the little band had a distinct and strong voice.
Incredible narrative voice and a strong new novella! I'll definitely be reading more by Zen Cho.
I just think that sapphic fantasy is the best genre right now and you can't change my mind
“Because you surprise me. Because I’m not done being
I just think that sapphic fantasy is the best genre right now and you can't change my mind
“Because you surprise me. Because I’m not done being surprised by you.”
Iron Heart is the sequel and conclusion to Crier’s War, an opener of a duology that changed me deeply. With Ayla on the run and Scyre Kinok gaining increasing power, Crier is left needing to decide where her loyalties lie.
Ayla’s journey in this sequel is primarily about power: her new desire to gain, and her newfound agency in making decisions about which types of power to wield. She's a character who has been through a lot, and always survived, which makes her compelling. But she is also a character who is terrified to let her guard down. Falling in love with Crier challenges her and forces her to push herself. Seeing her take up a new role in politics of the land was immensely satisfying, and I was consistently invested.
Throughout this series I have been increasingly invested in Crier as a character, and her arc here is especially relevant. Crier yearns to be human; so much so, in fact, that she pretends to be one. In book one, this dynamic built to her falling in love, believing all along this made her flawed. In this sequel, Varela addresses a deeper question: How is she truly different from any other human? Her defiance of her father, her falling for Ayla, and her meeting human friends all serve as key parts of her character arc.
“You can’t read me once and know everything.” “Then I will read you again and again.”
The dynamic between Crier and Ayla is, as always, incredibly tender. While their dynamic in book one caught me, I definitely stayed hooked; I found several lines of dialogue between them genuinely heartbreaking (this one above took my breath away).
Generally, though, this did not quite live up to book one for me. I noticed a distinct amount of tell not show around the beginning. There’s also a specific issue with point of view that bugged me a lot: sometimes, point of view stays stable in each chapter, and sometimes it switches. I did not remember this happening in book one, so I do not know if this was not intentional, and I did not like it. And this series has always relied a bit on plot happening to the characters, but I felt that repeated a lot here.
“Because you deserve to be known, in whatever capacity you wish. I am trying to become a person who deserves to know you. I want that more than anything.”
In a lot of ways, I think it was my enjoyment of book one that led to my enjoyment of this book, rather than anything specific about this sequel. Yet a few other dynamics of this book stood out to me. Junn is an excellent side character, and her development stood out as a highlight here. She serves as an excellent narrative foil to both Crier and Ayla and is by far the most fleshed-out character within the book. While I wanted more from (view spoiler)[Storme, Ayla's brother, (hide spoiler)] I definitely enjoyed his dynamic with Ayla.
This duology was an excellent read and I am so excited for more by Nina Varela. If you haven't picked up Crier's War yet... well. You really should.
Robin Thorpe has spent her life in hiding. But when Grace Hensley gives her the opportunity to help her people, those who she has spent her life seeinRobin Thorpe has spent her life in hiding. But when Grace Hensley gives her the opportunity to help her people, those who she has spent her life seeing locked into asylums, she knows that she has to take it.
Something Laurel said in their review really stuck out to me, so I’d like to quote that:
"Of a Black woman always needing to be strong, of repatriation for injustice and state-sanctioned slavery, of moving on and moving ahead to dismantle the system and rebuild something new, free and function."
As every book in this series—but especially the last two—have been, this is a story about the aftermath of an oppressive state, and the real consequences faced by those who come home. The witches cannot simply leave their asylum perfectly fine. Those hurts will linger.
I love a lot that this book is all about political machinations—and the ways in which compromise is often not enough. In particular, Grace’s arc is an absolute joy. C.J. Polk’s writing has a clear-eyed understanding of the politics of oppression that constantly stuck in my mind.
Robin’s skill at planning and organizing is such a fun trait for a main character; she feels incredibly distinct. She is independent to the point of self-distress, trying at all times to hold
And then there’s the romance between Robin and Zelind. OH, this romance. Robin and Zelind were married twenty years prior before Zelind’s removal to an asylum. When the two reunite, it cannot be a simple fall back into love — even when neither has ever loved another. Where Robin has made herself into someone who need rely on no one, Zelind has relied on people—but in the context of a deeply traumatic experience. To rely on Robin, khe needs to feel trusted. To rely on Zelind, Robin needs to trust.
There's a lot more to love about this book - side character Jacob Clarke, and his (view spoiler)[spouses Winnie and Duke (hide spoiler)], are wonderful. I enjoyed the nuance given to both Zelind's brother Jarom and Zelind's complex feelings towards him. Crook Jamille is a treat. And of course, there are Robin's ghosts, Aunt Joy and Mahalia.
This series was incredible and I will never get over it ever. She has made her way to a prime spot on my favorite-ever-fantasy shelf. Also, absolutely adoring the fact that the covers of this series are literally the bi pride flag. Shoutout.
I'm a bit frustrated by this, to be honest, after a first book that I absolutely adored a couple years back. The Silvered Serpents is a frustrating slI'm a bit frustrated by this, to be honest, after a first book that I absolutely adored a couple years back. The Silvered Serpents is a frustrating slog with a beyond-slow plot and little to no urgency, which is not exciting in the sequel to one of my favorite YA heist novels ever.
Chai's fantastic review feels like it conveys a lot of my issues here – Séverin is, in my mind, the weakest link here. He is borderline cruel to Laila in a way that simply feels hard to read; the character reasons behind his nonstop drive to become a God feels half-baked; and perhaps most glaringly, Zofia, Hypnos, Enrique, and Laila still revolve around him, in a way that no longer feels motivated. (He's frankly not planning good enough heists for them to following him so unquestioningly when he's cruel to Laila, who is their friend.) He frankly just drove me up the fucking wall, and it doesn't feel as if the other characters get enough content not involving him to counteract that.
The character content is worse in other places, too. Laila has romantic competition for Séverin, for some reason. Hypnos and Enrique have started dating offscreen, but god forbid they discuss their feelings, and god forbid we get good reasons why. God forbid a single one of these people simply speak about their feelings. I might have started losing my mind when Enrique is interrupted by Hypnos and thus simply fails to communicate a huge plot point to either him or Zophia. I can take a misunderstanding for character reasons on occasion, but a plot-relevant misunderstanding on a heist team is simply not interesting.
It feels as if every minor issue I had with this series has doubled back down. The Séverin's parents chapter intros are back and more overdramatic than ever, when I already disliked them the first time around. Setting and action descriptions are still incredible 80% of the time and still confusing the other 20%. The lore behind the Houses feels as if it has only gotten less distinct, while simultaneously feeling more plot-relevant; the connection between Houses and colonialism, one of the strongest parts of book one, feels as a consequence less relevant.
There is not an absence of good here. Roshani Chokshi is a fundamentally good writer, and her prose shines. Zofia is easily the most compelling character in the series if not one of my favorite YA characters of all time; I do so live for her chapters, and I liked her content here as always. I really wanted more of her content with Enrique and Hypnos, which is a relationship I was completely rooting for – and for once, I felt her lack of communication with them was well-motivated and compelling. Laila is also a fantastic character; while I found her chapters somewhat depressing and frustrating [for Séverin reasons] here, I enjoy her character so much that it almost outweighed that. But I do not think I have the motivation to finish this series – though I did look up spoilers, for personal reasons.
It was beautiful, but every stitch bites into her history, the deaths she left behind, and the home she could not refer to.
The Empress of Salt and
It was beautiful, but every stitch bites into her history, the deaths she left behind, and the home she could not refer to.
The Empress of Salt and Fortune follows Rabbit the Handmaiden she tells a narrative of the empress In-Yo to Chih, a Cleric keeper of memories, and Almost Brilliant, a bird and a scribe of memories.
There are several things to love about this novella, including the gorgeous writing and wonderful characters, but primary to it is its treatment of the complexities of history and memory. The empress erased memories of her own life, leaving Rabbit as the only memory. It is thus in her telling that the Empress’s cruelty comes, but also in that her humanity is extracted.
The humanity of those around her does not go unmarked, either. Servant Kazu and fortuneteller Sukai (Lucky) are each unimportant, but remembered by Almost Brilliant nonetheless. There is a passage about burning trash that specifically made me tear up; it was really beautiful.
This novella touched me so deeply and I’m sure I’ll find myself returning to it again in the future. I’m excited to read the rest of this series.
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