I just know that if Baru Cormorant ever got made into a tv series the twitter discourse would be utterly unbearable.
“Power was not the province in
I just know that if Baru Cormorant ever got made into a tv series the twitter discourse would be utterly unbearable.
“Power was not the province in which one made choices. Power was the ability to set the context in which choices were made.”
Regrettably, this was not as good as book one.
As The Monster Baru Cormorant begins, the Falcresti Empire is trying to overthrow to Oriati Mbo, a thousand-year empire to Falcrest’s comparative youth – an empire they suspect may have the secret to immortal life. It is a very different world than book one, and that transition, as you may expect, has some bumps in the road.
To try and summarize the basic conceit of this book, with some potential spoilers ahead for the worldstate as established by the first ~150 pages of the novel: Falcrest wants to spread Incrasticism, their eugenicist theory of empire, across not just Taranoke and Aurdwynn, but the westernmost plains of the old Tu Maia and northernmost Stakhieczi Necessity as well. The Cancrioth – the enslavers of the Oriati, before the Mbo – may be souls passed through one body to another via cancer. At the center of this drive to spread is a conflict between two handlers: Cosgrad (Hesychast) wishes to create cancer and discover immortality, and Farrier (Cairdine) wishes to change society. Either way, they aren’t particularly opposed to a war — a war that they both know would kill millions. But unless Falcrest falls, and perhaps even if it does, war may be inevitable.
Baru is lost. Audrwynn’s head torturer Xate Yawa (Durance), the missing Stakhi prince Svirakir (Apparitor), Ulyu Xe (ex-lover of Tain Hu), and Iraji (an Oriati Mbo loved by Apparitor - just as much as he loves Lindon, his hostage), are her only allies. Tain Shir, daughter of Tain Ko and Xate Olake and thus cousin to Tain Hu and niece to Yawa, is hunting her. Interrogator Prince Tau-Indi of Oriati Mbo is chasing their old love, Abdumasi Abd, as he is interrogated. Kindalana of Segu, the third of their trio and the Amity Prince, is missing. And Aminata, Segu and Oriati by birth, works in the navy, unsure of Baru’s journeys, just as Juris Ormsment begins a naval mutiny to track down Baru for vengeance against her actions in Aurdwynn. Iscend Comprine, a Clarified, is an ally to Baru, or Yawa, or both – but only who orders her how they can.
Plot: To be honest — incredibly weak. You may have noticed that there are about 15 plotlines here. We spend about 65% of this book meeting new characters who *might* be relevant later, rather than driving in any specific direction. And even the more hypothetically exciting bits feel like drops in the bucket, both because they pass quickly and because they never feel as if they have terrible relevancy. At one point, Baru travels to the Lloysdane Islands “cultural preservation” in order to utterly destroy their economy, and her motivation for doing so feels terribly thin. (Caveat that this specifically might be purposeful.) It often feels as if I’ve just missed a huge jump in internal logic from Fact A to New Baru Goal B – and then we spend a hundred pages on the new Baru goal.
Additionally, the naval rebellion plotline is tolerable at best, and getting points of views from it is just unneeded page space. I just don’t even think you can change my mind on this. It’s not even relevant until the end, so why bother including any points of view besides Aminata?
“There are families here, Baru.” There are families everywhere, Baru thought. That has never stopped anyone, except the people who lose.
The Traitor Herself: On a sort of related note, I actually found Baru fairly frustrating this book! Stripped of her strong motivating factors, she feels lacking in drive — and the plot does too. Her scenes with Tain Hu are heartbreaking. Her having a lot of very bad sex is entertaining.
Colonialism: Given that Baru is fundamentally a series about the politics of colonialism and how easily they can convert one to a collaborator, always worth addressing how well each book does. And to be honest… I needed a lot more from Baru’s inner world. Additionally, the involvement of Cosgrad/Hesychast has the odd effect of making the acts of colonialism feel driven by great man theory, which feels jarring considering the book completely leans to the opposite. Colonialism is never driven by just one, but by an entire system, which is exactly the series’ argument — so why have two men be the main representatives of that power, and be seemingly all-powerful on their own? The politics of Kypranonoke countered this a decent amount; big fan of that.
Side Characters: Decidedly the highlight of this book for me was developing a strongly sympathetic relationship with Xate Yawa, who is shockingly compelling. Genuinely could not have foreseen this one, but she is such a deranged little bitch! I adore her! I’m a huge fan of Apparitor as well; he’s just a fantastic addition to this cast. Modern Tau-Indi – I’ll talk about past Tau-Indi below – is great. Shao Lune sucks so bad and I love her as well.
These are a bit where my positives end. Aminata is a wonderful character, but she really has almost nothing to do in this one until the end — which is so frustrating because we just got her back! I REALLY wanted more from her. Ulyu is such an interesting idea, and I wanted so much more. Iraji is great… at the end. He’s kind of giving nothing until then, to the point where I briefly forgot he existed. (Sorry king.)
I hate to say it but Tain Shir really did nothing for me for about 85% of this book. Couldn’t even care less, wish we got more point of view from her instead of the fucking naval rebellion.
In-the-Past Chapters: The world state as we begin this plot line is as follows: Tau-Indi, Abdumasi Abd, and Kindalana of Segu (the Amity Prince) were childhood best friends. Abdumasi has now been kidnapped. That is ALL we know — we learn it ten pages in — and to be honest, the following three hundred pages don’t give us much more. I STILL did not feel like I had answers to this after all four hundred and fifty – yes I am serious – pages. I simply spent too long with this plotline to not know more.
Worldbuilding: Dear god but I do love the world of these books. I keep thinking some of the older empires — the Cheetah Palaces, the Jellyfish Eaters of Kypranonoke, the classical Maia of the north — might come back into play, and even if they never do, I do love knowing that I’m barely scratching the surface of what might be at play in this world.
The Ending: Quite unsettling! Disturbing even! Big fan.
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
“‘But you're correct. Our species - no, forgive me, our cultures - aren't the same at all. Quelin fear outsiders because we use them as scapegoats
“‘But you're correct. Our species - no, forgive me, our cultures - aren't the same at all. Quelin fear outsiders because we use them as scapegoats for the things we fear about ourselves. We bar cultural exchange because change frightens us. Whereas your people…’ He looked at her. ‘You fear outsiders because they gave you no choice in the change they forced upon you.’”
After a technological disaster strikes on the planet Gora, a set of unlikely strangers are trapped at Five-Hop One-Stop under the care of Ouloo, the Laru owner, and Tupo, her child — Pei, an Aeluon cargo runner traveling from the dangerous Rosk border to see her lover Ashby; Roveg, an exiled Quelin artist looking to meet his children; and Speaker, an Akarak trader unexpectedly separated from her twin sister Tracker.
The Galaxy and the Ground Within is, fundamentally, a novel about cultural exchange, the complexities within it, and the value of finding connection across different communities. It is charming, kind, and partially due to its scope closely intwined with its five lead characters. Becky Chambers as always writes with a profound empathy towards her leads. This was not my favorite of this series – it’s probably the one that stands out to me the least – but it’s charming, and I absolutely adored Speaker.
I’ll miss this series. I guess I’ll need to move onto new Becky Chambers now.
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.
This is a book that translates extremely differently from movie or book.
Better in the book: —Clemensia’s defeat being less her fault; her being a charThis is a book that translates extremely differently from movie or book.
Better in the book: —Clemensia’s defeat being less her fault; her being a character we feel for. Related, Clemensia’s scene in the hospital. —Coryo getting the guitar from Pluribus Bell, who also gives him —The song being a betrayal is so INTERESTING. I think Movie Coryo is inherently more sympathetic just by virtue of missing his internal monologue, where he has a consistent entitlement to Lucy Gray.
Better in the film: —Songs translate better obviously; specifically, I think “Ballad of Lucy Gray Baird” live is one of the most haunting things I’ve ever heard —I like Lucy Gray’s unwillingness to sing —Lucky Flickerman being the main report —And Lucy Gray is a far more interesting character simply by not being filtered through Snow. Which is fascinating because… her dialogue is exactly the same, almost down to the word. Lucy Gray’s movie dialogue is extremely close to her book dialogue but her character feels vivid in a way her book character does not – particularly “Ballad of Lucy Gray Baird,” “The Old Therebefore,” and in her final scene.
And it’s here that I think comes both what is best about this story and worst about this book: Snow’s interpretations are almost universally unreliable. He reads Lucy Gray wrong, Sejanus wrong, the tributes wrong. He cannot see her courage in leaving him—only that she has left.
I adore Lucy Gray as a character. And while I’m not entirely sure I really *enjoyed* the reading experience, I think this is a really clever narrative. I’m glad I read it.
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.
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
In the delightful Mislaid In Parts Half Known, the newest main group at the School for Wayward ChildrCora and Antsy novel save me Cora and Antsy novel
In the delightful Mislaid In Parts Half Known, the newest main group at the School for Wayward Children – Antsy, Emily, Sumi, Kade, Christopher, and Cora – journey back to the Shop Where Lost Things Go to ensure that Antsy’s old mentors, Vineta and Hudson, are keeping their promise to change their ways. This series has definitely become split into two main types of books – origin stories and ensemble pieces – and this ensemble is extremely good! I really like Emily; I was delighted to see Cora and Antsy’s stories get compelling resolutions. Sumi is getting more compelling content as this series goes on.
I still love this series very much. I’ll miss Cora; she and Jack were two of my favorites. I’m beyond excited for more Antsy. I feel like what’s coming next will be a Kade and Antsy run the house story, an Emily resolution story, and maybe – ideally – something for Christopher.
“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)]
Easily my favorite of the Sherlock Holmes novels thus far. In contrast to previous novels, which always have felt to me like bloated editions of his sEasily my favorite of the Sherlock Holmes novels thus far. In contrast to previous novels, which always have felt to me like bloated editions of his short stories, Hound of the Baskervilles feels like a genuine thriller. Conan Doyle builds a terrifying gothic setting through the book. A slow build of multiple mysteries entwine to an ending that felt genuinely satisfying, keeping both a tight narrative and an eerie atmosphere.
very fun that the murder robot has ptsd now! I'm not sure I have a ton new to say about this one that I have yet to say about Murderbot, and to some dvery fun that the murder robot has ptsd now! I'm not sure I have a ton new to say about this one that I have yet to say about Murderbot, and to some degree I am no longer feeling quite the same backbreak enthusiasm for earlier books; I'm beginning to get the formula, and I honestly crave a bit more from the side characters. But Murderbot is always a delight and certainly never boring.
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
“It’s never belonged to anyone, but it belongs to her.”
Lost In the Moment and Found is genuinely a fantastic installment in this series. Magical m
“It’s never belonged to anyone, but it belongs to her.”
Lost In the Moment and Found is genuinely a fantastic installment in this series. Magical metaphors for abuse can be so fascinating when well done. Here, the use of Antsy's gaslighting via magic forgetting, and growing up too fast via magic, ties into her backstory as a survivor of abuse.
I was extremely impressed, as I often am, by the kindness with which McGuire treats Antsy, and the kindness with which she treats narratives of abuse. Being gaslit is an experience in alienation from the self: It is an experience, in its own way, of losing access to yourself. Antsy is lost from the real world both literally and figuratively, a barrier placed between her and the rest of the world. Any truth she tells will not be believed, so what does the truth matter? What is the real world, or is it lost forever?
One of my favorite novellas in this series. I desperately wish I'd had this book when I were younger.
I really liked dipping back to the novella format of the Murderbot Diaries series. Featuring recurring characters Ratthi and Gurathin, and Murderbot oI really liked dipping back to the novella format of the Murderbot Diaries series. Featuring recurring characters Ratthi and Gurathin, and Murderbot once again having to combat feelings and trying to find its own job in a new world, this one is a great time. I'm not sure if I'm convinced this series needs to keep going on, but this is a good book and I'm continuing to enjoy!
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.)
Where the Drowned Girls Go, the seventh novella in the Every Heart a Doorway series, is Cora’s real novel. While her first two introductions were for Where the Drowned Girls Go, the seventh novella in the Every Heart a Doorway series, is Cora’s real novel. While her first two introductions were for Sumi and for Jack, this one is for Cora. And it’s for her learning that there is nothing wrong with her, even when she cannot feel like herself any longer. When she gets herself shipped off to a home for children who wish to forget their homes, not become them, she must find the strength to find herself again.
I think I’m potentially just starting to feel like these novellas end up going over the same themes and plots. But this one is good fun. I do find Cora really compelling as a character. Sumi, Jack, and Kade all make lovely cameos, and I really enjoyed the new character content. I’ll be reading the next one.
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?
She’d always been fierce that way: the more someone needed, the more she wanted to give.
In this third installment of Olivia Waite’s f/f historical
She’d always been fierce that way: the more someone needed, the more she wanted to give.
In this third installment of Olivia Waite’s f/f historical novels, piano teacher Sophie Roseingrave finds herself caught up investigating the schemes of silk-weaver Maddie Crewe, who aims to take down a greedy tailer named Mr. Giles. It’s a sort of mashup between a romance and a heist novel.
I think Olivia Waite has such a clever way of drawing characters with realistic insecurities who still never feel pathetic. When her characters fail to freely love each other, you feel the reasons why. Never falling onto miscommunication tropes, she truly builds these people as complex.
However, I really do concur with most of the other reviews on this page that this is decidedly the weakest character development and arc work from this series. Additionally, there's less going on with the heist. I absolutely agreed with Lex’s point about the presence of a prologue being a potential way to counteract this.
Overall, even though this one wasn't a spectacular read, I'm a big fan of this author and would highly recommend especially the first novel of this series.
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