Three of the books that I read during this time period I discussed in my recap of the October Pokethon gym. Other than that, I managed to get through five books, one not pictured above.
Celestial Monsters
Aidan Thomas
I let too much time pass between reading the first book in this duology and picking up the concluding sequel. Aside from Teo’s best friend, Mia, it took me too long to remember relationship dynamics from teh first book. That being said, I think that Thomas did a fairly good job transitioning the narrative from a competitive games with tragic sacrifice structure to the quest to save the world structure. Thomas also explored the relationship of this world with its tier-ranked gods and the discriminatory practices that arose from it.
The Fox Wife
Yangsze Choo
Throughout my read, I struggled to care enough about the narrative to remember the plot points well enough to form a cohesive story in my brain. Choo did nothing wrong with this narrative. In fact, her writing and narration (of the audiobook) created lyrical prose with lush descriptions that I longed to connect with; she created such pretty pictures. Perhaps, if the connection between the two perspectives had woven together a little bit sooner, that might have saved the experience for me. Unfortunately, this book will be only a pretty story for me, easily forgettable.
A Sorceress Comes to Call
T. Kingfisher
When I read a book this perfect, I struggle to come up with the words to adequately review the book. From the first minute of the audiobook, T. Kingfisher cast a spell on me that never broke. Her characters read like full-blown real people with hyperrealistic responses to trauma and abuse. I appreciated the distinct voices that she gave to each of the point of view characters: Cordelia – the poor, beautiful young soul traumatized and abused by her sorceress mother, and Hester – the older, spinster sister of the man the social climbing sorceress targets. T. Kingfisher also carefully unfolded the narrative, weaving in so much nuance, darkness, and – yes- compassion. Of all the books likely to end up on the Goodreads Choice Awards fantasy list, my heart desperately longs to give it my vote. (I will really struggle though if Blood Over Bright Haven also makes an appearance.)
Fathomfolk
Eliza Chen
I harbored great trepidation going into this read because the special edition that I own is one of the most beautiful books in my entire library. I desperately wanted to love this, hoping that the gorgeous aesthetic would translate into a half-drowned world that evoked the same sort of feeling. Instead, I got a much grittier novel with three perspectives – although early on it appears to have four – that alternate with such rapidity that teh reader struggles to connect with any of them. The world could have been great with a city built into the ocean high enough to survive a previous near apocalyptic flood and inhabited by humans and every sort of fantastical water being imaginable from sea witches to kelpies to sea dragons. The three main perspectives each represent a different kind of “fathomfolk”, with Cordelia, the conniving sea witch (ironically, the second book in a row for me with a primary character of that name), Mira, the half-siren rising through the ranks to try to bring reform from the inside along with her sea dragon and fathomfolk ambassador partner Kai, and Nami, the rebellious sea dragon upstart banished to the city as punishment who also happens to be Kai’s sister. Each of these characters had mentions and brief explorations of complexity that if explored thoroughly and woven into the plot, could have made this book so much better. It pains me so much that the content of the book failed to live up to its stunning cover.
I also read Ink Girls as evidenced in the initial photo. However, I neglected to write a review of this historical fiction graphic novel due to part of my brain believing that I had written a review to include in the Pokethon gym recap even though I read this book on the following day. I do recommend Ink Girls though.
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