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Tread of Angels by Rebecca Roanhorse
In this novella Rebecca Roanhorse once again shows off her world-building skills. I was intrigued from the very start by the genre-defying world Roanhorse envisions in Tread of Angels. The story unfolds in Goetia, a town ruled by the mighty Order of the Archangels that is ‘segregated’ between the Elects and the Fallen. Celeste, our…
3.5 STARS, Adult, alternate history, amateur detective, AMERICAN AUTHOR, angels, casinos & gambling, dark fantasy, DEMONS, fantastic worldbuilding, FANTASY, female authors, gods, gritty aesthetics, indigenous author, it’s about the *aesthetics*, lesbian side characters, lgbtq+ side, MURDER, murder investigation, MYSTERY, Native American & First Nation authors, NOVELLA/SHORT STORY, PARANORMAL, published in 2022, queer side characters, read in 2022, Rebecca Roanhorse, ROMANCE, SISTERS, STEAMPUNK, Tread of Angels, URBAN FANTASY, western -
Babel, or The Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution by R.F. Kuang
“Languages aren’t just made of words. They’re modes of looking at the world. They’re the keys to civilization. And that’s knowledge worth killing for.” Babel, or The Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution is an fierce indictment against colonialism. Within this superbly written slow-burner of a bildungsroman, R.F. Kuang presents her…
1820s, 1830s, 19TH CENTURY, 3 STARS, 3rd pov, 4 STARS, abuse, academia, Adult, ALIENATION, alternate history, anxiety-inducing reads, atmospheric, babel, Babel or The Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution, belonging, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, brothers, child abuse, CHILDHOOD, China, chinese american author, class, cliques, colonialism, coming of age, cultural dissonance, dark academia, DEATH, england, FANTASY, fathers & sons, female authors, friendships, great storytelling, growing up, GUILT, HISTORICAL FICTION, history, identity, India, language, lgbtq+, LONDON, loneliness, Longing, MAGIC, morality, MURDER, muslim side characters, My reviews, MYSTERY, orphans, oxford, philosophical, politics, PRIVILEGE, psychological, published in 2022, queer undercurrents, R.F. Kuang, RACE, read in 2022, reading, revenge, secret societies, secretiveness, ship, SOCIAL COMMENTARY, social issues, strong sense of place, SUSPENSE, teachers, terrific prose, tragedy, travel, UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE, URBAN FANTASY, war -
To Paradise by Hanya Yanagihara
My disappointment is immeasurable, and my day is ruined. If you’ve read my review for A Little Life you know how much that novel means to me. Just looking at my hardback copy makes me feel all sorts of intense feelings. So, naturally, my expectations were high for To Paradise. At first, the Cloud Atlas-esque…
1890s, 1990s, 19TH CENTURY, 3 STARS, Adult, age gap, alternate history, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, arc, beautiful prose, big books, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, cheating, chronic pain, class, cultural dissonance, DEATH, different styles (1st/2nd/3rd povs), dystopia, f/f side, family, fathers & sons, favourite authors, female authors, gay, hawaii, illness, interconnected stories, lesbian side characters, lgbtq+, LITERARY FICTION, Longing, m/m, MARRIAGE, mental health, My reviews, netgalley, pandemic, PRIVILEGE, published in 2022, queer, read in 2021, reading, social issues, SPECULATIVE FICTION, style over character, to paradise -
Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho
“He spoke the spell under his breath, still a little uncertain after the agonies he had endured. But magic came, ever his friend—magic answered his call.” Written in a playful pastiche style Sorcerer to the Crown will certainly appeal to fans of Susanna Clarke, Neil Gaiman, and Diana Wynne Jones. Cho’s bombastic prose, characterized by…
1800s, 1810s, 19TH CENTURY, 3rd pov, 4 STARS, academia, Adult, adventure, all girls school, alternate history, bombastic style, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, curses, DRAGONS, FAERIES, FAIRYLAND, FANTASY, FANTASY OF MANNERS, favourite authors, female authors, HISTORICAL FICTION, HUMOR, MAGIC, magic school, Malaysian author, My reviews, playful style, published in 2015, re-reads, read in 2016, read in 2021, reading, Regency era, SOCIAL COMMENTARY, Sorcerer Royal, WARLOCKS/WIZARDS, WITCHES, Zen Cho -
Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao
“But I have no faith in love. Love cannot save me.I choose vengeance.” Xiran Jay Zhao has written an ambitious debut novel that should definitely appeal to fans of Pacific Rim & The Hunger Games. Iron Widow is likely one of the most creative books that I’ve read this year (which is saying something given…
1st pov, 2 STARS, action, alternate history, arc, battles, bi side characters, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, China, chinese author, chinese inspired setting, DEATH, dystopia, FANTASY, Iron Widow, LGBTQ+ Author, lgbtq+ side, m/f/m romance, My reviews, netgalley, Not Like Other Girls, polyamory, reading, RETELLINGS, revenge, SCI-FI, trying and failing @ feminism, violence, weak prose, weak worldbuilding, Xiran Jay Zhao, YOUNG ADULT -
Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark
“Like I said already, I hunt monsters. And I got a sword that sings.” Ring Shout is an action-driven historical novella that combines horror with the kind of anime that have magical swords & monsters-posing-as-humans in them. The story takes place in Georgia during the 1920s and follows a group of black women who hunt…
1920s, 1st pov, 20th century, 3 STARS, action, adventure, alternate history, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, Black & Black heritage authors, f/f side, FANTASY, georgia, HISTORICAL FICTION, HORROR, lgbtq+ side, MAGIC, magical swords, male authors, monsters, netgalley, NOVELLA/SHORT STORY, P. Djèlí Clark, PARANORMAL, published in 2020, queer side characters, RACE, read in 2020, Ring Shout, social issues, URBAN FANTASY -
A Dead Djinn in Cairo by P. Djèlí Clark
This is the third novella I’ve read by P. Djèlí Clark and once again I find myself loving his building but not his story or characters. This novella is set in an alternate 1912 Cairo where djinns and angels are the norm. world happens to be the home to djinns Egypt, . In an alternate…
1910s, 20th century, 3rd pov, A Dead Djinn, Adult, adventure, alternate history, AMERICAN AUTHOR, American History, Black & Black heritage authors, Cairo, DETECTIVE, Djinn, egypt, FANTASY, HISTORICAL FICTION, lgbtq+, male authors, NOVELLA/SHORT STORY, P. Djèlí Clark, published in 2016, queer, read in 2020, SPECULATIVE FICTION, STEAMPUNK, URBAN FANTASY -
The Binding by Bridget Collins — book review
“Bindings are for desperate people. People who can’t go anywhere else.” Surprising, occasionally frustrating, and relentlessly sad, The Binding never seemed to reach its full potential. I was genuinely intrigued by the premise (an alternative history in which book binders get rid of people’s ‘bad’ memories?) even if I know that the whole ‘memory-erasing’ idea…
19TH CENTURY, 1st pov, 3 STARS, Adult, alternate history, ANGST, BOOK REVIEWS, books about books, Bridget Collins, British author, drama, ENEMIES TO LOVERS, FANTASY, female authors, gay, HISTORICAL FICTION, identity, jealousy, lgbtq+, m/m, MAGIC, MAGICAL REALISM, MELODRAMA, MEMORY, MYSTERY, read in 2020, ROMANCE, The Binding -
The Lost Future of Pepperharrow by Natasha Pulley — book review
The Lost Future of Pepperharrow is a somewhat disappointing followup to The Watchmaker of Filigree Street. Having really enjoyed The Watchmaker of Filigree Street I was really looking forward to be reunited with Thaniel and Mori. Within the first chapters I had a slight sense of deja vu. The main difference between this sequel and…
1880s, 19TH CENTURY, 2 STARS, 3rd pov, alternate history, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, British author, confusing for the sake of being confusing, cultural dissonance, drama, england, female authors, HISTORICAL FICTION, japan, lgbtq+, LONDON, m/m, MAGICAL REALISM, MEMORY, MYSTERY, Natasha Pulley, plot over character, published in 2020, read in 2020, STEAMPUNK, The Lost Future of Pepperharrow, The Watchmaker of Filigree Street, VICTORIAN -
The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley — book review
“Under the gas lamps, mist pawed at the windows of the closed shops, which became steadily shabbier nearer home. It was such a smooth ruination that he could have been walking forward through time, watching the same buildings age five years with every step, all still as a museum”. The Watchmaker of Filigree Street mostly…
1880s, 19TH CENTURY, 3rd pov, adventure, age gap, alternate history, British author, cultural dissonance, drama, england, female authors, FRIENDS TO LOVERS, HISTORICAL FICTION, japan, Keita Mori, lgbtq+, LONDON, loneliness, m/m, MAGICAL REALISM, MEMORY, MYSTERY, Natasha Pulley, published in 2015, queer, read in 2020, SPECULATIVE FICTION, STEAMPUNK, Thaniel Steepleton, The Watchmaker of Filigree Street, VICTORIAN
luce [is reading] 