Tag: 8 Rating

Joint Review: “What Feasts At Night”

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Book: “What Feasts At Night” by T. Kingfisher

Publishing Info: Tor Nightfire, February 2024

Where Did We Get This Book: Kate received an eARC from NetGalley,

Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: 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.

Kate’s Thoughts

When Serena told me there was going to be a new “Sworn Soldier” story, I knew that I was already game to read it because of how much I enjoyed “What Moves the Dead”. I wasn’t sure of what to expect, as while the first book in the series was a retelling of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher”, I didn’t know if Kingfisher intended to do more Poe, or another classic horror author/story. But when I saw the description and saw that it had a ‘breath stealing monster’, and that the title implied that it was happening at night, I FLIPPED because I KNEW IT WAS GOING TO BE A NIGHT HAG!!!

HELL YEAH, one of my favorite folklore beings that fills me with ALL THE DREAD! (source)

Quick folklore lesson: a Night Hag, also known as a Boo Hag, a Mare, Karabasan, Witch Riding, and many other things, is almost certainly sleep paralysis, in which someone wakes in the middle of the night, unable to move, with a feeling of something pressing on your chest making it hard to breathe. I have been obsessed with Night Hag mythology ever since I went to Savannah for the first time and was fully terrified by the idea of a demonic force sitting on your chest and sucking your essence out of you while you slept. So “What Feasts at Night” is one HUNDRED percent up my alley, and I loved what Kingfisher did with it within her fictional setting of Gallacia. The slow build up of Alex slowly realizing that the people in the community they have recently returned to are falling ill by something mysterious and unknown, and starting to realize that perhaps it isn’t just superstition, was a great slow burn of eeriness and the exact kind of unsettling atmosphere I would want and expect from a Night Hag story. But Kingfisher always knows how to balance out the scares with some humorous moments as well, and there were PLENTY of moments that I was laughing out loud as well as reveling in the creepiness of the plot. And finally, I liked getting to know Alex a little bit more, whether it’s through flashbacks to their time in combat and how they are still coping with that, or with seeing them interact with familiar faces as well as new ones as they try to figure out what killed their old friend, and what may be targeting others as well.

“What Feasts at Night” was another spooky and spirited horror lite story from T. Kingfisher! Love seeing Night Hags in any story, and this one was pretty well done!

Serena’s Thoughts

Unlike Kate, I had no idea what type of horror story this was drawing from when reading the description. I’ve read other horror stories about beings that come in dreams or at night and sit on one’s chest (and the connection to sleep paralysis) but I didn’t know anything about the history of this type of being or any of its names. That’s all to say, even without any background knowledge, man, Kingfisher nailed the creepiness of this creature! I’ve never had sleep paralysis, but I do have “exploding head syndrome” fairly regularly, so I have a visceral reaction to this sort of story about some nefarious being/thing taking advantage of the vulnerability of sleep. While the horror stuff was definitely a slow burn affair, when it arrived, it was truly creepy. There was one scene in particular with the horses that really stuck with me, both because it was so viscerally horrifying, but also because…never mess with the horses!!

As for the rest of it, like Kate, I wasn’t sure what to expect from a return to this world. The first book was so successful on its own, perfectly introducing this character and world and neatly wrapping up that tale by the end in a way that felt complete. But I was pleasantly surprised by what we got here. Alex remains an excellent lead character with a distinct, often hilarious, POV. I also really enjoyed that the story took place in their homeland of Gallacia. We heard a decent amount about this fictional country in the first book, but we got even more here. I loved the whole “lovingly exasperated” take that Alex and the locals seem to have about their own country and its culture and history. Again, lots of laugh-out-loud lines to be found here.

Overall, I loved this book just as much as the first! Sign me up for a return to this world and character at any time! Can’t wait to find what other normal life event (like sleep) Kingfisher will manage to make terrifying for me…

Serena’s Rating 8: Leave it to Kingfisher to write a book that left me terrified to go to sleep but also cackling my way through the night.

Kate’s Rating 8: A fun take on Night Hag mythology and folklore, “What Feasts at Night” is scary, entertaining, and another enjoyable horror lite tale from T. Kingfisher!

Reader’s Advisory

“What Feasts At Night” is included on the Goodreads list “Can’t Wait Sci-Fi/Fantasty of 2024”, and “Horror to Look Forward to in 2024”.

Kate’s Review: “From A Whisper to a Rallying Cry”

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Book: “From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry: The Killing of Vincent Chin and the Trial That Galvanized the Asian American Movement” by Paula Yoo

Publishing Info: Norton Young Readers, April 2021

Where Did I Get This Book: The library!

Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: America in 1982: Japanese car companies are on the rise and believed to be putting U.S. autoworkers out of their jobs. Anti–Asian American sentiment simmers, especially in Detroit. A bar fight turns fatal, leaving a Chinese American man, Vincent Chin, beaten to death at the hands of two white men, autoworker Ronald Ebens and his stepson, Michael Nitz.

Paula Yoo has crafted a searing examination of the killing and the trial and verdicts that followed. When Ebens and Nitz pled guilty to manslaughter and received only a $3,000 fine and three years’ probation, the lenient sentence sparked outrage. The protests that followed led to a federal civil rights trial—the first involving a crime against an Asian American—and galvanized what came to be known as the Asian American movement.

Extensively researched from court transcripts, contemporary news accounts, and in-person interviews with key participants, From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry is a suspenseful, nuanced, and authoritative portrait of a pivotal moment in civil rights history, and a man who became a symbol against hatred and racism.

Review: Along with my usual New Years Resolutions of trying to get in better shape and trying to keep more on top of my household chores (both of which I have mixed results on every year), I always try to pick a reading associated resolution. And for 2024, I have chosen to try and review more Non-Fiction books on the blog, as I cover that genre, but haven’t done much with it as of late. So when I was looking for interesting books to take on, I found “From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry: The Killing of Vincent Chin and the Trial That Galvanized The Asian American Movement” by Paula Yoo, I knew that I wanted to add it to the resolution pile. I had heard of Vincent Chin, who was murdered by two white men in Detroit in 1982 after a fight, but I didn’t know the details and didn’t know the fallout. I’m here to learn, and as I was reading I couldn’t help but be reminded that, sadly, some things never change in this country.

Yoo has written a well researched and powerful book about a horrible crime that jump started the Asian American movement in the United States, in that it unified the groups across the Asian Diaspora to find commonalities after Chinese American Vincent Chin was murdered by two white men in what was considered a hate crime (as witnesses said that the perpetrators were hurling slurs at him before the beating). After the murderers plead out and received probation and a fine, outrage reverberated throughout the Asian American community across Detroit, and then across the country. Yoo presents the story in a straightforward way, and presents perspectives from many of the people involved, making for a detailed read that covers a lot of the ins and outs and nuances and complexities. I could see this book being a fantastic book for a classroom when teaching the histories of various Civil Rights movements in this country, as it is written for a teen audience so it is easy to digest, but still tackles hard topics and examines them in ways that make the reader think while learning. It’s a very hard, maddening, and frustrating read, and Yoo captures the anger and sadness as well as the important stepping stones towards hope and solidarity that Chin’s murder led to.

This is such a great resource for those who are not only wanting to learn more about the Asian American movement in the United States, but also for those who want to see how history can repeat itself when it comes to racism and scapegoating during times of turmoil and uncertainty. The connections that Yoo makes between the automobile bust in Detroit and the rise of imported cars and the animosity it fed at the time, as well as the recent spike of anti- Asian American racism and hate crimes during the COVID-19 pandemic, are stark and unable to be ignored. Yoo clearly lays out how racism thrives in times like this, and how it must be called out and laid out as unacceptable. Between this and the historical beats on the Asian American rights movement, this book would be a must read in classrooms when trying to teach these harder aspects of history. Yoo makes it very easy to understand for a YA audience, but it’s also informative and interesting for older readers as well, at least in my experience.

“From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry” is essential and difficult reading. I didn’t know so much about this story, and this was a great way to familiarize myself.

Rating 8: A compelling and devastating account of a murder that kick started a movement, “From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry” is must read social justice history.

Reader’s Advisory:

“From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry” is included on the Goodreads list “YA Social Injustice” .

Kate’s Review: “Fence (Vol. 4): Rivals”

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Book: “Fence (Vol. 4): Rivals” by C. S. Pacat & Johanna the Mad (Ill.)

Publishing Info: BOOM! Box, June 2020

Where Did I Get This Book: The library!

Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: The team at King’s Row must face the school that defeated them in the fencing state championships last year, but first Nicholas and Seiji must learn to work together as a team…and maybe something more!

FOILED AGAIN?

Just as Nicholas, Seiji and the fencing team at the prodigious Kings Row private school seem to be coming together, a deadly rival from their past stands in their way once more. MacRobertson is the school that knocked Kings Row out of the State Championships last year – but unless Nicholas and Seiji can learn to work together as a team, their school is doomed once again! And maybe those two can learn to be something more than teammates too… 

Review: We are back to an exclusive prep school and back to the highest highs and lowest lows of teenage competitive fencing! That’s right, I am now tackling “Fence (Vol. 4): Rivals”! It hasn’t been so long since I reviewed a volume in this series, but the stakes are rising higher as Nicholas, Seiji, Harvard, Aiden, and Eugene now have to move past the glories of being ON the team, and actually work AS a team when going up against the school that knocked them out of the championship contention last time! I’m honestly excited to move in this direction, as I know they’re all good. But are they good enough to get to where they (and we) want them to be (aka able to knock that entitled and cocky Jesse Coste right on his ass when the time comes)? C.S. Pacat has set us up for a tense sports moment, and I am happy to say that it was pretty well done!

I mentioned in the last review that I was worried that the fighting between Seiji and Nicholas was starting to get repetitive, but in “Fence: Rivals” we seem to be finally done with their antagonistic rivalry and find them in a pretty good place, relationship wise. I am relieved that we are seeing their relationship grow and change, and how Seiji and Nicholas are now confiding in each other more and finding more common ground, especially now that Jesse Coste has made his presence known, and intimidated Seiji after doing some demonstrations with him for the team. I love seeing Seiji rattled and seeing his more vulnerable side, and we are now getting hints that perhaps his animosity towards Jesse is a bit more than just fencing based. Clues for further storylines I’m sure, but I’m here for it because it is bringing more depth to Seiji, which is good to see. Heck, Pacat is bringing more character exploration to a number of the teammates, and is doing it in a way that flows well with the action at hand without overshadowing it.

Which is good, because I found the tournament storyline itself to be really well done in pacing and suspense! What I liked most about this volume was how Pacat really brings in technique and strategy of fencing and puts it front and center as King’s Row has to go up against one of their biggest rivals. I have spoken of my very minimal fencing experience, so some of the stuff in this is familiar to me, but I thought that Pacat did a fantastic job of putting it into context and explaining the set ups and strategies of an actual tournament (as at this point we’ve mostly only seen round robin tryouts as the team itself was being built). It’s presented in a way that makes it very easy to understand and never stymies the storytelling, but makes it that much more layered and informative. It also shows the way that the King’s Row team needs to fight back against their adversaries at MacRobertson, while dealing with issues in their own ranks (including Aiden’s flakiness, Seiji’s ‘only out for myself’ attitude, and Nicholas’s unpredictability), and honing them as advantages. It was downright riveting watching this tournament unfold!

And the art is still great. I don’t really have much more to say about it from other reviews, but I liked how the information about fencing is presented in this volume, and part of that is how Johanna the Mad designs the panels.

(source)

Our team has started to figure out how to work with each other! Now they surely have challenges ahead. And I can’t wait to see what happens in the next volume!

Rating 8: A thrilling competition and the promise of perhaps a stronger bond between teammates makes for an enjoyable fourth foray into the “Fence” Series!

Reader’s Advisory:

“Fence (Vol. 4): Rivals” is included on the Goodreads lists “Graphic Novels Featuring LGBTIQ+ Themes”, and “Books About Queer People in Sports”.

Previously Reviewed

Serena’s Review: “The City of Stardust”

This post may contain affiliate links for books we recommend.  Read the full disclosure here.

Book: “The City of Stardust” by Georgia Summers

Publishing Info: Redhook, January 2024

Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from the publisher!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: A young woman descends into a seductive magical underworld of power-hungry scholars, fickle gods and monsters bent on revenge to break her family’s curse in this spellbinding contemporary fantasy debut.

For centuries, generations of Everlys have seen their brightest and best disappear, taken as punishment for a crime no one remembers, for a purpose no one understands. Their tormentor, a woman named Penelope, never ages, never grows sick – and never forgives a debt.

Violet Everly was just a child when her mother Marianne vanished on a stormy night, determined to break the curse. And when Penelope cannot find her, she issues an Violet has ten years to find Marianne, or she will take her place. Violet is the last of the Everly line, the last to suffer from the curse. Unless she can break it first.

To do so, she must descend into a seductive magical underworld of power-hungry scholars, fickle gods and monsters bent on revenge. She must also contend with Penelope’s quiet assistant, Aleksander, who she knows cannot be trusted – and yet whose knowledge of a world beyond her own is too valuable to avoid.

Tied to a very literal deadline, Violet will travel the edges of the world to find Marianne and the key to the city of stardust, where the Everly story began.

Review: I was pretty excited when I saw that this book was coming out this winter. Between the book description itself and the marketing team literally referencing “The Starless Sea,” it sounded a lot like books I’ve enjoyed in the past. I obviously always love portal fantasies, and I was also intrigued by the potential slow burn relationship hinted at within the summary. Well, I’ll say that it definitely lived up to my expectations of the former, if less so the latter.

I’ll be honest, it took a bit to become invested in this story. In the beginning, we meet a lot of different characters, all hinting at mysterious curses and histories that the reader knows nothing about. From there, the story proceeds to jump forward in time for different chapters for the first 15-20% of the book. At a certain point, even, I was pretty sure we’d finally landed on the time period in which the rest of the story would take place but…nope! Another jump was in hand! Once the story finally settled down a bit, moving forward in a more linear fashion and following Violet’s day-to-day exploits more actively, I found myself quickly drawn in.

I was also very impressed with the world-building and greater approach to characterization, especially of its side characters and villains. It is one of those books that has stories within stories, and as you go, you learn various versions of events and are left to piece together what exactly you think really took place. Even by the end, the book never feeds you easy answers about Violet’s family history and what really happened. The point, importantly, is that people are flawed, neither purely good or bad, and their actions will speak louder than anything else, so at a certain point, knowing the actions and results, some of the smaller details matter less.

Similarly, there was an equally nuanced look at some of the side characters and villains. There are many characters who you meet (or hear enough about to feel as if you’ve met) and who you recognize from other archetype characters you’ve seen in other books. With that comes a lot of assumptions about whether they are “heroic” or “villainous.” I was truly surprised with some of the massive swings my opinions of some of the characters went through, often ending up nowhere near where I was expecting, either liking or disliking character who I’d expected to feel the opposite towards. Similarly, the villain of this story is truly evil at many points. But the book goes out of its way to, not justify her, but to explain some of her own tragedy. Of course, this character is still responsible for their actions, some of them truly horrific, but it’s not left as easy as hating them for just being a “bad guy.”

All of that said, this was one of those strange situations where I ended up more interested in the side characters and villains than in the two main characters themselves. For her part, Violet came across as incredibly naïve for much of the book. She does have an interesting arc, especially her relationship with her uncles and her missing mother, and I was pleased that towards the end of the book, she didn’t simply let people she loved off the hook for their bad treatment of her. But she was still fairly frustrating for the first half of the book, which is always a bit tough to deal with from a main character.

And then Aleksander. Here was a character who had a lot of potential, especially with a deeper look into the primary relationship in his life, an abusive, manipulative one with his parent/mentor. But as he is the secondary character in what is clearly Violet’s story, his story was often even more frustrating. We would get small brushes of what his life looked life, but not enough to truly understand all of his choices. And, as it stands, it left him as a fairly unlikeable character for much longer than I was expecting. There came a point around the halfway point of the book where I felt we were finally making progress, but nope! It still took a good while longer for him to have an awakening to his reality and adjust his relationships appropriately.

All of this left the romance in a very uncomfortable place: in that the time spent between these two was always filled with betrayal, lies, and disillusionment. There is such a brief window at the very end to see any interactions between these two that read as a true moment in their relationship. It was one of those cases where I feel like the book might have done better pairing down the romance all together. As it stands, it felt like the love story was jammed in around the edges of an already emotionally packed story.

However, those quibbles aside, I still very much enjoyed this story! The writing was strong and compelling, and I think if you make it past the rather disjointed first bit, it quickly draws you in. I loved the portal fantasy aspects of it all, especially the magical histories between these worlds. And most of the characterization was nuanced and deep, though the two main characters were notably a bit lacking. Overall, if you enjoy portal fantasies or books like “The Starless Sea,” yes, this might be one worth checking out!

Rating 8: Full of magic and mystery, this book beckons you to dive into strange worlds, quickly becoming lost in curses and doorways.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The City of Stardust” can be found on this Goodreads list: Can’t Wait Sci-Fi/Fantasy of 2024.

Kate’s Review: “The House of Last Resort”

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Book: “The House of Last Resort” by Christopher Golden

Publishing Info: St. Martin’s Press, January 2024

Where Did I Get This Book: I received and eARC from NetGalley.

Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: Across Italy there are many half-empty towns, nearly abandoned by those who migrate to the coast or to cities. The beautiful, crumbling hilltop town of Becchina is among them, but its mayor has taken drastic measures to rebuild—selling abandoned homes to anyone in the world for a single Euro, as long as the buyer promises to live there for at least five years. It’s a no-brainer for American couple Tommy and Kate Puglisi. Both work remotely, and Becchina is the home of Tommy’s grandparents, his closest living relatives. It feels like a romantic adventure, an opportunity the young couple would be crazy not to seize.

But from the moment they move in, they both feel a shadow has fallen on them. Tommy’s grandmother is furious, even a little frightened, when she realizes which house they’ve bought. There are rooms in an annex at the back of the house that they didn’t know were there. The place makes strange noises at night, locked doors are suddenly open, and when they go to a family gathering, they’re certain people are whispering about them, and about their house, which one neighbor refers to as The House of Last Resort. Soon, they learn that the home was owned for generations by the Church, but the real secret, and the true dread, is unlocked when they finally learn what the priests were doing in this house for all those long years…and how many people died in the strange chapel inside. While down in the catacombs beneath Becchina…something stirs.

Review: Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this novel!

I’m always excited when a new Christopher Golden book is coming out, because he is pretty reliable when it comes to telling a nice and scary horror tale. Because of this I was clearly excited about “The House of Last Resort”, his newest horror novel, as it seemed like it was going to be a haunted house story. Which is always a favorite of mine. So I was a LITTLE nervous when I realized that it was also going to be a demonic possession story, as that is a sub genre that I’m NOT as into, just because of tropes that feel overused, and the tendency to sometimes get a little, shall we say, preachy with it. BUT, I do have faith in Golden as an author, and so I went in with an open mind. And I’m happy to report that he can firmly consider his take on the sub genre more than acceptable and VERY enjoyable.

So even though possession and exorcism based stories can be pretty hit or miss for me, Golden has written an effective possession tale that goes beyond the tired tropes of the sub genre and broadens the themes to include societal and religious complacency as well as familial/generational trauma, which I thought really added to the concept as a whole. The idea of the Catholic Church owning a house where they sent supposedly possessed people to either be hidden away until they were ‘exorcised’, or until they had died, is such a deeply upsetting concept, but also feels like something that would absolutely happen in real life. I also liked the growing tension between Tommy and Kate, but also between the two of them and the community as they start to unravel the secrets of this house, and also how much the people around them knew about the disturbing history as a ‘house of last resort’ for the Church when it came to exorcisms. On top of that, there is the scary factor of the idea of demons lurking in the crypts beneath the home, but also the idea that there were very much NOT possessed people there, merely people who were mentally ill or in crisis, and were abused and further traumatized by people who thought they knew better.

And the horror parts of this book are spot on, and I’m saying that as someone who doesn’t usually feel affected by possession stories. There were multiple moments where I found myself setting my kindle down to say ‘oh my god this is scary’, especially early on when the dread it slowly building and we aren’t completely sure as to what is going on in Tommy and Kate’s new house. Golden has a true talent for bubbling up the tension until it reaches a snapping point, only to start again at a higher level and to rebuild once more. There’s also just the all around scares of the secrets that can be kept from people, whether the motivations are well intentioned or because of a shame on the part of those keeping the secrets. There’s just something SO sinister about everyone around Tommy and Kate knowing that there is something deeply wrong with the house they are trying to call home, and not telling them about it as strange and disturbing things start happening. I do think that perhaps one reveal happens a little abruptly and sends a bit of the rest of the suspense off kilter, but overall? Very creepy stuff from Christopher Golden, and I expect no less.

“The House of Last Resort” is another winner from Christopher Golden. It had some really scary moments and a fresh take on possession tales. What a lovely day for an exorcism.

Rating 8: A scary tale about secrets, be they religious, familial, or community based. “The House of Last Resort” is a possession story that sets itself apart from the usual demonic fare.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The House of Last Resort” is included on the Goodreads list “Horror to Look Forward to in 2024”.

Serena’s Review: “Into the Sunken City”

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Book: “Into the Sunken City” by Dinesh Thiru

Publishing Info: HarperTeen, January 2024

Where Did I Get this Book: from the publisher!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: In the slowly sinking city of Coconino, Arizona, the days are long, the money is tight, and the rain never stops.

For Jin Haldar, this life is nothing new—ever since her father died in a diving accident, she’s barely made ends meet for her and her younger sister, Thara.

Enter Bhili: a drifter who offers Jin and Thara the score of a lifetime—a massive stash of gold hidden in the sunken ruins of Las Vegas.

Jin knows it’s too dangerous. She stopped diving after her father’s accident. But when her sister decides to go, Jin’s left with only one choice: to go with her.

A ragtag crew is assembled—including Jin’s annoyingly hot ex-boyfriend. From there, a high-stakes heist ensues that’s beyond even Jin’s wildest fears. Crumbling ruins, sea beasts, corsairs, and a mysterious figure named João Silva all lie in wait. To survive, Jin will have to do what she promised herself she’d never do again: dive.

Review: While I do enjoy post-apocalyptic fiction, for some reason I don’t end up reading much of it. And I read even less cli-fi, though I have enjoyed many of them when I have picked up a title in this subgenre. So I was intrigued when I came across this book: an intriguing mixture of a climate -change stricken world and a swashbuckling pirate adventure story!

There was a lot to like about this book, starting with the world-building. At its core, its recognizable as the world we inhabit today by the names of current cities and the like. But nothing of the landscape we know remains; instead, much of it is sunken beneath rising ocean tides. I felt like the environmental aspects of the world-building worked very well, in that I felt immersed in this water-soaked world in a way that was both intriguing and, at times, uncomfortable! It was fun piecing together the bits of our known geography on top of this landscape that is completely foreign to what we know now. I also enjoyed how this society was built up around the challenges its people faced living in this new environment. It had a very “Waterworld” type of vibe.

I also liked our main character Jin. She had a funny, sarcastic voice that was immediately appealing. And, of course, I always love sisters stories, so it was a pretty easy win on this book’s part what with the focus being on Jin’s attempts to keep her sister safe, necessitating her dangerous dives. Is it a familiar character motivation, the young woman who takes on the dangerous task to prevent her sister from doing the same, ala “Hunger Games?” Yes. But is it still as effective a character motivation as ever? Also, yes. This book also doesn’t shirk in truly establishing the complicated nature of this relationship. They may be sisters, but there are messy aspects to that relationship, all tied up with their love for one another.

That said, I felt a bit mislead on the romance front. This book was tagged as a romance and includes a fairly decent focus on the relationship between Jin and her ex in the book summary itself. As it stands, this was a very minor part of the book. On one hand, I’m happy with romance taking on only a smaller role in a story (indeed, I think some of my favorite love stories are the ones that are secondary to the primary story itself). But I do think that this book was set up in its marketing in a way that may lead some readers a bit dismayed on the very subtle romantic elements. However, while the book doesn’t end on a cliffhanger per se, it’s clear a second book is coming, so the love story may take on a bigger role in that book.

Overall, I definitely enjoyed this book! The unique setting was interesting, and I the close look at family dynamics and Jin’s relationships with those around her really drew me in. If you’re looking for a different sort of read, definitely check this one out. Just temper your expectations on the romance front (I didn’t think this was a loss for the book, but more for readers’ awareness purposes!)

Rating 8: Action-packed and surprisingly deep with regards to its portrayal of family dynamics!

Reader’s Advisory:

“Into the Sunken City” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Teen Pirate Books and Heist / Criminal Books in YA.

Kate’s Review: “Fence: Vol. 3”

This post may contain affiliate links for books we recommend.  Read the full disclosure here.

Book: “Fence: Vol. 3” by C.S. Pacat & Johanna the Mad (Ill.)

Publishing Info: BOOM! Box, August 2019

Where Did I Get This Book: The library!

Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: Scrappy fencer Nicholas Cox comes to the end of his path to prove himself worthy of a father he never knew in the face of surly upperclassmen, nearly impossible odds, and the talent of his rival, sullen fencing prodigy, Seiji Katayama.

Sparks fly white-hot on the pitch as Nicholas and Seiji finally face off once again in the halls of King’s Row. It’s a match that will change King’s Row (and both of them!) forever, and set the stage as the team journeys to face their bitter rivals and prove themselves once and for all. 

The third volume of the breakneck series from writer C.S. Pacat (The Captive Prince) and fan-favorite artist Johanna the Mad comes at you as fast as a parry and hits as hard as a strike.

Review: We have once again jumped back into the high stakes and fast paced world of high school fencing teams with “Fence: Volume 3”. As a former quasi-fencer (I say quasi because I was on the team but didn’t really do anything outside of going to practice) it’s pretty neat and fun to see the sport of fencing being used as a driving force in this series, though I must say that it wasn’t NEARLY this dramatic.

We are finally at the end of the fencing team tryouts, as our final contenders stand tall and have to depend not only on their skills, but sometimes on the mistakes of others to get to the top. I really liked that Pacat made that a bit of a plot point as opposed to just “Nicholas has to beat this this and this opponent”, as it made the stakes feel not only high, but also fairly realistic. I also enjoyed getting into the heads of other characters as their own dreams had the potential to come true or be deferred, whether it’s Nicholas, or Seiji, or even other more supporting characters like Eugene, who has tried out for the team for multiple years but has always JUST missed out. We get to see that all of the characters have their reasons for wanting to make the team, and that most of them have pretty damn good ones so them not making it will be bittersweet regardless. Because of these things it was suspenseful no matter how you slice it, and it felt like a true blue inspirational sports journey. And once we do have the final team of fencers, it sets up the rest of the story as Kings Row has to ready itself to face off against their rivals, with some fencers having more personal reasons than others.

I also continue to enjoy the building friendship between Nicholas and Seiji, who are both determined to be able to face off against Jesse Coste, son of elite fencer Robert Coste. Seiji wants to face him because he’s considered the best, while Nicholas wants to face him because he’s his secret half brother, and while Nicholas grew up in the shadows Jesse has had all the privileges of his father’s legacy. They have a common goal, but it’s one that they both kind of need to fight over, which makes them even MORE rivals than they already are by nature of being competitive fencers in their own right. It is getting a LITTLE redundant seeing them butting heads, but there seems to be a glimmer of them perhaps being able to start working together to build each other up in the face of a common enemy.

Finally, I still like the artwork by Johanna the Mad! The manga inspired design is a nice homage to sports mangas, and I really like the colors, the facial expressions, and the way she designs the actual fencing moments.

(source: BOOM! Studios)

We have our team. They have their goal. We will have to see where their path takes them when facing off with other elite fencers. Next time I’ll take on “Volume 4”!

Rating 7: The tensions continue to be high as the tryouts start to wind down, and the suspense of the final line up makes for an entertaining volume that sets the stage for an interesting story path.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Fence: Vol. 3” is included on the Goodreads lists “Fencing Fiction”, and “Graphic Novels Featuring LGBTIQ Themes”.

Previously Reviewed:

Serena’s Review: “A Fragile Enchantment”

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Book: “A Fragile Enchantment” by Allison Saft

Publishing Info: Wednesday Books, January 2024

Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from the publisher!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: Niamh Ó Conchobhair has never let herself long for more. The magic in her blood that lets her stitch emotions and memories into fabric is the same magic that will eventually kill her. Determined to spend the little time she has left guaranteeing a better life for her family, Niamh jumps at the chance to design the wardrobe for a royal wedding in the neighboring kingdom of Avaland.

But Avaland is far from the fairytale that she imagined. While young nobles attend candlelit balls and elegant garden parties, unrest brews amid the working class. The groom himself, Kit Carmine, is prickly, abrasive, and begrudgingly being dragged to the altar as a political pawn. But when Niamh and Kit grow closer, an unlikely friendship blossoms into something more—until an anonymous columnist starts buzzing about their chemistry, promising to leave them alone only if Niamh helps to uncover the royal family’s secrets. The rot at the heart of Avaland runs deep, but exposing it could risk a future she never let herself dream of, and a love she never thought possible.

Transporting readers to a Regency England-inspired fantasy world, A Fragile Enchantment is a sweeping romance threaded with intrigue, unforgettable characters, and a love story for the ages.

Review: I’ve had access to this e-book for a while thanks to the publisher sending me an ARC a few months ago. But there have been many books to read and review between then and now, so it’s been quite the struggle! I really enjoyed Saft’s “A Far Wilder Magic,” and then combine the romantic cover art on this one with a description that includes the phrase “fantasy of manners” and, well, the anticipation has been killing me! But we’re finally to 2024 and now it’s time to dive right in!

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, though there were a few odd things about its pacing, especially towards the final quarter of the book. But let’s start with the all of the good stuff. First of all, I love Saft’s style of writing. It’s approachable, engaging, and I very quickly felt attached to the characters and plot. The dialogue was also capable of delivering laughs just as much as conveying the more emotional, romantic scenes. It was a very smooth reading experience, and, like I said, for the first 75% of the story, I was zipping along without a care in the world. I also enjoyed the world-building and magical elements. Nothing was overly complex here, but it also all felt complete enough that I felt solidly placed within the world and understood how the magic worked.

I also really enjoyed the characters. Niamph was a unique leading lady in that she had a powerful magical ability, but also struggled with a degenerative disease that limited her actions. I liked the exploration of how Niamph approached life with an illness that left her unknowing of what time she had left. Throughout the story, we see both the struggles and strengths that this brought to the character. On one hand, we see her rise to grab life by both hands, knowing she must experience what she has been given. But on the other hand, we see her struggle to place the appropriate value on herself and her own desires, all too willing to put others before herself when she sees a limited life span before her.

This theme, the exploration of what is owed to one’s family, is one that carries over to many of the other characters in the story, most notably the romantic interest, the prince himself. Kit is in an arranged marriage, so it is very easy to see how this theme would pair with his story. His struggles with his relationship with his brother, the king, were interesting and dove deeper into this overall theme in ways I was not expecting.

That said, this same theme of familial obligation popped up with yet another character in the final quarter of the story. And it was at this point that I began to feel a bit beaten over the head with it all. At this point in the story, I felt like we’d thoroughly explored the angles of this topic, and, importantly, we see these struggles through the experiences of our two main characters. So when I ran into the exact same theme and talking points showing up for this third, very much side, character, I was a bit exasperated. It felt unnecessary and didn’t add anything to the examination of this theme or to the story progression itself.

I also loved the romance at the heart of the story. In some ways, it progressed a bit quickly, but I was also so invested in Niamph and Kit that I was able to go along with it fairly easy. I don’t think this quite rises to the level of “enemies to lovers,” but they do have a contentions start to their relationship that builds up nicely to the eventual resolution. However, again, what felt like a very organic, natural build to their relationship was interrupted in the last third/quarter of the book in ways that seemed to break the natural pacing. It began to feel choppy and bit all over the place, as if the author had several extra plot beats that she wasn’t sure how to fit in naturally, so it was all just shoved into this final bit of the story.

So, in the end, this was a bit of a broken up reading experience. The first 60-75% of this book was a solid 9-10 rating for me, enjoyment-wise. But then it felt like things fell apart during what should have been the climax of the story. The overall themes of the book began to feel tired and over-used when they were applied to a third, side character, and the romantic tension also felt let down by some odd beats in this last bit. All of that said, I still would recommend this book to romantic fantasy fans, especially those looking for a fantasy of manners story that is low on the spice level.

Rating 8: Sweetly romantic with two compelling leading characters, though the book stumbles in the last bit of the story.

Reader’s Advisory:

“A Fragile Enchantment” can be found on these Goodreads lists: YA Regency Fantasy and Romantasy.

Serena’s Review: “The Invocations”

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Book: “The Invocations” by Krystal Sutherland

Publishing Info: Penguin/Nancy Paulsen Books, January 2024

Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from the publisher!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: Zara Jones believes in magic because the alternative is too painful to bear—that her sister was murdered by a serial killer and there is precisely nothing she can do to change it. If there’s anything Zara cannot stand it’s feeling powerless, so she decides she will do whatever it takes—even if that means partaking in the occult—to bring her sister back from the dead.

Jude Wolf might be the daughter of a billionaire, but she is also undeniably cursed. After a deal with a demon went horribly wrong, her soul is now slowly turning necrotic. Flowers and insects die in her wake and monstrous things come to taunt her at night. If Jude can’t find the right someone to fix her mistake, she fears she’ll die very soon.

Enter Emer Bryne: the solution to both Zara’s and Jude’s predicaments. The daughter of a witch, Emer sells spells to women in desperate situations willing to sacrifice a part of their soul in exchange for a bit of power, a bit of magic to change their lives. But Emer has a dark past all her own—and as her former clients are murdered one-by-one, she knows it’s followed her all the way to London.

As Zara and Jude enter Emer’s orbit, they’ll have to team up to stop the killer—before they each end up next on his list.

Review: I haven’t read anything else by Krystal Sutherland, but I was familiar with the name when I was approached about reviewing her latest book. Mostly, I have vague memories of a YA dark fantasy that she released a few years ago that had a creepy but compelling cover. This one, too, follows in that line where, at first glance, it seems normal enough. But then you look closer…yep, creepy! I was also drawn in by the promise of witches and a mystery centered around tracking down a serial killer.

Unfortunately, this book didn’t quite hit the way I wanted it to. However, in this case, I do think a lot of it comes down to many of these tropes and beats simply not being to my taste. But let’s start with the good! Like I said, I was drawn in by the witches and the murder mystery, and from a distant perspective, I think both of these things were interesting. I liked the idea that in this world magic was only something that came to women. Through this lens, the book then had a lot to say about feminism and the ways that women experience society. I haven’t watched the “Barbie” movie yet… *ducks*…but I would bet that this has very similar vibes. That said, I also felt that some of the messaging was a bit heavy-handed at times. There were moments where it almost had an “after school special” feeling to it….”See?? The patriarchy!!” I found myself wishing for a bit more subtly on that front.

I also liked the serial killer aspect of the story. This book was definitely a lot darker than I was expecting, and I appreciated how much it committed to its themes, really diving into some of the body horror moments. Fans of dark fantasy and horror will likely appreciate the fact that the book doesn’t shy away from these more gruesome scenes.

However, I found myself struggling to remain invested in the story. While the action does pick up in the last 100 pages of the book, that’s always a bit too little, too late for my overall reading experience. I found myself setting the book down too often and having to force myself to continue reading. There wasn’t anything objectively wrong with the writing, but it didn’t grab me. It felt a bit to formulaic and simplistic at times to really give the book much of a unique tone. It wasn’t helped that it was written in present tense, a style that I always struggle to enjoy. That said, readers who are not bothered by this approach to writing may not come away feeling the same way.

Similarly, because the writing was on the more simple side, I struggled to truly connect to any of our three characters, as their chapters had a bad tendency of beginning to read the same as one another. I liked the idea of all three characters, I just didn’t end up really loving any of the actual characters themselves.

Overall, this was a bit of a middling read for me, but much of this came down to some of my own preferences on writing styles and the way larger themes are handled. I do think that it will connect for YA readers who are looking for a good, creepy witchy book, however, and if you’re a fan of the author, I’m sure this will be a hit!

Rating 7: Appropriately creepy and witchy, but I was distracted by what felt like heavy-handedness with the overall message.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Invocations” can be found on this and other similar Goodreads lists: YA Novels of 2024

Book Club Review: “Earthdivers (Vol. 1): Kill Columbus”

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We are part of a group of librarian friends who have had an ongoing book club running for the last several years. Each “season” (we’re nerds) we pick a theme and each of us chooses a book within that theme for us all to read. Our current theme is Centuries, where we were given a random century and had to pick a book based during that time period.  For this blog, we will post a joint review of each book we read for book club. We’ll also post the next book coming up in book club. So feel free to read along with us or use our book selections and questions in your own book club!

Book: “Earthdivers (Vol.1): Kill Columbus” by Stephen Graham Jones & Davide Gianfelice (Ill.).

Publishing Info: IDW Publishing, September 2023

Where Did We Get This Book: We both received an ARC at ALAAC23.

Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound

Century: 22nd and Beyond (aka The Future)

Book Description: The New York Times–bestselling author of The Only Good Indians and My Heart Is a Chainsaw makes his comics debut with this time-hopping horror thriller about far-future Indigenous outcasts on a mission to kill Christopher Columbus.

The year is 2112, and it’s the apocalypse exactly as rivers receding, oceans rising, civilization crumbling. Humanity has given up hope, except for a group of Indigenous outcasts who have discovered a time travel portal in a cave in the desert and figured out where everything took a turn for the America.

Convinced that the only way to save the world is to rewrite its past, they send one of their own—a reluctant linguist named Tad—on a bloody, one-way mission to 1492 to kill Christopher Columbus before he reaches the so-called New World. But there are steep costs to disrupting the timeline, and taking down an icon isn’t an easy task for an academic with no tactical training and only a wavering moral compass to guide him. As the horror of the task ahead unfolds and Tad’s commitment is tested, his actions could trigger a devastating new fate for his friends and the future.

Join Stephen Graham Jones and artist Davide Gianfelice for Earthdivers, Vol. 1, the beginning of an unforgettable ongoing sci-fi slasher spanning centuries of America’s Colonial past to explore the staggering forces of history and the individual choices we make to survive it.

Kate’s Thoughts

Perhaps we are being a bit brazen here, doing yet another Book Club review of books that we have already read and reviewed previously, especially given that we JUST DID IT last month. But hey, it all depends on the theme that we are assigned, and when I was given “The 22nd Century and Beyond” for our newest “Centuries” theme, and we only had a few weeks time WITH THE HOLIDAYS coming up, my mind went immediately to the graphic novel “Earthdivers: Kill Columbus” by Stephen Graham Jones. After all, I really liked it, it would be a faster read, and since I’m not as versed in Sci-Fi it was the first futuristic story I could think of. It was a gamble, as Book Club doesn’t tend to go to very violent or scary works, but ultimately I feel like it was a gamble that paid off, because “Earthdivers: Kill Columbus” was just as enjoyable the second time around, and fostered a lot of good conversation.

My opinion from my previous review hasn’t changed too much, given that I just read it in the past few months, but something I will say about reading it the second time was how much more I appreciated the complexity of Jones’s overall arc (it probably helps that I had just read the second volume thanks to NetGalley right before diving in; look for that in February!). It’s definitely a lot of jumping around, but I found that I really appreciated the way that Jones set up the Columbus storyline and how he executed it, and the way that he took on pretty tried and true time travel tropes and subverted them while also drawing out the most from them.

All in all it was a great read for Book Club and a great conversation starter! Stephen Graham Jones continues to do creative and bold things with his writing.

Serena’s Thoughts

I don’t really read graphic novels other than when they come up for bookclub. And I honestly don’t know why, because I always enjoy them when I do! And this one was the same! True, it was a bit of whiplash given that the last graphic novel was a very cozy, middle grade fantasy story. And this…was not that. We have one bookclub member in particular who doesn’t read dark, graphic stories and we all were kind of watching her carefully over some of the things depicted in this one! That said, I didn’t think any of it was gratuitous, but instead focused on the very high stakes of the situations portrayed.

That said, I did struggle with this book a bit in the beginning. As Kate has read the second book, she’s better able to gauge how the overall story progresses. But as a reader just starting out with this one, there were some initial basic premise things in the beginning of this one that left me wondering. I wasn’t quite sure about the basic cause/effect that was set up for the main action of the story, for one thing. That said, as I continued to read, it was easy enough to get caught up in the action and not worry too much about some of these questions. I also really liked some of the greater points that the book was getting at towards the end. It could have been easy to write a fairly simplistic version of this story. Instead, the author doesn’t shy away from the repercussions of the choices these characters are making.

As its a time travel story, it was also a bit hard to follow at times. There were points in the middle of the book that I truly wasn’t sure whether or not I was missing something. But again, as long as I just kept with it, soon enough I was able to re-center myself in the goings on.

Kate’s Rating 9: Still a great time travel commentary with an anti-Colonial twist. This re-read made me appreciate the complexity more.

Serena’s Rating 8: A bit confusing at times and definitely the start to a larger series, but I still really enjoyed this one!

Book Club Questions

  1. What did you think of the magical/sci-fi system in this story with the time traveling cave? How does it compare to other time travel tales you are familiar with?
  2. Do you believe that the one key to fixing the future is is stopping the Discovery of America by Columbus as hypothesized by Yellow Kid? Why or why not?
  3. Tad isn’t the only person to go through the cave in this story, though we have yet to see where each of them are going. Of the other travelers (Emily, the posse looking for the missing children), whose story would you want to see?
  4. What did you think of the outcome of killing Columbus? What did you think of the portrayal of Columbus and his crew as a whole?
  5. If you could travel to one moment of history to change something in the past, what would it be? Or would you do it at all?

Reader’s Advisory

“Earthdivers (Vol. 1): Kill Columbus” is on the Goodreads list “Comic Book Club Recommendations”.

Next Book Club Pick: “An Extraordinary Union” by Alyssa Cole