Kristen
The Secret Chapter is the sixth book in Genevieve Cogman's Invisible Library series, which follows the adventures of Librarian Irene Winters (spy, book thief, alternate world traveler). When a world Irene holds dear is threatened, she ends up being recruited for a heist. She'll be given the book that can save it: if she and the team successfully steal a gargantuan painting from a museum with top-notch security.
This series is a lot of fun, and I felt that although this didn't quite have the same charm as the first four books, it also was better than the previous book. There's a villain lair, run-ins with criminals, a heist, and some dragon secrets...
3 1/2 stars (7/10)
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Queen of the Conquered is a fascinating study of an (intentionally) unlikable character with a really interesting overall story arc, and I really appreciated the thoughtfulness and courage that went into developing the main protagonist. But I did find earlier parts of the novel more compelling than later parts, and the main character's ability to sink into minds slowed it down (since it was used to tell a lot about the other characters, and these sections were dry and dull).
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Realm of Ash is a standalone sequel to Tasha Suri's debut novel, Empire of Sand, and it is also a gorgeous novel with rich character relationships and storytelling, beautiful writing, and a fascinating world. This book is a story about Mehr's younger sister, Arwa, who is newly widowed after being the sole survivor of a massacre???saved by the same blood she has always feared.
Arwa's journey is poignant: it's largely about someone who had part of herself stolen from her discovering that piece of herself she never quite realized was missing and taking it back. It's also about truth and the cost of knowledge, how love can be cruel at times, and forging new paths. But love isn't always unkind, and there's a lovely slow burn romance between Arwa and a scholarly illegitimate prince that develops as they are made to work together to solve the curse upon their land.
I found it a little slow toward the beginning and I did prefer reading about the main characters in the previously published book, but I also thought this one was more mature and complex than the first. Everything comes together wonderfully, and I loved it.
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Daughters of Nri is a lovely story about two sisters who have no idea that they are goddesses or that they have a twin???having been separated shortly after birth since the Eze decreed that all twins in the land be put to death due to a prophecy. I especially appreciated the themes around community and finding people with similar goals and values, Reni K Amayo's adeptness at bringing to life the bonds between characters, and the way each twin had her own unique journey yet their situations paralleled each other.
It took me a few chapters to get into it and I had a few small quibbles, but I enjoyed it. Daughters of Nri drew me into its world and made me care about its characters???even one who is quite horrible at the beginning!
3 1/2 Stars - A solid read
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Gods of Jade and Shadow, a standalone historical fantasy novel inspired by the Popul Vuh and set during the 1920s, tells the story of a quest to restore a Mayan god of death to 100% pure god. The journey begins when eighteen-year-old Casiopea inadvertently frees him from a mysterious chest in her grandfather's bedroom, binding her life to his in the process. If she remains bound to him, she'll eventually die, but in order to free her, the Mayan god has to retrieve the index finger, eye, ear, and jade necklace that his brother took from him when he stole his throne and imprisoned him.
It's a delightful tale in which a courageous young woman discovers Mayan myths in the real world, and I enjoyed Casiopea's character, her dynamic with the Mayan god, and any part set in Xibalba. As a fast-paced adventure, it doesn't have much of the in-depth character development that I live for, but it's still an enjoyable novel and was a 2019 highlight for me.
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Girl in the Arena wasn't exactly what I expected based on the back cover description's focus on a fight to the death between Lyn and the gladiator who killed her father in the arena. It's mainly about the messed-up culture the Gladiator Sports Association has created and how this impacts Lyn and her family. Lyn's determined to maintain her independence when faced with their rules, even when she finds herself starting to like the awkward muscly cinnamon roll that the Gladiator Sports Association has decided she must marry.
It's one of those books that I found fun to read one time only???it was entertaining but not especially memorable to me since it didn't have the character depth or lovely prose that tends to make a book stick with me.
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The Ten Thousand Doors of January is a treasure???an enchanting, wondrous, magical, exquisitely written standalone portal/historical fantasy set during the early 1900s. It's an ode to words and stories, imagination, dreamers and outsiders, and being who you are when society does its best to shape you into someone you're not. It's an ode to the power of story???how it can take up residence in one's soul, showing them something true and meaningful. And it is itself that type of story.
In short: I loved The Ten Thousand Doors of January.
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The Book of M is a fascinating post-apocalyptic story examining the intersection between memory and identity by looking at what may happen if people around the world began suddenly losing their memories. First, they lost their shadows, then their memories???but as they forgot, what they forgot became real, changing the world around them.
Though it is overlong and I didn't love any of the characters, it's a creative story well told that I kept thinking about after finishing it. It's one of a kind, and I loved that it presented more questions than answers, leaving it up to readers to dissect what the different pieces mean.
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Unraveling is a mythic murder mystery that unfolds as a journey through time and memory. Karen Lord does a fantastic job making the undying and angels seem truly otherworldly while also making the undying who are currently mortal familiarly human, and I appreciated the thoughtfulness that went into it. However, it never engaged my heart as much as my head, and it just wasn't a book I found particularly memorable as someone who prefers stories with more in-depth characterization.
3 1/2 Stars
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A Spark of White Fire, a Mahabharata-inspired young adult space opera novel, is one of the most engaging, exciting, fun novels I've read this year. The story unfolds from the perspective of Esmae Rey, a princess who lived in obscurity for seventeen years before stepping out of the shadows into the light to reveal the truth of who she is???despite being warned against this path by a goddess. Esmae's narrative voice hooked me immediately and the pacing is amazingly well done.
I had some minor quibbles with it that kept it from being a 5 star read???primarily that I would have liked a bit more depth and subtlety???but I thoroughly enjoyed it and have pre-ordered the sequel.
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Red Sister and Grey Sister were both wonderful, especially the former, but I found Holy Sister to be a disappointing finale to the trilogy. Though shorter than the previous two novels, it felt like it had a lot of filler since it just wasn't as engaging. Characterization and interactions seemed to come after going through through the motions of wrapping up the main plot, and I didn't think it had the same heart as the previous books.
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The Unbound Empire, the third book in Melissa Caruso's Venetian-inspired Swords and Fire trilogy, is one of those rare series finales I feel was done right. It's well-paced, successes feel earned, and it fits with the rest of the series: character arcs make sense and are satisfying, and it has the humor, heart, and thoughtful storytelling that made me love this series in the first place. (And more Kathe.)
The Swords and Fire trilogy is one of my recent favorite series, and I cannot wait to read Melissa Caruso's next trilogy set in the same world as this one.
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Dragon Pearl is an imaginative fusion of space opera and Korean mythology about a thirteen-year-old gumiho who leaves her planet to find her brother Jun???and clear his name after he's accused of deserting the Thousand Worlds Space Forces to pursue the powerful Dragon Pearl. I loved the premise of this book and thought it had some great elements, but it never quite came together as a whole for me. It bounced from situation to situation after Min left home, and there were too many characters with too little characterization for it to be an engrossing read. However, I suspect it will resonate more with middle grade age readers and those who enjoy plot-driven stories over character-driven ones.
My Rating: 5/10 ??? It's Okay
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The Mortal Word is the fifth installment in Genevieve Cogman's delightful Invisible Library series, which follows the adventures of Irene Winters. As an agent of the Library that exists outside of space and time, Irene travels to various alternate worlds and collects (okay, steals) books to add to their reserves.
Though the first chapter and the last 80 pages or so are quite engaging, I think The Mortal Word is the weakest installment in the series so far. It has some fun parts, but the middle focusing on the dragon murder investigation seems rather slow at times for a few reasons (including a lack of the undercover shenanigans that Irene revels in!).
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Mirage, which is in part inspired by the author's Moroccan background, is the story of a young woman, Amani, who is forced to leave her family and home moon behind to become a body double for the daughter of the Conqueror of the Stars. Although I thought it took about 50-60 pages to get going, once I was hooked, I was hooked???not because of action or twists and turns, but because of the emotional intensity and beautiful writing that perfectly fit the main protagonist, reflecting her poetic soul. In particular, I loved Amani???her empathy, wisdom, and courage???and the development of her complicated sort-of-friendship with Princess Maram.
My Rating: 4.5
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As with The Bone Witch, I loved Tea, although I preferred the first book and its compelling characterization overall. Despite some lovely writing, my reading flow was often interrupted by awkward phrasing, and I continue to feel that the fascinating bones of the world could be fleshed out more. However, I enjoyed it very much and look forward to The Shadow Glass!
My Rating: 7.5/10 (I had trouble deciding between a 7 and 7.5 so I rounded up)
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Empire of Sand, Tasha Suri???s fantasy debut novel inspired by Mughal India, is magnificent. Though there is plenty of darkness within its pages, there is also an abundance of light as the main characters fight back against evil and injustice???not with the strength of force and weapons, but with the strength of hearts and minds. It???s a wonderful exploration of themes like choice and connection, and it???s also a treasure trove of rich storytelling with its vibrant characters and relationships, fascinating world, and beautiful writing.
In short: I loved Empire of Sand and found it deeply affecting.
Rating: 4 1/2 stars
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Foundryside is a fun book brimming with discovery with its creative magic system and mysteries. I enjoyed reading it and following Sancia especially, although I thought it lacked in-depth characterization and could be too exposition-heavy at times.
My Rating: 7.5/10 (I kept going back and forth between 7 and 7.5 so I rounded up)
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Magic Triumphs is an entertaining enough book by itself (though still not nearly as good as earlier Kate Daniels books), but I felt that it was a horrible finale to a ten-book series. It seemed like a middle “filler” book until around the 90% point, and then Magic's Big Triumph happened and was over in about 20 pages. This was followed by a brief summary explaining what happened to various characters and an epilogue teasing yet another spin-off.
If this had not been the conclusion and just a fun-if-not-particularly-amazing book in the middle of the series, I probably would have given it 3 stars. However, given the way it hastily tied everything up, I think it deserves a lower rating.
I'm disappointed since I used to LOVE the Kate Daniels series, but they're just not working as well for me as they used to and I'm not planning to read any more related books.
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Iron and Magic is a spin-off from the Kate Daniels series set between the ninth and tenth books in that series. Although this used to be a favorite, the most recent books have not been as good and I was leaning toward skipping this one. But I was somewhat curious about Hugh's story and I kept hearing that it should be read before the final Kate Daniels book, so I purchased a copy to read first.
I regret this.
Although it was nice to be in the loop when reading Magic Triumphs, it was not absolutely necessary to read this one first and I found it nowhere near as polished as even the later Kate Daniels books. The characters and story were uninteresting and rushed, the dialogue tried to be clever but failed miserably, and there were many typographical errors. There were a couple of minor things I liked (like the divine elephant!), but there was not enough I enjoyed to be worth reading this entire book.
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City of Lies, an epic fantasy, is one of my favorite books of 2018. Though it features poison, betrayal, and war, it's ultimately an optimistic book with genuine main protagonists who tenaciously pursue truth and justice while trying to unravel the mysteries of their city. I found it to lag at times, yet I loved the story and characters so much that the positive aspects more than made up for a bit of slowness???plus it was nearly impossible to put down during the last 30%!
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