For a novel marketed as YA, this was super violent. I found it jarring to alternate between scenes of graphic sex and torture and the main character’s stammering shyness when attempting to ask out his crush. Set in Pakistan, this novel features teenager Wahid, who just wants to play D&D with his mates and get up the courage to talk to the pretty girl in his class; he doesn’t know why he can see djinn and would rather not think about that part of his life. Unfortunately, supernatural forces come after him anyway, threatening his friends, and he finds himself navigating many of Karachi’s darker and more magical elements in an attempt to save them. Many, many loose ends left dangling for the sequel.
Author: librarykat
The Land Before Avocado, by Richard Glover
Written as a riposte to people who claim that Australia of the 1960s and 70s was a better time, Glover’s book takes you back to the decade of his childhood in Canberra with witty, biting detail. He amazes his son with facts like the scarcity of avocado and coffee (unrecognizable in the Canberra of today, where sushi rolls and toast come with generous helpings of avocado, and even the tiniest restaurants boast a gleaming espresso machine), and racism, sexism, and corporal punishment are the norm. He mines his own memories as well as those of his radio listeners, and also cites fascinating snippets of the historical record in order to paint a picture of the era. He makes it very clear that he’d take being in the present over the past any day, warts and all, and makes the reader grateful for progress as well.
The Return of Fitzroy Angursell, by Victoria Goddard
This novella takes place between The Hands of the Emperor and At the Feet of the Sun, and I wish I’d read it before the latter, since it does a lot to establish the character of Artorin. He does experience a significant change at the end of the first book, and the contrast that it created in his character between the first and second books was quite jarring to me as a reader. This novella is written from his point of view and details his immediate experiences after the conclusion of the first book, and sets him on the path to becoming who he is in the second; he also meets up with a few of the Red Company. It honestly felt a bit unfinished, as there were more of the Red Company left to meet, and more stories of their meetings yet to tell; however, Artorin does make enough of a peace with his new self to make the ending acceptable. Certain chapters will make a ton more sense to anyone who’s also read Goddard’s Greenwing & Dart series.
The Perilous Sea, by Sherry Thomas
This sequel to The Burning Sky opens with both protagonists awakening in the middle of the desert, without memories. They come together and cooperate for survival, their impromptu alliance helped by the fact that an entire army seems to be after them. The narration then swings back and forth between past and present, as events catch up to how they got there. Although the desert interludes were thrilling, I don’t think they added much to the story; most of the meat of the book were the “past” bits, which were tense and engaging enough on their own. The second book does a little more interrogation of the logic behind Titus’ unswerving dedication to his mother’s book of prophecies, and the pitfalls therein, which I particularly enjoyed.
Paladin’s Strength, by T. Kingfisher
Second in the Saint of Steel trilogy, this one follows good-natured Istvhan as he is forced to detour from his investigation of supernatural killings to aid Clara, a nun, in her rescue of her sisters from slavers. Antics ensue! As befits Kingfisher heroes, both paladin Istvhan and secretive nun Clara are both terrifyingly practical but also terrible at talking about their feelings for one another, leading to much hilarious self-flagellation and misunderstanding before they get it together and pursue both Istvhan’s murderer and Clara’s kidnappers. Super cute romance, engaging adventure story.
The Warrior of the Third Veil, by Victoria Goddard
This novella, book 2 of the Sisters Avramapul, is about the return home of the warrior Pali Avramapul and her sister Sardeet, the widow of a god. It details with their unorthodox return to their roots and how they must define their new roles, having left under different circumstances and as very different people. Not actually a lot of action compared to the prequel, but plenty of soul-searching, character growth, and consequential decisions. I didn’t actually much like Pali from her appearances in the other books, and this account warmed me to her.
The Lincoln Highway, by Amor Towles
This story comes together so patiently and beautifully that you don’t mind that Towles obviously puppeted all of his characters into their places. The narrative switches between the leads as their storylines intersect, diverge, and braid together again; they observe one another, make piercingly astute observations and conclusions about one another, and then each proceeds to do exactly as he or she pleases. Serious, stoic Emmett, recently released from a boys’ work camp, is determined to do his best by his little brother Billy. Billy, who worships Emmett, is adorably innocent as well as stunningly perceptive; he thinks they ought to retrace their absent mother’s journey down the Lincoln Highway. Their road trip is complicated by the presence of two of Emmett’s former buddies from the work camp, Duchess and Woolly, who have their own ideas of where Emmett should be driving. What ensues is a roundabout journey by car, on foot, and by train that is shaped by accident as well as by intention. The book has weaknesses – coincidences are too pat, and the characters unrealistic in their quirks (even solid Emmett and practical Sally are somehow TOO solid and practical), but the writing is so beautiful that you can’t help but enjoy the ride.
The Last Sun, by K.D. Edwards
I thought from the title this might be some sort of dystopian SF ecological planetary disaster, but instead it’s a trippy urban fantasy in which each Arcana of the Tarot is personified as a supernaturally powerful mobster. The Arcana reside in the gritty, violent city of New Atlantis, existing in an unsteady power balance, each answerable only to the others. Rune Saint John, last surviving scion of the fallen Sun court, fights for survival and sanity in a world determined to make it difficult for him, picking up friends and enemies along the way. I loved the portrayal of the interpersonal relationships in this book, as well as the characterizations of the powerful Arcana. Good wrap-up at the end with plenty of threads left hanging for the sequel.
Lost in the Moment and Found, by Seanan McGuire
By now I’d thought I had the hang of McGuire’s Wayward Children series: child escapes untenable home situation via magic door, steps into an environment uniquely suited to test their mettle and build vital aspects of their character, and returns (or not) as their situation warrants. In this one, heroine Antsy escapes a truly scary scenario that could well have led to abuse (sketched with terrible, aching realism by McGuire), but finds herself in a different type of world: an in-between place of endless variety, which she only slowly begins to realize comes at a very dear cost.
Paladin’s Grace, by T. Kingfisher
First of the Saint of Steel series, which I’m characterizing as “cutesy fantasy romances with a background of macabre murders.” The Saint of Steel (a god, even though he’s called a saint) abruptly dies, which has the unfortunate effect of sending his beserker paladins into sudden mental breakdown. Years later, Stephen and a few of his surviving fellow paladins have found refuge in the Temple of the Rat, acting as bodyguards for the order of do-gooder lawyers, doctors, and other public servants. He has a meet-cute with Grace, a perfumer who finds herself embroiled in a scheme of political intrigue. Grace’s awkwardness and Stephen’s determined morality, along with the practicality of the people of the Rat, make this a very enjoyable book to read.