Sequel to Middlegame, in that some of the same characters reoccur. This one deals with the embodiment of the seasons, in this case a pair of high school sweethearts too trope-y to be believed: a golden boy football star and his girlfriend the cheerleader. This is Seanan McGuire, though, so the characters are there both as symbols and as people: the football star is an embodiment of Summer, and his girlfriend becomes Winter; they find themselves catapulted into an all-or-nothing struggle to wear the seasonal crowns. McGuire does her best to keep the characters interesting, and her writing is gorgeous as usual… but really this is just a story about people who thought their lives were going to be normal, and who find out that they are actually myths: after a while, it’s hard to see them as entirely human, and therefore hard to care deeply about their journeys.
Category: quick reaction
The Harbors of the Sun, by Martha Wells
#5 in the Books of the Raksura. I really think the books in the series suffer when they leave the personal and go global. Even though the conflict has reached the point where entire species are being threatened, the urgency isn’t there; the writing is still more interesting when addressing with the relationships between the characters (especially how the Raksura deal with the individual Fell, whose gradual gaining of consciousness makes their conflict seem even more tragic). It’s still adventurous, wildly inventive, and fun reading, because Martha Wells is good at what she does… but the first three books were definitely better than the final two.
The Return of the Thief, by Megan Whalen Turner
The conclusion of the Queen’s Thief series was perfect. Once again, the story begins with a narrator seemingly unrelated to any goings-on; once again, the narration and the plot twist around until you can’t possibly conceive of the story taking place any other way. The relationship between the kings and queens of the three countries at the heart of the series is amazingly crafted; they say so few words to one another, but every interaction and glance exchanged shows how close they have become. Such an emotionally satisfying end to the series, and the short story afterwards is a beautiful little finish.
LaGuardia, by Nnedi Okorafor, illustrated by Tana Ford
Written by Okorafor after a bad experience with the TSA, and after the Muslim ban was put in place, this graphic novel explores a world in which aliens have come to Nigeria and integrated into society, and in response the US puts a travel ban in place to block any immigration from Nigeria or other countries with alien citizens. As human and political xenophobia clash against protesters pleading for tolerance, a Nigerian-American doctor named Freedom is affected on a very personal level as she travels back to the US while smuggling a leafy alien refugee called Letme Live. None of the messaging is subtle, but the artwork and coloring are lush and beautiful and the story moves along nicely.
Bitch: On the Female of the Species, by Lucy Cooke
This was such a delightful book, full of fascinating science and history. Ever since Charles Darwin cherrypicked his data to suit Victorian sensibilities about gender roles, schools teach that the female of any species is generally a meek, nurturing caretaker while the male gads about hunting, fighting, and flaunting bright plumage. Cooke goes into the field with many different scientists to observe the many ways that creatures in nature defy this theory, and also digs into the science to show that general assumptions made by observing limited species are far from universal. The content sounds dry, but Cooke’s writing style is super enjoyable. Really great read.
The Gilded Ones, by Namina Forna
I loved the cover art, and the book had glowing reviews, but unfortunately the cover was the best thing about the book… The society is a patriarchal nightmare where men are obsessed with keeping their girls pure, lest they mysteriously start bleeding the golden blood that marks them as demonic. Our heroine, already looked down on for her dark skin, of course bleeds gold and is promptly punished for it … But wait, she is then whisked away to an all-female martial academy and taught by other women warriors to fight monsters… It’s all supremely unlikely and internally inconsistent, the plot really feels like it’s being made up as the author goes along, the villains are cartoonishly evil, and the grimdark violence (near-constant references to rape, beatings, and murder) is jarringly inconsistent with the extremely YA internal voice of the naive teen narrator.
The Oleander Sword, by Tasha Suri
Sequel to The Jasmine Throne, and very much a second book of a trilogy; do not expect resolution before the third book lands. Tasha Suri fearlessly throws her heroines to the wolves; after Priya and Malini manage to get themselves in actual positions of power at the end of book #1, they now must choose between their responsibilities to their respective peoples and their love for one another. I thought this book was quite a bit longer than it needed to be — the characters spend a lot of time spinning their wheels and fighting the same fights — but it’s smoothly written and the worldbuilding is simply amazing.
The Jade Setter of Janloon, by Fonda Lee, narrated by Andrew Kishino
Prequel novella to the Green Bone series, about a jade setter’s apprentice who chafes at his master’s conservative neutrality. Naturally there is way more going on beneath the surface of this story, which touches on how law enforcement must operate in an environment run by what are essentially superpowered mobs, as well as how bit players find ways to survive. Great reading by Kishino, who did an amazing job portraying both Green Bone thugs and quietly powerful Clan Pillars.
The Diamond Eye, by Kate Quinn
Historical fiction based on the life of Lyudmila Pavlichenko, a real life Russian sniper credited with over 300 Nazi deaths, who later became a propaganda hero and friend to Eleanor Roosevelt. Quinn digs into the historical record and creates an amazing character out of an amazing real person; her Lyudmila is prickly and impatient, steely and dangerous, full of heart and spirit (and the other characters are amazing too). As usual with Kate Quinn books, both the grit of her heroines and the horrors of war came fully to life; for me the climactic final duel strained belief, but I loved reading it all the same.
A Wizard Alone; Wizard’s Holiday by Diane Duane
6 and #7 of the Young Wizards series have Kit and Nita continuing their journey of How to Relate to Other People (Except With Magic). #6, A Wizard Alone, features a young wizard on the autism spectrum, and Kit and Nita’s efforts to communicate with him on his level; the concepts are a little outdated but the portrayal is sympathetic. #7, Wizard’s Holiday, has our heroes struggling to relate to alien beings with familiar problems; it’s essentially two stories in one that don’t really connect, and I feel has been the weakest of the series so far.