An absolutely phenomenal conclusion to the Green Bone trilogy. The books started out all gangsters and power struggles, and it would have been a perfectly good ride to keep it at that level, but Lee fearlessly developed it into a story of opposing dynasties trying to outmaneuver one another on an international scale, while keeping her characters grounded in the constant struggle to balance their independence with the family honor. I’ll miss the Kaul family, with their strengths and their stubbornness, and I think the ending was bittersweet and perfect.
Tag: genre-fantasy
The City of Brass, by S.A. Chakraborty
A Cairo thief and con artist meets a djinn and is transported to a city out of legend, populated with tribes of magic-users with deep and complicated histories, and thick with tribal tension and layered political infighting. Chakraborty is really good at giving each character a coherent set of motivations, and making them incredibly sympathetic besides; as the reader I found myself pulling for characters with hopes and needs that directly conflicted with one another, and got totally stressed about how all of them could possibly find happy endings. Even the unlikeable characters’ actions come from a logically sound place. On top of that the surroundings are beautifully drawn, really gorgeous imagery. Amazing stuff. So many questions left for the next volume, argh.
The Jasmine Throne, by Tasha Suri
Absolutely loved the beginning of this book, which kicks off with a princess refusing to die on her brother’s funeral pyre. Exiled to a distant tower, she meets a chambermaid (with a mysterious past, of course) and their growing relationship is so well done, all tension and suspicion and reluctant respect. Meanwhile, a growing rebellion in the kingdom is complicating things for both of them (to say the least). I also liked the magic system, very much one in which you can’t get something for nothing.
The Red Threads of Fortune, by Neon Yang
Following The Black Tides of Heaven, this novella follows the sister Mokoya instead of her twin. Where the previous story aimed outwards, the twin brother casting himself expansively towards various causes and cities, this one is very inward-focused, on Mokoya’s PTSD and her battle to understand her powers and come to terms with her own continued existence. I really liked how delicately the plot points were revealed, both to Mokoya and to the reader, and how other characters’ motivations were also given time to exist.
The Actual Star, by Monica Byrne
A super ambitious book, following three reincarnated groups of characters through three different timelines (Ancient Maya, present day, and post-climate-apocalypse future). Really impressive worldbuilding and character development. I did bog down a little though when it came to the MANY various terms and genders invented for the future, and I also got tripped up by the incorporation of Belize creole. I don’t mind a little Spanish thrown in here and there, but if I have to slow down and mouth the words several times over in order to understand what’s being said, I feel like it gets in the way of the story even if it does add verisimilitude/authenticity. Also, the ending was appropriate to the story, but it didn’t really wrap anything up for me, and left a few too many loose ends for the reader.
Trickster Drift / Return of the Trickster, by Eden Robinson
Books 2 and 3 of the trickster trilogy continue to be crude, hilarious, violent, and still quite sweet. Jared just wants to go to college and study medical imaging, but his heritage includes magic and his family situation is complicated way beyond the normal trauma inherited by Indigenous peoples in Canada. The interesting thing about this trilogy is that Jared doesn’t really grow as a character; he remains the same solid, thoughtful guy that he was at the beginning of the books, except he gradually gets less dependent on drugs and alcohol, more traumatized by external events, and more aware of his magical heritage. Instead, the growth and change can be seen in the people around him: his mom, who gets better at expressing her feelings; his various grandmother figures, who come to terms with his origin; his father figures, who figure out what they really want in life (or in afterlife), and his friends, who become stronger and better people around him.
Declare, by Tim Powers
This book peers into the corners and shadows of established history and unfolds into an absolutely stunning and fantastical premise. It’s not the first time I’ve read a book about shadow intelligence agencies focused on the supernatural, but this is by far the most ambitious and dare I say successful insertion of magical weird (in this case, djinn with almost alien psychologies) into actual history. The characters, both real and imagined, are established beautifully; their interactions are layered and tense; the descriptive writing is gorgeous. I did find the plot development to be a bit confusing and the pacing uneven; for a while the book didn’t seem like it didn’t know where it was going (or didn’t bother to tell you) and basically let you flounder around for a while. The last quarter or so was the best though and it absolutely stuck the landing. Fantastically good finish.
The Last Graduate, by Naomi Novik
Picks up exactly where A Deadly Education left off, with prickly main character El still trying to figure out how to survive graduation while preserving what is important to her (and figuring out what is important to her, which is also a moving target). I still love the nerdy explorations of the nitty-gritty behind a monster-haunted self-study magical school, the tragic way it traumatizes sweet kids and makes them into steely tacticians who prioritize politics and survival over friendship, and the continuing exploration of class differences and its generational benefits. I really liked how the school itself developed into a character over the course of the story, and the buildup and climax were super satisfying. Warning: absolutely argh ending, and of course the last book of the trilogy isn’t out yet.
The Chosen and the Beautiful, by Nghi Vo
This was amazing, a treatment of The Great Gatsby which recasts socialite Jordan Baker as a queer adoptee from Vietnam. As a visibly Asian person in white spaces, her character traits from the original — her avoidance of attachment, her blithe dismissal of others’ opinions — all make sense from someone preemptively protecting herself from racism. As if that weren’t enough, there is also magic, beautifully and lyrically presented: the weather responds to Daisy Buchanan’s emotions so that she moves through the world as literal pathetic fallacy; Jordan cuts paper dolls that come to life; Gatsby plies his guests with crystal glasses of literal demon’s blood. As for Nick Carraway… well, I won’t ruin it, but I will say this book had one of the best, most well-developed endings I’ve read in a while; it also contained delightful surprises, which was quite a feat considering that this book actually follows the original quite faithfully. Oh, and the writing was stunning.
She Who Became the Sun, by Shelley Parker Chan
I do not have words for how awesome this book was. It’s about fate, and how you make your peace with it (or not). A girl from a rural village in China, so poor and unvalued that she was not even given a name, is told that her brother is fated for greatness. When he dies, she assumes his identity and goes on to doggedly pursue his glorious fate as well, disguising herself as a boy and getting admitted to a monastery. In time, she finds herself set against the Mongol conquerors that are ruling harshly over the land, one of whom is struggling to accept the fate that he has decided upon for himself. The book is just brilliant, full of piercing insights about gender, destiny, and self-determination, and characters who don’t let the other characters get away with anything. I loved every moment.