Clue did his best to imitate the cover, but his left side is apparently his favorite. Photo by Kate Ota 2024 Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel is a retelling of part of the Ramayana (an Indian epic focused on Rama, one of the avatars of Vishnu). The main character, Kaikeyi, is one of Rama's mothers (technically a step-mother) and is famous for banishing Rama from his home for ten years shortly after he gets married. A good portion of the Ramayana is about those ten years, and Kaikeyi is often cast a a villain. This book looked at things from her perspective, kind of like Wicked. This book was a Book of the Month pick, a NYT Bestseller, and was nominated for the Ignyte Award for best Adult Novel.
Kaikeyi follows the titular character from her childhood through the banishing of Rama. Kaikeyi's mother was banished from her home kingdom by Kaikeyi's father and so Kaikeyi had to take on the burden of raising her seven brothers. As a teenager, she was married off to the king of the nearby kingdom that had great power, but no heir from his first two (still living) wives. Kaikeyi makes a deal: she'll marry him if her first son becomes his heir, regardless of whatever other children he has. He agrees. As you can guess, this becomes a big issue later. This is all going on while Kaikeyi discovers a hidden power, and learns to control it. When faced with choices over the years over what's best for the kingdom or herself, she always chooses the kingdom--but not in the way the men around her would prefer. This book was interesting. I came at it knowing what the Ramayana was and the basic concepts in it, but no memory of if we discussed the character Kaikeyi in my Asian Cultures class 10+ years ago. I think it definitely justified a lot of Kaikeyi's actions, and made Rama look like the bad guy. (I'm not sure if this is intentional because if Rama is an avatar of a god, shouldn't he be considered at least A good guy if not THE good guy in a retelling?) Some of Kaikeyi's choices weren't the smartest, and if she'd just stopped to think she could have made better choices. Of course, the author was constrained by the Ramayana, so only so much could really change. Kaikeyi also sometimes came off as Not Like Other Girls, which is among my least favorite tropes. This books is for you if you enjoy fairy tale retellings from new perspectives, if you want a feminist lens in the Ramayana's world, or if you enjoy stories focused on mothers. It's not for you if you aren't familiar with the Ramayana and don't want to be, if you dislike retellings, or if you aren't in the headspace to read about maternal abandonment. Have you read Kaikeyi? What other retellings have you enjoyed recently? Let's discuss in the comments!
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There are some elements of this cover that I love, like the snake, and the room she's in, but I didn't click with how tactus is drawn or the character's face. Redsight by Meredith Mooring is a science fantasy/space opera. It came on my radar because I was hoping to find books by authors with disabilities. Meredith Mooring is blind, as is her main character, which I thought would lead to a unique reading experience. (She has a blog post about being an author who is blind here.)
As a side note, I used to work for a non-profit that dealt with donated corneas (the clear part at the front of your eye, where a contact lens sits) and getting them to patients who needed them. Through that job, I learned that there are all sorts of types of blindness and levels of sight someone can have; the term "blind" not an all or nothing situation. I'm going to refer to Korinna as being blind here for ease of communication, but some might prefer low-vision or vision-impaired. Redsight follows a red priestess, Korinna, who has always believed she is the worst trainee of her cohort. Red seers are blind, but can tap into the universe's power (tactus) to "see" (think Toph from ATLA) and navigate the stars. When Korinna graduates, she is thrust into a prestigious position as the navigator of a planet-sized ship. An advisor on board, Litia, is strange--Korinna can see her face perfectly clearly, unlike anyone or anything before. However, Litia has a secret and a plan of her own. Something I liked about Redsight was that it made it so seamless for a blind person such as Korinna to move around the ships, even when she was the only person with that need on a plant-sized ship. Because with technology that advanced, why wouldn't you make Braille (called tactile script) available everywhere? Why wouldn't you have communication tech that works for everyone? It made so much sense and I loved it. I also liked how the limited visual descriptions from Korinna made the other sense descriptions feel important, instead of how in other books they're mentioned more for ambiance than information. I also liked the relationship of red, black, and white priestesses to each other, and how one could not be dominant over the others. Something I wasn't as fond of in the book was the body horror element of the magic system. I love that there was a consequence for magic, but I couldn't really vibe with the number of times Korinna's fingernails fell off. I don't care if there was magical healing, losing fingernails is a no from me. (It got to be like that in Gideon the Ninth for me. Despite all the good stuff in there, the gore crossed a threshold I didn't know I had.) You'll enjoy this book if you enjoyed Gideon the Ninth (Sapphic, science fantasy, blood/body magic), if you want to read from a vision-impaired perspective, and if you want to see how non-visual descriptions can really stand out. This book is not for you if you're not looking for a romantic subplot, if you don't do well with literary blood/gore, or if you are looking for a space opera without magic. Have you read Redsight? What about other books from authors who navigate the world differently from the majority of people? Let's discuss in the comments! Some versions of the cover have the purple and gold inverted compared to this one. Both versions are gorgeous! The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon is a Philippine-inspired adult fantasy. A newsletter I subscribe to also mentioned it started as a Kylo Ren/Rey fan fiction that the author adapted into a unique world of her own. It's arguably romantasy, but with a very low spice level.
I thought the world and magic system in this book were unique and really interesting. Despite the world being large and politically complicated, I never got lost. I understood the character motivations for the most part, and was really rooting for Talasyn to succeed. Overall I really enjoyed the book. Despite being a cool magic system, I needed more about how it worked. It felt a little too limitless. I also didn't understand the romance at all. Sure Alaric is hot but he's a mass murderer. And not just a solider; he's been in charge and only gains more power as the book goes on. Not hot. Sorry not sorry. This book is for you if you like the Kylo Ren/Rey dynamic from Star Wars, if you're looking for Filipino or south-east Asian fantasy, or if you want a low-spice romantasy ("Shadow Daddy" included). It's not for you if you want a less war-crime-encumbered male lead, if you didn't enjoy the Kylo Ren/Rey dynamic, or if you are looking for a high spice book. Have you read The Hurricane Wars? What did you think of Alaric? Let's discuss in the comments. I want to assure other scientists or people from the EH&S department, they did not make out on a lab bench like the cover depicts. Not in Love is Ali Hazelwood's latest STEM romance. Other books in her universe are The Love Hypothesis, Love on the Brain, and Love, Theoretically. She has a few other books and short stories out as well. I've enjoyed her other work, so I was excited for Not in Love.
Not in Love focuses on Rue Siebert, a chemical engineer in a start up company that gets their loan bought out by sharky investors at a company called Harkness. Eli Killgore is one of Harkness's founders and is on a mission to get a patent from Rue's company. However, a chance meeting and a lot of chemistry lead to Eli and Rue being more focused on each other than patents and plots. But when it comes down to it, Rue must decide who to trust and what she wants most. I liked the set up because I also have worked at a science startup that got bought out, so it felt like a familiar situation. I liked Rue's sass, although she was only sassy in Eli's POV, not really in her own. Not in Love is unlike Hazelwood's other books in that it is way spicier. A note at the front even clarifies it's erotica, which I didn't realize until after I bought it. I got way more heat than I bargained for. Whoops! Consequently, there was a lot less plot than I'd bargained for to make space for all the spicy scenes. This book is for you if you want erotica and high heat romance or if you enjoy Ali Hazelwood's other STEM romance books. This book is not for you if you're not looking for erotica, if you'll be listening to the audiobook or reading in a public place, or if you are reading this for the subplot about the legal nitty gritty surrounding the patent--you'll get no answers. Have you read Not in Love? What about Hazelwood's other books? Let's discuss in the comments, but keep it PG-13. I actually think the cover is misleading. The positioning of her hand makes it look like her power is voice based or something, but the power of her shield comes from her hand (you can see the faint circles emanating from the hand). A Fate Inked in Blood by (name) is an adult fantasy set in a Viking inspired secondary world. I found it as a best seller on Amazon and featured on Book of the Month, so I thought it might be a good idea to read to keep up with what’s been trending. This is book 1 of the Saga of the Unfated, with no other books in the series available yet.
This book follows Freya, a fishmonger’s wife with a huge secret. Her abusive husband sells her to a local jarl (like a feudal lord) and reveals the secret she’s kept her whole life: she has the power of the goddess of protection, Hlin. She’s also the subject of a prophecy about uniting Skaland under one king, and the jarl hopes to be that king. The already-wed jarl married Freya to control her and places his adult son, Bjorn, in charge of Freya’s safety. The two of them are forced to spend time together, trading barbs that barely conceal their lust. But when Freya must face trials from the gods to prove her worth, she must decide who to protect and who to leave behind. This book had a really interesting world and I enjoyed the magic system a lot. I don’t know all the Norse gods, but what I do know of them seemed to align with the gods of this world. Freya and Bjorn had excellent banter, and if that’s something you struggle with writing I recommend reading this book. It had exciting battle scenes and a slow burn romance. On the downside, sometimes the romance was a little cringy. I also called the big twist very early on so when it took so long to hit I was just sitting there thinking come on, Freya, put two and two together! This books is for you if you like slow burn/forced proximity/high heat romance, Viking era historical fiction, or gods based magic systems. It’s not for you if you don’t like step-relation romance, if you want Viking tales set in our world, or if you prefer a magic system without gods/demi gods. Some elements of this book reminded me of The Norse Queen by Johanna Wittenberg, so if you liked this book try that series (or vice versa!) Have you read A Fate Inked in Blood? What did you think? Let’s discuss in the comments. The covers of the books in the series. Crescent City is the third series from the best selling author Sarah J. Maas. As of this blog post there are three books in the series, House of Earth and Blood, House of Sky and Breath, and House of Flame and Shadow. No more books in this series have been announced.
What is the series about? (SPOILER FREE) The series follows Bryce Quinlan, a half-human, half-Fae citizen of Crescent City in the world called Midgard. They have the internet and smart phones and all that jazz, but it's powered by a type of magic called firstlight. Bryce comes off as a party girl as does her best friend and heir to the wolf-shifter throne, Danika. But when Danika is murdered, Bryce falls apart. She must piece together the last days of her bff's life to solve the mystery of who killed her and why, and in the process learns far more than she bargained for. She's also partnered up with over-powered angel/slave Hunt Athalar. Their choices together have the chance to change the world as they know it. Does it live up to the hype? I knew very little about this series going in except that the first 100 pages were famously confusing and that book 2 ended with a major cliffhanger that had everyone buying book 3 as soon as it came out. It lived up to the first 100 pages being confusing. Knowing nothing would be explained, I rode it out and waited. There was a lot of info dumping in a short period of time and then other things mentioned and never explained. It also lived up to book 2 ending with a cliffhanger. I could see why people flocked to book 3. And yet, I realized no one I knew had discussed book 3 much. After finishing it, I understand why. It was not my favorite. These books were fine, don't get me wrong, but there were subplots and characters that seemed slapped in there for length and had very little impact on the main storyline. Be aware this series also has much less smut than ACOTAR, but more than Throne of Glass. So does it live up to the hype? It was a fine read, but it wasn't one I'll be re-reading and if there's a fourth book, I might not buy it immediately. This series is for you if you like contemporary fantasy but want a secondary world, if you like multiverse/connected universe concepts, and if you love the SJM style of leading ladies who have secret plans all along. It's not for you if you love mysteries because you enjoy solving them, if you're looking for sword and sorcery fantasy, or if you are looking for quick reads (each is over 800 pages.) Have you read Crescent City? Which series from Sarah J. Maas is your favorite? Let's discuss in the comments! Note the large first letters are typewriter keys! The Letters of Enchantment series by Rebecca Ross includes two novels: Divine Rivals and Ruthless Vows. Divine Rivals was recommended to me by the editor I hired (remember that new years' goal? I'll post about that experience soon!) She said it would be a good comparison title for my manuscript, and when I started reading, I couldn't put it down! (Am I flattered she thinks this is a comp for me? YES!)
Divine Rivals and Ruthless Vows follow Iris Winnow and Roman C. Kitt, two budding journalists, in an early 20th century fantasy world. War has broken out between two of the last gods, Enva and Dacre, and though their city remains neutral, Iris wants to report more about the war because her brother enlisted--and hasn't been heard from since. In the meantime, Iris is competing with Roman to be hired full time by the best paper in town. Iris is barely keeping afloat financially as her drunken mother drinks their income, while Roman is the son of a cold railroad mogul. What connects these rivals are their enchanted typewriters, which allow them to send letters magically to each other--but only Roman knows who he is writing. Rivals at work and lovers by letter--it's a WWI/magical twist on the movie You've Got Mail. I loved this series. I normally dislike rivals to lovers because I often get infuriated with whichever of them I think is in the wrong as a rival. However, this couple really worked for me. At the end of the first book I screamed and race to download the sequel. I'll probably buy hardcopies because I enjoyed them so much--an honor I've only ever bestowed on one other ebook. Could I find something to complain about in this series? I'm sure, if I tried hard enough. But I devoured them so quickly and was so absorbed by them that I didn't have time to be distracted by any faults. This series is for you if you enjoy rivals to lovers, fantasy with 20th century technology, and You've Got Mail. This series will not be for you if you want a real world WWI novelization, if you are not in the headspace to read about alcoholic family members, or if you are not in the headspace to read about war and being in a warzone. Have you read Divine Rivals and Ruthless Vows? (I won't bother asking if you only read one, the ending of Divine Rivals demands you pick up the sequel!) Let's discuss in the comments! Wilbur's reaction to everything: concern. Photo by Kate Ota 2024 One type of writing resource book I love is a reference I can go back to time and time again. The Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi is one such book (series!) that I keep next to me whenever I edit. However, I'm always on the lookout for more! I found 1,000 Character Reactions from Head to Toe by Valerie Howard while browsing Amazon and received it as a gift over Christmas.
Overview At just 88 pages, this book is a quick read. What you get is basically a thesaurus of body parts in order from head to toe (plus some overall things like skin). Each entry contains actions or sensations associated with that part of the body. Sometimes the action is linked to an emotion, such as cheeks burning with embarrassment. After each short list (which is never longer than a page plus a few lines) there are empty lines for you to write your own entries for that body part. My Experience I felt like each entry's list was too short. I also wanted more of them connected to a cause, like embarrassment, since a reaction is happening because something is causing it to happen. Some body parts were also conspicuously absent, so don't expect this to help you write a romantic encounter, for example. I think the empty lines are a good idea, because plenty of reactions aren't present, but it also made it look like the author didn't do enough of the research for you. Is It Worth It? This book is $5 for a paperback on Amazon and $0.99 on Kindle, though the empty lines for you to write on become useless on the Kindle. If you're trying to add more reactions and emotions to your writing, I think The Emotion Thesaurus is a better option, but if your budget can't accommodate a $17.99 Emotion Thesaurus at the moment, this book could be a good substitute or even just an entry into the concepts if the larger book is too intimidating. If your budget can handle either book, go with the more robust Emotion Thesaurus. Have you used 1,000 Character Reactions from Head to Toe? Did it help you improve your writing? Let's discuss in the comments! The four books (and novella) in the ACOTAR series as of April 2024 ACOTAR, or A Court of Thorns and Roses, is a series by Sarah J Maas with a huge following. As of this blog post, the series isn't complete yet, so to be clear this review covers A Court of Thorns and Roses, A Court of Mist and Fury, A Court of Wings and Ruin, A Court of Frost and Starlight, and A Court of Silver Flames.
What is the series about? (SPOILER FREE) This series (mostly) follows Feyre Archeron, who lives in a world where a wall separates the human realm from the seven Fae courts. (On other continents there are other situations, but we're focusing on her island, Prythian). Feyre and her family (sisters Nesta and Elain and their dad) live destitute after their father's trading business fell apart years ago. Feyre hunts to feed the family and no one else does literally anything. However, after Feyre kills someone she believes is a creature, but is actually a Fae, she's forced into a deal: leave the human world behind and live at a Fae court, or die. The series follows her adventures in the Fae world. The first book is a loose retelling of Beauty and the Beast but the rest of the series moves away from that model. Does it live up to the hype? This series was consistently sold to me as fairy smut. I will say there is more smut as the series goes on (looking at Silver Flames here) but the first several books had only a couple of explicit sex scenes each. Less than Fourth Wing, honestly. However, I really enjoyed the twists and the surprises in the plot. My favorite book was A Court of Mist and Fury, although the first act of Wings an Ruin is a close second. I could list some complaints, but they are spoilery. Suffice to say, I disliked some characters and even though it seems most other readers warmed up to them, I didn't. My least favorite of the series might be Silver Flames because of that problem. So, does it live up to the hype? Yes, I think so. When the next book comes out, I will read it right away. I will say that if the first book doesn't do it for you, give the second one a chance, it changes so much. This series is for you if you like Fae, Romantasy, and are Team Xaden from Fourth Wing. It's not for you if you're looking for sweet/non-explicit romance, dislike Fae/fairies, or if you're not in the headspace to read about starvation, torture, or abusive relationships. Have you read the ACOTAR series? What do you hope the next book will be about? Let's discuss in the comments! Wilbur enjoying some sun, while the folks in Maisie Dobbs had to deal with London weather. Photo by Kate Ota 2024 After a short hiatus, I am back with a review of Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear. The first book came out in 2003, and now it's an eighteen book series. It won several awards in the category of best first novel (Agatha Award 2003 and Macavity Award 2004) and also several nominations in the same vein. It was recommended to me by a friend and I picked it up at a second hand bookstore.
Maisie Dobbs, the titular character, is a female detective starting her own agency in the years after WWI in London. As a WWI nurse, a former detective's apprentice, and a college-educated woman, she's certainly seasoned and ready for the job. However, when her first mystery comes along, she can't help but keep digging into the past, finding a connection to those closest to her. This book reminded me a lot of the early seasons of Downton Abbey, since Maisie grew up as a "downstairs" girl. I thought the mystery and the look at the immediate effects of WWI on veterans and citizens was an interesting angle that I hadn't seen before. My largest problem with the book was that the mystery was interrupted by a 150 page flashback to Maisie's childhood/youth. It was information that I felt could have been sprinkled in more delicately over time. The entire flashback, I just wanted to get back to the present. Then in the present, the mystery was solved, and Maisie kept looking into it for what seemed like no reason to me. Without understanding why she was doing it, I couldn't root for her to succeed--because I didn't know what success would look like. Eventually, what she was digging into tied back to people she knew, but it took a lot of time to get there. If I was a less patient reader, I don't think I would have gotten that far. This book is for you if you like WWI books, Downton Abbey, and female detectives. It's not for you if you read mysteries only to solve the mystery, if you dislike historical settings or WWI in particular, or if you are not in the headspace to read about PTSD, major facial wounds, or death in war. Have you read Maisie Dobbs or the rest of her series? Which book is the best out of all eighteen? Let's discuss in the comments! |
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