Recent Reads September 2020
Recent Reads September 2020:
Deathless Divide by Justina Ireland (3.75/5 stars) - This is the sequel to Dread Nation, one of my favorite books of 2018. This duology is an alternate history account of the aftermath of the US civil war but with zombies (although it’s really not your standard zombie story). I don’t want to give too much away because this is a sequel, but we are following our protagonist Jane McKeene who was training at Miss Preston’s School of Combat in Baltimore to be an Attendant protecting the children of well-to-do families from the undead. She leaves Miss Preston’s after Baltimore families start mysteriously disappearing and we follow her on her journey across the country grappling with love, loss, revenge, deceptively pleasant looking towns, and evil scientists with hordes of undead following her all the way.
I absolutely loved Dread Nation when it first came out so I was quite eagerly anticipating this book and while I did very much enjoy it I also felt that the book was longer than it needed to be. The plot/pacing was slower than I would have preferred. However; I loved getting so much of the story from multiple perspectives and I think the relationships and characters continued to be dynamic and interesting throughout. I thought it was a solid follow-up to the first book in the series but it didn’t quite meet my (admittedly high) exceptions. I will definitely be picking up more Justina Ireland books in the future.
The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune (5/5 stars) - Absolutely my favorite book of the year so far! It tells the story of Linus Baker, a case worker tasked with ensuring that the “orphanages” housing magical children are properly caring for the children living in them. Society looks very poorly upon those with magical abilities and when Linus is sent on a special assignment to an orphanage hosting 6 children deemed to be the most dangerous it is his job to ensure that they are safely thriving in their seaside home and not a threat to the neighboring town, or the world as a whole. It’s a story about love, acceptance, found families, and the dangers of living in a society driven by fear and misinformation. Klune crafts a cast of characters that is so incredibly heart-warming and enjoyable to read set within a world that manages to both be familiar and fresh. This is an incredible story for readers of all ages and one I’ll enjoy reading again and again.
The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi (3.5/5 stars) - Set in late 19th century France, we follow hotelier Severin Montagnet-Alarie as he leads an eclectic band of followers on a mission to get his inheritance as the sole remaining heir to one of the four powerful houses of the Order of Babel. It’s a story full of puzzles and teamwork and characters you can’t help but rooting for and I was intrigued from the first page. There wasn’t anything about the story that blew me away, but I didn’t have any major issues with it either. I may read the sequel if it’s on sale one day or available at the library, but I’m not dying to get my hands on it.
Heartstopper Vol 1 & 2 by Alice Oseman (4.5/5 stars) - I’ve been planning to read this graphic novel series for years and somehow never got around to it, but I’m so glad I finally did. It’s an absolutely adorable tale of the relationship between protagonist Charlie Spring and rugby player Nick Nelson who are both trying to work out who they are and how they feel about each other. Their friendship and communications are all incredibly thoughtful and understanding and it’s refreshing to see the trust and respect they each have for one another. Not every love story needs conflict between the two main characters to be compelling and these 2 books are proof of that. I’ve loved every bit of their journey so far and I look forward to reading more.
Crown of Feathers by Nicki Pau Preto (3/5 stars) - Crown of Feathers has been sitting on my TBR shelf for well over a year. I received it in a subscription box the month it was released, moved it to London where it sat for a year, moved it back from London, put it in my library in my new home and just never felt like picking it up for whatever reason. I knew that with so many exciting books coming for Fall this year I needed to put a dent in my existing books so I finally made time to get to it.
This book tells the story of Veronyka and her sister Val. They are both blessed with the ability to communicate with and influence animals. In their world, those with that ability are outcast and enslaved so they live in secret trying to find and hatch phoenixes to help them become like the great phoenix riders of the past that once soared over and protected their land. When Veronyka is terribly betrayed by her sister she strikes off alone to locate whatever remains of the Phoenix Riders. She disguises herself as a boy in order to have the chance to one day train and join their ranks. The story is full of twists and turns and secrets. It has familial conflict, a world that becomes increasingly larger and more complex each chapter and some really fun animal based magic that I don’t find very often (at least with the books I generally read). I’m happy this book is now read and moved from my TBR shelf and I don’t regret the time spent reading it, but I felt that most of the twists could be easily predicted and nearly all of the characters really grated on me for most of the book. I don’t plan on reading book #2 in the series unless I hear some really good things about it.
The Lying Game by Ruth Ware (2.75/5 stars) - I went to Target for the first time in months a few weeks ago because, like a lot of people, I’m not leaving my house very much these days. While I was there I was caught up in the experience of seeing shelves full of books I don’t yet own and grabbed the first one that caught my eye. I’ve read Ruth Ware before and I really enjoyed The Turn of the Key so I thought I’d try another one of her books. This one is about 4 high school friends brought back together 15 years following the mysterious and tragic event that led them all to be removed from their remote boarding school. These four friends were highly entertained as teenagers with convincing people to believe the lies they made up. As adults, while they may feel guilt about things they’ve said/done in their past, they clearly still hold the compulsion to tell lies and withhold truths not only from outsiders but also to each other.
Unfortunately this one just didn’t capture me in the same way. It wasn’t so much that the ending or the twists along the way were predictable, it was more that I just didn’t really care about them. It was a fairly quick read and I wasn’t bored by it; I just didn’t feel at all invested in the characters and their stories. I own a copy of The Woman in Cabin 10 and I’ve heard positive things about The Death of Mrs. Westaway so I will definitely give Ruth Ware another chance in the future when I’m looking to pick up a thriller, this one just wasn’t for me.
The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang (4/5 stars) - This book has interested me since it was first released a couple of years ago, but I don’t often find myself reaching for darker books (whether fantasy or contemporary). For me, books with heavier topics or a lot of violence feel less like the escape I’m normally looking for when I go to read a book. That being said, I did start this book expecting it to be great and I was not disappointed.
We follow Rin, a war orphan from Rooster Province who has two choices in life. The first is marry the man that her guardians chose for her as a way to help their business connections and the second is to study every spare second she has for years in order to pass the Empire-wide test, the Keju, in hopes of scoring high enough to earn herself entrance to Sinegard, the most prestigious military academy in the Empire (something unheard of for anyone from her province). Sure enough, she earns the best score in Rooster Province and she heads off to Sinegard where she encounters others determined to tear her down because she is a dark skinned girl from an impoverished area and she must continue to work incredibly hard to ensure that she can stay in the school and figure out who she is and her place in the next Poppy War.
The characters in this book are complex and interesting. Rin is a warrior in every sense of the word and she grows a lot over the course of the book which spans a few years worth of time. The world is meticulously thought out and every bit as rich and fascinating as I expected. It is a dark read and a lot of terrible things happen not only to the group of characters we’re following but citizens of the Empire as a whole and it is a lot to take in, but I do believe it’s worth it for the experience of seeing Rin’s story unfold. I already bought the second book in the series and I plan on reading it soon.
A Rogue of One’s Own by Evie Dunmore (3.5/5 stars) - After The Poppy War I really needed some levity so I opted to dive into a regency romance. Earlier this year I found myself in a bit of a reading slump and the thing that brought me out of it was romances. They proved to be such a lovely distraction from the stresses of life during a pandemic that I probably read 6-7 in one month with no regrets. This is book 2 in the League of Extraordinary Women series and follows Annabelle’s (protagonist from book 1) friend Lady Lucie, a spinster suffragette who plans to never marry, and rakish Tristan, a longtime family friend and war hero/romantic poet. Writing out that description makes the book seem a little ridiculous, and perhaps it is, but it really is such a delightful page-turner. .
Lucie has a marvelously supportive group of friends (who I’m sure we’ll continue to see in later books) and its so fun to read about their efforts toward equal rights for women during that time. I found Tristan to be enchanting and humorous and I’m looking forward to Evie Dunmore’s next book!
A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor by Hank Green (3.5/5 stars) - This is the sequel to Hank’s debut novel An Absolutely Remarkable Thing. There’s not much I can reveal about the plot without spoiling the ending for the first book, but this is a multi-POV speculative fiction novel that provides commentary on internet fame, social media, politics and a number of other topics. In the first book of the series our series protagonist April May skyrockets to internet (and then worldwide) fame after she finds a large robot-looking creature in NYC and posts a jokey video with her interviewing it. She names the robot Carl and it is soon revealed that there are a number of them that appeared at the same exact time all around the world. April ends up in the middle of all Carl related news and speculation with everyone looking to her to find out who these Carls are and what they’re after.
Hank Green’s books are extremely readable. It’s quite casual and truly as if the characters are having a conversation with the reader (not written in second person though!). I understand the appeal of this sort of writing style, but generally it’s not my favorite. I also felt that there should have been more of a tonal destination between the different characters. When switching POVS I want to be able to tell by more than just context whose head I’m now inhabiting. I liked reading it, I flew through it pretty quickly, and I’d probably recommend it to a reader who likes this style/genre but it wasn’t exceptional.
