Conservation of Shadows by Yoon Ha Lee
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
All right, the important bits first: if you haven’t read this book yet DO IT DO IT NOWWWWWWW. Ahem.
The only word that comes to describe this collection of short stories by Yoon Ha Lee is “astounding”. The author’s prose is rich and succulent, each phrase a meal in itself, at times reminding me of Borges and Cat Valente.
Most of the stories in the collection are … (Read more)
The Bread We Eat in Dreams by Catherynne M. Valente
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a wonderful anthology, and a perfect starting place for those who want to delve into the writings of Catherynne Valente without committing to a full novel.
I have read most of the stories in this anthology before and, on a second read, they don’t come as strong or shocking, but more like long-time friends or forgotten lovers with which to share a … (Read more)
Queers Dig Time Lords: A Celebration of Doctor Who by the LGBTQ Fans Who Love It by Sigrid Ellis
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Most of the pieces in this collection deal with growing up with the Doctor (or Captain Jack, who features a whole lot in the first part of the book). There’s nothing wrong with writing an essay as your personal life story, but when they make up the majority of your book they all tend to … (Read more)
The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I understand this isn’t my kind of book. I only bought it because it was from JK Rowling, and only finished it for pretty much the same reason.
The first part felt awfully long and sluggish, as we’re presented with a huge cast of characters at the same time, all with their own peculiar families and problems and goals, and each of them is given screen time. The … (Read more)
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Likeable goblin military rascals, an elf veterinarian, misguided magic, and a lot of good intentions that go awry are the basic recipe for this novella, whose only fault is being too bloody short because these characters deserve a whole book or more. (Also, worst kept secret in history, T. Kingfisher is really Ursula Vernon writing under her “not a writer of children’s book” persona)
Raising Steam by Terry Pratchett
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
There are a lot of succulent ingredients in this book: steam power, the railroad, industrial revolution and cultural revolution, lots of recurring characters, and of course a generous helping of the Moist von Lipwig charm we all love.
Unfortunately it doesn’t all seem to gel together much. Things just sort of… happen, one after the other, rather than be tied together with a nice bow. The characters, too, seem … (Read more)
When Did You See Her Last? by Lemony Snicket
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This series just keeps getting better.
By remaining in Stain’d-by-the-Sea we’re allowed to follow Snicket’s cracking of a new case while at the same time reinforcing his ties with the cast of characters and finding out more about the overarching mystery of Hangfire and the Bombinating Beast. This makes ATWQ somewhat more palatable and less frustrating for those (mostly adults, at least in my experience) … (Read more)
The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two by Catherynne M. Valente
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Time is the only magic, and it’s sometimes a sad magic, because only a day passed for September but it felt like an eternity to read. I’ll admit, maybe I didn’t give this book all the attention it deserved (real life got in the way, so I read it in stretches and patches), but it felt like it … (Read more)
The Long War by Terry Pratchett
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Twelve years have passed since the events of the first book, and the tension between the Datum US and the colonies, and between humans and nonhumans, is rapidly rising. The US sends a patrol of armed stepper zeppelins to patrol the worlds, the Chinese want to reach Erath East 20 million, the trolls are disappearing, and a new non-human threat… is vaguely annoying but only threatening because our … (Read more)
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I wrote a lengthy review but Goodreads ate it, so to sum up…
Rapture is more of the same as in the previous books, but in a wider scope. We get tantalizing looks at Umayma’s forgotten past, new nations, new enemies and dangers. It seems a bit odd to introduce so many elements so late in the game, especially since we only get a couple encounters with them before closure, … (Read more)
