Edward Robert Hughes (1851-1914), The Princess Out of School, 1901, gouache and watercolour with some scratching out, 52 x 95.3 cm. National Gallery of Victoria

CEMETERY BOYS ― Aiden Thomas

No, it wasn’t the end. It was a better beginning.

The Secret History by Donna Tartt Rating: 5/5 Stars

"What are the dead, anyway, but waves and energy? Light shining from a dead star?" The story: At its very, very bare minimum this story is a whodunit murder mystery told in reverse: we are told of the crime, the victim, and the murders on the very first page; a group of students in a Greek class who have murdered one of their number. What follows is a long, unspooling tragedy of beauty and tension and horror that asks two critical questions: why was this done, and now what are the murderers to do? The review: The first thing you have to know about me is that I am, above all, a lover of language. And not just language on its own, but language used deliberately , think the careful spareness of poetry, capturing as much emotion as possible in only so many words. At over 200,000 words this book is definitely longer than a poem, but the deliberate nature of the language holds true. No writer I have ever encountered can match Donna Tartt in her ability to write lyrical, dreamy prose that somehow manages to be crisp and fresh and encapsulate exactly the necessary atmosphere and feeling of the scene. It seems like an oxymoron. Beautiful prose used to deliberate effect? But some how, remarkably, it works--language does not have to be flowery to be lovely. Think of the prologue: "...while for years I might have imagined myself to be somewhere else, in reality I have been there all the time: up at the top by the muddy wheel-ruts in the new grass, where they sky is dark over the shivering apple blossoms..." . I think, perhaps, it is her economical and exacting use of adjectives and adverbs that does it. I studied Latin for years, and am obsessed with the parallels of translated classical literature and Tartt's own writing style--the starkness, the spareness, the harsh beauty. These similarities are, of course, made even better by the thematic content of the novel itself. But I digress. What else to say? I could tell you that the first time I read this book I was at beach with my family, and I walked with it everywhere--through shops, down streets, onto the beach--trailing listlessly after my family, absolutely unable to put this book down. Every time I finish it I feel as drained and exhausted as if I'd just run a marathon. The perfection of the final scene, the final lines, sends me reeling. I am continuity amazed by how Tartt manages to evoke sympathy for characters who are really and truly awful--as much as you hate Bunny, or Charles, or Henry, in one moment you can't help but feel sorry for them in another. Part of this is the magic of an unreliable narrator written perfectly--Richard tells us from the first page that he suffers from a longing for the picturesque at all costs. And thus even the most horrid aspects of his friends become sympathetic in certain lights. This is echoed in the repeating mantra of the novel -- "Beauty is terror". This novel won't be for everyone. It is long and meandering, and full of scenes of characters sleeping or walking at night or reading together in the library. It takes time to understand that each small scene serves a greater purpose, but I can absolutely understand flagging and getting bored along the way. Even so, I have come to understand why this book holds the moniker of a "modern classic"

The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan Rating: 4/5 Stars

A wonderful return to the world of Percy Jackson (even if the titular hero is absent for this one). Having just finished The Battle of Olympus, I loved how I could see bits of Riordan's set up for this series even then. I have such a vivid memory of my best friend and I literally screaming with joy in the park when we learned that this book series was happening. The original series is embedded in my elementary school days, but this series spanned middle and high school for me, and I really enjoyed growing along with the characters. It was always such a thrill each year when the next installment dropped. In terms of the story itself, Riordan doesn't disappoint. This one is fairly obviously a set up for the new series, but he still manages to straddle the line between introducing plot and also creating an engaging story. Character wise, Jason's a bit standardly bland for my tastes, but I ADORE Piper and Leo. One of the things I love most about this series is getting perspectives from multiple different demigods-you really get to understand what its like to be a child of each member of the pantheon. Riordan is such a master of character building. Each character has their own goals, doubts, fears, motivations. Riordan is like a cheerful, classics-loving spider, weaving together so many different plots and subplots in order to guarantee that each chapter is as fascinating as the last.

A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians by H. G. Parry

Rating: 3/5 Stars

Thank you to the publicist for sending me an ARC!

Regardless of my rating, I have to start this off by saying: what H. G. Parry has accomplished is impressive. This book clearly took an enormous amount of research and planning, and the final product is absolutely a reflection of that time, effort, and dedication.

I just wish it was more up my alley.

The book follows the French Revolution and the co-current abolition movement in England, France, and the Caribbean Islands, set against a reimagined historical background in which magic exists and those who have it are closely monitored by their governments. The protagonists include some of the major historical players of the time: Maximilian Robespierre, William Pitt, and Toussaint Breda, among others.

It was an extensive portrait of a truly dark and tumultuous time in history. My primary problem, however, was that it often times read like a history book: pages and pages of dense information dropping and lengthy conversations between slightly drunk white men that I often found myself skimming. The parts that were most interesting to me were the magical aspects of the historical fantasy, how magic itself was used and abused, but even then those felt more like background embroidery at times.

I should also mention: another major topic of his book is the horrific practice of slavery, made even more unbearable by the way that white colonists used magic to oppress slaves in this universe. One of the main characters, and easily my favorite, is a former slave named Fina who finds herself able to shake off the magic freezing her and escape. The author does not shy away from depicting the horrors of her situation and the experience of her fellow slaves. The author is also White. While, as I said before, I feel like she has done extensive research, I’m always slightly wary of White authors using fantasy as a vehicle for telling stories about the very real horrors of slavery.

I also just struggle a bit with historical fiction generally: it feels odd to me reading stories from the perspectives of people who actually lived and understanding that the feelings and traits ascribed to them may or may not be true. It tends to take me out of the story somewhat.

Overall, I would recommend this novel less to fans of high fantasy and more to fans of historical fiction or lighter fantasy. I think this will be perfect for people who enjoyed Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell: another example of a book in which, while I understands its appeal, just wasn’t quite for me.

Home by Nnedi Okorafor  Rating: 4/5 Stars

I liked this maybe even better than the first one. While Binti dealt with introducing its namesake protagonist and charting her traumatic journey to Oomza University along with the alien Okwu, Home expanded upon themes of family and identity while also dealing with a topic that I think isn't touched upon nearly enough in contemporary SFF: dealing with the aftermath of trauma. There is a definite CW for PTSD and trauma in this novella, but it is handled very respectfully. This book sees Binti returning to Earth with Okwu in tow as an ambassador, and reuniting with her family and friends, the people of the Himba tribe. I found her struggle to find her place amid her recent physical and emotional changes to be incredibly powerful, especially once her grandmother's people, the Enyi Zinariya, were introduced. But my favorite part of this novella was the frank portrayal and discussion of Binti's post-traumatic stress disorder. As a student and researcher of psychology in my professional life, it was refreshing to see something with such stigma portrayed so prominently. Binti suffers from panic attacks, nightmare, and flashbacks, all of which are detailed with raw honesty. Not only that, but this book has Binti seeing a therapist, and slowly learning strategies that help her process her emotions and her traumatic experience. I loved that this book normalized seeking therapy after an experience such as the one Binti had. Often SFF brushes off the difficult experiences of its characters, when the reality is that many of them would absolutely merit therapy in the "real" world. I am of the opinion that frank and respectful portrayal of mental health, even in genre's lauded for their escapism, go far in reducing stigma. I was thoroughly satisfied with this novella, and can't wait to learn more about the infamous 'Night Masqurade' from this book, as it is the title of the next part of the series.

May Book Round-up

Total: 23 Books

I think this is genuinely the most books I have EVER read in one month in my whole life. It helped that I had a lot of free time, and also a lot of these are novellas. 

NOVELS

Alphabet of Thorns by Patricia McKillip 👍🏼

The Raven Boys  by Maggie Stiefvater 💖 

Dream Thieves  by Maggie Stiefvater 💖

Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan 😡

Blue Lily Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater 💖

Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman 💖

The Raven King  by Maggie Stiefvater ❤️

Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse ❤️🅰️

Red Sister by Mark Lawrence 💖

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman 💖

Network Effect by Martha Wells ❤️

Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman 👍🏼

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare ❤️

All The Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater 👍🏼

Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel 👍🏼

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang ❤️

Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier 👎🏼

NOVELLAS

Ormeshadow by Priya Sharma 👎🏼

The Black Tides of Heaven by J.Y. Yang. 👍🏼

Burning Roses by S.L. Huang ❤️🅰️

The Red Threads of Fortune by J.Y. Yang 👍🏼

Binti by Nnedi Okorafor ❤️

In the Vanisher’s Palace by Aliette de Bodard ❤️

😡 = Strongly disliked: 1 Star 

👎🏼 = Disliked: 2 Stars 

👍🏼 = Okay: 3 Stars 

❤️= Really enjoyed: 4 Stars 

💖 = Favorite:  5 stars

🅰️ = ARC

Hiii so I saw that you recommended The starless sea and The house in the cerulean sea, are they any good? I love LOVE the found family trope, and since you recommended both alongside Howl’s moving castle I thought that they would include the trope? (Do you suggest any other books like Howl’s moving castle?)

Hello! Sorry for the late reply. The found family trope is easily one of my favorites as well. I would say that The House in The Cerulean Sea could possibly be THE dictionary definition for the found family trope. I have yet to read a book that does as much for the found family trope as it. The Starless Sea has elements of the found family trope, but more in the sense of the romance than anything else. 

Howl’s Moving Castle happens to be my favorite book of all time, so it’s hard for any others to quite live up to it, but a few that have given me a similar vibe include: 

- The Changeling Sea by Patricia McKillip 

- Sabriel by Garth Nix 

- LITERALLY anything else by Diana Wynne Jones. If you haven’t already read the two sequels to Howl’s Moving Castle I’d recommend those (Castle in the Air, House of Many Ways) but also Fire and Hemlock and The Chrestomanci Books, the first of which is Charmed Life 

And, in terms of books that are different but I think REALLY emobdy the found family trope: 

- Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie (the whole trilogy)

- Senlin Ascends by Josiah Bancroft (the whole series) 

- The Lost Future of Pepperharrow (sequel to The Watchmaker of Filigree street)

Hope this helps! 

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang Rating: 4/5 Stars

Emma, you ask me. Why are you writing this review at 3 am on a Thursday? The answer is because I literally could not put this book down until I absolutely had to. I say “absolutely had to” because, for the first time ever, I have DNF a book at 85%. Not because it was bad. In fact this book was dense and imaginative and remarkable and one of the most impressive stories I’ve read in ages. It was also brutal and gruesome and horrifying, in ways that impressed upon me deeply. This book is about war at its ugliest. For most of the book I thought I could handle it, but there came a point where the sheer brutality meant that I had to put it down and take a break. There’s a good chance I return to this book and this series later on, but for me personally at this point in time, this book isn’t what I need. I’m sure I’ll return to Rin and Altan and the Thirteenth Divison eventually, though. The story is as gripping as it is difficult, and exists as a stark and important reminder of some of the more awful realities of legitimate history under the guise of fiction. Also, if anyone happens to be reading this review before reading the book: PLEASE, PLEASE PAY ATTENTION TO CONTENT WARNINGS! I wasn’t fully aware of how truly brutal this book gets, and I really wish that I had been aware of some of the content before proceeding with reading the novel. That being said, MAJOR CW for: war, genocide, graphic depictions of mass murder, torture, self-harm, abuse, sexism, racism, ableism, rape (not directly shown but still horrifying)

Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marilleir  Rating: 2/5 Stars

I think the aspect of this book that most aptly sums up my feelings about it is the fact that the main character’s older sister spends about half of the novel literally dying because she’s so in love with a sadboi Changeling. The only characters I remotely enjoyed in this novel were Jena (and then only sometimes) and her bookish sister Paula. Jena, the protagonist, divides her time between being clever and sensible and so utterly thickheaded that it amazes me she is the same character who I had just watched balancing account ledgers and spiritedly sparring with her nasty cousin Cezar. The story is a loose retelling of two fairy tales, The Twelve Dancing Princesses and The Frog Prince set in 16th(?) century Transylvania. It very much reflects the time, with Jena and her sisters fighting for freedom against their cousin who has very limited patience for women’s rights (to put it nicely). Cezar was a dick, and while he lost out in the end it wasn’t quite as satisfying as I was hoping. The novel in general just felt like a lot of expectations fallen short. I was most interested in the parts the sisters spent in the enchanted fairy realm, and even then the most fascinating part (to me), the garden of gargoyles, was only a passing detail. Also, I just plain hate incest plotlines. It would have been nice for the protagonist to end up with ANYONE other than her cousin. Eugh.

In the Vanisher’s Palace by Aliette de Bodard Rating: 4.5/5 Stars 

This fantastic novella surprised me, delighted me, and checked all my boxes. Utterly original beauty and the beast vibes? Check. A gorgeous f/f relationship? Check. A brilliantly imagined post-apocalyptic fantasy society with a Vietnamese cast? Check. Heart-wrenching parent/child dynamics? Check. The world created here pushes up against the boundaries of my imagination, generating a beguiling settling that seems to ripple and change between the pages. The characters were wonderful: the brave and practical scholar Yên, the cool and mysterious dragon Vu Côn, her two magical children Thông and Liên. Not to mention the ROMANCE of it all! I was amazed by how the author managed to capture my heart in so few pages

BINTI by Nnedi Okorafor  Rating: 4/5 Stars

A well-written, utterly original, and captivating science fiction novella. I am fascinated by the world that Okorafor has created, with its diverse human and alien populace. So much science fiction has to do with war lately, and while this novella doesn’t lack carnage and conflict it is fundamentally about acceptance and understanding. I also liked how the focal point of the novel is what boils down to a first-generation student on her way to attend a university. I loved Binti as a protagonist, and was moved by the conflict between her dedication to her family and culture and her desire to study at Oomza University. I also found the concept of “treeing” and her mathematical trances fascinating. Okwu, too, was a striking character as was his alien race. I enjoyed as Binti’s slow understanding and acceptance of him and his people mirrored the readers own. My only issue was how rapidly the murder of Binti’s classmates was forgotten, it felt somewhat unrealistic even in the light of the diffusing tensions between the university and the Meduse. Regardless, l am highly anticipating the next book!

NINTH HOUSE by Leigh Bardugo  Rating: 5/5 Stars

FIRST THOUGHTS: It's midnight and I read the last 7 chapters feverishly in one go and my eyelids are dropping. But like, it’s good. Really good. I liked it enough that I’m giving Shadow and Bone a THIRD chance. It’s that good. NEXT MORNING THOUGHTS: A lot of people I've seen have said this book was slow, which made me a bit leery going into it. And I guess, in some ways it is 'slow'. If by slow you mean creeping. If by slow you mean gripping. If by slow you mean packed with tension. I get that the pace will deter some people, but it was one of my favorite things about the book. One of the first things I should say before going further with the review is that this book will not be for everyone. READ THE CONTENT WARNINGS! I'll repeat some of the biggest ones I can remember here: CW for rape, underage rape, sexual assault, drug use, addiction, self-harm, gore. These things are displayed and discussed very explicitly so please be cautious when going into this book. The first book this put me in mind of was a more paranormal, culty version of Gillian Flynn's Dark Places Despite the content warnings above I still don't think this book was quite as horrific as that one, but it contained the same lush, dark, disturbing prose, occult/horror focus, and chilling atmosphere. Galaxy "Alex" Stern is one of the most remarkable, raw, heart-breakingly real protagonists I have read in a long time. She is a badass and a survivor to her core. I found myself wanting to get up and cheer for her at times, and other times just wanting pull a Dawes and fix her a hot meal and give her a hug. None of the other characters quite lived up to her in my mind but frankly that's what you want out of your protagonist. That also doesn't mean I didn't fall in love with the others: the gentleman knight Darlington, the shy, awkward, and courageous Dawes, the complicated but morally ironclad Detective Turner. Even the minor characters, such as Alex's roommates, added a realness and complexity to the narrative. As someone who attended a small liberal arts college in New England as well, many of the side characters were at times both refreshingly and disgustingly real. The same goes for the atmosphere, events, and character of the college itself. The world-building was also stunning. The depth of thought that went into not only the nine houses but also the city of New Haven was incredible. I've been to New Haven a few times but am not familiar with the city or with Yale, so the way Bardugo brought the campus and the town alive for me was impressive. My one small quibble was that I felt like we didn't get enough Darlington POV. Bardugo still did a remarkable job of getting me to care about the character but, the shift to Alex-only POVs was jarring, and I wish we'd had a little more time to spend with Darlington's voice before he vanished. Even so, I feel like this will be rectified in further books. I want to invent a time machine just so I can travel into the future and read the next book. As any good series opening should, the ending left me starving for more.

EXCERPT REVIEW: Kingdom of Liars by Nick Martell **This review is based off of a 16-page excerpt I received from the publisher 2/5 stars

It's easy for me to forget about the importance of the "showing not telling" rule in writing, until I read a book in which the author excessively "tells". In this brief introduction we are not only introduced to our protagonist, Micheal Kingman, but the first several pages are consumed by a somewhat confusing burst of explanation about the world and vague discussion about how the narrator ended up in the situation that he was. The author goes back and forth between telling too much and not enough. He drops words such as "The Raven" and "The Forgotten" without giving us any sort of context with how these things fit into the world, which usually isn't a problem for me but the odd pacing of the prologue thew me off. I thought Michael's internal monologue should have been less, and the description of the trial should have been more. I also just didn't much like the writing style. It felt stilted and juvenile, the dialogue lacking originality or inspiration. Perhaps the novel improves as it moves forward, but I wasn't motivated to read further beyond this excerpt.

✩ Emma’s Bookshelf: 6 Fantastic YA Novels That You May Not Have Read ✩

I joined book twitter recently, and while I’ve been seeing a lot of awesome YA novels getting hype, I wanted to draw attention to some of my favorites that I haven’t seen that much of around the internet! Some of these are old, some of these are new, and all of these are great additions to the genre. 

➸ Seraphina by Rachel Hartman 

➸ Sabriel by Garth Nix

➸ Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

➸ The Changeling Sea by Patricia McKillip

➸ House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig

➸ The Merciful Crow by Margaret Owen

All The Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater Rating: 3/5

Oh, I wanted to like this book more than I did. All of Steifvater's non-Raven Cycle books end up falling into a rut for me, simply because while her style of writing lends itself very well to the type of story and atmosphere she's building in Henrietta, it feels a little overdone elsewhere. Also, I understand that authors have unique styles, and I agree that Steifvater's is especially distinctive, but it was difficult for me not read certain lines in this book and think that they could have been lifted, content and all, directly from one of her other novels. I guess what I'm saying is that there wasn't much stylistically that set it apart from her other work. This is also unavoidably magical realism about Latinx characters written by a White author. While it's true that this genre has evolved to become somewhat more international, and I know that Steifvater probably did her research, there was still some part of me that felt put off by the extent to which she wholeheartedly adapted the style and elements of a culture that is not her own, especially when there are many Hispanic and Latinx authors out there who are also writing magical realism that is probably getting less attention than this. That being said, I'm also White so I feel I can't speak to this issue reliably. For anyone looking for more magical realism I would recommend the book I'm currently reading, Like Water For Chocolate by Laura Esquivel. Overall, this was a middle of the road book for me. My favorite thing about the novel was the characters, which continue to be where Steifvater shines above all else. The story was interesting but felt oddly paced and lacking action.

Song Pairing: Can’t Help Falling In Love by Elvis Presley