The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd

Title: The Cartographers
Series: n/a
Author: Peng Shepherd
Source/Format: Purcahsed; Hardcover
More Details: Contemporary Fantasy
Publisher/Publication Date: William Morrow; March 15, 2022

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

What is the purpose of a map? Nell Young’s whole life and greatest passion is cartography. Her father, Dr. Daniel Young, is a legend in the field and Nell’s personal hero. But she hasn’t seen or spoken to him ever since he cruelly fired her and destroyed her reputation after an argument over an old, cheap gas station highway map. But when Dr. Young is found dead in his office at the New York Public Library, with the very same seemingly worthless map hidden in his desk, Nell can’t resist investigating. To her surprise, she soon discovers that the map is incredibly valuable and exceedingly rare. In fact, she may now have the only copy left in existence... because a mysterious collector has been hunting down and destroying every last one—along with anyone who gets in the way. But why? To answer that question, Nell embarks on a dangerous journey to reveal a dark family secret and discovers the true power that lies in maps...

Peng Shepherd’s The Cartographers was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. Right from the start, I was intrigued by the premise—the maps, the reason for Nell’s firing, and what it had to do with her father’s eventual death. This book gave me everything I was looking for; the kind of slow moving story where the details are in the history. Told through alternating chapters, set between the past and present, The Cartographers is a new favorite.

In a way The Cartographers kind of reminded me of Piranesi. Both were contemporary fantasies set in modern times, heavy on secrets, light on magical elements, but thoroughly engrossing reads. The magical aspects tweaked reality in minute ways—just enough to give the story something of an edge, and explained just enough to be logical for the book—but it wasn’t a hard magic system (and it didn’t have to be) for the story to work.

Peng Shepherd’s writing style offered an easy entry into the book, and my instant intrigue toward the synopsis carried over to when I actually started reading. There was something of a somber tone to the story mixed in with a mystery and academic themes. But, with as many secrets the characters had, I knew pretty early on what kind of story I was in for. And it was great!

Part of what made the story for me were the characters. Nell had every right to be angry over what happened, but I could easily see how her suspicions and the mystery of the map could end up consuming her life. And I know the story was laser-focused on Nell, her family, and lots and lots of maps (some far more important than others). But the secondary cast was an interesting bunch, and I wished there was a little more about their lives outside the main events of the story; particularly for the time skip—I was so curious about what they were up to too. That being said, it didn’t impact my overall enjoyment of the story.

The Cartographers was a book about ambition, secrets, lies, broken bonds, and maps. The synopsis asks, “What is the purpose of a map?” The characters and the story grappled with that question. The conclusion, I think, provided an answer that brought the story to a satisfying end.

 

Meet Me by the Fountain: An Inside History of the Mall by Alexandra Lange

Title: Meet Me by the Fountain, An Inside History of the Mall 

Series: n/a
Author: Alexandra Lange
Source/Format: Publisher; Paperback ARC
More Details: Nonfiction
Publisher/Publication Date: Bloomsbury; June 14, 2022

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

Few places have been as nostalgized, or as maligned, as malls. Since their birth in the 1950s, they have loomed large as temples of commerce, the agora of the suburbs. In their prime, they proved a powerful draw for creative thinkers such as Joan Didion, Ray Bradbury, and George Romero, who understood the mall's appeal as both critics and consumers. Yet today, amid the aftershocks of financial crises and a global pandemic, as well as the rise of online retail, the dystopian husk of an abandoned shopping center has become one of our era's defining images. Conventional wisdom holds that the mall is dead. But what was the mall, really? And have rumors of its demise been greatly exaggerated?

In her acclaimed The Design of Childhood, Alexandra Lange uncovered the histories of toys, classrooms, and playgrounds. She now turns her sharp eye to another subject we only think we know. She chronicles postwar architects' and merchants' invention of the mall, revealing how the design of these marketplaces played an integral role in their cultural ascent. In Lange's perceptive account, the mall becomes newly strange and rich with contradiction: Malls are environments of both freedom and exclusion--of consumerism, but also of community. Meet Me by the Fountain is a highly entertaining and evocative promenade through the mall's story of rise, fall, and ongoing reinvention, for readers of any generation.

When I saw Meet Me by the Fountain on offer for review, I thought “why not?” It seemed like a fascinating subject to delve into—it’s also far outside the nonfiction books I usually gravitate towards, but I went into it with an open mind. And I’m pleased to say that my initial assessment was right on the money. I loved the book.

Meet Me by the Fountain was an incredibly interesting look at the ways malls went from concept to reality; from cultural hubs to asserting more restrictions; and then into decline during something that can only be described as a boom-and-bust cycle. Lange expertly laid out the long history—well into more recent years too—in succinct and engrossing chapters. They delved into everything from layout, anchor stores, and the (often) narrow scope of who these places were meant to cater to. It was an interesting dichotomy between expectations and the actual needs of the community it was placed within—especially in urban areas.

There was a heavy emphasis on architecture and interior design throughout Meet Me by the Fountain. Many of the malls were described as using design to create an experience to entice shoppers to stay for longer periods of time.

I also appreciated the wide array of architects and development firms that were mentioned. Most of them I just never bothered to look up, but reading so many quotes about the process behind developing a project of the size of a mall was interesting. So there was a lot to learn from this book.

Meet Me by the Fountain is, hands down, one of my favorite nonfiction reads of 2022.

About the author....

Alexandra Lange is a journalist and an architectural historian. She is a contributing editor at New York Magazine and writes articles about architecture, design and urban planning for Metropolis, Domino and The New York Times. She received her PhD from the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University and has contributed essays and articles to peer-reviewed publications such as the Journal of Design History and the Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians. Alexandra has taught architectural criticism at New York University and delivered papers on her research at the Society of Architectural Historians 59th Annual Meeting and the 2005 Buell Dissertation Colloquium at Columbia University.

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Disclaimer: this copy of the book was provided by the publisher (Bloomsbury) in exchange for an honest review, thank you! 

Our Crooked Hearts by Melissa Albert

Title: Our Crooked Hearts

Series: n/a
Author: Melissa Albert
Source/Format: NetGalley; eARC
More Details: Young Adult; Fantasy
Publisher/Publication Date: Flatiorn Books; June 28, 2022

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

Secrets. Lies. Super-bad choices. Witchcraft. This is Our Crooked Hearts, a darkly gripping contemporary fantasy from Melissa Albert, the New York Times bestselling author of The Hazel Wood

The suburbs, right now . . .
Seventeen-year-old Ivy’s summer break kicks off with an accident, a punishment, and a mystery: a stranger whose appearance in the middle of the road, in the middle of the night, heralds a string of increasingly unsettling events. As the days pass, Ivy grapples with eerie offerings, corroded memories, and a secret she’s always known—that there's more to her mother than meets the eye.

The city, back then . . .
Dana has always been perceptive. And the summer she turns sixteen, with the help of her best friend and an ambitious older girl, her gifts bloom into a heady fling with the supernatural. As the trio’s aspirations darken, they find themselves speeding toward a violent breaking point.

Years after it began, Ivy and Dana's shared story will come down to a reckoning among a daughter, a mother, and the dark forces they never should’ve messed with.

I rarely ever stay up to finish a book, but it does happen. With Melissa Albert’s latest novel, Our Crooked Hearts, I was thoroughly engaged with the story. And by the time I finished the book and checked the time, it was already after two in the morning and I’d read it basically in one sitting. Our Crooked Hearts was a ride. It was a tale of magic, ambition, the relationships between mother and daughter (and friends), and all the ways that those things could go horribly wrong when the cost of magic is thrown into the fray.

Our Crooked Hearts begins with a mystery, and the dual timelines (past and present) run alongside each other until they reach the point where they inevitably connect. It had the feel of a modern fairy tale: equal parts atmospheric and magical with the dark undertones of a mysterious forest that gives the impression of something lurking. It’s pretty in line with what I’ve come to expect from Albert’s stories. After all, dark and whimsical—magic and the importance of stories—were hallmarks of The Hazelwood, The Night Country, and Tales from the Hinterland.

The present side of the story follows Ivy. After a bad decision and an accident, her plans for the summer pretty much go up in smoke. However, ruined plans don’t hold a candle to the string of events that begin with that night. At first, it could have been strange but a coincidence. But things quickly don’t add up, and the strange occurrences take on a dangerous and frightening edge. Caught up in there was the fraught relationships between Ivy and her family, particularly with her mother. Mistakes, miscommunication, and long kept secrets are the kind of messy family dramas that I like. It certainly kept me turning the pages.

Meanwhile the past follows Dana. This was the part of the book that reminded me most strongly of The Craft—it was the magic and the tenuous comradeship between Dana and her friends—while also being a completely different story altogether in the end. Some bonds were stronger than others, but even well-worn friendships could change. They either grew or shrank as intentions became clear. Dana’s part of the story was heart-wrenching—marked by difficult choices and loss—and it also really demonstrated the danger of messing with things you don’t know.

Our Crooked Hearts is one of the best books I’ve read so far this year.

 

About the author....

Melissa Albert is the New York Times and indie bestselling author of the Hazel Wood series and Our Crooked Hearts, and a former bookseller and founder of the Barnes & Noble Teen Blog. Her work has been translated into more than twenty languages and included in the New York Times’ list of Notable Children’s Books. She enjoys swimming pool tourism, genre mashups, and living in Brooklyn with her hilarious husband and magnificently goofy son.

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Disclaimer: this copy of the book was provided by the publisher (Flatiron Books) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, thank you! 

Middlegame by Seanan McGuire

Title: Middlegame
Series: Alchemical Journeys #1
Author: Seanan Mcguire
Source/Format: Tor ebook club; eBook
More Details: Fantasy
Publisher/Publication Date: Tor.com Publishing; May 7, 2019

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

New York Times bestselling and Alex, Nebula, and Hugo-Award-winning author Seanan McGuire introduces readers to a world of amoral alchemy, shadowy organizations, and impossible cities in this standalone fantasy.

Meet Roger. Skilled with words, languages come easily to him. He instinctively understands how the world works through the power of story. Meet Dodger, his twin. Numbers are her world, her obsession, her everything. All she understands, she does so through the power of math. Roger and Dodger aren’t exactly human, though they don’t realise it. They aren’t exactly gods, either. Not entirely. Not yet. Meet Reed, skilled in the alchemical arts like his progenitor before him. Reed created Dodger and her brother. He’s not their father. Not quite. But he has a plan: to raise the twins to the highest power, to ascend with them and claim their authority as his own. Godhood is attainable. Pray it isn’t attained.

I’ve read some (but not all) of the current Wayward Children books, but the one story by Seanan McGuire that I had my eye on lately was Middlegame. Earlier this year, it was a Tor.com eBook Club title, and I finally got around to reading it.

The synopsis literally states what kind of story this is going to be—one that is magical and dangerous—particularly with the line: “Godhood is attainable.” The story is spread out across a lot of years, and there wasn’t too much of a mystery here, because the reader knows far more than the characters initially do.

Roger and Dodger are essentially thought of as pawns. The story hinged on them, on what they could do—and the theory about who they should be and how they should behave—but they were individuals with emotions, wants, and needs.

Middlegame played around with the limits of the conventions established within its world. It’s a strange but engaging kind of story that leaned hard into alchemy—as its fantastical elements—and into its sometimes nonlinear timeline, utilizing both in a way that was effective at building a sense of tension. It was something along the lines of: they found out about this, this, and this, now what are they going to do with and about it? Half the fun of Middlegame is seeing how the whole scenario is going to playout in the end. Will they succeed or won’t they? It was up in the air for much of the novel, and even when the characters got a renewed sense of determination, I wasn’t certain of what would happen.

Middlegame was a page-turner. The sequel, Seasonal Fears, recently came out, so I have more of this world to look forward to.

We Free The Stars by Hafsah Faizal

Title: We Free The Stars
Series: Sands of Arawiya Duology #2
Author: Hafsah Faizal
Source/Format: Purchased; Paperback
More Details: Fantasy; Young Adult
Publisher/Publication Date:

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

The battle on Sharr is over. The dark forest has fallen. Altair may be captive, but Zafira, Nasir, and Kifah are bound for Sultan’s Keep, determined to finish the plan he set in motion: restoring the hearts of the Sisters of Old to the minarets of each caliphate, and finally returning magic to all of Arawiya. But they are low on resources and allies alike, and the kingdom teems with fear of the Lion of the Night’s return. As the zumra plots to overthrow the kingdom’s darkest threat, Nasir fights to command the magic in his blood. He must learn to hone his power into a weapon, to wield not only against the Lion but against his father, trapped under the Lion’s control. Zafira battles a very different darkness festering in her through her bond with the Jawarat—a darkness that hums with voices, pushing her to the brink of her sanity and to the edge of a chaos she dare not unleash. In spite of the darkness enclosing ever faster, Nasir and Zafira find themselves falling into a love they can’t stand to lose…but time is running out to achieve their ends, and if order is to be restored, drastic sacrifices will have to be made.

Lush and striking, hopeful and devastating, We Free the Stars is the masterful conclusion to the Sands of Arawiya duology by New York Times–bestselling author Hafsah Faizal.

**Note: there may be mild spoilers for We Hunt The Flame.**

It’s always nice when the follow-up to a favorite book sticks its landing, and delivers an ending that was satisfying in drawing the story to a close. We Hunt The Flame is one of my favorite young adult fantasy novels, and the sequel (and final book of the Sands of Arawiya duology) has sat on my shelf for way too long. At long last, I’ve finally read We Free The Stars.

This book—THIS BOOK—was so good from the very first page. The aftermath of We Hunt The Flame’s ending was immediate and visceral in its intensity. And for a group of characters I was clearly rooting for to succeed, it was hard to watch them experience the consequences and the subsequent turmoil brought about by accident and their decisions. But the conflict they were embroiled in was quickly spiraling into a war. Sides were already clearly drawn, and the greater part of the plot was already set in motion. I knew exactly what kind of story I was in for.

One thing that this duology did so well was the characters. Zafira: her desire to protect and help, to change the system that treated her unfairly, and reclaim magic as well. Kifah: who wanted her revenge, but was loyal and just as determined to restore magic. Altair: with his plans and web of allies. And Nasir: who was haunted by his past, who strove to atone and grasp a better future. Clearly I liked the dynamics of the team. What I was surprised by, however, was how deeply Faizal examined the characters. The story delved into the layers of who they were—their motivation, goals, and what they were willing to do to ultimately achieve them. No one was perfect. Mistakes were literally made (and some of them had really terrible consequences). The emotional stakes were just as high as the journey/battle to restore magic to Arawiya.

Lofty ambitions abound, but there was a cost for it.

We Free The Star was a fitting sequel and an excellent ending to the duology. I’m looking forward to Hafsah Faizal’s next book.

Monsters in the Mist by Juliana Brandt

Title: Monsters in the Mist

Series: n/a
Author: Juliana Brandt
Source/Format: Netgalley; eARC
More Details: Middle Grade; Fantasy; Horror
Publisher/Publication Date: Sourcebooks Young Readers; May 3, 2022 

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

When Glennon McCue moves into a lighthouse on a mysterious island, he must figure out why those who visit are never heard from again…before he and his family fall victim to the island’s curse. 

After Glennon McCue’s father takes an overseas position, Glennon finds himself relocated from Minneapolis to his uncle’s lighthouse on Isle Philippeaux, smack dab in the middle of Lake Superior. Surrounded by nothing but black, ominous waters, there are many stories about the island, but the worst one is that sailors wash ashore…and are never heard from again. Just before his family is supposed to move home, a storm rocks the isle and a ship crashes outside the lighthouse. The survivors seem off, especially one sailor who acts more like a monster than a person. Suddenly, Glennon finds himself in the middle of a real-life scary story, and unless he can figure out the mystery of the island…he and his family will be lost forever, too.

Monsters in the Mist is probably one of the best middle grade horror books I’ve read this year. It wasn’t only thrills and chills, but it struck a balance between telling a spooky story and a poignant one; where the monsters weren’t only the mystery of what resided in the mist, but could be found in the memory of and about the living as well.

Monsters in the Mist unfolds in the perspective of Glennon. I sympathized with him and understood and appreciated the way the author portrayed how he dealt with the stress of the scarier points of his situation. It was to the point where his doubt in himself made him question what he saw. The story deals with heavy topics, and much of it illustrated the way that grief and fear affect people differently. You don’t need to look any further than Glennon, his sister Leeunah (Lee), and his mother to see what I mean.

The setting didn’t make it any easier for the characters, as Isle Philippeaux didn’t give up its secrets easily. It was a mysterious place with an eerie atmosphere that only intensified as the story headed for its conclusion. I was especially interested in the way lighthouses were used in the story (as indicative by the book’s cover), and it ended up being one of my favorite aspects.

These things were accompanied by some frightening and dangerous instances. And it forced the characters to literally acknowledge all that had happened to them—as well as the predicament they unwittingly found themselves in—before they could move forward.

Monsters in the Mist had a message: feeling somewhat topical in a story that was otherwise a haunting read. All in all, it was great.

About the author....

Juliana Brandt is an author and kindergarten teacher with a passion for storytelling that guides her in both of her jobs. She lives in her childhood home of Minnesota, and her writing is heavily influenced by travels around the country and decade living in the South. When not working, she is usually exploring the great outdoors. Her novels, THE WOLF OF CAPE FEN, and A WILDER MAGIC were both published by SourcebooksKids. Up next is MONSTERS IN THE MIST which will publish in May, 2022. Her writing is represented by Natalie Lakosil of Irene Goodman Literary Agency.

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Disclaimer: this copy of the book was provided by the publisher (Sourcebooks Young Readers) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, thank you! 

A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross

Title: A River Enchanted

Series: Elements of Cadence #1
Author: Rebecca Ross
Source/Format: Publisher (won); ARC
More Details: Fantasy
Publisher/Publication Date: Harper Voyager; February 15, 2022 

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

Jack Tamerlaine hasn’t stepped foot on Cadence in ten long years, content to study music at the mainland university. But when young girls start disappearing from the isle, Jack is summoned home to help find them. Enchantments run deep on Cadence: gossip is carried by the wind, plaid shawls can be as strong as armor, and the smallest cut of a knife can instill fathomless fear. The capricious spirits that rule the isle by fire, water, earth, and wind find mirth in the lives of the humans who call the land home. Adaira, heiress of the east and Jack’s childhood enemy, knows the spirits only answer to a bard’s music, and she hopes Jack can draw them forth by song, enticing them to return the missing girls. As Jack and Adaira reluctantly work together, they find they make better allies than rivals as their partnership turns into something more. But with each passing song, it becomes apparent the trouble with the spirits is far more sinister than they first expected, and an older, darker secret about Cadence lurks beneath the surface, threatening to undo them all.

With unforgettable characters, a fast-paced plot, and compelling world building, A River Enchanted is a stirring story of duty, love, and the power of true partnership, and marks Rebecca Ross’s brilliant entry on the adult fantasy stage

A River Enchanted wasn’t really on my radar at the beginning of the year, but the more I learned about it, the more I wanted to read it. I happened to win a paperback ARC of it; although, my copy arrived after the release date, and I’ve just now gotten around to it.

A River Enchanted was everything I was looking for. It was the kind of slow fantasy story heavy on world building details and character backstory, which I’ve been into lately. There was a lot of history, stories, traditions and customs to sink-my-teeth into. And although magic could be put to use in similar but unequal ways on both sides of the isle, there were hefty consequences for the Tamerlaines and the Breccans. It was a thoroughly fascinating world to read about.

And the story, while at its surface appeared to simply be about unexplained disappearances on the isle, Cadence, was weighted by the secrets that ultimately fueled the motivation of the antagonist. Everything—decisions, secrets, magic, etc.—had known and unforeseen consequences to varying degrees of devastation.

Cadence was an isle, which gave the story an isolated feel. The location set the tone as well as the limits/price of magic.

I know Jack and Adaira were at the center of the story as they called on the spirits while trying to figure the situation out. I liked them both, especially when they had their scenes together with the banter and eventual honesty between them. But Torin and Sidra were my two favorite characters in the story, and they seemed to come alive on the page. I liked that their relationship was one that was already established. But they, like Jack and Adaira, experienced emotional turmoil that turned the easiness of their relationship into tension that needed to be resolved. There was no immediate epiphany that magically solved everything for them. The characters had to decide and be honest—first with themselves before others—to get what it was they wanted or needed. The individual character arcs were done really well here, and I appreciated how much it was explored.

The sequel to A River Enchanted is (the last I checked) coming out this December. I’m glad the release date isn’t too far away, because I’m really looking forward to the next one.

 

About the author....

Rebecca Ross writes fantasy novels for teens and adults. She lives in the Appalachian foothills of Northeast Georgia with her husband, their lively Australian Shepherd, and an endless pile of books. THE QUEEN'S RISING, THE QUEEN'S RESISTANCE, SISTERS OF SWORD & SONG, and DREAMS LIE BENEATH are her titles for young adult readers. A RIVER ENCHANTED is her adult fantasy debut, publishing February 15, 2022 with a sequel to follow. When not writing, she can be found reading or in her garden, where she grows wildflowers and story ideas. 

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Disclaimer: this copy of the book was provided by the publisher (Harper Voyager) in exchange for an honest review, thank you! 

Washington Square by Henry James

Title: Washington Square 
Series: n/a
Author: Henry James
Source/Format: Purchased; Paperback
More Details: Classic; Fiction
Publisher/Publication Date: first published in 1880

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

Back when New York was still young, so was heiress Catherine Sloper. A simple, plain girl, she grew up in opulence with a disappointed father and a fluttery aunt in a grand house on Washington Square. Enter Morris Townsend, a handsome charmer who assures Catherine he loves her for herself and not for her money. But Catherine’s revered father sees in Townsend what she cannot. Now, with her tearful aunt Penniman as his amusingly melodramatic ally, Townsend will present Catherine with the hardest choice of her young life.…

With a New Introduction and an Afterword by Michael Cunningham, Author of The Hours

A while ago, I watched a movie called the Heiress, and since then I was interested in the classic that the stage play (and eventually the film) were adapted from. Washington Square was like an exercise in bad decisions and willfully missed red flags, but it was a thoroughly engrossing character study set in a contemporary (for the time) setting.

With the varied motivations of the characters, the situation was headed in the direction of a tragically bitter end. Several factors compounded to ensure that end: from Mrs. Penniman’s ill-fated meddling and willingness to seek entertainment at her niece’s expense, to Catherine’s naivety (and later her love and devotion for Morris Townsend), and to Townsend’s obvious fortune hunting. There’s an irony to the story of how right Catharine Sloper’s father was. But even he wasn't a likable character. His methods were careless, and he was no more thoughtful toward Catherine than her aunt Mrs. Penniman. The two were terrible, but it was for different reasons.

The mechanics of how the story unfolded is one of the leading factors of what made Washington Square so good. It was a tale largely about greed, specifically for money, and the ultimate collateral damage that came from it. The ending was bitter—and no one was really that happy or anything—but it was a great story.

ARC Review: Daughter of the Moon Goddes by Sue Lynn Tan

Title: Daughter of the Moon Goddess

Series: The Celestial Kingdom Duology #1
Author: Sue Lynn Tan
Source/Format: NetGalley; eARC
More Details: Fantasy
Publisher/Publication Date: Harper Voyager January 11, 2022

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

A captivating debut fantasy inspired by the legend of Chang'e, the Chinese moon goddess, in which a young woman’s quest to free her mother pits her against the most powerful immortal in the realm.

Growing up on the moon, Xingyin is accustomed to solitude, unaware that she is being hidden from the feared Celestial Emperor who exiled her mother for stealing his elixir of immortality. But when Xingyin’s magic flares and her existence is discovered, she is forced to flee her home, leaving her mother behind. Alone, powerless, and afraid, she makes her way to the Celestial Kingdom, a land of wonder and secrets. Disguising her identity, she seizes an opportunity to learn alongside the emperor's son, mastering archery and magic, even as passion flames between her and the prince. To save her mother, Xingyin embarks on a perilous quest, confronting legendary creatures and vicious enemies across the earth and skies. But when treachery looms and forbidden magic threatens the kingdom, she must challenge the ruthless Celestial Emperor for her dream—striking a dangerous bargain in which she is torn between losing all she loves or plunging the realm into chaos.

Daughter of the Moon Goddess begins an enchanting, romantic duology which weaves ancient Chinese mythology into a sweeping adventure of immortals and magic—where love vies with honor, dreams are fraught with betrayal, and hope emerges triumphant.

From the second I heard about Daughter of the Moon Goddess, I knew it was going to be a book I was definitely going to read. I’m not overly familiar with the legend of Chang’e, but I do love stories that take myths/folklore/history and retell or give an alternative look at them in interesting ways.

Daughter of the Moon Goddess was as excellent a story as I thought it would be. There was a lot going on in this book: romance, action, and a desperate and also deeply personal quest. It was hopeful but also bittersweet at times with secrets and betrayal seemingly hidden everywhere. And what a marvelous story it was!

Xingyin is the daughter of the Moon Goddess. She was sheltered from the world beyond the moon, and that wasn’t without good reason either. With the way the story was told, as the reader, I was dropped into the world alongside the character as she embarked on her journey. There was no easy way for her, and the task ahead of her seemed almost impossible to accomplish under the circumstances. I admired Xingyin’s determination and her compassion—which were often tested—as she navigated a world filled with incredibly powerful immortals and the dangerous conflicts that arose between them.

The characters, by and large, were one of my favorite aspects about the story. I enjoyed reading about the hard-won bonds that Xingyin forged with the secondary characters, which heightened the impact—the gravity—of certain scenes. Tan did not hold back with the emotional punches, and I couldn’t help but hope everything would work out for my favorite characters. I was very invested in the story, and I couldn’t get to the end fast enough.

The setting was also really good. The places were detailed: plenty of intricate and vivid descriptions of food, dress, and history.

 
I had so much fun reading Daughter of the Moon Goddess. It’s the first of a duology, so I’m looking forward to the sequel.

About the author....

Sue Lynn Tan writes fantasy inspired by the myths and legends she fell in love with as a child. Born in Malaysia, she studied in London and France, before settling in Hong Kong with her family. Her love for stories began with a gift from her father, her first compilation of fairytales from around the world. After devouring every fable she could find in the library, she discovered fantasy books – spending much of her childhood lost in magical worlds. When not writing or reading, she enjoys exploring the hills and reservoirs of Hong Kong, the temples, beaches and narrow winding streets here. Her debut, Daughter of the Moon Goddess, will be published by Harper Voyager in early 2022, with a sequel to come. It is an enchanting fantasy of love and family, immortals and magic – inspired by the beloved Chinese legend of Chang’e flying to the moon upon taking the elixir of immortality.

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Disclaimer: this copy of the book was provided by the publisher (Harper Voyager) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, thank you! 

Review: Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake

Title: Entangled Life
Series: n/a
Author: Merlin Sheldrake
Source/Format: Purchased; Paperback
More Details: Nonfiction; Science
Publisher/Publication Date: Random House Trade; May 12, 2020

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

When we think of fungi, we likely think of mushrooms. But mushrooms are only fruiting bodies, analogous to apples on a tree. Most fungi live out of sight, yet make up a massively diverse kingdom of organisms that supports and sustains nearly all living systems. Fungi provide a key to understanding the planet on which we live, and the ways we think, feel, and behave. In Entangled Life, the brilliant young biologist Merlin Sheldrake shows us the world from a fungal point of view, providing an exhilarating change of perspective. Sheldrake's vivid exploration takes us from yeast to psychedelics, to the fungi that range for miles underground and are the largest organisms on the planet, to those that link plants together in complex networks known as the "Wood Wide Web," to those that infiltrate and manipulate insect bodies with devastating precision. Fungi throw our concepts of individuality and even intelligence into question. They are metabolic masters, earth makers, and key players in most of life's processes. They can change our minds, heal our bodies, and even help us remediate environmental disaster. By examining fungi on their own terms, Sheldrake reveals how these extraordinary organisms--and our relationships with them--are changing our understanding of how life works.

Toward the end of October, I needed to cleanse my palate before I dived into more fiction. So I picked up one of my recent purchases: Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake. It’s been on my TBR since last year, and I was excited to finally read it. I can officially say that I enjoyed this book. It was an excellent read that had a lot to say on the subject of fungi.

“Fungi are everywhere, but they are easy to miss.”—pg.3

I am not a big fungi enthusiast. I like Portobello mushrooms, and that’s about as far as it ever went. So Fungi aren’t a subject I’ve read too much about in the past. I was instantly intrigue by the idea of Entangled Life, especially after I read Peter Wohlleben’s The Heartbeat of Trees and was looking for something similarly nature science related. That book was a closer look at trees and forests. On the other hand, Entangled Life looked farther down the trunk of a tree, at the ecosystems right beneath our feet. What was revealed was an incredibly complex and interesting narrative that focused on what was taking place above and below ground. The book delved into how it was all connected, what fungi had to do with the development of the environment (based off what some studies had to say about it), and what role they could ultimately play in the future.

Entangled Life is one of the most fascinating books I’ve read this year. I’m glad to have a copy of this book on my shelf, because I know I’ll ultimately return to it again and (probably) again.

ARC Review: A Swift and Savage Tide by Chloe Neill

Title: A Swift and Savage Tide
Series: Captain Kit Brightling #2
Author: Chloe Neill
Source/Format: NetGalley; eARC
More Details: Fantasy
Publisher/Publication Date: Berkley; November 30, 2021

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

Chloe Neill's bold, seafaring heroine Captain Kit Brightling sets sail for high seas and high sorcery in this swashbuckling fantasy series.

Captain Kit Brightling is Aligned to the magic of the sea, which makes her an invaluable asset to the Saxon Isles and its monarch, Queen Charlotte. The Isles and its allies will need every advantage they can get: Gerard Rousseau, the former Gallic emperor and scourge of the Continent, has escaped his island prison to renew his quest for control of the Continent. Gerard has no qualms about using dangerous magic to support his ambitions, so Kit and the crew of her ship, the Diana, are the natural choice to find him—and help stop him. Sparks fly when Kit's path unexpectedly crosses with that of the dashing and handsome Rian Grant, Viscount Queenscliffe, who's working undercover on the Continent in his own efforts to stop Gerard. But he's not the only person Kit is surprised to see. An old enemy has arisen, and the power he'll wield on Gerard's behalf is beautiful and terrible. Sparks will fly and sails will flutter as Kit and crew are cast onto the seas of adventure to fight for queen and country.

It’s been just over a year since The Bright and Breaking Sea was released, and since then I have been eagerly awaiting the sequel. That book could be best described as having tottered on the brink of something. All the clues were there. Whereas its sequel, A Swift and Savage Tide, was an excellent story that saw the continuation (and result) of those very same clues and outstanding mysteries introduced in the first book. It was more than fitting as a sequel for a series that began with a lot of promise.

It was great to dive back into the world with Kit, her crew, and Grant. One of the main reasons for that was the dynamics between the characters being as great as it was. And I particularly enjoyed the way Neill chose to advance those relationships. Kit and her crew were tightknit, which was a highlight of the story. They were skilled at what they did, and their strong suits ultimately aided them in the difficult circumstances that surrounded the Diana’s latest missions.

And while the story had its fun and lighthearted moments, those were few. A Swift and Savage Tide had a serious tone to it, as the echoes of a greater conflict finally reached a boiling point where there was no way back. It was a fight on the land and the sea, between skill and magic. The stakes were sky high, and it made for an incredibly thrilling story.

The ending did pay off—and it was satisfying in some ways—but there was open-endedness to it. Everything was very-VERY far from over. There are so many possibilities that could be in store, and I will be over here waiting for the next book to (hopefully) be announced sometime soon.

 

About the author.....

Chloe Neill is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Captain Kit Brightling, Heirs of Chicagoland, Chicagoland Vampires, Devil’s Isle, and Dark Elite novels. She was born and raised in the South, but now makes her home in the Midwest, where she lives with her gamer husband and their bosses/dogs, Baxter and Scout. Chloe is a voracious reader and obsessive Maker of Things; the crafting rotation currently involves baking and quilting. She believes she is exceedingly witty; her husband has been known to disagree.

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Disclaimer: this copy of the book was provided by the publisher (Berkley) via Netgalley for this review, thank you!

Review: Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

Title: Piranesi 
Series: n/a
Author: Susanna Clarke
Source/Format: Purchased; Paperback
More Details: Fantasy
Publisher/Publication Date: Bloomsbury; September 15, 2020

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

Piranesi's house is no ordinary building: its rooms are infinite, its corridors endless, its walls are lined with thousands upon thousands of statues, each one different from all the others. Within the labyrinth of halls an ocean is imprisoned; waves thunder up staircases, rooms are flooded in an instant. But Piranesi is not afraid; he understands the tides as he understands the pattern of the labyrinth itself. He lives to explore the house. There is one other person in the house—a man called The Other, who visits Piranesi twice a week and asks for help with research into A Great and Secret Knowledge. But as Piranesi explores, evidence emerges of another person, and a terrible truth begins to unravel, revealing a world beyond the one Piranesi has always known.

I’ve always wanted to try reading a book by Susanna Clarke, and I settled on Piranesi. When I first heard about it, I was intrigued by its premise. And when I finally got my hands on a copy—it came out in paperback this year—I was more than excited to finally dive into it.

This book is hands down one of the best I’ve read this year. It could be a quiet tale at times, chronicling the character’s life as he lived in a place called the House. For such a short length though, it was a sprawling and intricate tale that meticulously captured and described the isolation of the situation and the setting, as well as the dependency that came about as the result of it.

For this post I’m going to call the character Piranesi, as he is often referred to in the story. “Piranesi lives in the House,” so says the back of the book. What this place is, it’s not apparent for a good chunk of the story. Yet, the mystery of its existence kept me more than entertained. And the answer to what it was, where it came from, and why it was there was quite a twist. The House was revealed to be a vast and magical place, with a whole ocean inside of it that had its own tide patterns. It was also empty except for Piranesi, birds, statues, and the mysterious Other. The story mainly deals with how the mystery of the House is unraveled, as well as what Piranesi’s role is.

I’ve stated a bunch of times on Our Thoughts Precisely that I enjoy a good house story that explores the place as well as the people who inhabit it or visit it. And the setting of the book takes place in a house that seemingly had no end. Since Piranesi is the narrator, we only get the events of the story and the descriptions of the House from his perspective. The story had its own uniqueness to it with the way Piranesi formed his own kind of language to cope with and explain the world he resided in. This was showed through Piranesi’s linguistic habits such as his a penchant for capitalized words, and his claims that other phrases and names had no correlation to what he knew.

Overall, Piranesi was fantastic.

Review: Dark Waters by Katherine Arden

Title: Dark Waters
Series: Small Spaces #3
Author: Katherine Arden
Source/Format: Purchased; Hardcover
More Details: Middle Grade; Fantasy
Publisher/Publication Date: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers; August 10, 2021

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

New York Times bestselling author Katherine Arden returns with another creepy, spine-tingling adventure in this follow-up to the critically acclaimed Small Spaces and Dead Voices.

Having met and outsmarted the smiling man in Dead Voices but fearful of when he'll come again, Ollie, Brian, and Coco are anxiously searching for a way to defeat him once and for all. By staying together and avoiding remote places, they've steered clear of him so far but their constant worry and stress is taking a toll on their lives and friendship. So when Ollie's dad and Coco's mom plan a "fun" boat trip on Lake Champlain, the three are apprehensive to say the least. They haven't had the best of luck on their recent trips and even worse their frenemy Phil is on the boat as well. But when a lake monster destroys their boat, they end up shipwrecked on a deserted island. This isn't just any island though. It's hidden from the outside world in a fog and unless everyone works together to find a way to escape, they won't survive long.

After rereading the first two books in the series, I was more than ready to dive into Dark Waters. It was one of my most anticipated releases of 2021, and it more than lives up to the hype.

Dark Waters felt much shorter than the previous books in the series, but it does a lot with the space it had.

It’s now spring in East Evansburg, and the trio—Ollie, Brian, and Coco—set out for a weekend on a boat. The weather was rainy but described as being sunny at points. It’s spring, unlike the brisk fall in Small Spaces and the isolation of the winter scenery of Dead Voices. So, it seemed to be the perfect setup for a fun time, but it quickly spiraled into another entertaining but firmly haunting adventure.

The characters, as always, are good. The friendship that I liked so much from Dead Voices seemed to be almost strained. There was trust, but there was also the addition of secrets. Ollie, for one thing, felt far more distant than before.

Dark Waters also takes a look at some of the other characters from the series that didn’t have a prominent role in Dead Voices. The Smiling Man remains devious and dangerous, and Dark Waters shined a light on the way the terrifying “games”—and the people who play them, willingly or not—have also impacted others. It was kind of like a ripple effect: toss a stone in a lake and see how far little waves go. The games are kind of like that, but the consequences have much higher costs.

That is to say: the story was good. The stakes have never been higher, and the ending was probably the biggest cliffhanger of the series by far. I won’t say anything more on it, but I need the next book.