Quarterly Recap: April-June

Well, hello. How is everyone doing today? It’s officially July, which means its summer. It has been really hot where I live lately, and I can’t help but wish it was already fall—when it will hopefully cool down a little. It’s also already time for April, May, and June’s quarterly recap. 

April Reviews:

• The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
• The Case Study of Vanitas vol. #7 by Jun Mochizuki

May Reviews:

• Jelly by Clare Rees
• The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien
• Aristocracy by William Doyle 

June Reviews:

• She Memes Well by Quinta Brunson 
• The Album of Dr. Moreau by Daryl Gregory 
• The Heartbeat of Trees by Peter Wohlleben, translated by Jane Billinghurst
• The Return of the Sorceress by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

April Other Posts:

• Upcoming Music I'm Waiting For (2021)
• I Listened to 1/f by Laura Mvula
• Quarterly Recap: January-March

May Other Posts:

• Short Stories I Read in March & April 
• I Listened to The Bitter Truth by Evanescence 

June Other Posts:

• I Listened to Scaled And Icy by Twenty One Pilots
• Short Stories I Read in May
• I Listened to 2000AND4EVA by Bree Runway 

Looking ahead, I don’t have any definite plans. Instead, I want to mention some upcoming reviews. The first is What Lives in the Woods, a spooky middle grade novel coming out in September. Next, my review for You Can Never Tell—an exciting domestic thriller and mystery—will be out sometime in august. This month, I’ll have reviews for Six Crimson Cranes (a retelling of one of my favorite fairy tales), and for The Brilliant Abyss, which is one of my favorite nonfiction reads so far this year.

ARC Review: The Return of the Sorceress by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Title: The Return of the Sorceress
Series: n/a
Author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Source/Format: Netgalley; eARC
More Details: Fantasy
Publisher/Publication Date: Subterranean Press; June 30, 2021

Goodreads     Subterranean Press 

Synopsis from Goodreads...

From the bestselling author of Mexican Gothic comes a magical journey of revenge and redemption.

Yalxi, the deposed Supreme Mistress of the Guild of Sorcerers, is on a desperate mission. Her lover and confidant seized her throne and stole the precious diamond heart, the jewel that is the engine of her power. Yalxi sets out to regain her magic and find a weapon capable of destroying the usurper. But this will mean turning to unlikely allies and opening herself up to unpleasant memories that have been suppressed for many years. For Yalxi is no great hero, but a cunning sorceress who once forged her path in blood – and must reckon with the consequences. Set in a fantastical land where jewels and blood provide symbiotic magical powers to their wearers, The Return of the Sorceress evokes the energy of classic sword and sorcery, while building a thoroughly fresh and exciting adventure ripe for our era.

The Return of the Sorceress is the third book I’ve read by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and wow, this was an excellent story. It was sword and sorcery fantasy at its finest. And despite its short length, the world was rich with detail and accompanied by a magic system with an interesting set of rules.

The story starts right in the thick of the action. As the summary states, Yalxi has been deposed from her position and was betrayed, hurt, and on the run. Yalxi’s character was written vividly with her anger and bitterness on full display. It fueled her. It sounds like a revenge story in the making, but it was far more complicated than that. The Return of the Sorceress was about Yalxi and the decision she would ultimately make. She had to face the hard truths about herself and the past that shaped who she was in the present: a person who had grasped power and left behind friend, lover, and old companions alike. As was shown, remembering might have been a burden but forgetting left sorrow and many other emotions only without the proper context.

I also liked some of the secondary characters, particularly the nahual. There were many great conversations happening on that end of the story.

The Return of the Sorceress was a gorgeously rendered tale about revenge and broken promises. My only gripe was that I want more stories with these characters or within this world. However, on the other hand, the ending was a satisfying conclusion for this group of characters. And I can’t recommend it enough. 

About the author....

Silvia Moreno-Garcia is the bestselling author of the novels Mexican Gothic, Gods of Jade and Shadow, Certain Dark Things, Untamed Shore, and a bunch of other books. She has also edited several anthologies, including the World Fantasy Award-winning She Walks in Shadows (a.k.a. Cthulhu’s Daughters).

Twitter     Goodreads     Website    Instagram

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

Shot Stories I Read In May

It’s the twenty-ninth of June, so it’s time to talk about the short stories, miscellaneous posts, and podcast episodes I read or listened to in May.

Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory by Martha Wells (Tor.com, April 19, 2021)

Toward the end of April, there were two short stories I wanted to read but never got around to. The first of them was a story by Martha Wells set in the Murderbot Diaries universe—and taking place just after the fourth novella—called Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory. The perspective of the story is from Dr. Mensah’s POV, and it was great to get into the mind of a different character from this series—especially one who is one of my favorites. This story primarily dealt with the emotional toll on Mensah from the events of the story, as well as questions surrounding SecUnit’s continued presence on Preservation Aux. This story is just excellent. And given that this takes place well into the series, there are spoilers for the first four novellas.

The Angel of Khan el-Khalili by P. Djèlí Clark (Tor.com, April 28, 2021)

The second short story I mentioned above dropped right at the end of April, on the twenty-eighth. P. Djèlí Clark’s, The Angel of Kahn el-Khalili, is set in the same world as the Master of Djinn, and wow this was a fantastic story. There were descriptors that hearken back to the author’s previous works in this world such as The Haunting of Tram Car 015—one of my favorite reads from last year. In the Angel of Khan el-Khalili, there are two sisters, one is going to ask for a favor—a miracle instead of a wish—and the other who we’re told is dying isn’t actually seen except for in exposition. Stories that deal with wishes (or feats that are kind of like them) can go either way, good or bad, and the price for it can be anything. I liked Clark’s interpretation of this. From the first sentence to the last, P. Djèlí Clark created an engrossing story that was steeped in magic and history against the backdrop of a richly detailed and steampunk-esque setting.

From around the web…

• So Much Story, So Little Page Count: Andre Norton’s Dare to Go A-Hunting (Judith Tarr; Tor.com, May 10, 2021)
• Fangirl Happy House Episode #134—The Eternal Discourse
• How to Pay Attention: Susanna Clarke’s Piranesi (Leah Schnelbach; Tor.com, May 12, 2021)
• A Love Letter to Libraries (E. Lily Yu; Uncanny Magazine)
• Understanding Horses: Living in the World (Judith Tarr; Tor.com, May 17, 2021)

Music Monday (162): Zella Day, H.E.R., Nova Twins

 Rules:

• Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE 

Breana: Zella Day released a new song, and no one told me about it. I didn't even get a recommendation for it (Spotify, you've failed me). Anyway, I like Dance For Love. 

 

I've also been listening to some of H.E.R.'s new music. One of my favorite songs so far is called We Made It, which comes from H.E.R.'s debut studio album, Back Of My Mind (2021).

 

Adri: This week I 'm listening to Play Fair and Athena by Nova Twins. I found them some time ago through a comment section. And they recently released their debut album, Who Are the Girls?. All I have to say is that I love their music soooo much.

What are you listening to this week?

I Listened to 2000AND4EVA by Bree Runway

There has been a trend in music lately where some familiar sounds from the eighties, nineties, and early two thousands are being revisited. Yet not just revisited, but also given a fresh spin. You can find it with Future Nostalgia by Dua Lipa, and Laura Mvula’s latest singles to name a few. One mixtape that I’ve been listening to that also follows that trend is Bree Runway’s 2020 album: 2000AND4EVA. As the name of it suggests, this mixtape is peak early two thousands energy, and I love it.

Bree Runway has a track record of always delivering catchy hits like What Do I Tell My Friends, Big Racks featuring Brook Candy, 2ON, and All Night. 2000AND4EVA follows in those footsteps. With nine songs, the mixtape takes a twenty-one minute drive through music from the last decade. Yet it doesn’t feel stale. Bree Runway’s vocals are great here, and I enjoyed the full track list. The theme of the mixtape came through strongest in songs like Damn Daniel featuring Yung Baby Tate, both versions of LITLLE NOKIA, Rolls Royce, and ATM featuring Missy Elliott.

My overall impression of 2000AND4EVA is a positive one. It’s a strong collection of music from Bree Runway, and if you’ve liked music from this artist before then you won’t be disappointed with this one.