The Friday 56 (204) & Book Beginnings: Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

Book Beginnings is a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader that asks you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you're reading.

Synopsis from Goodreads...

Shiori, the only princess of Kiata, has a secret. Forbidden magic runs through her veins. Normally she conceals it well, but on the morning of her betrothal ceremony, Shiori loses control. At first, her mistake seems like a stroke of luck, forestalling the wedding she never wanted, but it also catches the attention of Raikama, her stepmother. Raikama has dark magic of her own, and she banishes the young princess, turning her brothers into cranes, and warning Shiori that she must speak of it to no one: for with every word that escapes her lips, one of her brothers will die. Penniless, voiceless, and alone, Shiori searches for her brothers, and, on her journey, uncovers a conspiracy to overtake the throne—a conspiracy more twisted and deceitful, more cunning and complex, than even Raikama's betrayal. Only Shiori can set the kingdom to rights, but to do so she must place her trust in the very boy she fought so hard not to marry. And she must embrace the magic she's been taught all her life to contain—no matter what it costs her.

Beginning: "The bottom of the lake tasted like mud, salt, and regret."

56: "Nervously, I placed the scraps of paper on my lap, four in total." 

Comments: Last month, I read and reviewed Elizabeth Lim's Six Crimson Cranes. So far, it's one of my favorite reads of 2021. While I originally planned to do a 56 for it in July, my preorder from Mysterious Galaxy didn't arrive until recently. The wait was worth it, because the preorder goodies are really gorgeous (the picture is on my Instagram page HERE). What are you reading this week? 

ARC Review: Velvet Was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Title: Velvet Was the Night
Series: n/a
Author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Source/Format: Netgalley; eARC
More Details: Historical Fiction; Noir
Publisher/Publication Date: Del Rey; August 17, 2021

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

From the New York Times bestselling author of Mexican Gothic comes a “delicious, twisted treat for lovers of noir” about a daydreaming secretary, a lonesome enforcer, and the mystery of a missing woman they’re both desperate to find.

1970s, Mexico City. Maite is a secretary who lives for one thing: the latest issue of Secret Romance. While student protests and political unrest consume the city, Maite escapes into stories of passion and danger. Her next-door neighbor, Leonora, a beautiful art student, seems to live a life of intrigue and romance that Maite envies. When Leonora disappears under suspicious circumstances, Maite finds herself searching for the missing woman—and journeying deeper into Leonora’s secret life of student radicals and dissidents. Meanwhile, someone else is also looking for Leonora at the behest of his boss, a shadowy figure who commands goon squads dedicated to squashing political activists. Elvis is an eccentric criminal who longs to escape his own life: He loathes violence and loves old movies and rock ’n’ roll. But as Elvis searches for the missing woman, he comes to observe Maite from a distance—and grows more and more obsessed with this woman who shares his love of music and the unspoken loneliness of his heart. Now as Maite and Elvis come closer to discovering the truth behind Leonora’s disappearance, they can no longer escape the danger that threatens to consume their lives, with hitmen, government agents, and Russian spies all aiming to protect Leonora’s secrets—at gunpoint. Velvet Was the Night is an edgy, simmering historical novel for lovers of smoky noirs and anti-heroes.

Velvet Was the Night is the fourth book I’ve read by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. And, even though it was outside the box of the fantasy and gothic tales I’ve read and enjoyed in the past (think Gods of Jade and Shadow, The Return of the Sorceress, and Mexican Gothic), I’ve always been curious about Moreno-Garcia’s mysteries. Velvet was the Night was an incredibly engrossing story set against the backdrop of a historical setting and atmosphere that was built on true and fictional details about 1970’s Mexico (the author talks more about this in the afterword).

I’m impressed by how easily Moreno-Garcia pivots between fantasy, gothic, and noir. Because Velvet Was the Night is definitely a noir story, a mystery, but it had a focus on an urban setting, a slower pace, and a darker grittier tone.

The story is told from two perspectives: Maite and Elvis. Elvis was involved in the clandestine side of the story, related to the major crimes that much of the story revolved around. He was rough around the edges, but overall I liked how Moreno-Garcia wrote him. Maite is a character of habit. She was definitely lonely—and her family didn’t help with those feelings of isolation—and so her daily life, her entire week actually, was dictated by the habits she found familiar and comfortable (mainly her job and her collection of books and music). Like all the characters in Velvet Was the Night, Maite was someone who was disillusioned but also had a habit or got involved with people/situations that could mean trouble for her if ever discovered. She was somewhat naive in a setting with secondary characters that didn’t really allow for it. It was interesting to see how their stories would eventually overlap as the story played out.

I don’t read noir too often, but I had to dip my toes back into that water for this one. It was worth it, because Velvet Was the Night was so good. I almost wish there was a sequel, but after sitting with it for a while, I think the story’s conclusion was perfect for it. 

About the author....

Silvia Moreno-Garcia is the author of the novels Velvet Was the Night, Mexican Gothic, Gods of Jade and Shadow, 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).

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

Music Monday (168): Tierra Whack & Eurythmics

 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: I really like Tierra Whack's most recent song. It's called Walk The Beat.

Andrea: Hi all! This week I'm listening to Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) by the Eurythmics. Have an amazing week!

What are you listening to this week?

I Listened to Last Year Was Weird vol. 3 by Tkay Maidza

 

At long last, Last Year Was Weird vol. 3 is finally here. This was another one of my most anticipated music releases of 2021, and Tkay Maidza’s third foray into the Last Year Was Weird mixtape series didn’t disappoint.

Besides the singles (Syrup, Cashmere, and Kim featuring Yung Baby Tate), some of top favorites from the mixtape were also Eden, So Cold, High Beams, and Breathe. The only two features (with Yung Baby Tate and UMI) here, were great, and their sections of the songs (Kim and Onto Me respectively) flowed well with Tkay Maidza’s voice.

When I look at the three releases all together, Last Year Was Weird vol. 3 was another strong release with the same high quality as the first two installments. The sound composition and Maidza’s overall delivery of the lyrics on the eight tracks, speaks to a clear artistic vision that blended a host of genres to create some truly memorable tracks.

Footnote: The Guardian actually has a great write up about Last Year Was Weird (HERE), which explained how the idea came about. I highly recommend giving that a read.

ARC Review: You Can Never Tell by Sarah Warburton

Title: You Can Never Tell
Series: n/a
Author: Sarah Warburton
Source/Format: Netgalley; eARC
More Details: Fiction; Mystery; Thriller
Publisher/Publication Date: Crooked Lane Books; August 10, 2021

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

Perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty and Joshilyn Jackson, Sarah Warburton's chilling thriller, inspired by the Moors Murders, explores the twisted side of suburbia. 

Framed for embezzlement by her best friend Aimee, museum curator Kacy Tremain and her husband Michael move from New Jersey to a charming Texas suburb to escape their past. Kacy quickly makes new friends--preppy, inscrutable Elizabeth, chatty yet evasive Rahmia, and red-headed, unapologetic Lena. But good friends aren't always what they seem. As she navigates the unexpectedly cutthroat social scene of her new town, Kacy begins to receive taunting postcards--and worse, discovers cameras hidden in the wall of her home. Lena and her husband, Brady, reassure her that the cameras are just relics of the paranoid previous homeowner . Once the cameras are removed and Kacy's fears are quelled, Kacy and Michael make the happy discovery that they are going to be new parents. Months after the birth of their daughter, Michael accidentally makes a shocking discovery about Brady's past. And when Lena suddenly goes missing, Kacy and Michael begin to uncover the truth about their neighbors--and it's more terrible than anyone could have imagined. Interlaced with transcripts of a chilling true crime podcast that follow the tangled threads of the drama, You Can Never Tell is a taut and complex psychological thriller that never lets up until its breathless conclusion.

You Can Never Tell is the first book I’ve picked up by Sarah Warburton. The summary says a lot about the story, but overall the novel delivered on everything it promised it would be. You Can Never Tell is the kind of domestic, suburban thriller that’s right up my alley. 

In the beginning, Kacy still yearned for the life she’d had while working at the museum and living in New Jersey, and that could have been an interesting story in itself. Yet the focus of this book is on what happened afterwards. As the story went along, her priorities changed, and she stopped wondering about the “what ifs” and started living the life she had managed to build. Therapy was a part of her story. I also liked the roles of the supporting characters, as well as Kacy’s relationship with her husband, Michael.

A highlight of You Can Never Tell was the crime podcast transcripts included between chapters. The commentary of the hosts provided a different perspective on the events of the story outside of Kacy’s narration.

The story, in general, was a good one. And, even though you know who the killers are—because it’s very clear early on—it’s not a secret nor is it the sole driving force that kept me turning the pages of You Can Never Tell. Instead, what drives the story are the questions of “how did we get here,” “why,” and “how will it end.” That was the mystery and the suspense all at once, and Warburton did an excellent job on building a sense of dread and foreboding surrounding the events that happened to Kacy and her family—both before and during the present time in the story. It all spiraled into a satisfying conclusion.

About the author....

Sarah D. Warburton lives in the mountains of Southwest Virginia. For ten years she was the lead writer for the monthly magazine UpClose. She has studied writing with Pam Houston at the Taos Writers Workshop and with Justin Cronin in Houston. Her work has appeared in the Southern Arts Journal, Women on Writing, Embark Literary Magazine, and Oyster River Pages. You can find her on Instagram as @sarahwarbutonauthor. She is represented by Melissa Jeglinski of the Knight Literary Agency. Her first novel, ONCE TWO SISTERS, was a Publishers Weekly pick of the week, a Crimereads recommended debut, and a PopSugar featured title. Her second novel, YOU CAN NEVER TELL, will be published August 2021 by Crooked Lane Books.

Goodreads     Website     Instagram     Twitter

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