When Schools Attack

 

A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik

My Rating: Five out of Five Stars.

My Review on Goodreads

Here I am, almost three years late writing this review. I just never got around to it, until now. Yeah, I was so sucked into this book. It's really dark. This is about kids who go to a school that is literally trying to kill them because they are magic-users. The goal is to get to Graduation Day, which you hope that you can survive. And they are much safer in the school than elsewhere. It's giving moreso The Hunger Games than Harry Potter.

The narrator is El, and she is extremely sarcastic and negative, ill-tempered/grumpy. However, she has great reason. She is avoided and/or disliked by the other students because a prophecy says she's going to be the Dark Lord (or Lady). But the reader doesn't ever have any reason to see her that way. And it made me think hard about how we prophecy over people in our society (I mean in a non-religious sense). We put people into categories and assume that they will be this or that. That's a huge burden for anyone to carry, so it makes sense that it has made El the way she is, despite her sweet, kind, loving mother.

If it sounds like I don't like her, I actually loved her. I appreciated her snark and her smarts, and the vulnerability she managed to hide from most people shone through (a great choice for Novik to write this in first person).

I tend to avoid a lot of YA because I don't like the tone for most of them, but I'm irresistibly drawn to boarding school stories, and I love fantasy, so this was very up my alley. I'm also a huge anglophile and this book feels very British. As a feverish watcher of British television shows, this was almost a comfort read. Having said that, it is very dark because kids are constantly dying in this book. It's terrible how vulnerable this kids are and there doesn't seem to be a huge push from adults to save them. In that sense it definitely reminds me of fare like The Hunger Games and Battle Royale. I think the humor and the pragmatic and deadpan voice of El makes this book a lot more comfortable than it should have been on paper.

**A note about one aspect that I can see as problematic about someone's hair making them at risk for being preyed upon by monsters. I don't think it was meant to be culturally insensitive, but I completely acknowledge why it caused offense. I think that it's super important for authors to think about those aspects and get people from those communities to read their books so that doesn't happen.

I like romance, but I agree it can take over a non-romance book very quickly. I liked how the chemistry between El and Orion was handled. I'm not going to lie. Orion gave me a big Draco Malfoy vibe.

Yeah, this was fun, enjoyable, unputdownable. I'm so glad I listened to the audiobook because it made this such an immersive experience. I still need to listen to the next books in the series. This is the third book by Naomi Novik that I've read and this is another five star read for me.

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Chilled to the Bone

 

Near the Bone by Christina Henry

My Rating: Three and 1/2 Stars out of Five Stars.

My Review on Goodreads

Do you need a book that will give you some chills while hiding indoors from the chills? You might like this book. I started out with the audiobook, but I had to return it, so I finished with the ebook. While audiobooks definitely allow for more multi-tasking, I didn't mind that I ended up reading the ebook, because I wasn't overly enamored with the audiobook narrator.

Overall, I liked this book. I really liked the lead character. She was a character I rooted for and felt deeply for. I love how she much she had survived and endured. Even though her husband forbid her reading, she was naturally intelligent, observant, and had some pretty awesome detective skills. Although she thought of herself and meek and weak, she was neither. I will say this book pissed me off because her husband is a piece of shite. There are some big triggers for domestic violence and abuse, so tread carefully.

If I'm being honest, I do feel like this book was a little bit under-developed. For me, it could have been longer and I desired much more development from the story and characters than I got. I appreciate how developed Mattie's characterization was and her evolution, but the other characters were a little thin. I knew enough about Mattie's husband to absolute hate his guts and wish for his doom, but the other characters who were introduced felt somewhat cardboardy. Perhaps CZ less so.

I have a lot of questions about the monster, but maybe that's how it's supposed to be. You don't always get all the answers. This book validates the fact that I am not a hiker and I do most of my exploring through books and tv. I will say that if I was longing for a good cold weather setting book, this would definitely fit the bill.

Henry excels at building up tension, but she short-circuits it towards the end because the payoff is less than desirable. However, I love the resolution for Mattie. I would appreciate a short story about her after this story and how things unfold as she manages to reclaim her life and identity away from her lower-than-pondscum husband.

I'd give this 3.5 stars because of Mattie, the cold weather vibes, and some of the chills and thrills.

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The Haunting is All of Us

 

How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix

My Rating: Five out of Five Stars

My Review on Goodreads

Honestly, this book took me through all the emotions. It was thoroughly entertaining, and also immersive. The family dynamics were spot on. While I get along very well with my sister, I can see the authenticity of the character work and the portrayal of family dynamics in my family at large. Even though my sister and I are really close, the damage that our family did on our psyches is something we have to intentionally work at to not allow it to impact our relationship.

What I really liked is how my sympathies and annoyance shifted back and forth between Louise and Mark. They alternated between being terrible siblings, but in a very human way. This book is a horror novel about family dysfunction and family secrets that were not every resolved and were allowed to fester to create literal monsters.

I am not a fan of puppets, ventriloquist-type dummies, or those porcelain dolls. They are too lifelike in a sinister way. Having said that, yes I enjoy Jim Henson and the Muppet Show-type puppets. But Grandy Hendrix brought out the sinister in them for me. This was compelling stuff. Hendrix did such an amazing job in peeling away layers and revealing how deep things really go. There are some really great humorous moments, but also some incredibly horrific aspects.

I am grieving right now, and this book was both triggering and therapeutic for me. I know exactly how Louise and Mark feel in many ways. It's like you love your parents and you are aware they are flawed, but their status as your parents puts them in this insulated category that makes it difficult for you to see and process who they are clearly, and you are both hard on them but also automatically extend them grace in a way you don't for other people. You may have issues with them, but you had to let go of that because all you want is for them to still be here with you in all their imperfections. Even when you have to pick up the pieces of the messes that they left behind, and you still carry the family baggage. This was described so beautifully.

If you are looking for a straightforward haunted house story, this book will challenge that assumption. While I loved haunted house stories, I was so gratified at how this diverts, subverts and dives deep below that genre designation.

There is so much I can say, but not without spoilers, so I'll leave it at this.

I have to give this five stars because it was a consuming read. The annoyances I felt were meant to be felt as it delves into the frustrations of human relationships due to the flaws we all have as people. It wasn't a fault in the writing, but it was authentic in showing human faults. I love how it looks a generational trauma and how that almost rewires your brain and has some kind of cursed power over the ways that people behavior as they become adults. While, depending on where you land in believing on ghosts, spirits, and supernatural entities, these can function both as metaphors and authentic haunting phenomena.

I think Grady Hendrix can really write. He writes something very meaningful in the package of entertainment. I can't help but appreciate that about his work with this as the other book I read by him, The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires.

I'm glad this was my first finished read of 2024. It set me year off to a very satisfying start.

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Where's the Magic?

 

The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy

My Rating: Three and a Half out of Five Stars.

My Review on Goodreads

Marya Lupu is a young girl growing up in her brother's shadow. In her society, girls and women have limited prospects because they are considered susceptible to being tainted by magic. While boys can grow up to be sorcerers who protect their country, girls have to have their magic suppressed. Her brother has been nurtured by her family because he has the potential to become a great sorcerer, which will make their fortune as a family. In contrast, Marya can't seem to do anything right, deemed a failure by her mother and ignored by her father. Marya and Luka don't get along at all due to the way their family has set up this competition by default.

Things come to a head, and when Luka's big day fails due to a variety of circumstances, Marya is blamed and shipped off to a boarding school for "troubled girls." At the school, Marya forms a bond with the girls in her incoming class, and uncovers a conspiracy that has wide-reaching circumstances.

I appreciate Anne Ursu as a writer and I have enjoyed all the books I've read by her. Each book is different and something very important to say about the childhood experience, with important themes and lessons. Out of the ones I've read, I had the hardest time getting into this book. I just couldn't figure out where Ursu was going with this book. Having said that, it was worth sticking it out. Ultimately, I think this story is more about the themes and the message than the actual plot. Basically it's about sexism, misogyny, and how the toxicity inherent in patriarchal systems does a lot of damage to societies. It's a deeper kind of concept, and I feel like maybe there needed to be a little more magic to go along with it, considering this is about a world/place where magic is a real thing. I say that because I kept questioning if magic was in fact real, and the threat was real or if it was political theater. And if this was just political theater, I felt like the target audience was probably too young for that kind of story. Also I felt like there was a bit more telling than showing, and showing really makes the difference in how a story that is higher concept balances the plotline with the underlying ideas.

This book had me thinking about how gendered the term witch was. Maybe that's why I don't like it. I think I prefer for there to be a gender neutral term for people who can use magic.

Another issue I had was the characterization of Marya. Was she socially awkward? Was she high functioning autistic? I wasn't quite sure. A repeating concept was that she had words stuck inside of her that she couldn't get out, and also she was emotionally traumatized at how her mother treated her. I feel like that needed to be dealt with more.

I always have to consider the fact that I am a grown woman reading middle grade fiction, and what I perceive about the story is different from what a younger read would. Having said that, I think that a younger reader might be a little bored with this story. I feel like if it's a story about magic, give us magic. If it's not about magic, but the way that people in power manipulate their citizens with theater, then that should be well conveyed as well.

I did like the resolution of Marya's relationship with Luka. They realized that the bond of siblings was being harmed by the toxic sexism in their society and were able to move forward by acknowledging that they didn't have to be enemies. That's probably my favorite part of this book. Although I also enjoyed Marya's turn as an amateur sleuth. Yeah I'd read more stories with her sleuthing. But please develop the magic more.

Overall rating: 3.5/5.0 stars

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A Heart of Blood and Ashes (A Gathering of Dragons) by Milla Vane

My Rating: Four out of Five Stars

My Review on Goodreads

I started this one on audiobook a long time ago and it had to go back to the library before I was very far into it. But I was intrigued enough to buy a copy on Audible. I have been listening to this at night, which is not something that I'd advise. I would fall asleep and have to rewind it multiple times. I think I fell asleep on the same scene at least twice and had to rewind it. However, sometimes I do this when it takes a while for my brain to unwind. This alone is is why it took so long to finish. I was very torn about the rating and I'll discuss why.

Do you ever read a book where you instantly fall for one of the characters, but are rather 'meh' about the other? That was me with this book, I loved Yvenne. I love me a tormented heroine. I love when the heroine is vulnerable and unsure, but has a core of strength and has to gain confidence in herself. I was fully onboard for Yvenne and watching her evolution. I honestly didn't think that Maddek deserved her. By the end of the book I was a little more okay with him, and I loved how he proved himself at the end. But he put Yvenne through a lot of crap along the way.

While some aspects of the worldbuilding were not super clear, I did appreciate the uniqueness of the setting and the overall backstory. Honestly, I would have loved more of the dark fantasy aspects, but I get this was a romance book, so that had to take a back seat to the romance story. At times, that was what kept me reading. I was not always feeling the romance, so the fantasy aspect captured me. I loved how Yvenne was goddess touched and the goddess saw through her eyes. Her eyes were a very unique moonstone/silver blue color. Loved that. It seems like reptiles fill a lot of the ecological niches and that was weird in a good way. Would I want to eat some of the meat they ate? Nope! I liked the concept of the way Marrek's society/tribe worked. They felt kind of a like a semi-nomadic kind of group. I did get some Khal Drogo Dothraki vibes, and I'm okay with that. I liked their warrior culture. What I didn't like was how crappy he treated Yvenne. I realize that he was grieving and was angry and was looking for someone to blame, but I think it was pretty clear early on that Yvenne was a good person wasn't responsible for his parents' betrayal. But he just wanted revenge and that's all he saw.

I like a sexy bargain, I won't lie. I liked how Yvenne used what she had available to make a deal with Marrek. She knew he hated her, but he hated their mutual enemy more. I can see why he fell for her, but I don't see why she fell in love with him. Sorry, but I just didn't buy it. He was too mean and the safety he offered was negligible, only slightly better than what she faced with her father and brothers. However, she was in between a rock and a hard place. Having said that, it had kind of a Harlequin Presents (mean hero, sweet heroine) vibe in a fantasy setting that I was intrigued by.

I know it's a me thing but it was too focused on the eroticism for me. I know a lot of it is because I haven't been in such a romance novel kind of mood lately. I found myself getting pulled out of the story when the love scenes happened. Maybe because it seemed more like hate sex on Marrek's part. I liked how Yvenne told Marrek exactly what he needed to hear. He needed that "come to Jesus moment," although he still needed to pull his head out of somewhere. I loved the other members of his Dragon (which is his band of warriors). I grew to appreciate each and every one of them. I loved that they saw Yvenne more clearly than dumbo Marrek did.

The audiobook narrator was very good. They got me very engrossed into the storyline and I feel like they nailed the voices. She captured the fantastical moments and the action really well.

This is one of those books where the conclusion saves the book. I was thinking this would be a three star, but the ending bumped up the rating for me. I can do without a lot of the sex scenes, which were high on the erotica scale but it felt kind of excessive to me (ymmv), but I was intrigued by the story and I want to read future books in the series.

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 Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars.

My Review on Goodreads

For a fan of all things winter, this book was tailor made for me. Also, it's such a clever retelling of "Rumpelstiltskin", but so much more. It's a story about the difficult situations and the impactful decisions that women face for survival of themselves and those they love. The points of view of three different young women are explored: Miryem, the daughter of a Jewish moneylender, Irina, a duke's daughter, and Wanda, a local (the term peasant would be used) girl who becomes the servant for Miryem's family. Each character is a woman who has to make tough decisions due as a result of how her status in a man's world is viewed. They are placed into situations that are restrictive, if not outright harrowing because of their parents and how society deems them incapable of having autonomy or authority. This is the heart of the narrative, but it's intertwined into a familiar fairy tale mixed with folklore.

Everyone knows "Rumplestiltskin", but this novel takes this story to another level by weaving in Faerie and Slavic folklore into a historical fiction narrative, making for a spellbinding read.

The imagery is so gorgeous as a fan of winter. I felt like I was there in the deep cold of winter, and the artist in me was spellbound by the visuals of sparkling ice and shining silver. I see so many shades of blue here, from ice, almost white to deepest blue in my mind as I remember the imagery from this book. Novik develops the atmosphere so flawlessly, and makes winter its own character. Along with the distinctive character of winter, there are other creatures of myth and folklore, such as a dark creature who lives in the skin of a powerful man, and a Faerie king. The three women have to use their intellect and determination to navigate through nearly impossible situations, facing patriarchal societies and traditions, but discovering their own strengths and saving themselves and their people.

Well-plotted and engrossing, I absolutely fell deep into this world and didn't want to emerge. While this is fantasy, it feels as much like historical fiction (Russian setting when the Tsars still ruled, although not explicitly stated), but also has some lovely gothic fairy tale aesthetics. There are also moments that are quite scary. Yes, there is some romance here, and I ate it up. I loved how all the pieces come together for a very satisfying ending.

If you want to read a book with some very luxurious (is that the right word?) winter vibes, pick this one up.

*Writing this review now where we are having a very dry winter in Minnesota, I feel very jealous. I want my snow!

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Great Classic Haunting: Six Unabridged Stories

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars.

My Review on Goodreads

I decided to listen to this in October because I love classic ghost stories, and I wanted to re(read) The Fall of the House of Usher and Other Tales before I watch the Netflix show, and that story is included. This is free with the Audible membership, FYI. All but two are rereads for me, although I didn't realize it until I listened to a couple of the stories. I'll list my thoughts on each story:

"A Watcher by the Dead" by Ambrose Bierce

Another reread that I am ambivalent about. I do like some of Bierce's work. However, this is more about dark human nature and that fundamental evil. Not so much about supernatural evil, but couched in a story about a "haunting." 3 stars.

"The Body-Snatchers" by Robert Louis Stevenson

I think this is my third time reading this story. I am impressed at how easy RL Stevenson's prose is to digest for a modern reader. I think he's kind of an underrated author. This story seethes with dread and unease. It's as much about guilt as it is a supernatural tale. Sadly, some people are incapable of guilt and empathy, whereas others are often irrevocably damaged by their abundance of both. Although bodysnatching isn't really a concept nowadays, the atrocities that are still being committed on humans by other humans (and how we blithely go on with our lives despite this) is always going to be timely. 4 stars

"Adventure of the German Student" by Washington Irving

I really enjoy this story. This was probably my third time reading it as well. It's short but very effective. The descriptions are great, and Irving builds atmosphere beautifully. I feel like you know where this is going, but you still enjoy the journey. It reminds me of the story with the lady who wears a ribbon around her neck, for gruesome reasons. If you know, you know. I feel like the moody, sensitive hero always on the edge of a mental breakdown was its own genre in classic horror. 4 stars

"Dickon the Devil" by J. Sheridan Le Fanu

I thought this one was just okay. It didn't do much for me, honestly. I can't recall if I've read thsi before or not. Maybe it just didn't make that much of an impression on me, this time or the other time I read it. 2.5 stars

"The Fall of the House of Usher" by Edgar Allan Poe

I am definitely a big fan of EA Poe, but maybe I wasn't in the mood for this one at this particular time. It seemed really melodramatic and over-the-top. Yes, I know EA Poe predated Lovecraft and I much prefer Poe, but I was getting Lovecraft vibes when I was listening to this. I have to say, I love what T. Kingfisher did with this story in What Moves the Dead, and not that's my preferred version. This was has some good tension and it's certainly suspenseful and creepy, but too overdramatic for me (in my present mood anyway). 3 stars

"The Open Window" by Saki

This was so fun. Instead of being a serious story, this is humor. It's very short and quite cheeky. I do love the buildup and the conclusion was the perfect way to end this collection of stories. 3.5 stars


The narrator was Geraint Wyn Davies, who played Nick Night on the "Forever Knight" show. He has a great voice and a facility for accents. Overall this was a pretty good listen.

Overall rating: 3.5/5.0 stars

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