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!

Check out my profile on Goodreads!

 

Uprooted by Naomi Novik

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars.

My Review on Goodreads

This was my first book by Naomi Novik. And wow. It reads like a dark fairy tale with all the horrific violence and subject matter to be expected. But there's also a romance at its center. So much happens in this book, I was glad I listened to the audiobook, because it brought it to life for me. I feel like this book definitely skews towards a horror novel in many ways. Novik goes hard into the horror imagery, in my opinion. I have a fear of contagion and this book triggered me. Also, I've never been afraid of trees until this book.

I am a sucker for an underdog hero. I loved Agnieszka. She was very determined and quite fearless in the face of some really scary circumstances. I also loved the Dragon. I'm always drawn to a grumpy hero who falls hard. I appreciated the romance very much. He reminded me of an Anne Stuart hero. Iykyk. I also liked how Agnieszka has something to teach the Dragon as much as he has to teach her.

The narrator was really good. I loved their accent so much. It's been a minute since I read this, but I think want to re-listen even though it was scary and disturbing in parts. This would make a good animated film because I think it would be a bit too bloody in parts for me to comfortably watch a live action, and I wouldn't want it to be cut (those parts are important to the narrative). I think it'd love this as an animated movie.

I think this is a perfect read for lovers of dark fairy tales veering into horror with romance. But beware. Some of the imagery and scenes are pretty disturbing, and you will never look at trees the same way again.

*I wish I had written my review sooner, because I don't think it's doing this book justice.*

Check out my profile on Goodreads!

There Was Once a Girl Who Became An Evil Queen...

 

The Evil Queen by Gena Showalter

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars.

My Review on Goodreads

This was an epic read. I believe this is some of Gena Showalter's best writing. I don't look down on young adult books. I just want to preface what I'm about to write by saying that. However, I feel that while there is a bit of a YA tone to the story and it's about young adults, the emotional beats and complexity of the story speak to a mature story with a very epic scope.

I have a bee in my bonnet about the movie Frozen. I think it was poorly written and has some very implausible aspects. I feel that this novel represents the potential that Frozen has. It's a villainess origin story, but it's much more than that. It's about a villainness who was never the villain, but has been cast into a roll by circumstances beyond her control.

Readers who love fairy tales and their retellings should really enjoy this book. It gives so much depth to the characters that are cast in the negative light in those tried and true tales.

Everly is such a good character. She is very layered and complex. She never comes off as evil, and in fact, my heart hurts for her because of the terrible way she's treated by others. There were points in the novel I really wanted her to go nuclear. I wanted her to make those who tormented her suffer. My heart absolutely shattered for her as she suffers loss after loss. It's completely awful what they do to her. After everything, she's the one you want to win. There's only one other person in this book that I truly valued on the same level as her, and I cannot talk about that right now. Everly was such a standout character, the others faded in comparison. I wasn't feeling her love interest at all. Through Everly's gaze, he's super hot and studly, but I hated some of the things he did to Everly. As a result, I didn't care about the romance. I just loved Everly. Of course, I want her to be happy and if that's with her love interest, great.

The worldbuilding was quite interesting. Honestly, I feel like the names of the different kingdoms were a bit silly, but it's forgivable. That aside, the different creatures/beings/species were really cool.

I listened to the audiobook and let me tell you, there were moments where this woman was too stunned to speak. This became one of those audiobooks that I couldn't turn off. I love that feeling, especially recently, when it's harder for a book to hold my interest. The narrator was really good. I appreciate when the narrator is able to capture both masculine and feminine voices in a believable fashion.

I've been a fan of Gena Showalter going on twenty years. I love her books. Like any other author, she has her high points and low points. For me, this book is one of her highest points. She put Everly through so much, but it was such a journey, and I was deeply invested the whole time. She wrote the hell out of this book. Even with the things I didn't care as much for with this story, none that takes away from the experience enough that I can't give it a richly deserved five stars. I don't know how the other books in this series will measure up.

Check Out My Profile on Goodreads!

Once Upon a Time

 

Nettle and Bone by T. Kingfisher

My Rating: Five out of Five Stars

My Review on Goodreads

This is my first book by T. Kingfisher and it won't be my last.

I love fairy tales and fairy tale retellings. I also love stories that reference fairy tales and seem to exist in that world where the logic and the happenings of fairy tales are real and exist. This book falls in that arena. While there are aspects that are very familiar from different stories I've read from the myriad of fairy tale collections I've gotten my grubby hands on, this book feels unique and distinctive.

I listened to the audiobook and I'm glad I did. The narrator is excellent. It starts out very dark and grim, and it's one of those books that you have a knot in your stomach when you read it. Then there is a shift where the humor becomes more apparent. Now, some may find such a shift in tone jarring. There are books where I have felt exactly that way, but with this book, I found it very welcoming. I think in a way, it reflects Mara's mindset. She goes from a place of unending worry and despair to a situation where hope is just there within arms reach. She goes from feeling lonely and helpless to having others who she can rely on, that care about you. I love the concept of found family in fiction, and I'm glad that in a very strange way, she found hers.

I think this book is definitely for fantasy lovers, as Kingfisher has integrated different elements, themes and tropes from the fantasy genre into this story, but it feels like a novel creation. There are so many great aspects to this book that, in the words of my grandmother, tickled me. The author has a gift for writing vivid descriptions that made reading this novel like watching a movie. I felt that same fascination I felt when I watched The Storyteller or The Arabian Nights miniseries or even Hellboy: The Golden Army and The Lord of the Rings movies. I was in an uncertain, scary but beautiful place, going on the journey with its characters. Mara is a worthy companion. She is fearful but hopeful, under-powered, but capable, naive, but knowledgeable, all the contradictions that make her a fully realized character.

I was so pleasantly surprised at the ending. I was bracing for a certain kind of conclusion, but instead, I had a smile on my face when it ended. I needed this book in my life when I read it. I can't recommend it more highly.

Check Out My Goodreads Profile!

Once Upon a Time

 

The Grimm Legacy (The Grimm Legacy Book #1) by Patty Shulman

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

My Review on Goodreads

I totally read this series out of order, and I finally went back to read this, which is the first book. My library had it on audiobook, so that was very helpful. I have been wanting to read this for a long time because I love fairy tales, and I really enjoy fairytale retellings. The idea of a place that archives items from fairy tales was really exciting. I have to say the book lived up to its promise.

In the story, Elizabeth is recommended to be a clerk at the New York Circulating Repository by her teacher. She has no idea what to expect, and is surprised that the objects in the Grimm Legacy part of the enormous repository are real and are related to the fairy tales she grew up reading. In fact, some people check them out to use them. That's just the beginning of the story.

This book an interesting turn and had some things I wasn't expecting. I loved how diverse the cast was and how well the author fleshed out the characters and their motivations. Research has proved how impactful it is for kids to see characters that look like them and share their culture in books and media. Speaking for myself as a black woman whose favorite place on earth was the library growing up (and admittedly still is), I know I would have been thrilled to see myself in one of the characters in this book.

I'm always surprised at how evil bad guys can be in middle grade books. I mean, they will harm kids and do terrible things to them. As an adult, I do have a soft spot for kids and it bothers me a lot when kids are harmed. I wonder how it impacts children when they read books with that subject matter? That is not to say that this book is graphic or description or has really disturbing content. At the same time, I still was shocked that a grown person would do some of the things to kids that villains in this book.

I loved Shulman's imagination in how she used some of the fairy tale objects. With my emotional connection to fairy tales, I really connected to the content. I enjoyed the audiobook and I was sad when it ended. I really would like to see more adventure in the New York Circulating Repository, particularly in the Grimm Legacy and the Poe Estate.

Check Out My Profile on Goodreads!

The Dark of Winter

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden (The Winternight Trilogy #1)

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

My Review on Goodreads

 I read this back in the early summer. I listened to the audiobook. I thought maybe it was a retelling of Vasilisa, but it's not that at all. It is however, a wonderful original story that delves deeply into Russian and Slavic folklore in a way that is beautiful, and also deeply unsettling.

I have always loved Winter, since I was a child. This book definitely brings home how winter can be a time of fear and hardship for people. I get that winter can be the enemy in many ways, if one doesn't have shelter, heat, and a food source. But it was a good reminder that its a privilege to have all three things in the coldest times of the year.

One of the things I really liked about this book is it continually makes the reader ask themselves who the real villain of the story is, until one comes to the conclusion that we can all be the villain in some way. In a more philosophical context, our uncontrolled emotions and beliefs (and also how we react to them) can be the enemy/villain: fear, jealousy, loneliness, grief, suspicion, ignorance, intolerance. And the villain we see in others is perhaps in some ways, a dark reflection of ourselves.

The characterization was very good. In a story like this with so many characters, that could be challenging. However, the author did know where and whom to focus on but also didn't ignore the viewpoint of pivotal, if not as prominent characters. Vasya was a great lead character. I loved how strong her sense of self was and her moral compass even in the face of the difficult circumstances it caused her to face. It was disappointing that Anna didn't have the same kind of strength. I think life could have been a lot better and different if she did.

I could read books about Russia all day. Not sure why, but it's always fascinated me. As a lifelong lover of folklore, fairy tales and mythology, I find the mythology of that country and region so enthralling to study and explore. I loved how Arden combined this fictional story filled with Russian history with the deeply held beliefs of the people, and how their faiths-old and new-are integral to who they are.

Some parts were very scary, and unsettling. The author included some elements that I didn't expect for this kind of story, but it totally makes sense for the story and is true to Slavic folklore. I didn't listen to this right before bed, as I usually listen to audiobooks either when I'm commuting to and from work or when I'm cooking. I think this could give a person some nightmares if they listened at bedtime (or maybe it's just me).

I absolutely loved how Vasya could communicate with the spirits (the old spirits/gods? of the region). I really appreciated how each one had a unique characterization and how their way of talking was unique. The narrator, Katherine Gati, was excellent. She has a really good Russian accent. I think she might have narrated Uprooted and Spinning Silver, which I also need to write reviews for.

I really enjoyed this, but it was did take a lot out of me emotionally, if that makes sense. I plan to continue the series, but I think I'll take a break.

I'd recommend this book to fans of Russian folklore in particular.

Check out my Profile on Goodreads!

Telling Stories

 

Nightbooks by J.A. White

My Rating: 3.75 out of 5 Stars

My Review on Goodreads

Gosh, I realize I never wrote my review for this book!

I read this back in April (listened to the audiobook) and it was a fun read. It's pretty weird as well. The story is about a kid who goes into this apartment and cannot get back out. He is lured inside by an object of great personal value to him, but it's a trap by a witch with nefarious plans. Inside the apartment are two other kids who have resigned themselves to their fate. However, Alex isn't going to give up on escaping. The apartment owner is a bad-tempered, young in appearance witch who is seemingly pacified by stories. Good thing Alex is a writer (he's actually bullied because he likes to write creepy stories in his notebooks). Alex must tell the witch a story every night or something very bad will happen to him. He has to keep her satisfied until he can find a way out for himself and his companions.

Nightbooks is tailor-made for people who like short and child-appropriate, but nasty, scary stories. I have to admit those stories are pretty horrifying. I love short stories, particularly those in the horror, fantasy and science fiction genre, and I am a huge sucker for the "story within a story" concept. One could draw a very strong comparison to Scheherazade and the Arabian Nights as she is in a similar situation.

While I found this one enjoyable, something didn't 100% gel with me. I wasn't super thrilled with the narrator, so maybe that was part it. Perhaps I wasn't completely satisfied with the plotting. Possibly I was felt the conclusion was somewhat anti-climactic. Although I was relieved about one aspect. I did love the themes in the book about how being different as a kid is usually something that leads to bullying by others. It has something important to say about good and evil that I think would precipitate a good discussion between parent and child. I liked the diverse representation as one of the kids is a young Muslim girl. Of course, as a huge booknerd, I love the storytelling/writing themes. There's a hug library in the apartment, which is kind of like a TARDIS or let's say some waiting room that leads to different dimensions (perhaps a small allusion to the Chronicles of Narnia). It's kind of a creepy library though. Alex is a good leading character. He's a good kid at heart, and his penchant for writing horror stories is not a reflection on his character in any way. There's nothing wrong with enjoying the macabre when one understands the difference between truth and fiction and knows right from wrong. I think this would be a good book for kids who like spooky stuff, but maybe feel left out because of it. I think the content is okay for a kid who is 9-12 years old. I'd personally be cautious about letting a child younger than this age read it, because there is some scary imagery and it's about an adult who wants to inflict harm on children.

Overall, I'd give this a 3.75/5.0 rating. It just doesn't feel like a four star read to me, but it's close. I'm looking forward to reading more by this author.

Check out my Goodreads Profile!