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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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.*

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This is How It Begins

 Witch King by Martha Wells

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

My Review on Goodreads

Kai wakes up in a watery tomb when an upstart poseur magician tries to take his magic. He has no idea how he got there, but he plans to find out. And he's pretty mad when he wakes up. That’s just the beginning as his quest to find answers leads him to forming unlikely alliances to fight a tyrannous kingdom who has taken control over everything that Kai once knew.

Witch King feels epic, yet very personal as it’s through the eyes of an unique viewpoint, a demon who has the power to inhabit the bodies of humans. Demons are not like the Christian concept in this novel. Instead, they are beings who live in the Underearth but are able to inhabit the bodies of mortal, although their eyes are fully black, and they possess unique abilities based on their nature.
So I think they are a very distinct sort of demon. Keep in mind, I am sure that more well read people in this genre may have read more stories with this kind of demon than me. Kai has magic abilities, and gains more when he takes over the body of an enemy.

I really did enjoy this book. But I won’t be dishonest. It was a bit confusing for me. The types of names and the places were hard to keep straight. It didn’t help that I would pick this up and put it down multiple times, as life has not allowed me to have much reading time (and I have so much going on, that it’s harder to focus on a book). It would take me a few minutes to get reoriented when I picked it up again, but I finally decided I didn’t need to pass an exam on what I was reading. Instead I just decided to embrace the experience. Once I did that, it became a lot lower stakes to read it as I could. I was just along for the ride.

I loved that the cultures are modeled after non-European civilizations and there is plenty of diversity (lots of shades of brown and evidence of different ethnicities), along with non-binary and LGBTQ representation.

I really liked Kai. He’s got a very wry sense of humor that I enjoyed. He’s also a complete badass. But he’s not the type whose a bragger about it. He’s just going to do the thing, and hopefully you are not in his way or the person who’s his opponent. I liked the secondary characters. I did get a little bit confused at first on who was whom, but eventually, I got into a rhythm where I was able to read their names and connect the characters to what part they played in the story. I liked how there are different kinds of magical abilities that seem to complement each other. Kai’s ability is very cool and kind of scary, and it gets magnified through different experiences through the book.

I feel like the story starts one way and ends up in an entirely different place, but there is some closure about the initial plot point. The open ending makes me wonder if this would be a series. If it is, I’ll be reading it.

This is not an easy read, in my opinion. It’s going to take some thinking through and focus to read, but it think it’s worth it. I really appreciate Martha Wells’ writing, and I definitely want to continue reading her backlist. I love her sense of humor but also the complexity of her characters.

Advanced Review Copy provided by Netgalley courtesy of Tordotcom for review.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Setting the Stage

 

Blood of Elves (The Witcher #1) by Andrzej Sapkowski

My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

My Review on Goodreads

Yikes. I read this and I never added it to my currently reading shelf. I think I read this in the winter, Februaryish. I found this really slow. I think it's more an expansive introduction to the characters in Geralt's life, such as Yennefer and Ciri. It's very talky. While I like dialogue and character development, I was jarred by how different it was from The Last Wish. I haven't watched the tv show yet, but I imagine it's nice to have this introduction into the world.

I'm not a big fan of political maneuverings in my readings, and that's a huge part of this book. Also it's sort of a coming of age as a big focus of the book is Ciri. Ciri's story is tragic, yet she is giving a second family of sorts, and an adoptive father figure in Geralt.

I don't know if it was just me, but I felt like Geralt wasn't in this one as much. That's a big part of why I was disappointed. I also missed the folklore bits. There's more stuff about magic systems and the religious practices, and of course, the political maneuvering. I missed the monster hunting and fighting a lot.

I am still excited about this series and will definitely keep buying and reading the books, but sadly, I found this one a little dry.

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Secret Heritage

 

Charlie Hernández and the League of Shadows by Ryan Calejo

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

My Review on Goodreads

This was such a cool, fun book. It was a little weird at first. I can't say too much because it would be a spoiler, but something happens to the hero that I had never seen and it was kind of hilarious picturing how he looked in my head. But it was also disturbing and I felt really bad for Charlie. He was already dealing with a major loss, and now all of a sudden, some weird changes are happening to him, and his world opens to some very unnatural, downright supernatural occurrences. And it wasn't like he could open up to his friends about everything.

Despite my confusion at first, I really got sucked into this book. I was listening to the audiobook, and the narrator, Giordan Diaz kept it fun. His accent was authentic and that was crucial with this story in which Charlie's Latin heritage is integral. For Charlie is getting dropped right into the world of Latin American creatures of lore. His family has a heritage that makes what was considered legend very, very real. I love folklore, and I was thrilled at getting introduced to characters from the legends, several that I knew, and some that were very unfamiliar and really fascinatingly weird.

I appreciate so much that Latinx kids get a story that speaks to their heritage and takes them on fun adventure in the style of Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series, but very much unique as well. This was a bit on the short side, but it was an enjoyable introduction to Charlie's world. There are two books so far, and I hope there are more. I recommend it to Middle Grade readers and older folks like me who enjoy Middle Grade books.

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