Fantasy – natrosette

The Scarlet Alchemist | Book Review

November 23, 2023 Nat

Series: The Scarlet Alchemist #1
Author: Kylie Lee Baker
Published: October 3rd, 2023
Genre: Fantasy
Age Group: YA
Length: 432 pages

If you read Kylie Lee Baker’s Keeper of Night then you have a good idea what to expect from this book. (And if you didn’t, go do that!!) While there are noticeable differences, honestly more than I expected, Baker’s style certainly shines through, and if you enjoyed one I expect you’ll appreciate the other. In particular, Baker explores a lot of the same themes between the two stories, which you can observe just from the summaries – both include a historical setting, main characters struggling with their mixed identities, prominent sibling relationships, and death magic.

While The Keeper of Night read closer a horror folktale in some parts, The Scarlet Alchemist came across to me with a bit more of a familiar YA storyline. About the first half of the book is related to some trials that our main character must undergo in her attempt to become an imperial alchemist, and it’s when we got past these that the story, to me, really took off. To be fair though, I’m not one for training and trial-based plotlines in most cases, so if anything it’s admirable that Baker kept my attention despite that comprising a significant portion of the book. And when I say things took off after that, I mean the kind of can’t-put-it-down-until-I-finish feeling that only my work schedule was able to interrupt.

I’m not sure how to say this in a way that comes across well, but I’m simply so glad Baker is writing this kind of YA – violent and gory in an almost beautiful way and still unapologetically young (by which I mean, the main character makes the decisions of a teenager and falls in love like a teenager; she’s angry at the world and refuses to leave it unchanged, in that somewhat shortsighted but valiantly hopeful worldview that adults can never quite reproduce.) What I’m saying is, as much as I am devouring these works now, I would have done so even more as a teen, and as genre and age trends continue to dissolve into an unnavigable cesspit, I admire the path Baker (and her editors) have decided to take. (Which only makes it that much more a shame that Inkyard Press has been shut down.)

Okay, back to the story. The twists and turns were so well-delivered. I saw some coming and others I didn’t, but towards the later part of the book they just kept coming, and every time I was like, “okay this is the plan that’s gonna work out for them,” it inevitably altered in some way I didn’t predict. Again, I was simply hooked until the end.

What else is there? If somehow I haven’t mentioned Baker’s prose yet, you should know that it’s vivid and eloquent. The atmosphere she’s able to create and, I’ll say it again, the pure bloodiness she doesn’t shy away from, all come together to make her one of my favorite authors in that vein. Oh, and the magic system! Necromancy is cool on its own of course, but the use of elemental stones was fun to follow along with and, as acknowledged in the text, provides almost infinite possibilities, so I’m excited to see what else she comes up with for that in the sequel. (Also, the fact that she was able to invent such different, fleshed-out, world-altering systems for both of her series so far is impressive.)

As a fan of examinations of themes of death, ferocious main characters, complicated and meaningful sibling relationships, and of course, expert prose, I don’t see myself ever not being excited for a new Kylie Lee Baker novel any time soon.

Fantasy

The Phoenix King | Book Review

October 23, 2023October 23, 2023 Nat

Look at that I’m back from the dead! Not gonna bother with excuses and all, just here’s my review for the recent(ish) release The Phoenix King.

Series: The Ravence Trilogy #1
Author: Aparna Verma
Published: August 29, 2023
Genre: Fantasy
Age Group: Adult
Length: 513 pages

It took me a long time to get through The Phoenix King (mostly by fault of my own and the busyness of moving house) but I found that, looking back, this made my overall enjoyment of it to be a pleasant surprise.

One of my favorite things about this novel becomes apparent in the very first scene. Here, I’ll just give you a snippet and maybe you’ll know what I mean:

The rain lashed down, drenching him. It wasn’t like the thunderous, refreshing monsoons that swept across the deserts of Ravence leaving a riot of color in their wake. This storm bit down, clenching the coast in its grey jaws, unwilling to relent until it blended the world into hues of slate and brown.

Verma is adept at establishing atmosphere through environmental descriptions. As drenched as this first chapter is, the majority of the book takes place in the desert, and I’m not sure I’ve ever felt the desert as much as I did here. (Granted, I have yet to get around to reading Dune.) And that’s particularly important because the desert is meant to be significant, almost a character of its own, connected to the princess and part of her relation to her family’s Pheonix god.

Speaking of which, another thing I appreciated about Verma’s writing was just how cool the lore of this world is and how we get to discover more about it throughout. The combination of blinding metal cities and pulsefire guns with old-religion fire magic and harbingers of a prophet would be cool on its own, but what I was most excited to discover is the story of the magic itself. How did the royalty of Ravence come to hold this power? Is there really a god? A prophet? Is it inherently vengeful? Has other similar magic been forgotten? While not all of these questions were answered, there were enough hints and reveals to keep me satisfied and enticed to read the next book.

I will say, also, that there was a refreshing variety to the types of relationships portrayed: aching estrangement of a father and daughter, mutual respect between arranged spouses, tentative trust betwixt childhood friends, the unshakable bond of a princess and her lifelong bodyguard, a new and hesitant attraction coupled with both easy understanding and distrust. The potential romance was often left to simmer as our protagonists dealt with much more pressing worries.

But as much as I enjoy a slow burn, I can’t be quite satisfied with the way it played out because of an aspect I kept catching hints of throughout the entire book, yet am still uncertain whether I should let myself expect. (Yes, it’s a throuple. Still hoping.) Overall though, I very much appreciated the nuanced development, the yearning for connection that most of these characters felt but could hardly express.

If you enjoy a political, slow burn fantasy fraught with prophecy and rebellions – a fierce princess, hardened king, weary ex-assassin, and mysterious consort – absolutely give The Phoenix King a try.

And, as usual, many thanks to Orbit for generously providing me a free e-ARC for review, even when it does take me a couple months to get around to it.

Fantasy, Mystery, Science Fiction

How much do I remember a year later? | Mini Reviews

October 7, 2021October 8, 2021 Nat

Welcome back! To myself as well as you I guess. I’m not going to get into why I was gone or if I’m back for good because I don’t know. This is for fun and I’ve always been one to cycle incessantly through my hobbies, switching out every few months.

There were several books I read before I left (and in the in between time) that I never got the chance to review, and looking back at my Goodreads I was surprised to realize that there are still things I want to say about them. I figured it would be fun to wright up mini-reviews and see how much I actually remembered about these books six months to a year later. (Full transparency, I did have some unpublished notes written up for several of them.)

Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse

Black Sun cemented Rebecca Roanhorse as one of my top favorite fantasy authors, despite being only the second book of hers I’ve read. Even though it’s been eight months since I read it, many of the scenes and characters still feel incredibly vivid to me. I could rave about the characters, world-building, plot, themes, and more, but really the entire package is phenomenal and, unlike much epic fantasy, felt like something I hadn’t read before. So here are just a few of the things I loved:

the time jumps between past and present are masterfully handled, allowing us to come to know the characters and their histories more deeply over time
the characters are queer!! unapologetically so, but it’s not a plot point
Roanhorse doesn’t shy away from explicit gore and violence but it doesn’t become gratuitous
it’s not all that often you find fantasy book with a disabled protagonist whose disability isn’t completely rectified by their magic. and I daresay he’s my favorite character, though truly it’s hard to choose

The sequel, Fevered Star, is without a doubt one of my most highly anticipated releases of 2022.

By Sea & Sky by Antoine Bandele

I came to this book for pirate fantasy and flying ships and that is in large part what I got. If I’m being honest, I never entirely picked up on the intricacies of the politics and geography in this world, but part of that might have been because I was only listening to the audiobook. Contrary to the entertaining romp I was expecting and despite the amount of action scenes I was fed, By Sea & Sky felt rather slow paced, at least for the first half. I kept waiting to get further into the plot and wishing I hadn’t read the blurb which gives away pretty much the first third of the book. Thankfully it did pick up and truly grab my interest in the latter part of the book.

On the plus side, I really did enjoy the characters, finding them distinct and full of personality, which was only added to by the narrator’s performance. Zala, our main character, was a strong lead, and others had complicated motives as well. In fact, one of the most intriguing parts of the book for me was that we had viewpoints on both sides of the conflict, and Bandele did a fantastic job of invoking my empathy for both factions, even if I’m much more naturally inclined to root for pirates than the navy. The magic and the world at large was also refreshing. There’s a lot more about this universe that I want to know, which has me looking forward to the next book.

Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust

If I’m being honest, the intricacies of the plot of Girl, Serpent, Thorn are lost to me now, a year later. (It doesn’t help that I’ve read another YA with the same premise, a girl poisonous to the touch.) I do remember that this book felt like a fable, that it went to places I wasn’t quite expecting, and overall impressed me with its nuance. It’s not a book where you’ll necessarily be blown away by plot twists, but it deals with growth, self-discovery, and gray moral areas in ways I really enjoyed. It’s also inspired by Persian history and mythology, as evidenced by the well-researched author’s note, and has interested me in reading more of such stories. I wasn’t completely on board with the romance – as someone who prefers a slow build, there just simply wasn’t enough time to pack that in along with everything else and make me invested – but I did appreciate the bisexual rep and that it didn’t end up how I thought it might.

Local Star by Aimee Ogden

There’s a lot packed into this little novella, including a generous amount of world-building, multiple relationship developments (both romantic and familial), and a bit of a mystery. If I’m being honest, I’m pretty sure I picked this one up purely from the phrase ‘polyamourous scifi,’ but I don’t regret it at all. If you’re down for Star Wars vibes but a hell of a lot gayer, I think you’ll enjoy this quick read. (And I didn’t notice until the end, but there is a glossary to help with all the jargon, though I didn’t find it all that overwhelming.)

Not only is this poly scifi, it’s polynorm and queernorm. That is to say most relationships are triads or quads and the world (for example the space station housing) is built around that. There’s also an interesting conversation around cyborgism/body augmentation that I only wish could have been further explored. I’m keeping my eyes peeled for another book, hopefully a full novel or even series, in this world. So far as the plot itself, there were no huge surprises and several moments of suspicious convenience, but I didn’t mind because the characters and setting were such a blast.

I Hope You’re Listening by Tom Ryan

For a bit of a change of pace, we have a contemporary sapphic YA mystery. As you can probably tell, this isn’t my typical choice of genre, and that’s made it harder to review for me than I thought it would. I Hope You’re Listening was certainly easy to keep reading and had an unexpected reveal, but I’m not sure I followed it all the way there. In other words, I prefer the solution to be something I’d be able to reasonable guess and I didn’t feel like that was the case here. But it’s possible that I missed some clues.

As for the positives, the flashbacks were well-implemented, and Dee felt realistic as a narrator who was a teen with trauma in her past. The setting of a small town haunted by tragedy (and now hounded by media journalists) was immersive. I’m glad Dee’s parents weren’t absent, and the romance was cute if (as is always my complaint) a bit rushed. There was one side character Burke who Dee had a complex relationship with and I actually wished he got more page time. All in all, I Hope You’re Listening delivered well on what it was offering, it simply didn’t impress me beyond that.

In the Ravenous Dark by A.M. Strickland

In the Ravenous Dark is the most recent of these reads, and I absolutely devoured it. So many aspects felt like they were perfectly tailored to what I enjoy. I’d say it reads like fanfiction (in a great way), and though I listened on audiobook I’m looking forward to picking up a physical copy. (Just look at that cover! How could I not?)

My singular complaint is that I wish it was longer, mostly just so I had more to read. The magic system is super cool and makes for some very vivid scenes. It also get surprisingly dark, which I loved. The characters are incredibly queer. If ‘polyamorous pansexual bloodmage’ strikes your fancy, you should absolutely give this one a go. And (unfortunately) it’s a standalone, so you don’t even have to be worried about picking up a new series. Out of all the books on this list, this is the one I’m most likely to reread, simply because I know I’ll fly through it a second time.

Book Tours, Fantasy

To Dream and Die as a Taniwha Girl | Book Review

November 22, 2020November 22, 2020 Nat

Welcome to my stop on the book tour for To Dream and Die As a Taniwha Girl hosted by Storytellers on Tour! You can find the full schedule for this tour here, or by clicking on the image above. Be sure to check out other participants’ posts for more reviews and other content. As always, thanks so much to Justine and Timy at Storytellers on Tour for organizing this book tour and allowing me to take part.

Synopsis

There is a price to pay for becoming a story.

Kaimana has defied the gods and won the freedom to spend the rest of her days travelling the collection of tropical islands she calls home.

But the people of the islands have taken notice of her.

They have started to tell her story; for many children, one of their favourite fireside tales is now that of the Taniwha Girl, the brave woman who befriends monsters.

Some islanders even pray to her.

The gods are displeased, but they are not the only ones paying attention to Kaimana’s rise to fame. On the borders of the island ring, an ancient demon – an old enemy of the Crescent Atoll – spreads its influence, and a spider-faced figure shadows Kaimana’s movements.

To secure her own safety, and that of her island home, Kaimana has to make a choice: turn her back on the people of the Crescent Atoll and continue enjoying the life she has won for herself, or give up all she holds dear to live up to the legend of the Taniwha Girl.

Review

Series: Yarnsworld, #5 (standalone)
Author: Benedict Patrick
Published: November 15, 2020
Genre: Fantasy, Folklore
Age Group: Adult
Length: 272 pages

I came to this novel without really knowing what to expect. I was aware that this series is well-loved and reads almost as folklore. I had also been told that although this is book five, it works as a standalone, though I was a bit hesitant to believe this as I’ve encountered a number of books advertised as “standalone” that actually don’t live up to their full potential without context from the rest of the series. But regardless, I decided to give it a try, and I’m so glad I did.

I had absolutely zero issues reading this novel without any knowledge of the rest of the series. There are probably small references I would have caught if I had read the prior books, but they weren’t apparent enough to make me feel like I was missing out on anything. That being said, this novel was good enough that I’m confident the other books in the series will be amazing as well, so there’s really no reason not to start at the beginning if you’re a newcomer to the Yarnsworld like I am.

Taniwha, as referenced in the title, are various monsters within the islands of the Crescent Atoll. Generally, they’re based on a regular animal (dog, whale, etc.) but much bigger and often with extra features. Kaimana is known throughout the islands as the Taniwha Girl, for she is known to befriend monsters, including her best friend and travel companion Rakau. Though all the two of them want is spend their lives relaxing and traveling as they please (and intervening when relations between taniwha and humans get rough), the Taniwha Girl is becoming somewhat of a legend. So much so that some people have started praying to her, which the gods of the Crescent Atoll do not take kindly to. She is also being stalked by a spider-masked figure with unknown but likely nefarious motives.

The world-building in this book is delicious. It’s done gradually, but ends up conveying a rich atmosphere that really does feel like it’s straight from a folktale. (As I understand, it takes some amount of influence from Polynesian mythology, though I’m not sure precisely what/how much is borrowed). In fact, in between every chapter is an in-universe folktale from the Crescent Atolls about their gods and history. These stories and the lessons behind them often relate to the occurrences of the main story.

It’s hard for me to truly explain what I appreciated about this novel without delving into spoilers, so I’m just going to say that the plot is my favorite of any recent read. Typically I’m one to get more attached to characters and world-building then to care all that much about the plot, so long as it’s not glaringly bad. Yet, in this case, while the characters and the world were great, the plot was what made this book truly exceptional to me. Suffice to say, it did not go at all where I was expecting it to.

I highly recommend To Dream and Die as a Taniwha Girl to anyone who is ready for a gritty, emotional, and surprising read that explores themes of freedom, heroism, revenge, and redemption within a vivid world.

About the Author

Benedict Patrick is from a small town in Northern Ireland called Banbridge, but has been living and working in Scotland since he moved there at the age of eighteen. Tragically, that was quite a while ago.

He has been writing for most of his life, and has been reading for pretty much all of it (with help from mum and dad at the beginning). Benedict’s life changed when a substitute primary school teacher read his class part of The Hobbit and later loaned him the book – he fell in love with the fantasy genre and never looked back.

Book Tours, Fantasy

Frozen Rage | Book Review | Storytellers On Tour

September 30, 2020November 22, 2020 Nat

Welcome to my stop on the book tour for Frozen Rage hosted by Storytellers on Tour! You can find the full schedule for this tour here, or by clicking on the image above. Be sure to check out other participants’ posts for more reviews and other content. And stick around to the end of this post for a giveaway! As always, thanks so much to Justine and Timy at Storytellers on Tour for organizing this book tour and allowing me to take part.