What is this list?
This is a list of books I've read recently along with my impression of the book. It's not just books I loved, though you can filter by my rating or by the ones I generally recommend. Obviously, all oppinions are my own and based on my personal taste.
Babel
Author: R. F. Kuang
Series: none
Genre: historical fantasy, literature
My rating: 10/10
This story packs so much into such a coherent story. In 1800s Britain, a young student enters Oxcford University's translation school, having been taken from China specifically for his ability to use Chinese for the upholding of the British Empire. The magic of this story is translation, and only those who are fluent in multiple languages can create it, which motivates Britain to bring scholars from around the world to its institute in the service of colonial dominence. This story has amazing langauge elements (so much etymology), a magic system that integrates flawlessly with the industrial revolution of Western society, and a deep dive into activism, what it means to be part of an immoral system, racial and gender identity, and lingustic colonialism. This book hits all the sweet spots for me. It's dark, and bad things happen (as in Kuang's other books), but boy does it cut deep in all the right ways.
The Library of the Unwritten
Author: A. J. Hackwith
Series: Hell's Library, 1st book of 3
Genre: fantasy
My rating: 7/10
This story has a really interesting-sounding premise—that all the world's unwritten stories are archived in a library in hell overseen by a snarky librarian—but fell a bit short for me. This story is clearly a love story to literature and writing, and it does a good job of playing to its target audience. But the the fantasy elements of unwritten stories existing as full books with characters that can come to life don't really hold up under much scrutiny, and it's a bit hard to follow what is possible and not possible in the rules of the world. There's also a lot of reliance on Christian cultural religious tropes (seeing as how the library is in Hell and some of the characters are angles), even though it professes to include other cultural and religious afterlife and literary traditions, only ever really scratching the surface of any of them in a fairly superficial way. The story is very unique, and the characters are a lot of fun to follow, but the world just felt a bit shallow to me.
Black Sun
Author: Rebecca Roanhorse
Series: Between Earth and Sky
Genre: historical fantasy
My rating: 8/10
Another classic fantasy story that is partially so great to read just because the world is based on a culture that doesn't typically get much representation in the genre (in this case, pre-colonial South American cultures). The magical elements of this story are tied to ethnic identity or religion in various cases, and create a rich backdrop for the story of religious intrigue and politics. Several interesting perspective characters each think that what they're doing is right, despite how that conflicts with the beliefs of other chacters, and the story draws you in as you wait to see whose "right" will win out. A countdown to the impending eclipse draws the characters closer and closer together, as their actions affect one another. No clear resolution is come to at the end of the first book, so I look forward to reading the next one to see how things play out.
A Court of Thorns and Roses
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series: A Court of Thons and Roses, 1st book of 5
Genre: YA fantasy
My rating: 7/10
A very popular series right now that I had to read after several recommendations. Enjoyed it overall and can see where the popularity comes from, though it is a premise I've seen several times before (and I think Naomi Novik did it better). Young woman who doesn't fit in with her family gets swept up into a magical world that humans know exist but think is dangerous and should be avoided. Intrigue and romance ensues. There's a massive power (and age) gap between the main characters, and he's not very nice (though he has his reasons). It'a a popular trope for a reason, and it was a good read, but I do get a little tired of the romaticization of what is clearly a pretty unhealthy relationship dynamic, and the world wasn't quite unique or interesting enough to make up for it.
Sparrow Hill Road
Author: Seanan McGuire
Series: Ghost Stories, 1st book of 3
Genre: fiction fantasy
My rating: 7/10
Surprisingly not horror, dispite beign about ghosts. Just the totally normal story of the life of a ghost after her death in the 50s up to modern American life. She's the Phantom Prom Date, a hitchhiker who is not malevolent, but sometimes has run-ins with more dangerous and darker types of ghosts. A romaticization of life on the road and in roadside diners as a crystalized aspect of American culture. Not quite enough my typical genre for me to be interested in reading the next book in the series, but I enjoyed the representations of the American ghost story genres as characters and types of ghosts.
The City of Brass
Author: S. A. Chakraborty
Series: The Daevabad Trilogy, 1st book of 3
Genre: historical fantasy
My rating: 9/10
I love a fantasy world based on a history and mythology that is not medieval europe, and this book delivered. Starting in 18th century Egypt, this story quickly leaves the real world and dives into the hidden world of djinn and Middle Eastern mythology, where the main character is somehow both an outsider and a figure of near worship. Her attempts to navigate a culture and political structure that she didn't ask to be part of while slowly uncovering her ancestry make for a fascinating story. Intrigue and romance, mythology and history, this book has a little of everything. Looking forward to reading the next book in this trilogy.
The Marriage Portrait
Author: Maggie O'Farrell
Series: none
Genre: historical fiction
My rating: 9/10
I was riveted by this story. I usually prefer a little bit of fantasy in my historical fiction, but this story was such an engaging realistic snapshot of the life of a girl in way over her head in a time when women had so little agency was a fascinating read. I wanted it all to be true, though the author does explain how much of it is based on reality (not much of her actual life) and how much is fiction. The time jumps between different parts of her life build just the right amount of suspense to keep you on the edge of your seat. Just a fascinating look at the cross section of the very privileged (the wealthy) and the very opressed (women) in 1500s Italy.
Lamb
Author: Christopher Moore
Series: none
Genre: historical fiction, humor
My rating: 6/10
This story is a humorous account of a young Jesus of Nazareth, as told by his irreverant childhood friend. The history here is quite interesting, making you think about what life was like in that time and place, and the humor is somehow not as dissonant as you might expect for the premise. Many of the observations of what life for a young Jesus might have been like are very entertaining, but the story also struggles to deal with the less politically correct themes in a sensitive way (there are so many Chinese concubines). An engaging story, even though you already know how it's going to end, but the humor didn't always strike home for me.
Railsea
Author: China Mieville
Series: none
Genre: sci fi, literature
My rating: 7/10
This story took a bit to get off the ground for me, but once it did, it was fascinating. It's what it sounds like, a world where the railways are like the sea, and all of the metaphores and professions have to do with trains. I've never read Moby Dick, but there's an obvious tribue here to the culture of whaling ships, but if they were on land. And there's a surreal truth that, as the reader, is an obvious question (what the heck is this sea of railroads and where did it come from?) but is a journey for the characters to come to terms with. A surreal and haunting read.
Fireborne
Author: Rosaria Munda
Series: The Aurelian Cycle, 1st book of ? (2 out currently)
Genre: YA fantasy
My rating: 9/10
This book felt like it would have a fairly stereotypical plot (some young people can ride dragons, and they are a unique class in society), but it actually ended up being a lot deeper than I expected. Of the two main characters, one is the typical commoner with a tragic past who becomes elite when chosen by a dragon, but the other is secretly a child of the cruel and recently overthrown regime who can never admit who he really is. His struggle with whether he should be allowed to become social elite again after what his family did is a fascinating journey, his relationships with the other dragon riders, and the politics of a post-revolution society are fascinating.
Ready Player One
Author: Ernest Cline
Series: Ready Player One, 1st book of 2
Genre: sci fi
My rating: 7/10
I had heard a lot of mixed things about this book, but I genuinely enjoyed it. There were some references that went over my head, and it was definitley a self-insert fantasy, but it was a fun one. Just an interesting premise to explore, what the world would look like if so many people lived in virtual reality for most of their time, especially in the era of virtual education/work/entertainment. How far could it go? It's depressing to think too deeply about, but the story itself is an exciting romp thorugh several classic nerd genres. Overall a n entertaining read, if not very deep.
Fledgling
Author: Octavia Butler
Series: none
Genre: fiction/fantasy
My rating: 9/10
Other Octavia Butler books I've ready have been very heavy and hard to read, but this book was a beautiful synthesis of social commentary and vampires in all their cultural strangeness. These vampires are unique, and while not evil, they suffer the same flaws as humans when it comes to prejudice and family politics. The characters are interesting, especially the protagonist who is trying to remember who she was before she woke up in the woods, and the stakes of the story were high enough for an exciting plot while not being as visceral as some of Butler's other works.
Into the Drowning Deep
Author: Mira Grant
Series: Rolling in the Deep, 1st book of ?
Genre: horror
My rating: 7/10
I don't normally do a lot of horror, so this book was very intense for me. Knowing that many of the characters were probably going to die didn't make it easier to deal with the deaths. It's so clear from the outset that it's going to be like watching a trainwreck in slow motion as the characters ignore every warning sign that knowledge of the genre makes so obvious to the reader. But it was a good story. Very interesting mythical creatures and some great use of linguistics as well as biology in their analysis. Very gory. Read at your own risk.
The Goblin Emperor
Author: Katherine Addison
Series: none
Genre: fantasy
My rating: 9/10
This book came highly recommended and was very good. A slightly magical world (that also incorporates a lot of technology) with fantasy racial groups, but where the focus in the story is more on the racial politics than on the fantasy part. The main character doesn't have any special powers, only an inherited role that he's not prepared for and has to navigate while being seen as an outsider. I love that the dialogue in this world goes full force on using "you" as the formal and "thou" as the informal, since the power relationships are so important to the story. A great story with very interesting characters, and though it doesn't have any direct sequels, there are a few other books that do take place in the same world if you enjoy this one.
Never Let Me Go
Author: Kazuo Ishiguro
Series: none
Genre: fiction
My rating: 7/10
This was a very melancholy book. A book with a dark secret that you slowly figure out over the course of the telling of the life of the main character. The very real dramas of childhood life intermingled with something perverse just below the surface. It's a story about memory and regret and life. A little too melancholy for me overall, but a well-written story exploring a complicated topic.
Sourdough
Author: Robin Sloan
Series: none
Genre: modern fiction
My rating: 8/10
A short but engaging story. The main character's situation is very relatable, being young, overworked, and disillusioned about her career. And obsessed with food. Really good food can be almost magical, and it literally is in this story, but in a subtle way. I personally didn't get into the 2020 bread baking craze, but I can feel the complicated relationship to food and cooking and life and history that this story evokes. A little outside of my usual genres, but a very good read.
A Plague of Giants
Author: Kevin Hearne
Series: The Seven Kennings, 1st book of 3
Genre: fantasy
My rating: 8/10
This series is a really unique frame story. The main character stays in one location and doesn't do much, but through a bard's retellings, hears the stories of many other chacacters from all over doing exciting things. Narrators switch constantly, but there is always a framing device of the bard explaining or reviewing who a character is, when this part of their story took place, and what their imporance to the narrative is. A very developed world with many unique cultures and peoples, as well as an interesting magice system with grave consequences. The main narrative is about war, but also about all the various people who contribute to historical events in lots of small ways. Interesting enough to keep me coming back for all 3 books.
Spinning Silver
Author: Naomi Novik
Series: none
Genre: historical fantasy
My rating: 10/10
Modern takes on traditional fairy tales can be very hit or miss, but this one is definitely a hit. A very thoughtful and fresh take on Rumpelstiltskin from the perspective of a female Jewish money lender that handled difficult social issues respectfully and interestingly. Almost all the perspective characters are female, and they have a diverse range of experiences and personalities that complement each other for an engaging, multifaceted story. A cheeky, untraditional romance spices things up as well. I found it to be a very satisfying read that has stuck with me in the best ways.
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
Author: Becky Chambers
Series: Wayfarers, 1st book of 4
Genre: sci fi
My rating: 10/10
I absolute love this series and I can't shut up about it. This is the sci fi that I've been missing all my life. I always enjoyed stories of space travel, artificial intelligence, aliens, and futuristic adventure, but I always felt disillusioned by the classics and their tendency to focus on war, destruction, and xenophobia. This book and the whole series is so refreshingly small and interpersonal. The world it takes place in is advanced and full of multiple alien species, but initial contact is long past and the different groups live in an organized peace. But of course there are still interpersonal dramas and small disasters to deal with, and the diverse crew of book 1 is representative of the way the series examines what it's like to interact on a daily basis with people who are so different from you, but also so similar. Great treatment of language and culture and fascinating history and politics make a rich background for the heartwarming stories of each book in this series. An absolute must-read for anyone who likes sci fi or has always been interested in sci fi but never found anything that lived up to the hype.
The Final Empire
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Series: Mistborn, 1st book of 3
Genre: fantasy
My rating: 7/10
I've read this series twice, and I have some mixed feelings about it. The magic system in this world is unique, rule-bound, and very interesting, and definitely the highlight of the series. The story itself does a masterful job of starting small with a very limited scope and goal, and ramping up in each book until the existential final encounter. The characters are interesting, and there are a lot of masterful plot twists (which are all foreshadowed, once you know what to look for). However, the plot twists can get a bit exhausting by the end of the series, and you can tell that Sanderson is very please with himeself. There is at least one plot twist that makes me a bit uncomfortable due to the way it handles gender. Overall an entertaining epic adventure, but if you find yourself overwhelmed with the scope of the plot, be warned that it only gets more overwhelming.
Gideon the Ninth
Author: Tamsyn Muir
Series: Locked Tomb, 1st book of 4
Genre: sci fi/fantasy
My rating: 7/10
This series has something of a cult following in certain circles, and I definitely understand why, though I personnally wouldn't rate it as one of my top faves. It's definitely unique, though, in many interesting ways. One of my favorites is the irreverant use of language. While it takes place in a distant space-age future, Muir doesn't try to work in more than a few invented "slang" terms, and insted wholeheartedly embraces current discourse styles, which I find to be very refreshing in a landscape of writers who think that the only way to write good ficiton is to use stilted, unnatural either historical or invented styles. It also takes place in a fascinatingly dark world where necromancy and science interrelate and death is the sources of much technology. The biggest drawbacks to this series for me personally is the number of names and numbers to keep track of and the scope of the history and perspectives at play. I had to re-read the first two books to feel like I really followed what was going on, but it was definitely worth the re-read!
The Three-Body Problem
Author: Cixin Liu (translated by Ken Liu)
Series: Remenbrance of Earth's Past, 1st book of 3
Genre: historical fiction and speculative sci-fi
My rating: 6/10
This book (and the whole trilogy) was a mixed bag for me. It's a truly epic story, starting with fascinating and disturbing history of the Cultural Revolution in China and, by the end of the trilogy, expanding into the future of humanity several hundred years from now. The science is fascinating, the aliens are captivatingly incomprehensible, and the treatment of language is very well done (which is always something I keep an eye out for as a linguist). There were a few hold-ups for me as well, though. The story and pace often read like history and was very long, which isn't always my cup of tea. I was also frustrated with the treatment of some female characters, especially in the later books. Overall, it was a very interesting and memorable read, but it was certainly a time investment to get through, so it's definitely not for everyone.
World War Z
Author: Max Brooks
Series: none
Genre: fictional documentary, horror
My rating: 8/10
This was an upsetting but fascinating book to read in 2020. The varied accounts of the progressing zombie apocalypse often rang true to some experiences the world was going through at that time. What really made this book hit home for me, though, was listening to it on audiobook. Each account is read by a different narrator, and they're all incredibly well done. I didn't think a zombie novel would make me so emotional, but it definitely did. Highly recommend the audiobook version of this book for anyone who can handle a bit of horror and pandemic flashbacks.
Shades of Milk and Honey
Author: Marry Robinette Kowal
Series: Glamorist Histories, 1st book of 5
Genre: historical fantasy
My rating: 7/10
I'm not actually someone who goes out of my way to read regency fiction, but this one has just the right touch of fantasy to put it in my wheelhouse. A lovely little romance story with interesting magic and even more interesting character relationships. Definitely a must-read if you like both regency romance and fantasy. Note that I've only ready the first book in this series, so I can't vouch for any sequels.
The City We Became
Author: N. K. Jemisin
Series: The Great Cities, 1st book of 2
Genre: urban fantasy
My rating: 6/10
I read this book because I've enjoyed N. K. Jemisin's other work, though I'm not normally big on urban fantasy. It was a fascinating look into the way New Yorkers view their city and their identites via a surreal fantasy set-up where people can be cities. It didn't quite strike home for me, since I'm a country girl at heart, but it was, of course, beautifully written and thoughtfully executed. Jemisin's work is always a wild ride.
A Memory Called Empire
Author: Arkady Martine
Series: Teixcalaan, 1st book of 2
Genre: sci fi
My rating: 9/10
This book scratched all my itches for a sci fi story that explores futurism and space while also staying rooted in the interpersonal. A beautiful take on the personal impacts of colonialism in a high-tech landscape and a fast-paced mystery. The first book in this series is all about humans, but when aliens are encountered in the second book, there are also some fascinating linguistic descriptions that pass muster for believability! Great series with a protagonist I really cared about and even learned from.
The Original
Author: Brandon Sanderson and Mary Robinette Kowal
Series: none
Genre: sci fi
My rating: 8/10
A very short stand-alone novela. This one is by two authors I've already mentioned and is a great combinaton of their work. A creepy, fascinating look into a futuristic world where clones exist, and the moral delemas that come from that. Action-packed and very emotional, this is a good quick read for any sci fi lover.
A Deadly Education
Author: Naomi Novik
Series: Scholomance, 1st book of 3
Genre: modern fantasy
My rating: 10/10
Another author I've mentioned before, but I love her work so much. This is the first of a trilogy that is somehow both familiar and fresh. It follows a young magic user who attends a secret school for magic users in the modern world, but this school is dark and terrifying and also way more diverse and interesting that some other well known magic schools (we don't stan JKR here). The narrator is irreverant and exasperated and trying desperately to survive among classmates who think she's destined to become an evil overlord. The book manages to be fun despite the number of school children who die, and it's hard not to get invested in the outcome for both the individual characters and for the world at large. The whole series is an intense ride, and I plan to read it again soon!
Middlegame
Author: Seanan McGuire
Series: none
Genre: fiction, horror
My rating: 7/10
Slightly fantastical and deeply emotional, this story is a little outside my usual genre, but I enjoyed it a lot. It explores the relationship between a set of twins with unusual powers and their initially mundane social life up through college. It's dark and strange and fascinating, a bit of a mystery as well as a social narrative.
Goldenhand
Author: Garth Nix
Series: The Old Kingdom, 5th book of 5
Genre: fantasy
My rating: 8/10
I love the first book in this series, Sabriel, and the two that followed, but I hadn't read the last two in the series until just recently. This book follows the events of Abhorsen and takes Lireal on a new adventure to new parts of the Old Kingdom. After the nearly world-ending events of the previous books, I was hesitant about this one because it didn't seem like there was anywhere to go or any more to get from the character Lireal, but I was wrong! This book was very enjoyable in all the ways the previous books were, and explores new corners of the world enough to keep it fresh while also maintaining the familiar elemnts I love abotu this world. Definitely worth a ready if you loved Sabriel!
The House in the Cerulean Sea
Author: TJ Klune
Series: none
Genre: modern fantasy
My rating: 8/10
This is a very cute story about a very mundane and yet fantastical situation. A boring middle-aged man goes to inspect an orphanage and becomes attached to both the children and the man who runs the orphanage. Also, the children are all magical and one is the antichrist and might be a danger to the world. An endearing and lovely story about finding yourself and finding purpose after you thought you'd given up on it. A very cute romance between two older men. And boy are the children entertaining.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
Author: V. E. Schwab
Series: None
Genre: fantasy, historical fiction
My rating: 7/10
I've heard a lot of people gush about V. E. Schwab's books, and I've mostly found them to be fine but not great, personally. This one had an entertaining premise that kept me wanting to see what would happen, and a fine but not groundbreaking conclusion. The premise is that the protaganist is cursed to be forgotten by anyone she knows or meets at the end of each day, though she herself is immortal. It gives her the freedom to do pretty much anything she wants, but makes her life frustratingly unsatisfying. The only one who can remember her is the entity who cursed her. She is born in France in the 1700s and the book follows her life up to present day when she meets another person who finally remembers her. An entertaining story that involves both the historical and the modern, with some interesting twists.
The Night Circus
Author: Erin Morgenstern
Series: None
Genre: fantasy
My rating: 8/10
Erin Morgenstern's novels are always a rich tapestry of the mundane and the fantastical, told in prosaic style. Eerie and just a bit dark, plus the backdrop of a magical circus that only opens at night. There's a bet between wizards and a romance between their students and a whole cast of vibrant characters. An enjoyable story for lovers of any genre.
Forest of a Thousand Lanterns
Author: Julie C. Dao
Series: Rise of the Empress, 1st book of 2
Genre: fantasy
My rating: 8/10
The sequel to this book is Snow White, reimagined in an ancient Chinese folkloric setting. This book leads up to it by telling the story of the woman who becomes the evil stepmother in the following book. She begins very sympathetically and you really want to root for her, but her choices and her methods keep pushing her farther toward darkness until you suddenly realize she's tipped the ballance and you can no longer root for her. A clever series spanning two characters from very different upbringings and their interactions with the same manipulative royal court.
The Forgotten Garden
Author: Kate Morton
Series: None
Genre: historical mystery
My rating: 7/10
An interesting mystery story that follows multiple generations of women and their connections. From modern Australia to the 1800s Cornish coast, the mystery of this family lineage is an adventure through time. Though I don't often read pure historical fiction, this story had just enough narrative time travel and fantastical mystery to satisfy my taste while still remaining grounded in reality. An entertaining read that kept me guessing and made me invested in these women's lives.
Children of Blood and Bone
Author: Tomi Adeyemi
Series: Legacy of Orisha, 1st book of 3
Genre: fantasy, YA
My rating: 6/10
I've heard mixed reactions to this book, but I found it generally enjoyable. It's always nice to see a fresh cultural and geographical setting for a YA fantasy, and I love audiobooks that are read by narrators with appropriate regional accents. This story is dark and frequently depressing with the narrators believing that there's no hope for the future, which does get a bit old and make it hard to want to keep reading, but the world was interesting and the characters dynamic. I read the first two books in this series, though I'm not sure I'll read the third.
Book of a Thousand Days
Author: Shannon Hale
Series: None
Genre: fantasy, YA
My rating: 8/10
This one is a YA book with enough grip to be worth a read for any age. A new take on the story of a princess locked in a tower, this time with a serving maid with a unique perspective on the situation. Not to mention the reality of what it would be like to be forgotten in a tower with limitted supplies while the politcs of the world go on without you. Enchanting and with just the right mix of dispair and hope for a very satisfying and self-contained story.
Leviathan Wakes
Author: James S. A. Corey
Series: The Expanse, 1st book of 9
Genre: sci fi
My rating: 6/10
Took a break from my dedication to reading women-authored sci fi to read this book that came highly recommended and... was not impressed. It's very classic sci fi, with an expansive and detailed world and the beginnings of a bigger picture that is clearly leading up to a major series (9 books??), but I didn't find that it did anything particularly new or interesting with the genre. It was a noir mystery in space, complete with the deadbeat male protagonist who knows he sucks but is also somehow still the most competent person in the room. Lots of depressing foretellings of how much humans suck and will just take their wars to space eventaully, which might be true but is just not want I want to hear about these days. Overall a well-written story, but just a little too on-genre for my personal sci-fi taste.
The Bone Maker
Author: Sarah Beth Durst
Series: None
Genre: fantasy
My rating: 9/10
After reading this book I immediately looked up everything else I could find from this author because it was so refreshing. This story is about an older woman (!!) who used to be an adventure hero but is now past her prime. She has experiened loss, the tragic consequences of a heroic lifestyle, and struggles to live her life because of it, until she ends up back in the same fight she thought she won decades ago. I love seeing the story of an adult woman with adult hopes and dreams, and paired with the story of what happens to heros in the aftermath of great adventures it's just *chef's kiss*. Unique magic system, refreshing adult friendships, long-established relationships, and the balance between what's best for you and what's best for the world, I enjoyed this story immensely.
Graceling
Author: Kristin Cashore
Series: Graceling Realm, 1st book of 5
Genre: fantasy, YA
My rating: 6/10
A decent YA book, but not particularly memorable in my opinion. The magic system is unique but not the most interesting. Characters are relatively predictable. The story was interesting, but not enough for me to want to read the second book in this series.
Age of Myth
Author: Michael J. Sullivan
Series: The Legends of the first Empire, 1st book of 4
Genre: fantasy
My rating: 7/10
I enjoyed this story. Based on the introduction, it seems as thought this is a prequel series to this author's other, more well-known books, laying out an important moment in the history of this world. I enjoyed the scope of the world, big enough and with a few characters in different parts of the world to make it interesting, but not so big or so many characters as to be hard to keep track of. The setting itself is stereotypical with a twist. The racism metaphors are a bit heavy handed and some of the characters are bad in the way that makes it hard to understand their motives, but most of the characters are pretty interesting. Some of the unrealistic fake history takes me out of the story a but (such as how a written language gets invented), but maybe that's just me.
The Poppy War
Author: R. F. Kuang
Series: The Poppy War, 1st book of 3
Genre: historical fantasy
My rating: 8/10
A very intense series. Set in a fictional world based on ancient China, the historical aspects of this story are very well done and fascinating. The scope of this world is well-reserached and believable. The characters and the world both go through a lot of evolution throughout the series and are very 3-dimensional. The story is well written, but extremely heavy. Everything bad that could possibly happen does, several characters are addicted to opium, and lots of people die (it is about a war, after all). Many characters have very dark character arcs, and be warned, it does not end happily. Overall a very memorable, mythical story, but not one to be taken on lightly.
The Ministry for the Future
Author: Kim Stanley Robinson
Series: None
Genre: fiction, sci fi
My rating: 8/10
Only really sci fi in that it deals with the future and nonesixtant technologies and humankind's relationship with the world, but really this is a very contemporary story. It begins present day, with a horrifying story that paints the possible outcome of deadly heat waves. It goes on to imagine a future that is all too realistic, where climate chagne is having a devistating effect on the world and people are finally starting to react to it on a large scale, often violently. It's a scary picture of our possible future, but also a hopeful one in the end. Worth a ready for any environmental activists. Some of the scenes are just impossible to shake off.
The Bear and the Nightingale
Author: Katherine Arden
Series: Winternight Trilogy, 1st book of 3
Genre: historical fantasy
My rating: 9/10
A lovely fairytale set in histoical Russia. The plot centers around the conflict between the traditional lore of nature and entities both friendly and fierce and the spread of Christianity and its rejection of traditional practices. Interesting characters and a beautiful world. I learned a lot about Russian names and nicknames from this series, and very much enjoyed listening to it as an audiobook.
Word by Word
Author: Kory Stamper
Series: None
Genre: nonfiction
My rating: 8/10
I don't read much nonfiction, but this was a great read about how dictionaries get made and the life of a lexicographer. It spoke to a lot of the same evolution I went through as a fellow language lover studying linguistics and realizing that English is a lot more complex and beautiful than I realized, and that I would have to let go of a lot of biases and preconcieved ideas about "right" and "wrong" in the context of language. Lots of interesting tidbits of etymology and usage. A great read for anyone who loves language.
The Queen of the Tearling
Author: Erika Johansen
Series: Queen of the Tearling, 1st book of 3
Genre: fantasy
My rating: 7/10
This book read a bit like a YA novel but with slightly more mature themes. An interesting world that is set in an ambiguous time and place that slowly gets revealed throughout the series, but which initially reads like a stereotypical medieval, generically European setting. Some of the characters also feel pretty stereotypical, but the main character gets some good character growth across the series. I think I enjoyed the series as a whole more than the first book alone, because most of the interesting setting and plot features aren't reavealed until book 2. The ending was very unique, though not the most satisfying. Overall an interesting experience.