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 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 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 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.