Posted February 2, 2024 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments
The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System, vol 2
Genres: Fantasy,
Romance Pages: 351
Series: The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System #2 Rating: 
Synopsis: [CHARACTER DEPTH LEVEL +10]
Three years have passed since Shen Qingqiu betrayed Luo Binghe, and now there are only two years left before his “deceased” disciple rises from the dead to claim his bloody glory as the protagonist. At least, that’s how the story is supposed to go.
In the midst of investigating a mysterious plague, Shen Qingqiu discovers that his actions have irreparably altered the plot—Luo Binghe has returned all too soon and Shen Qingqiu’s brilliant escape plan isn’t even ready yet! Worse, Shen Qingqiu can no longer predict his young disciple’s actions.
The only thing that hasn’t changed is Luo Binghe’s intense fixation on Shen Qingqiu himself, but even this obsession may be more than it seems. Not that Shen Qingqiu has the time to puzzle through all the inconsistencies. There are various parties at play in the changing plot, and if he doesn’t act fast, he may face a fate far worse than death.
The second volume of MXTX’s
The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System is as gorgeous an object as the first, with black and white illustrations, helpful back matter, etc. The tone and style set in the first book continue, unsurprisingly, with SQQ being completely clueless — though LBH is a bit more opaque. The conflict does centre on a miscommunication (or, let’s be honest, a complete failure to communicate), but one that’s kind of unavoidable given the givens.
Still, if only people would just talk instead of making assumptions…
All in all, it’s a lot of fun, totally over the top, and I felt like I had to bump up my rating from the previous book. It’s still not 100% my thing in every possible way, but I had enough fun that that doesn’t matter. I’m curious how it’s going to wrap up in the next volume.
Rating: 4/5
Tags: book reviews, books, Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù, romance, SF/F
Posted January 27, 2024 by Nicky in Reviews / 2 Comments
In the Shadow of the Fall
Genres: Fantasy Pages: 160
Series: Guardians of the Gods #1 Rating: 
Synopsis: Ashâke is an acolyte in the temple of Ifa, yearning for the day she is made a priest and sent out into the world to serve the orisha. But of all the acolytes, she is the only one the orisha refuse to speak to. For years she has watched from the sidelines as peer after peer passes her by and ascends to full priesthood.
Desperate, Ashâke attempts to summon and trap an orisha—any orisha. Instead, she experiences a vision so terrible it draws the attention of a powerful enemy sect and thrusts Ashâke into the center of a centuries-old war that will shatter the very foundations of her world.
I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Ashâke wants to be a priestess, but the orisha don’t speak to her. Desperate to understand why, she attempts to summon and bind them, and thus gets tugged into a whole world of trouble. It takes a while for the story to show you exactly why, though: a little bit gets revealed, then you spend a bit of time with Ashâke exploring the world and getting a little more context, and then a little more of the story comes out.
There are some really fascinating details — I loved the scenes with the griots, in particular — but the story turns out to be on quite a big scale. Zoomed out, whole-plane-of-existence stuff, rather than one temple among many, or one unremarkable girl. I wonder almost if it might’ve worked better as a single novel, rather than two novellas: where we’re at by the end of the book obviously isn’t the end, and it’s a little unsatisfying because of it.
It did also feel very familiar, and I’m trying to remember in what way. The beats of the story really reminded me of something: I think it might be Philip Pullman’s Northern Lights, actually, where Lyra ends up with the Gyptians for a time… Not that the two books are the same or anything, but I did get this uncanny sense of familiarity that I’ve been trying to pin down.
In any case, it has whet my appetite for more: I’m very curious what comes next, how Ashâke has changed as a result of the revelations, and what the world will look like when the events of the story are done.
Rating: 3/5
Tags: book reviews, books, SF/F, Tobi Ogundiran
Posted January 26, 2024 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments
The Panic
Genres: Graphic Novels,
Science Fiction Pages: 124
Rating: 
Synopsis: Ten strangers, trapped beneath the Hudson River, are forced to depend on their fellow commuters in order to survive an apocalyptic event. Those left must fight their way through more than rubble to make it to safety. But the darkness is closing in, and with it their own individual fears and paranoia. It’ll be a long road to the end of the tunnel…that is, if they don’t kill each other before they get there.
Neil Kleid’s The Panic follows ten characters who are thrown together by chance after a train crash. They’ve all been going about their normal lives, heading into New York for their own reasons, like heading to a protest. One guy’s wearing a MAGA hat, others are heading to a Black Lives Matter protest, etc. This is basically the conflict of the story: every five minutes they all stop to argue, as they are fundamentally incompatible and apparently incapable of putting that aside in a greater cause.
I found it all really difficult to follow, given the multiple interrupting speech bubbles — it felt sometimes like every page had one interruption. On the one hand, it’s a great way of representing the total Babel of people all talking at once at cross-purposes, but it hurt the story’s ability to feel coherent.
Overall, it just didn’t hang together well for me, and didn’t bring anything new to the genre of “sudden apocalyptic events throws a bunch of people together and it goes badly”.
Rating: 1/5
Tags: Andrea Mutti, book reviews, books, graphic novels, Neil Kleid, SF/F
Posted January 24, 2024 by Nicky in Reviews / 2 Comments
A Queer Trade
Genres: Fantasy,
Mystery,
Romance Pages: 53
Series: Rag & Bone #0.5 Rating: Synopsis: Apprentice magician Crispin Tredarloe returns to London to find his master dead, and his papers sold. Papers with secrets that could spell death. Crispin needs to get them back before anyone finds out what he's been doing, or what his magic can do.
Crispin tracks his quarry down to waste paper dealer Ned Hall. He needs help, and Ned can’t resist Crispin’s pleading—and appealing—looks. But can the waste-man and the magician prevent a disaster and save Crispin’s skin?
A Queer Trade is a fun introduction to two characters who star in one of the few KJ Charles books I’ve yet to read, Rag & Bone. It gives a bit of context to how they met and what they’re like, which feels like a solid way to start off if you’re interested in reading Rag & Bone. It doesn’t give a lot of detail about the judiciary who operate throughout the Charm of Magpies world, so it doesn’t stand on its own very well without having read those, I’d say.
The romance is cute and hopeful, without going too far — it’s not straight to love, but straight to solid attraction, and a connection formed through weird, alarming circumstances that the two of them managed to figure out together.
It’s a quick read; I’m not in a huge hurry to read Rag & Bone, but I’m more tempted to pick it up now than I was before: I love the original trilogy in this world, but I’m not a huge fan of Jackdaw.
Rating: 3/5
Tags: book reviews, books, K.J. Charles, mystery, romance, SF/F
Posted January 21, 2024 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments
The Brides of High Hill
Genres: Fantasy Pages: 128
Series: The Singing Hills Cycle #5 Rating: Synopsis: Nghi Vo's Hugo Award-winning Singing Hills Cycle returns with a standalone gothic mystery that unfolds in the empire of Ahn.
The Cleric Chih accompanies a beautiful young bride to her wedding to the aging ruler of a crumbling estate situated at the crossroads of dead empires. The bride's party is welcomed with elaborate courtesies and extravagant banquets, but between the frightened servants and the cryptic warnings of the lord's mad son, they quickly realize that something is haunting the shadowed halls.
As Chih and the bride-to-be explore empty rooms and desolate courtyards, they are drawn into the mystery of what became of Lord Guo's previous wives and the dark history of Do Cao itself. But as the wedding night draws to its close, Chih will learn at their peril that not all monsters are to be found in the shadows; some monsters hide in plain sight.
I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Nghi Vo’s latest Singing Hills novella starts off by setting you up with some expectations, right from the blurb, and skillfully leans on that to guide you through the novella to the crisis point. It feels darker to me than the previous novellas in this series, with a real sense of unease throughout — not that the others have no sense of looming consequences, but I was more frightened for Cleric Chih than I usually would be. Chih has been drawn into something they may not be able to get out of, where they’re not so much an observer anymore, or just interested in how things turn out, but a part of the tale and critically affected by whatever will happen. Which is not the first time, I suppose, but this just felt more immediate.
I think Vo does an amazing job at teasing things out, with some little hints along the way to help you catch on so that once it all becomes clear, it’s really clear. It’s difficult to say much about this story without spoiling that journey, so I won’t say any more on that.
I did find that once certain things started happening, it all unravelled really quickly and I almost stumbled. I guess that’d be my only critique, but the story caught me when I stumbled and rearranged the world so everything made sense, so maybe that moment is really just part of the experience.
Rating: 4/5
Tags: book reviews, books, Nghi Vo, SF/F
Posted January 18, 2024 by Nicky in Reviews / 4 Comments
Cold Iron
Genres: Fantasy,
Graphic Novels Pages: 140
Rating: Synopsis: On the rural Isle of Man, aspiring singer-songwriter Kay Farragher dreams of escaping her humdrum life. But she’s about to get more than she bargained for – and some bargains are not to be trusted.
Celtic folklore and modern moxie collide as an ancient pact between worlds is broken. The sinister forces of Faerie have slipped their shackles, and the Black Dog walks abroad this night…
Andy Diggle et al’s Cold Iron is pretty fun: it’s set on the Isle of Man, and draws from fairytales and folktales. It’s perhaps not too surprising that it sees creatures from Faerie intruding upon our world, and that a trip to Faerie is eventually indicated, but it’s a fun ride nonetheless.
I liked the art, and I liked Kay, her practical approach to realising that actually, her grandmother was right after all — and her fierceness in fighting for those she cares about, and those she feels a responsibility to.
It wasn’t too surprising in terms of where the plot went, given the givens, but I had fun, and I also quite appreciated that it included a short story (in prose rather than the same comic format) at the end with a little bit more closure.
Rating: 3/5
Tags: Andy Diggle, book reviews, books, comics, Nick Brokenshire, SF/F, Tom Muller, Triona Farrell
Posted January 17, 2024 by Nicky in Reviews / 2 Comments
House of Drought
Genres: Fantasy,
Horror Pages: 117
Rating: 
Synopsis: On the island of Sri Lanka, at a colonial mansion between the forest and the paddy fields, a caretaker arrives with four children in tow after pledging to keep them safe. When violent thugs storm the house demanding that Ushu repay his debt, young Jasmit and the other children hide in an upstairs bathroom where a running tap opens a gateway to escape. But the Dry House is not the only force at work in the place where the forest and the estate meet—something else stirs in the trees, something ancient, something that demands retribution.
The Sap Mother bides her time, watching and learning from the house’s inhabitants. She burrows beneath the foundations of the Dry House, hungry for atonement. Pulled between these warring powers, Jasmit must choose between saving those trapped in the mansion’s bulging stomachs and preparing the house for when the Mother emerges again.
I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
This horror novella didn’t entirely work for me, though I appreciated a number of things about it (the setting, the tension, the fact that it didn’t give the reader too many answers too quickly). The structure kind of annoyed me, with the order of events jerking around. It’s hard to describe, but first you get the frame story, the “present day” if you will. Then you jump back in time to the crisis point of other characters’ story… then forward just a little to how those characters got into that situation. Then forward back to the present day, and then a new set of characters.
It feels like the story tried very hard to come full circle, bring things together and find a way to end the story — but it felt like it missed a step. How did a certain character figure things out? Why is she so eager to save people she doesn’t know?
It’s an interesting novella but I didn’t find it wholly successful.
Rating: 2/5
Tags: book reviews, books, Dennis Mombauer, horror, SF/F
Posted January 14, 2024 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments
Blood Moon
Genres: Fantasy,
Romance Pages: 184
Rating: Synopsis: "The summer we turned eighteen, I kissed Noah Harper -- by the light of the moon, sitting on the dock, I kissed him. And he kissed me back. I swear.
But the next morning, he ended our friendship and walked away. I haven't seen him since. Not for three long years.
At least not until last night. Last night he was sitting on our dock like nothing had changed. He was sweet and apologetic and more gorgeous than ever. I wanted to believe everything could go back to how it always was. But something's different about Noah. Something isn't quite right.
I have to know... what secret is Noah Harper hiding?"
I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
I always (eventually) read my Netgalley ARCs, so here we are: finally, I’m reviewing M.J. O’Shea’s Blood Moon. It’s a fairly young-feeling book, focusing on two teenage main characters and their romance, and the supernatural weirdness that eclipsed it and threatened to break the two of them apart. Obviously, ultimately it doesn’t, and Love Will Prevail, given the genre.
It’s all a bit too easy, though. There are few consequences for anything, and the main characters make choices that seem at odds with initial choices (for instance, Zack’s family seems to be important to him — but then he quickly decides he’ll run away with Noah and hardly ever seems to think of them again). There’s something very immature about the narration, which may be intentional (given the age of the protagonist), but which makes everything feel a little shallow.
The romance in and of itself is cute, but I wasn’t sold on any of it for those reasons.
Rating: 1/5
Tags: book reviews, books, M.J. O'Shea, romance, SF/F
Posted January 8, 2024 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments
Twilight Falls
Genres: Crime,
Fantasy,
Mystery Pages: 240
Series: Shady Hollow #4 Rating: Synopsis: It’s spring in Shady Hollow, and romance is in the air. Even reporter Vera Vixen is caught up in the season as her relationship with new police chief Orville Braun blossoms. But true love is not always smooth sailing, as two of the hollow’s young residents come to find. Jonah Atwater and Stasia von Beaverpelt find themselves battling their families in order to be together. And when Jonah’s father, Shelby, goes over the top of Twilight Falls, all signs point to Stasia being the murderer.
The evidence against Stasia appears overwhelming, and Orville arrests her. It looks like the case is closed, but Vera isn’t so sure. There are almost too many clues indicating Stasia is the killer, leading her to suspect someone is setting Stasia up. Besides, what about the mysterious ghostly creature skulking around town at night? Maybe he or she was involved? As Vera investigates further, her sleuthing puts her in direct opposition to Orville, and soon she’s stirred up a hornet’s nest of trouble.
Twilight Falls is the last of the Shady Hollow books by Juneau Black — for now. I’m sad, because it turned out to be exactly what I needed right now: quick reads that are light and sweet at heart, with characters that come alive just enough to carry the stories. Sometimes the characters or their relationships feel a little shallow, but sometimes it’s just a relief that the differences between Orville and Vera don’t lead to big schisms, and that there’s something gently forming between them, something that might last.
Once more, I found the resolution of the mystery really obvious: the hints come thick and fast, and it’s really the only thing that makes good sense of the evidence. There’s an attempt at a red herring, but it doesn’t work out too well (at least for my tastes).
It’s been nice to follow these books and realise that the characters are slowly changing, rather than it being a cosy little snowglobe where everything settles down a while after being shaken up. Esme and Stasia von Beaverpelt both grow and change in their own time, and even Orville’s learning that the Big Book of Policing may not contain all the answers (even if sometimes he finds it hard to accept Vera’s input).
As with the others, highly enjoyable — and I’ll get the new one when it comes out, like a shot.
Rating: 4/5
Tags: book reviews, books, crime, Juneau Black, mystery, SF/F
Posted January 4, 2024 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments
An Unnatural Life
Genres: Science Fiction Pages: 192
Rating: Synopsis: The cybernetic organism known as 812-3 is in prison, convicted of murdering a human worker but he claims that he did not do it. With the evidence stacked against him, his lawyer, Aiya Ritsehrer, must determine grounds for an appeal and uncover the true facts of the case.
But with artificial life-forms having only recently been awarded legal rights on Earth, the military complex on Europa is resistant to the implementation of these same rights on the Jovian moon.
Aiya must battle against her own prejudices and that of her new paymasters, to secure a fair trial for her charge, while navigating her own interpersonal drama, before it's too late.
I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
It’d be easy to dismiss Erin K. Wagner’s An Unnatural Life as being a simple allegory for racism, and there are definitely elements there drawn a bit too straightforwardly from that (invented slurs such as “robot-lover” are a bit obvious, as is the mob that gathers outside Aiya’s home when she chooses to be 812-3’s legal representative). But I think it’s a little more than that, because we also have the issues of free will and responsibility, of whether 812-3 was in love with a human or whether he was compelled/manipulated to believe he was, of whether his actions were his own or compelled, and where the difference comes in.
The author talks on her website about being interested in “how the human responds to the nonhuman, artificial, supernatural, or otherwise”, and this book comes directly out of that. It’s hardly a mere retelling of To Kill a Mockingbird set in space, because Aiya’s far from being Atticus for quite a few reasons — and there is no wide-eyed innocent Scout being disillusioned here.
It ends unsettlingly, unresolved, in a way that’s sticking with me. It does feel like the journal inserts weren’t quite tied in with the rest — thematically they made sense, but it feels like a whole story going on there that didn’t quite join up. The mood is melancholy, in the midst of what could’ve been a triumph. I definitely found it an interesting read.
Rating: 3/5
Tags: book reviews, books, Erin K. Wagner, SF/F
