Category: Book review

The Summer War by Naomi Novik

AuroraLeave a comment

Title: The Summer War
Author: Naomi Novik
Format: eBook
Genre(s): Fantasy, Fairy Tales
Rating: ★★★★★

Novik’s latest novella is a fairy tale about a young witch, Celia, and her family’s connection to the Summer War, a seemingly unending conflict with the immortal summerlings. It is a story of conflict, but more than anything it’s a story about family and how we care for each other.

This story is especially focused on the theme of caring: Who we care for and why, how caring can develop over time, how that care can be one-sided or reciprocal, what happens when caring and principles come into conflict, and how it effects people’s decisions and actions. As you might imagine from the title, it also includes some enjoyable commentary about war (and the different people it benefits and harms) as well as the leaders trying to prolong or end it. It isn’t a perfect story — as with many novellas, it is more of a story about themes than characters, and some of the plot has an unrealistic flavor common to fairy tales — but it’s incredibly enjoyable for what it is.

How to Kill Your Family by Bella Mackie

AuroraLeave a comment

Title: How to Kill Your Family
Author: Bella Mackie
Format: Audiobook
Genre(s): Fiction, Dark comedy, Thriller
Rating: ★★★☆☆

This was a book club read — not at all in my usual genres — and I found myself torn between being incredibly entertained and immensely frustrated by it.

I was sucked in by the structure, watching each murder with a sense of satisfaction as an intelligent but damaged woman, Grace, patiently offed each rich, entitled, insulated member of her birth family. I enjoyed the pieces of backstory interspersed throughout, even as it revealed Grace’s seriously unhealthy perspective on interpersonal relationships.

But I got stuck on the twist at the end, which broke the narrative flow and also relied on Grace doing something that felt very out of alignment with her care and meticulous planning earlier in the story. It was a brilliant portrayal of the power of wealth and patriarchy but left me feeling bereft — although I imagine that was intentional, and so I still have a fair amount of respect for Mackie’s storytelling.

Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare

AuroraLeave a comment

Title: Sword Catcher
Author: Cassandra Clare
Format: ebook
Genre(s): Fantasy
Rating: ★★☆☆☆

I picked up Sword Catcher hoping to be immersed in an intriguing fantasy world, but unfortunately it didn’t deliver for me on the fantasy, the characters, or (even knowing that this was likely just the first of a new series) a satisfying plot arc.

Instead of layering fantasy over the real world (as Clare has done in her young adult fiction), she sets the story in an entirely fictional world — but one that is a mish-mash of real-world people and places with just a thin veneer of fictional names: for example, a philosopher-king Markus Aurelian (Marcus Aurelius) who rules a city-state on the Gold (Silk) Road which has a population of Ashkars (Ashkenazis) confined to the Sault (Ghetto); the Ashkars have a history involving the Makabi (Maccabees) who used to be able to do magic but now can only do a limited form called gematry (gematria). I found myself distracted by those similarities and also overwhelmed by excessive detail (despite usually loving intricate fantasy worlds and magic systems), due to the world-building being presented in ways and at times that weren’t always relevant to the plot.

The plot and characters were also underwhelming as the book didn’t finish a complete story or character development arc, instead feeling like a giant “Part 1” for a longer story with the feel of New Adult rather than adult fiction. And while the world was full of detail, the characters and their actions felt half-finished; I struggled to believe some of their motivations and actions, and so much of the “web of corruption and intrigue” happened only in hints or off the page that by the time it all came to a head near the end I felt like I’d been reading a story about the wrong characters.

Wayward Pines trilogy by Blake Crouch

AuroraLeave a comment

Title: Wayward Pines trilogy (Pines, Wayward, and The Last Town)
Author: Blake Crouch
Format: ebook
Genre(s): Science Fiction, Thriller
Rating: ★★★☆☆

I picked up this trilogy on my sibling’s recommendation, with the context that the author wrote it as a sort of homage to Twin Peaks. It’s hard to discuss any detail about the trilogy without major spoilers, so in terms of content I’ll only say that I had a very enjoyable time being confused by what was going on and was honestly surprised (in a good way) by the reveals.

That said, the mystery is mostly unveiled in the first book, and by the third book everything is essentially already known — leading to a primarily action story as you see how things play out. The cinematic writing style makes the action enjoyable and the books are overall easy to read, but if your main concern is figuring out what’s going on you can probably stop after the first book. Although I was a bit frustrated at the very end with the main character’s decisions (in particular, a decision that seemed to run counter to the story’s point), in general I thought the author did a good job creating a dystopian setting and exploring how the main character worked through it, with all his flaws and limitations.

The Housekeepers by Alex Hay

AuroraLeave a comment

Title: The Housekeepers
Author: Alex Hay
Format: ebook (ARC)
Genre(s): Historical, Heist
Rating: ★★★★★

This is a brilliant debut novel with all the excitement of a heist story combined with a turn-of-the-century historical setting — and a peek at the darker side of life in service.

The story has an ensemble cast of strong women who contribute their own perspectives, but at the center is Mrs. King, former housekeeper to Ms. de Vries and mastermind behind the heist. The book keeps a fast pace and the intrigue remains high throughout as pieces are revealed about each woman’s backstory and the de Vries family history. Although we’re privy to the plans behind the heist, we’re left to piece together why each woman joined in and make sense of the tensions involved as it plays out.

If you enjoy these genres along with non-linear narratives, large casts of characters, and women taking justice into their own hands, I’d recommend this as a very enjoyable read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for providing an advanced reader copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. The Housekeepers comes out on July 6, 2023.

The Late Americans by Brandon Taylor

AuroraLeave a comment

Title: The Late Americans
Author: Brandon Taylor
Format: ebook (ARC)
Genre(s): Literary fiction
Rating: ★★★★☆

As a novel this is a somewhat frustrating book, with no real plot and a spotlight that briefly shines on characters only to drop them as the focus shifts. However, it is beautiful when taken as a collection of interconnected vignettes portraying graduate students (and others in their lives) trying to navigate difference and identity and purpose at a liminal stage in their lives.

This was my first experience of Taylor’s writing, and I loved the style of narration — although at least for me the dialogue was all so similar that it (and the large cast who popped in and out of the story) made it hard for me to distinguish one character from another, at times. The stories were fully embodied, and I felt viscerally the frustration, tension, loneliness, and threats of violence throughout the book. This made it uncomfortable when (as happened often) I was frustrated with how the characters related to each other, but it also made a strong overall impression on me, leaving me not with a definitive story but a sense of sharing these young people’s experiences as they tried to find their place in the world.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK, Vintage, for providing an advanced reader copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. The Late Americans comes out on June 22, 2023.

The Racial Code by Nicola Rollock

AuroraLeave a comment

Title: The Racial Code: Tales of Resistance and Survival
Author: Nicola Rollock
Format: ebook
Genre(s): Nonfiction
Rating: ★★★★★

As someone who knows more about the history and dynamics of race in the US, I originally picked up The Racial Code to further my education (and personal growth) about racism in the UK, and I was blown away by how much it had to offer.

The book covers numerous topics including microaggressions, racialization, intersectionality, and the work needed to be an ally and an anti-racist. Each chapter combines academic research with fictionalized accounts of the subject matter, illustrating its points and providing an opportunity to reflect: Where do I see myself in this story? Where do I feel discomfort, and why? When have I seen something like this play out in my own life? How could I be an ally if I were in the room? (Rollock explicitly invites you to ask these and other questions as you read.)

My sibling and I read it together and had weekly discussions about each chapter over the course of several months, and I highly recommend giving yourself that kind of time (and, if possible, one or more thoughtful reading partners) for careful reading and reflection.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

AuroraLeave a comment

Title: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
Author: Gabrielle Zevin
Format: ebook
Genre(s): Fiction
Rating: ★★★☆☆

Have you ever read a book that, when you finished it, made you wonder if the author was so brilliant that they made you empathize with the main characters while also deeply disliking them, or if the disliking was unintentional and it wasn’t meant to make you so upset? That’s how I felt about Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow — particularly in the way that Sadie and Sam both felt like very plausible characters, but I wanted to throttle them both.

This is a story about friendship and relationships, set in the context of the game industry and all of its horrors, from the competitiveness to the sexism to the commercialization. Sadie and Sam’s friendship (if you believe it is actually friendship) revolves around gaming, but throughout the book they clash over their games and consistently fail to care for and empathize with each other (thus my doubt that the story represents a true friendship). If that were the entirety of the story I’d probably rate it lower, but there’s a chapter about 2/3 of the way in (the NPC chapter) that blew me away, and I was left thinking that perhaps the greatest value in this book is the evolving pain, hollowness, and grief threaded throughout.

The Midwife by Tricia Cresswell

AuroraLeave a comment

Title: The Midwife
Author: Tricia Cresswell
Format: Audiobook
Genre(s): Historical
Rating: ★★★★☆

Set in the mid-19th century, The Midwife follows the stories of Joanna, a woman in Northumberland with extensive knowledge about medicine and midwifery but no memory of her past, and Dr. Borthwick, an accoucheur (a physician who delivers babies) with a spotless professional reputation and a closely guarded secret in his private life.

As their stories unfold, we learn more about Joanna, Dr. Borthwick, and the many interesting (and often kind) people who surround them as they apply their medical expertise in their respective communities. The medical details in the book are fascinating — including the context in which medicine was practiced and how factors like location and class influenced medical outcomes (and indeed still do). But the relationships are also captivating, and I found myself equally interested in Joanna and Dr. Borthwick’s personal and emotional journeys.

The only drawback for me was the twist with Joanna’s backstory (the explanation for her memory loss), which felt unnecessary; nevertheless, I came away from the book with a strong connection to the characters and was satisfied with how their stories played out.

Something Spectacular by Alexis Hall

AuroraLeave a comment

Title: Something Spectacular
Author: Alexis Hall
Format: ebook (ARC)
Genre(s): Romance, Historical
Rating: ★★★★☆

This delightful sequel to Something Fabulous tells Peggy Delancey’s story as she learns to let go of her longstanding love for Arabella Tarleton and falls (literally, at first!) for the opera singer Orfeo. Prepare yourself for anachronisms (explained in the opening author’s note), flamboyant humor, journeys of self-discovery, and a well-crafted (and sometimes steamy) romance as Alexis Hall delivers another whimsical yet touching romantic comedy.

It’s satisfying to watch Peggy define not just who she is and how she wants to show up in the world, but also what matters to her — including her struggle with whether it’s legitimate to make seemingly traditional life choices without accepting the entire framework that society insists comes with them. And although the narrative focuses on Peggy’s perspective, Orfeo has their own growth arc as they learn to ask for and embrace possibilities they haven’t previously let themself imagine for their life.

This is a lovely, funny romance but also an exploration of what it means to care for someone — whether a friend, a partner, or yourself.

(Addendum: I’m dying to know what happened to Sir Horley and can only hope that the next book will be about him!)

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for providing an advanced reader copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Something Spectacular comes out on April 11, 2023.