Tour Review: The Mother Code by Carole Stivers

Posted on August 31, 2020 20 Comments

I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.

The Mother Code by Carole Stivers

Mogsy’s Rating: 3 of 5 stars

Genre: Science Fiction

Series: Stand Alone

Publisher: Berkley (August 25, 2020)

Length: 352 pages

Author Information: Website

So, I had some mixed feelings for this book. The premise was solid and intriguing, and the science behind it fascinating—not surprising, considering the author is a biochemist by trade and is clearly knows her subject. But on the flip side, the weaker story elements made for a frustrating, unfocused read.

It is the year 2049. Civilization as we know it is about to end, as a DNA-based nano bioweapon is unleashed upon the world and begins to mutate and spread out of control. Top scientists are scrambling to find a cure, and when that proves not enough, they turn to more drastic measures, like genetically engineering children to be grown inside artificial cocoons and be raised by robots. To achieve this, they developed the Mother Code—an intelligence programmed into the machines to give them individual personalities, which would also help them better understand the concepts of maternal responsibilities and instinct.

Years later, in the deserts of Utah, a human child named Kai is born to one of these robots, designated Rho-Z. As they wander the wilderness, looking for others like them, Rho-Z teaches Kai the ways of the world and how to survive in it, the way a real human mother would. Much of the story is split between the past, focusing on the actions of the scientists who created the Mother Code, and in the post-apocalyptic world, in which children like Kai are gradually learning the skills required to one day reintegrate into society, all the while being completely devoted to their robotic mothers. However, even as Kai grows and thrives, changes are occurring in Rho-Z’s programming. Ultimately, she and others like her would be targeted for destruction, leaving Kai with a difficult decision.

While I’m not the biggest fan of duo timelines, I’ve read books that utilize them to great effect, and when they work, they can really add to a story. But somehow in The Mother Code, the two threads simply refused to jive. It also gave the book a sense of being confused, like it wasn’t sure what it wanted to be—a rousing tech-thriller, or a heart-warming tale about an unconventional parent-child relationship? I could appreciate the story Carole Stivers wanted to tell, and it’s certainly one that would only make sense if we could see both sides—both past and present. But this format wasn’t the best.

As a result, I could only feel invested in specific parts of the novel, and maybe the terrifying aspect of an uncontrollable manmade plague had something to do with it, but I definitely latched on to the apocalyptic timeline. The book worked better as a thriller, highlighting the desperation of the world’s plight and the scientists’ race against time to find a solution. The science behind the story is brilliant and sharp, but does also require some background knowledge in the subjects, or at least some patience, to fully appreciate.

That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy the sections featuring Kai and Rho-Z, but while I really like softer, glowing tones of their relationship, the structure of the book was not at all conducive to helping the reader feel emotionally invested in either of them. The characterization also wasn’t the strongest, and there are quite a few POVs to follow. Even the scientist characters felt kind of faceless and hollow, because you had such a strong emphasis on the research and following the progression of the outbreak, there was hardly enough time to develop the people in depth. As well, constantly flipping back and forth between the many perspectives only served to disrupt the pace and increase this emotional distance between the reader the characters.

In short, I think there’s a great story in The Mother Code. Certainly, at its heart is a thought-provoking concept that sci-fi fans with an interest in hard science married with realism would love, especially if you’re into “what-if” scenarios and themes dealing with artificial intelligence, plague outbreaks, and biochemical warfare. That said, at times the content does get a little too technical, and the plot’s disjointedness and pacing issues also made it hard to connect with the characters. Personally, I would have liked to see more developed characterization, smoother transitions between POV changes and improved flow, but going forward, I wouldn’t discount the possibility of reading Carole Stivers again, as she’s obviously got some tremendous ideas for stories.

YA Weekend Audio: Harrow Lake by Kat Ellis

Posted on August 30, 2020 19 Comments

I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.

Harrow Lake by Kat Ellis

Mogsy’s Rating (Overall): 4 of 5 stars

Genre: Horror, Young Adult

Series: Stand Alone

Publisher: Listening Library (August 25, 2020)

Length: 8 hrs and 11 mins

Author Information: Website | Twitter

Narrators: Kristen DiMercurio, Alex McKenna, Jason Culp

Okay, I don’t often find YA horror to be all that scary, but Harrow Lake by Kat Ellis was definitely a bit spooky! In it, we follow Lola Nox, daughter of Nolan Nox, a celebrated horror film director who first made his name with the prohibition-era gothic piece Nightjar, which has since become a cult classic. It certainly also helped put the small mining town of Harrow Lake on the map, which was where most of the filming took place, not to mention it was the hometown of the movie’s lead actress, Lorelei.

Captivated by the young star, Nolan eventually married Lorelei and moved to New York. Lola was born, but not too many years after that, Lorelei walked out on the family, leaving her daughter to be raised by an egocentric and often emotionally unavailable father. At least, that’s what all the entertainment rags say anyway, and as Lola hasn’t seen or heard from her mother in years, there’s no reason to doubt Nolan, who may be overprotective and disparaging at times, but he’s also the only family she has left. And so, after coming home one day to discover him bleeding out from multiple stab wounds, Lola is shaken at the murder attempt on her father and terrified to consider what might happen to her if he died. Next comes the shock that she will be sent to live in Harrow Lake while Nolan is in recovery, with a maternal grandmother that she’s never met.

Upon her arrival, Lola is disturbed to find a town perpetually stuck in the 1920s style of Nightjar, the movie being its only claim to fame other than the historic landslide that purportedly killed almost half its residents. As a result, Harrow Lake is a haunted place where a local myth has sprung up around a monster known as Mr. Jitters who lives underground and emerges periodically to abduct victims to drag back to its lair. To appease him, children do weird things like hang their teeth in trees with strings, which is both super gross and a little creepy. Lola’s grandmother turns out to be a strange old lady as well, who’s always mistaking her for her own daughter Lorelei and insists that Lola dresses up as Little Bird, the main character from Nightjar. With no cell phone coverage or internet at the house, Lola is forced to find other ways to entertain herself, like exploring the abandoned amusement park or the depressing town museum that mostly features exhibits to do with Nightjar.

In her wanderings and interactions with the townsfolk though, Lola begins hearing unpleasant rumors and stories about her mother, including the one about her possible connections to Mr. Jitters. Something made Lorelei want to leave Harrow Lake all those years ago, which may also explain her current disappearance, and Lola is determined to find out what—even if it means unearthing some terrible, spine-chilling secrets.

It might not be too surprising to hear that, more so than Lola or any other character in this book, it was the town of Harrow Lake that stole the show. While it is not a happy place, it has its appeals—especially if you have a penchant for dark and macabre horror settings. Reading about the town is like stepping into a dream or like being stuck on a page in a storybook where time never truly moves forward. There’s a kind of sad beauty to it; like an insect trapped in amber, it is unable to escape its purgatorial state yet also prevented from putting itself out of its misery by completely fading away, thanks to the many fans of Nightjar who delight in seeing the town as a kind of living tribute to the film. Whatever is left of Harrow Lake survives on the meager tourism the movie brings in, so the locals are forced to play it up for all it’s worth.

The supernatural aspect is also nicely worked into the story, invoking an atmosphere and tone that’s very reminiscent of an 80s creature feature like Pumpkinhead or A Nightmare on Elm Street. Visitors may come and go, but the people of Harrow Lake are stuck with more problems than their own resident monster in Mr. Jitters. Poverty and a bitter resentment towards outsiders, especially ones such as our protagonist from glitzy New York, also result in an aura of uneasiness following Lola wherever she goes, not to mention her own mental hang-ups and anxieties regarding her parents. Consequently, we have a slow-simmering kind of horror that is subtle but no less effective, as the author’s strategy relies mainly on arousing ideas to create frightening scenarios, encouraging the reader’s imagination to do most of the work. That said, there are a few scenes where Ellis is certainly not shy about doling out all the disgusting details, and as someone who simply can’t deal with teeth, eyes, or nails used in horror movies, there were a couple incidents that downright repulsed me.

All in all, I don’t think Harrow Lake would be enough for readers looking for a more “in your face” horror novel, but if you’re more for the creeping dread of a campfire ghost story or disturbing urban legends, then it just might be for you. The ending was also satisfying in its own way, and the audiobook did a fantastic job with putting you right in the scene with its clever use of sound effects and outstanding voicework. Great performance by all the narrators.

Bookshelf Roundup 08/29/20: Stacking the Shelves & Recent Reads

Posted on August 29, 2020 19 Comments

Bookshelf Roundup is a feature I do every weekend which fills the role of several blog memes, like Stacking the Shelves where I talk about the new books I’ve added to my library or received for review, as well as It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? where I summarize what I’ve finished reading in the last week and what I’m planning to read soon. Mostly it also serves as a recap post, so sometimes I’ll throw in stuff like reading challenge progress reports, book lists, and other random bookish thoughts or announcements.

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Received for Review

My thanks to the publishers and authors for the following review copies received, and be sure to click the links to their Goodreads pages for more details and full descriptions!

August 29 book haul

Just two physical books added to the to-be-reviewed pile this week. As you might have heard, the postal service is currently backlogged and I know I have a couple books coming to me that are currently trapped in limbo, and hopefully they’ll get to me one day! But for now, I am grateful for this copy of The Year’s Best Science Fiction Vol. 1 edited by Jonathan Strahan that I received, with thanks to Saga Press. There’s a great line-up of authors featured in this anthology, including Ken Liu, N.K. Jemisin, Elizabeth Bear, and many, many more! Also with thanks to Blink and the kind folks at Wunderkind for this surprise arrival of Devastation Class by Glen Zipper and Elaine Mongeon. I have recently been made aware of this YA publisher and am looking forward to checking out more of their titles, so this sci-fi adventure about an alien invasion might just be next.

On to the digital pile, I’m still all about the audiobooks these days, but I did snag one eARC from NetGalley. I saw Secret Santa by Andrew Shaffer and just knew I had to request this Christmas horror read. It’s never too early to plan your holiday reading, with thanks to Quirk Books! Courtesy of Random House Audio, I also received a listening copy of The Somebody People by Bob Proehl. The first book was an X-Men style superhero story, and even though I had mixed feelings about it, seeing as this is a duology, I might just finish it off and see if things end with a bang.

Reviews

He Started It by Samantha Downing (4 of 5 stars)
Ink & Sigil by Kevin Hearne (4 of 5 stars)
Ignite the Sun by Hanna C. Howard (4 of 5 stars)
Final Cut by S.J. Watson (3.5 of 5 stars)

This Week’s Reads

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Have you heard of or read any of the books featured this week? What caught your eye? Any new discoveries? I hope you found something interesting for a future read! Let me know what you plan on checking out. Until next time, see you next Roundup!

Friday Face-Off: Dark Road

Posted on August 28, 2020 27 Comments

Welcome to The Friday Face-Off, a weekly meme created by Books by Proxy! Each Friday, we will pit cover against cover while also taking the opportunity to showcase gorgeous artwork and feature some of our favorite book covers. If you want to join the fun, simply choose a book each Friday that fits that week’s predetermined theme, post and compare two or more different covers available for that book, then name your favorite. A list of future weeks’ themes are available at Lynn’s Book Blog.

This week’s theme is:

“The road goes ever on and on”
~ a cover featuring a DARK ROAD

Mogsy’s Pick:

The Other People by C.J. Tudor

When it comes to dark roads, surely none can be darker than the one traveled by Gabe in The Other People, a novel about a father’s desperate quest to find his abducted daughter. Gabe spends his days driving up and down the same stretch of highway where he last saw his little girl in the back of a rusty old junk bucket covered with gaudy bumper stickers. Her terrified face in that car has haunted his dreams every day for the last three years, and he vowed he would never give up until he found her. Eventually, his search does bear fruit—though perhaps not the kind he wanted.

Let’s take a look at the covers:

From left to right:
Ballantine Books (2020) – Penguin (2020)

Penguin Paperback (2020) – Random House Audio (2020) – Dutch Edition (2020)

Winner:

There’s no doubt this week, my favorite one is the Ballantine cover. It also stresses me out a little, a testament to how effective it is. Looking at it reminds me of why I don’t like to be out driving late at night, especially on rural highways around here where you can go for miles in the pitch blackness without seeing a single streetlight or another car on the road.

But what do you think? Which one is your favorite?

Thriller Thursday Audio: He Started It by Samantha Downing

Posted on August 27, 2020 25 Comments

I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.

He Started It by Samantha Downing

Mogsy’s Rating (Overall): 4 of 5 stars

Genre: Thriller, Suspense

Series: Stand Alone

Publisher: Penguin Audio (July 21, 2020)

Length: 9 hrs and 49 mins

Author Information: Website | Twitter

Narrator: Karissa Vacker

Okay seriously, what the hell did I just read?! What the fucking fuck this book. Cue the fits of incoherent screaming and uncontrollable eye twitches.

Let me just start by saying how much I loved Samantha Downing’s first book. My Lovely Wife was pretty much everything you’d want a psychological thriller to be—bold, dark, intelligent, and completely addictive and unpredictable. I’m so pleased to say He Started It was much the same, though I might have liked it just a teensy tiny little wee bit less, and I’ll get to why in a moment, but it was still SO GOOD.

To start, if I could set the scene in a single sentence: family of assholes go on a road trip. Beth Morgan is our narrator telling the story, and she’s traveling cross-country in a rental with her older brother Eddie and little sister Portia, not because she really wants to, but because she has no choice—not if she wants a shot at inheriting a couple million dollars, anyway. Their grandfather has just died, leaving behind a substantial sum of money. As his sole remaining heirs, the Morgan siblings stand to become very rich, but only if they do exactly what is stipulated in old gramps’ will. The three of them must recreate the road trip he took them on twenty years ago, during that awful summer when their parents’ fighting got especially bad. Of course, there were four children back then, but eldest sister Nikki is no longer in the picture (the plot thickens) so it will just be Beth, Eddie, and Portia hitting every tourist trap and cheap motel they stopped at on their route from the east coast to the Pacific Ocean. Even grandpa’s along for the ride, in a box holding his ashes which will be scattered once they reach their destination.

Still, twenty years is a long time, and a lot has happened since the siblings were children. For one, they haven’t spoken to each other in years. Beth is also now married, and so is Eddie, and both their respective spouses have decided to tag along, much to the Morgans’ annoyance. It’s difficult to explain to outsiders why their grandfather has made them do this, not when they don’t really understand it themselves. All they know is what the lawyer told them, and their progress will be tracked by the GPS in the rental van provided them. There are no rules about bringing guests, just that the three of them have to finish the road trip, and they can’t end up in jail like their mother (and the plot thickens again!)

On her part, Beth just wants to get it all over with, so she can get her share of the money. She doesn’t want to spend a second longer with her jerk of a brother Eddie and his annoying new wife. Six years younger than Beth, her kleptomaniac stripper sister Portia is no picnic to be around either. Not too long into their trip though, the Morgans have an accident. A large black pickup truck nearly runs them off the road, and at first, they don’t think too much of it. But soon, as they zig-zag across states, there’s no mistaking it—the truck is following them, and with it, more unfortunate “accidents” aren’t far behind.

Aarrrgggh, I swear this is pure torture, because as much as I would love to talk about everything I loved about this book, practically any detail I could give beyond this point in the plot could lead to a potential spoiler, so I can’t. I just can’t. But holy hell, I simply could not tear myself away from this one. After all, dysfunctional families are one of my favorite tropes in thrillers, and you really can’t get more dysfunctional than the Morgans. I mean, spending time with family can be tough. Like Beth says, you hate them, but you also love them. But when you’re stuck with them on a road trip for weeks on end because there’s a disgusting amount of money on the line, you just gotta make it work, somehow. Plus, to their credit, they’ve got each other’s backs when it really counts. Assholes need to stick together, after all.

Bouncing back between the past and present, He Started It weaves together black comedy and hair-raising thrills as Beth chronicles their time on the road, comparing it to the experiences she and her siblings had with their grandfather twenty years ago. We know that Eddie and Portia are real pieces of work, but mark my words, Beth is no saint either. She’s an apathetic, manipulative, scheming liar, and all I’ll say is this: you take her at face value at your peril.

By now, you might be wondering, if I loved this book so much, why not five stars? Well, it’s because of the ending. To be honest, I’m not wild about it. It seemed too abrupt, leaving way too much hanging, unexplained. It’s the kind of ending you wish you could talk about with others, and in fact, one of the first things I did after finishing this novel was hit up Goodreads to see if there were any discussion threads on possible theories or anything I might have missed. Otherwise, it just felt like Downing couldn’t figure out how to tie everything up, so she gave up trying. The result was jarring enough that I docked a whole star.

Still, He Started It was a great read, which provided a special bonus too, because the novel took you to all these fascinating places across the United States—all of which are real places that the author researched, according to the afterword, with only a few minor tweaks to make the story work. The audiobook was also superbly done, with a fantastic performance by narrator Karissa Vacker whose voice and energy kept up with the whirlwind pace of the plot. All in all, I highly recommend this if you enjoy twisted, enthralling thrillers.

Waiting on Wednesday 08/26/20

Posted on August 26, 2020 14 Comments

Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly meme that first originated at Breaking the Spine but has since linked up with “Can’t Wait Wednesday” at Wishful Endings now that the original creator is unable to host it anymore. Either way, this fun feature is a chance to showcase the upcoming releases that we can’t wait to get our hands on!

Mogsy’s Pick

The Galaxy, and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers (February 16, 2021 by Harper Voyager)

THIS. This is so exciting. I love the Wayfarers books, and this fourth installment in the sequence sounds like it will read like a standalone like the others, but with luck the new story delving into an “often mentioned, but not yet explored” corner of series’ universe will have links to the characters we’ve met before.

“Return to the sprawling, Hugo Award-winning universe of the Galactic Commons to explore another corner of the cosmos—one often mentioned, but not yet explored—in this absorbing entry in the Wayfarers series, which blends heart-warming characters and imaginative adventure.

With no water, no air, and no native life, the planet Gora is unremarkable. The only thing it has going for it is a chance proximity to more popular worlds, making it a decent stopover for ships traveling between the wormholes that keep the Galactic Commons connected. If deep space is a highway, Gora is just your average truck stop.

At the Five-Hop One-Stop, long-haul spacers can stretch their legs (if they have legs, that is), and get fuel, transit permits, and assorted supplies. The Five-Hop is run by an enterprising alien and her sometimes helpful child, who work hard to provide a little piece of home to everyone passing through.

When a freak technological failure halts all traffic to and from Gora, three strangers—all different species with different aims—are thrown together at the Five-Hop. Grounded, with nothing to do but wait, the trio—an exiled artist with an appointment to keep, a cargo runner at a personal crossroads, and a mysterious individual doing her best to help those on the fringes—are compelled to confront where they’ve been, where they might go, and what they are, or could be, to each other.”

Audiobook Review: Final Cut by S.J. Watson

Posted on August 25, 2020 18 Comments

I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.

Final Cut by S.J. Watson

Mogsy’s Rating (Overall): 3.5 of 5 stars

Genre: Mystery, Suspense

Series: Stand Alone

Publisher: HarperAudio (August 25, 2020)

Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins

Author Information: Website | Twitter

Narrator: Billie Fulford Brown, Mary Jane Wells, Zehra Jane Naqvi, Matthew Waterson, Will M. Watt

S.J. Watson’s debut Before I Go to Sleep was a book I read early in my blogging days, and as I recall, I was quite taken with its rather unusual handling of the good old amnesia plot. Thus I was quite intrigued when I found out about his new book Final Cut, another psychologically-driven suspense mystery dealing with memory loss.

Alex Young is the protagonist of this novel, who over the years has made quite a name for herself as an award-winning documentary filmmaker specializing in covering hard-hitting social issues. To keep at the top of her game though, she’ll need a new angle, and in spite of herself, she knows there’s a good story in the small dreary village of Blackwood Bay tucked away along the northern English coast. A town with a notorious history of smuggling, it’s also where teenage girls have a disturbing tendency to disappear without a trace. The last decade alone saw multiple reports of missing victims, and while some say they ran away, at least one is believed to be dead, having committed suicide by hurling herself off the cliffs.

But while there’s no doubt Blackwood Bay is a haunted place, that doesn’t fully explain the feelings of dread that come over Alex when she arrives in town. For she herself has a dark past that she doesn’t like to talk about, that she can’t even remember. Something terrible happened to her when she was a girl, something which led her to develop dissociative amnesia. However, lately the memories have begun slowly trickling back, and being in the strangely familiar environment of Blackwood Bay has somehow made them worse and more confusing. As Alex begins her investigation by conducting interviews and collecting stories about the missing girls, she begins to develop a sinking suspicion that she might have been one of them, and that maybe she had run away from this place to escape something terrible.

I’ll give the novel this—it had an intriguing premise. But as you can probably tell from my rating, I wasn’t completely blown away. Books like this are starting to make me wonder if thrillers and mysteries about amnesia and memory loss are even worth picking up anymore, because they always end up reusing the same formulaic plot lines and devices, not to mention the heavy dependence on the unreliable narrator trope. I had thought Final Cut might be different because of the interesting perspectives presented to us in Before I Go to Sleep, but in this case I might have let my expectations get the better of me.

Still, that’s not to say this was a bad book. I thought it had a good solid plot, even if everything was fairly predictable. Watson does a great job building suspense, though, by creating a soul-draining kind of bleakness around the setting, and one method by which he achieved this was through painting a downright unpleasant history for Blackwood Bay. Some places are said to have bad karma, and surely this seaside village is a good example. The crimes and abuses revealed to have taken place here were just plain awful, and over the years these evils appear to have poisoned the entire town including its residents, who all seem to go about their miserable lives with a demoralized, resigned air.

That said, in spite of the abundance of atmosphere, the story does start losing its steam after a while. Keep in mind that while Alex is busy figuring out her past, readers are also seeing the world through her eyes and putting all the pieces together, getting ever closer to figuring out the final twist. Eventually, I think the author realized it was getting a little too obvious and decided to send the protagonist off running in circles or chasing dead-end leads, all in a thinly-veiled attempt to stall for time and throw us off the scent. Personally, I didn’t think it worked out too well.

The result is a moody mystery that reads more like a drama than true suspense, much less a psychological thriller, and yes, in some ways this was disappointing because I had expected the latter. Nevertheless, I wouldn’t write off the novel completely, especially if you find the premise interesting. Although I found the thriller aspect and final twist to be a bust, if you enjoy mystery noir stories with their hopelessly flawed and troubled protagonists and gloomy atmospheric settings, you will probably find a lot to like in Final Cut.

Audiobook Comments: Multiple narrators made this audiobook a fuller experience, and they all delivered great performances, bringing the various people in the story to life. Alex’s parts were particularly well done, with the reader’s voice giving emotional weight to the character’s quest to investigate the disappearances in Blackwood Bay and solve the mystery of her past.

Book Review: Ink & Sigil by Kevin Hearne

Posted on August 24, 2020 23 Comments

I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.

Ink & Sigil by Kevin Hearne

Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Series: Book 1 of Ink & Sigil

Publisher: Del Rey (August 25, 2020)

Length: 336 pages

Author Information: Website | Twitter

Move over, Atticus O’Sullivan, because Kevin Hearne fans are in for a treat with his new series spinning off of The Iron Druid Chronicles starring Aloysius “Al” MacBharrais, Scottish sigil agent extraordinaire. In his sixties and blessed with a fancy mustache, he’s part of an organization responsible for regulating and enforcing the rules of travel for supernatural creatures to and from our mortal plane. As one of only a handful of people on this world with the ability to create sigils from special ink, a big part of his job also involves work with magically binding contracts in addition to crafting all manner of spells.

But following the fatal accident of his seventh apprentice Gordie, our protagonist begins to wonder if there might be another reason for why all his students seem to meet untimely deaths. So, he starts digging. And as it turns out, Gordie had been living a secret double life, hiding his criminal involvement in an underground supernatural trafficking ring. It seems that fae of all types are being kidnapped and sold to buyers for a mysterious purpose, and Al is determined to find out why. With the help of a mischievous hobgoblin who calls himself Buck Foi, Al sets off on a mission to blow the whole fiendish scheme wide open, all the while trying to stay under the radar of the real world police who are starting to wonder why trouble seems to follow him wherever he goes.

To kick off the analysis part of my review, I think it’s only appropriate to first talk about Al and what a unique, entertaining and complex protagonist he is. A sixty-something widower, he is a true rarity when it comes to urban fantasy leads, but I absolutely adored the refreshing perspective he brought to the genre. I also liked how Hearne mostly avoided falling back on clichés about older people, putting artful creative spins on his main character, like the fact he is cursed with a voice that makes others’ hatred for him grow the more they hear him talk. So to get by, he relies heavily on his spells, writing, and speech apps.

And goodness, this book was funny, so funny. If you enjoyed the sassy, light-heartedness of the Iron Druid series, I think it’s safe to say you’ll feel right at home. In fact, I often found the humor to be even more appealing in Ink & Sigil, possibly due to Al’s more genuine and down-to-earth personality, and the jokes are maybe just slightly less juvenile. His interactions with his staff are filled with wit and whimsy, and more than once I found myself chuckling at the clever banter. It’ll be tough to top the dynamic duo that is Atticus and Oberon, but dare I say it, Al and Buck might give them a run for their money.

The world-building was also intriguing and made me want to learn more. While Ink & Sigil shares its world with Iron Druid, it nevertheless reads like a standalone and feels completely separate—the way a spin-off should, I might add, barring a few cool cameos. There’s a whole new magic system to discover, and in true Kevin Hearne style, it feels both inventive and well thought out. Sigil-based magic is more than it appears, starting from the very specialized ink that sigil agents must make from rare specific ingredients. Once crafted, a sigil can then be used to manipulate the world around them, and some of their effects can be pretty wild.

Like a lot of mysteries in UF though, I found this one to be slightly lacking and unfocused in the plot department. There are quite a few distractions and side ventures, but this being the opening volume of a new series, a part of me understood the need to introduce as many aspects of the world and its characters all at once. There’s also the issue of the heavy Scottish dialect, and while I appreciated Hearne’s efforts at authenticity and to make his readers feel as immersed as possible, bottom line, some of it’s just a damn pain to get used to, and slowed things down as a result.

Still, as many of my favorite UF series also took a few books to find their feet, I’m definitely willing to give this one more time to smooth out any bumps and dents. All told, while Ink & Sigil is only the first book, I’m already liking where things are going. I believe fans of Kevin Hearne will be well pleased with this humorous and fresh novel, and if you’ve ever been curious about the author’s work, this would be the perfect opportunity to jump on board.

YA Weekend: Ignite the Sun by Hanna C. Howard

Posted on August 23, 2020 18 Comments

I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.

Ignite the Sun by Hanna C. Howard

Mogsy’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult

Series: Stand Alone

Publisher: Blink (August 18, 2020)

Length: 352 pages

Author Information: Website | Twitter

“Once upon a time, there was something called the sun…”

And with this irresistible premise, Hanna C. Howard’s debut Ignite the Sun had my full attention (though that heart-stoppingly stunning cover didn’t hurt either). The novel’s protagonist is sixteen-year-old Siria Nightingale, who has never once in her life seen the light of the sun or felt the warmth of its rays. That’s because long ago, the kingdom’s tyrannical Queen Iyzabel decreed the sun dangerous and has since used her magical powers to shroud her entire realm in darkness, claiming to protect her subjects.

Still, despite not knowing what a life in the sun means at all, Siria somehow misses the light. Deep down, she also knows she’s different from the other girls at the uppercrust school she attends, and it’s not just because her flaming red hair and freckles make her stand out. She can’t help but be fascinated by the sun, and the only two people who seem to understand this yearning are her best friend Linden and his grandfather Yarrow, who frequently regales the children with stories of the good old sunlit days.

But then came the Choosing Ball, an opulent event in which the kingdom’s elite vie for a place on the royal court. However, what should have been Siria’s opportunity to prove herself instead turns into a night of explosions and complete disaster when she is revealed to be a long lost Sunchild, creatures of pure light magic that have been outlawed by Queen Iyzabel. At long last, Siria discovers the truth of why she’s so different, but now that her identity is out, she is marked for death. With the help of Yarrow and Linden, she manages to escape, but then receives another shock as her traveling companions admit they are not who she thinks they are. In fact, Yarrow is a mage and Linden is a wood elf, and the two of them have been watching over her all these years, waiting to help her realize her powers and return her to her true people.

Over the years I’ve read my fair share of YA fantasy, and in that time I’ve been exposed to a great number of tropes and conventions which the genre has thrown my way, and I have to say many of these can be found in Ignite the Sun. From the exiled Chosen One to the wise old wizard who guides her, much of the book reads like your classic quest narrative and hero’s journey, with very few surprises. Our adventuring party also picks up a couple extra members along the way, including a haughty water nymph and a sweet, young innocent banshee. There’s even a romance based around the tried-and-true cliché of the secret crush on the super-hot best friend, and following right on its heels, the good old “she must break his heart in order to spare him” trope. The ensuing result is this all-encompassing air of sentimental cheese and hokeyness, which I think readers will either find endearing or utterly tedious.

As for myself, I confess to falling into the former camp. Sure, Ignite the Sun might be predictable, but it’s predictable in all the ways you want it to be. The story and its characters are warm, comfortable and familiar, offering lively adventure and gentle laughs. This is the kind of novel you can fall into very easily, becoming swept up in the world, its people and their relationships. While there’s not much doubt at any point regarding the direction in which the plot is going, there are some unique elements sprinkled here and there along the way, spicing up an otherwise average fantasy setting. I found myself intrigued by the concept of a Sunchild, and enjoyed the way all manner of other mythical creatures inhabited this world and had special roles in Siria’s life.

Perhaps it’s not too surprisingly though, that it’s our protagonist’s own personal journey that shines through the most. When the book begins, Siria is a self-absorbed young woman who never questioned the reality of the way things were presented to her, even when all that was wrong was staring in her face. Her only concern was to be accepted, marching in lockstep with Queen Iyzabel’s desires like everyone else clamoring for her favor. Only when Siria has lost it all does she finally realize what truly matters. The transformation is gradual and convincing, ultimately becoming the most inspiring aspect of the novel.

At the end of the day, while I doubt Ignite the Sun will be winning any awards for originality or breaking new ground in YA fantasy, this charming and entertaining debut was nevertheless a joy to read. I believe readers will either love it or hate it depending on how they feel about certain tropes, but being able to go with the flow will surely make it easier to find comfort and a simple delight in the book’s familiar themes.

Bookshelf Roundup 08/22/20: Stacking the Shelves & Recent Reads

Posted on August 22, 2020 31 Comments

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Received for Review

My thanks to the publishers and authors for the following review copies received, and be sure to click the links to their Goodreads pages for more details and full descriptions!

First, I was so excited to get a copy of Red Noise by John P. Murphy, which I’ve seen described as a Samurai space western. I have a vague recollection of answering to an email pitch about it earlier this year, but as this was at the beginning of coronavirus shutdown chaos, it had completely slipped my mind. I’m so happy that I eventually received the book, with huge thanks to Angry Robot!

This week, I also received a finished copy of Ink & Sigil by Kevin Hearne with thanks to Del Rey. This is the first book of a spin-off series based on the author’s Iron Druid Chronicles universe, and I’m looking forward to discovering all the new characters and stories it has to offer!

And also thanks to Tor Books for sending me a finished copy of The Last Uncharted Sky by Curtis Craddock, the third book in The Risen Kingdoms series. I’m absolutely in love with this world and can’t wait to get back in.

In the digital haul, courtesy of Tantor Audio I received a listening copy of Yellow Jessamine by Caitlin Starling. I had mixed feelings for her book The Luminous Dead, but I’m really hoping this one will work better for me. The good news is that it’s a novella so it’s short, and its description does seem more in line with the type of horror I enjoy, involving a mysterious plague in a dying city.