Book Review: Someone We Know by Shari Lapena
Posted on July 21, 2019 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.
Someone We Know by Shari Lapena
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Mystery, Suspense
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books (July 30th, 2019)
Length: 304 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
In Shari Lapena I’ve found a new mystery-thriller author to watch, first thanks to An Unwanted Guest and now Someone We Know, another wildly entertaining can’t-put-down novel offering a classic who-dunnit plot with a modern twist. This time, we’re transported to a quiet suburban neighborhood in upstate New York, where life is about to become a lot more interesting for its residents.
It all began with a missing person report filed by Robert Pierce, whose wife Amanda had not returned from a purported trip out of town with a friend. At first, believing Amanda to have left her husband, the police were not too concerned. But then came the call about her car found submerged in the shallows of a lake, and stuffed in the trunk was Amanda’s badly beaten body.
Meanwhile, Olivia Sharpe is reeling along with the rest of her neighbors at the news about the murder, but she is also distracted with some big problems of her own. She has just found out that her teenage son Raleigh has been breaking into other people’s homes, hacking into their computers. Raleigh on his part swears that he has never taken anything and that no one has ever suspected he was there, but nevertheless, Olivia is consumed with guilt, leading her to write anonymous letters of apologies to the owners of the houses her son had broken into. To her horror, one of them is Robert Pierce, whose place is now crawling with police dusting for fingerprints in the investigation of Amanda’s murder. What they find is shocking—it appears there’s a lot more going on in this sleepy little town than anyone realized.
What an insanely addictive book this was, packed with all kinds of delicious mysteries and suspense. Lapena knows just how to get under your skin, making you dwell upon the kinds of secrets your neighbors might be hiding. She’s also an expert at unraveling your nerves, at knowing just what buttons to push to make you squirm. I mean, who wouldn’t be disturbed at the idea of a stranger in your house while you were away, snooping at all the personal information on your computer? Even when the home invader is a guileless and confused teenager like Raleigh, who can say what he was really up to and what kinds of things he’s seen? And no surprise, that ends up being an important aspect of this book.
But what attracted me most to Someone We Know was the murder mystery premise, which, like in An Unwanted Guest, was almost a throwback to the Golden Age detective classics. But unlike those stories, the investigators are not the central characters. We’re given a glimpse into the progress of the case though the eyes of a police detective, but he only plays a small part in this narrative which is predominantly about the various residents in the neighborhood. There are lots of characters to keep track of, but they’re all very fascinating and easy to remember in no small part due to the respective scandals and dirty laundry they’re all trying to hide. Like a juicy soap opera with all its tangled relationships and shocking secrets, the drama in this book was like crack.
And man, how the plot ended up jerking me around—but in a good way. You’ll think you’ve figured something out, only to have something happen to make you reconsider all your assumptions. Then almost right away, something else will happen to bring you right back to your original theory, but now, of course, you’ll be seconding guessing everything. And on and on it went, with the story hurling its twists at me left and right. The main mystery, of course, was who killed Amanda. But there are lots of other threads playing out along side it as well, making you wonder how they all tie together. As always, you can never truly take a character by their word or infer too much about their actions. That’s a lesson I learned with the last novel I read by the author.
All told, Someone We Know was everything I wanted in a mystery: delightful unexpected twists, plot developments and clues that kept me guessing, and plenty of suspects who all had their individual secrets and motives. I also enjoyed the classic feel and structure of the story along with its quick pacing and unpredictability. In short, I would highly recommend this one to fans of the genre.
2019 Mid Year Book Freak Out Tag/Mid-Year Roundup
Posted on July 20, 2019 34 Comments
I’m not really in the habit of doing book tags (too many reviews to write, too little time!) but for this one I decided to make an exception. For one thing, I think it serve as a great jumping off point for a mid-year roundup post, featuring some pretty interesting categories that are fun to think about. Also, normally I would be scheduling a Bookshelf Roundup for today, but seeing as I’m still on vacation (I’m drafting this in advance), it wouldn’t be possible to do my usual “Stacking the Shelves/Recent Reads” summary and I figured this would be the perfect alternative.
So here we go!
Best Books I’ve Read So Far
Although it feels like I’ve been much pickier this year, I still have quite a few 5 star books. So I figured I would spread the love a little, and pick a favorite from each genre: The Wolf in the Whale (Fantasy), The Poison Thread (Horror), Three Laws Lethal (Science Fiction).
Best Sequels I’ve Read So Far
Some say it’s rare for a sequel to live up to or even outperform the original, but here are a few books that beat those odds.
New Releases I Haven’t Read (But Want To)
Um, yikes. We’d be here forever if I listed all the new books I want to read but haven’t gotten to yet, so let’s just pull my top three from the past month or so.
Most Anticipated Releases for the Second Half of the Year
Easy. I’ve known these were my top three since the beginning of the year.
Biggest Disappointments
These books I had high hopes for, but ultimately they did not live up to the hype or my expectations.
Biggest Surprises
It takes a lot to surprise me, but whenever I come across a book I enjoy in a strange genre or one that traditionally doesn’t work for me, that’ll do it.
Favorite New Authors
I’ve been reading a lot more thriller, mystery and suspense this year, so it’s not surprising that I’m adding a bunch of new authors to my auto-buy list.
Favorite Characters
Since I don’t do fictional crushes, I’ve changed these next two questions to favorite characters/least favorite characters. Favorite new characters: Aubrey Finch from Wherever She Goes by Kelley Armstrong, Nick Hayes from One Word Kill by Mark Lawrence, and Aunt Charlotte from The Witch’s Kind by Louisa Morgan.
Least Favorite Characters
Least favorite new characters: Red from The Girl in Red by Christina Henry, Rone from Smoke & Summons by Charlie N. Holmberg, and the entire Quinlan family in The Homecoming by Andrew Pyper.
Books That Made Me Cry
I rarely cry when it comes to books, but so far a few this year have touched me or at least managed to make me tear up.
Books That Made Me Happy
These books have either made me laugh, cheered me up, or filled me with a sense of pleasure and warmth.
Best Tie-Ins
This category is originally “Best Book To Film Adaptation”, but I’m modifying it somewhat to suit my reading habits. Time to admit I don’t get to watch TV or go to the movies as much as I would like to these days…but I do read a crap ton of media tie-ins.
Favorite Post
I mostly only write reviews on this blog, peppering it with a few memes and update posts on occasion. I did however have a lot of fun putting together some advice for new audiobook listeners in this Top Ten Tuesday post: Top Ten Tuesday: Thinking of Trying Audiobooks? Ten Tips for New Listeners. Hope it was helpful!
Prettiest Books I Received This Year
I make no apologies for being a complete cover whore, and I’m not gonna lie, I tend to be drawn to colorful, artistically detailed and aesthetically striking covers that are original and distinct.
Books I Need to Read By the End of the Year
Um, a lot! But will you look at that, I just so happened put together a handy list in my 2019 Rewind Challenge post last week! Check it out to see all the books I’m planning on reading and reviewing before the year ends!
Friday Face-Off: White Noise
Posted on July 19, 2019 21 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:
“You can’t choose between life and death when we’re dealing with what is in between.”
~ a cover featuring WHITE NOISE
Mogsy’s Pick:
Dreamfall by Amy Plum
So I couldn’t really find a cover among the books I’ve read that features a grainy or static effect for this week’s theme, but I did come across one that looked somewhat digitally distorted. Close enough! Dreamfall follows a group of teenagers who are signed up for an experimental study to help treat their individual sleep disorders. However, the equipment hooked up to the teens ends up malfunctioning during the trial and the seven of them seemingly fall into comas. In reality though, they’re all dreaming, trapped inside a nightmare together. Worse, they’re being hunted by their deepest fears come to life, and in this dream, you’ll never wake up if you die.
Let’s take a look at the covers:
HarperTeen (2017)
Turkish Edition (2017)
Hungarian Edition (2018)
Winner:
So I didn’t exactly love this book which might be biasing me against these covers, because I’m not really crazy about any of them. If I had to choose my favorite, however, I have to say I’m a bit intrigued by the HarperTeen edition because of the whole watery, melting effect giving it a weird Salvador Dali kind of vibe to it.
But what do you think? Which one is your favorite?
Book Review: Salvation Day by Kali Wallace
Posted on July 18, 2019 34 Comments
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Science Fiction
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Berkley (July 9, 2019)
Length: 320 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
After reading the description for Salvation Day, I thought I had a good idea of what I was in for: a futuristic sci-fi horror, with an outbreak scenario, maybe even possibly some crossover into zombie territory. I think I was picturing something like Dead Space in my mind. Well, what the book actually turned out to be was something quite different, though the story still ended up being a thrilling and cinematic experience.
Around a decade ago, the space exploration vessel House of Wisdom became abandoned after a deadly infectious virus was released on board, killing everyone on the ship. The sole survivor was a boy, Jaswinder Bhattacharya, the son of a very prominent family in the political and scientific community. Subsequently adopted by his aunt, Jas spent the next ten years pretending he could not remember what happened on the House of Wisdom and has tried to keep a low profile ever since. Meanwhile, the spaceship, which has become massive tomb, is left drifting in space guarded by drone missiles that would destroy anything that dared approach.
Now older, Jas is about to embark on his first journey back into space since the incident, along with a small group of his friends and fellow students. But unbeknownst to him, he is the key to a plan hatched up by a cult who want to use his genetic signature to bypass the security measures guarding House of Wisdom, which they mean to transform into a new home for their people. Zahra is one of the members of this cult, acting upon the orders of their leader Adam. She and her team were supposed to hijack Jas’ shuttle and kidnap the young man, forcing him to help them access the ship. No one was supposed to get hurt, or at least that was Zahra’s original understanding. But not long after they took over of the shuttle, everything started going wrong. Not surprisingly, when they reach the House of Wisdom, they also find bodies. However, what Zahra finds disturbing is not the presence of the dead, but the way that they died, which does not appear consistent with what was reported by the government. She and her team had been inoculated against the virus that supposedly killed everyone, but the threat they are faced with is something else entirely.
The story is told via two main perspectives—Zahra and Jas. Kali Wallace does a fantastic job balancing their POVs, giving readers enough background into her characters’ lives so we can sympathize with them and understand what drives them. Despite them being very different and having conflicting motives, I felt connected to both protagonists. It’s hard to say whose chapters I enjoyed following more, as I thought their lives were equally fascinating to read about. And once Zahra and Jas realized that they would be better off working together to survive, that’s when the character development and relationship dynamics grew even more intriguing.
As I said before, the way the story is presented is also very cinematic, and there were certain scenes that made me feel like I was watching a movie. Periodically, bits and pieces of conversation and reports from the House of Wisdom passengers’ last moments are also injected into the narrative, heightening the tensions and spooky atmosphere aboard the derelict ship. In addition, the world-building helps set Salvation Day apart from other sci-fi offerings that feature similar themes. The politics of this world are complex, involving a complete restructuring of the society following an apocalyptic event. Spawned in the aftermath of the collapse are a number of different government factions, resistance organizations, displaced refugees and other outsider groups like cults and extremist movements. All these opposing forces have created uncertain conditions and unique challenges in people’s lives.
Then there are the more pressing, immediate threats facing our characters once they make it aboard the House of Wisdom. Hidden agendas, betrayals, and secrets help keep the plot engaging, as if the dangers around them and the possibility of being infected with a deadly parasite weren’t enough. I honestly didn’t expect much from this book beyond the virus angle, but as the story gradually expanded in scope, I was drawn into a plot that was way more nuanced than I had originally thought, and I ended up being quite satisfied with the crux and conclusion.
At the end of the day, I would recommend Salvation Day if you enjoy sci-fi thrillers with a touch of horror, and I thought Kali Wallace did an especially good job at the creating an atmosphere of suspense and claustrophobia! Glad I took the chance on this one.
Waiting on Wednesday 07/17/19
Posted on July 17, 2019 19 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
Violet by Scott Thomas (October 15, 2019 by Inkshares)
You might recall how much I enjoyed Scott Thomas’ horror novel Kill Creek which was about four horror writers who agree to take part in a publicity stunt by spending a night at a haunted house. I have been waiting for news of next project since, and last week I finally got my answer when a mysterious package arrived from Inkshares and inside was Violet. Needless to say, I wasted no time in looking it up, and it sounds amazing!
“For many children, the summer of 1988 was filled with sunshine and laughter. But for ten-year-old Kris Barlow, it was her chance to say goodbye to her dying mother.
Three decades later, loss returns—her husband killed in a car accident. And so, Kris goes home to the place where she first knew pain—to that summer house overlooking the crystal waters of Lost Lake. It’s there that Kris and her eight-year-old daughter will make a stand against grief.
But a shadow has fallen over the quiet lake town of Pacington, Kansas. Beneath its surface, an evil has grown—and inside that home where Kris Barlow last saw her mother, an old friend awaits her return.”
Top Ten Tuesday: Auto-Buy Authors
Posted on July 16, 2019 37 Comments
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish, a weekly meme that now resides at That Artsy Reader Girl. The meme first came about because of a love of lists. Who doesn’t love lists? The original creators also wanted their lists to be shared with fellow book lovers and to ask that we in turn share ours with them and connect with other book bloggers. To learn more about participating, stop by their page dedicated to it and dive in!
This week’s topic: Top Ten Auto-Buy Authors
This week’s topic is all about my auto-buy authors. Not surprisingly, some of my favorite authors are on here, but this list isn’t static. Some names have dropped off while others have been added over the years as my tastes have changed or I discover new books.
Brandon Sanderson
Sanderson’s been on my must-buy list for years, and I don’t just stop at reading his books, I collect them too – special editions, signed editions, anything I can get my hands on. The man is a writing machine too, so it feels like there’s always something on the horizon to look forward to.
Jacqueline Carey
I read Kushiel’s Dart for the first time when I was in college, and from then on I was hooked! I’ve read every novel Carey has written since, including her urban fantasy.
Juliet Marillier
Marillier is an author who’s a somewhat new discovery for me, so I’m still gradually working through her back list. But every time I find out about a new book of hers, it goes immediately on the list.
Jim Butcher
Butcher’s been pretty quiet lately while The Dresden Files series is still stalled and we’re waiting on news about his next Cinder Spires book. The fact that he’s remained on my auto-buy list despite that tells you just how much I love his work, and my interest hasn’t cooled even a little bit.
Ben Aaronovitch
I know I really shouldn’t count series, but whatever. I just love Rivers of London, okay?
Sarah Pinborough
Sarah Pinborough has always been awesome in my books, but I feel like she’s really hit her stride with her last few novels delivering punchy, enthralling reads each time. That kind of reliability is always key to an author earning a spot on my must-buy list.
RJ Barker
Speaking of which, RJ Barker is another relative newcomer to this list, but when you pull off a phenomenal series like The Wounded Kingdom trilogy, you’re damn right I’m going to sit up and pay attention to everything you write from now on.
Mark Lawrence
I have followed and enjoyed Mark Lawrence’s work since the beginning, I have read all his novels, and I’m not about to stop now.
Sebastien de Castell
I was already a big fan of Sebastien de Castell after the Greatcoats series. After checking out his Spellslinger series, that just sealed the deal.
Kelley Armstrong
Granted, I’m still relatively new to Kelley Armstrong’s work (she’s written a lot books and I’ve barely begun to scratch the surface) but I’m 100% sold on her thrillers and at this point I’m also completely open to trying everything else she writes!
Book Review: Protect the Prince by Jennifer Estep
Posted on July 15, 2019 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.
Protect the Prince by Jennifer Estep
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Book 2 of Crown of Shards
Publisher: Harper Voyager (July 2, 2019)
Length: 448 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Last year’s Kill the Queen was my first book I ever read by Jennifer Estep and it had me hooked! I was pleased to be back into this world with Protect the Prince and was looking forward to seeing where she will take the characters and story next. If you haven’t caught up to this point yet, be aware as this review may contain spoilers for the first book.
Last time we saw Everleigh “Evie” Blair, she had just saved the kingdom from a usurper and now finds herself ruling as Bellona’s new queen. But even though she was never meant for the role, Evie isn’t stupid; she has spent her whole life in the halls of the palace, watching and learning the ways of the royal court even as the other nobles went about their lives ignoring her. Now they want her off the throne, but so far Evie has succeeded in holding her own.
But apparently Evie has underestimated how badly her enemies want her gone, even going as far as to send an assassin after her. Still, Evie will not be cowed. Despite the increased threat levels, she decides to go ahead with a scheduled diplomatic visit to the neighboring kingdom of Andvari, with whom she hopes to secure a new alliance. But the Andvarian king, still angry and demanding retribution for what happened during the Seven Spire massacre, is a tough nut to crack.
Then there’s the situation with Lucas Sullivan. The sexual tension is thicker than ever between them, but they’re unable to act upon it. In spite of everything, he is still a bastard prince, and now that Evie is queen, she will be expected to marry someone approved by the nobility and produce an heir—and that someone is definitely not Sullivan. Evie is forced to make some tough decisions, going against her true desires. Initially concerned about how much romance would feature in this sequel, I was actually relieved to find that it is well balanced with the rest of the story. What I enjoyed most about Kill the Queen was the its crossover appeal, hitting that sweet spot between romance and epic fantasy, and Protect the Prince continues this trend.
And yes, while I missed some of the gladiator action from the first book, I think the courtly intrigues and the developing political conflicts in and around Bellona made up for some of the slower pacing. There’s less intensity in the plot, but there’s still a lot going on—poor Evie can’t seem to stay out of trouble, but it’s not always her fault. Between working on figuring out who wants to kill her and trying not to start a diplomatic incident with Andvari, she’s got her work cut out for her. With all these different threads, Protect the Prince still managed to move at a fast clip and ended up being a highly entertaining read.
Then there’s the magic! I wanted more detail about the magic system in the first book (which was somewhat light on the world-building) and I got my wish here. We get a closer look at Evie’s particular powers, and I love how she uses them to her advantage against her enemies and the smug nobility who think they can pull the wool over her eyes.
Speaking of Evie, I’m also enjoying her character development. She’s strong, independent, and prefers to solve her own problems even if it means turning down help freely given, or it could get her killed. As a protagonist, she’s very likeable and her charisma helps carry the story. I like that she’s no pushover and can stand up for herself even against pretty much the entire court. She has a long memory and remembers who was kind to her, who was cruel, and what everyone’s strengths and weaknesses are—all very good things to know, now that she’s queen.
The series so far is still littered with all kinds of fantasy tropes, but surprisingly, I don’t have a problem with it. The truth is, it gives these books a certain kind of charm, and I love being able to kick back with something light and fun. I also have a feeling Estep is working on the bigger picture, building towards something even better. I look forward to reading the next book.
More on The BiblioSanctum:
Review of Kill the Queen (Book 1)
2019 Rewind Challenge
Posted on July 14, 2019 30 Comments
I saw this challenge created by Tammy at Books, Bones and Buffy the other day, and as someone who is perpetually finding amazing books to read and trying to make a better effort at catching up on releases, I knew I had to get in on this. Basically, the 2019 Rewind Challenge involves tackling the books you might have missed out on when they first came out, but that you are still determined and desperate to read, and the goal is to read them by the end of the year.
You can choose as many books as you’d like, but I’ve decided not to go nuts and try for six – one for each month until the end of the year isn’t too unreasonable, is it? Completely doable!
I literally have dozens of books I need/want/have to read, but these are some that are high on my priority list that I really should have gotten to a while ago. A few of these also have sequels coming out this summer, and of course that has lit a fire under me. As well, my NetGalley TBR is starting to get out of hand and I want to knock a couple off that pile to bring my stats back up a bit.
But wait! I also want to add a second part to this challenge as motivation to help me read some early 2019 books released in the first three months of the year that I’m still very passionate about, but for whatever reason I just haven’t gotten to them yet. I’m already planning to read these, but tying them to this challenge will be a good reminder not to neglect them and also to push me to get them read and reviewed before December 31, 2019.
I’m pretty confident I can do this, and I’ve already packed a few of these books to go on vacation with me this week because I’m excited to get started right away. What are your thoughts on mid-year challenges, and could your TBR benefit from some type of “Rewind” challenge?
YA Weekend: Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim
Posted on July 13, 2019 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.
Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Series: Book 1 of The Blood of Stars
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers (July 9, 2019)
Length: 416 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim was pitched as Project Runway meets Mulan and believe it or not, for once we have a YA blurb that is completely accurate! Or at least, it perfectly described the first half of the novel. However, I was just pleased to discover that this was a story that evolved as it progressed, transitioning from a seemingly insurmountable challenge for our protagonist to a thrilling adventure that takes her on the road, complete with an extraordinary quest and a sweet romance.
Split into several distinct parts, the book first introduces readers to Maia Tamarin, the only daughter in a family of tailors who had to take on duties of taking care of her family after her mother died and her father grew weak and old. The situation only worsened with the Emperor’s war, in which her two older brothers were killed, while her youngest brother returned home alive but broken. Soon after peace was reached, a messenger from the palace arrives at their doorstep with orders for their family to send a representative to work for the emperor, but of course neither Maia’s father nor her brother are in any condition to do so. Problem is, Maia knows she’s perfectly capable doing the job, being quite the accomplished dressmaker and seamstress herself, but of course girls are forbidden to fill the role. Instead, she takes matters into her own hands, disguising herself as a boy to travel to the palace, posing as her injured brother.
Once there, however, Maia realizes how she had been misled. The invitation extended to her family was not for a position to work for the emperor, but for a competition to choose the best candidate for the role of palace tailor, judged by none other than the emperor’s bride-to-be, Lady Sarnai. Together with eleven other contestants, Maia must take on multiple challenges, creating the best clothes for her using what limited time and materials they have. The future empress is also a shrewd manipulator who likes to play games, bringing unwanted attention to Maia when all our protagonist wants is to keep a low profile. Aside from the fact she is a girl, Maia is also hiding a pair of magical scissors given to her by her father, and both secrets could get her killed if discovered. Worse, as the final challenge, Lady Sarnai has demanded three magical gowns made from the laughter of the sun, tears of the moon, and the blood of stars. To accomplish this task, Maia must put her trust in Edan, the court’s enigmatic magician who is the only one to figure out her true identity.
Readers who enjoy seeing a bit of everything in their YA are sure to be in for a treat. Court intrigue and palace politics are rife in the first half of Spin the Dawn, while the second half of the novel follows more of a quest narrative, focusing on Maia and Edan’s journey to fulfill Lady Sarnai’s wishes. I wish I had been better prepared for this drastic shift because the two parts are so dissimilar that they may as well be two different books, and I’m not going to lie, I think I was having way too much fun with the “Project Runway” aspect of the story! Even after finishing this novel and enjoying it overall, I still think the first half was my favorite part of the book.
Still, once the transition took place and we were well under way with Maia and Edan’s road trip, I was quickly won over by the beautiful dynamic between the two of them. Theirs is probably the most well written and healthiest romance in a YA novel that I’ve read in a while, starting with the fact that Edan is such a likeable romantic interest free of all the toxic bad boy stereotypes and lame hang-ups. I also love a good girl-disguised-as-a-boy story, and I thought the author did a fantastic job with the trope. Maia was brave, smart, and deeply devoted to those she cares about, and her personality created a lovely chemistry with Edan’s. Despite a slight slowdown in the middle, I was still pleased with the general pacing of the story and the fact that the premise expanded in interesting ways with every major plot development.
But of course, what drew me to this book was the world. And by that, I don’t mean so much the world-building or the culture and mythology of the setting, though those elements were quite impressive as well. What truly captured my imagination was Lim’s descriptions of the fabrics, materials, and techniques involved in clothes making, and the fact that this entire novel had its basis in a competition that didn’t involve the contestants forced to kill each other brutally Hunger Games-style, yet still managed to provide a high level of suspense and excitement. A sewing contest is not something you get to see every day, and I was pleasantly surprised how well the concept worked with some light magic thrown in.
Needless to say, I was quite enchanted by Spin the Dawn, a delightful and unique YA fantasy written in an evocative, flowing style by the talented Elizabeth Lim. It makes me very excited for the next book, which will hopefully continue many of the positive trends.
Friday Face-Off: A Wrap-Around Cover
Posted on July 12, 2019 22 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:
“~ a WRAP-AROUND COVER
Mogsy’s Pick:
The Memoirs of Lady Trent by Marie Brennan
Today I’m doing something a little different by comparing the covers of all the books in a single series – and what a great series this is! The Memoirs of Lady Trent is one of my all-time favorites, and each volume is graced with a wrap-around book jacket featuring the gorgeous dragon artwork of fantasy artist Todd Lockwood.
Let’s take a look at them now:
A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan (2013)
The Tropic of Serpents by Marie Brennan (2014)
The Voyage of the Basilisk by Marie Brennan (2015)
In the Labyrinth of Drakes by Marie Brennan (2016)
Within the Sanctuary of Wings by Marie Brennan (2017)
Winner:
Almost impossible to choose a favorite considering how they’re all so beautiful, though I confess to being somewhat partial to anything to do with the ocean and maritime fantasy. So it’s The Voyage of the Basilisk for me!
But what do you think? Which one is your favorite?
The BiblioSanctum