YA Weekend: Wicked Fox by Kat Cho
Posted on June 29, 2019 29 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: Fantasy, Young Adult
Series: Book 1 of Gumiho
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers (June 25, 2019)
Length: 429 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
I’m sure one day I’ll come across an Asian mythology inspired fantasy and not be immediately tempted to add it to my TBR, but today is not the day! Wicked Fox caught my eye for several reasons, not least of them the fact it features the gumiho, or nine-tailed fox demon, a creature of legend from Korea. The story is also set in the present day, and I was quite curious to see how its traditional folktale elements would be combined with the modern.
For 18-year-old Gu Miyoung, a half-human shapeshifting gumiho, immortality comes at a steep price. In order to survive, she must feed on the gi, or life energy of men. Unpleasant business to be sure, but it must be done, though making murderers and other evil men her exclusive prey is one way Miyoung seeks to assuage her conscience. And in the bustling city of Seoul with its steady supply of wretched criminals, it’s as good a place as any to feed and to hide. By day, she’s a quiet and unassuming teenager about to start classes at her local high school, but in the night by the light of the full moon, she’s a reluctant hunter, searching for her next meal. To choose her targets, Miyoung has sought out the assistance of a young shaman named Nara, who can communicate with the ghosts of the murdered to find their killers.
But one night following a feeding, Miyoung encounters a Jihoon, a boy from school, out walking his dog and completely oblivious to the fact he’s about to become a goblin’s late-night snack. Miyoung rescues Jihoon, and inadvertently reveals her true nature in doing so, losing her fox bead to him and creating a connection between their life forces. At school, the experience has drawn them together, though Miyoung remains wary about letting any human boy get too close. From her capricious mother Yena, Miyoung has learned that she cannot always trust the gumiho within, the otherworldly part of her that is always volatile, that always hungers. And with a part of her soul gone with her bead, her situation is also growing even more desperate by the day.
Let me first start by saying there are parts of Wicked Fox I really enjoyed, but also parts that I thought were weaker or could be reworked. Namely, I loved all the supernatural aspects. If you enjoy urban fantasy, I think you will also find this world inhabited by legendary spirits, demons, ghosts and monsters greatly appealing. And the best part? All these paranormal elements are incorporated into the enchanting, vibrant setting of modern-day Seoul.
In fact, I wish we could have seen more of this side of Wicked Fox. But the novel also had its lulls, including the long sections devoted to high school dramatics. I thought the narrative dwelled too long on Miyoung and Jihoon at school and their time in getting to know each other, as it felt like in these chapters, nothing else significant happened at all. It also took me some time to warm up to Miyoung, mostly because in general I find self-pity to be a very irritating and unbecoming trait in YA protagonists. Simply put, at times her actions and dialogue contained too much angst and woe-is-me for my liking. Needless to say, Jihoon was a real sweetie, an infinite font of patience to put up with her some of her crap. That said, I’ve seen some reviewers describe this book by making comparisons to Korean soap opera dramas, so it is quite possible for Miyoung and Jihoon’s relationship to be a tribute to those.
Thankfully, the second half of the novel picked up considerably, with more intense conflicts and higher stakes that really blew me away. The intrigues and reveals towards the end made it all worth it, connecting all the threads established earlier about Miyoung’s past and dropping some pretty big bombshells about her family. Not to mention it was immensely satisfying to finally get some actual answers as well as the much-needed release from tensions simmering beneath the surface since the intro. This went a long way in making up for some my frustrations over the slower chapters that dragged down the middle of the book.
Overall, I would recommend Wicked Fox by Kat Cho for fans of urban fantasy and paranormal YA, especially if you are fascinated by East Asian traditions, cultures, and mythology. After a stellar beginning, the story took some time to develop, but time and patience will pay off in a big way in the end with plenty of delightful revelations and a satisfying conclusion. I was glad to learn that there will be a sequel to follow this one, because I can’t wait to read more set in this world.
Friday Face-Off: Striped
Posted on June 28, 2019 31 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:
“And who decided which people wore the striped pyjamas”
~ a cover featuring STRIPES
Mogsy’s Pick:
Vengeful by V.E. Schwab
Vengeful was probably the best book I’ve read by Victoria/V.E. Schwab since…well, its predecessor Vicious. I really wish she would write more adult novels like this, because I think letting loose gives her the opportunity to go beyond a lot of the usual story clichés that seem to plague the YA fantasy genre, allowing her to develop a more nuanced and mature approach to the personal voices in her stories.
Anyway, speaking of nuanced, let’s check out the various covers for this book, which I think are all quite expressive and striking.
From left to right:
Tor Books (2018) – Titan (2018)
Spanish Edition (2019) – Russian Edition (2019) – German Edition (2020)
Winner:
All the covers this week are pretty nice, and I actually waffled between the two English editions (the German edition also had promise, but begone, evil yellow sticker, begone!) before settling on my favorite. In the end, I went with the Tor cover. It’s the version I own, and it’s also beautiful in real life.
But what do you think? Which one is your favorite?
Audiobook Review: Wherever She Goes by Kelley Armstrong
Posted on June 27, 2019 26 Comments
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
Wherever She Goes by Kelley Armstrong
Mogsy’s Rating (Overall): 5 of 5 stars
Genre: Thriller, Mystery
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Macmillan Audio (June 25, 2019)
Length: 8 hrs and 17 mins
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Narrator: Therese Plummer
I just finished Wherever She Goes by Kelley Armstrong and it was so intense that sitting down to write this review now, my heart is still pounding a mile a minute in my chest. I’m a huge fan of the author’s thrillers, in particular her Rockton series, and it was a delight to find that this was in the same league in terms of excitement and drive, though of course it was also different enough to offer a new and refreshing change of pace.
In this standalone novel, we follow protagonist Aubrey Finch who has just recently separated from her husband Paul. But while she has long since accepted the fate of her doomed marriage, what she refuses to give up on is joint custody of her daughter Charlotte, who is Aubrey’s whole world. Despite being an independent, resourceful and smart woman, Aubrey knows her questionable past and lack of financial resources would not stand a chance in court against Paul, a successful defense lawyer who can provide stability for their child. And so she throws herself into being the best mother she can be, bringing Charlotte to the park on their weekends together, trying to mingle with the other moms to prove to others and herself that she is perfectly capable of taking care of her daughter.
This is how Aubrey first meets the young blonde woman, who shows up at the park sometimes with her little boy. They’ve talked on occasion, though never shared names. Just the usual kind of chitchat you have with your typical friendly mom who brings their kid to the playground. But then one day, during a jog through the park on her lunchbreak, Aubrey witnesses the blonde woman’s son being pulled forcefully into a car, with the woman herself nowhere to be seen. In a panic, Aubrey calls the police to report a kidnapping, expecting them put out an Amber alert, mobilize a search, the whole nine yards. Instead, nothing happens. The police say that no one has reported their child missing, so there’s nothing that can be done other than to follow up on the limited leads that Aubrey has provided, which have been checked and have gone nowhere. Frustrated, Aubrey decides to do her own digging into the situation, knowing what she saw was real, that somewhere out there, a child is in danger. And yet, the more she pushes, the more trouble she seems to find herself in. People are starting to question her sanity, wondering whether her fears of losing her own child might be making her delusional. Worse, her investigation activities might be drawing some unwanted attention, threatening to expose details from her past that she would prefer to leave unexplored.
Leave it to Kelley Armstrong to write such an addictive and immersive thriller! I was captivated from the moment it started, and I don’t think the pace slows down at all. Story-wise, Wherever She Goes might come across as the same old, same old—a missing child, an amateur detective protagonist whose obsession with the case leads others to doubt them, and so on and so forth—but what Armstrong does that few other authors can pull off is a perfect sense of timing and a writing style that can convey a sense of desperate immediacy. We’re with Aubrey every step of the way as she carries out her own investigation, feeling the full brunt of her anxiety, fears, and tension. Any moment this fragile situation could come tumbling down on her, jeopardizing her own life as well as those she loves.
And speaking of Aubrey, what a fascinating character Armstrong has created. Aubrey Finch a bright young woman with a real knack for technology, but life hasn’t exactly gone her way due to some unfortunate circumstances as well as mistakes on her part. Throw in a bit of social awkwardness, and others aren’t always willing to trust her because they find her aloof and slightly strange. The fact that this story takes place in a big city doesn’t help, where people are either apathetic to point of nihilism or so prying and judgmental that they always seem to be sticking their nose in your business. Aubrey finds herself dismissed as a crazy person trying to make trouble, and it was so frustrating seeing her brushed off by everyone. Still, this is a lady you don’t want to mess with. Whether she’s hacking into network systems of fighting off thugs that are more than twice her size, she can take care of herself. She’s also fiercely independent, refusing to accept help even if she could really use it. Despite her occasional bullheadedness and her tendency to run headlong into the unknown though, I still found her extremely likeable and relatable and easy to root for.
There were also some surprises in this otherwise straightforward thriller, including discovering that Paul was actually quite a decent guy despite Aubrey’s initial fears that he might fight her over custody arrangements for Charlotte. And there were so many twists and turns in the second half of the novel, it was hard to know who to trust anymore.
Bottom line, Kelley Armstrong is an author who knows how to keep you on your toes. Granted, I have not read many of her paranormal/fantasy work, but with books like Wherever She Goes, I definitely find myself gravitating more towards her thrillers. This was another winner for me, and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys exciting and suspenseful mysteries.
Audiobook Comments: I absolutely adore Therese Plummer, whom I think is one of the industry’s most talented narrators. I became a fan when I first listened to Kelley Armstrong’s City of the Lost (and then the rest of the Rockton series) in audio, and I was so glad to find out that Plummer was on board for this one too. Her voicework gave dimension to Aubrey’s character, making her personality feel genuine, and the sense of urgency her performance brought to the plot was perfect for a thriller.
Waiting on Wednesday 06/26/19
Posted on June 26, 2019 25 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
Alone in the Wild by Kelley Armstrong (February 4, 2020 by Minotaur Books)
So happy that Kelley Armstrong is keeping these Rockton books coming. Add to that, I just finished her standalone thriller Wherever She Goes and LOVED it. I can’t get enough of what this woman writes.
“In #1 New York Times bestseller Kelley Armstrong’s latest thriller, the hidden town of Rockton is about to face a challenge none of them saw coming: a baby.
Every season in Rockton seems to bring a new challenge. At least that’s what Detective Casey Duncan has felt since she decided to call this place home. Between all the secretive residents, the sometimes-hostile settlers outside, and the surrounding wilderness, there’s always something to worry about.
While on a much needed camping vacation with her boyfriend, Sheriff Eric Dalton, Casey hears a baby crying in the woods. The sound leads them to a tragic scene: a woman buried under the snow, murdered, a baby still alive in her arms.
A town that doesn’t let anyone in under the age of eighteen, Rockton must take care of its youngest resident yet while solving another murder and finding out where the baby came from – and whether she’s better off where she is.
#1 New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong again delivers an engaging, tense thriller set in perhaps the most interesting town in all of contemporary crime fiction.”
Most Anticipated Releases of 2019: July to September
Posted on June 25, 2019 49 Comments
Summer is now in full swing! It’s time to look ahead to the Science Fiction and Fantasy reads I’m most excited about in the months of July to September. Not only is it fun to organize my reading and to make lists, they also have the added benefit of focusing my attention to the highly anticipated releases that I’d like to check out. This year, I decided to try something a little different by posting a list every quarter to make the TBR seem more manageable. There’s already an impressive tower of books on my to-read pile, and while I’m under no illusions that I’ll be able to read them all, hopefully I can get to most of them (and also put some new books on people’s radars)!
So what are your most anticipated releases for the third quarter of 2019? Looks like my July is going to quite a month for exciting new releases, while August will be relatively lighter. And I might as well just barricade myself in my house for the whole of September. Can’t talk, too busy trying to read myself out from under Mount TBR!
July
July 2 – Crowfall by Ed McDonald, Protect the Prince by Jennifer Estep
July 9 – The Toll by Cherie Priest, Salvation Day by Kali Wallace, Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim
July 16 – The Philospher’s War by Tom Miller, The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter, Howling Dark by Christpher Ruocchio
July 23 – Star Wars: Thrawn: Treason by Timothy Zahn, The Last Astronaut by David Wellington, The Wolf’s Call by Anthony Ryan, Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep by H.G. Parry
July 30 – Someone We Know by Shari Lapena, Dark Age by Pierce Brown
August
August 6 – Swipe Right for Murder by Derek Milman, The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang
August 13 – Do You Dream of Terra-Two? by Temi Oh
August 20 – The Warehouse by Rob Hart, The Whisper Man by Alex North, Turning Darkness into Light by Marie Brennan
August 17 – Rage by Cora Carmack
September
September 3 – Missing Person by Sarah Lotz, The Nobody People by Bob Proehl, To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers, Darkdawn by Jay Kristoff, The Harp of Kings by Juliet Marillier, The Girl the Sea Gave Back by Adrienne Young, Sword and Pen by Rachel Caine
September 10 – Stormrise by Jillian Boehme, The Magnolia Sword: A Ballad of Mulan by Sherry Thomas, Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir, The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow
September 17 – A Little Hatred by Joe Abercrombie, The Hanged Man by K.D. Edwards
September 24 – The Monster of Elendhaven by Jennifer Giesbrecht, Grave Importance by Vivian Shaw, The Bone Ships by RJ Barker
Book Review: The Girl Who Could Move Sh*t With Her Mind by Jackson Ford
Posted on June 24, 2019 27 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 Girl Who Could Move Sh*t With Her Mind by Jackson Ford
Mogsy’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Genre: Science Fiction, Paranormal
Series: Book 1
Publisher: Orbit (June 18, 2019)
Length: 496 pages
Author Information: Website
A literary tour de force this was not (but I mean, you’ve probably gathered that from the title already), but still most definitely a ton of fun (again, the title). The Girl Who Could Move Sh*t with her Mind by Jackson Ford is the perfect book to read for pure irreverent and action-packed escapism.
Meet Teagan Frost, a young woman who possesses incredible psychokinetic powers, something that the government is all too willing to exploit for its own purposes. Under the cover of a moving company, Teagan and the other members of her team are dispatched on various top-secret missions by their handler Tanner to deal with threats to national security.
However, things go spectacularly wrong on their latest mission, when the only way they could get away was with Teagan taking a flying leap out the window of a skyscraper with one of her freaked out teammates in tow. Only by using her PK was she able to save them both. After that fiasco was over, all Teagan wanted was to sleep for a year, but no sooner had she settled down than she was woken up by an urgent phone call demanding her return to headquarters. In a panic, Teagan arrives expecting everything to be in a state of emergency. What she did not expect was to be accused of murder, with her teammates in a fury and ready to arrest her. Back at the site of their bungled mission, it appears that the body of their original had been found, killed by a length of rebar wrapped around his neck. As far as everyone was concerned, only someone with Teagan’s powers could have done something like this, and since there’s no one else like Teagan in the world, she had to be guilty.
But Teagan knows the truth: there had to be someone else out there with PK powers, an idea that both excites her and scares her. Now she has less than 24 hours to prove her innocence, and the first step towards clearing her name is to track down the real killer.
I confess, this was a purely indulgent read for me; I wanted something fast-paced and fun that read like an action-comedy movie and The Girl Who Could Move Sh*t with her Mind gave me exactly that. Despite all the comics and comic book character related references, this isn’t really a superhero novel, but it sure as hell reads a lot like one, incorporating themes like secret identities, uncanny origin stories and a super scary evil villain. Its freewheeling plot starts off running and doesn’t take a break for anything, so be prepared to keep up.
Fortunately, books like these are usually pretty simple and straightforward, though that being said, they don’t often give the reader anything or special too unique either, for all that they are full of humor and well-timed and engaging banter. But that’s where the characters come into the picture. Here, the narrative unfolds by alternating between following Teagan and Jake, the out-of-control PK she’s trying to track down and capture. At first, I felt that the reveal of the target so early on might have been a misstep, but my mind was quickly changed as Ford gradually allowed us to go deeper into Jake’s complicated and twisted psyche. His actions, behaviors and origins suggest a deeper mystery to be solved, adding an extra layer of intrigue to the plot. Teagan herself is also a formidable protagonist and a joy to follow, and her determination and optimism is admirable, considering the impossible challenges she must face and all the hardships she’s had to endure in the past.
To tell the truth, there’s not much left for me to say int his review, but that some books are just plain fun to read. And if fun is what you’re looking for, then The Girl Who Could Move Sh*t with her Mind is the exactly kind of novel you’ll want to take to the beach or to curl up with in your favorite reading nook after a long day—the perfect blend of action, humor and sci-fi to fulfill all your needs of escapism and entertainment.
Book Review: The Girl in Red by Christina Henry
Posted on June 23, 2019 26 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 Girl in Red by Christina Henry
Mogsy’s Rating: 3 of 5 stars
Genre: Horror, Apocalyptic
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Berkley (June 18, 2019)
Length: 304 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
First of all, it’s always a joy to read the gritty retellings of fairy tales by Christina Henry, and The Girl in Red captured my attention in particular because of its slightly different approach. Whereas the novels of the Alice duology and Lost Boy took place in a more abstract and fantastical context, this one felt relatively more realistic and urban in a “zombie apocalypse” kind of way, featuring a family’s fight for survival in the midst of a deadly epidemic.
At the center of this tale is a young woman named Cordelia, but since she hates her name, she prefers to go by Red. She lives in a mixed-race family with her mother, father, and older brother Adam, whom she thinks is a pain in her ass. When she was younger, a car accident also caused Red to lose a leg, and so she uses a prosthetic for mobility. Growing up, she felt rather isolated and misunderstood because of her disability, which led her to immerse herself in movies, literature and other interests as a result.
And then the Crisis came. People started getting sick. The illness, which begins with an insidious cough, gradually causes worsening symptoms until the virus takes over the body, leading to a horrible and bloody choking death. There is no known cure, and only a small percentage of the population is immune. Within months, millions are dead, and civilization has pretty much collapsed. Armed with only the survival knowledge she has gleaned from pop culture and her own research, Red believes that her family’s survival rests on getting to her grandmother’s house, hundreds of miles away in rural country where there’s a chance the virus hasn’t taken root. The last thing she wants is to be rounded up and quarantined, because, duh, haven’t these idiot people in government ever watched outbreak movies? Being packed together like sardines in some facility while a highly infectious disease is running rampant is a bad idea, not to mention you can never trust the military in these situations, oh no.
So Red starts making plans for their family to stockpile supplies for their journey. But one day, despite taking every single precaution and being extra careful, one of them suddenly falls ill with a cough. Dreading what this means for their survival, Red is nonetheless determined to go through with the journey to grandma’s house, knowing that the threat of infection is just one of many dangers on the long road ahead.
Ultimately, I finished this book with some mixed feelings. Still, that isn’t to say I didn’t enjoy it, because I did—but in terms of the writing and storytelling, I just didn’t feel that The Girl in Red is of the same high caliber as her previous retellings. There was one major aspect that bothered me, and that was the protagonist herself. In case you couldn’t tell from some of the snarkiness in my earlier paragraphs, Red annoyed the hell out of me. She’s a belligerent, unpleasant little know-it-all who thinks watching a few movies makes her an expert on everything—smarter than even her professor parents! She’s also irritatingly self-righteous about it, and likes to lord it over everyone else. Granted, I get that she’s been through discrimination and rough times which could explain for some of her antagonistic behavior, but that still doesn’t fully justify the fact she could be highly judgmental and plain nasty herself, especially towards her own brother. Speaking of which, I didn’t get the impression that they were this closely-knit family like the narrative wanted me to believe; it seemed like everyone was simply too vapid and clueless to stand up to Red’s bossy demands. Red also didn’t feel genuine to me, coming across more like an idealized character that checks off all the right social justice boxes. I consider myself pretty middle-of-the-road so maybe that’s why stuff like this tends to leap out at me, and Henry isn’t exactly subtle when it comes to shoving issues like race and guns in your face, reminding you at every turn how Red feels about such things, and most of the time it’s done in a very awkward and ham-fisted way. Many authors have done better.
But now on to the things I did like: the story was fast-paced and compelling, and with the novel being on the shorter side, there really wasn’t any room for lulls. I also enjoyed the narrative structure as we alternated between the present and past, an effective way of building anticipation and dread as readers are left wondering what happened to Red’s family. As well, the modern and realistic apocalyptic setting was a nice change of pace from the usual fantasy fare by the author, though I think there were plenty of missed opportunities when it came to the survival aspect, which felt lacking. Maybe like Red, Christina Henry merely pulled her inspiration from a bunch of movies, because most of the situations our characters found themselves in were pretty clichéd and predictable. That said, there were some interesting—and disturbing—developments towards the end, as the plot crosses the line into speculative horror territory. I just wish the book could have given us more in this vein, as that would have definitely boosted its uniqueness and appeal.
All in all, I had a good time with The Girl in Red, though admitted many of the positive things about it were somewhat overshadowed by the gripes. It most definitely isn’t my favorite of Christina Henry’s dark fairy tale retellings, though I do appreciate her trying something a little different this time around.
Mogsy’s Bookshelf Roundup: Stacking the Shelves & Recent Reads
Posted on June 22, 2019 38 Comments
Bookshelf Roundup is a feature I do every other 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 round up what I’ve read since the last update 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.
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!
I always notice increased activity in my mailbox around June because I guess that’s when a lot of new books are coming out and also when fall ARCs start getting released into the wild. Speaking of, huge thanks to Crown for sending one of my most anticipated titles of 2019: The True Bastards by Jonathan French! This second book of The Lot Lands and sequel to the amazing The Grey Bastards will be focusing on a side character from the first book, so that makes me think it can be read as a standalone. That’s good, because it means more people can experience the awesomeness of this series! I can’t wait to check it out.
Thank you also to G.P. Putnam’s Sons BYR for Wicked Fox by Kat Cho, a Korean mythology inspired YA fantasy about a shapeshifter girl who is a gumiho – a nine-tailed fox! I won this ARC from Bookish First and after a few anxious weeks of waiting, the book finally showed up and all was right in the world again.
As well, the kind folks at Subterranean Press are always surprising me with interesting ARCs and this time it was Reading Backwards by John Crowley, a collection the author’s essays on a wide range of subjects, both literary and otherwise. I’m not really one for non-fiction, but I am quite curious to take a look through the topics to see if anything interesting leaps out at me.
My thanks also to Del Rey for sending me an ARC of The Nobody People by Bob Proehl. This was pitched to me as a near-future fantasy story of love, hope, family and community that explores the lengths people will go to fight for one another, no matter the odds. It sounds interesting and I hope to give it a look later this fall.
From the amazing folks at Titan Books, I also received Wastelands: The New Apocalypse edited by John Joseph Adams. I know I’m not the biggest reader of anthologies, but how could I resist the topic or the author line-up, which includes the talents of Veronica Roth, Richard Kadrey, Jonathan Maberry, Seanan McGuire, Hugh Howey, Ken Liu, and many more? I couldn’t, that’s what.
With thanks also to DAW Books for a surprise ARC of Life and Limb by Jennifer Roberson. I only found out about this book recently, but the more I read up on it the more I’m excited to give it a try! The blurb describes it as a western urban fantasy about a biker and a cowboy who must work together to stop the apocalypse. Sounds cool, right?
Also thank you to Penguin Books for sending along The Saturday Night Ghost Club by Craig Davidson, a coming-of-age paranormal story set in Niagara Falls, in a the vein of Stranger Things. Davidson, of course, also writes horror novels under the pen name Nick Cutter, which I’ve enjoyed so needless to say this one caught my eye. I’m planning on reviewing this one later in the summer and I’ll be hosting a giveaway too, so stay tuned for that!
Earlier this month I also came home to an unexpected package full of these amazing ARCs, with thanks to Tor.com: Made Things by Adrian Tchaikovsky, Ormeshadow by Priya Sharma, The Killing Light by Myke Cole, and The Monster of Elendhaven by Jennifer Giesbrecht! The Killing Light is a sequel (the last book in a trilogy, in fact) and I’m not caught up yet so it might be a while before I can get to it, but the others are all very high on my list of books I want to read this fall.
Big thanks also to Harper Voyager for sending me a finished copy of Protect the Prince by Jennifer Estep, sequel to Kill the Queen which I enjoyed very much last year. I have plans to read this one soon later in the month or in early July, and I’m really looking forward to it.
Thank you also to Ace Books for Salvaged by Madeleine Roux. I didn’t even know she was writing an adult sci-fi, as I’ve only ever known of her YA horror, but this sounds really good and should be interesting. And a couple months ago, I received an ARC of The Big Book of Classic Fantasy edited by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer from Vintage Books, and last week, they followed it up with a finished copy, which looks gorgeous! And speaking of following up, my thanks to Redhook for surprisng me with this beautifully presented paperback copy of The Sisters of the Winter Wood by Rena Rossner. The hardcover first edition of the novel was released last September, hard to believe the TPB is being issued already; time really flies.
As always, I’m also fantastically grateful to the wonderful team at Orbit Books. An unexpected package arrived on my doorstep a couple weeks ago, and I pretty much broke into a dance on the spot when I opened it and saw A Little Hatred by Joe Abercrombieinside. It’s been a while since his last novel came out, and I can wait to dive into his work again. And finally, with thanks to Tor Books I received The Red-Stained Wings by Elizabeth Bear, sequel to The Stone in the Skull (which I still need to read!), as well as Spine of the Dragon by Kevin J. Anderson, the start of a new series marking the author’s return to epic fantasy.
Mostly audiobooks in the digital pile this week, which is good because these days I’ve been listening to so many I can probably knock them all out in no time! With thanks to HarperAudio for listening copies of The Grand Dark by Richard Kadrey, a new standalone dark fantasy from the author of Sandman Slim, as well as The Brink by James S. Murray and Darren Wearmouth, the sequel to Awakened. Also thanks to Penguin Random House Audio for the following tie-ins: Star Wars: Alphabet Squadron by Alexander Freed follows five former rebel starfighter pilots who are tasked to hunt down the vestiges of the Empire, and Minecraft: The Lost Journals by Mur Lafferty is the third novel in the official series based on the game. From Hachette Audio, I was also very excited to snag Teeth in the Mist by Dawn Kurtagich, having enjoyed her previous YA horror novels.
Thank you also to Macmillan Audio for the following listening copies: The Sol Majestic by Ferrett Steinmetz is a sci-fi adventure that has been compared to the Wayfarer series by Becky Chambers, which intrigues me! Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey is a fantasy mystery about a young woman who uses her magic to solve a murder. The author’s River of Teeth series didn’t really blow me away, but I have a feeling this one will work much better for me. And finally, I am obsessed with thrillers these days – especially domestic suspense! – so I couldn’t resist The First Mistake by Sandie Jones when I read the synopsis about a convoluted relationship between a wife, her husband, and her best friend. The details are super vague, which always makes me curious!
In an effort to let my stats recover from my splurge a few weeks back, I only snagged one book from NetGalley this week, but it’s a good one. Missing Person by Sarah Lotz is an upcoming mystery thriller from one of my favorite horror writers, about a group of amateur detectives whose case is infiltrated by the sadistic killer they’re hunting. My thanks to Mulholland Books.
Reviews
Here is a quick summary of my reviews posted since the last update:
The Poison Thread by Laura Purcell (5 of 5 stars)
Recursion by Blake Crouch (5 of 5 stars)
Queenslayer by Sebastien de Castell (4 of 5 stars)
Pariah by W. Michael Gear (4 of 5 stars)
Limited Wish by Mark Lawrence (4 of 5 stars)
The Night Before by Wendy Walker (3.5 of 5 stars)
Atlas Alone by Emma Newman (3 of 5 stars)
Roundup Highlights
Interviews and Guest Posts
A shout out to the authors who stopped by The BiblioSanctum these last two weeks!
Guest Post: “Goodness in a Nietzschean World” by M.C. Planck
What I’ve Read Since the Last Update
Here’s what I’ve managed to “unstack” from the TBR since the last update. More reviews coming soon!
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: Blazing Sun
Posted on June 21, 2019 31 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 longest day of the year”
~ a cover featuring a BLAZING SUN
Mogsy’s Pick:
Ecopraxia by Peter Watts
So today’s theme is technically “Summer Solstice”, for which we can feature any kind of imagery related to the longest day of the year, including pagan rituals, standing stones, and of course, blazing suns. Since I knew I was going to have a hard time coming up with anything otherwise, I decided to go with the most literal and straightforward interpretation of the last and ended up with Echopraxia by Peter Watts! Which is kind of ironic, considering how un-straightforward and just plain impenetrable this book was. If you’re the kind of reader who struggles with hard sci-fi, I’d recommend staying far away.
But let’s take a look at covers:
From left to right:
Tor Books (2014) – Head of Zeus (2015) – Russian Edition (2015)
Polish Edition A (2014) – Polish Edition B (2014) – Ukrainian Edition (2015)
Winner:
It’s rather plain and simple, but I love the Head of Zeus edition. Something about the intensity of the colors just does it for me. It somewhat suits the underlying themes of the book too, which touch upon some philosophical questions and debates about the human condition.
But what do you think? Which one is your favorite?
Book Review: Queenslayer by Sebastien de Castell
Posted on June 20, 2019 22 Comments
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
Queenslayer by Sebastien de Castell
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Series: Book 5 of Spellslinger
Publisher: Orbit (May 21, 2019)
Length: 496 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
In this penultimate installment of the Spellslinger series, our hapless protagonist Kellen Argos has once again traveled to a new place and embroiled himself in yet another sticky political situation in which he really can’t afford to make a single mistake. Fortunately, by his side is Reichis, his trusty sidekick (sorry, business partner) who is a cantankerous squirrel cat with the heart of a lion and the mouth of a sailor. Like all the previous volumes, this one also features a very memorable and vibrant supporting cast as characters new and old make an appearance, while certain absences can also be felt strongly.
In Queenslayer, Kellen has traveled to Darome, a nation with some peculiar customs and beliefs. After accidentally smearing blood on a Daroman flag, our protagonist finds himself hauled in front of the royal court to face justice for his crime. Presiding over his trial is Queen , an 11-year-old girl wise beyond her years. Devising a challenge in the form of a card game, she manages to get the court to spare Kellen and place him under her protection.
But pretty soon, Kellen realizes that being in the queen’s service is not all it’s cracked up to be. Most of the others mistrust him, fearful of his Shadowblack. And some also want to use him to their advantage, putting Kellen in a delicate spot. As a greater conspiracy is revealed to him, Kellen is finding it more and more difficult to keep his head above water, painfully aware that the queen probably trusts and relies on him more than she should.
Five books in, it is fascinating for me to watch the evolution of this series. In my review of the previous book, Soulbinder, I noted how I thought we had reached a turning point, where Kellen’s journey may have started taking steps towards a darker and more mature direction. Queenslayer has certainly not swayed me from that impression. While this book still has plenty of action and humor, I definitely feel that it is more understated compared to the first three in the series. For one thing, the story is heavily focused on courtly politics, putting Kellen’s wits to the test. Having reached his eighteenth birthday, our boy is growing up, and it’s obvious from certain themes in the plot as well as some of the situations in which he finds himself. That said, I was pleased to see that if there’s one thing that hasn’t changed much, it’s that he is still completely hopeless when it comes to women.
With one more book to go, Sebastien de Castell is also preparing to tie everything together, though of course there are still plenty of secrets he keeps close to the vest. There’s more about the Shadowblack, building upon what we learned from the previous book in which we saw Kellen start to come around to what the markings might mean for his future. However, new information about his affliction—including the possibility of a cure—has once more gotten him rethinking all his plans. The author has also teased a greater role for Kellen’s sister, and Shalla makes an appearance in Queenslayer, bringing with her all kinds of questions about her endgame. I’m still not really sure about her, whether her love for Kellen is sincere or if she is merely a tool of their father; all I know is that I’m excited to find out more. And finally, I would also love to see more of Ferius. I’ve been missing her, and of course I’m still holding out hope that there will be a bigger part for the Argosi, but at the same time I can’t deny that a part of me is tremendously proud to watch Kellen come into his own without anyone holding his hand. It feels like his has been the goal of the last two novels.
Needless to say, if you’ve been enjoying the series, Queenslayer is not to be missed. I always feel a nervous energy whenever we approach a finale, and this is pretty much where I am now, waiting on pins and needles for Crownbreaker. I’m going to be sad when Kellen and Reichis’ journey comes to a close, but knowing that I’ll have all the fond memories of their past adventures to keep me smiling, it’s hard to feel too upset. As far as memorable moments go, there are plenty in this one, and I can’t wait to read the final book.
More on The BiblioSanctum:
Review of Spellslinger (Book 1)
Review of Shadowblack (Book 2)
Review of Charmcaster (Book 3)
Review of Soulbinder (Book 4)
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