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Book Review: The Raven Scholar, by Antonia Hodgson

Cover of The Raven Scholar, by Antonia Hodgson, featuring a white line drawing of a raven's beak and claws, against a purple background.

The main protagonist is pretty sympathetic to a nerdy pedant like me, with many other interesting characters; the worldbuilding is fascinating in its gradually broadening revelations; and the plot engages attention along multiple axes.

Book Review: One Level Down, by Mary G. Thompson

Cover of One Level Down by Mary G. Thompson, featuring a stack of cubes with clouds and skies on some sides and circuitry on others, with a little blond girl walking on one of the lower levels.

I found the focused self-control and resilience of the protagonist inspiring, and I was rewarded with a very satisfying conclusion. This is a novella with a compelling character and some really interesting ideas, and I will definitely be looking for more from Thompson.

Book Review: Root Rot, by Saskia Nislow

Cover of Root Rot, by Saskia Nislow, featuring what looks like a human circulatory system except composed of plants, roots, and vines, surrounded by fungi, worms, and other creepy-crawlies.

“After all, it’s so much easier and pleasanter to think that everything must be fine, and it’s one’s perceptions that are skewed, rather than the situation; surely, if something were wrong, one of The Adults would step in and fix it.”