Book Review: We Ride the Storm by Devin Madson
We Ride the Storm has author Devin Madson introduce us to the start of a fantasy epic where a tottering Empire’s spin toward disaster is seen through the eyes of a Princess, a warrior, and an assassin with a most unusual gift. Princess Miko of the Kisian Empire is an untenable position. Descended from the Otako family, she has an uneasy relationship with Emperor Kin Ts’ai, who usurped the throne and is attempting to cement his power. Formally she and her brother are of the Emperor’s family, but the Emperor is surely aware that there are many, even years later, who would flock to an Otako banner. Keeping her autonomy, keeping the chances for her brother alive, and avoiding a purge runs through Miko’s days. When a promise of marriage to try and cement a peace with the dangerous Chiltaens to the north might end Miko’s freedom forever, Or help destroy the empire should the marriage contract fail. In the meantime, Rah e’Torin, a Levanti exile from the steppe and grasslands his horse riders are from, has a problem, too. His exile, with a group of loyal men and women, have led them into a desolate land to the south, with few signs of Chiltae, their destination. There are stories of former Swords of the steppe coming south to act as mercenaries and riders for the Chiltae, but as the food and water dwindles, Rah and his followers might think they are making a mistake. And when they do meet the Chiltae, their status and role, and the fate of those who migrated before them becomes dangerously, painfully clear.
Book Review: The Wise and the Wicked by Rebecca Podos
Rebecca Podos’s The Wise and the Wicked is a love letter to the struggles of a young girl as she tries to be herself in the middle of a dysfunctional family. Chock full of magic, sisterhood, and love, The Wise and the Wicked was a fast read that caught me from the very beginning. I found myself really feeling for the main character, Ruby, a 16-year-old who doesn’t expect much out of life. While I finished this book fairly quickly, it’s one that will stick with me because of its well-written, fascinating characters and its open and unpredictable ending. If you like books with strong female characters who take charge of their own destiny while also doing their best to be normal teenagers who fight and fall in love, this is definitely one for you.
#Booktube – June 2019 Recap
Hello, Skiffy and Fanty fans! It’s suddenly July, which means that it’s time for you to go catch up on all the #Booktube episodes we posted last month! We started with some #Pride recommendations, reviews of We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal and the NSFW webcomic Alfie by InCase, moved to our monster pile of TBRs, and ended with a brilliant take down of the soft imperialism in Mary Norton’s Bedknob and Broomsticks! Enjoy!
Book Review: WE SET THE DARK ON FIRE by Tehlor Kay Mejia
We Set the Dark on Fire, Tehlor Kay Mejia’s debut YA fantasy novel, is lush, lyrical, and sure to take the YA world by storm. Intensely descriptive and emotional, every page of this novel is a journey along a path of conspiracy and doubt, told through the eyes of a young woman who is desperate to find herself a secure place in a world that has been set against her since birth. This contemporary Latinx fantasy is a must-read for fans of dystopian worlds where badass women break social norms for the betterment of their people while celebrating their home culture in rich detail. The novel, set on a fictional version of the Philippine island of Medio, follows Daniela Vargas, a top student at the Medio School for Girls, where distinguished young women are raised and trained to be dutiful wives to their future husbands. Daniela, however, has a secret — she has been lying to everyone about her pedigree, her identity a forgery obtained by her parents to give their daughter a better life. When Daniela is chosen as the Primera for a rising political star, she must maintain her careful facade or lose everything. But when everything seems to go wrong at the last minute, Daniela finds herself facing a hard choice: become a spy for the revolution and be part of her people’s salvation or cling to the dream her parents had for her when they sent her to the capital.
Book Review: The Disasters by M. K. England
The Disasters is an enthusiastic exploration of teenage underdogs trying to find their place in a universe that is intent on discarding the rejects. Add a diverse cast of characters, tense action scenes, high stakes, and the complicated mess of emotions that are teenage hormones, and you’ve got a perfect young adult sci-fi adventure. M. K. England sets up a unique and brilliant world of Earth and space in the year 2194. Space travel is a constant, there are hundreds of fully-functioning colonies, and Earth has a strict no-return policy. Hotshot Earth boy, Nax Hall, has a history of poor life choices and a shoddy criminal record, but he’s ready to rule the school—until he’s rejected from the Academy in less than 24 hours. But when his one-way trip back to Earth is cut short by a surprise terrorist attack on the Academy, Nax must get the word out about the biggest crime in the universe—alongside three other washouts. This ramshackle team are the only witnesses to wholesale slaughter—and the perfect troublemakers to pin the whole thing on. On the run from the government, Nax and the rest of his unfortunate crew must stay alive long enough to get the word out to the rest of the universe, and it’ll take the biggest heist any of them have ever pulled to get through it.
Book Review: Temper by Nicky Drayden
Nicky Drayden’s second novel, Temper, is a skillfully crafted twist of virtue, vice, and tense sibling relationships. I devoured it in a single day, scrolling through the pages on my Kindle as fast as I could read them. Drayden’s engrossing world pulled me in and left me reeling from a vivid world filled with fascinating characters and a complex and engaging universe. There are twists and turns in Drayden’s intricate plots, but there are no dead-ends in this maze.
