Emily’s Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales
I loved being back in the world of Emily Wilde, so I had such a warm feeling reading this book, even though the stakes in this book are higher in some ways compared to the first two in the trilogy. In this one, Emily and Wendell go to Wendell’s home realm in Faerie to reclaim the throne and are met with some challenges along the way. Just as we did in the first two books, we get occasional reminders that Wendell isn’t human, so his thoughts and behaviors can at times be a bit concerning to Emily, and while she still seems committed to marrying him, some questions do creep in a bit.
The first two books expressed the importance of stories to faeries, and this becomes even more overtly important in this book. Wendell even tells Emily, “Hand you the right storybook, and you are capable of anything” (pg. 20). I love Wendell’s continuing appreciation and love for Emily in all of her smart and awkward ways, and as always I love Emily’s academic passion. She has also grown as a character from book one, especially in the social connections she has. I maintain my view from the first book that the journal entry format doesn’t always work well because what’s included just doesn’t always seem realistic for a diary entry, but it didn’t detract from the book at all. This was a great final installment of the Emily Wilde trilogy. 5 stars.
Certain Dark Things
Yay me for expanding my literary horizons! I read this book for a book club on Fable and didn’t realize at first that it’s horror. I don’t typically read horror because I don’t like being freaked out and I’m not a fan of gore, but I have been starting to just barely dip my toes into the horror genre, so I decided to check it out. And I liked it!
The book contains multiple POVs, but the majority of them focus on Domingo, a 17-year-old living in Mexico City, and Atl, a 23-year-old vampire. Vampires aren’t allowed in Mexico City, but Atl snuck in during an attempt to flee a rival vampire cartel. This is a gritty, violent novel and is very well-written. It’s descriptive, well-paced, and tightly plotted with short chapters that keep the momentum going. Best of all, there is so much vampire lore. Silvia Moreno-Garcia describes various subspecies of vampires with different features and weaknesses. Some can only consume certain types of blood, for example. Others are essentially able to possess humans. It was really interesting. While I don’t think I’m quite ready to go deeper into the horror novel pool, I definitely want to check out more of Moreno-Garcia’s works. 4 stars.
CW for a sexual relationship with a minor (Domingo) and vampiric cannibalism
The Cat Who Saved Books
This is a slim, cozy book translated from Japanese. Rintaro, a junior in high school, is a hikikomori—someone in Japan who chooses to socially isolate—and he basically spends all of his time reading when he’s not in school. He was raised by his grandfather, who ran a secondhand bookstore, and the book opens with his grandfather’s death. He expects to have to close the shop and move in with an aunt, and then a cat named Tiger shows up and asks for help rescuing books. Rintaro and the cat and later another character proceed to enter “labyrinths” to convince people who are mistreating books to change their ways.
Don’t get too excited about the cat. It’s kind of a jerk. But it’s a ginger jerk! I have a soft spot for orange tabby cats, but this one isn’t just snarky, it’s kind of unlikable sometimes. It makes some snide comments to Rintaro that are maybe supposed to be a tough love approach, but it didn’t really work for me.
Aside from that, I enjoyed the book. The ways that Rintaro convinced people to change were interesting, although I don’t agree that all of the people were necessarily treating books poorly (e.g., keeping them in display cases). The novel is also about more than just saving books. Rintaro starts to grow as a person, making a social connection and realizing that there’s more to life than just books. And honestly, I didn’t hate the cat; I’m not sure I have it in me to hate a cat. It just wasn’t what I was expecting. There is a sequel, which I plan to read eventually. 3.5 stars
Pie Chart Challenge – Diversity: for Certain Dark Things and The Cat Who Saved Books