Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

A Good Sequel With a Great Cliffhanger

The Exiled Queen by Cinda Williams Chima

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Both Raisa and Han make their way to Oden’s Ford for schooling, their paths continue to intersect.  And unfortunately, Oden’s Ford is not the new start that both of them hoped it would be.  Old enemies are also around, and both of them struggle with some aspects of their schooling.  As Raisa and Han get closer to one another, they’re also keeping important secrets that may come back to bite them. Han is struggling with the revelations about his past and his newfound powers.  He’s […]

hot take yes this is an info dump but also I will mainline more cosmere

Isles of the Emberdark by Brandon Sanderson

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BINGO: Black, it’s all over this cover There is a lot of telling instead of showing in this book, for an author who is already sort of well known (and, in some circles, sneered at) for being very tell-y. To be fair, I think it’s because Sanderson is very keen on his world and excited to tell us about it! And to be even more fair, I am a little Cosmere gremlin who will never be satisfied with details and arcana, no matter how arcane. […]

Sapphic golem fantasy debut

The Maiden and Her Monster by Maddie Martinez

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The Maiden and Her Monster fulfills the “diaspora” square for CBR17 Bingo. As soon as I learned of The Maiden and Her Monster, I knew I needed to read it. I love explorations of Jewish experiences and especially love different ways the golem story can be reimagined. Set in a Medieval Prague inspired setting, The Maiden and Her Monster follows Malka as she ventures into a cursed forest that has been killing the girls of her village so she can free her imma from the Church’s idea […]

The other Amazonian princess

Nubia: Too Real by L. L. McKinney

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What do you do when the reader copy you are reading is missing the last 20 pages or so? You holler loudly and say, “Darn you whomever made this reader copy! I need to know what happens in Nubia: Too Real by L. L. McKinney and illustrated by Robyn Smith.” You then say, “Well I guess late September/early October won’t come soon enough!” And then you tell yourself you’ll be first in line to get the finished copy and find out what happens to our […]

A TV Tie-in that Works

The Rise of Kyoshi by F. C. Yee

The Shadow of Kyoshi by F. C. Yee

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The Avatar series is one of my favorite animated series of all time. If you doubt me, take a good look at my blog ‘avatar’, which I’ve had since I first signed up for Cannonball Read; maybe a bit familiar, even if a little bit cropped? So, of course, I’m a little excited to hear there will be a new installment to the series soon; pity it’s still quite a while away. And while I’ve tried the comics/graphic novels, they’re little less mature than I […]

Scary Librarian

The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hogdson

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Read as part of CBR17 Bingo: purple cover. See photo. I haven’t done much fantasy this year but as the season changes into fall, I’m starting to get the itch. This was a recommendation from Max Read, who as I’ve said before is my personal Oprah and who I’m more hit than miss with. This one was a hit. A murder mystery, a trial for an emperor-ship, a compelling fantasy with fun tales all rolled into one, this is a creative yarn from Antonia Hogdson […]



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