Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

This was the only book I was able to write a mini-review through my massive anxiety attack!

A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine

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Reader’s Choice/Sports Ball: because that’ll probably be my waterloo, otherwise! Will write a better review in a bit but just a quick one off–is this as good as A Memory Called Empire? Perhaps not, there is a bit of impenetrable language (DO YOU SEE WHAT I DID THERE, FOR YOU, THREE SWEETGRASS) that seems difficult for the sake of being difficult BUT I just loved it so much, okay? I missed two buses because I was so wrapped up in this book, and for the second […]

‘The spook and her pet’ take on an alien empire in this amazing sequel – and Bingo #2!

A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine

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CBR 13 Bingo: New Series – This is the sequel to A Memory Called Empire which was published in 2019 and completes my second bingo. I loved A Memory Called Empire , in my review said it was deserving its spot on the Hugo nominee list and I was delighted when it won!  The follow up, A Desolation Called Peace, is similarly incredible.  In preparation for reading this, I found an excellent recap that goes over individuals and factions, and their motivations.  I highly recommend it. The […]

A Memory called Empire – Arkady Martine (2019)

A Memory called Empire by Arkady Martine

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CBR13Bingo – New Series You’d have to tell me if my perception of this book is correct, but I read this book as an outsider looking into human culture as an empire and seeing it from this perspective. It’s the future, and it’s maybe a future version of earth or a future of humanity. We are following a new ambassador making her way to the head of this empire from her native Lsel station, a non-planetary, science-heavy but small civilization. This new arrival loves the […]

“The Empire, the world. One and the same. And if they were not yet so: make them so, for this is the right and correct will of the stars.”

A Memory Called Empire (Teixcalaan, #1) by Arkady Martine

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**30 Books in 30 Days** Book 12/30 I was so intimidated by this book before I picked it up! There’s a certain attitude that often comes along with intelligent sci-fi with lots of made up names (so many vowels!), and which plays around in the political intrigue sphere. Like, let’s just confuse the shit out of you before we settle into this! Throw everything at the wall and see what sticks! No hand holding! I will show you I’m smart by making everything so hard […]

I loved this SO MUCH why did I procrastinate on reading it for so long???

A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine

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New Series, first in the Teixcalaan series and published on March 26, 2019! Ahh a day late for Pride 2021 but we’ll call it as under the wire–what a book to finish off on, and one where romance is not even the second (or third) priority for any of our characters. I will hold off on giving this a five star review but might very well come back and do so in the very near future. It has my feelings in a VISE. New romance, […]

A lot of characters to follow, three plots, and wondering if or when it will all make sense

A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine

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It took me way longer to really get into A Desolation Called Peace than it did A Memory Called Empire. Part of the problem in A Desolation Called Peace is that there are too many different groups and places that take almost ¾ of the novel to really come together. I get that that is a technique for suspense, but it doesn’t work terribly well here, especially when Mahit’s thread has so little to do with everything else which actually does eventually connect. It feels […]



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