I love this book so much that I don’t know if I’ll be able to talk about it without breaking down into the incoherent fangirl I am in my heart of hearts. I’m going to try though because this was one of the most unique books I’ve read in years. One to put on my shelf of favorites, push into the hands of friends (or strangers), and revisit for yearly rereads. But don’t take my word for it, take Margaret Atwood’s, who called it a […]
Why didn’t I read this sooner!?
This is straight up going to be one of those reviews where I don’t do the book justice, in this case it’s mostly because I feel kind of overwhelmed by what I just read. I wish I had time to sit down and re-read it, pen in hand, and then attend a series of lecture classes with likeminded people where we totally dissect it and wallow around in its lovely nuance. Maybe I just miss grad school. (The people and the atmosphere and the stimulating discussion, […]
Fingernails definitely turning blue
Page count 448, time taken 3.5hours, number of blue nails 3*. Tana is a big damn goth who finds herself in the wrong party at the wrong time. Several times. I think she might be cursed. She finds herself travelling to Coldtown in the company of a vampire and her infected ex-boyfriend, and quarantines herself with them. She meets a bunch of other big damn goths, some of whom are more terrible than others, and makes friends. She also makes questionable decisions about the security […]
The silly cover really isn’t representative of the contents of this book
WARNING! There are some spoilers for the plot of this book in the review, so if you prefer to go into a book knowing nothing about it, you may want to skip this. Kestrel is the only daughter of Valorian general Trajan. They live in the province of Herran, formerly a bustling independent nation, invaded, conquered, enslaved and now occupied on orders from the Valorian emperor. The surviving Herrani are slaves, bought and sold at the mercy of the Valorians. As a Valorian woman, Kestrel […]
I’m so tired of being alone/These penitent walls are all I’ve known
Upon his death, Astrid Lethewood’s father, Albert, left her a house she never knew he owned. She, like everybody else, thought he was the town wastrel, spending his wife’s money on booze and things from junk shops. Still, Astrid loved her father and wants to build a home, a family, in this house he left her. First her step-brother Jacks moves in, running away from the expectations of his father, the town fire chief. Then Astrid’s oldest friend Sahara calls, saying that her boyfriend cheated […]
A stunningly spooky book for one intended for youth
Although described as intended for children 10 and up, this extremely well-written debut novel would have scared the pants off me at that age. It’s the story of Thomas Ward, a 12-year-old farm boy and the seventh son of a seventh son, who is destined to become a Spook, someone with special skills to keep the dark things away from the innocent village folk. Thomas is sent off by his mom to apprentice under Old Gregory, who has gone through 27 previous apprentices and is […]
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