I was hesitant to read yet another YA novel about a young woman thrust into a new, impossible situation (mostly because I’m fairly certain that’s almost all of what I’ve read so far this year) but I was so happy with this one. Which is weird to say now, because up until the last few chapters or so, I was beginning to wonder why everyone loved this book so much. (Spoiler alert: I didn’t LOVE LOVE it, at least not upon first finishing it (maybe […]
Who lives, who dies, who tells your story
I read the first novel in this series, Cinder, quite a bit ago so I apologize if I get some details wrong, or if I accidentally spoil something. But not really, because these books have been out for a while. SO I APOLOGIZE FOR NOTHING. Anyway, spoilers ahead, probably. Cinder, of course, was based on the fairy tale Cinderella. A young woman, Lihn Cinder, works as a mechanic in order to supply her step-mother and step-sisters with money and comfort. She’s also a cyborg, just […]
In which Fat Charlie answers the door and Spider encounters flamingos.
This was a superfun experiment in re-reading a book and its sequel in the correct order for the first time. As I mentioned in my “American Gods” re-read review, the first time around, I read “Anansi Boys” first, and it was nevertheless a totally delicious ride untainted by any sort of tyrannical adherence to an orderly timeline. I think Gaiman would approve. This time around, I read them in order, although I’m keeping with this personal tradition by learning too late that there’s a short […]
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
The Language of Spells is a serviceable lite-fantasy story that I breezed through very quickly, but lacks staying power. The main character, Gwen Harper, is from a family that demonstrates magical abilities — hexes, spells, card reading, and certain individual talents manifest themselves in Gwen, her mother, and her great aunt Iris (notably not her sister, Ruby.) When Gwen learns that recently deceased Iris has left her a house in her name, in a small town that her family had lived in but left when […]
This is not my first apocalypse
As a fan of post-apocalypse fiction who cut her literary teeth on Stephen King, it was nearly impossible for me not to compare this book to The Stand. Both tell the story of a worldwide global Armageddon and its aftermath. Both follow the forces of good and evil as they converge for a final confrontation. Despite those very big similarities, they are very different books. In fact, I could probably write a short essay comparing the two. But since this review is supposed to […]
A love letter to the lovers of letters
One of the characters in The Thirteenth Tale has a strict rule: start at the beginning. Tell the story in order. Well, all due respect to that awesome character, but I’m going to start at the end. My end, at least. When I had about 60 pages left in the book, I decided to stay in my car after work and finish it there, rather than read the end at home. I knew I would drive myself insane in traffic, knowing this book was just […]