Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Even in an Alternate History, the Great Game is Still Played

A Master of Djinn by P. Djeli Clark

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A Master of Djinn is phenomenal. At the most basic level it is a very good murder mystery. On top of that it is a fantastic alternate history fantasy. The whipped cream on this sundae of a book is the smart commentary. It is layered, atmospheric, tense, and sharp. The two novellas that came before, A Dead Djinn in Cairo and The Haunting of Tram Car 015 are wonderful in their own right, but utterly necessary as an introduction to Clark’s world. I love it […]

Uni-Uni-Uni-corn!

Margaret’s Unicorn by Briony May Smith

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Margaret’s Unicorn is a cute story about a young girl who misses her old home after she and her parents move to be closer to her grandmother. The end. Oh wait, there is a unicorn too. This is a special friend she makes that helps make the move a little easier. Therefore, all the parts of a moving story are there (new house, new smells, new spaces, new emotions, and new friend). Briony May Smith’s story is exactly what you would expect it to be […]

Why did people insist I not start here?

Elantris by Brandon Sanderson

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So I think we were all here for my very late discovery of Booktube and Brandon Sanderson. And so far, I have clearly noticed that no matter how many fantasy booktubers I watch, they all have different opinions on how to approach the Cosmere. Which is, you know, to be expected on a 20+ book-universe spanning different series. But the one thing they all seem to agree on is that you should not start with Elantris. The reasons vary, but most of all they seem […]

Smash the demon lizard patriarchy.

The Gilded Ones (Deathless, #1) by Namina Forna

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I was really nervous about this one. I wanted so badly to love it. I made the rookie mistake of falling in love with the cover (it’s so pretty!). And I did end up liking it! A lot! I think I want to re-read before I fully pass judgment on it, because my main takeaway right now is that this is an extremely well-written YA fantasy story (written in the first person present POV, and I liked it despite that terrible choice) that does fall […]

Who fears fantasy tropes?

Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor

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Take an ancient prophecy, a genocide-fueled war, a post-apocalyptic setting, a reluctant teacher, band of friends, and a powerful heroine with anger management issues and you have Who Fears Death. This was award-winning author Nnedi Okorafor’s first novel for adults after publishing a few YA novels. This novel feels more like a hybrid of the two formats. The romance and coming-of-age aspects of YA with the more mature themes of an adult novel. Okorafor threw every fantasy trope she could into this brutal novel to […]

“It’s enough to drive anyone mad.”

Down Comes the Night by Allison Saft

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That’s a delightfully gothic cover, huh? I wasn’t quite sure what to expect with this book, but I love books that star healers, especially ones that have to make hard decisions, and this book definitely lived up to that (and the creepy cover). The fragile peace between the kingdoms of Danu and Vesria looks ready to break, and Wren, the illegitimate niece of the Danubian queen, is the only person who’s able to stop it. After being thrown out of the guard for healing (and […]



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