Admin of bookwyrm.cincodenada.com, as you might expect. Endlessly curious engineer; something approaching, say, genderqueer. Third rhyme with dactyl feet: it goes here.
While the Iskat Empire has long dominated the system through treaties and political alliances, several …
I'm enjoying this book so much, and the stakes are getting higher! Both main characters are naive in their own very believable ways and trying so hard, and I love how those interact, with each other and to drive the plot. And I love both of them, because I am both of them in different ways.
This is certainly a different book from the rest - not only a whole new continent, but the political commentary is more direct and not terribly veiled, and so far fairly disenchanted. I'm curious to see where it goes, and do love the foxes, they're a good archetype.
Eighteen-year-old Bitterblue, queen of Monsea, realizes her heavy responsibility and the futility of relying on …
Review of 'Bitterblue' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
These books are so wonderful, and Bitterblue was no exception. All the characters are so alive and thoughtful, and the way characters from previous books were woven into this new tale, growing and deepening while introducing Bitterblue, was wonderful. I cried many times reading this, I love everyone so much. A hugely worthy conclusion to the trilogy, and I can't wait to read the fourth!
Some really solid speculative fiction. The good stories are really good (Omphalos, Exhalation, Software Objects, Anxiety), and the collection as a whole was great.
Goddamn. This book really is just so damn good. I should write an actual review sometime, but Fiona Staples brings this world to life, the faces, the full panels, it's all so perfect.
Oliver was a very minor mage. His familiar reminded him of this several times a …
Review of 'Minor Mage' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
Delightful, thoughtful, and wonderfully written. I adored this tale of a boy and his wise armadillo friend, full of heart and life and sarcastic cingulates. It's a tale of growth, struggling to find your footing in this messy world of morality, and learning to trust advice of those who have your best interests at heart, even as you have to learn things for yourself sometimes too.
Which is why I wholeheartedly agree with the author that it's a kids' book - it's just a kids' book that believes kids are people and treats them like they are. The world needs more kids' books like this one, I think.
THIRTEEN-YEAR-OLD MIN comes from a long line of fox spirits. But you'd never know it …
Review of 'Dragon Pearl' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
I'll preface this by saying it's been a while since I've read much YA, and this book feels very YA, so...I'm not sure how to evaluate it well!
My last few books have included Broken Earth, Too Like the Lightning, and Machineries of Empire. Those are, uh, extremely different books and hardly a fair comparison, but that's my context.
So this book felt very linear, like I was just kinda on rails, with some twists and turns, but never really concerned that it wasn't gonna work out. Despite the galactic and personal fates in play, it never really felt particularly high-stakes to me.
I also recently read Long Way to a Small Angry Planet, and this felt more in that vein, altho perhaps lighter still. Here it kinda felt like we just floated around making friends and resolving the obstacles as they came without much effort. It's very much a …
I'll preface this by saying it's been a while since I've read much YA, and this book feels very YA, so...I'm not sure how to evaluate it well!
My last few books have included Broken Earth, Too Like the Lightning, and Machineries of Empire. Those are, uh, extremely different books and hardly a fair comparison, but that's my context.
So this book felt very linear, like I was just kinda on rails, with some twists and turns, but never really concerned that it wasn't gonna work out. Despite the galactic and personal fates in play, it never really felt particularly high-stakes to me.
I also recently read Long Way to a Small Angry Planet, and this felt more in that vein, altho perhaps lighter still. Here it kinda felt like we just floated around making friends and resolving the obstacles as they came without much effort. It's very much a MacGuffin hunt for the titular Dragon Pearl, albeit with good motivations for the hunt.
It was a quick read, I read it over a couple days. I did appreciate how the Korean mythology was integrated with the spacefaring society - there are definitely echoes of Machineries of Empire here in how well the mystical is woven in, and it does feel like a society where the mythology is very real and just taken as a fact of life.