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This series is an absolute masterclass in how art itself can tell a story just as much as the words on the page do.
After ALL the shit this series has pulled so far, this volume still had the nerve to hit us with a reveal that made me pause with my jaw on the goddam ground. Holy shit. Holy shiiiiiiit.
the absolute agony of watching sei move closer and closer to a complete psychotic break omfg.
How is it that I continue to feel the same shock and disgust volume after volume? And yet I KEEP COMNG BACK FOR MORE.
hot damn i understand why this is a classic now
What the River Knows is a solid YA historical mystery with an okay romance.
First, let's get this out of the way: yes, this is being compared to The Mummy. Yes, I can absolutely see why it is. No, it is not worthy of that comparison whatsoever. In fact, that comparison does this book an absolute disservice, because all the reader (me) will do is imprint the main characters with Evie and Rick, and these young adults do NOT live up to those lofty expectations.
Inez is a headstrong young woman who leaves home and races off to Egypt when she receives word that her parents have died. Egypt kept her parents for half the year, leaving Inez at home in Argentina and yearning to be with them and their adventurous lives. When she arrives in Egypt, she is met with her Uncle (now her guardian) and his right hand man, the brawny and dashing Whit. Inez stubbornly finds ways to stay in Egypt instead being sent back home, and is wrapped up in the mystery of her parents' deaths and the treasure they sought.
It's a good story with a decent mystery and a little bit of magic to give it some fun flavor. Ibanez did a lot of research for the time period and it shows in the text; Egypt is rendered in loving detail. There is also commentary on the various practices of colonizer countries coming in and taking her history away, on how Egyptians themselves were pushed out of studying their own history and archaeology. Those were great positives for this novel.
The mystery itself was serviceable; about 50% through I could see where the majority of it went. I DO have to give Ibanez credit for doing a few things in the climax that truly surprised me. I didn't see a few big moments coming, and I was struck with the shock and weight of them and the effects they had on the characters.
As for the characters...that was probably my least favorite part of this novel. Inez was headstrong and stubborn, but at times she crossed waaaay over the line into ignorant and stupid. Whit was annoying in how obviously the author tried to make him seem dashing and charming but also hiding inner turmoil. After the tenth time he was described as leaning/lounging against a wall/doorway with arms crossed over his chest/stomach and his ankles crossed, I wanted to throw my kindle across the room. It's so plainly obvious that he's supposed to be a Rick O'Connell type, but unfortunately he has NONE of the natural charm Brendan Fraser had in the role.
The budding romance between Inez and Whit was okay. It felt forced at times because the characters felt like they were being forced into playing roles already set for them by the author instead of seeing it happen organically. I didn't care whether they liked each other or not, but it didn't really ruin anything for me.
I would recommend this book for anyone that finds the plot/ideas intriguing AND likes a strong romance. Like I said, the story and mystery itself is decent, and the character issues are things I've had issues with in any novel.
Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the opportunity to read this! What the River Knows will be available on October 31st.
I'm going to go re-watch The Mummy for the 200th time now.
First, let's get this out of the way: yes, this is being compared to The Mummy. Yes, I can absolutely see why it is. No, it is not worthy of that comparison whatsoever. In fact, that comparison does this book an absolute disservice, because all the reader (me) will do is imprint the main characters with Evie and Rick, and these young adults do NOT live up to those lofty expectations.
Inez is a headstrong young woman who leaves home and races off to Egypt when she receives word that her parents have died. Egypt kept her parents for half the year, leaving Inez at home in Argentina and yearning to be with them and their adventurous lives. When she arrives in Egypt, she is met with her Uncle (now her guardian) and his right hand man, the brawny and dashing Whit. Inez stubbornly finds ways to stay in Egypt instead being sent back home, and is wrapped up in the mystery of her parents' deaths and the treasure they sought.
It's a good story with a decent mystery and a little bit of magic to give it some fun flavor. Ibanez did a lot of research for the time period and it shows in the text; Egypt is rendered in loving detail. There is also commentary on the various practices of colonizer countries coming in and taking her history away, on how Egyptians themselves were pushed out of studying their own history and archaeology. Those were great positives for this novel.
The mystery itself was serviceable; about 50% through I could see where the majority of it went. I DO have to give Ibanez credit for doing a few things in the climax that truly surprised me. I didn't see a few big moments coming, and I was struck with the shock and weight of them and the effects they had on the characters.
As for the characters...that was probably my least favorite part of this novel. Inez was headstrong and stubborn, but at times she crossed waaaay over the line into ignorant and stupid. Whit was annoying in how obviously the author tried to make him seem dashing and charming but also hiding inner turmoil. After the tenth time he was described as leaning/lounging against a wall/doorway with arms crossed over his chest/stomach and his ankles crossed, I wanted to throw my kindle across the room. It's so plainly obvious that he's supposed to be a Rick O'Connell type, but unfortunately he has NONE of the natural charm Brendan Fraser had in the role.
The budding romance between Inez and Whit was okay. It felt forced at times because the characters felt like they were being forced into playing roles already set for them by the author instead of seeing it happen organically. I didn't care whether they liked each other or not, but it didn't really ruin anything for me.
I would recommend this book for anyone that finds the plot/ideas intriguing AND likes a strong romance. Like I said, the story and mystery itself is decent, and the character issues are things I've had issues with in any novel.
Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the opportunity to read this! What the River Knows will be available on October 31st.
I'm going to go re-watch The Mummy for the 200th time now.
Skin Thief is that rare anthology that, despite the natural result of liking some stories more than others, is so strong in theme and tone that it earns a full five stars.
What Suzan Palumbo has done here is just wonderful. Each story is a speculative feast, various ideas toying with themes of love, bodily autonomy, connection, familial relationships, and much more. The strongest theme that I enjoyed was the theme of bodily autonomy, or our connections to our bodies as we are either stuck in place or go through great change.
Every story feels incredibly well crafted, doing exactly what Palumbo intends to show in exactly the right amount of page space needed. No story felt too short or too long. The lows in my reading of this entire collection only meant I liked a story instead of all out loving it, or being very moved by it.
Palumbo's author's note is also incredibly enlightening; I'd only just barely noticed the thematic movement on a superficial level, but didn't really think about it until I saw that it was intentional. Love it.
Skin Thief is a fantastic collection, and if you enjoy speculative short stories at all, then give it a try.
Many, many thanks to Neon Hemlock Press for giving the opportunity to read this. Skin Thief is now available on their website.
What Suzan Palumbo has done here is just wonderful. Each story is a speculative feast, various ideas toying with themes of love, bodily autonomy, connection, familial relationships, and much more. The strongest theme that I enjoyed was the theme of bodily autonomy, or our connections to our bodies as we are either stuck in place or go through great change.
Every story feels incredibly well crafted, doing exactly what Palumbo intends to show in exactly the right amount of page space needed. No story felt too short or too long. The lows in my reading of this entire collection only meant I liked a story instead of all out loving it, or being very moved by it.
Palumbo's author's note is also incredibly enlightening; I'd only just barely noticed the thematic movement on a superficial level, but didn't really think about it until I saw that it was intentional. Love it.
Skin Thief is a fantastic collection, and if you enjoy speculative short stories at all, then give it a try.
Many, many thanks to Neon Hemlock Press for giving the opportunity to read this. Skin Thief is now available on their website.
The Mist-Walker follows a half-ogre, Temperance, and the witches who raised her. Their small village is in a forest that is surrounded by a mysterious Mist that attacks and kills whatever goes into it. This first volume unfolds as Temperance and the witches start a journey to try to figure out how to survive and defeat the mist.
I have to say, the storytelling in this volume was all over the place and not very clear. While I could come up with a simple storyline to summarize this volume, it was hard to follow exactly what the point of the story is. It's about the Mist attacking people, and Temperance coming into her own, and Temperance and her grandmother's relationship, and about the witches in their village, and about humans hunting the Mist (maybe?) and the witches, and about a truly random love story between Temperance and a human, and, and, and. There is SO much here, and none of it really coheres into a solid storyline. Every idea is battling the others and it makes for a very muddy and confusing story.
The art is the real highlight here, however. Character design is very fun, with short squat witches and beautiful curvy witches and big beefy Temperance. The color work is mostly muted, which works for the very flowy quality of the art. There was some great emotional storytelling happening in the art itself. Really lovely.
Thanks to NetGalley and Europe Comics for the chance to read this.
I have to say, the storytelling in this volume was all over the place and not very clear. While I could come up with a simple storyline to summarize this volume, it was hard to follow exactly what the point of the story is. It's about the Mist attacking people, and Temperance coming into her own, and Temperance and her grandmother's relationship, and about the witches in their village, and about humans hunting the Mist (maybe?) and the witches, and about a truly random love story between Temperance and a human, and, and, and. There is SO much here, and none of it really coheres into a solid storyline. Every idea is battling the others and it makes for a very muddy and confusing story.
The art is the real highlight here, however. Character design is very fun, with short squat witches and beautiful curvy witches and big beefy Temperance. The color work is mostly muted, which works for the very flowy quality of the art. There was some great emotional storytelling happening in the art itself. Really lovely.
Thanks to NetGalley and Europe Comics for the chance to read this.
