I'm so happy I finally got around to reading this! Review to come.

Originally posted to I Should Read That

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This review is spoiler-free.

You know that feeling when you love a book and you can't quite put into words why? You just want to run around, throwing copies of it into the hands of unsuspecting readers? That's how I feel about The Gutter Prayer, Gareth Hanrahan’s astonishing debut. The Gutter Prayer is a breath of fresh air in a genre that can sometimes feel stale, and I cannot get enough of this insanely cool world.

The most unique and stunning aspect of this book is the world building, specifically the city of Guerdon and its residents. Funny enough, the only book that I think is comparable to the way the setting is used within the story is Ben Aaronovich’s Rivers of London. You can tell that Aaronovich’s knows London like the back of his hand while you're reading that book. Now imagine that level of detail in a completely fantastical setting. It's truly astonishing how familiar you get with Guerdon’s streets and districts as Hanrahan guides you through the streets and alleyways. By the end of the book, I felt like I could probably navigate certain districts of the city. Guerdon is truly a living, breathing character in this book in a way that I've never seen an author accomplish.

I loved the weird and wonderful residents of Guerdon, but the ones that stood out most were the Tallowmen, the city’s alchemical police force of terrifying men made of wax -- the fact that they were once human prisoners condemned to alchemical vats makes it even worse -- and the Crawling Ones, the humanoid masses of grave worms that absorb the souls of dead men in they consume. Perhaps it is the kinds of fantasy books I read, but I don't think I've come across any non-human creatures so vivid or memorable as these.  They are grotesque, yet fascinating and somehow so bizarrely realistic.

Our three main characters are well written and interesting in their own right. We have Cari, the thief who has just returned to Guerdon after a long time away, Spar, the Stone Man plagued by a deadly illness, and Rat, the ghoul from beneath the city streets. There are a few other POV characters, but these three make up the bulk of the points of view within the book. Unlike many books that feature three or more perspectives, there wasn’t a single one I found less interesting than the others. The fact that Hanrahan has managed to balance at least five POVs is so impressive and I was never disappointed or relieved to switch perspectives -- every single one was interesting to me.

I really loved all our main characters, although I wish we got more of Rat, but the secondary characters stole my heart. Eladora, Jere, and Aleena were fantastically well-rounded characters that were so much fun to read about, and I couldn't help cheering them on throughout the story -- regardless of who's side they were on.

Unfortunately, the best bits of the book are one I cannot talk about -- they're best discovered on your own. Hanrahan takes tired tropes and themes in fantasy, and twists them into something strange and insanely cool. The Gutter Prayer is a compelling, slow-burn read that is one of the most rewarding books I've read. Although I don't think it will suit some readers, I really think that adult fantasy fans will absolutely adore this book. If you're looking for something unique, fascinating, and highly engaging, look no further than The Gutter Prayer.

Originally posted to I Should Read That

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This review is spoiler-free.

I’ve been reading so much fantasy lately and I’ve had a craving for some great sci-fi. Enter This Splintered Silence -- a book I had heard nothing about until I had the opportunity to request a copy. I’m so glad I took a chance on this novel -- it is a fast paced sci-if thriller that will delight fans of Lauren James’ [b: The Loneliest Girl in the Universe|32601841|The Loneliest Girl in the Universe|Lauren James|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1481825805s/32601841.jpg|53182746].

I love any sci-if story that deals with isolation in space, and This Splintered Silence scratches that itch perfectly. The small, self-contained world on the space station is claustrophobic but homey, familiar but completely alien to the reader. Olsen manages to lay out the different section and areas of the station artfully and without interrupting the story, and you gain a seamless sense of familiarity with the setting. While the book is a little slow to start, the beginning pages serve well heighten the tension and set the stakes of the story. The thread of tension, claustrophobia, and dread that Olsen threads through the narrative is so incredibly effective -- I couldn’t put this book down!

I really loved Lindley as our main character. She’s a teen thrust into an incredibly difficult position -- command of a space station and all its young residents -- after all of the adults are killed by a virus. The representation of her anxiety and panic was so incredibly realistic, especially as the situation on the station gets worse and worse. I suppose I can see some readers potentially finding her annoying or off-putting, but as someone who suffers from anxiety I really saw a lot of myself in her and have so much respect for her.

If you like sci-if thrillers, this is definitely one to consider picking up. Packed with tension and suspicion, you wont be able to put This Splintered Silence down!

Originally posted to I Should Read That

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This review is spoiler-free.

The Raven Tower is a funny one because if you described it to me, I’d be sure it wouldn't be my thing. However, I am so glad I took a chance on this weird and wonderful fantasy debut -- I think it's a book that will stick with me for a long time. Ann Leckie is the author of the mind-bending, completely cool [b: Ancillary Justice|17333324|Ancillary Justice (Imperial Radch, #1)|Ann Leckie|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1397215917s/17333324.jpg|24064628]. I adore that book and was so excited to see how her writing style would transfer over to fantasy.

This book is split into two timelines told by the same character, who is one of the gods of this world. We have our main plotline, as seen above, but we get another that essentially him describing the beginning of the world and how civilization has developed. I would have fully expected to enjoy the main plot line more than the strange and philosophical secondary story, but it turned out to be my favourite part of the book. Our god, The Strength and Patience the Hill, is a marvelous character and an excellent storyteller. Both timelines of the book are told from his perspective, but in the second person -- he is speaking to a character named Eolo, the aide to the spoiled heir Mawat. This added another interesting layer to an already fascinating story.

The world building in this book is marvelous and so well done, if strange. I started the book utterly confused because the government system is so strange and unique, but I got used to it very quickly and fell into the world very quickly. I usually don’t enjoy books that feature gods, however Leckie did such a great job of making them stand out as unique, interesting beings that are far from omniscient and perfect.

It’s really hard to talk about this book without ruining too much for you -- it’s the perfect book to just dive straight into without knowing much about it. I fell in love with the world and The Strength and Patience of the Hill’s stories, and was incredibly satisfied with the way the conflict of the main storyline resolved. If you’re after a unique fantasy read filled with philosophy and intrigue, I couldn't recommend The Raven Tower more highly.

Originally posted to I Should Read That

I was gifted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This review is spoiler-free.

I’m always on the lookout for some good science fiction, and The Tesla Legacy caught my eye. Not only did I meet the author at YALC last year, it’s a YA sci-fi novel set in a modern high school that sounded so much fun. I whipped through this book incredibly quickly -- it’s a perfect read-it-in-a-day book.

I didn’t entirely know what to expect from The Tesla Legacy, but I’m really glad I ended up taking a chance on it. I found the book a little slow to start -- there was a lot to establish within the plot and the science -- but once it got going, it was hard to put down. I really loved the modern setting for this book, and it’s a fantastic take on the ‘chosen one’ trope, which is one of my favourites. Given the name of the book, I would have thought there would be a stronger connection to Tesla himself. I think this is such a shame because he’s a fascinating figure, but having finished the book I can see why he wasn’t as much of a feature of the story as I had assumed.

Lucy is a fantastic character that carried the story well.  She’s very much an average teenager with a mediocre boyfriend and overprotective parents, but she stands out in my mind as such a memorable character because of her brains. She’s incredibly intelligent in a way that feels so natural, and she’s always applying science and scientific technique to her real life situations. In addition, she suffers from epilepsy and it’s an ever-present threat to her safety. I can’t speak to the epilepsy rep in this book, however it was really great to see it represented in a book. Her condition and overall health was incorporated into the plot smoothly and it added to the story.

Overall, I really enjoyed The Tesla Legacy. Is it a groundbreaking book? I don’t think so. But it’s an incredibly fast and fun read that would be the perfect companion for your summer holiday. I think that now the scene is set and the sequel is only going to improve upon the story.

Originally posted to I Should Read That

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.  This review is spoiler free, but contains spoilers for [b: The Bear and the Nightingale|25489134|The Bear and the Nightingale (Winternight Trilogy, #1)|Katherine Arden|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1470731420s/25489134.jpg|45268929].



As a huge fan of The Bear and the Nightingale, I was a little nervous to read The Girl in the Tower because I just loved the first book so much.  However, The Girl in the Tower lived up to its predecessor and expanded on the wonderful world Arden created.

The Girl in the Tower does an amazing job of broadening the scope of the trilogy and the characters, all while carrying on the familiar themes that I loved so much in the first book.  It still explores the Russian folklore and culture, however it expands its reach beyond Vasya’s rural village in the frozen north. Vasya continues to encounter the spirits and creatures that populated The Bear and the Nightingale, and she sees the influence the spread of Christianity has on them.  However, The Girl in the Tower investigates medieval Russian culture beyond just the folklore.  We get a better look at the culture that Vasya is struggling against -- one of the main themes is the treatment by her peers when she is disguised as a boy versus when she is dressed as a girl.  It is a fascinating and infuriating part of the story, much like Vasya’s interactions with Father Konstantin in The Bear and the Nightingale.

The biggest change in this book is that a good portion of it takes place in and around Moscow rather than the rural north, therefore the book has a greater focus on the politics of the time rather than the culture in Vasya’s village.  We meet powerful men and through them, the politics of the time is explored.  The fragile political climate in Moscow is an integral part of the story, and one that I found absolutely fascinating.

One of great strengths of the Winternight trilogy so far is the wonderful cast of characters, heroes and villains alike.  Vasya is such a compelling female lead and she only continues to grow in The Girl in the Tower -- she is one of the best characters I’ve read in a long time.  Her world has changed dramatically since the end of The Bear and the Nightingale, however she is not stifled by her grief.  She remains true to herself and tries to find her own path in a society that rejects her.  She is headstrong, stubborn to a fault, and wild, but you cannot help but understand her.

The Girl in the Tower also features some old favourites and new characters.  I won't say anything more, but the way each character is woven into the story and the motivations behind their actions are fascinating!  One of the best aspects of the first book is that the villains, as much as we may hate them, are operating well within the rules of their society.  In Vasya’s world, they are right and she is wrong.  Arden continues this grey-area theme with many of the characters in the second book.

Overall, I thought The Girl in the Tower was a worthy sequel to The Bear and the Nightingale.  Arden takes the wonderful world she created in the first book enhances it as Vasya goes leaves her home behind.  With the book’s increased focus on politics and life in medieval Moscow, The Girl in the Tower has a more historical fiction flavour than The Bear and the Nightingale.  The magic is still very much there, and Vasya’s adventures only continue to grow in their excitement.

Originally posted to I Should Read That

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This review is spoiler free for The Caged Queen, but will contain spoilers for [b: The Last Namsara|32667458|The Last Namsara (Iskari, #1)|Kristen Ciccarelli|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1499931742s/32667458.jpg|51449012].

I was so thrilled to get my hands on a copy of The Caged Queen.  I liked Ciccarelli’s debut, The Last Namsara, but had some trouble with the romance. The sequel picks up the story where The Last Namsara left off, but follows a new character and a new love interest, so I was definitely intrigued.  The book features some of my favourite tropes: a marriage of convenience, a hate-to-love relationship, and a whole lot of political scheming and backstabbing. I expected to adore The Caged Queen, and while there were aspects that I really liked, I ended up feeling disappointed for a couple of reasons.

To start with the good things, I absolutely love the world building in Ciccarelli’s books. She manages to bring her world and cultures to life and despite the dragons, the magic, and the fairy tales that happen to be true, everything on the page feels so real.  I could read pages and pages of history about this world and never grow bored. I really love the politics in this book as well, particularly how well it blends in with cultural differences and prejudices. The political scheming was one of my favourite parts of The Last Namsara and it only gets more intense in The Caged Queen.  Finally, can I just tell you how nice it is to see a wonderful relationship between sisters?  Sure it’s complicated, but I loved the flashbacks to their time growing up together and dealing with Dax’s intrusion and the consequences that his presence brings.

My problems with the book center around Roa, our main character.  She plays a small role in The Last Namsara and I was really looking forward to seeing her as a main character.  She seemed so brave and badass in the first book -- she leads an army to help Asha and Dax overthrow their father and she marries Dax in order to secure a future for her people.  However, she really fell flat as a character for me for two reasons. The first is that she, quite frankly, just didn’t seem very bright. She cannot see beneath the surface of any situation she is in or any person she meets -- in this way she is an astonishingly shallow character.  Sometimes this works out really well in terms of plot, but it just made her seem silly most of the time. Without giving any spoilers, she manages to walk into the exact same life threatening situation twice and doesn’t seem to learn from it.  All of this would be more acceptable to me if we weren’t constantly told how bold and brave she is and what a great strategist she is -- this didn’t come across in the narrative at all.  I found myself constantly wanting to shake as she miraculously stumbles her way through the plot.

The second issue I have is that about 85% of the conflict in this book could have been resolved if Roa sat down with Dax and other characters and just had a conversation with them.  This is a particular issue that really gets to me -- I find it infuriating and often DNF books that use this plot device. Roa has numerous opportunities to clear the air with other characters and never does.  Some of it I can understand, particularly later on in the book, but for the most part it’s just her pride getting in the way of common sense.

I was ultimately disappointed by The Caged Queen, despite it having some great writing and world building. Roa is not nearly as strong a character as Asha, and her unwillingness to discuss the problems at hand was really problematic for me.  I really wanted to love The Caged Queen and Roa, but she just wasn’t a strong enough character to carry the novel.  I know this won’t bother other readers as much, so I encourage you to pick this book up and form your own opinion.