I am almost speechless. This book… Holy smokes it’s good.

The City of Brass can easily be called a fantasy epic - the first in a trilogy that I can’t wait to continue reading. Chakraborty has taken djinn mythology and turned it on its head, plunging the reader into a world of magic, politics, and eventually… darkness.

The title refers to the central city of the djinn, Daevabad. It’s a complex metropolis full of contradictions, with wealth and poverty existing side by side. You could almost call it a character unto itself - Chakraborty’s world building skills are on full display in this book.

But it’s not just the setting that impressed me, her characters are fascinating as well. Nahri is a con artist and thief with a mysterious past. She’s not the most loveable of people, but you can’t help but hope that things work out for her. And the djinn Dara? His odd behaviour left me guessing the entire time.

I will admit, about halfway through I became concerned that the plot was leading into some tired YA trope territory - Nahri was starting to look like a MarySue. I’m so glad I was wrong - the plot had so many twists and turns (and a hell of a climax), that any concerns I had about tropes was thoroughly put to rest. Really, the only thing that I would possibly change is the length of time Nahri and Dara spent travelling to the city. But it’s such a minor thing that it really doesn’t affect my rating.

The next book is called Kingdom of Copper, and I already have it waiting on my Kobo. I’ll definitely be reading it soon.

First of all, I loved The Hate U Give. Angie Thomas is so incredibly talented and I had no doubt that On the Come Up would be equally impressive. And it really is.

There is some continuity between the two books that was really well done - both take place in the same neighbourhood, about a year apart. The main character Bri references the shooting and resulting riots a few times in the story, tying it back to her fear of the police. It’s subtle enough that you don’t need to read THUG to understand, and yet a thoughtful tie-in for those who have.

Thomas’ characters consistently blow me away - they are so well put together. Bri is 16 years old and dreams of becoming a rapper like her late father. Her personality fits well with a teen that age - impulsive and rebellious, while also worried about the future. She’s not the most likeable of people, but is such a solid character that you can’t help but become invested in her story very quickly.

But that investment made me more than a little anxious; Bri’s impulsiveness had her hurtling toward a wall, and I found myself mentally trying to tell her to slow down. But this is Bri’s coming of age story, a time when she is struggling to find her voice - and that is never a smooth or easy process. It gets a bit emotional - I’ll admit I teared up once or twice.

I’m not a music person; I rarely listen to it. But I do love poetry, and Thomas has created some pretty powerful poetry in Bri’s lyrics. They stick with you long after you’ve read past them. I loved it.

So… this book was a total cover buy. Just look at it! The concept is brilliant and more than a little hilarious - I was totally expecting a funny and lighthearted book. And there were funny moments! But, overall it was actual a rather serious and well put together mystery, with thought provoking commentary on the Fentanyl crisis in North America.

I was also expecting there to be a buddy cop movie vibe, but it didn’t quite go that way either. The story takes place after Obama and Biden leave office, and the friendship has become strained - they haven’t really kept in touch and Biden feels a bit down about it. Shaffer did a fantastic job imagining the relationship between the two men; it felt mostly believable (but with an occasional bit of humour thrown in).

As far as I know, this is a stand-alone story - but I think it would be awesome if this were to become a series. I would definitely read more adventures with Joe and Barry!

I won’t express an opinion/attach a star rating to the content itself - she has every right to express how she feels. But the writing seems half baked and incomplete. If she had fleshed this out a bit more (and had better editing), I have no doubt the book would have a greater impact.

Finally a proper Firefly novel! I’ve enjoyed the comics, but there is something special about reading an actual book based on the show. And Big Damn Hero does a damn good job bringing the show back to life.

Lovegrove has perfectly captured the characters and world of Firefly - it was super easy to picture the actors saying most of the lines. The plot was pretty good too and was believable as an episode of the show. There was some reuse of plot points from previous episodes, but I think it helped rather than hindered the story - it added a nice layer of familiarity.

Really, the only thing that bugged me (a lot) was the pacing. The story felt extremely dragged out - getting through most of the middle actually felt like work. Tightening up the Mal scenes really would have improved the book - and my rating!

Three-Martini Lunch can best be described as Mad Men for the publishing industry. Set in 1958 New York, the setting and era are beautifully captured by Rindell. It is so vibrant - everything was really easy to picture in my head because of it.

The story is told from three POVs: Cliff, Miles and Eden. Each come from very different situations, but are linked together via their love for the written word. Rindell captured these three unique voices quite well; they felt like separate and distinct, deeply flawed personalities. And I’ve got to say - I hated Cliff with a passion! No redeeming qualities whatsoever. I also became frustrated with Eden’s tendency to be a doormat, and my heart ached for Miles and everything he went through.

Really, it’s just an amazing story. Rindell wove the three POVs into an overarching plot in an engaging way - and happily I didn’t struggle with the switches between each voice. One thing I did wish for was a different ending. I so wanted to see a few of the characters get their comeuppance. But life isn’t perfect like that - sometimes the assholes win.

If historical fiction is your thing, then I highly recommend Three-Martini Lunch.