mariebrunelm's Reviews (478)

This curious little collection brings together 100 pieces of microfiction alongside 100 doodles by the author. Most of them range toward the absurd and the fantastical in bite-size morsels of literature.
The foreword invites the reader to select one word from each story and create a 101st piece, which I find delightful but would be more inclined to do with a physical copy than an ebook. This is a nice volume to browse and cherry-pick from, and it can no doubt inspire writers to try their hands at their own drabble, or even to expand on a situation that tickles their fancy!

It’s summertime, and Julia and her parents are on their way to a scattering of islands barely visible on the map, north of Scotland. Her father is to repair the lighthouse and automate it, while her mother plans to chase a shark that could hold answers to many questions. That leaves Julia with a lot of free time, and a lot of questions of her own. It will be a summer of finding, of losing, of depths and of heights.

Here is another gorgeous example of middle-grade literature done to perfection. This book is light and deep, it deals with profound topics in the most accessible ways, it incorporates poetry and blends the narrative with stunning, almost abstract illustrations. It never belittles children, while welcoming adults too and I don’t know how authors such as Kiran Millwood Hargrave manage that but I have the deepest admiration for their work and creativity. To be fair, I would have much more to say if I’d found faults in this book but I thought it was perfect and I’m always at a loss for words when talking about such accomplished books. The words are in the books. Please read them.

 

Le long de la Gaste Cordillère et de sa tourmente de neige, le trio improbable formé de la chasseresse Kimba, de l'aristocrate Vezzere et de l'automate Pygonus chasse les pixies. Leur énergie magique maintient un équilibre particulièrement instable depuis que la Cité des Rouages a été victime d'une série d'attentats, et le prix pour des pixies sauvages assurerait à Kimba une vie à l'abri du besoin. Mais si la chasse était une partie de plaisir, les candidats seraient bien plus nombreux… 

Dans cette nouvelle discrètement rattachée à l'univers de la série Vaisseau d'Arcane, il n'y a pas de temps mort, que ce soit les dialogues explosifs entre les personnages, ou les péripéties non moins explosives qui les attendent sur leur route. L'univers demande quelques pages pour être parfaitement saisi, mais l'action est suffisamment concentrée sur le petit groupe et sa mission pour que la nouvelle se suffise à elle-même. Un début en fanfare pour mon abonnement à Chronopages, le projet des éditions 1115 qui envoient une nouvelle par mois aux contributeurices dans leurs boîtes aux lettres.

Rep : PP noire et racisée. 

Érèbe et Cécilie, nés chacun.e d'un côté de la ligne ténue qui sépare l'aristocratie du reste de la société, n'ont pas de raison de se rencontrer. Si ce n'est que Cécilie cherche un mari privilégié qui accepte de partager son statut avec elle, lui permettant ainsi de fuir un monde profondément sexiste, et que Érèbe voit en elle l'opportunité de se faire une place dans cette société où lui aussi est mis de côté. Sa fascination pour les squelettes et les cauchemars qui le hantent ont fait de lui un paria, si bien qu'il ne s'autorise pas à croire à la bonne volonté de Cécilie. Mais de son côté, Cécilie est-elle prête à payer le prix d'un mariage arrangé pour fuir vers les îles voisines où elle espère entrer à l'université et assouvir sa soif de savoir ?
J'ai passé un excellent moment avec ces deux personnages complexes et attachants, loin d'être parfaits. La dynamique entre elleux était nuancée et s'affranchissait des clichés qui auraient pu naître de leur relation. J'ai aimé découvrir les surprises que recelait ce monde en trois parties, avec d'une part Naturalia, continent perclus de préjugés mais au charme presque steampunk, d'autre part les horizons de modernité incarnés par les îles de la Scientifica, et enfin les étendues hostiles d'Exotica. La représentation du handicap m'a parue pleine de justesse, et j'ai apprécié la fluidité avec laquelle elle se mêlait au récit. Tout semblait considéré avec le plus grand soin par l'autrice dans ce roman qui utilise des ressorts classiques (sexisme) mais prend des directions inattendues et laisse sur un suspense qui va faire paraître le temps long avant le tome 2.

Synopsis-free, spoiler-free review. 
Can I admit that towards the end of this book I wondered what had happened in the first 90% to justify making it so long? I mean… I'm all for slow-paced books. I don't need action in my books, I can live on prose and vibes basically. And Rothfuss absolutely delivers both of these, which is why I reached the end of this book. But did I care for the main character along the 1100 pages of his adventures? Nope. Did I believe he had been dictating those 1100 pages in a day, as he is supposed to have done? Certainly not. The audiobook is over 42 HOURS, come on. 😂 Did the fact that the number of women went from 1 in book 1 to a handful in book 2 make it less cringy? I'm not entirely sure. Readers, I am confused. I don't know what to think except that this was *very* long. And while I still enjoy book 1 upon re-reading it, I don't feel like re-reading this one. One thing I'm happy about is having read the book that had been sitting on my TBR for the longest time (we're talking at least 6 years, probably more).

Nigeria, the near future. A recent world war has led to unexpected consequences on both the earth and its inhabitants. Ejii is a child of this new world. She is a shadow speaker - she can feel and hear shadows around her. Because of this ability, she is considered a threat by those unchanged, including her cruel father. When he is killed by the renowned Jaa, on a visit to Ejii’s village, the girl believes her circumstances will improve, but the following years prove her wrong, until fate or another power gives us an opportunity for revenge.
When I saw a new book by Nnedi Okorafor on NetGalley, I was super excited. Okorafor’s Binti trilogy made me rediscover sci-fi and encouraged me to search for books I’d love in this genre I wasn’t best friends with. Actually, Shadow Speaker isn’t exactly a new release, since it was first published in 2007 and was Okorafor’s first YA novel, but it was out of print. The 2023 version is expanded and has a new introduction.
What I found the most fascinating about this book was how many of the elements that made Binti so enjoyable were already budding in this earlier novel. You’ve got fantastic world-building, in this africanfuturist Nigeria and potential other planets, a headstrong but caring female main character, themes of family, identity, uprootedness, discussions of politics and righteousness. I felt that Shadow Speaker wasn’t as gripping and exciting as Binti had been, but that may be a consequence of me having read the latter first. I do think this book would be a good introduction to Okorafor’s writing (especially for a YA audience), even though I still consider Binti a more accomplished book.
On a last note, it is also worth noticing that I read this book in a state of high stress, so I may not have been as focused on it as I would have liked.
Rep: Black Muslim MC.

Paula, Jonas et Kate se rencontrent à l’Institut de peinture de Bruxelles. Là-bas, ils apprennent l’art subtil de la peinture d’illusion. Chêne, marbre, écaille… Sous leurs pinceaux, les surfaces se métamorphosent. En quelques mois, Paula acquiert des techniques qui la mènent de Russie en Italie, perfectionnant son art au fil des commandes jusqu’à ce que nature et création se confondent.

Les romans de Maylis de Kerangal ne ressemblent à aucun autre. Dès les premières lignes, on reconnaît ses phrases sans fin, chaloupées par des virgules qui donnent parfois le tournis. La langue est au cœur de l’histoire, et encore plus quand le récit, comme ici, parle d’art et d’illusion. Dans ce roman tactile, les surfaces en disent plus long que les profondeurs et l’on se plaît à explorer les couches successives qui composent les personnages tout autant que leurs créations.

Abby is a part-time magician, tricking her audience into believing in magic while she battles with ghosts from her past. When her best friend David asks for her help and they find themselves trapped in a mansion during a snow-storm, even though the setting screams for it, Abby isn’t ready for ghosts to become very real. But they have no choice but to believe and find out who’s trying to murder their host before David’s sister’s wedding or the ceremony might turn into a funeral.

This book was one of my first cosy mysteries and I had a great time! I loved the lively character writing, with nuanced personalities and the right amount of friendships and conflicts. One of my favourite tropes in books is when the house is almost a character, and this felt very true here as the setting added its own personality to the narrative. As the cast grappled with paranormal events, there was a great balance of humour and depth - grief being one of the main themes here.

I have to admit I can be wary with self-published books, but this one was perfectly crafted and edited. This book would be perfect on a winter afternoon with a hot cup of tea or chocolate at hand. Do make sure you have a salt water taffy as well and thank me later.

Cherry on the (wedding) cake, I love Holly Dunn cover ! I think it captures the atmosphere of the book perfectly.

Rep: lesbian Jewish MC, gay & bisexual secondary characters.

Brume est une petite fille qui promène son caractère bien trempé dans les rues de son village. Elle vénère le souvenir de Naïa, la sorcière locale, jusqu'au jour où son père lui remet un véritable grimoire. Les aventures ne font que commencer ! 
Cette BD jeunesse allie un dessin ravissant à des personnages très complémentaires et attachants. J'ai adoré chaque page, allant jusqu'à m'esclaffer en lisant quelques répliques bien senties. Mention spéciale à Hubert, le cochon un peu trop malin pour son bien.

It’s the beginning of a new year at university, and students old and new prepare for a new term. Jahir is a freshman. His unusual looks attract attention, as he is the first of his species to set foot outside of his home planet for a long time. Things don’t start so well as his condition requires him to have a room by himself, which isn’t possible. Enters Vasiht'h, in his second year, whose roommate has just left. He invites Jahir in and the two of them form a timid but strong friendship. As the year unfolds, they find themselves sharing lots of activities from the lightest to the deepest, including visits at a local children’s hospital. Side by side they define the path of their studies until the day may come when those paths have to separate.

This cosy science-fantasy novel was quite charming. Despite a strange opening scene, the two protagonists are quite endearing with their kindness and deep respect for people around them. We alternate between each point of view, getting to know them both and witnessing the bond they share grow stronger. This book was a beautiful depiction of a queerplatonic relationship.

I wasn’t entirely at ease, though, while I was reading, because of a few details here and there that troubled me. For a universe in which there are so many different species, I found things to be quite binary and often considered from a human perspective when it didn’t make sense to me. Then, there was welcome aro/ace representation, but this characteristic was explained as having been engineered through a reduction of hormones and I felt it sad that aro/ace orientation would be explained again as a lack of something when it’s everything but. This type of discomfort would have been alleviated with diverse representation of queer characters, but unfortunately that wasn’t the case. Admittedly, I was also a bit wary because I’d had a look at the author’s twitter account and I strongly disagreed with some of her statements, so I may not have been in the best headspace to read her book. However, it won’t be said that I failed my TBR-reading challenge, so I gave this book a try and will say it is mostly on the positive side, if you can deal with many scenes featuring children in hospitals.

Rep : aro/ace character.