Along the Saltwater Sea is the second book in the middle-grade series The Up and Under by A. Deborah Baker. The premise is pretty simple, in that two children get transported to a magical world where they have to find their way back home. The characters are interesting and entertaining, and I think that my younger self would have loved this book. I also think that I would have really related to Zib. 

 

Except I wish that Zib would have been a bit more. See, Zib questioned their gender identity and then just completely brushed it off. There should have been even one more sentence, some sort of something not a complete dismissal of their own feelings. Younger me would have needed that, and it was disappointing that the author didn’t just give it a bit more. She could have easily done so without parents even noticing or cis kids losing their ability to relate to Zib. Or, don’t mention it at all. The dismissal hurt. 

 

Beyond that, it was a fun book. I didn’t realize it was the second in the series so I put it down and read the first book beforehand. However, I honestly could have just read the second. The whole first part of the book is a summary. 

She Who Became the Sun is being herald as a historical trans rep novel. However, the gender identity seemed to be more of convenience and actual survival than identity. This is not a horrible thing, however when it is combined with being trans then it provides fuel to the fire that gender identity is a choice, and people could just choose not to be trans. So, that part of the novel did not really resonate with me.

The overall plot was fine. It was a good book, but I did not synch with it the way that so many others have. It was good. I'm glad I read it. I'm not sure I will pick it up again. However, I will read future books by Shelley Parker-Chan.

I picked up A Life Unplanned because I was hooked by a meet cute at comic con. I am not a huge romance reader, but I enjoy romance books with additional elements. 

 

However, A Life Unplanned is only partially a romance book. Don’t get me wrong, there is spice, a fair bit of it throughout the entire novel. There is also a meet cute and Insta love and a whole romantic setup. Except the novel does not end there. It takes you through a good portion of Theo and Sadie life together. In addition, there is a bit of a mystery and interesting extended family dynamics. 

 

Be warned that infertility is a big part of this book, so be cautious if that is a trigger. 

 

Even though this is not something I would normally gravitate to I enjoyed the story. It was a bit disconcerting with the change in pov between characters and third and first person, but it was an interesting choice. I also personally could have gone for some more geekiness, especially in the middle of the novel, but I think the start and end was great for geek culture. 

She claimed that racism, homophobia, and transphobia were all taken care of so now people needed to make the same acceptance for ADHD and autism. What a privileged view. What white person has the right to say racism isn’t a concern anymore? And I know first hand homophobia and transphobia are still a major concern. More then having to pass because of my autism. Then she goes on to say that she is just going to use women to refer to all genders because it is a genderless experience. But if it is a genderless experience then why did you specifically search out for research on women? Because it is not! Just own that. Say you are only talking about cis women don’t discount my non-binary identity! There is validity it talking about the cis women experience for neurodivergency and I could have accepted that. But instead you defended yourself by invalidating the large percentage of non-binary and trans autistic and neurodivergent people. And I only made it to page 9!  

I received Watchers from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 

 

I discovered Watchers from another Instagrammer’s feed. I read the very positive review and saw it had trans rep and knew I wanted to read it. I am so thankful this book was brought to my attention because it is amazing. 

 

Watchers is a near-future science fiction novel that is extremely realistic. The government has all but fallen apart and the US isn’t doing all that great. There are cameras everywhere, especially in drones that are piloted by watchers, who find people breaking the law and then fine them. The behavior is as problematic as it sounds. 

 

Yet, the main story features Sasha and Daniel and a love story set in a reality tv show that kills you when you are voted off. Sasha is young and alone. Daniel is hiding from his connection to his father and the daughter he once had. Thrust together they form a connection that is realistic and complex. 

 

The narration of the story is told through a streamer who provides finds and pieces together video to tell the story. It can make for a very interesting narration style, that is different but works. The streamer has their own plot line, my least favorite of the story. But it helps provide the context for the narration. 

 

I really enjoyed this book, and will happily add it to my shelves when it is released. I also cannot wait to read the next book in the series.

I have been on a thriller kick lately and when I heard about Zero Sum Game I was instantly intrigued. The main character is a math genius that does retrievals. She is about as bad a&& as you can get. I listened to this on audiobook, it is about a ten-hour book that I could not put down. I finished it in a day and a half. 

 

There is a lot of action and a lot of morally gray characters. There are also a lot of unanswered questions. I am still a bit annoyed that some of the questions are unanswered, but in the I want to read the next book way. 

 

There is a bit of a science-fiction edge to this book, making me enjoy it that much more. However, it is a bit too much to be believable. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter because I was engaged from beginning to end.

A Legacy of Storm and Starlight is an adult fantasy along the lines of Sarah J Maas. If you enjoyed House of Earth and Blood then you will most likely enjoy this book as well, however, I would argue that this is better. 

 

Zylah starts the book in hard times. Some handsy prince tries to have his way with her, and she ends up killing him. You know you are in for a ride if you start the book with the main character heading off to hang. 

 

Of course, Zylah is not quite as she seems. She has never quite fit in, but she never suspected that she was half Fea. Now she has to come to terms with this side of her identity. 

 

I read this book slowly. Fantasy with a strong romance plot is not my favorite. However, I never wanted to put the book down. I really like Zylah, but also how well developed all the characters are. 

 

There is a lot going on during the book. I think some of the plot is neglected to further the romance in the book. A lot of readers will really appreciate this. I recognized this while wishing the romance was a little lighter. 

 

The one main point that I did not enjoy was the author would bring up a point, and then bring it up again every few sentences for the next page or so. I am sure it was a conscious choice, maybe to make sure the reader caught what was being presented. But it was the only part of the novel that I really did not enjoy. I will say that this only happened about the first third of the book, and then evened out. 

 

I loved the ending, in that it concluded the book while also perfectly setting it up for the next book. There is so much that I still want to know, but I also don’t feel let down. There was a lot in this first book. 

 

I’m not a big fan of star ratings - except I know that they help Indi authors. I would say this book is a solid 3.5. This book needs a lot more hype. There are so many readers that would fall so hard in love with this world.

I have wanted to read How High We Go in the Dark since I saw it as a prerelease. I ended up having to wait to check out the audiobook from the library, but this book is worth the wait. 

 

The book is an apocalyptic science fiction novel that has an overarching narrative created through a collection of connected short stories. It is genius. Reading it I was blown away by what Nagamatsu created and how he created it. I have tried to come up with a novel structured similarly and have come up blank. 

 

Sequoia Nagamatsu is a Japanese American and the story is told from a strong Japanese standpoint. There are narrative points mainly from the United States and Japan, with a few stories that take place in more distant locations. It is also a strongly heteronormative narration. 

 

I knew within minutes that this book was going to be spectacular. If anything I underestimated how impactful it was. This is one that I will pick up for my shelves and reread several times over. 

 

I highly recommend everyone pick up this book regardless of their reading tastes. However, it will particularly appeal to those who enjoy science fiction and magical realism. Trigger warning - this story does center around a pandemic.