I walked into Starless without any idea of what the book was about, and left with a new favorite. 

 

Starless is a stand alone fantasy book about a group of people who are destined to save the world. Since it is a single volume it is told from a single point of view. Khai was trained since birth to be a warrior for his twin soul Zariya. Zariya is the youngest daughter of an unaging ruler. Together they have a great destiny, if only they can figure out what it is. 

 

I love Khai. He is such a lovable assassin type character. And even though you can see every plot twist coming about his character a mile away. But the surprise isn’t the point. 

 

The book has physical disability rep. Zariya was crippled from a childhood illness. She is such a strong and sweet character. I thought the rep was well done - but I am not physically disabled. 

 

There is also gender queer rep. I am not a fan of trans rep where the main character’s transness was decided by external factors. Being trans is part of who you are internally. However, I love how it was handled in Starless because there was a gender identity exploration. 

 

Overall, Starless was a great fantasy adventure that hooked me from the start. The only critique is that the book could have easily been two or three books long. 

When I was in middle school I was obsessed with Agatha Christie. I checked out every book of hers from the library and often was so enthralled in her worlds that I lost track of my own. I was hesitant to pick back up her books. What if they were a part of my childhood that I had outgrown? 

 

I was so wrong, Christie’s works are ageless. They are not outgrown, they are just better understood. I am so glad to understand this with The Man in the Brown Suit. 

 

I think the beauty of her work is the characters. I had figured out most of the mystery about half way through, but it did not dismayed me from enjoying the journey. I was enraptured with these people, even though their world was removed from my own by a century. 

 

Anne is such a great strong female lead. She does not give up her self identity even as she navigates in a male world. I have a lot of respect for her and enjoyed her narration of the world. 

 

That being said, the book is written from a colonial British perspective. For a novel that tackled the women voice so well it is very lacking in racial perspective. The African side characters are presented as stereotypes lacking any substance. Anne feels like she has come home to Africa and feels entitled to take a home that belongs to others.

A Marvelous Light is a historical fantasy with a m/m romance. I was slightly hesitant going into the book. It was hyped from the beginning, but historical fantasy is not usually my think. Except I knew from the first page that I would love it. 

 

The writing style is amazing. Freya Marske uses beautiful, but not over the top, language that you just want to sink into. All the while a scene is being built up with world building being added seamlessly. 

 

The characters are also extremely well developed. I left the prologue connected to a character that does not make another appearance. I questioned this decision, but the non existence of the character was a character itself. It was just so well done! 

 

Not to mention the actual two main characters, Robin and Edwin. The book is primarily a fantasy book, but there is some spice. I usually prefer my books to be as unromantic as possible, but the relationship worked for me. There is some definite spice, but it does not take a way from the plot. To be fair, it is honestly a bit of a fast relationship. However, it does not have any of the annoyances of insta-love. It is probably because there is no young adult angst. They are adult males who are forced to hide a huge part of themselves from society and have learned to find companionship when they can. 

 

On a side note I very much relate to Edwin. I love his character so much. He is the perfect secluded, broody, book nerd. 

 

I cannot wait to read the next book in the series, and without a doubt will be rereading A Marvelous Light.

Black Canary: Breaking Silence is the fifth book in the DC Icons series. This young adult series is unique because each book is centered on a DC hero during their teenage years. Each book is written by a different author. 

 

I found the start of the Black Canary to be a bit disjointed. It is set in a future dystopian world. Some parts of the story are part of the DC world that were familiar, but most parts were different. It made it confusing. For example, Dinah Lance is not the first Black Canary. However, Oliver Queen is the first green arrow. And it all takes place after Batman has died of old age and the Court of Owls has taken over. 

 

Overall it was a fun story. There was a great female empowerment plot, and I appreciated how music was interwoven into the story. It did get a bit too YA romance for me at times. But I guess when you are seventeen even fight scenes should stop for crush moments. It wasn’t my favorite book of the series, but it was still a fun quick read.

Tetris: The Games People Play is a graphic novel that outlines the history of Tetris by looking at the history of gaming and then Tetris specifically. 

 

It is a weird and tragic history. But it was presented almost as downplaying a fair bit of it. There was a lot of back and forth between companies and countries that lost me a bit. However, it was an interesting read. 

 

The book is black, white, and yellow making for an interesting visual experience. I enjoyed the art style. 

I picked up What’s Your Pronouns because I was fascinated that the book even existed. I had just had a conversation about why we use plural verbs with the singular they. I found an answer…sort of. I also found a lot more than I imagined. 

 

Dennis Baron has been studying pronouns for 40 years. To me this is the most amazing fact of the book. The first half of the book focus on how pronouns, specifically the use of he, has been used to limit the rights of women. 

 

The second half of the book focus on the use of singular they and it’s long history in the English language. Other non-binary pronouns are mentioned as well. Also, other languages are glanced on briefly. However, mainly this section is why “he or she” is not good and the use of singular they. Ultimately, the answer to my question is we use plural pronouns because they have always been used. However, that is changing. If it changed enough then it will change the “rules.” Also, using singular verbs will stop people complaining that singular they breaks grammar rules (my thoughts not the authors.) 

 

Ultimately, it was an interesting book that feel into the trap of most focused non-fiction books. It repeated itself to make sure it was long enough to be a book. It was still a great read, and one I think more people should pick up.

Upright Women Wanted is a novella by Sarah Gailey. The story takes place in the future on the west coast, where something happened to make humans less dependent on tech. The world is very toxic masculinity and anti-queer. Ester is trying to find her way in this world. 

 

I really enjoyed this novella. It is a modern western take on homophobia, sexism, and transphobia that is currently happening. The story is a novella, and I think it could have really been a novel. It would have given it the space to flush out the characters and world building a bit more. 

 

I was lost at the start of the book. I couldn’t place where I was or what was going on. Once there was a bit more world building then I was hooked and didn’t want to put it down. But I still want more from this world. For example, why is Utah the safe space? Having run from Utah I found this an interesting choice. 

 

The is my second read by Sarah Gailey and I can’t wait to pick up more. 

Million Dollar Demon is the fifteenth book in The Hollows series. It is the second book in the reprisal of the series. 

 

Fifteen books is a lot of books to have in a series. It would be easily for the series to be stale. I admit that there is a certain formula to the books. However, it is more like a general template that adapts for each book. 

 

Most importantly there is growth, not just in the main character Rachel, but in the supporting characters. There are even changes there, showing how our life changes for different phases. 

 

So, reading Million Dollar Demon was like coming home. If you like urban fantasy and haven’t checked out this series then I recommend that you do. But start at the beginning. 

Kristin Hannah is an amazing author. She creates such strong characters and such detailed worlds that you can’t help but be engulfed in the world. The Four Winds was no exception. 

 

Elsa Martinelli was born in Texas in 1934. It was a prosperous time, and her family was one of the wealthier of the town. Except that does no good when you are the spinster of the family. Elsa just wants to be loved and raise a family of her own, so when she gets pregnant out of wedlock and is forced to marry the father it really isn’t such a bad thing. 

 

What follows is a discovery of endurance and the will to survive. They endure the dust storms of the Texas planes and make the journey to California. Although, the better life was not all that they expected. 

 

The Four Winds is captivating. I could not put the book down. It was heart wrenching. I came to care for the characters so much. To see the struggle hurt. But it is not all pain and suffering. The story is about strength and finding joy where you can. 

 

Although, I must say that I am finding a theme in Hannah’s writing that made the ending very predictable. I was hoping I was wrong, because it seemed like the wrong ending. But I was not. I guess live doesn’t have right endings and that is part of the point.