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thecaptainsquarters
Ahoy there me mateys! With an awesome cover and cool premise, I thought for sure that I would love this one. Instead it was very uneven.
The story is a dystopian sci-fi drawn from the Nigerian and Biafra civil war of the 1960s. It takes place in 2172 after the planet has been decimated from climate change. The lucky ones have made it to space but the rest are back on Earth, struggling to survive. At first the two main characters, Onyii and Ify live in a hidden camp of girls in Biafra. Ify's family was originally Nigerian but Biafra has adopted her and considers her family. However Ify is taken by the Nigerians in an attack and the sisters are split on either side of the divide.
Onyii was a former child soldier of Biafra who gets involved in the war over losing Ify and quickly rises through the military ranks in her quest for revenge. She be a fierce fighter. Ify loves education and learning new technology. She grows to love and support Nigeria even though she misses Onyii. The book switches back and forth between the two perspectives. Both girls are basically prodigies of a kind but I didn't mind that so much.
I loved that this book was #ownvoices. I loved learning about the Nigerian civil war. I actually stopped reading early on so I could research background on the real war before finishing the book. Nasty and heart-breaking. It is a disgrace really how Nigerian territory was set up and how much other foreign nations interfered. I loved how the sister's relationship changed over the course of the novel and how both are used as weapons in their own fashions. I thought the commentary and metaphors around the use of child soldiers was well done. I loved that women had such respect, strength, and high roles in the world.
There were several major problems with this book. The mechs, bionic implants, and other technology in the world really didn't make much sense. It sounded cool but there were never good explanations for how the giant robots or neural networks really functioned. It felt more like magic. Also the book could have used a lot more description overall.
The plot was extremely problematic. The book was split into parts and jumped around quite a bit in time and place. While part one was excellent, the story wasn't very straightforward after that. The pacing was slow and I found so many parts to be either confusing or somewhat boring. I know ye were supposed to root for Biafra but it was very hard to do so because the people were so brutal to both the Nigerians and their own citizens in their zeal to win the war. I do understand that the brutality comes from the historical sources.
I thought that the book could have been shorter and needed some serious pruning. At times there was too much focus on action scenes which lead to a disconnect to the main characters for huge swathes of the book. Many characters die and other characters don't get enough backstory or drop out of the book altogether. There is good writing in this but it didn't always work. And the ending was both kinda abrupt and unsatisfactory.
Honestly I feel like book would have been better with a lot more editing and if it was a standalone. I don't know if I would read the sequel but the author has talent and I would be interested in more of his future work. Arrrr!
The story is a dystopian sci-fi drawn from the Nigerian and Biafra civil war of the 1960s. It takes place in 2172 after the planet has been decimated from climate change. The lucky ones have made it to space but the rest are back on Earth, struggling to survive. At first the two main characters, Onyii and Ify live in a hidden camp of girls in Biafra. Ify's family was originally Nigerian but Biafra has adopted her and considers her family. However Ify is taken by the Nigerians in an attack and the sisters are split on either side of the divide.
Onyii was a former child soldier of Biafra who gets involved in the war over losing Ify and quickly rises through the military ranks in her quest for revenge. She be a fierce fighter. Ify loves education and learning new technology. She grows to love and support Nigeria even though she misses Onyii. The book switches back and forth between the two perspectives. Both girls are basically prodigies of a kind but I didn't mind that so much.
I loved that this book was #ownvoices. I loved learning about the Nigerian civil war. I actually stopped reading early on so I could research background on the real war before finishing the book. Nasty and heart-breaking. It is a disgrace really how Nigerian territory was set up and how much other foreign nations interfered. I loved how the sister's relationship changed over the course of the novel and how both are used as weapons in their own fashions. I thought the commentary and metaphors around the use of child soldiers was well done. I loved that women had such respect, strength, and high roles in the world.
There were several major problems with this book. The mechs, bionic implants, and other technology in the world really didn't make much sense. It sounded cool but there were never good explanations for how the giant robots or neural networks really functioned. It felt more like magic. Also the book could have used a lot more description overall.
The plot was extremely problematic. The book was split into parts and jumped around quite a bit in time and place. While part one was excellent, the story wasn't very straightforward after that. The pacing was slow and I found so many parts to be either confusing or somewhat boring. I know ye were supposed to root for Biafra but it was very hard to do so because the people were so brutal to both the Nigerians and their own citizens in their zeal to win the war. I do understand that the brutality comes from the historical sources.
I thought that the book could have been shorter and needed some serious pruning. At times there was too much focus on action scenes which lead to a disconnect to the main characters for huge swathes of the book. Many characters die and other characters don't get enough backstory or drop out of the book altogether. There is good writing in this but it didn't always work. And the ending was both kinda abrupt and unsatisfactory.
Honestly I feel like book would have been better with a lot more editing and if it was a standalone. I don't know if I would read the sequel but the author has talent and I would be interested in more of his future work. Arrrr!
Ahoy there me mateys! This was me first foray into John Marrs writing and I had a very good time. I wanted to read this as soon as I read the blurb. The premise of the book is that there be a DNA test ye can take to find yer "One" i.e. the perfect genetic and romantic partner. The book follows five people who get their matched results. Do they all get their happily ever after? Ye will be surprised.
One of the best things about this book is how the Match program works. It has only been around for ten years. It costs £9.99 to join. Not everyone wants to use it so ye aren't guaranteed a match. Or there can be other problems. Sometimes yer match may already be married. Sometimes yer match may be the "wrong" age or gender. Or dead. There are myriad possibilities. I loved how quickly the matching program led to structural changes in how society functions. Think along the lines of the internet or cell phones (I was alive before both those things took off). The implications were so fascinating and cool.
The novel itself was quick, twisty, and fun. It is part mystery and part thriller. It did take a little adjustment to get into it because of how the POVs were structured but I was quickly engrossed. I won't really get into the plot or characters here because I think it be best to go in blind. The only thing that makes this less than a five star read was a couple of very over-the-top ridiculous plot points that I just found implausible. So silly and had me eye rolling. That said I was also smiling at the same time because I was enjoying the unexpected waves. I just decided to go with it.
Apparently this is being made into a Netflix series. If ye want to read the book before then, the e-book is only $1.99 on Amazon US and £4.99 on Amazon UK. Worth the money. Arrrr!
One of the best things about this book is how the Match program works. It has only been around for ten years. It costs £9.99 to join. Not everyone wants to use it so ye aren't guaranteed a match. Or there can be other problems. Sometimes yer match may already be married. Sometimes yer match may be the "wrong" age or gender. Or dead. There are myriad possibilities. I loved how quickly the matching program led to structural changes in how society functions. Think along the lines of the internet or cell phones (I was alive before both those things took off). The implications were so fascinating and cool.
The novel itself was quick, twisty, and fun. It is part mystery and part thriller. It did take a little adjustment to get into it because of how the POVs were structured but I was quickly engrossed. I won't really get into the plot or characters here because I think it be best to go in blind. The only thing that makes this less than a five star read was a couple of very over-the-top ridiculous plot points that I just found implausible. So silly and had me eye rolling. That said I was also smiling at the same time because I was enjoying the unexpected waves. I just decided to go with it.
Apparently this is being made into a Netflix series. If ye want to read the book before then, the e-book is only $1.99 on Amazon US and £4.99 on Amazon UK. Worth the money. Arrrr!
Hearty har har me mateys! Time to hear about a fellow grand and glorious sea dog . . .
So I am assuming most of me readers have heard of the fearsome Blackbeard who sailed the waters of the West Indies on the Queen Anne’s Revenge. What readers may not know if that very little of Blackbeard’s early life is known. This novel attempts to enlighten us on what could have been.
And a fun romp it was. The story centers on Anne, a half West Indies / half English daughter of a respected merchant. Her parents have died and she has found work as a servant for one of Bristol’s rich merchants. His son happens to be about to return from a year at sea and is . . . you guessed it, the young Blackbeard known at the time as Edward Drummond. The two meet and nothing is the same.
I truly enjoyed this novel. As a Captain who is familiar with Blackbeard’s legacy, many of the author’s forays into his history made me laugh out loud. She has certain “theories” on how Blackbeard came to have certain reputations (which I won’t spoil here) which were just plain excellent. I cannot say with certainty that I think this novel is the “true” story of the legend but it certainly was a fun one. Me mateys should definitely read this.
Side note: This was the author’s first novel. Excellent taste in choice of subject matter. Excellent job.
If you like this review read me others at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
So I am assuming most of me readers have heard of the fearsome Blackbeard who sailed the waters of the West Indies on the Queen Anne’s Revenge. What readers may not know if that very little of Blackbeard’s early life is known. This novel attempts to enlighten us on what could have been.
And a fun romp it was. The story centers on Anne, a half West Indies / half English daughter of a respected merchant. Her parents have died and she has found work as a servant for one of Bristol’s rich merchants. His son happens to be about to return from a year at sea and is . . . you guessed it, the young Blackbeard known at the time as Edward Drummond. The two meet and nothing is the same.
I truly enjoyed this novel. As a Captain who is familiar with Blackbeard’s legacy, many of the author’s forays into his history made me laugh out loud. She has certain “theories” on how Blackbeard came to have certain reputations (which I won’t spoil here) which were just plain excellent. I cannot say with certainty that I think this novel is the “true” story of the legend but it certainly was a fun one. Me mateys should definitely read this.
Side note: This was the author’s first novel. Excellent taste in choice of subject matter. Excellent job.
If you like this review read me others at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
Ahoy there me mateys! I received this young adult sci-fi eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So here be me honest musings . . .
I have only read two of Naomi Kritzer's shorter length stories. One was the "The Thing About Ghost Stories” which was nominated for the 2019 Hugo for novelettes. The other was "Cat Pictures Please" which won the 2016 Locus and Hugo awards for best short story. This book ties into the 2016 story.
Steph and her mom have been on the run from her father for her entire life. This involves moving every six months with Steph having to change schools. Steph has no close friends in real life. Her only constant is an online group of friends, a clowder, on CatNet. CatNet's appeal is that it revolves around sharing animal pictures - especially cat related ones. What no ones knows is that the site is run by an AI in hiding called CheshireCat. Steph's life in her newest town is surprisingly good until the past comes out to get her. The clowder and the AI are her only hope of survival.
This is a cute and quick story. Of course me favourite character is the AI but I did like Steph as the main protagonist. The plot is rather silly but I did enjoy the diversity and friendships involved. Besides Steph and her new best friend, I did think that the secondary characters were rather two-dimensional. The plot takes some suspension of disbelief especially for the climax and ending. I would consider this a decent popcorn book even if it be a bit forgettable in the long run. The ending does hint at a potential sequel. I wouldn't mind one. Arrr!
So lastly . . .
Thank you Tor Teen!
Side note: I have to admit that the cover doesn't thrill me.
I have only read two of Naomi Kritzer's shorter length stories. One was the "The Thing About Ghost Stories” which was nominated for the 2019 Hugo for novelettes. The other was "Cat Pictures Please" which won the 2016 Locus and Hugo awards for best short story. This book ties into the 2016 story.
Steph and her mom have been on the run from her father for her entire life. This involves moving every six months with Steph having to change schools. Steph has no close friends in real life. Her only constant is an online group of friends, a clowder, on CatNet. CatNet's appeal is that it revolves around sharing animal pictures - especially cat related ones. What no ones knows is that the site is run by an AI in hiding called CheshireCat. Steph's life in her newest town is surprisingly good until the past comes out to get her. The clowder and the AI are her only hope of survival.
This is a cute and quick story. Of course me favourite character is the AI but I did like Steph as the main protagonist. The plot is rather silly but I did enjoy the diversity and friendships involved. Besides Steph and her new best friend, I did think that the secondary characters were rather two-dimensional. The plot takes some suspension of disbelief especially for the climax and ending. I would consider this a decent popcorn book even if it be a bit forgettable in the long run. The ending does hint at a potential sequel. I wouldn't mind one. Arrr!
So lastly . . .
Thank you Tor Teen!
Side note: I have to admit that the cover doesn't thrill me.
Ahoy there mateys! I thought the world-building of this one was great fun and liked a lot of the writing style. I just couldn't stand the main character, Myra. She just seemed to make ridiculous and stupid choices. The annoyance grew too great and so I abandoned ship. Arrrr!
Ahoy me mateys! Grab yer grog! Here be book 2 of the seventh installment of the 3 Bells trilogy showcase. If ye missed book one click here. While I try to post no spoilers, ye have been forewarned and continue at yer own peril . . .
While I thought the first book was fantastic (minus the unnecessarily explicit sex scenes), I found book two to be enjoyable but very problematic in parts. The main issue for me is that the scope has changed. The first book was a family story first with all of the politics and such stemming from that.
Book two has a significant time jump and begins with new perspectives and political machinations. With that comes POVs of new people that ye don't know with goals ye haven't had time to care about. Many of the people I fell in love with in book one don't show up for what feels like half the book. The pacing was very slow and getting updated on what happened in the last 18 months took a bit too much time.
Earth plays a bigger part here too which changes the politics and feel of the story. It became more about the impending conflict and less about the characters and their interpersonal relationships and character arcs. I lost some of the connection to the individuals which was much of the strength of the first book. And yet there was still time for more unnecessary sex scenes.
And then there were the plot points about the wolf pack and being bipolar that I don't quite understand and make me feel slightly confused and uncomfortable. Some of the political maneuverings were hard to follow. There were sections where nothing happens to further the plot and were irksome. Many unnecessary pages about cake for example. And it does have the problem of feeling like the sole purpose is just a bridge to set-up the third novel.
This is not to say that there weren't things to enjoy. The segues into the second half of the book was excellent and the story picked back up once ye got back to me favourite characters. The plot still had wonderful plot twists that I wasn't expecting which led to a rather fun ending. Character growth does happen in surprising ways for a couple of characters and there are several about whom I really need to know what happens next. There are some fun and excellent (if slightly unrealistic) sections where it really is the moon vs. humans. I did like learning a bit more about how life is back on Earth.
Basically this book does do its job of making me want to continue the trilogy. Check in tomorrow for what me thinks of book three. Arrrr!
While I thought the first book was fantastic (minus the unnecessarily explicit sex scenes), I found book two to be enjoyable but very problematic in parts. The main issue for me is that the scope has changed. The first book was a family story first with all of the politics and such stemming from that.
Book two has a significant time jump and begins with new perspectives and political machinations. With that comes POVs of new people that ye don't know with goals ye haven't had time to care about. Many of the people I fell in love with in book one don't show up for what feels like half the book. The pacing was very slow and getting updated on what happened in the last 18 months took a bit too much time.
Earth plays a bigger part here too which changes the politics and feel of the story. It became more about the impending conflict and less about the characters and their interpersonal relationships and character arcs. I lost some of the connection to the individuals which was much of the strength of the first book. And yet there was still time for more unnecessary sex scenes.
And then there were the plot points about the wolf pack and being bipolar that I don't quite understand and make me feel slightly confused and uncomfortable. Some of the political maneuverings were hard to follow. There were sections where nothing happens to further the plot and were irksome. Many unnecessary pages about cake for example. And it does have the problem of feeling like the sole purpose is just a bridge to set-up the third novel.
This is not to say that there weren't things to enjoy. The segues into the second half of the book was excellent and the story picked back up once ye got back to me favourite characters. The plot still had wonderful plot twists that I wasn't expecting which led to a rather fun ending. Character growth does happen in surprising ways for a couple of characters and there are several about whom I really need to know what happens next. There are some fun and excellent (if slightly unrealistic) sections where it really is the moon vs. humans. I did like learning a bit more about how life is back on Earth.
Basically this book does do its job of making me want to continue the trilogy. Check in tomorrow for what me thinks of book three. Arrrr!
Ahoy there mateys! It's Sci-Fi Month!! After rereading the Imperial Radch trilogy, I thought I would take some time to read the two short stories set in the world. These stories are free online. I do not however recommend that these stories by yer introduction to the world (personal opinion. others disagree). Here be me thoughts.
night's slow poison (Imperial Radch #0.5)
the blurb - “Night’s Slow Poison” is from the same setting as Ancillary Justice, and tells a rich, claustrophobic story of a galactic voyage that forces one guardsman to confront his uneasy family history through the lens of a passenger with his lost lover’s eyes."
This story is about 20 pages long. One of the best things about this story is that it showcases another system outside of Radchaai space. I love getting outsiders perspectives on the Radch empire. Book four of the Imperial Radch series was all about that. I was engrossed in this story about a six month space journey but I have to admit that the ending was a tiny bit off for me. And I can't put me finger on why. Still I am glad I have read this. I really do love Leckie's writing style. I especially enjoyed the commentary about the passengers and their evolving feelings as the trip progresses. And I am very glad that I never have to travel on the ship Jewel of Athat. Arrr!
night's slow poison (Imperial Radch #0.5)
the blurb - “Night’s Slow Poison” is from the same setting as Ancillary Justice, and tells a rich, claustrophobic story of a galactic voyage that forces one guardsman to confront his uneasy family history through the lens of a passenger with his lost lover’s eyes."
This story is about 20 pages long. One of the best things about this story is that it showcases another system outside of Radchaai space. I love getting outsiders perspectives on the Radch empire. Book four of the Imperial Radch series was all about that. I was engrossed in this story about a six month space journey but I have to admit that the ending was a tiny bit off for me. And I can't put me finger on why. Still I am glad I have read this. I really do love Leckie's writing style. I especially enjoyed the commentary about the passengers and their evolving feelings as the trip progresses. And I am very glad that I never have to travel on the ship Jewel of Athat. Arrr!
Ahoy there mateys! It's Sci-Fi Month!! After rereading the Imperial Radch trilogy, I thought I would take some time to read the two short stories set in the world. These stories are free online. I do not however recommend that these stories by yer introduction to the world (personal opinion. others disagree). Here be me thoughts.
she commands me and i obey (Imperial Radch #0.6)
This be a short story set in the world of Ancillary Justice, published by Strange Horizons as part of their annual funding drive. It was released in two parts. This story is around 25 pages long.
This lovely part of this story is that it be a sci-fi that contains references to sports. I thought this was cool because Matey Kathy had an awesome post that discussed sports in world building. I am not a sports player meself but do love watching baseball games of me team occasionally (not too often cause they rile me up). Of course in this story the sports outcomes are related to life and death and politics. I adored this tale. I loved the character names, the sport, the world-building, the complexities of the politics, and above all the main character. The sport reminded me a bit of the Aztec ball game Ullamaliztli. This story gets five stars. And answers questions from the Radch trilogy. Or at least the theories be awesome.
I absolutely love Ann Leckie and cannot wait to see whatever it be that she writes next. Arrrr!
she commands me and i obey (Imperial Radch #0.6)
This be a short story set in the world of Ancillary Justice, published by Strange Horizons as part of their annual funding drive. It was released in two parts. This story is around 25 pages long.
This lovely part of this story is that it be a sci-fi that contains references to sports. I thought this was cool because Matey Kathy had an awesome post that discussed sports in world building. I am not a sports player meself but do love watching baseball games of me team occasionally (not too often cause they rile me up). Of course in this story the sports outcomes are related to life and death and politics. I adored this tale. I loved the character names, the sport, the world-building, the complexities of the politics, and above all the main character. The sport reminded me a bit of the Aztec ball game Ullamaliztli. This story gets five stars. And answers questions from the Radch trilogy. Or at least the theories be awesome.
I absolutely love Ann Leckie and cannot wait to see whatever it be that she writes next. Arrrr!