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wordsofclover
I received a free digital copy from the author/publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
The Kingdom of Women is a non-fiction book about author Choo Wai-Hong’s life living with the Moseo people in a mountainous region of China. Originially from Singapore, Choo Wai-Hong came across the Mosuo people when she was travelling and learned about their matrilineal society - meaning the unlike the rest of China, and a majority of the world, bloodlines are tracked through the female line rather than the man’s, and the eldest woman in a household is the head of the family.
“A Mosuo girl is born free from cultural and societal restrictions to party, laugh, lead, toil and love. She has no need to fight for empowerment because she is empowered from birth. She comes from a long line of empowered mothers, grandmothers and beyond, all revered as vital members of the community, headed at the pinnacle by their Mountain Goddess. In a way, she is so used to the idea of an empowered existence that she accepts it all ‘as is’,"
This was a fantastic and easy to read tale of one woman’s encounter with a different type of people. They were very separated from China’s normal society and definitely lived within their own set of rules - such as men and women taking lovers or axia’s with a long-term axia given the term a ‘walking marriage’ or sese instead of a legally bound marriage. The men lived with the women in their family their entire lives for the most part, and did not live with their axia’s - even if they had children. The men would help with nieces and nephews in their home but one often not have a huge role in their actual children’s lives because all children belonged to the females. And while this sounds harsh, it’s actually not.
“Understanding that the wellspring of new life resides in women, this society believes in the sanctity of women as representing life and light.”
I loved Choo Wai-Hong’s account of her time spent in the village from the way she became godmother to the entire Mosuo tribe to how she was able to experience their festivals, births and deaths as well as witness how the developed world and modern-day society slowly began to creep in and change the traditional way of life even in the six years she herself spent with them.
"I could at last settle in to what would become the spiritual home for my feminine soul”
The comparisons Choo Wai-Hong was able to give to how the Mosuo customs and traditions differerd between them and Chinese society - were women are looked down upon and not treated the same as men - was really interesting from an outsiide perspective and I liked that as an Asian woman, she could really spell out the differences and wonders that were the Mosuo people.
“In this female-dominated bubble, no one thinks it strange that I am a lone female who goes about happily on my own.”
I did feel sad at the end that things were changing, and I wished that hadn’t been the last chapter as it seemed like a downer to end on. I would have also loved to have seen commentary of sexual assault and if the Mosuo way of life, and their ideas about lovemaking, made it so very little assaults happened. That is just something I wondered about, with the way the community was with each other. I also would have loved to have know about the Mosuo people treated women who might not want children as it is definitely a norm that all women have children. It seemed for the most part a happy, peaceful place and one I would love to experience.
“I feel cocooned within a cosmos that allows and encourages me as a woman to be me without asking for more.”
The Kingdom of Women is a non-fiction book about author Choo Wai-Hong’s life living with the Moseo people in a mountainous region of China. Originially from Singapore, Choo Wai-Hong came across the Mosuo people when she was travelling and learned about their matrilineal society - meaning the unlike the rest of China, and a majority of the world, bloodlines are tracked through the female line rather than the man’s, and the eldest woman in a household is the head of the family.
“A Mosuo girl is born free from cultural and societal restrictions to party, laugh, lead, toil and love. She has no need to fight for empowerment because she is empowered from birth. She comes from a long line of empowered mothers, grandmothers and beyond, all revered as vital members of the community, headed at the pinnacle by their Mountain Goddess. In a way, she is so used to the idea of an empowered existence that she accepts it all ‘as is’,"
This was a fantastic and easy to read tale of one woman’s encounter with a different type of people. They were very separated from China’s normal society and definitely lived within their own set of rules - such as men and women taking lovers or axia’s with a long-term axia given the term a ‘walking marriage’ or sese instead of a legally bound marriage. The men lived with the women in their family their entire lives for the most part, and did not live with their axia’s - even if they had children. The men would help with nieces and nephews in their home but one often not have a huge role in their actual children’s lives because all children belonged to the females. And while this sounds harsh, it’s actually not.
“Understanding that the wellspring of new life resides in women, this society believes in the sanctity of women as representing life and light.”
I loved Choo Wai-Hong’s account of her time spent in the village from the way she became godmother to the entire Mosuo tribe to how she was able to experience their festivals, births and deaths as well as witness how the developed world and modern-day society slowly began to creep in and change the traditional way of life even in the six years she herself spent with them.
"I could at last settle in to what would become the spiritual home for my feminine soul”
The comparisons Choo Wai-Hong was able to give to how the Mosuo customs and traditions differerd between them and Chinese society - were women are looked down upon and not treated the same as men - was really interesting from an outsiide perspective and I liked that as an Asian woman, she could really spell out the differences and wonders that were the Mosuo people.
“In this female-dominated bubble, no one thinks it strange that I am a lone female who goes about happily on my own.”
I did feel sad at the end that things were changing, and I wished that hadn’t been the last chapter as it seemed like a downer to end on. I would have also loved to have seen commentary of sexual assault and if the Mosuo way of life, and their ideas about lovemaking, made it so very little assaults happened. That is just something I wondered about, with the way the community was with each other. I also would have loved to have know about the Mosuo people treated women who might not want children as it is definitely a norm that all women have children. It seemed for the most part a happy, peaceful place and one I would love to experience.
“I feel cocooned within a cosmos that allows and encourages me as a woman to be me without asking for more.”
Linger carries on from Shiver, in which now Grace and Sam can now finally start thinking about a plausible future together. But Sam has more problems with new wolf Cole shifting in early Spring and bringing a whole load of his own issues in the mix. Isabel is dealing with the loss of her brother and may find companionship in equally broke Cole and Grace is finding herself dealing with new health issues. Summer is around the corner but will they make it?
I enjoyed this one a lot more than I remember doing so last time. As always, Grace and Sam just sucked me in with the depth and absolute adorableness of their relationship and I forgot how much I loved the inclusion of Cole and his own brokenness and how much repairing he needs to do, with the help of equally fragile Isabel. Linger is dealing with a load of new issues but I think it's more powerful in Shiver in showing just how complex all the characters are. Everyone is dealing with specific things of their own - Sam is figuring out what he wants for a future he never thought he'd have, Grace is realising she might not have one at all, Cole is running away from himself and his past and Isabel is dealing with the guilt of killing Jack. As for Olivia, she's all wolfy and Rachel is being Rachel.
This is very much a middle book, it mostly paves the way for what's to come in Forever. We see the start of Tom Culpepper's gun-happy hands, there's more tragedy than normal with the death of Victor and now we have the added worry of Grace on top of it all. But I do think for a 'middle' book, it's a strong one. It kept me intrigued and I just wanted to turn each page. I got lost in each character's struggle and I definitely wanted to strange Grace's parents for the entirety of the book.
I enjoyed this one a lot more than I remember doing so last time. As always, Grace and Sam just sucked me in with the depth and absolute adorableness of their relationship and I forgot how much I loved the inclusion of Cole and his own brokenness and how much repairing he needs to do, with the help of equally fragile Isabel. Linger is dealing with a load of new issues but I think it's more powerful in Shiver in showing just how complex all the characters are. Everyone is dealing with specific things of their own - Sam is figuring out what he wants for a future he never thought he'd have, Grace is realising she might not have one at all, Cole is running away from himself and his past and Isabel is dealing with the guilt of killing Jack. As for Olivia, she's all wolfy and Rachel is being Rachel.
This is very much a middle book, it mostly paves the way for what's to come in Forever. We see the start of Tom Culpepper's gun-happy hands, there's more tragedy than normal with the death of Victor and now we have the added worry of Grace on top of it all. But I do think for a 'middle' book, it's a strong one. It kept me intrigued and I just wanted to turn each page. I got lost in each character's struggle and I definitely wanted to strange Grace's parents for the entirety of the book.
I received a free Kindle copy of this book from the publishers in exchange for an honest review.
Strange Medicine is a collection of short stories that are all a little bit odd and whimsical in nature. From mimes, men who are really birds to doctors with no brains, this book is just a wide range of creepy, fantastical and WTF moments but I really enjoyed it! At first, I felt a bit discombobulated as I'm not used to short story collections but most of these were the perfect length and gave me exactly what I wanted from them. Even though I didn't have a whole load of time with the characters, I did feel myself connecting to them such as the mime, the doctor and Shish.
I think this would suit fans of Neil Gaiman - it's not quite as fantastical but it's the same brand of weird and wonderful. My favourite stories were Mime, Brain and Shish.
Strange Medicine is a collection of short stories that are all a little bit odd and whimsical in nature. From mimes, men who are really birds to doctors with no brains, this book is just a wide range of creepy, fantastical and WTF moments but I really enjoyed it! At first, I felt a bit discombobulated as I'm not used to short story collections but most of these were the perfect length and gave me exactly what I wanted from them. Even though I didn't have a whole load of time with the characters, I did feel myself connecting to them such as the mime, the doctor and Shish.
I think this would suit fans of Neil Gaiman - it's not quite as fantastical but it's the same brand of weird and wonderful. My favourite stories were Mime, Brain and Shish.
I received a copy of this book from the author/publishers in exchange for an honest review.
In this book Ceda, our protagonist, is continuing her mission to undercover ways of killing the corrupt, powerful and seemingly immortal 12 Kings of Sharkahai. She continues her journey training with the Blood Maidens, while getting closer to the kings and figuring out their weakness.
I enjoyed this book just as much, if not more, as the first in the trilogy. I was able to jump straight back into the world and I was able to follow along with the plot and all the characters as if I'd just finished the first book the day before. The book was powerful and action-packed and i really loved Ceda's journey, with both her mission and her renewed training with Zaide and the maidens. I thought the introduction of Ceda's struggles with the asirim, and her stronger connection with them. I also immensely enjoyed Ramadh's POV in this book and his struggles with Hamzakiir. I thought the introduction of real blood mage spellwork, with both him and Davud. I look forward to seeing more of Davud's progress as a blood mage and I hope he becomes a bigger character in terms of fight scenes in the next book.
As for Emre, I still have no time for him, and I hate his relationship with Ceda (or more so, how she seems to care more for him and his safety than he is for hers.)
I really enjoyed Ceda's relationship with her Blade Maiden leader, and some of the progress that occurred there.The deepening relationship was intriguing to follow and I was surprised, but delighted, when it turned into a sexual tryst as I hadn't expected it but it felt right. Up until that point, all of Ceda's lovers had been male so I presumed she was straight but I loved that she didn't question what was happening in terms of it being with a female but just enjoyed the intimate companionship of another person.
The ending was absolutely thrilling, I was on the edge of my seat reading it (which equals to on the train and almost missed my spot). I can't wait to see what happens next.
In this book Ceda, our protagonist, is continuing her mission to undercover ways of killing the corrupt, powerful and seemingly immortal 12 Kings of Sharkahai. She continues her journey training with the Blood Maidens, while getting closer to the kings and figuring out their weakness.
I enjoyed this book just as much, if not more, as the first in the trilogy. I was able to jump straight back into the world and I was able to follow along with the plot and all the characters as if I'd just finished the first book the day before. The book was powerful and action-packed and i really loved Ceda's journey, with both her mission and her renewed training with Zaide and the maidens. I thought the introduction of Ceda's struggles with the asirim, and her stronger connection with them. I also immensely enjoyed Ramadh's POV in this book and his struggles with Hamzakiir. I thought the introduction of real blood mage spellwork, with both him and Davud. I look forward to seeing more of Davud's progress as a blood mage and I hope he becomes a bigger character in terms of fight scenes in the next book.
As for Emre, I still have no time for him, and I hate his relationship with Ceda (or more so, how she seems to care more for him and his safety than he is for hers.)
I really enjoyed Ceda's relationship with her Blade Maiden leader, and some of the progress that occurred there.
The ending was absolutely thrilling, I was on the edge of my seat reading it (which equals to on the train and almost missed my spot). I can't wait to see what happens next.
