yourbookishbff's Reviews (650)

Even more enjoyable on a reread, and I'm again in awe of how Sherry structures this narrative and challenges every one of our expectations and assumptions. Come for the murder mystery, stay for the romantic tension and pining.

Someone tell Herman Melville that a woman did it better and in far fewer pages.

This was such a fun series start and a delight on audio (narrator: Angele Masters). I've always assumed the Veronica Speedwell series would feel tonally similar to Lady Sherlock, and I'm so happy to be incorrect, because these series feel so distinctly different that I now won't hesitate to dive into this one (I'll admit Lady Sherlock occupies an exclusive corner of my heart). Told in first-person by our female main character, Veronica, this is lighthearted, witty and adventurous. The twists in this one are predictable but still fun, and I'm excited to continue the series!

This was a stunning follow-up to The Space Between Worlds, and in many ways, functions as theoretical counterpoint to that narrative. Where TSBW tells us the story of a hero, Those Beyond the Wall tells us the story of an anti-hero. Where TSBW shows us evil being held accountable, Those Beyond the Wall shows us the extent to which evil will avoid accountability. Where TSBW focuses on change from within, Those Beyond the Wall focuses on revolution from without. Micaiah Johnson is explicit in her inspiration for this book, telling readers in the dedication that this book was born out of her experience as part of the 62-day sit-in at The People's Plaza in Nashville, and you feel it on every page. This is the book you write about revolution when your peaceful resistance was met with state-sanctioned violence.

Most interesting is the return of Cara from TSBW as an on-page foil to our main character and narrator in Those Beyond the Wall, Mr. Scales. As Scales and Cara circle each other on page, you can see warring philosophies played out, and as readers, we are challenged with uncomfortable questions: can abusive people be redeemed in their lifetimes, does violence ever engender peace, can apartheid states ever achieve equity without retribution? This is a violent narrative, dark and unforgiving and at times incredibly bleak, but Johnson has this unparalleled ability to weave into even the darkest moments glimmers of human connection and community. She credits this, too, to her experience in resistance movements, and you can feel its authenticity.

Foundational to Johnson's beyond-the-wall community is The House. We were introduced to The House and its sex workers in TSBW, but we see so much more of its rehabilitative work in this installment, and Johnson's portrayal of healing - physical, sexual, emotional, communal - is remarkably nuanced. We also have a broader discussion of gender identity and gender fluidity in this installment that speaks to the battles we've seen play out over trans rights in the years since TSBW was published.

This duo should, ideally, be read in order, because the two books are speaking to each other in a way that evidences Johnson's own political experiences and the years in which they were written. That said, she does an excellent job rebuilding the world in a way that I think even a new reader would be able to connect to the world-building and character arcs in  Those Beyond the Wall as an entry point.

This book is an example of sci fi at its most relevant and its most insightful. As Johnson notes in her author's note at the book's start:
 
"Science fiction is fueled by dreams of a different, but possible, future. The same is true for Rage. While bitterness is an isolator, a repellent to community, Rage is a beacon calling out to others. It is as much a communal invitation as any bonfire.
 
Come join me, Rage says, at this spark that is lit by the distance between what the world is, and what we could make it."

Thank you to Netgalley and Del Rey for an advanced reader's copy.

After reading Bound By Your Touch, I was curious how Mina Masters, our Rochester's-wife-in-the-attic-style-mystery could ever be developed into a three-dimensional female main character. I shouldn't have doubted! The first half of this story leans into Duran's signature dark comedy - Mina's internal monologue is pure gold - and the second half gets emotional and messy and vulnerable and I loved it. These two main characters are morally gray. Both are willing to choose violence and betrayal when it serves to protect themselves and their loved ones, and both are facing down traumatic and abusive pasts. They are well-matched, willing and able to see the other's fears and insecurities, and unafraid of the other's secrets. The intimacy is particularly well done here, and I loved how their first extended experience authentically explores the intersection of emotional and sexual vulnerability for Mina. 

Significant content warnings here, as always, and there are moments between main characters that may simply be too dark for some readers (one character is a professional spy and one is an opportunistic spy, and they are, at times, pitted against each other). 

Classic #DuranDuress in this one!

I wanted to read this as a final note in the Le Veq series (which I've LOVED) but the timelines and how they overlap with earlier books just doesn't make sense to me? And I'm missing my favorite FMC, Zahra, a bit too much, so knowing she won't have any family cameos in this made me lose some steam. Likely a great intro to Women Who Dare but a bit confusing as a continuation of the Le Veq brothers.

I raced through this. We've had so many glimpses of Violet and Sebastian through the first two books in the series, that I thought I might suspect what their story would feel like, and I was entirely wrong. This is a flawlessly executed childhood friends-to-lovers. And, surprisingly, it doesn't depend on flashbacks or dual timelines to build our faith in their bond, and manages to convey the depth and longevity of their friendship while staying entirely in the present. There are so many small details - their private code words, their secret paths between homes, their usual meeting places, their shared habits - that build the universe of their friendship and love for the reader so beautifully that it's hard to remember who else exists in their universe.

At the heart of their love story, though, is really bad timing and heaps of trauma. Violet's slow unburdening through the first half is painful to witness; this woman who has always been forthright and confident and independent in her previous cameos is so much more than we could have imagined. I was so surprised by how well the story's inverted structure worked, and while I don't want to spoil anything, readers who prefer external conflicts for the main couple will love how deeply respectful, sincere and communicative Violet and Sebastian are with one another from page one. This is a tender and redemptive love story that affords both characters second chances at life and individual happiness. I loved it.

I loved this. A blend of magical realism and cowboy Western, but recast to actually examine and expose the glorification of violence (and particularly colonial violence) in the genre. James explores the legacies of violence among colonizing people, and through an Old-Testament-retribution storyline, questions if redemption is possible and what responsibility future generations have. I loved how easily the story moved between our two historical timelines (the late 1800s and the mid 1960s) and how our grim reaper shadows the story literally and metaphorically. I loved the use of an actual narrating storyteller within the 1960s timeline, as it creates a fascinating contrast between the actual depiction of history and the main character's attempt to romanticize it for his own absolution. At times, it felt like James was speaking to us directly through this storyteller, as the 1800s storyline is largely inspired by her own ancestor, and you can see how she is using this narrative to question her own inheritance.

This is routinely billed as Cormac McCarthy meets Gabriel García Márquez, and my one quibble with this is that the author's perspective is so radically different than these authors, and the characterization of the leading men in this story underscore her efforts to avoid romanticization or glorification of patriarchal traditions and colonial violence. These men are pathetic, greedy, indecisive, immature, and, eventually (finally) reflective and seeking. It's not just a story of fate, adventure and family curses, it's a dismantling of the cowboy.

While I really appreciated the concept for this narrative - a loosely connected, multi-POV weaving of slice-of-life vignettes for Palestinians living in diaspora in Baltimore, Maryland - it ultimately felt like it never exceeded the sum of its parts. I'm actually confused after reading an interview with the author that suggests the Marcus POV was her starting point. Marcus's POV didn't feel nearly as compelling as several of the others, and it romanticized policing in a way that didn't make sense for the rest of the narrative and feels tonally confusing. The prose is compelling, and I love the focus on stand-alone scenes (there are several short stories in here that were truly beautiful). The author absolutely shows more than she tells here, and it made this feel fast-paced and immersive. Marcus's police POVs were jarring, though, and I'm not sure I fully understand the author's intention with this character and perspective. 

This is a promising debut - deeply character-driven, with multiple rotating POVs and an intricately-built pan-Asian/post-apocalyptic/semi-drowned world. I loved how many sea creatures exist among the Fathomfolk - kelpies, sea dragons, sirens, mermaids, and more - and how Chan is blending mythological inspiration and fairy tales (East Asian dragon lore meets The Little Mermaid makes for a great premise). 
I'm still grappling with a few of our characters, though, and their roles as the series progresses. Mira, in particular, half-folk and a border agent for the city, attempting to affect change from within, has me unsure of Chan's intention for the story and thoughts on resistance to violent systems. I'm interested to see where the series goes from here, as I really enjoyed the expansion of the world at the end, the potential directions the sequel can take, and the many possibilities that lie ahead for all of our characters. I am grateful to have multiple POVs, and probably enjoyed our sea witch's story the most. These are all flawed characters, grappling with their own insecurities and ambition as they question their loyalties to each other, and fantasy readers who particularly enjoy character work will appreciate this series start. 
Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit for an advanced reader's copy!