Made of Stardust and Stubbornness – a blog of book reviews and the occasional essay on disability

“The Final Strife” Review

Posted on March 31, 2025 by Jen

“The Final Strife (The Ending Fire Trilogy No. 1)” by Saara El-Arifi

The Empire rules by blood

Red is the blood of the elite, of magic, of control.

Blue is the blood of the poor, of workers, of the resistance.

Clear is the blood of the servants, of the crushed, of the invisible.

The Aktibar – a set of trials held every ten years to find the next Ember rulers of the Empire – is about to begin.

All can join but not just anyone can win; it requires great skill and ingenuity to become the future wardens of Strength, Knowledge, Truth and Duty.

Sylah was destined to win the trials and be crowned Warden of Strength. Stolen by blue-blooded rebels she was raised with a Duster’s heart; forged as a weapon to bring down from within the red-blooded Embers’ regime of cruelty. But when her adopted family were brutally murdered those dreams of a better future turned to dust.

However, the flame of hope may yet be rekindled because Sylah wasn’t made to sparkle, she was born to burn.

Review

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were really interesting and I enjoyed getting to know them. The word building was great – I really liked how everything started to come together as the story progressed and the characters learned more. There were a lot of twists and turns in this book and not everything was as it seemed. I liked the way the different relationships grew and developed during the course of the book. Though it doesn’t end on a cliffhanger it does set up the threads of the next book, which I’m looking forward to reading soon.

Warnings and additional reviews are available on the StoryGraph page for “The Final Strife”.

Book Details

Author’s Website: Saara El-Arifi
Publisher / Date: HarperVoyager, June 2022
Genre: Fantasy
Page Count: 478 pages
Completion Date: March 30, 2025

“The Tensorate Series” Review

Posted on March 27, 2025March 27, 2025 by Jen

“The Tensorate Series” by Neon Yang

Across four novellas, Neon Yang established themself as a fantasist in bold defiance of the limitations of their genre. Available now in a single volume, these four novellas trace the generational decline of an empire and unfurl a world that is rich and strange beyond anything you’ve dreamed.

In the Tensorate Series you will find: rebellious nonbinary scions of empire, sky-spanning nagas with experimental souls, revolutionary engineers bent on bringing power to the people, pugilist monks, packs of loyal raptors, and much, much more.

The Tensorate Series omnibus contains The Black Tides of Heaven, The Red Threads of Fortune, The Descent of Monsters, and To Ascend to Godhood

Review

This was such an interesting series! The format of the third and fourth novellas are very different from the first two but I enjoyed reading all of them. I loved learning about the world and the characters. There were a few times I wished things had been explained a bit more, but it didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment of the series. If the author were to ever write more in this world I would definitly read it.

1) The Black Tides of Heaven: Mokoya and Akeha, the twin children of the Protector, who rules the empire are introduced. They were sold to the Grand Monastery as infants as payment for a debt. As they grow to adulthood Mokoya develops visions of the future while Akeha grows more discontent with their situation. Soon after reaching adulthood Akeha leaves to find their own destiny.

I really liked the way this one played out as the children grow up and explore their world. The relationship between the twins is great. Given how things played out I thought it made sense for Akeha to need to leave to figure things out. While the ending did feel a little abrupt it did make sense for the story being told and resolved a lot of what Akeha had been looking for.

2) The Red Threads of Fortune : Set a few years after the events of the previous story, Mokoya’s daughter was killed in an accident causing her to leave her old life behind. Currently Mokoya to hunts deadly creatures in the outer reaches of the kingdom. During one such hunt she meets Rider, but all is not as it seems.

I enjoyed reading this story – I thought a lot of things made sense with the way Mokoya was acting even though her actions weren’t always great. In this story we do learn a bit more about how the “magic” of the world works as well as Mokoya’s prophecies which I enjoyed. Again I liked the relationships between all the characters. The ending felt a bit more resolved in this one at least as far Mokoya’s story. The overall issues of the world are still there in the background but were never really the main point which is fine.

3) The Descent of Monsters: Set sometime after the second novella this one is told entirely in the form of letters between people investigating something terrible that has happened at an institute for experimental methods, and the journal entries of one of the investigators. There is a subplot involving Rider (from the previous book) and their own missing twin.

This one was interesting. The format isn’t usually my cup of tea but I ended up liking it a lot because it all flowed really well. The focus is on the main investigator for the case but he end ups meeting up with the rest of the characters from the previous plots. Still all told in journal entries we find out what happened and how the case was solved. Some might feel the ending doesn’t answer a few questions but I thought it gave enough hints to suggest where things were going.

4) To Ascend to Godhood: Set sometime farther into the future when the Protector has died. Lady Han tells her story of how she met the Protector while at a tavern in the aftermath. There are bits before and after the prequel story that give some hints at what has gone on, and what will happen next.

I thought this was an interesting way to finish up the series – and as an individual story I really did enjoy learning about Lady Han’s history with the Protector. It’s the shortest novella in the collection and while it’s a rambling story about the past, it fits in with the rest of the novellas as part of the larger world.

Warnings and additional reviews are available on the StoryGraph page for “The Tensorate Series”

Book Details

The book cover has many different patterns and designs on the cover set against a black background with red hues at the top right. There plants at the at the bottom spaced around the curls of a dragons tail and water spouts around the tail and balls of fire. There are yellow symbols that have dragons drawn inside them. The title is written across the top with the authors name above the title.

Author’s Website: Neon Yang
Publisher / Date: Tor.com, September 2021; The individual novellas were originally published from 2017 to 2019
Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy
Page Count: 480 (across 4 novellas give or take a few pages)
Completion Date: March 26, 2025

“Never Say You Can’t Survive” Review

Posted on March 22, 2025March 26, 2025 by Jen

“Never Say You Can’t Survive: How to Get Through Hard Times by Making Up Stories” by Charlie Jane Anders

The world is on fire.

So tell your story.

Things are scary right now. We’re all being swept along by a tidal wave of history, and it’s easy to feel helpless. But we’re not helpless: we have minds, and imaginations, and the ability to visualize other worlds and valiant struggles. And writing can be an act of resistance that reminds us that other futures and other ways of living are possible.

Full of memoir, personal anecdote, and insight about how to flourish during the present emergency, Never Say You Can’t Survive is the perfect manual for creativity in unprecedented times.

Review

I really enjoyed reading this. There was a lot of great writing advice in this book, with a lot of details and explanations. I also liked that the author included her own experiences in the book to help explain things. It’s not quite a memoir, but it’s also more than simply a guidebook on how to write good stories. The author also did a good job talking about why it can be important to write stories during hard times, as stories can get us through those times. While I’m not a fiction writer (yet), I did enjoy reading all of the advice, and I think it will be helpful in figuring out what I do want to work on writing.

Book Details

The book cover has the background of a black brick wall with the title of the book written in transparent hot pink text down the left side of the cover one word at a time. The subtitle and authors name are in the center right of the cover in white text.

Author’s Website: Charlie Jane Anders
Publisher / Date: Tor.com, August 2021
Genre: Essay Collection, Guidebook
Page Count: 288
Completion Date: March 22, 2025

“Compound Fracture” Review

Posted on March 22, 2025March 27, 2025 by Jen

“Compound Fracture” by Andrew Joseph White

On the night Miles Abernathy—sixteen-year-old socialist and proud West Virginian—comes out as trans to his parents, he sneaks off to a party, carrying evidence that may finally turn the tide of the blood feud plaguing Twist Creek: Photos that prove the county’s Sheriff Davies was responsible for the so-called “accident” that injured his dad, killed others, and crushed their grassroots efforts to unseat him.

The feud began a hundred years ago when Miles’s great-great-grandfather, Saint Abernathy, incited a miners’ rebellion that ended with a public execution at the hands of law enforcement. Now, Miles becomes the feud’s latest victim as the sheriff’s son and his friends sniff out the evidence, follow him through the woods, and beat him nearly to death.

In the hospital, the ghost of a soot-covered man hovers over Miles’s bedside while Sheriff Davies threatens Miles into silence. But when Miles accidentally kills one of the boys who hurt him, he learns of other folks in Twist Creek who want out from under the sheriff’s heel. To free their families from this cycle of cruelty, they’re willing to put everything on the line—is Miles

Review

Another great book by Andrew Joseph White! Since it set in modern times (shortly after President Trump’s first election) without a large fantasy element it’s a little different than his other books. Some of the plot seemed a bit far fetched on how things would go down. However the setting is small town Appalachia so maybe it works more than I think it would. I really enjoyed reading Miles’ story and finding more about what had happened to the family and who the ghost that appears to Miles ends up being. Nothing is ever as simple as it seems. I really liked the way in this story Miles actually had a family that cared about him and other community members who were supportive against the threat of the Sheriff. I really liked the ending of the book as well and the hopefulness of what could come next for the town.

Warnings and additional reviews are available on the StoryGraph page for “Compound Fracture”

Book Details

Author’s Website: Andrew Joseph White
Publisher / Date: Peachtree Teen, September 2024
Genre: Young Adult, Thriller
Page Count: 371
Completion Date: March 21, 2025

“Disposable” Review

Posted on March 16, 2025March 26, 2025 by Jen

“Disposable: America’s Contempt for the Underclass” by Sarah Jones

In the tradition of Matthew Desmond’s Evicted and Andrea Elliot’s Invisible Child, Disposable is a poignant exploration of America’s underclass, left vulnerable by systemic racism and capitalism. Here, Sarah Jones delves into the lives of the essential workers, seniors, and people with disabilities who were disproportionately affected by COVID-19—not due to their age or profession, but because of the systemic inequality and poverty that left them exposed.

The pandemic served as a stark revelation of the true state of America, a country where the dream of prosperity is a distant mirage for millions. Jones argues that the pandemic didn’t create these dynamics, but rather revealed the existing social mobility issues and wealth gap that have long plagued the nation. Behind the staggering death toll are stories of lives lost, injustices suffered, and institutions that failed to protect their people.

Jones brings these stories to the forefront, transforming the abstract concept of the pandemic into a deeply personal and political phenomenon. She argues that America has abandoned a sacrificial underclass of millions but insists that another future is possible. By addressing the pervasive issues of racial justice and public policy, Jones calls for a future where no one is seen as disposable again.

Review

This was a really good look at the various issues around COVID disparities and the vastly different outcomes because of race, disability and/or poverty. I felt like the author did a great job using various peoples’ stories to showcase all the different situations and outcomes. I also liked that the author discussed the issues with congregate settings and how people in those settings were basically doomed by COVID. There was a good focus on all kinds of congregate settings from people with Intellectual Disabilities in group homes, to elderly individuals in nursing homes to individuals in prisons and jails. There was also a good discussion about the way various jobs didn’t allow for any precautions to be taken and people were forced to work while sick or risk being fired because there’s no paid sick time for many.

There’s also the emphasis on how if you don’t have money or status and can’t work you’re not seeing as worthy. The rich and powerful only care about money and staying in power. The way things opened back up quickly just highlighted how much people cared more about the economy than people. I also liked the fact that the author didn’t shy away from saying that COVID is still a major problem and that people are still getting sick and dying from it. We never should have tried to return to normal because normal doesn’t exist anymore.

Book Details

The cover of Disposable has a black and white image of an empty country road with light posts and trees on the side and wires going across. There is an American flag floating in the air upside down and partially folded over under a dark cloudy sky. The title is at the top with the authors name at the bottom.

Author’s Website: Sarah Jones (Blue Sky)
Publisher / Date: Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster, February 2025
Genre: Essay Collection, Disability, COVID
Page Count: 295
Completion Date: March 16, 2025

“The Future Is Disabled” Review

Posted on March 9, 2025March 26, 2025 by Jen

“The Future Is Disabled: Prophecies, Love Notes and Mourning Songs”
by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha

In The Future Is Disabled, Leah Laksmi Piepzna-Samarasinha asks some provocative questions: What if, in the near future, the majority of people will be disabled – and what if that’s not a bad thing? And what if disability justice and disabled wisdom are crucial to creating a future in which it’s possible to survive fascism, climate change, and pandemics and to bring about liberation?

Building on the work of their game-changing book “Care Work: Dreaming Disability Justice”, Piepzna-Samarasinha writes about disability justice at the end of the world, documenting the many ways disabled people kept and are keeping each other – and the rest of the world – alive during Trump, fascism and the COVID-19 pandemic. Other subjects include crip interdependence, care and mutual aid in real life, disabled community building, and disabled art practice as survival and joy.

Written over the course of two years of disabled isolation during the pandemic, this is a book of love letters to other disabled QTBIPOC (and those concerned about disability justice, the care crisis, and surviving the apocalypse); honor songs for kin who are gone; recipes for survival; questions and real talk about care, organizing, disabled families, and kin networks and communities; and wild brown disabled femme joy in the face of death. With passion and power, The Future Is Disabled remembers our dead and insists on our future.

Review

The basic concept of this book is that we’d all be a lot better off if we learned how to care about each other and to take care of each other without getting caught up in our differences. Not that it’s ever easy – there’s a whole chapter on why even people with good intentions in the disability community doing disability justice work can cause harm to each other. But the basic fact remains if we worked together instead of fighting each other we be better off. The book was written during the first Trump presidency and the points made in the book matter even more now during the second.

It also makes the point that we often forget how vastly different our experiences can be. COVID impacted people very differently and while many people were stuck at home bored others were dealing with the deaths of friend and family on a near daily bases. COVID never actually ended and yet everyone wanted to go back to normal. Normal doesn’t exist and often disabled people are the first to learn how to adapt to a new world. Now is the time to learn.

Book Details

The book cover has a bright light at the top left corner which shines white, orange, red, purple to the bottom right where it's a darker blue/black. In the center of the cover is a sundial but the numbers are figures of people with a person standing in the center showing a shadow towards the bottom right corner. The title is positioned at the bottom left corner with the authors name at the top.

Author’s Website: Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha
Publisher / Date: Arsenal Pulp Press, October 2022; Updated 2023 edition includes a new chapter and afterword by the author
Genre: Memoir, Essay Collection, Disability
Page Count: 334
Completion Date: March 9, 2025