Author: Jen

“The Memory Police” Review

Posted on by Jen

“The Memory Police” by Yōko Ogawa with Stephen Snyder (Translator)

On an unnamed island off an unnamed coast, objects are disappearing: first hats, then ribbons, birds, roses—until things become much more serious. Most of the island’s inhabitants are oblivious to these changes, while those few imbued with the power to recall the lost objects live in fear of the draconian Memory Police, who are committed to ensuring that what has disappeared remains forgotten.

When a young woman who is struggling to maintain her career as a novelist discovers that her editor is in danger from the Memory Police, she concocts a plan to hide him beneath her floorboards. As fear and loss close in around them, they cling to her writing as the last way of preserving the past.

A surreal, provocative fable about the power of memory and the trauma of loss, The Memory Police is a stunning new work from one of the most exciting contemporary authors writing in any language.

Review

This was an interesting read. It’s a bit weird but I enjoyed the characters and the plot for what it was. We never learn why things are disappearing and who is in control of the island. It’s not really even clear if the Memory Police know everything either or are just going along with what’s happening because they think they’re supposed to. Which could also be a metaphor for people “just following orders” and the dangers of that. The ending is really dark but also with the potential of change depending on what happens next? We’ll never know for sure but the ideas are there.

Warnings and additional reviews are available on the StoryGraph page for “The Memory Police”.

Book Details

The cover is a black and white photo of a Japanese woman facing the camera. Sections of the picture have been drawn in red ink with a white background - her left and right shoulders, left side of her jaw and the top left of hear head. Over her right eye is a round logo in gold that contains the book title and author's name.

Author’s Website
Yōko Ogawa
Publisher / Date
Vintage, August 2019 (originally published in 1994 in Japan)
Genre
Historical Fiction, Mystery
Page Count
288
Completion Date
July 27, 2024

“The Gatekeeper’s Staff” Review

Posted on by Jen

“The Gatekeeper’s Staff” (TJ Young & The Orishas No. 1) by Antoine Bandele

Fourteen-year-old TJ grew up normal in a secret community of gifted diviners in the heart of modern-day Los Angeles. His powerful sister was ordained to lead his people into a new age of prosperity, but her mysterious death in Nigeria threatens to destroy the very foundations of TJ’s world.

Desperate to pick up where his sister left off and uncover the secrets behind her questionable death, TJ commits himself to unlocking the magical heritage that has always eluded him. So he enrolls in Camp Olosa—a remedial magic school for the divinely less-than-gifted in the humid swamps of New Orleans.

But little does he know, TJ is destined to cross paths with powerful spirits of old thought lost to time: the Orishas.

Review

I really enjoyed this book. I really liked the way the family dynamics and the world building for the magic of this series. My only question was that it ends up TJ’s father also isn’t magical but there isn’t really a suggestion that that could be the reason TJ isn’t? Not sure if I missed something or that could have been clarified somewhere along the line. I liked the way TJ’s friendships developed at the camp and how things worked out. I did have one small issue with how one character was treated however it mostly works out in the end. In any case I thought it was a good start to the series and I’m looking forward to reading the next book.

Warnings and additional reviews are available on the StoryGraph page for “The Gatekeeper’s Staff”.

Book Details

A dark skinned teenager is floating in the ocean surrounded by sharks and eels holding a glowing staff. He's wearing a reddish hoody and jeans and there are chines on either side of him. The Title of the books is across the bottom half of the cover with the authors name at the top.

Author’s Website
Antoine Bandele
Publisher / Date
Bandele Books, June 2021
Genre
Fantasy, Young Adult
Page Count
461
Completion Date
July 25, 2024

“The Spirit Bares Its Teeth” Review

Posted on by Jen

“The Spirit Bares Its Teeth” by Andrew Joseph White

London, 1883. The Veil between the living and dead has thinned. Violet-eyed mediums commune with spirits under the watchful eye of the Royal Speaker Society, and sixteen-year-old Silas Bell would rather rip out his violet eyes than become an obedient Speaker wife. According to Mother, he’ll be married by the end of the year. It doesn’t matter that he’s needed a decade of tutors to hide his autism; that he practices surgery on slaughtered pigs; that he is a boy, not the girl the world insists on seeing.

After a failed attempt to escape an arranged marriage, Silas is diagnosed with Veil sickness—a mysterious disease sending violet-eyed women into madness—and shipped away to Braxton’s Sanitorium and Finishing School. The facility is cold, the instructors merciless, and the students either bloom into eligible wives or disappear. So when the ghosts of missing students start begging Silas for help, he decides to reach into Braxton’s innards and expose its rotten guts to the world—as long as the school doesn’t break him first.

Review

This was such a good book with a lot of great characters besides Silas. While it doesn’t have quite as much gore as the other’s other book, there is some, all with a medical focus this time. I really enjoyed how Silas struggles to work everything out while dealing with everything else going on for him. The plot is very dark and disturbing but I really like how everything plays out. Certain things were not a surprise while others completely were and I really enjoyed it all. And I was really glad a particular plot point was resolved the way it did. The ending is a bit open ended but I think it makes sense given the storyline.

Be sure to take note of the authors warnings at the beginning of the book. Also be sure to read the authors end notes because while this story is fantasy the ugly truth is people always been sent a way because they were deemed unfit by society and many have been experimented on throughout history.

Warnings and additional reviews are available on the StoryGraph page for “The Spirit Bares Its Teeth”.

Book Details

The cover has a young person standing in the middle of it facing forwards but with their head turned to the right. Their skin is very pale white with brown hair and they are wearing a purple dress and holding a broken shard of glass that is also purple. Behind them is a sky in purple with white clouds. They're framed in an oval shaped image with other images of violet eyes all around the cover. The authors name is at the top and the title is at the bottom on a ribbon that is wrapped around the picture frame.

Author’s Website
Andrew Joseph White
Publisher / Date
Peachtree Publishing Company, September 2023
Genre
Historical Fiction, Horror, Young Adult
Page Count
381
Completion Date
July 21, 2024

“Blood at the Root” Review

Posted on by Jen

“Blood at the Root” by LaDarrion Williams

Ten years ago, Malik’s life changed forever the night his mother mysteriously vanished and he discovered he had uncontrollable powers. Since then, he has kept his abilities hidden, looking out for himself and his younger foster brother, Taye. Now, at 17, Malik is finally ready to start a new life for both of them, far from the trauma of his past. However, a daring act to rescue Taye reveals an unexpected connection with his long-lost grandmother: a legendary conjurer with ties to a hidden magical university that Malik’s mother attended.

At Caiman University, Malik’s eyes are opened to a future he never could have envisioned for himself— one that includes the reappearance of his first love, Alexis. His search for answers about his heritage, his powers, and what really happened to his mother exposes the cracks in their magical community as it faces a reawakened evil dating back to the Haitian Revolution. Together with Alexis, Malik discovers a lot beneath the surface at Caiman: feuding covens and magical politics, forbidden knowledge and buried mysteries.

In a wholly unique saga of family, history and community, Malik must embrace his legacy to save what’s left of his old family as well as his new one. Exploring the roots and secrets that connect us in an unforgettable contemporary setting, this heart-pounding fantasy series opener is a rich tapestry of atmosphere, intrigue, and emotion.

Review

I really enjoyed this book! The characters are all great and there are a lot of interesting things going on. I liked the way Malik tried to look out for his brother while still dealing with going to the university and figuring out what happened with his mom. I liked the way history was described and how Malik was able to learn a lot of things through dreams and visions thanks to magic. There were some confusing parts and I felt like some things could have been explained better, such as how the magic works and what kind of things people can do. Everything felt a little random regarding the magic. There’s definitely a mix of different cultures being used in the book and I’m not sure how well the author does it with (this is something to check other reviews for). I also wasn’t sure if some other issues I did notice were related to the writing or Malik being a teenager with teenage reactions to things. I do think some things could have been improved with a bit more editing and thoughts about how things could be perceived. As to the language and AAVE use I’ve seen some reviews (all from Black people) that say “no one talks like this” and others saying “yes they do” and it probably comes down to where people live and the ages of the people talking. All that said I did enjoy the book and I’m looking forward to where the story goes next.

Warnings and additional reviews are available on the StoryGraph page for “Blood at the Root”.

Book Details

A young Black teen is standing in front of a tree with many branches and hangling leaves at night. THere's a white light shining behind the tree and everything looks blue. The teen is wearing a black hoody or robe standing in front of line of lit candles with blue light with a book an open book in between them and his hands out over the candle flames which are also blue. The title of the book is over the teen's chest.

Author’s Website
LaDarrion Williams
Publisher / Date
Labyrinth Road, May 2024
Genre
Fantasy, Young Adult
Page Count
432
Completion Date
July 20, 2024

“The Map of Salt and Stars” Review

Posted on by Jen

“The Map of Salt and Stars” by Zeyn Joukhadar

It is the summer of 2011, and Nour has just lost her father to cancer. Her mother, a cartographer who creates unusual, hand-painted maps, decides to move Nour and her sisters from New York City back to Syria to be closer to their family. But the country Nour’s mother once knew is changing, and it isn’t long before protests and shelling threaten their quiet Homs neighborhood. When a shell destroys Nour’s house and almost takes her life, she and her family are forced to choose: stay and risk more violence or flee as refugees across seven countries of the Middle East and North Africa in search of safety. As their journey becomes more and more challenging, Nour’s idea of home becomes a dream she struggles to remember and a hope she cannot live without.

More than eight hundred years earlier, Rawiya, sixteen and a widow’s daughter, knows she must do something to help her impoverished mother. Restless and longing to see the world, she leaves home to seek her fortune. Disguising herself as a boy named Rami, she becomes an apprentice to al-Idrisi, who has been commissioned by King Roger II of Sicily to create a map of the world. In his employ, Rawiya embarks on an epic journey across the Middle East and the north of Africa where she encounters ferocious mythical beasts, epic battles, and real historical figures.

Review

This was such a great book. Zeyn Joukhadar has such a lyrical way with words that fill his stories with a lot of details and descriptions that make for a fun read. I went in expecting alternating chapters but I should have realized that since Nour starts out telling the story of Rawiya it made more sense that each chapter after the first couple would start with a second from Rawiya and then continue on with Nour’s travels. I really enjoyed reading about all of the characters as they made their way across the lands. A lot of things happen along the way and I don’t want to spoil anything but I was happy with how everything ends up for both Nour and Rawiya. Be sure to read the notes chapter at the end for some interesting details as well.

Warnings and additional reviews are available on the StoryGraph page for “The Map of Salt and Stars”.

Book Details

A person stands in the desert looking up at the night sky which is full of stars. The author's name is at the top of cover with the title of the book underneath. The top and sides of the cover are beige with geometric shapes in various shades of blue all along the cover.

Author’s Website
Zeyn Joukhadar
Publisher / Date
Atria Books, May 2018
Genre
General Fiction
Page Count
368
Completion Date
July 11, 2024

“The Exiled Fleet” Review

Posted on by Jen

“The Exiled Fleet” (The Divide No. 2) by J. S. Dewes

The Sentinels narrowly escaped the collapsing edge of the Divide. They have mustered a few other surviving Sentinels, but with no engines they have no way to leave the edge of the universe before they starve. Adequin Rake has gathered a team to find the materials they’ll need to get everyone out. To do that they’re going to need new allies and evade a ruthless enemy. Some of them will not survive.

Review

This was such a fun read – I really love all the characters. A lot more did get explained in this book than the previous one but some of the terms being used are confusing and could do with more of an explanation. A cheat sheet of terms would be helpful at the end of the book to explain the differen types of soldiers as they’re referred to a few different ways. There are a few different groups that seem to be controlled by both humans and the aliens? I’m honestly not sure? Regardless it’s a good book and I’m looking forward to reading the final book when it comes out.

Warnings and additional reviews are available on the StoryGraph page for “The Exiled Fleet”.

Book Details

The cover is black with stars and a spaceship at the center of the cover. The ship is in the process of being destroyed with an orange light cutting cross the middle of it horizontally. Above the light the ship is nothing but a cloud of debris. On the bottom is the rest of the ship still whole. The top half of the cover is take up by the title which is over the cloud of debris. At the bottom, below the ship, are the words "while they stood guard humanity turned its back" and below that is the author's name.

Author’s Website
J. S. Dewes
Publisher / Date
Tor Books, August 2021
Genre
Science Fiction
Page Count
420
Completion Date
July 3, 2024