Author: Jen

“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

“Children of Anguish and Anarchy” Review

Posted on by Jen

“Children of Anguish and Anarchy” (Legacy of Orïsha No. 3) by Tomi Adeyemi

When Zélie seized the royal palace that fateful night, she thought her battles had come to an end. The monarchy finally fell. The maji rose again. Zélie never expected to find herself locked in a cage and trapped on a foreign ship. Now warriors with iron skulls traffic her and her people across the seas, far from their homeland.

But everything changes when Zélie meets King Baldyr, her true captor and the man who has ravaged entire civilizations to find her. The ruler of the Skulls, Baldyr’s quest to harness Zélie’s strength sends Zélie, Amari, and Tzain searching for allies in foreign lands.

But as Baldyr closes in, catastrophe charges Orïsha’s shores. It will take everything Zélie has to face her final enemy and save her people before the Skulls annihilate them for good.

Review

I really enjoyed this book! I didn’t mind the shift in plot away from Orïsha because it made sense there was more going on beyond the borders. I did feel like some ideas could have been built up a little more but the world building was still interesting. The ending did feel a little abrupt but overall I liked the story it told. It’s been a little too long since I read the previous two books so I’m not sure yet how I feel about it as the conclusion to the trilogy. I’ll have to read all three books again at some point.

Warnings and additional reviews are available on the StoryGraph page for “Children of Anguish and Anarchy”.

Book Details

A young black woman is on the cover looking backwards over her shoulder. She is wearing a silver and gold head covering that covers part of her face. The title is shown at the bottom of the cover and the author's name at the top.

Author’s Website
Tomi Adeyemi
Publisher / Date
Henry Holt Books for Young Readers, June 2024
Genre
Fantasy, Young Adult
Page Count
368
Completion Date
June 29, 2024

“Gideon the Ninth” Review

Posted on by Jen

“Gideon the Ninth” (The Locked Tomb No. 1) by Tamsyn Muir

Brought up by unfriendly, ossifying nuns, ancient retainers, and countless skeletons, Gideon is ready to abandon a life of servitude and an afterlife as a reanimated corpse. She packs up her sword, her shoes, and her dirty magazines, and prepares to launch her daring escape. But her childhood nemesis won’t set her free without a service.

Harrowhark Nonagesimus, Reverend Daughter of the Ninth House and bone witch extraordinaire, has been summoned into action. The Emperor has invited the heirs to each of his loyal Houses to a deadly trial of wits and skill. If Harrowhark succeeds she will be become an immortal, all-powerful servant of the Resurrection, but no necromancer can ascend without their cavalier. Without Gideon’s sword, Harrow will fail, and the Ninth House will die.

Review

I read this for one of my Discord book clubs and it’s ultimately not my cup of tea. I tried to give it a fair chance but the personalities of the main characters and the writing style made it harder to get through than I like. I also ended up needing the Wikipedia for the book series to keep track of all of the characters. All of the characters were referred to by first name, last name, nickname, or sometimes only a description, depending on who was talking and some had similar names, which made it hard to keep track. That said there were some interesting parts, the world building seemed interesting if not fully described, and I did like how the relationship between Gideon and Harrowhark developed despite my frustration with them in the beginning. I don’t believe I’ll continue the series at this time, but you never know.

Warnings and additional reviews are available on the StoryGraph page for “Gideon the Ninth”.

Book Details

Gideon the Ninth book cover showing a person standing holding a sword in one hand wearing all black with red hair and face painted as a skull. They are surrounded by parts of many different skeletons on a black background. The Title of the book is at the bottom with the author's name on top.

Author’s Website
Tamsyn Muir
Publisher / Date
Tor.com, September 2019
Genre
Fantasy, Science Fiction
Page Count
464
Completion Date
June 27, 2024

“Memory’s Legion” Review

Posted on by Jen

“Memory’s Legion: The Complete Expanse Story Collection” by James S.A. Corey

On Mars, a scientist experiments with a new engine that will one day become the drive that fuels humanity’s journey into the stars.

On an asteroid station, a group of prisoners are oblivious to the catastrophe that awaits them.

On a future Earth beset by overpopulation, pollution, and poverty, a crime boss desperately seeks to find a way off planet.

On an alien world, a human family struggles to establish a colony and make a new home.

All these stories and more are featured in this unmissable collection of short fiction set in the hardscrabble world of The Expanse.

Review

This is a good collection of short stories that take place throughout the timeline of the novel series – with some set pre-series and one post-series. Overall I think they’re good stories but I definitly like some more than others. I especially like the post-series story “The Sins of Our Fathers” as it answers a question about a certain minor character from one of the earlier books. While this collection was published after the final book was published, all but the last story were previously published elsewhere. The included short stories are:

“Drive”
“The Butcher of Anderson Station”
“Gods of Risk”
“The Churn”
“The Vital Abyss”
“Strange Dogs”
“Auberon”
“The Sins of Our Fathers” – this story is new for the collection and is set post-series.

Though some are pre-series like “Drive”, “The Butcher of Anderson Station” and “The Churn” I think they make more sense read later on in the series rather than starting with them. The author has written one additional short story “The Last Flight of the Cassandra” but it remains exclusive to the Expanse Roleplaying Game.

Warnings and additional reviews are available on the StoryGraph page for “Memory’s Legion”.

Book Details

The cover shows a large red planet in the center (possibly Mars) with a large asteroid in front of it and a ship below and to the right shooting a laser or something at it

Author’s Name
James S.A. Corey
Publisher / Date
Orbit Books, March 2022
Genre
Science Fiction
Page Count
432
Completion Date
June 20, 2024

“Leviathan Falls” Review

Posted on by Jen

“Leviathan Falls” (The Expanse No. 9) by James S.A. Corey

The Laconian Empire has fallen, setting the thirteen hundred solar systems free from the rule of Winston Duarte. But the ancient enemy that killed the gate builders is awake, and the war against our universe has begun again.

In the dead system of Adro, Elvi Okoye leads a desperate scientific mission to understand what the gate builders were and what destroyed them, even if it means compromising herself and the half-alien children who bear the weight of her investigation. Through the wide-flung systems of humanity, Colonel Aliana Tanaka hunts for Duarte’s missing daughter. . . and the shattered emperor himself. And on the Rocinante, James Holden and his crew struggle to build a future for humanity out of the shards and ruins of all that has come before.

As nearly unimaginable forces prepare to annihilate all human life, Holden and a group of unlikely allies discover a last, desperate chance to unite all of humanity, with the promise of a vast galactic civilization free from wars, factions, lies, and secrets if they win.

But the price of victory may be worse than the cost of defeat.

Review

I feel like this book was a good ending for the series (if you choose to continue reading after the end of book six). I did think the first half or so of the book dragged on a bit. There’s a lot of build up and figuring out of what’s happening to read through. Plus a couple side trips as various things are dealt with. The last few chapters are definitely faster as what has to happen becomes clear. I don’t want to completely spoil the plot of what happens but Jim Holden makes a choice that is actually very fitting for him. The epilogue is also a pretty spot on ending for another character.

Overall I think this is a good series – the crew is great and their adventures are fun to read. I stand by what I said in the first couple reviews about not liking some choices that were made but it’s still good series if one likes epic adventures in space.

Warnings and additional reviews are available on the StoryGraph page for “Leviathan Falls”.

Book Details

The background of the book cover is mostly yellow but taken up with the sides of couple ships one larger one at the bottom corner and sides while another is above and to the right. The title is at the top with the authors name at the bottom.

Author’s Website
James S.A. Corey
Publisher / Date
Orbit Books, December 2021
Genre
Science Fiction
Page Count
528
Completion Date
June 15, 2024