Fantasy – Page 7 – Made of Stardust and Stubbornness

“Abeni’s Song” Review

Posted on August 12, 2023October 13, 2024 by Jen

“Abeni’s Song” by P. Djèlí Clark

On the day of the spirits festival, the old woman who lives in the forest appears in Abeni’s village with a terrible message:

You ignored my warnings. It’s too late to run. They are coming.

The old woman hasn’t come to save them, only to collect one child as payment for her years of service and protection. When warriors with burning blades storm the village and a man with a cursed flute plays an impossibly alluring song, everyone Abeni has ever known and loved is captured and marched toward far-off ghost ships set for even more distant lands.

But not Abeni. Abeni escapes the warriors in the clutches of the old woman, magically whisked into the forest away from all she’s ever known. And there she begins her unwanted magical apprenticeship, her journey to escape the witch, and her impossible mission to bring her people home.

Abeni’s Song is the beginning of a timeless, enchanting fantasy adventure about a reluctant apprentice, a team of spirit kids, and the village they set out to save from the evil Witch Priest who stole away Abeni’s people.

Review

I enjoyed this book but younger readers would probably enjoy it more as it was a bit to fantastical – everything made sense but the impossible mission was a bit much and I think the style choices do work better for younger audiences. And the thing is this story is in fact meant for younger audiences (I didn’t realize it was middle grade rather than young adult until after I read it that’s on me). It’s just using very heavy fantasy elements to describe real world things like the slave trade as that’s what happens to the people in her village. It was still a fun read and I liked following along with Albeni as she met the other characters and figured out how to work with them. The ending resolution is good too.

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

Book Details

Author’s Website: P. Djèlí Clark
Publisher / Date: Starscape, July 2023
Genre: Fantasy, Middle Grade
Page Count: 336
Completion Date: August 10, 2023

“To Shape a Dragon’s Breath” Review

Posted on August 5, 2023October 13, 2024 by Jen

“To Shape a Dragon’s Breath” by Moniquill Blackgoose

The remote island of Masquapaug has not seen a dragon in many generations—until fifteen-year-old Anequs finds a dragon’s egg and bonds with its hatchling. Her people are delighted, for all remember the tales of the days when dragons lived among them and danced away the storms of autumn, enabling the people to thrive. To them, Anequs is revered as Nampeshiweisit—a person in a unique relationship with a dragon.

Unfortunately for Anequs, the Anglish conquerors of her land have different opinions. They have a very specific idea on how a dragon should be raised—and who should be doing the raising—and Anequs does not meet any of their requirements. Only with great reluctance do they allow Anequs to enroll in a proper Anglish dragon school on the mainland. If she cannot succeed there, then her dragon will be killed.

For a girl with no formal schooling, a non-Anglish upbringing, and a very different understanding of the history of her land challenges abound—both socially and academically. But Anequs is smart and determined, and resolved to learn what she needs to help her dragon, even if it means teaching herself. The one thing she refuses to do, however, is become the meek Anglish miss that everyone expects.

Anequs and her dragon may be coming of age, but they’re also coming to power, and that brings an important realization: the world needs changing—and they might just be the ones to do it.

Review

This was a great book and I’m looking forward to the next one as this is meant to be the first book in a series. The ending of the book works so that it could be a stand alone, but there’s definitely more of the story to be told. The setting is an alternate history version of Earth but still with colonizers and indigenous populations that are dealing with the aftermath of being colonized, and dragons! The characters were great to read about – the central conflict between Anegus and the teachers was well done. I also enjoyed seeing the difference between Anequs who knows exactly who she is and where she belongs and another indigenous character who grew up among the colonizers never knowing the truth about his people. There is a third character in the book who is meant to be autistic, though never outright stated given the time and place, who is awesome. He ends up being friends with Anequs and makes for a very interesting character with his own conflicts to deal with. There are some parts that got a little slow to get and perhaps some other things could have been explained better but I enjoyed it regardless.

I would highly recommend reading the interview with Moniquill Blackgoose, An Indies Introduce Q&A with Moniquill Blackgoose, for more context to the setting for the story and the characters. There are no spoilers for the book in this interview besides setting and information about Anequs and the dragons.

Warnings and additional reviews are available on the StoryGraph page for “To Shape a Dragon’s Breath”.

Book Details

The cover is dark red with the face of a dragon in the middle with spikes of hair on top and along its nose. There are red flowers on either side of the dragon's head. The title is written out down the cover one word on each line with the author's name at the bottom.

Author’s Website: Moniquill Blackgoose
Published: Del Rey, May 2023
Genre: Alternate History, Fantasy, Young Adult
Page Count: 528
Completion Date: August 1, 2023

“Under Every Sky” Review

Posted on July 29, 2023October 13, 2024 by Jen

“Under Every Sky” by Kenzie Brooks

Seventeen-year-old Maeve Barnes is poised on the brink of freedom—from her city, her past, and her unruly magic. Mere weeks from now, she will be on a plane bound for London and well on her way to starting a nice, ordinary life for herself.

But luck has never been on Maeve’s side. A beautiful stranger appears with a dire warning: the Shadow King is coming. All Maeve’s carefully laid plans for her future are put on hold when the shadowy demon crashes through the wards of the city, attacking her family and churning long-buried secrets to the surface.

In the days that follow, three things become abundantly clear. One, the Elder Council is useless. Two, Hanna—the caustic and evasive stranger—knows more than she is letting on. And three, someone inside Leto is colluding with the Shadow King to bring death and destruction within the city walls.

Amidst a flurry of unlikely alliances, near misses and heartbreaking realizations, Maeve must come to terms with her magic, her resentment toward Leto, and the possibility that she won’t make it to London, after all.

Review

I wasn’t sure about this book at first because Maeve was a little frustrating – but I did remind myself she’s only seventeen and dealing with a lot. I did like that as soon as everything started happening she went to work. There were still some moments of “I can’t do this!” but they were brief and made sense for the moments they happened. The rest of the characters were great too though this was the sort of story where adults end up being almost entirely useless and kids have to save the world. But I knew what I was getting into when I started the book. Overall the story is great and the resolution of a certain plot point actually ended up working out in a way I liked.

Book Details

Blue cover with various circles and symbols on it with the title and author's name in the middle.

Author’s Website: Kenzie Brooks
Publisher / Date: Self Published, May 2023
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Page Count: 366
Completion Date: July 24, 2023

“VenCo” Review

Posted on July 15, 2023October 13, 2024 by Jen

“VenCo” by Cherie Dimaline

Métis millennial Lucky St. James is barely hanging on when she learns she’ll be evicted from the tiny Toronto apartment she shares with her cantankerous but loving grandmother Stella. But then one night, something strange and irresistible calls out to Lucky. She burrows through a wall to find a tarnished silver spoon, humming with otherworldly energy, etched with a crooked-nosed witch and the word SALEM.

Lucky is familiar with the magic of her indigenous ancestors, but she has no idea that the spoon connects her to a teeming network of witches across North America who have anxiously awaited her discovery.

Enter VenCo, a front company fueled by vast resources of dark money (its name is an anagram of “coven.”) VenCo’s witches hide in plain sight wherever women gather: Tupperware parties, Mommy & Me classes, suburban book clubs. Since colonial times, they have awaited the moment the seven spoons will come together and ignite a new era, returning women to their rightful power.

Review

While I liked this book I did end up preferring another of the author’s books I recently read, “The Marrow Thieves”. The main characters, Lucky and her grandmother, Stella, are the best part of the book and felt the most written. The other characters didn’t feel like they did much beyond tell Lucky things and they weren’t always helpful. Though I’m wondering if that was intentional given the ending resolution? I’m not entirely sure. Also a big deal is made over how the coven coming together is going to save the world but that’s never really explained how. Again could be the point but I think some things could have been explained better.

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

Book Details

The book cover is black with the title Venco repeated twice in white with Coven repeated in purple after each time the title is written. There are 5 small yellow birds sitting on the some of the letters on the cover. The author's name is at the bottom.

Author’s Website: Cherie Dimaline
Publisher / Date: William Morrow, February 2023
Genre: Fantasy
Page Count: 386
Completion Date: July 12, 2023

“Reclaim the Stars” Review

Posted on July 9, 2023October 13, 2024 by Jen

“Reclaim the Stars: 17 Tales Across Realms & Space” by Zoraida Córdova

From stories that take you to the stars, to stories that span into other times and realms, to stories set in the magical now, Reclaim the Stars takes the Latin American diaspora to places fantastical and out of this world.

Follow princesses warring in space, haunting ghost stories in Argentina, mermaids off the coast of the Caribbean, swamps that whisper secrets, and many more realms explored and unexplored; this stunning collection of seventeen short stories breaks borders and realms to prove that stories are truly universal.

Reclaim the Stars features both bestselling and acclaimed authors as well as two new voices in the genres: Vita Ayala, David Bowles, J.C. Cervantes, Zoraida Córdova, Sara Faring, Romina Garber, Isabel Ibañez, Anna-Marie McLemore, Yamile Saied Méndez, Nina Moreno, Circe Moskowitz, Maya Motayne, Linda Raquel Nieves Pérez, Daniel José Older, Claribel A. Ortega, Mark Oshiro and Lilliam Rivera.

Review

Another great collection of short stories to read! The stories were great and I enjoyed all of them. There’s some science fiction, but more fantasy – all good stuff. I did feel like a couple of the stories ended to abruptly and would have been better as longer stories but the rest felt complete as they were. Going to spend some time looking into the various authors and seeing what else they’ve written.

Warnings and additional reviews are available on the StoryGraph page for “Reclaim the Stars”.

Book Details

The cover has a black background with red and pink flowers along the left and right boarder with green leaves and stems. At the bottom is a mermaid with brown skin and black hair and a goat.

Editor’s Website: Zoraida Córdova
Publisher / Date: Wednesday Books, February 2022
Genre: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Short Stories
Page Count: 417
Completion Date: July 8, 2023

“The Poppy War” Review

Posted on June 23, 2023October 14, 2024 by Jen

“The Poppy War” (Poppy War No. 1) by R.F. Kuang

When Rin aced the Keju—the Empire-wide test to find the most talented youth to learn at the Academies—it was a shock to everyone: to the test officials, who couldn’t believe a war orphan from Rooster Province could pass without cheating; to Rin’s guardians, who believed they’d finally be able to marry her off and further their criminal enterprise; and to Rin herself, who realized she was finally free of the servitude and despair that had made up her daily existence. That she got into Sinegard—the most elite military school in Nikan—was even more surprising.

But surprises aren’t always good.

Because being a dark-skinned peasant girl from the south is not an easy thing at Sinegard. Targeted from the outset by rival classmates for her color, poverty, and gender, Rin discovers she possesses a lethal, unearthly power—an aptitude for the nearly-mythical art of shamanism. Exploring the depths of her gift with the help of a seemingly insane teacher and psychoactive substances, Rin learns that gods long thought dead are very much alive—and that mastering control over those powers could mean more than just surviving school.

For while the Nikara Empire is at peace, the Federation of Mugen still lurks across a narrow sea. The militarily advanced Federation occupied Nikan for decades after the First Poppy War, and only barely lost the continent in the Second. And while most of the people are complacent to go about their lives, a few are aware that a Third Poppy War is just a spark away . . .

Rin’s shamanic powers may be the only way to save her people. But as she finds out more about the god that has chosen her, the vengeful Phoenix, she fears that winning the war may cost her humanity . . . and that it may already be too late.

Review

I really enjoyed this book even with the very dark tone. It’s not a light read and while it’s set in a fictional world it’s based heavily on China and China’s various conflicts with other countries. The characters are interesting and I liked all of them even when they weren’t the nicest characters. The main character, Rin, has a complicated background and she’s definitely going to be a complicated character going forward in the next two books. Some might question her choices and mindset (she’s very focused on revenge) but it’s easy to see where all of it comes from based on what she’s been through and what she knows. I’m definitely going to finish the series at some point.

Also – I found this great post and review that provides the historical context for the book: Everything You Need to Know Before You Read The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang by Tiffany at Read by Tiffany and contributing writer & editor Kevin Kaichuang Yang. It provides a lot of information about how everything in the series lines up with history. From the various wars to the character parallels and the landscape. There are spoilers for all three books so consider before reading through it if you like to avoid spoilers.

Warnings and additional reviews are available on the StoryGraph page for “The Poppy War”.

Book Details

Author’s Website: R.F. Kuang
Publisher / Date: Harper Voyager, May 2018
Genre: Historical Fiction, Fantasy
Page Count: 544
Completion Date: June 22, 2023