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Starred Review: Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger

May 202020
 

Kirkus: Aside from the fact that she owns a ghost dog named Kirby, Ellie is like any other comic book–loving, ice cream–eating Lipan Apache teenager. Her non-Native friends include her childhood buddy Jay, who is white, and her cousin Trevor’s Latinx wife, Lenore. Yet Ellie does have traits that set her apart: She has inherited the talents of Six-Great-Grandmother, her powerful Lipan Apache forebear, and plans to skip college to work as a paranormal investigator. When Trevor dies in what appears to be a car accident, his ghost appears to her briefly, begging that she protect his wife and child. Ellie must call upon her strong lineage to rid her ancestral land of an ancient curse. Even as she discovers some of her own tribal relatives have been complicit in historic wrongdoing, she must save her family, animals, and community from destructive forces and restore balance to the world. A fast-paced whodunit set in a contemporary world like our own, this is a creative fusion of Indigenous cultural influences and supernatural fantasy. A brilliant, engaging debut written by a talented author, it seamlessly blends cyberstalking with Vampire Citizen Centers and Lipan Apache stories. This groundbreaking introduction to the fantasy genre remains relevant to Native histories even as it imaginatively looks to the future.

 May 20, 2020  Tagged with: ,

Review: American Demon by Kim Harrison

May 182020
 

Publishers Weekly: The enjoyable 15th installment to Harrison’s the Hollows series picks up shortly after the events of 2014’s The Witch with No Name as witch-born demon Rachel Mariana Morgan again confronts supernatural threats to her beloved Cincinnati. An unknown and terrifying creature is stalking both Rachel and her former enemy, elven Trent Kalamack, in their dreams, while in the waking world, Hodin, a mysterious new demon in town, offers Rachel an opportunity to fine-tune her magical abilities. Afraid to sleep, Rachel places her trust in Hodin to help her find a way to defeat a nightmarish foe she can’t even touch. Harrison makes a skillful return to her urban fantasy world, recapturing her signature blend of magical mayhem and soap operatics, though the dwindling presence of Rachel’s vampire partner, Ivy, suggests a shift in focus as the series evolves. Narrative momentum is disrupted by several lengthy scenes of Rachel exploring her magic with Hodin through elaborately described rituals and slogging metaphysical discussion, but the expansion of magic’s possibilities in this universe could spell good things to come. Despite a detailed introductory preface, new readers will likely be lost in the sea of returning faces, but existing fans will be pleased by this promising continuation of the series.

 May 18, 2020  Tagged with: ,

Review: A Summoning of Souls by Leanna Renee Hieber

May 142020
 

Publishers Weekly: Hieber’s momentous third Spectral City fantasy (after A Sanctuary of Spirits) sees tensions in the spirit world come to an explosive head…It is extremely satisfying to witness the scrappy heroes rise up…Eve and Jacob’s growing attraction, meanwhile, provides a welcome romantic respite from the fast-paced action. Hieber’s latest fires on all cylinders.

 May 14, 2020  Tagged with: ,

Review: The Chimera Code by Wayne Santos

May 122020
 

Publishers Weekly: Replete with snappy dialogue and convincing technobabble, Santos’s debut cyber-thriller offers a vision of a 22nd-century Earth where the only force more powerful than technology is magic. Prickly combat mage Cloke leads a chimera unit—a military group possessing a deadly combination of technological, combat, and magic skills. Cloke’s newest recruit is Zee, an infamous coder with shadowy origins and plenty of baggage. Alongside a colorful cast of cyborgs and sword masters, Cloke and Zee, who was grown in a lab and has no gender, must track down and destroy a trio of illegal clones of a powerful mage. The worldbuilding is well done, as Santos digs deep into the full implications of the supernatural interacting with advanced technology. Readers may find the treatment of Zee’s gender and pronouns (xie/hir) to be clumsy, but will be gratified by Zee’s depth, complexity, and fully realized arc. Santos’s enthusiasm for his subject is clear and his rigorous plotting delivers some genuine surprises. This is fun, fresh cyberpunk.

 May 12, 2020  Tagged with: ,

Review: The State of Us by Shaun David Hutchinson

May 052020
 

Publishers Weekly: Hutchinson (Brave Face) creates two likable characters in a love-against-the-odds story that effectively takes up the well-timed issue of how to love people whose beliefs one doesn’t share—whether they’re parents or prospective partners.

 May 5, 2020  Tagged with: ,

Starred Review: Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

Apr 202020
 

Library Journal: The Reverend Daughter Harrowhark Nonagesimus was the last necromancer of the Ninth House. Now she is Harrowhark the First, a Lyctor in service to the Emperor, the Undying King. But those in service hold both sword and power, and Harrow seems to be able to do neither. Her sword makes her physically ill, her body is failing, and her mind seems not far behind. Trapped in space with three seasoned Lyctors who seem to hate Harrow, training alongside a woman she detests, Harrow comes to realize that the war she drills for is as undying as her God — and cannot be won. Amid the chaos, Harrow discovers that someone wants her dead, and worse, she is unsure if that may not be the best thing that can happen to her. Multiple jaunts into memories and a few familiar faces bring forth delightful, bloody action and character building.

VERDICT An incredible journey into the chaos of the mind, Muir’s latest (after Gideon the Ninth) doubles down on all the wonderfully queer and pulpy moments, body horror, and macabre humor of her debut — and exceeds it.

 April 20, 2020  Tagged with: ,

Review: Time of Our Lives by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka

Apr 072020
 

School Library Journal: Fitz Holton and Juniper Ramirez cross paths while touring colleges, though they have different goals in mind. Fitz would like to stay home and care for his ailing mother, who is encouraging him to get out and experience college, while Juniper is ready to get out of the house where she lives with her five siblings. Juniper heads out with her boyfriend Matt on visits, but once Fitz gets the courage to approach her, Juniper realizes that maybe she and Matt are not meant to be and will continue on different paths after high school. Told in alternating perspectives between Juniper and Fitz, the book takes readers on an adventure touring college campuses in a variety of cities, immersing them in the lives of these young travelers. Juniper is independent and strong-willed, while Fitz is unsure but interested in getting to know her. The advanced vocabulary used by Fitz adds to his wise personality. Readers will get both a lesson in vocabulary and on fate—as well as a reminder not to work against the time we are given.

VERDICT A romance that is sure to entertain and enlighten high school readers.

 April 7, 2020  Tagged with: ,

Review: Shorefall by Robert Jackson Bennett

Mar 262020
 

Publishers Weekly: The industrialized magic system is intricate and fascinating…, and Bennett’s characterization of the unhinged, all-powerful Crasedes strikes a perfect balance between terror and allure.

 March 26, 2020  Tagged with: ,

Starred Review: Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

Mar 062020
 

Publishers Weekly: The masterful second genre-bending tale in Muir’s Locked Tomb trilogy (after Gideon the Ninth) ratchets up the horror, hijinks, and gallows humor of the series to a fever pitch. Queer necromancer Harrowhark Nonagesimus, heir to the Ninth House, has gotten everything she’s ever wanted: as a newly minted Lyctor, she’s earned a place by the side of the Necrolord Prime and a chance to revive her dying House. But something went wrong during her transformation, leaving her Lyctorhood incomplete and her health failing, wracked by hallucinations and altered memories. When King Undying summons her to his ancient palace in the far reaches of space, she’s trapped both by its strange corridors and by her faltering mind, with only her detestable rival Ianthe, three ancient and unfriendly fellow Lyctors, and the eccentric Emperor himself for company, as she begins to suspect that someone wants her dead. Muir’s labyrinthine plot raises the stakes of the series as it pushes the characters to their limits, exploring their trauma and anguish while keeping intact the irreverent comedy, grisly necromantic science, and gothic sensibilities that fans  expect. Ending on a heart-stopping cliffhanger sure to have readers clamoring for the next installment, this dark, bloody puzzle box of a sequel is a knockout.

 March 6, 2020  Tagged with: ,

Review: Creatures of Charm and Hunger by Molly Tanzer

Mar 052020
 

Booklist: A compelling, fun, and thought-provoking story for fans of Seanan McGuire, Alma Katsu, and Erin Morgenstern…. a perfect choice for teens, especially those who enjoy dark fantasy with detailed worldbuilding.

 March 5, 2020  Tagged with: ,
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