BookWyrm

WardenRed reviewed Necropolis by Jordan L. Hawk

Jordan L. Hawk: Necropolis (Paperback, 2014, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform)

None

4 stars

This is an unforgiving land, old chap. Those who fail to tread cautiously soon cease to tread at all.

We are once again leaving Widdershins, this time to go across the globe, and I’m beginning to sense a pattern here: one book in the city, one book on an adventure elsewhere. I’m curious to see if it’s going to be upheld throughout the series. The change of scenery this time was pretty fun, reminding me of that Relic Hunter tv show I used to love as a kid, except make it lovecraftian. I admit I have some doubts about the level of research that went into the setting, but there are some fun details, and it’s internally consistent, and hey, we’re here on an adventure.

Whyborne continues to grow on me; I think it’s a combination of his character development and my getting used to certain peculiarities of his …

This is an unforgiving land, old chap. Those who fail to tread cautiously soon cease to tread at all.

We are once again leaving Widdershins, this time to go across the globe, and I’m beginning to sense a pattern here: one book in the city, one book on an adventure elsewhere. I’m curious to see if it’s going to be upheld throughout the series. The change of scenery this time was pretty fun, reminding me of that Relic Hunter tv show I used to love as a kid, except make it lovecraftian. I admit I have some doubts about the level of research that went into the setting, but there are some fun details, and it’s internally consistent, and hey, we’re here on an adventure.

Whyborne continues to grow on me; I think it’s a combination of his character development and my getting used to certain peculiarities of his thinking. It’s been amusing to notice how off his perceptions are sometimes not just about what other people around him may be thinking and feeling, but about what’s going on in his own head, too. “This spell hasn’t been working out, but today I am feeling very calm and certain I can nail it. DAMN IT, HOW COULD CHRISTINE EXPECT THIS OF ME. I am feeling very calm and focused.” Lol, right.

Speaking of Christine, I really loved how much she got to shine in this book, and the overall shape of her arc so far. She steadfastly remembers my very favorite character, and I love how she never feels like a third wheel alongside the main couple. In fact, sometimes I get the feeling that in the long run, she’s the glue that is keeping this little found family together, because like… where would Whyborne be without someone to talk sense into him now and then? Or Griffin without someone to call him out at certain occasions? It’s also nice to be seeing her getting a dose of her own personal happiness—I hope it works out!

What I didn’t really love about this book was the villain. Or rather, I liked how parts of the deal were handled—I largely called what was happening super early on, but then let the author lull me into a false sense of security and was genuinely surprised by the reveal. But honestly, <spoiler>Daphne</spoiler> was done so dirty by the story. <spoiler>I appreciate that there were some attempts at compassion re: the abuse she suffered and the situation it drove her into, but they were rather weak and unconvincing for me. She deserved better, and this whole topic deserve much better, and I wish half the care that this series channels into empathizing with the male character’s suffering went into this plotline. </spoiler>This is really a big grip I have with this book.

Outside of that, though, all the adventuring and mystery-solving was fun, I liked that Whyborne got to geek out properly about languages, I love his friendship with Christine, and I wonder what’s going to happen to his arc, the plot, and his relationship with Griffin now that he’s made a certain decision at the end of the story. Also, there was that hint about a potential secret concerning him that is just so intriguing??? I immediately developed a theory once it was dropped, and then was like, “Hang on, if I turn out to be correct, I really wish this would’ve been foreshadowed since book 1,” and then I realized that the theory I’m having has in fact been foreshadowed since book 1, so now I can’t wait to know if I’m right or wrong!

WardenRed reviewed Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence by Max Tegmark

Max Tegmark: Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (Paperback, 2018, Penguin Group)

AI is the future - but what will that future look like? Will superhuman intelligence …

None

4 stars

Writing that book was like shining a beacon from a lighthouse, I suppose. Are there any ships on the horizon? Will they signal back to me?

If you like dark academia and gothic, explorations of misogyny, themes like the impact of stories, and romance subplots focus on healing, definitely pick this one up. Especially if you also value vibes over plot and get that special longing, anxious feeling in your chest whenever you so much as think about the sea.

This was a slow read for me, and I changed my opinion about it a bunch of times, but ultimately, I liked far more about it than I didn’t. The prose, in particular, is such a strong part of the book, doing so much to create a heavy, uncertain, gothic atmosphere and to support the themes of the book. This is indeed a study in drowning: because of the …

Writing that book was like shining a beacon from a lighthouse, I suppose. Are there any ships on the horizon? Will they signal back to me?

If you like dark academia and gothic, explorations of misogyny, themes like the impact of stories, and romance subplots focus on healing, definitely pick this one up. Especially if you also value vibes over plot and get that special longing, anxious feeling in your chest whenever you so much as think about the sea.

This was a slow read for me, and I changed my opinion about it a bunch of times, but ultimately, I liked far more about it than I didn’t. The prose, in particular, is such a strong part of the book, doing so much to create a heavy, uncertain, gothic atmosphere and to support the themes of the book. This is indeed a study in drowning: because of the Drowning as an event important to the setting, because the sea creates a threat, because Effy spends almost the entirety of the story metaphorically drowning. And so the prose is pretty much full of water. There are water-themed metaphors and similes everywhere, water-related colors and qualities to the various scene settings, and every time there is a word choice that can be even remotely associated with water, you bet the author takes it. The watery themes just never let go, and it creates a beautiful effect.

The worldbuilding was occasionally confusing. The bigger concepts, like the politics, the folklore, the academic and literature culture, were really well-realized. On the smaller scale, though, while the vibes were impeccable, I struggled to actually feel grounded. It was kind of like listening to a “decrepit gothic mansion by the sea” soundtrack without getting a visual. The setting is a secondary world that has phones, cars, indoors plumbing, ceiling fans, etc—but for the love of the sea, I can’t tell you what era or mix of eras one should be envisioning with them all. 1920s? 1950s? 1980s? Might be a “me” problem, but I legit don’t know. Guess this isn’t particularly important; but it kept making me feeling shaky and uncertain. If the setting was farther divorced from the real world, I would be completely fine with the existing level of descriptions, I think. But here, it was like… hmmm… like when you’re learning a language that has a lot of common with your native one. You really need to explicitly understand the differences and the similarities.

The plotting was probably the weakest part of the story. The central mystery about the real authorship of the novel Angharad was rather predictable and kind of… oddly executed? The specific actions Effy and Preston took and their mindsets throughout the investigation felt less like “we’re solving a mystery” and more like “we’ve got this conspiracy theory we want to spread.” Also, the reveal is pretty much based on one glaring plot hole that I won’t comment on in detail to avoid spoilers, and I also kind of understand how you can squint and ignore the hole-ness of it in favor of focusing on the themes, but still, it felt pretty meh to me. In general, there were times when that central plot felt like it was just interfering with the vibes and the characters’ inner journeys rather than helping both.

Speaking of characters, I really loved Effy throughout the book, and I felt for her a lot: the pain she was in, the survival mechanisms she’s developed, her quiet strength mixed with anxiety, the way she gave herself the chance to heal. She’s really been dealt a shitty lot in life, but I feel like she’s going to be fine eventually. Preston was a cinnamon roll, and I appreciated how supportive he was of Effie and how focused on lifting her up. It’s worth noting that the book promises enemies to lovers and doesn’t deliver—they’re barely rivals, tbh, and even though there’s some light animosity at the start, it gives way quickly enough to seeking understanding. Which, I feel, really suits these characters and the story. They just aren’t the kind to get locked in a more typical enemies-to-lovers type of dynamic—good for them! Though i do feel there were some missed opportunities here, in particular with the impact the politics of the world might have on their relationship given that, even though his mother is Llyrian, Preston has Argantian origins and the tensions between the countries are considerable, to say the least. It felt like the book did try to explore that at first, with Effy’s preconceived notions about Preston, but that line of thinking was quickly dropped in favor of other themes.

Overall, I’m a big fan of the work the author does with the prose and the vibes, and when the next book comes out, I’m quite likely to pick it up. It will be interesting to see further character development from both leads, and I’m looking forward to once again feeling like my ereader now smells of the sea. 🌊

WardenRed reviewed Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher

No cover — T. Kingfisher: Thornhedge (2023, Doherty Associates, LLC, Tom)

Thornhedge is a 2023 novella by Ursula Vernon, writing under the pen name T. Kingfisher. …

None

5 stars

Maybe the world is full of changelings who learned to adapt

Such an interesting Sleeping Beauty retelling with a focus on fairies and changelings and a kinda ambiguous take on who is the princess and who is the fairy that cursed her—it kind of works both ways. It has as much heart as I’ve come to expect from T. Kingfisher’s novellas, and it’s everything a story about faeries should be: beautiful, slightly creepy, and fair in the most unfair of ways.

I really liked Toadling, the MC who was stolen as a kid and raised by scary bog fae who genuinely loved her and then was given a mission by a hare goddess, and Halim, the very nice knight who shows up to rescue a princess from a tower but is willing to listen and learn and genuinely figure out what’s up. What endeared me to them especially is …

Maybe the world is full of changelings who learned to adapt

Such an interesting Sleeping Beauty retelling with a focus on fairies and changelings and a kinda ambiguous take on who is the princess and who is the fairy that cursed her—it kind of works both ways. It has as much heart as I’ve come to expect from T. Kingfisher’s novellas, and it’s everything a story about faeries should be: beautiful, slightly creepy, and fair in the most unfair of ways.

I really liked Toadling, the MC who was stolen as a kid and raised by scary bog fae who genuinely loved her and then was given a mission by a hare goddess, and Halim, the very nice knight who shows up to rescue a princess from a tower but is willing to listen and learn and genuinely figure out what’s up. What endeared me to them especially is how kind they both are. While I love digging into the psyche of flawed characters, I also sometimes just love reading about genuinely good people trying their best, and this book absolutely delivers on that front.

The funny thing about the central plot element is, if I were to read this story a few years ago, I would have probably given it a far lower rating and grumbled at Fontaine being just evil because she’s evil and it’s her nature to be evil and she can’t be redeemed, only contained and destroyed. This would have felt so flat and simplistic—and yet now, looking at the political realities we live in, I find this to be such a good and meaningful part of the story. Sometimes, evil is just evil (though admittedly usually through choice and not because it’s inherent and inevitable), and the truly kind and good thing is to destroy it if you can.

The prose here is evocative and sometimes quirky, the fairy tale vibes are ever-thick, and the ending is hopeful with a subtle touch of bittersweet. There’s something so soothing and cozy about this book, despite the darker sides of fae lore woven into the narrative. Highly recommended.

WardenRed reviewed As you like it by William Shakespeare (The Folger Library general reader's Shakespeare)

William Shakespeare: As you like it (1960, Pocket Books)

Contains the text of the play, information about Shakespeare and his theater, bibliography, key to …

None

5 stars

The god is coming, singing.

Wow! This is my favorite in the series so far—and definitely the most unsettling. Because forget about twisted resurrected corpses, eldritch aliens, and gods from the deep. Forced institutionalization in a 19th century asylum is objectively much worse. I wish I had read the trigger warnings before pressing play on this one, tbh, because certain parts did make me feel scared (and also upset and angry and altogether murderous).

Speaking of gods from the deep, though—R'lyeh and the Deep Ones and the whole nautical eldritch horror theme have always been my favorite parts of the mythos, and I absolutely loved how this theme was handled in this book. All the nightmares Whyborne has, the vision slipping into the real world and crowding it out, the magic, the special mix of clarity and confusion—I’m just absolutely digging everything about this. And the deep sea god …

The god is coming, singing.

Wow! This is my favorite in the series so far—and definitely the most unsettling. Because forget about twisted resurrected corpses, eldritch aliens, and gods from the deep. Forced institutionalization in a 19th century asylum is objectively much worse. I wish I had read the trigger warnings before pressing play on this one, tbh, because certain parts did make me feel scared (and also upset and angry and altogether murderous).

Speaking of gods from the deep, though—R'lyeh and the Deep Ones and the whole nautical eldritch horror theme have always been my favorite parts of the mythos, and I absolutely loved how this theme was handled in this book. All the nightmares Whyborne has, the vision slipping into the real world and crowding it out, the magic, the special mix of clarity and confusion—I’m just absolutely digging everything about this. And the deep sea god was so alien and so oddly relatable—can’t decide if I want to get possessed by him or be him (just kidding… probably).

The plot is a braid of many threads, and it’s a joy to see how they all twist and turn and come together. there are Whyborne’s dreams. There’s the central mystery that catches the characters unawares in the very first chapter and leads them to the Stormhaven asylum. There are Griffin’s visiting parents and cousin. There are smaller subplots, like Whyborne’s continued study of the Arcanorum and his own family. And as the book progresses, all of this really comes together in a super satisfying way. The final act in particular is such a wild stretch, I was on the edge of my sit throughout. Things just keep escalating while also coming together tighter and tighter. I also really liked how the narrative threads from previous books, especially the first one, were incorporated in just the right times and, in a couple of instances, how just enough new information was injected to make me look back at the earlier events and recontextualize them slightly.

If I had to search for flaws, I’d say the very beginning is a bit shaky: it’s too slow for in media res and too quickly moving for a gradual lead into the inciting incident, so it hovers in an awkward spot that only really works because this is a series installment and the reader is expected to already be invested. Also, the actual investigation part, before the horror action starts kicking in, is once again slightly meandering—the author continues to be much better at those action parts, although I think the other supernatural mystery aspects are improving, too, compared to the previous books. There are also definite improvements in the intimacy scenes (I mean both the smut and the moments when the leads get vulnerable with each other), though at a certain key point the dialogue did kind of go overboard with the dramatic cheesiness, I fear.

Speaking of the leads! Am I finally convinced that Whyborne and Griffin are actually good for each other and shipping-worthy? Yes and no. For a big part of the story I was really frustrated by their mutual mistrust. Whyborne keeps being jealous and insecure about the relationship, Griffin keeps explicitly not trusting him about the magic, and both of them have a point in some way, as in, I totally see where they’re coming from in the context of their own pain points and trauma. But it’s so frustrating and makes me so worried for them in the long run and makes me feel there’s more codependence here than love. Especially on Whyborne’s part, because he’s constantly proclaiming his deepest devotion to Griffin in his narration, “I would do anything for him,” and then practically in the same breath convinces himself that Griffin is going to ditch him any moment now, interprets everything Griffin says in the most “nope, yeah, he’s *definitely* gonna leave me” way possible, and self-flagellates about how boring and plain he is and how Griffin must suffer in this relationship… And damn, it reminds me of the unhealthiest relationship I’ve ever been in. Yes, definitely, it’s not so much Griffin who’s making Whyborne feel this way as it’s Whyborne’s previous baggage, and Griffin has plenty of his own baggage that he’s dealing with in the best ways he knows how, and the two of them are clearly trying so hard to help each other. But I just keep feeling that they’re moving through their respective healing processes in such different ways, at such different paces, that sometimes they hinder each other more than they help. The writing does make me feel, by this point, that they *could* be good for each other at some indeterminable point in the future when they’re better, so there’s that. And at least they have Christine to provide assessments, insights, and dry humorous commentary while they fumble their ways toward that possible future.

Speaking of Christine, she continues to be my absolute favorite, the one character who consistently made me laugh even when I was busy having assorted negative feelings, and such a badass still. I’m glad she got moments to shine and to be crucial to the plot, but I’m also glad she got to say no to participating in something she didn’t agree with and went off to live her own life for a bit at one point. I’m also so angry about her having to constantly run into men who dismiss and belittle her—like good grief, how was this ever seen as a normal way to treat women, why did humanity at one point decided to treat half of it self as lesser and how have we still not shaken it off??? People are the real eldritch horrors sometimes. Anyway, yeah, Christine is awesome and needs to get even more opportunities to be awesome down the line. And I loved that we got to meet ore great female characters in this installment. I actually really hope to see Ruth again at some point—hopefully she does figure out a way out of the cage of her family’s expectations.

By the way, to round this off: utterly loved how the themes of family were handled here, even if it was genuinely painful at times. Griffin’s situation is so relatable, it absolutely broke my heart. And I had to bitterly chuckle at that one moment Whyborne’s father acknowledges his bravery and Whyborne immediately decides it’s some vile manipulation, because yeahhhh, when you spend ages destroying your kid’s self-esteem, they *will* take everything you say as a trap or a wapon against them, that’s just how the bad cookie crumbles.

WardenRed reviewed Exit Strategy by Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries, #4)

Martha Wells: Exit Strategy (EBook, Tordotcom)

Murderbot wasn’t programmed to care. So, its decision to help the only human who ever …

None

5 stars

When I got back to HaveRatton Station, a bunch of humans tried to kill me. Considering how much I’d been thinking about killing a bunch of humans, it was only fair.

Definitely a high note to finish my reading year on! I’ve missed Murderbot’s special deadpan voice. It remains one of the most relatable sci-fi characters ever for me, and I was delighted to read about the complex emotional reactions it’s been having. Particularly toward Dr. Mensah (can a robot have friends? particularly when the friend is actually technically their owner? but doesn’t seem to want them to be a robot?). Who happens to be kidnapped and in need of rescue, so here we go.

The pacing here felt really fast—faster, perhaps, than it actually is in terms of events progression. Like, there’s definitely some build-up to the action parts, but I still felt like I was dropped right …

When I got back to HaveRatton Station, a bunch of humans tried to kill me. Considering how much I’d been thinking about killing a bunch of humans, it was only fair.

Definitely a high note to finish my reading year on! I’ve missed Murderbot’s special deadpan voice. It remains one of the most relatable sci-fi characters ever for me, and I was delighted to read about the complex emotional reactions it’s been having. Particularly toward Dr. Mensah (can a robot have friends? particularly when the friend is actually technically their owner? but doesn’t seem to want them to be a robot?). Who happens to be kidnapped and in need of rescue, so here we go.

The pacing here felt really fast—faster, perhaps, than it actually is in terms of events progression. Like, there’s definitely some build-up to the action parts, but I still felt like I was dropped right in the thick of it from the first pages. I think that’s because this is so explicitly a series installment, building up on the problems and plot threads of the story before this novella, bringing in old friends and enemies. It kind of feels like I’ve just turned a page and landed into the next chapter leading up to an exciting plot point. A good thing, to be clear! Especially since in reality it’s been months since the previous installment for me. Maybe one day when I’m finished with the series I’ll re-read it in binge mode and see how it feels without breaks between books.

All in all, this continues to be an excellent space opera with a strong cyberpunk vibe, combining action and adventure with some discussion on (not) being human. It’s snarky, smart, and so, so engrossing. I pretty much inhaled it in one go.

WardenRed reviewed Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen

None

4 stars

“You always look like you want to kill someone,” he remarked. “Possibly me.”

Hello, new fun source of mixed feelings! I liked parts of this book so much, but then there were entire chapters that made me struggle to stay focus—always an interesting combination.

At its heart, this is the sort of enemies-to-lovers + arranged marriage story where the MC marries an alleged villain for the sake of her country and then discovers that her husband is in fact not the villain of the story. It’s also far more worldbuilding-heavy than an average romantasy, I feel, with a lot of politics that are handled in really cool, realistic ways. It is rare that I see the links between climate, trade, and warfare in the context of foreign relations explored so well outside of history- or politics-focused non-fiction. Alongside the evocative descriptions of jungles and snakes, this made the setting …

“You always look like you want to kill someone,” he remarked. “Possibly me.”

Hello, new fun source of mixed feelings! I liked parts of this book so much, but then there were entire chapters that made me struggle to stay focus—always an interesting combination.

At its heart, this is the sort of enemies-to-lovers + arranged marriage story where the MC marries an alleged villain for the sake of her country and then discovers that her husband is in fact *not* the villain of the story. It’s also far more worldbuilding-heavy than an average romantasy, I feel, with a lot of politics that are handled in really cool, realistic ways. It is rare that I see the links between climate, trade, and warfare in the context of foreign relations explored so well outside of history- or politics-focused non-fiction. Alongside the evocative descriptions of jungles and snakes, this made the setting feel very real. I also generally liked the geography of this world, with the continents connected with a huge bridge and how control over this bridge is a mixed blessing for a specific country.

Much as I’m happy to sing praises to the worldbuilding itself, however, I have problems with how it’s delivered and how it’s interwoven with the central relationship plot thread. The more world-focused bits are almost universally dense, infodump-y, and often involve stuff happening elsewhere and the characters talking/reminiscing about it later. Meanwhile, Lara and Aren’s interactions where they get to know each other and eventually catch feelings are all pretty action-y, emotional, full of banter and cool cinematic moments. Even though their relationship very much exists in the context of the world’s politics (and their marriage, in turn, directly affects the political plot/is a part of it), this duality of approaches kept creating that “am I actually reading two separate books?” feeling. It also sometimes just felt jarring—kind of like, imagine reading a contemporary romance, and you’re all invested in the relationship, and then suddenly there’s a transcript of the daily news the characters watch together to get caught up on the world’s affairs, followed by a summary of a New York Times or Reuters analytical piece about one of the ongoing conflicts around the globe. This felt like that, but fantasy.

As far as the romance is concerned, I really enjoyed the development of it. It’s a slow burn, and there’s all that extra tension around Lara concealing the fact that she’s a spy and Aren being pretty sure she’s probably a spy. The start was rocky, the subsequent developments grew on me fast, and I think they complement each other really well as people. I liked all the subtle comparing and contrasting between them, and how the secondary characters surrounding Aren all helped, with their reactions and interactions with him, show who he is as a person. His care for his desire to create a better future for his people even when he was told he’s being too idealistic really resonated with me.

Lara, for her part, absolutely captured my heart at the beginning of the book, showing herself as badass, capable, courageous, and smart. That first scene immediately had me invested in her journey. Unfortunately, later on that perception kind of faltered, because at key points of the plot she kept stubbornly refusing to display those qualities to recognize what was actually happening. She started off openly showcasing a degree of defiance to her father and a complete willingness to accept that he’s capable of heinous things, but then as soon as she was away from him, she was constantly like, “No, he wouldn’t lie, he cares for his people, etc.” And I kind of get how this can co-exist with what she shows early on: indoctrination, trauma, etc would do that. But those scenes aren’t written as that specific brand of mental gymnastics at all, so this is my assumption of what might have been happening there, not anything the book explicitly told or showed me. Instead, Lara’s behavior felt like she suddenly lost half of her abilities and experience whenever that one specific subject came up, making the stalling for the reveal feel artificial.

The ending in the book, in many ways, was a punch in the gut. I really liked how the final twist was handled, and the way it echoed the beginning of the book and made it so that the first choice the MC made in the book led very directly to the final problem. I liked how it came right when things were settling down, too, making me feel like we’re in the “wrapping up the final threads” territory while wondering why there were a bit too many pages left—would the final part end up dragging? OH NO, THE OPPOSITE. With a cliffhanger like that, I’ll be definitely picking up the next book.

WardenRed reviewed Threshold by Jordan L. Hawk

Jordan L. Hawk: Threshold (Paperback, 2013, Createspace Independent Publishing Platform, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform)

None

5 stars

“This could still go horribly wrong.”
“True. But at least they now have hope.”

Second book in, this series continues to be excellent entertainment. It’s combining all of my favorite things: creepy af eldritch horrors, ongoing romance with flawed characters, a villain who does something horrible because he feels it’s the more moral choice compared to the alternative, unpleasant historical realities not being glossed over and yet not being allowed to stand in the way of hope and happiness, and giggle-inducing banter. If you love those things to, definitely pick Whyborne & Griffin up, don’t be like me and keep delaying it for no sane reason. It’s awesome so far.

Other than just being a really fun and scary supernatural adventure, I feel like this book does great as a series installment specifically. It picks up so many small threads from the first novel to develop and sets up …

“This could still go horribly wrong.”
“True. But at least they now have hope.”

Second book in, this series continues to be excellent entertainment. It’s combining all of my favorite things: creepy af eldritch horrors, ongoing romance with flawed characters, a villain who does something horrible because he feels it’s the more moral choice compared to the alternative, unpleasant historical realities not being glossed over and yet not being allowed to stand in the way of hope and happiness, and giggle-inducing banter. If you love those things to, definitely pick Whyborne & Griffin up, don’t be like me and keep delaying it for no sane reason. It’s awesome so far.

Other than just being a really fun and scary supernatural adventure, I feel like this book does great as a series installment specifically. It picks up so many small threads from the first novel to develop and sets up hooks for stuff to come. I feel it’s particularly evident when it comes to character and relationship arcs. Speaking of the latter, I kind of really dislike the places the guys’ relationship went into on a personal level, but I’m really digging it on a storytelling level, kinda? I mean, the circumstances of the third act break-up in the first book clearly showed they’re in for a rocky ride, but then they transitioned into a honeymoon period and kind of swept it all under the rug. But the events of this installment, particularly the involvement of Griffin’s ex, make it impossible to keep that metaphorical rug smooth over the pile, so we’ve got Whyborne’s jealousy and Griffin’s insecurities spilling all over the pages. I think they got pretty toxic at one point tbh, and I feel oddly let down by Griffin. It’s already evident that his whole deal is that he’s spent most of his life as a lying liar who lies, but I thought that some of his personal qualities that particularly endeared Whyborne (and me) toward him, like his inherent kindness, were his actual true colors shining through whatever masks he wore. Now, I’m not so sure. I’m glad the guys were able to talk it out and recommit to each other, but I continue to not be sold on them as a longterm, endgame type couple. They have great chemistry and are entertaining together, but are they *good* for each other? I’ll see what the next books have to say.

As for the book’s flaws, there’s once again the matter of the spicy scenes being kiiiiiiinda cringey due to some word choices, but I think they’re getting better, and I like how by the end of this novel the author started actively using those scenes as tools for more in-depth character development. And then there’s also the mystery—it got *sooo* good around the final 30% of the book with all the reveals and action and high-stakes moments, but I think that some of the threads from the same mystery’s set-up got forgotten. Like, that whole odd alien stone that basically started it all—literally everyone stopped thinking about it midway through investigation. Honestly, now that I think about it closely, I have to admit Jordan L. Hawk is far better at the action-y parts of horror than at the investigative horror these books are billed as, and what the investigative parts are lacking is attention to detail. So now I’m here thinking about constructing effective mysteries and how to make every detail matter or feel like it matters, and I like these thoughts. They’re inspiring.

All in all, I’m really excited to continue with this series. I hope Christine continues to be a prominent presence and that she’ll have more of her own stuff to do rather than just accompanying the leads, because she’s amazing and deserves all the storylines. Excited to see what other curveballs Whyborne’s family has to throw, especially now that he’s utilized his newfound experience in standing up to unspeakable horrors in order to stand up to his father’s butler. Hoping that all those hints about the magic book trying to influence Whyborne’s judgment pay off at some point and create a glorious mess. And I really want to see what kind of person Griffin really ends up being once he’s done dealing with all the self-inflicted layers of deception (it’s so cool, by the way, how Whyborne’s POV makes Griffin’s arc so obvious even as Whyborne himself doesn’t seem to be fully cognizant of his boyfriend’s issues!).

WardenRed reviewed Saga, Volume 5 by Brian K. Vaughan (Saga, #5)

Brian K. Vaughan, Fiona Staples: Saga, Volume 5 (2015)

"While Gwendolyn and Lying Cat risk everything to find a cure for The Will, Marko …

None

4 stars

Boredom makes dragons hungry, you know.

This book picks up right where the first installment of the Drake Chronicles left off and finally makes good on the first book’s early promises with all the big politics coming into play. Which means it once again leaves me feeling slightly deceived, lol. Because the first book made all those promises and then turned into a cozy slice-of-life about adapting to life at a foreign court and learning new customs and falling in love etc, etc. Now I picked up the next one expecting more of the same, with maybe slightly higher stakes, but instead there are epic journeys and dragons and battles and an ever-increading number of POVs? Like, none of that is a bad thing, and a lot of it is quite intriguing, but can this series decide what it wants to be, please!

All in all, I feel this …

Boredom makes dragons hungry, you know.

This book picks up right where the first installment of the Drake Chronicles left off and finally makes good on the first book’s early promises with all the big politics coming into play. Which means it once again leaves me feeling slightly deceived, lol. Because the first book made all those promises and then turned into a cozy slice-of-life about adapting to life at a foreign court and learning new customs and falling in love etc, etc. Now I picked up the next one expecting more of the same, with maybe slightly higher stakes, but instead there are epic journeys and dragons and battles and an ever-increading number of POVs? Like, none of that is a bad thing, and a lot of it is quite intriguing, but can this series decide what it wants to be, please!

All in all, I feel this is what we used to call romantic fantasy before those words were shortened to romantasy and started defining a specific brand of capital R romance in a magical secondary world setting. It’s a fantasy adventure with elements of a family saga, there are dragons and adventures and drama, and there are also prominent romantic storylines. Eric and Ollie’s continuing love story is the biggest among them, but there’s also Tessa’s love triangle with Eric’s nephews that is steadily getting more tangled, and the evolving tension between Revna and Bryne, and then in the “meanwhile back in Drakewell” chapters we’ve got Amelia and Malcolm, whom I’ve personally been really rooting for, but I digress. What I mean to say, this isn’t a straight-up romance following a single couple, but it’s a very romantic story still and maybe just a bit of soap opera, except in a viking-inspired fantasy land with dragons. A pretty entertaining one at that, my gripes with the slight mood whiplash notwithstanding.

I liked seeing Ollies come more into his own and let his sassy side show more and more, both with Eric and around other people. I really, really liked the exciting worldbuilding developments: between shamans and dragons and necromancy, there was never a dull moment in terms of all these discoveries. And the characters all remain really well fleshed-out. What the book is severely lacking, though, is proper editing. There are a lot of typos and awkward turns of phrase that scream “first draft,” and the narrative itself really begs to be tightened up. Because sometimes, it just goes off on tangents, or there are obvious filler/fluff scenes taking up too much space, and while there’s some great character work in those for the most part, it really messes with the pacing.

WardenRed reviewed Wreck the Halls by Tessa Bailey

None

3 stars

A thirty-year-old secret, shame, and regret abolished by love.

Here comes yet another book that seemed so fun from the blurb yet ended up a complete miss. My book-picking game is clearly very off.

I did have some real fun with this one, at least—though not because of the things I expected to enjoy about it. Rather, despite them. Because see, when it comes to romance, I expect to be invested in the main couple, but here, these two characters just honestly baffled me. Beat especially (if someone’s blackmailing you with your family’s dirty laundry, idk, maybe getting the money from agreeing to a reality show that is almost guaranteed to dig into your family’s dirty laundry is… not the best move?). But honestly, both of them made so many weird choices and conclusions, especially about each other, and I really didn’t get how their brand of insta-love worked. …

A thirty-year-old secret, shame, and regret abolished by love.

Here comes yet another book that seemed so fun from the blurb yet ended up a complete miss. My book-picking game is clearly very off.

I did have some real fun with this one, at least—though not because of the things I expected to enjoy about it. Rather, despite them. Because see, when it comes to romance, I expect to be invested in the main couple, but here, these two characters just honestly baffled me. Beat especially (if someone’s blackmailing you with your family’s dirty laundry, idk, maybe getting the money from agreeing to a reality show that is almost guaranteed to dig into your family’s dirty laundry is… not the best move?). But honestly, both of them made so many weird choices and conclusions, especially about each other, and I really didn’t get how their brand of insta-love worked. They just confused me, both as individual characters and especially as a couple.

On the other hand, the whole plot with the tv show and reuniting the MCs’ moms’ band was pretty entertaining. Sometimes cheesy, sometimes slightly unhinged, but it was all good fun, and I honestly kept wishing it was at the forefront of the book more often. Both moms were hilarious, especially their banter when they ended up in a scene together, and their clashing personalities really gave those reality tv vibes. They made me laugh the way only mildly horrible yet occasionally well-meaning people can.

Still sad I didn’t get the type of romance I came from though.

WardenRed reviewed Emperor and the Endless Palace by Justinian Huang

Justinian Huang: Emperor and the Endless Palace (2024, Harlequin Enterprises ULC)

“What if I told you that the feeling we call love is actually the feeling …

None

3 stars

What if I told you that the feeling we call love is actually the feeling of metaphysical recognition, when your soul remembers someone from a previous life?

My feelings on this book are so incredibly mixed! On one hand, I adore the idea of it: a lifetimes-spanning love story (definitely not a genre romance though) with the narrative going back and forth between historical periods. On the other hand, I kind of disliked the execution, and in many ways I’m still struggling to put a finger on the specific flaws that hindered my enjoyment. I think they exist somewhere on the intersection of structure and characterization. The way the timelines intersected within the larger narrative was often confusing and I failed to grasp the logic between the switches from one to another. The characters didn’t really feel like versions or reflections of the same souls through the ages, more …

What if I told you that the feeling we call love is actually the feeling of metaphysical recognition, when your soul remembers someone from a previous life?

My feelings on this book are so incredibly mixed! On one hand, I adore the idea of it: a lifetimes-spanning love story (definitely not a genre romance though) with the narrative going back and forth between historical periods. On the other hand, I kind of disliked the execution, and in many ways I’m still struggling to put a finger on the specific flaws that hindered my enjoyment. I think they exist somewhere on the intersection of structure and characterization. The way the timelines intersected within the larger narrative was often confusing and I failed to grasp the logic between the switches from one to another. The characters didn’t really feel like versions or reflections of the same souls through the ages, more like completely separate people. All the storylines felt like they lacked space—maybe each of them would’ve done better as a whole separate book.

At the same time, there were definitely a lot of moments that really stuck with me, especially in the historical storylines (the modern one, truth be told, I could practically do without). I liked the folklore-inspired bits and all the reminiscences about fate and power. But it was also a constant back-and-forth between the pages that kept me engrossed and the ones that were tedious to get through. Such a weird effect. It’s like I’ve read two or three books awkwardly smashed together. Even the prose wasn’t consistent: it flowed so well in some parts, then turned incredibly clunky for a while. Perhaps this just wasn’t a book for me, even though it sounded like it should be from the blurb!

WardenRed reviewed Cursed Cocktails by S.L. Rowland (Tales of Ardrea, #2)

S.L. Rowland: Cursed Cocktails (EBook, 2023, Aethervale Publishing)

When life gives you lemons, squeeze them into a stiff drink and stir.

After …

None

4 stars

Anyone can pour a shot, but to really understand the ingredients, to create a cocktail, now that is art. No different than a potion or elixir brewed by a competent mage.

Well. This was really engrossing in some ways, and incredibly boring in others. In many ways, it reminded me of a TTRPG setting book more so than a novel. Just with a bigger-than-usual helping of narrative holding it together. I got a pretty thorough impression of the city of Eastborne, and a decent understanding of Aedrea as a whole, and some idea of all those places mentioned in the MC’s father’s journal/cocktail recipes collection. Everything remotely plotty that happens on the page feels precisely like story hooks for someone to turn into actual story that’s more than just an assortment of events. The characters have their rare moments, but for the most part, feel quite flat—like they’re merely …

Anyone can pour a shot, but to really understand the ingredients, to create a cocktail, now that is art. No different than a potion or elixir brewed by a competent mage.

Well. This was really engrossing in some ways, and incredibly boring in others. In many ways, it reminded me of a TTRPG setting book more so than a novel. Just with a bigger-than-usual helping of narrative holding it together. I got a pretty thorough impression of the city of Eastborne, and a decent understanding of Aedrea as a whole, and some idea of all those places mentioned in the MC’s father’s journal/cocktail recipes collection. Everything remotely plotty that happens on the page feels precisely like story hooks for someone to turn into actual story that’s more than just an assortment of events. The characters have their rare moments, but for the most part, feel quite flat—like they’re merely vehicles for exploring the world.

That last part was really a big disappointment for me, not just because I generally prefer character-driven fiction, but also because the MC’s deal at the very beginning looked so promising. I was looking forward to watching a war veteran with magic-related chronic pain start a new life and find hope and healing, while dealing with the baggage in some way. Instead, it didn’t feel like that baggage even existed outside of occasionally bringing up the pain and the magic. Rhoren mostly just… completely discarded the old and focused on the new. He could have had any other type of backstory and nothing would change, neither about his personality nor what there was of the plot.

The setting, on the other hand, *is* very well-described, cozy, picturesque, and livable. I wish I could visit. All the cocktail-recipes are very fun and lovingly described, too.

WardenRed reviewed Dusty's Diary Box Set #1-3 by Bobby Adair (Dustin's Diary)

Bobby Adair: Dusty's Diary Box Set #1-3 (EBook, 2013, 10/18)

One Frustrated Man's Apocalypse Story

It didn't happen overnight, not like in the movies.

…

None

5 stars

The monsters are real, but they aren’t here now. You’re safe.

I have no idea why I waited so long to start this series. Obviously the wrong choice, because I love it! This first book isn’t without flaws, but it hits so many of my preferences in such good ways. I knew going in there would be lovecraftian horror elements here, but I didn’t realize it’s full-on lovecrafian fiction, down to the MC being a Miskatonic University alumni. Lovecraft made queer happens to be my favorite brand of horror in the world (I’m kinda an eldritch thing at heart), so that alone was enough to make me squee in excitement early on, and the way all the horrors were handled? 10/10! The vibe and the ratio of horrors to investigations to interpersonal hijinks reminded me of some of my favorite Call of Cthulhu campaigns I was in. Just. Exactly …

The monsters are real, but they aren’t here now. You’re safe.

I have no idea why I waited so long to start this series. Obviously the wrong choice, because I love it! This first book isn’t without flaws, but it hits so many of my preferences in such good ways. I knew going in there would be lovecraftian horror elements here, but I didn’t realize it’s full-on lovecrafian fiction, down to the MC being a Miskatonic University alumni. Lovecraft made queer happens to be my favorite brand of horror in the world (I’m kinda an eldritch thing at heart), so that alone was enough to make me squee in excitement early on, and the way all the horrors were handled? 10/10! The vibe and the ratio of horrors to investigations to interpersonal hijinks reminded me of some of my favorite Call of Cthulhu campaigns I was in. Just. Exactly the absolute correct balance, 100% what it should be, can’t properly put into words the absolute rightness of it.

Whyborne, the MC/narrator, took his time to grow on me. At first, I was low-key annoyed by what a blushing virgin he was, and I don’t even mean his behavior in regards to his budding relationship with Griffin, just his whole wallflower mindset. It really seemed way over the top. But as the story progressed, I began to think that I would’ve been far less annoyed by him—maybe the opposite of annoyed, even—if I was seeing him through someone else’s eyes, not his own. He’s not *actually* the epitome of awkwardness, he just strongly perceives himself as such! He’s an unreliable narrator when it comes to himself. Once that clicked, I actually started appreciating him a whole damn lot. He may feel like he’s constantly making a fool of himself and annoying people, but when you just look at his actions, he’s in fact pretty badass. I loved all the multiple uses he found for the single fire spell, the way he kept coming close to falling under the implied influence of the eldritch spellbook and noping out every time, and everything he did around the culmination of the plot.

Griffin, on the other hand, stole my heart practically from his first appearance. There was just something so endearing about him and his kindness from the get-go, I totally understand why Whyborne fell for him so fast. There was a hot minute when I thought that maybe he was getting a bit too perfect, but then he started revealing hidden depth, ranging from eldritch-related trauma to some excellent acting/lying skills, and my interest was renewed again. I just kept looking at all these puzzle pieces, all the things he clearly wasn’t telling Whyborne without Whyborne realizing it, and thinking about all the potential ways they could be used in the third act to create the perfectly painful misunderstanding that would make way too much sense. (That is, in fact, exactly what happened. I loved every bit of that specific misunderstanding and everything that followed.)

I’m still unsure if I’m buying that I’m buying these two characters as an OTP, though. I’m definitely seeing the chemistry, and the grounds for bonding over bad past experiences, and they kick ass together against eldritch horrors and creepy cultists with a reasonable amount of synergy. But what I’m seeing in this book, at least on Whyborne’s part, feels kinda more like sexually charged puppy love with a potential of simmering down into great friendship rather than the beginnings of a strong romantic feeling. But hey, the series has like 10 more books to convince me of this partnership, and I’m definitely reading on for the love of the eldritch, so I’ll give these two a chance!

As for other characters, Christine is my absolute favorite. She’s awesome on every level. I would read a whole prequel series about her becoming this badass archeologist despite whateveer nonsense the men around her had to say about this. I hope she remains a fixture in all the subsequent books, and I hope she never changes because I’m in love with her no-nonsense attitude, her dry wit, her subdued compassion, her courage—*everything* about her. In a far less positive sense, I am fascinated by the Whyborne family and eager to read more about them. I expect some delightful messes and maybe a mild improvement in like 5 books or so, at this rate. Also, all the cultists who actually got names, personalities, and goals were really engaging to read about (and yes, I understand why they couldn’t all be important named characters, but I still remain curious about the rest).

When it comes to flaws, I guess I can complain about the spicy scenes being kind of cringey and some minor continuity details being off here and there. All in all, there’s this sense of the author and the story still finding their footing, with the narrative literally becoming stronger with each next chapter. I’m really excited for all that comes next.

WardenRed reviewed Death in the Spires by KJ Charles

KJ Charles: Death in the Spires (EBook, Storm Publishing)

“The newspapers called us the Seven Wonders. We were a group of friends, that’s all, …

None

5 stars

So: all of us could have, none of us would have, one of us did. It resembles one of those immensely tiresome riddles.

I’ve always enjoyed mystery subplots in KJ Charles’s romance novels, so I was pretty excited to read her first foray into mystery genre—and I wasn’t disappointed one bit. This novel has everything I’ve always loved about this author’s books: complex, fully realized characters, an engaging plot, and a strong sense of well-researched historical setting. There’s still a bit of queer romance here, too, though it’s just a side plot this time, with a messy, tangled web of other types of relationships taking center stage. All those human connections absolutely made the book for me and made me feel super invested in figuring out the identity of the killer (it was exactly who I’d suspected the most, but I still gasped at the reveal).

The premise is …

So: all of us could have, none of us would have, one of us did. It resembles one of those immensely tiresome riddles.

I’ve always enjoyed mystery subplots in KJ Charles’s romance novels, so I was pretty excited to read her first foray into mystery genre—and I wasn’t disappointed one bit. This novel has everything I’ve always loved about this author’s books: complex, fully realized characters, an engaging plot, and a strong sense of well-researched historical setting. There’s still a bit of queer romance here, too, though it’s just a side plot this time, with a messy, tangled web of other types of relationships taking center stage. All those human connections absolutely made the book for me and made me feel super invested in figuring out the identity of the killer (it was exactly who I’d suspected the most, but I still gasped at the reveal).

The premise is this: a member of a notable student clique in Oxford was mysteriously murdered about a decade ago, and to this day Jem, the protagonist, is haunted by the murder. When a letter accusing him of this crime shows up at his workplace and costs him his job, he feels the need to search for the real killer, no matter what sorts of secrets and baggage he dredges up in the process. His circle of suspects is pretty narrow and consists only of all the other members of what used to be a close-knit friends group.

As he reconnects with those former friends of his and lets them know of his intentions, the story turns almost dual-timeline with copious flashbacks highlighting the good, bad, and ugly times back at Oxford. I expected to enjoy those flashbacks the most, because I’m a sucker for the dark academia vibe, but in truth I mostly remained caught up in the present-day plot and appreciated those trips into the past simply for the context they added. Jem was such a compelling protagonist to follow, with a mixture of determination and doubts in his head that felt oddly relatable. And then there were all the others—Nicky, Prue, Aaron, Ella, Hugo. I can’t even settle on a favorite character, I love them all and would happily read a book with each of them as the MC.

As I’ve come to expect from this author’s works, there’s a fair amount of attention drown to the prominent social issues of the time period—some of which bear a striking resemblance to the issues we still have to contend with today, over a century later. ~~Sometimes I despair of human race~~. This is something I for the most part greatly appreciated, though I admit the handling of the subplot focused on reproductive rights was a bit heavy-handed. I fully agree with the sentiments shared by the characters and I think this is a super important topic to discuss today, in fiction and otherwise. But every time it came up, I felt like the characters were lecturing/ranting at me, the reader, on the issue rather than organically discussing it among themselves. And hey, I 100% nodded along with the rants! But those were the only times when I also felt taken out of the story.

WardenRed reviewed Being Happy: Part 1 by David Tuffley (Being Happy, #1)

David Tuffley: Being Happy: Part 1 (EBook, 2009)

True happiness, lasting happiness is within everyone's grasp through a process known as Self-Actualisation, a …

None

5 stars

‘Challenges make us stronger,’ Braden said to himself. ‘They also make us really miserable.’

This book is basically the epitome of the hurt/comfort trope, and it’s done really well at that. The hurt and the comfort aspects are fairly balanced and tightly interwoven, so I would recommend paying close attention to the trigger warnings. This is very much a story of an abuse survivor confronting the demons of his past before taking a step into the future, and nothing about his experience is downplayed. Which, in fact, was my favorite part of the book, even if so many scenes genuinely hurt to read. In a kinda cathartic way, though, because of how isncerely and respectfully the painful things were depicted.

In general, the book takes the common tropes of the omegaverse genre that are most commonly used for titillation and quite thoroughly interrogates the psychological and social implications between …

‘Challenges make us stronger,’ Braden said to himself. ‘They also make us really miserable.’

This book is basically the epitome of the hurt/comfort trope, and it’s done really well at that. The hurt and the comfort aspects are fairly balanced and tightly interwoven, so I would recommend paying close attention to the trigger warnings. This is very much a story of an abuse survivor confronting the demons of his past before taking a step into the future, and nothing about his experience is downplayed. Which, in fact, was my favorite part of the book, even if so many scenes genuinely hurt to read. In a kinda cathartic way, though, because of how isncerely and respectfully the painful things were depicted.

In general, the book takes the common tropes of the omegaverse genre that are most commonly used for titillation and quite thoroughly interrogates the psychological and social implications between them. There are lots of parallels to draw with the real world here, especially in terms of the way law systems treat society’s most vulnerable members, often perpetuating cycles of abuse. And at the same time, the overall tone somehow remains so focused on hope and healing. I loved the dynamic between Braden and Coll from start to finish, and I loved them both as characters. I also adored all the descriptions of the Australian wildlife that served as the backdrop, and how both characters interacted with it: Braden through his photography, Coll through his sheer love for the woods and his job as a forest guardian.

One thing that I can maybe complain about is that the structure was a bit… idk, sloppy? Like, the way certain plot beats were placed felt distinctly off. I attribute it to the fact that the author is more used to writing forever serials where different structural conventions come into play compared to the shorter, self-contained novel format. This didn’t spoil the enjoyment of the story for me at all, though!

WardenRed reviewed Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence by Max Tegmark

AI is the future - but what will that future look like? Will superhuman intelligence …

None

4 stars

You wish me to bind myself to the Dark Lord. To take vows I never planned to take with anyone, and then break them.

For such a short novel, there’s a stunning amount of fascinating worldbuilding here. So many details that kept me engrossed throughout: magical artifacts, the gods’ involvement, nature turning against people, the politics, the backstory behind it all. Every aspect of this world is super intriguing even in itself, and together they form a whole that’s just chef’s kiss. I’d absolutely love to read more stories set in this world. I’d love to play in a TTRPG campaign set there. I just want more of it!

The story itself, however, felt a bit rushed, or rather, just oddly paced. The beginning unfolded slowly, at least in terms of the book’s overall length, and then things started moving faster and faster, especially where the romance was concerned. …

You wish me to bind myself to the Dark Lord. To take vows I never planned to take with anyone, and then break them.

For such a short novel, there’s a stunning amount of fascinating worldbuilding here. So many details that kept me engrossed throughout: magical artifacts, the gods’ involvement, nature turning against people, the politics, the backstory behind it all. Every aspect of this world is super intriguing even in itself, and together they form a whole that’s just chef’s kiss. I’d absolutely love to read more stories set in this world. I’d love to play in a TTRPG campaign set there. I just want more of it!

The story itself, however, felt a bit rushed, or rather, just oddly paced. The beginning unfolded slowly, at least in terms of the book’s overall length, and then things started moving faster and faster, especially where the romance was concerned. There were multiple instances when it felt like the characters jumped to conclusions instead of actually thinking, or their feelings changed in the blink of an eye without much build-up. As a result, it was difficult for me to connect with their budding relationship, even though this blend of enemies to lovers and arranged marriage is a mixture after my own heart.

I really liked Skye, the protagonist, and the ethical dilemmas he was facing throughout the story. At the beginning, he is presented as a genuinely good man asked to do a bad thing for good reasons, but those reasons get more and more muddled as he leaves his home and learns more about the world around him. It was so interesting to follow him being affected by all the secrets, lies, and half-truths coming to life, although there were points where I wished some of these things were inspected deeper—there were parts that definitely felt rushed. Perhaps the story needed a bit more room to breathe so that the gorgeous worldbuilding and the plot could be better balanced. Overall, though, it was really enjoyable—and did I mention I want more from this setting? Because I so do.

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