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Quick Review: ‘The Book of Sand’ by Theo Clare

The Family have been searching for a long time, in a desert world of dunes and ruined cities, but they are running out of time. They have missed ten opportunities for salvation already, and there are only twelve to go around…

I loved this book.

The Book of Sand grabs you, right from the start. It tumbles you headlong into the ruined world of the Dormilones Family, the dangers and fear they face. Running in parallel to the strange, apocalyptic world of the Family, is the story of McKenzie Strathie, a seventeen-year-old student from Virginia. The characters in both worlds are equally compelling and beautifully interwoven in a narrative that will absolutely keep you guessing until the end.

I also appreciated that there was such a strong emphasis on the family dynamic. If you’re looking for (forced) found family with an eerie, intense mystery? Look no further.

The best thing about this book, however, is that all the way through I found myself thinking: ‘When I read this again…’ Not if, when. Now that’s the mark of an excellent book.

Rating:  ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Genre: Fantasy

Trigger Warnings: Mild gore, mild body horror, fantasy violence, action violence, animal death, offscreen animal cruelty, and two more, included below the cut.

Would I recommend this? Yes

Would I read a sequel? …Maybe. This is the kind of book that is most powerful as a standalone.

Additional Trigger Warnings: Implied past rape (one mention), character death.

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Quick Review: ‘The Edge of Yesterday’ by CJ Birch

In Easton Gray’s time, the world is a ruin and humanity ekes out an existence underground, avoiding the murderous nanobots that live on the surface. To try and save humanity, she is sent back in time to kill Zach and Tess Nolan, but finds the job almost impossible to complete when she starts to fall for Tess.

I’ll be honest, I picked this up because it reminded me of the Terminator series. I thought it might, in fact, combine the Terminator with Kyle Rees, creating a fun, morally grey sci-fi adventure romance. And it did have… some of those things.

It had so much going for it – time travel, moral conundrums, even a time loop (my favourite)!– but although I really tried, something about this book just didn’t work for me. The pacing felt off, sometimes key events were glossed over, and the characters didn’t feel particularly distinct from one another in terms of narrative voice or personality.

I will say, the second half of the book did improve. Scene firmly established, we finally made a turn towards the Action genre, and the pacing of the story finally seemed to work with the narrative, rather than despite it. I’m also a big fan of that last line – great ending – but the change came just that little bit too late.

This book had some great concepts, but it just didn’t quite work for me.

Rating:  ★ ★ ½

Genre: Science Fiction, Romance

Representation: WLW, Lesbian

Trigger Warnings: Referenced death, referenced animal death

Would I recommend this? No

Would I read a sequel? No

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Quick Review: ‘Sinopticon: 2021′, edited by Xueting Christine Ni

Sinopticon 2021 is a collection of 13 Chinese science fiction stories, exploring some of the most familiar and interesting aspects of the genre. Zombies, space travel, AI, and the traveller out of time are just a few of the topics covered in this collection.

As with any collection of short stories from different authors, some I hated, some I loved. I disliked the strong emphasis on the importance of sex in The Return of Adam, and found Rendezvous: 1931 quite confusing. Cat’s Chance in Hell, however, was a wonderful, action-packed exploration of a soldier’s desperation to get home, and Flowers of the Other Side was a beautiful and emotional interpretation of that old favourite, the zombie with a heart. I loved the introspection it offered and the duality it explored of compulsion and hope. That one will stay with me, in the best way, for some time.

Most of what I disliked about this collection, actually, were some of the more stereotypical depictions of women: the nagging wife, the buxom sure-thing. But the more creative exploratory aspects of some of these stories balanced this out. Overall, I enjoyed it, and would definitely seek out other stories by some of these authors.

Rating:  ★★★★ ✰

Genre: Science Fiction

Trigger Warnings: Misogyny, sexism

Would I recommend this? Yes

Would I read a sequel? Yes

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Quick Review: ‘The Ministry for the Future’ by Kim Stanley Robinson

Quick Review: ‘The Ministry for the Future’ by Kim Stanley Robinson

This speculative science fiction novel explores the possible future of the world, roughly following the Ministry of the Future (MotF), an independent agency tasked with tackling the climate crisis. Stanley Robinson leads us through a series of events – some good, some bad – that follow a devastating heatwave in India, as the world begins to see the consequences of climate change first hand and try to work against them. The narrative is a global one, and the viewpoints in this novel support that: we hear from glaciologists in the Antarctic, refugees from Tunisia, farmers in India and many more. Despite the emphasis on the global, Stanley Robinson has not forgotten the human element: we roughly follow several characters through the course of their lives as they do what they can to try and save the world, dealing with the strange everyday events of a human life.

This is a fascinating and primarily hopeful look at our future on this planet. It is part encouragement – we can help, we can change – and part scathing indictment of the world’s banks and trade organisations for not doing more.

I’m glad I read this book. There’s a deliberate drive for hope and change throughout that made it a refreshing speculative sci fi read. That being said, there were parts of this book that I felt dragged a bit. It lost pacing in the middle – although that’s partly a plot point in itself – and I felt there were several points that felt more final than its actual end.

Rating:  ★ ★ ★ ½

Genre: Science Fiction, Speculative Science Fiction

Representation: (Minor characters) Nonbinary, WLW.

Trigger Warnings: Terrorism, Global crisis, implied offscreen domestic violence, palliative care

Would I recommend this? Yes

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Quick Review: ‘The Once and Future Witches’ by Alix E. Harrow

In 1893, there is no such thing as witches. They have all been killed in the purges of the centuries before. But the three Eastwood sisters have the will to bring witching back. Now all they need are the words and the ways. Set against the backdrop of the Suffragette movement, the sisters must overcome their differences, their fears, and perhaps something more sinister than even their darkest dreams to find themselves, and the magic they know lies waiting.

The Eastwood sisters are a ragtag bunch of protagonists: June with her fierce ambition and biting ambition; Agnes with her suspicion and inner conflict; Bella with her paranoia and self-worth issues. In archetype, they’re all characters that I love, but in practice I had difficulty connecting to them in this book. I think something about the balance of the perspectives didn’t quite work for me, though there were plenty of moments that I loved.

I did, however, enjoy the writing style and pacing of this book; even when I had difficulty connecting to the characters, the story pulled me in and along. The second half of the book, in particular, was difficult to put down. The reworked fairy tales scattered throughout appear at logical moments for the plot, which I enjoyed, and often contained little hints and easter eggs.

I also appreciated the queer representation in this book. Without giving too much away, the early concept of there being “women’s magic” and “men’s magic” is unpicked very neatly, with some lovable and subtle characters whose stories both do and do not hinge on their identities.

Rating:  ★ ★ ★ ½

Genre: Fantasy, Historical

LGBTQ+ Representation: WLW, MTF

Trigger Warnings: Torture, Burning

Would I recommend this? Yes.

Would I read a sequel? No.

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Quick Review: ‘Redemptor’ by Jordan Ifueko

In the sequel to Ifueko’s Raybearer, Tarisei has overcome her curse and solved the mystery of the Kunleo line. To uphold the treaty and stop the deaths of thousands of children, she has been given two years convince the wary and suspicious rules of the twelve countries of Arit to love her, and then find a way to survive the world of the dead. But the dead don’t plan to make it easy for her…

I was incredibly nervous when I started this book. Would I love it as much as I loved Raybearer? The last book ended so well, would this one live up to the hype, or would I end up wishing Raybearer had been a standalone?

Well, folks, I finished reading the e-book I’d received as an ARC and immediately went and bought myself a physical copy. This is just one of those books I’m going to want to read again and again, and one of those stories I’d like to hold close.

Redemptor falls easily back into the brilliant pacing and passion of the first book. Obviously, some things are a little different: Tarisei has a new focus, and the narrative attention has shifted accordingly, but although some of Tarisei’s council siblings take a step back for this sequel, the heavy emphasis this book places on connection and compassion means they never feel lost or excluded from the more immediate plot.

Also, as an asexual person, I really appreciated the continued attention on a certain character’s sex repulsion, as well as the emphasis that he is not alone in his feelings.

With complex philosophical decisions, beautiful worldbuilding, and a wonderfully diverse cast of characters, this series continues to be an absolute delight. If you like found family, complex and interesting magic systems, and diverse fantasy, I would absolutely recommend you check this duology out.

Rating:  ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Genre: Fantasy

LGBTQ+ Representation: Asexuality, WLW

Trigger Warnings: Fantasy violence, self-loathing (unrelated to sexuality)

Would I recommend this? Yes!

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Quick Review: ‘The Symmetry of Stars’ by Alex Myers

The twin gods, Nature and Nurture, devise a contest to decide which of them shall rule. Each chooses a set of twins and raises them according to their beliefs, preparing them for the ultimate trials of strength, mind, and spirit.

This is a lightly philosophical novel. Our main character, Nurture, spends a lot of time considering the benefits of Nature vs Nurture: in order to nurture, she must follow her nature, ironic considering she opposes her brother in all things. It’s a nice touch, and her musings come at excellent moments in the story, and are rarely dwelt on very long. Sometimes, in fact, I would have appreciated a bit more musing.

It is, however, the human twins, our combatants, who are aptly the stars of the story. Through Nurture’s eyes, we follow all four children as they grow. Their stories are beautifully crafted, their personalities varied just enough to make them all uniquely interesting.

The only thing that really let this book down, for me, was the pacing. Although Nurture is our main character, her role, essentially, is to tell the tales of the twins. When we spend too long with her, therefore, the pacing dips a little; rather than getting to know her, we’re desperate to be off, learning to ride, learning to fight, listening to stories.

I did enjoy this book, but I felt as though some reframing would have really helped push it into something unique and special.

Rating:  ★ ★ ★ ✰ ✰

Genre: Fantasy, Historical

Trigger Warnings: Mild sexual harassment, Sexism

Would I recommend this? Yes

Would I read a sequel? No

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They had both written poetry at school, Robespierre remembered. Camille had been no better at it than him, perhaps worse. He was right about one thing: the Revolution had made him, as a person, a husband, and a writer. It had given him his language. The trouble was, it was a language far more permanent than Camille's own convictions. He believed what he wrote at the time, fully and absolutely, but then moved on, leaving the afterimage of his words. And behind him, those words took on a life of their own.

H. G. Parry, A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians

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You are the guardians of the secrets of the universe, beloved of worlds that most will never dream of, much less see... can't you see where you owe it to yourselves to be kind?"

Seanan McGuire, Every Heart A Doorway

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"Why are there so many more girls here than boys?" "Because 'boys will be boys' is a self-fulfilling prophecy," said Lundy. "They're too loud, on the whole, to be easily misplaced or overlooked; when they disappear from the home, parents send search parties to dredge them out of swamps and drag them away from frog ponds. It's not innate. It's learned. But it protects them from the doors, keeps them safe at home. Call it irony, if you like, but we spend so much time waiting for our boys to stray that they never have the opportunity. We notice the silence of men. We depend upon the silence of women."

Seanan McGuire, Every Heart A Doorway

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She was a story, not an epilogue.

Seanan McGuire, Every Heart A Doorway

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The habit of narration, of crafting something miraculous out of the commonplace, was hard to break. Narration came naturally after a time spent in the company of talking scarecrows or disappearing cats; it was, in its own way, a method of keeping oneself grounded, connected to the thin thread of continuity that run through all lives, no matter how strange they might become.

Seanan McGuire, Every Heart A Doorway

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Narrate the impossible things, turn them into a story, and they could be controlled.

Seanan McGuire, Every Heart A Doorway

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Quick Review: ‘A Girl Made of Air’ by Nydia Hetherington

After many years of retirement, The Greatest Funambulist Who Ever Lived (our nameless narrator) has conceded to a single interview with a reporter. Inspired by the short exchange, she begins to write the story of her life, from unloved child of a post-war circus to a famous tightrope walker in New York.

Firstly, I should say that I enjoyed this book. Through all its grim tales and uncomfortable moments (please do see trigger warnings for this book if you’re at all concerned) I desperately wanted to keep reading. There’s a curious sense of magical realism to this story – myth is as important as the truth – and Hetherington’s characters have a larger-than-life quality, even as our narrator exposes the truth behind the myths. Are they likable characters? Debatable, but they’re certainly interesting.

The writing style is lyrical, and our narrator (unnamed) is full of personality and intense emotions, neatly drawing you in. I wanted to know her story, to know the details of the lost child that she is constantly searching for, but there were also some sections that made me incredibly uncomfortable as an asexual person. Don’t get the wrong idea: this is not a particularly sexy book – even at its most graphic, there is a certain distance to many of the events – but some of the assumptions made about desire and sexual interest struck an unpleasant chord with me that prevented it from being a four-star read. I am aware, however, that my relationship with sex is significantly more complicated than that of your average person: this is definitely a me issue.

Rating:  ★ ★ ★ ½

Genre: Historical, Fiction, Minor Magical Realism

Trigger Warnings: Rape, Holocaust, Suicide, Depression, Alcoholism, (Background) Infidelity

Would I recommend this? Yes

Would I read a sequel? I don’t think it needs one. No.

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Quick Review: ‘The Girl with the Hickory Heart’ by Lauren Nicolle Taylor

The Char and the Shen have been at war for generations, but a new plot has given the Shen a terrible advantage. When her brothers are drawn into the battle, Luna binds her emotions with a wooden heart, to strengthen her in battle, and finds that strength comes with a terrible cost. Together with Lye Li, former slave of the Shen emperor, she must find a way to save her brothers and her people. For Little Luna, the war is just beginning…

The magical premise of this book is a fascinating one. On one side, the tried and tested elemental magic of the Shen is given a new twist; on the other, there is the creative and original Char magic. This is, really, the highlight of this book. As part of their coming-of-age ceremony, the Char people choose a body part to replace with magically infused wood. Necks, arms, eyes… each has its own strengths and costs, and they’re displayed rather well in this book, though there’s definitely room for further exploration.

Although I tried, however, I really struggled to connect with some of the characters in this book. I think this is mostly a pacing issue; sometimes, I found myself wanting to linger on a section that was skipped through, or being forced to linger for the sake of repetition. I also struggled with the narrative style, though I’m aware that other people might find it engaging and immersive.

The second half of the book really settles into itself: character development is more consistent, the pacing hits its stride, and there’s a steady sense of building tension. It’s probably worthy of, at least, a three-star rating. But, unfortunately, I spent much of the first half of this book counting pages; it took me a very long time to settle in to this book.

Rating:  ★ ★ 1/2

Genre: Fantasy

Trigger Warnings: Fantasy violence, sexism, attempted suicide

Would I recommend this? No, although I do think the magic system is one worth watching.

Would I read a sequel? No

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Quick Review: ‘The Left Hand of Dog’ by S I Clarke

Lem has just booked a wonderful, quiet holiday in Canada to get herself used to being more adventurous, but she’s about to get much more than she bargained for. When her dog, Spock, is arrested by alien bounty hunters, Lem is dragged along for an eccentric ride across the universe.

The Left Hand of Dog is a chaotic, high-speed whirlwind of a love-letter to the space opera. Think Hitchhikers Guide meets A Long Way to a Small Lonely Planet meets Star Trek. It has an eclectic mix of characters, drawn from the old spaceship staples and given a few neat twists. I’m especially a fan of the way Clarke incorporates her geeky references into the universal translator; very clever. Although the plot is fairly standard, there’s something charming about this book. It made me happy to read, and that’s always a good thing. I was also quite happy to have a main character who had their identity reaffirmed very passionately by her new alien friends.

I didn’t always connect with the writing style – if you are looking for a high literary read, this may be one you wish to skip over for now – but I had a good time with this one.

Rating:  ★ ★ ★ ✰ ✰

Genre: Sci-Fi, Space Opera

Representation: Asexual, agender.

Trigger Warnings: Sex references

Would I recommend this? Yeah. It’s a fun, quick read.

Would I read a sequel? You know what? Yeah.

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Quick Review: ‘The Hand of the Sun King’ by J. T. Greathouse

Wen Alder is a child of two worlds. Born into a rich household in the ever-expanding Sienese empire, he is expected to exceed in his examinations, take up a scholarly position and quietly work to further his family’s power and reach in the empire. But when he is six years old, Alder’s grandmother gives him a new name, branded into him by the witch magic of Nayen, and as Foolish Cur he begins to discover a world beyond the polite and structured society of Sien. The Hand of the Sun King follows Alder, Foolish Cur, on his quest to learn the pure magic of the world, through countries and wars and rebellions.

I loved this book. With its expansive magic system and fascinating cast of characters, The Hand of the Sun King is an exploration of culture, imperialism and the reach of religion that is intensely immersive and beautifully paced.

Rating:  ★ ★ ★ ★ ½

Genre: Fantasy

Trigger Warnings: Fantasy violence, animal abuse (offscreen).

Would I recommend this? Yes.

Would I read a sequel? Definitely!