#I finished reading Sword of Kaigen and it was such a heartbreaking read and so so good

[nani-nonny]

I finished my book now what… read my other book on my tbr list? Or continue where I left off on my fic lol?

[sailoryooons]

I have been reading again like crazy and I am a huge book recs girlie (legit on my personal instagram I post and rate books as if my friends give a fuck what I'm reading skjfhslkjhfs) but I'm just finishing reading The Sword of Kaigen by M.L Wang and if you're into reading fantasy... wow highly rec this book. It's heavily inspired by Japanese history and theology, and it is such a wonderful, heartbreaking read.

Maybe I should add a hali's actual book recs to my nav lmao I read so much dkrfigjh

[helloeurydice]

Best Books I read in 2021

Nobody asked, but here are the best books I read in 2021.

1. The Greenbone Saga by Fonda Lee

"Perhaps that was the great tragedy of jade warriors and their families. Even when we win, we suffer."

Now my favorite book series of all time. The Green Bone Saga chronicles the life of the Kaul family of the No Peak clan. This is being marketed as The Godfather meets kung fu meets magic and that tracks, but this series is much much more than that. The Green Bone Saga, at its core, is a family drama - and that's where the series excelled: its interesting and complex characters and their relationships. It has one of the best character arcs I have read (Hilo) and some of my favorite female characters (Shae, Wen, Mada). It also has one of the best worldbuilding in high fantasy. From the first page of Jade City, Fonda Lee will immediately immerse you in this fantasy metropolis. It's very visual and for me it played out like scenes from a Wong Kar-Wai film. Not to mention that it has well-written fight scenes, I think this is the first time I could picture out a fight scene vividly in my head (Fonda Lee's martial arts background definitely came in handy). This series is also heavy on the geopolitics and economics and I absolutely enjoyed this, it's one of my favorite things about GBS. I appreciate that Fonda Lee detailed the logistics of running a crime family, not just the military side, but also the business side. I'm not a fan of gangster/mafia stories and I usually steer clear of those, but picking up Jade City was one of the best decisions I made as this series has become my number 1 favorite book series.

Rating:

Jade City - 4/5 stars

Jade War - 4.5/5 stars

Jade Legacy - 10/5 stars (favorite book of the year and maybe ever?)

Overall - 5/5 stars

TW: violence, death, drug use, murder, torture, sexual content, addiction, abortion, pedophilia, rape

2. The Poppy War trilogy by RF Kuang

"History repeated itself, and she was only the latest iteration of the same scene in a tapestry that had been spun long before her birth."

The Poppy War trilogy is a grimdark military fantasy inspired by the second Sino-Japanese war, particularly the Rape of Nanking, and the Chinese Civil War. If you're familiar with those events, then you'll basically know the general plot of the series, just add shamanism and drugs and lots of heartbreak. Before Jade Legacy came out, this was my number 1 fantasy series, it's still in my top three though. This series is INTENSE. It will break you. It certainly broke me and I still haven't recovered since I finished the trilogy in July. Actually, I still haven't processed the entire and I want to break this series down because there's lots to think about (the commentary on colonialism and that ending alone give me lots of food for thought). Rin had one of the most interesting arcs I have read. She's an already unhinged girl becoming more and more unhinged as the series progresses. Watching her descend into madness and her realizing she's actually the villain and not the hero was both fun and heartbreaking. This also has my favorite platonic relationship ever (rinkitay, my babies). The series is not perfect, I have some issues with it but it's still one of the best I have ever read.

Rating:

The Poppy War - 5/5 stars

The Dragon Republic - 5/5 stars

The Burning God - 4/5 stars

Overall - 5/5 stars (still like it as a whole despite some issues in TBG)

TW: graphic violence, war-related violence, rape, sexual violence, substance addiction, massacres, genocide, self harm, abuse, human experimentation, cannibalism

3. The Sword of Kaigen by ML Wang

"Wholeness, she had learned, was not the absence of pain but the ability to hold it."

The more time passes, the more i realize i love this book, and it has cemented its place as one of my all-time favorite books. This is so underrated (only 7k ratings in goodreads, it's still underrated compared to other popular fantasy books) and you should read it now. The commentaries on propaganda, war, misogyny, family, and parenthood were written well and I enjoyed reading those. The characterizations were on point. The book had two POVs: Mamoru - the son, and Misaki - the mother. Misaki had one of the best character arcs I have read and is now one of my favorite female characters, the book is basically one giant character study of Misaki. The book also had an unusual structure, it had two climaxes, one leading up to the battle near the middle of the book, and another battle (this time more internal) near the end. The magic system is also interesting. The battle scenes were amazing. These people are basically waterbenders and they took waterbending to a whole new level. This book also made me legit cry, lol. It's intense, it's heartbreaking, but it's also hopeful. If you enjoyed the poppy war and would like to read a mature version of a:tla, then go read this book now!!!!

Rating - 4.75/5 stars

TW: death, violence, miscarriage, rape, suicide

4. The City of Brass and The Kingdom of Copper by SA Chakraborty

"People do not thrive under tyrants, Alizayd; they do not come up with innovations when they're busy trying to stay alive, or offer creative ideas when error is punished by the hooves of a karkadann."

City of Brass and Kingdom of Copper satisfied my craving for something MENA-inspired after We Hunt the Flame massively let me down. The first book was the very definition of no plot, just vibes but the vibes were immaculate and I had a fun time reading it. It was slow and focused on worldbuilding and politics. Characters still felt surface-level in the first book but I began to like them better in the second book. Shoutout to Prince Ali, my precious economist. As someone who previously worked in the government, I super enjoyed the fantasy economics and politics of development here. I have yet to read the third book but I hope it delivers a good ending.

Rating:

The City of Brass - 3/5 stars

The Kingdom of Copper - 4/5 stars

5. The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang

Favorite nonfiction book this year. This chronicles the events before, during, and after the Rape of Nanking. The book is easy to read but difficult to digest because of the subject matter but it's very eye-opening. The world made sure that Germany never forgets the holocaust. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Nanking, as there are still groups of people persistently denying the true nature of the massacre, or claiming that it never happened at all. RF Kuang dedicated the first poppy war book to Iris. In the epilogue to the 2011 edition, Iris' husband revealed that it was Iris' dream to have her books be made into documentaries or films, and RF Kuang dedicating her book to Iris made me emotional, lol.

TW: rape, sexual violence, death, gore, genocide, racism

Rating - 5/5 stars

6. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

No need to say anything, I think everyone likes this.

Rating - 4/5 stars

[celiabowens]

25 books recs from my 2020 reads

I’ve been wanting to make this post for a while, but I wanted to wait and see how my last reads of the year would go. Also, narrowing them down to 20 was a nope, so I just made a bigger list instead lol. I’ve tried to include a vague description of each book and the main trigger warnings and rep. I apologise in advance if I forgot anything (for trigger warnings, I suggest double checking on the site booktriggerwarnings).

Adult SFF

A Memory Called Empire: it feels like I’ve raved about this one enough but just in case: A Memory Called Empire is a space opera following an ambassador who suddenly finds herself in the middle of a murder mystery and a political conspiracy. It’s got brilliant world building and a nuanced and intricate reflection about culture, language and colonialism. Subtle slow burn f/f romance on the side (+ a poly relationship shown in flashbacks). TW: suicide.

Black Sun: first book in an epic fantasy series inspired by pre-columbian Americas. Great cast of characters and very interesting use of mythology + the main plot is focused on political and religious conflict and the author handles both sides of it quite well. The book has bisexual and non-binary rep, one of the main characters is blind. TW: suicide, abuse, self harm. There’s some gore, although it’s not extremely graphic.

The Sword of Kaigen: a Japanese inspired stand alone epic fantasy. The book is not focused on battle or war, although they play an important role in the plot itself, but on family dynamics and personal growth. It’s a very character driven novel, with some rather conventional elements (elemental magic) and some more original reuses of traditional fantasy tropes. TW: abuse.

Empire of Sand: first book in a duology of companion novels inspired by Mughal India. Mostly focused on religious and political conflict, although romance is heavily featured in both books. Pretty good slow burn romance in both cases. TW: abuse, slavery, torture, sexual assault, self-harm.

The Light Brigade: a rather unconventional space opera with a complex non linear narration. This is not an easy read in every possible way, but the pay off is worth it. Also it’s one of those cases in which I think it’s best to go in knowing nothing or almost nothing. TW: torture, murder, ptsd, war, gore, infectious diseases (yeah you need a strong stomach for this........).

Gods of Jade and Shadow: a coming of age story set in Mexico during the Jazz age. A bit of a lighter read, a journey-adventure featuring a god slowly becoming human, tasks to complete etc. TW: bullying.

River of Stars: more of an alternate history than pure fantasy, as most of GGK’s novels are. This one in particular was inspired by Chinese history and it’s ideally a companion to Under Heaven. Both can be read as standalones but I find their parallels and differences very interesting. I’d also recommend The Lions of Al-Rassan and A Brightness Long Ago, by the same author. All of them revisit historical events from the point of view of rather ordinary people who find themselves in the middle of events they can’t control. 

Empire of Gold: the last book in a trilogy, starting with City of Brass. The first novel is more trope-y and naive in places, but I found both the second book and the conclusion of the trilogy more nuanced and satisfying. There’s a m/m relationship on the side. TW: mass murder, torture, enslavement, abuse.

Adult SFF novella edition

The Deep: novella set in an underwater society built by the descendants of African slave women that were tossed overboard. The novella deals with trauma, both personal and generational one.

This Is How You Lose The Time War: epistolary set during a time-travel war. Enemies to lovers f/f romance. Very character driven, don’t expect a lot of world building.

The Empress of Salt and Fortune: an Asian-inspired novella that gives a voice to people usually silenced by history. It follows a cleric as they chronicle the story of the late empress, retold through objects that she used in her life. 

YA SFF

Return of the Thief/The Queen’s Thief series in general: the last book in the queen’s thief series! Honestly just read this series it’s literally too good? It is carefully planned from start to finish and it has politics, adventures, characters with extremely questionable morals and good banter? TW: loss of a limb, torture (not extremely graphic), ptsd.

The Kingdom of Back: probably Marie Lu’s best book yet? think of the concept of “shakespeare’s sister” as explained by Woolf in A Room of One’s Own, but with the Mozart siblings. I actually had no idea Mozart had a sister prior to reading this. It’s a quite emotional read, as it shows how little opportunities women had to be recognised for their talent.

Adult Literary Fiction

On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous: a beautiful exploration of language, family history, trauma, sexuality and gender. TW: war, ptsd, death.

Augustus: an epistolary historical fiction novel narrating some of the main events of Augustus’ reign through letters from/by his closest friends and enemies. Not even remotely historically accurate, but a lot of fun to read if you’re familiar with historical accounts of that period.

A Gentleman in Moscow: following Count Alexander Rostov, who, in 1922, is sentenced to a lifetime of house arrest in the Metropol, a luxurious hotel in the center of Moscow. A peculiar novel, funny and heartbreaking at once, following a vibrant cast of characters as they come and go from Rostov’s secluded life.

How Much of These Hills Is Gold: following two recently orphaned children through the gold rush era, the book is an adventurous historical fiction piece that focuses on themes like gender, identity and immigration. TW: abuse, sexual assault, racism.

The Memory Police: published in Japan in the mid 90s, but translated recently, it’s an orwellian dystopian novel set on an unnamed Island where memories of certain objects and feelings slowly disappear.

The Nickel Boys: the book follows the lives of two boys sentenced to a reform school in Jim Crow-era Florida. A bleak, but important book, with a shocking final twist. TW: abuse, racism, death.

Manga/Graphic Novels

The Girl from the Other Side

Opus: very meta, much like most of Satoshi Kon’s movies. Kon actually never finished this (the magazine he was publishing it on was cancelled) and a last chapter was published after his death after his family found the sketches for it.

Oriental Piano: based on the story of the author’s grandfather, who invented a musical instrument in Beirut in the 1960s, combining Arabic music and a western musical instrument. Sort of reminiscent of Satrapi’s style. 

Webtoons

Lore of Olympus (TW: sexual assault)

Clara and The Devil

Non Fiction

The Professor and the Madman: the peculiar and extraordinary tale behind the compilation of the Oxford English Dictionary. TW: self-harm, ptsd, war.

Honourable mentions: The Binding (TW: abuse, sexual assault, suicide. Gay rep.), The Silence of the Girls (TW: sexual assault, death, war), To Be Taught, If Fortunate (bi, ace, poly rep), The Kyoshi Novels (bi rep, f/f relationship).