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readingrobin · 1 year

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Reading-wise, May was absolutely ROUGH. I've been trying to tackle my library book backlog, which is an incredibly formidable opponent, I'll tell you, and unfortunately a lot of them ranged from being simply okay to "why did I even put any time into this one?" As a result, by the end of the month, I was desperate to find anything that would slightly interest me, as I was heading towards a bit of a slump. I'm in the middle of a couple things now that I'm really enjoying and just didn't get around to finishing before May ended, so I'm going to say I'm leaving this month off on a positive note. Now I venture forth into June with summer reading challenges ahead of me and a new job that yeahhhh is really going to impact my reading time, but yay employment!

Total Books Reads: 9

Total Pages Read: 3,846

Books Read:

The Boneless Mercies by April Genevieve Tucholke (2.5/5) -

My curiosity towards this book really peaked with that cover design, which really draws in the eye well with the contrast of a dark blue with the firey red of a sunset and wolf silhouette. Gets you in the mood for an intense read, which here is a reinterpretation of Beowulf. It seems to be a fairly loose interpretation to my knowledge, just a group going off to fight against a monster, which sure seems to be Beowulfy enough. There was some imagination put behind some of the worldbuilding, except when it came to the setting, as it seems to be some Scandinavian-adjacent place with a lot of real world words all jumbled around. Norse becomes Vorse, Valhalla becomes Holhalla, Odin is Obin. It's not really my favorite kind of setting, basically something familiar with just maybe a few letters off, as it just seems less creative.

The Mercies themselves seem like a very bleak, but interesting concept, what with their entire purpose being assisted suicide. Immediately we can sympathize with the main character Frey, who has had enough of death and longs to make her mark on the world. Unfortunately, out of all the main leads, she's probably the least engaging. The other girls, Runa, Juniper, and Ovie, have way more compelling backstories and motivations that would make them fine POV characters that, in comparison, just make Frey look quite dull. Her quest for glory seems so hollow compared to what they've been through and want to achieve.

It wasn't a terrible book. The action flowed well, the stakes were high, and there were some effective emotional moments. It just didn't feel as strong as it could have been, like it could have used one more draft to get all the kinks out. I wanted to like it, but, overall, I just left the story feeling fairly neutral.

The Monkey King: The Complete Odyssey by Chaiko (4.5/5) -

An exceptional adaptation of the classic saga Journey to the West. Chaiko's watercolors always excel in heightening the tone of a scene, whether it's a dark, intense battle in the clouds, or a light, emotional parting of ways in a snowy forest. The style gives the comic a rough, traditional look, which pairs well with such a legendary and beloved story.

I am naturally biased because I will automatically love anything with a great portrayal of Sun Wukong. The Monkey King is always a great character to focus on when giving the story a new breath of fresh air, as he has the most compelling character development, going from heavenly menace to loyal disciple.

My only complaint is that, while the marketing and synopsis claim this is the complete story of the Monkey King, it does not follow Wukong, Sanzang, Bajie, and Sha's journey to the west to the very end. It concludes rather abruptly, only mentioning that several adventures lay ahead for them. It was a bit frustrating not to see the story reach its natural end, but at least it provides readers the opportunity to seek out more of it for themselves. Since it keeps the same epic, adventurous vibe of the original while keeping true to the characters, that enough makes it a worthy adaptation.

Dark Ride Vol. 1 by Joshua Williamson (3/5) -

Hard to give a lot of thoughts since we're only at the beginning here, but it seems like a promising, dark beginning. The amusement park gives off a Halloween Horror Nights at Universal from Hell sort of vibe, an infernal Disneyland complete with an iconic statue of the founder along with his creation. I like the look of the comic, unsurprisingly full of deep reds and dark colors. The designs of the devilish mascots are whimsical, yet take on a nefarious edge as the horror element starts to kick in.

It feels too soon to really give my thoughts on the characters. They don't make too much of an impact just yet, and I'm willing to give them a couple more issues to see if they start to stand out.

Interested to see where the story goes from here.

This Monstrous Thing by Mackenzi Lee (3.5/5) -

A neat steampunk reimagining of Frankenstein that gets fairly meta at times. It provides a nice alternative history that, while not entirely accurate, perfectly serves the point of the narrative. Lee evokes a similar coldness in her retelling of the old romantic tale, though mostly just in setting as the Victor Frankenstein equivalent actually has some humanity to him rather than a god complex gone rampant.

Alasdair feels like he comes from the opposite end of the humanity spectrum, still having an interest in the altering of humanity through machinery, but ultimately dabbles in mad scientist out of a love and need for his brother to survive. He is racked with a guilt that is more on a reasonable level for us to empathize with. I like the original Frankenstein, as much of a disaster as he is, but it's interesting to see a more grounded and human reinterpretation.

Also, Lee provided a much different envisioning of Mary Shelley than I think we in the gothic lit circle are used to. Again, I know I keep using this word, but she's so very human here, capable of faults and taking a story that isn't her own and flinging it to the masses before she could get any control over it.

I wish there was a bit more of Oliver. I think I was just missing him for a good chunk of the novel, seeing as he shows up for a chapter in the beginning and doesn't really work his way back in until maybe around the Act III portion of the story. Maybe I still prefer following the creature over the creator, but I suppose we get enough of him through Alasdair's memories in those portions.

Big hoorah to Clemence's queerness being an aspect, (that I totally think deserves her getting her own story and girlfriend) and lack of romance between her and Alasdair besides being the main duo of the book.

For A Muse of Fire by Heidi Heilig (2/5) -

Woe to all the readers that are always lured to a book because there's a badass dragon on the cover, only to realize that there aren't any actual dragons in the book. Okay, maybe on a technicality there is, but really there was no amount of technicality dragon that was going to save this book for me.

For a Muse of Fire was probably the most frustrating time I've had with a book in a while, for multiple reasons. The plot moves at a snail's pace, rarely getting anywhere or committing to a sense of conflict that doesn't end with Jetta running away. There were several moments during the first portion I was ready to put it down altogether, but the middle portion seemed promising and actually flowed much better than the beginning, only for the end to sink back into that meandering pace. Things do happen, twists are revealed, but it feels like the book never spends time on them long enough for them to mean anything. There's no build up to them, no sense of shock or thinking about the implications, only a passing reaction and, boom, we're back on our way.

Jetta as a character is also incredibly hard to become invested in. As I said before, she doesn't really tackle conflicts head on, only runs away until the plot says she can't anymore. She repeatedly makes very dangerous decisions, like straight up showing her magic right in front of the guy that would probably kill her if he knew about her magic just to get passage on a ship. From the author's note, it's also mentioned that she is bipolar, which could explain her more impulsive decisions, but I don't know, she never read as bipolar to me. Perhaps that's more on me not the the symptoms of being bipolar, as it is a condition the author shares.

The only part of the book that really stood out to me was the slight historical inspiration of a France-adjacent country occupying what can clearly be seen as a parallel to southeast Asia. Here you can really see elements of colonialism, military occupation, and cultural erasure. It's incredibly heavy at times, as Helig doesn't shy away from any brutality. It feels like the most genuine aspect of the book, and so it slightly raises my rating a bit.

Since getting through this book was such a struggle towards the end, I don't think I will be continuing with the series.

The Owls Have Come To Take Us Away by Ronald L. Smith (1.5/5) -

I can always appreciate a book for tweens that's not afraid to get a little disturbing. Smith clearly knows how to lay the tension on thick, providing us with a seemingly unreliable narrator as well as giving us a clear, honest picture of their fear through voice and tone. There were moments where I was genuinely unnerved by what seemed like the mental unraveling of Simon, a middle schooler that believed he was abducted by aliens. Even before the encounter, Simon always seems a tad paranoid, afraid of otherworldly threats and experiencing feelings of being watched. The fast paced nature of the book heightens a sense of tension, as it never really gives you a moment's rest.

However, what initially came off as a horror story about a boy fearing capture by unknown forces and constantly going unheard by everyone around him really loses any effects it had by the end. The climax of the final chapter, while rushed, provides such a bleak ending yet feels complimentary to the rest of the book. Unfortunately, all of that is undone within three pages. We go from an epic turning point in the story where our main character's fears are fully realized, the future is unclear, and we don't know what sort of danger awaits him, only to rush forward 100 years to see everything was always going to be hunky dory. It seems drastically disappointing. I understand that this book was written for younger audiences, but I've seen countless books that were able to go to similar places and stick their more unhappy endings. And dang, aren't those the ones that stick with you in your childhood?

And yeah, continuing the stigma of "parents are never going to listen to you so don't tell them anything/therapists are only there to pump drugs into you to make you behave" is not great. It's concerning that these elements are still found in stories for youth today, where mental health is becoming more rampant of an issue. I understand it might have worked against the conflict of the book, but Simon deserved some sort of validation somewhere or got his moment to feel understood.

I won't count reading this book as a total loss, since I was able to finish it in a day and got some sort of emotion out of it. The representation of a biracial lead is drastically needed in more sci-fi/horror stories, so I'm glad that it's here, but sadly representation doesn't exactly make up for a poor story.

Nayra and the Djinn by Iasmin Omar Ata (3/5) -

Has a wonderfully soft, pastel color pallet that gives it a sort of astral look. The mixing of all the purples and pinks give it a welcoming atmosphere and brings out the magic of the story. It was great to learn about more about Ramadan, as it was a holiday I was unfamiliar with and I'm always so excited to learn more about holidays from cultures different from mine.

While the story had a good foundation, I wish we got a bit more development on certain things: Nayra's relationship with her family, the djinn's world, Rami's home life, and some more resolution with the bullies.

Strange Grace by Tessa Gratton (3.5/5) -

There is something that is so subtlety charming about this book. It often comes off as a folk horror story, in which a town must sacrifice one of their own to appease the malevolent force that lives in the woods and keeps their town from experiencing famine, disease, and overall hardship. There's a good dose of body horror as well, in which flowers and thorns grow out of skin, which is enough to give you a bit of a tingle down your spine. The beginning is somewhat of a slow start, as we see the town worry about how the ritual has come too soon this year and the concerns of some of the potential sacrifices, but when it finally gets going it keeps that energy for the rest of the story.

What I really appreciate is the strength of the love between the main trio. I always applaud an author that takes relationships that in any other YA novel would have been a contentious love triangle and instead creates a more polyamorous union between them. It gives a good bit of representation, subverts a trope that's been done to death, and honestly feels so refreshing to see characters that all truly like each other.

While I found this book entertaining and worth reading, I don't know if I'm going to remember it a year from now.

The Dreamway by Lisa Papademetriou (3/5) - A perfectly serviceable middle grade book that gives a well meaning allegory for depression and the process in which one loses themselves to their negative thoughts and emotions. For me, it didn't read as anything groundbreaking, but it may make quite a difference to a young reader trying to navigate those feelings. The ending seemed a tad abrupt, and there were a few plot elements that didn't really get much resolution as a result.

DNFs:

The Wolf Gift by Anne Rice - Honestly, I don't think I could take the book seriously after Anne Rice compared a man turning into a werewolf to getting a boner. I was too busy snickering to even process what I was reading. I think I want to stop mainly because I think that's one of the only things I want to remember about this book. That the main character, Reuben the Wolf Man, is the most basic, has-all-the-charisma-of-a-paper-bag lead and Anne Rice made a metaphor I don't think I'll ever forget.

Average Rating: 2.94/5

#robin's book log #reading wrap up #monthly wrap up #the boneless mercies #the monkey king: the complete odyssey #dark ride #this monstrous thing #for a muse of fire #the owls have come to take us away #nayra and the djinn #strange grace #the dreamway

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