Arkady Martine has, with one stunning novel, cemented herself among the Science Fiction greats. Plus, A Memory Called Empire is *fast*. Fast like a heart-pounding, adrenaline-rich action thriller, not to mention genuinely funny, emotional, and meticulously constructed.
Book Review | Kingdom of the Cursed
Kingdom of the Cursed feels like a bridge. A flat bridge, beautiful but slightly unimpressive, that soars above all the interesting stuff really going on below. The reader can see the general outline of what it's going to look like, way down there below the bridge, but is not allowed to see it in full.
Book Review | Death Fugue
Banned in China for its political implications relating to Tiannamen Square, Death Fugue manages to encompass art, philosophy, and love in an eerie story that sucked me in like quicksand.
Book Review | Zodiac Academy
Brooding inner turmoil and big muscles do not excuse stripping someone naked in public, biting them when they beg you not to, or general assault.
Book Review | Neuromancer
Connecting to these characters is hard, and not necessarily rewarding, even at the end. But that empty kind of discomfort...it reminded me of how modern netizen-dom can feel.
Science Fiction Is Not About the Aliens
Science Fiction is scary because it asks readers to cast their minds forward into the unknown, rather than, say, backward into fantastical versions of human history. But good science fiction isn't actually about the aliens and the robots. It's about universal problems we all have intimate knowledge of—love and hate as transcendent emotions; grief and … Continue reading Science Fiction Is Not About the Aliens
Book Review | The Priory of the Orange Tree
I stopped and started and almost put down this novel many, many times. By the second half, I was hate-reading it—or so I told myself. Maybe I was just reading it for the dragons. I like dragons. The audible narration saved me, because reading this novel in its physical form was an exercise in dispassion. … Continue reading Book Review | The Priory of the Orange Tree
Book Review | An Ember in the Ashes
Butterflies and big, dumb boys. Enemies to lovers and moral greyness for days. I bought into every character and conceit. I cringed and I cried. I’ve been on a serious YA binge this year, but An Ember in The Ashes still felt like a palate cleanser. The cheesiness is the delicious kind, trickling through the story like some kind of delicious cheese fountain.
Throne of Glass: Series Review
Coming to Throne of Glass from A Court of Thorns and Roses? Familiar with Sarah J. Maas and looking for takes comparing the two, or just takes thinking critically about SJM in general? Looking to commiserate after reading the most recent 700 page SJM book? Even if you're coming to SJM for the first time, … Continue reading Throne of Glass: Series Review
15 Popular, Easy to Read YA Fantasy Novels That Deserve to be Talked About More
The keyword here is popular—all of these books will have loving fandoms waiting to embrace you after you finish!
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