Review: The Verifiers

The Verifiers by Jane Pek
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

They whom I replaced at my current job recommended me this book when they gave a brief visit and explained that they were going to be training as a paramedic. They had this book in hand and sayd they were reading it for a book club. Having read it, I have to say their book club has great taste. It’s an unconventional murder mystery where protagonist Claudia Lin is a sort of PI at a firm that specializes in solving mysteries linked to dating apps - ghosting, missed connections, the works. But the twist…oh yes, a twist very similar to some thar I’ve worked on in my own manuscripts, though not the same way that Pek does (my twists on AI aren’t dating related, and my twist on dating apps is much more magical.) That said, though, Finn Cooper and Claudia Lin could get along pretty well if they were to ever meet. But for now, Finn could be a fan of Claudia’s, especially since in universe there will be an official film adaptation that needs to exist in our world too.

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Review: 888 Love and the Divine Burden of Numbers

888 Love and the Divine Burden of Numbers by Abraham Chang
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Okay I’ll be honest, that triple dose of Don Henley needle drops on the first official page set my expectations a little too high, but that’s even after seeing the low GR rating tempering them. I do love the film nerd and music nerd of it all, don’t get me wrong. Hell, the amusing dreams of conversations with big name directors from America and China alike, these scenes alone would be great little short stories. This book could’ve just as easily fallen into John Green pretension, but despite hitting his same combo platter of favorite tropes, it manages to be a hell of a lot more endearing. But that’s a low bar to clear.

Review: Wrath of the Triple Goddess

Wrath of the Triple Goddess by Rick Riordan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Happy Halloween, or: It’s the Great Polecat, Percy Jackson! The new trilogy continues with Percy seeking his second godly letter of recommendation for New Rome University, with his latest task being to house sit for Hecate and her pets while she’s away. Easier said than done when there’s always the temptation to touch something you shouldn’t, and when it’s Grover who does just that, cue another madcap adventure across the magic side of New York as he, Percy, and Annabeth fight to recover what they’ve lost from Hecate’s house. Though this one doesn’t get quite as introspective as last year’s Chalice of the Gods, it’s still an important episode for Percy, not only for how honest he is in the end, but also for the fact that this mission might just help restore Hecate to her former glory. Not exactly prophesied, but then again we all know Percabeth will be at New Rome University together in the end…so the question is, which god will be the one to challenge Percy for his third and final letter of recommendation? Hopefully we find out in a year’s time…

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Review: Dragonsteel Prime

Dragonsteel Prime by Brandon Sanderson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The origin of Sanderson’s brand, this book was a surprise to me, being featured with his Words of Radiance leatherbound Kickstarter - I was only expecting Secret Project #5! But here we get one of Brando Sando’s very first manuscripts, the one he wrote in college at BYU, fresh from the vault as a special treat. Looking at this book, it’s easy to see how it’s written by a much younger hand - especially with the heavy Funetik Aksents, as well as plot details big and small which turn up in Sanderson’s later works (I’m looking at you, Shattered Plains, and bridges.) But as a rare and distinct Sanderson Curiosity, it’s great to see where he got his start, because I can tell you I’ve been doing the same, taking elements of my college manuscript and tinkering with them on other projects too. It gives me just a little more hope for my own future career as a writer…

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Review: Castle of the Cursed

Castle of the Cursed by Romina Garber
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’m amazed this book doesn’t have a higher rating here on GR, because I have to say, it’s some of Romona Garber’s best work. Hella Spanish and hella Gothic, it’s the closest thing I’ve seen yet to a YA version of Crimson Peak, enough that I wouldn’t be surprised if Guillermo del Toro were to snap up the film rights and at least exec produce, if not direct, an adaptation. In which case it would also take some inspiration from Hellboy as well - especially once the true source of the terror is revealed, which also calls to mind a certain video game starring a certain pre transition Elliot Page in mo-cap. The only reason it’s not five stars from me is because the ending is just a bit too off the rails, but it’s too well crafted to get less than a strong four from me.

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Review: The Pomegranate Gate

The Pomegranate Gate by Ariel Kaplan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I saw this one on the shelf at Powell’s and ordered it right away at the library, not realizing it was about a year old and the sequel was just about to drop too. None of the libraries here have the sequel yet, though I’ve at least gotten in line for the ebook at Multnomah County Library when it’s available. I’m glad it won’t be too long a wait, because at least I’ll be able to jump into the next book relatively quickly. While waiting for Shannon Chakraborty’s long delayed second adventure of Amina Al-Sirafi, this book does for Jewish legends what The City of Brass did for Islamic legends. It’s set in an alternate history and geography, based on Spain in the time of the Inquisition and Reconquista, which with two protagonists both trying to escape to a free country while also dealing with the supernatural power struggles of the Mazikim, whose world is accessible via several gates all throughout the Mediterranean region, as well as deeper into Europe and Africa where the most far flung Jewish diaspora had gone at the time. Admittedly I’m here much more for the history than the characters, although Toba is an interesting one due to her immense linguistic skills. Thankfully, it won’t be long before I get to read the next one…


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Review: Celestial Monsters

Celestial Monsters by Aiden Thomas
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

It took Aiden Thomas a couple of years to follow up on The Sunbearer Trials and its shockingly dark ending, but now here they come with the duology's conclusion and...unfortunately it left me feeling whelmed at best. Though the first book was a 3.5 rounded up to a 4 because of the ending, this one is for me more of a 2.5 rounded down to a 2 because of its lackluster nature. Thomas had been very open about taking inspiration from Percy Jackson and The Hunger Games both, but for this book, it felt like they were doing The Sun and the Star in a similar environment to the ending of the Quarter Quell from Catching Fire. In other words, dark and murky, but drawn out to over 400 pages, making it unfortunately dully repetitive as well. While Teo, as the protagonist, provides the trans rep that has been Thomas's bread and butter from the start, his story arc (particularly his chemistry-free pairing with Aurelio - seriously, Aurelio is such an unlikable rich brat that I wish he could've died off in the first book) feels oddly low stakes and boring for what's supposed to be an apocalyptic adventure. It's very clear that this series should've been Xio's story from the start, because Xio gets all the interesting stories and character development in this one. For a number of reasons, I've been starting to outgrow Thomas lately as a writer, so I think this might be the last book of theirs I read for a good long while. Even if they do finally write a sequel to Cemetery Boys like they've been hinting for so long.

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