Review: Starsight

Starsight by Brandon Sanderson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The second book of Sanderson's latest YA series moves a lot more slowly than its predecessor, but that's because this time around, we're still working to process the big reveals at the end of Skyward. With all the knowledge of this particular fictional universe turned upside down, and bursting open with the inclusion of yet more aliens, Spensa and M-Bot have their work cut out for them if they're to survive in a universe determined to eliminate them at all costs. And while most of the side characters are really sidelined - Jorgen, for instance, really only gets a few brief interludes every 80 pages or so - streamlining the story to focus much more on Spensa and M-Bot is a real boon. After this, we're halfway through what Sanderson is promising to be a four-part series, but it's going to be a really hard wait till 2021 for the third book. But at least he's got the fourth Stormlight Archive novel lined up for November of this year, so bonus!

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Review: The Conference of the Birds

The Conference of the Birds by Ransom Riggs
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Hard to believe that five years ago, the year began with me looking forward to what I was expecting to be the final book of the Miss Peregrine series. But of course Ransom Riggs had more adventures in store. Picking up from the terrifying cliffhanger of A Map of Days, Riggs brings us back into the peculiar world in fine, fine form as always - a much shorter book than its predecessor, but no less powerful or high-stakes for it.

Review: The Impossible Contract

The Impossible Contract by K.A. Doore
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Doore's second book of The Chronicles of Ghadid diverts away from the story of Amastan, making him a supporting character while the spotlight instead goes to a new queer assassin par excellence: Thana. She's got her own unique challenges to face as Ghadid is under threat from not only the usual undead nonsense from The Perfect Assassin, but also an Empress from a distant land threatening to colonize the great city in the sky - and let's be honest, she's already off to a great start, so it'll take all of Thana's skills to help stop her. Like its predecessor, The Impossible Contract moves as fast as the sands shift, and while it feels slightly less lyrical with its new POV, it showcases Doore's own ability to adjust storytelling style as the plot demands pretty well. One more book in the trilogy, and now I know exactly what that title means...

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Review: The Perfect Assassin

The Perfect Assassin by K.A. Doore
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It's been a bit since I first saw the first two books of K.A. Doore's debut trilogy - the last one not being out yet - on the fantasy shelves at work, and for a while I've been wanting to read them based almost entirely on S.A. Chakraborty's recommendation. Chakraborty is one of the biggest genii in the biz, so her rec is always a golden one, and The Perfect Assassin is no exception. Set in a wonderfully rendered Arabian-style city in the skies, featuring assassins and jann and ghuls for a lyrical blend of supernatural thrills and chills, and also some LGBTQ+ rep all around - especially in our main character Amastan, who's ace and homoromantic according to Doore herself. And his dynamic with Yufit...well, that's the stuff of legend. It's part of what really makes me glad I got Book 2 from the library along with this one!

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