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…

View all my reviews

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…

View all my reviews

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.

View all my reviews

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…


View all my reviews

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.

View all my reviews

Review: We Solve Murders

We Solve Murders by Richard Osman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

While Osman takes a hiatus from his signature Thursday Murder Club mystery series, he starts a new one with a slightly more international cast, if not a more likable one. In fact, most of the characters - except old Steve, who really ought to cross over with the Thursday Murder Club sometime, if not for the fact that he lives miles away from their community - just aren’t likable at all. Though that leads to some dark amusement when the murders are all of insipid influencers, a prime suspect is a crap actor best known for his role in a Fast and the Furious type franchise, also involved is an author who is basically J.D. Robb crossed with the stoner retired house DJ who’s been known to frequent my buddy Koda’s place, and the villain is a cackling Frenchman who may or may not just be ChatGPT. I lowkey hope Osman doesn’t make a series out of this one, but I think we all know the answer to that question, don’t we?

View all my reviews

Review: Heir

Heir by Sabaa Tahir
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

For a while this book was only known as “Sabaa’s Bane,” and now, having finally read it, I can see why. Returning to her star-making saga of An Ember in the Ashes with a hard hitting next generation story - and a vastly expanded world map to show how much development Tahir put into this fictional world - it’s also a complex high fantasy, YA in marketing only, with three primary POV’s that show just how brutal the next war is going to be.

Review: Exposure

Exposure by Ramona Emerson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’m not surprised that Ramona Emerson wasn’t going to stop at just Shudder, because there was clearly room for much more story to tell with Rita Todacheene. And so it goes with another paranormal murder mystery in New Mexico - this time set in a bone chilling Gallup winter, with a killer targeting indigent Native people under the direction of a vengeful God, or so the delusion would have it. Seriously, though, this particular religiously twisted killer is the second coming of Silas from The Da Vinci Code, right down to the self flagellation through a terrible whip known as “la disciplina.” Emerson is one of the unsung heroes the mystery genre needs right now, not only for her Diné cultural perspective (important every day, but especially on Indigenous People’s Day), but for her genre blending ways, breathing new life into the literary world with each new book.

View all my reviews

Review: Sunbringer

Sunbringer by Hannah Kaner
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Back to Hannah Kaner’s ongoing trilogy, now caught up while the rest of the world also waits for Book 3, and at least I didn’t have to wait a long time after the first book’s devastating cliffhanger. This second book, though, definitely hits a bit of middle book syndrome, where the storyline feels like it’s spinning its wheels as it tries to compensate for having so many characters and POV’s to follow. Yes, this includes one who was believed to be out of the picture, but in this genre, no one’s ever truly gone. That said, it’s still one of the best surprises this book has to offer, and it’s setting the stage pretty well for the third and final novel…whenever that one comes along.

View all my reviews

Review: Long Live Evil

Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I haven't read anything by Sarah Rees Brennan in quite a while, in part because she went on a very long hiatus due to health problems in her life. Unsurprisingly, she works her personal experience with cancer into the story of this book, a sort of isekai where the protagonist, Rae, gets to go into the world of her favorite epic fantasy series, Time of Iron, and live her own version of the life of the villainess who seduces the evil young Emperor. Interestingly, the series - which combines elements of A Song of Ice and Fire and Throne of Glass and Fourth Wing - is officially published in universe by an anonymous author, which is itself some serious wish fulfillment I can get behind.

Review: Dark Rise

Dark Rise by C.S. Pacat
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I'd never read a C.S. Pacat book before, but Jay Kristoff says Pacat is friends with him, and on that basis I was ready to finally try one of her books. (As I understand it, Pacat is genderfluid and uses both she and he pronouns.) Unfortunately, it seems I set my expectations too high on this one and only opened myself up to disappointment. This book seemed pretty promising with its dark historical fantasy setup in early 19th century London, a setting similar to V.E. Schwab's A Darker Shade of Magic, but unfortunately, Pacat wasn't able to interest me much in his characters. Or at all, really. I kept finding myself wandering away from the pages of this one with embarrassing regularity, which is a shame because I checked out both this book and its sequel together - that's how high my expectations were, I guess. But sadly, it's an official DNF, and I'm not sure I'll be going back to try any more of Pacat's other works. Though at least she's got a lot of good friends like Kristoff and Shelley Parker-Chan whose works I'll continue to read and enjoy...

View all my reviews