Review: A Dreadful Splendor

A Dreadful Splendor by B.R. Myers
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I knew of B.R. Myers more for her dark YA fantasy mysteries, especially her Night Shift trilogy which I devoured in my Wattpad days. Here, for her adult literary debut, it took me a couple of years to finally get around to reading it, but when I found it on the shelf at Vancouver Library (in Washington, with the title spelled in American), I found it well worth the wait. Though a bit later in history than the works of Jane Austen, this one nevertheless feels like a murder mystery she would’ve written in collaboration with Agatha Christie. Affairs of the heart and bloody murder? What more to be asked for?

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Review: Blood Over Bright Haven

Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I’m kind of in two minds about this book. It’s a dark academia fantasy, a standalone piece, and it gets a lot of R.F. Kuang comparisons because it’s dark academia from an Asian author with strong social justice themes.

Unlike Kuang’s Babel, however, it’s largely presented from the point of view of a white woman, and while it’s significant that she has to fight the patriarchy at every turn - Sciona is the city’s first ever female highmage, and the boys’ club makes it very clear they can barely tolerate her presence and want to lord it over her all the time - she’s also mired in a lot of privilege as a white person, especially when it comes to the book’s second protagonist. 

Review: Swim Home to the Vanished

Swim Home to the Vanished by Brendan Shay Basham
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Fort Vancouver Regional Library has always been very good at spotlighting unique books for Native American Heritage Month, which is how I found this book and its eye-catching cover art. I’ve never been all that partial to magical realism, but this book made the style work pretty well, all things considered. It’s not a feel good book, most definitely not, but it does a good job of blending surreal dreamlike quality, verbose prose, and a general feeling of dissociation from the world. I’d say that the most powerful aspect for me, though, was how Damien didn’t speak Diné bizaad all that well - I can relate if only because I’m also still largely unable to speak my own little-known ancestral language. But it’s not for nothing that Tommy Orange took note and blurbed this one, so I’ll for sure keep an eye out for new Brendan Shay Basham books in the future.

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Review: The Stone Witch of Florence

The Stone Witch of Florence by Anna Rasche
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Okay sure, I’m in a reading slump lately for a lot of reasons, but…seriously, how does one write a story set in medieval Florence with plagues and witchy wonders and still make it boring? How? Inquiring minds must know. Unfortunately, despite the prettiness of the packaging, it’s an official DNF from me on this one.

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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.