laurareads87's reviews
536 reviews

Embroidered Worlds by Valya Dudycz Lupescu, Olha Brylova, Iryna Pasko

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challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

I backed <i>Embroidered Worlds</i> on Kickstarter; when I saw the campaign promised "a living snapshot of imaginative fiction in Ukrainian culture today, including stories that span and cross the speculative genres of science fiction, fantasy, horror, weird fiction, magic realism, and alternate history," I knew it would be a book I would want to read. I love collections like this as an opportunity to discover authors I wouldn't have come across otherwise. Inevitably with an anthology, particularly one as wide ranging as this one in terms of genre and tone, I enjoyed some stories more than others; overall, though, this collection is excellent, and there are some really stand out stories here.

<i>Content warnings:</i> the anthology includes a 'Content Notes' section with a list of content warnings for each story. The editors also note that "stories in this collection deal heavily with war, violence, and grief. Discussions of war generally deal with and mention fascism and real-life historical events and atrocities. Discussions and mentions of violence or death often deal with a close family member, including children and animals." Quite a few of these stories are hard to read - I would recommend checking the 'Content Notes' before proceeding if you have concerns.
Kundo Wakes Up by Saad Z. Hossain

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

Kundo Wakes Up is the second book by Saad Z. Hossain that I've read, and I enjoyed this one just as much as its predecessor. This book follows Kundo, a painter whose wife disappeared, as he searches for her & the reasons she left. The setting is a nanotech-powered AI-administered Chittagong that is slowly being overtaken by the rising sea; with 'green zones' safe and 'red zones' abandoned to 'zeroes' who scavenge in hazmat suits, there are a lot of possibilities as to why over a thousand people seem to be missing. With themes of classism, fixation on digital worlds (here, video games), cyborg tech, and the combination of near-infinitely life-extending medical possibilities with a world that is increasingly unsafe, Hossain explores a lot of themes. At the book's heart, though, is a circle of unlikely people on an adventure together and a real sense of humour. Definitely recommend.

Content warnings: addiction, chronic illness, violence, death, suicide (not on-page or in any way graphic)
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The Marseille Tarot Revealed: A Complete Guide to Symbolism, Meanings & Methods by Yoav Ben-Dov

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informative inspiring slow-paced

3.5

3.5.
There is a lot that I appreciate about this book: Ben-Dov's tone is welcoming and approachable, and he explains the open reading style well; he is quite non-dogmatic and in several instances offers various options of how to approach things. His discussion of reading techniques using directionality, horizontal & vertical axes, and the visual language of the cards are clear and concise. There are some great exercises and spread suggestions.
There are also some aspects of the book I appreciate less. Perhaps most seriously, there are some significant issues with the history presented here. No bibliography is provided to support any of the historical claims. There is some definite gender stereotyping in some of the discussion despite the author's (welcome) clarification - repeatedly - that a card depicting a woman can absolutely represent a man in a reading (or vice versa).  
A Kingdom of Stargazers by Michael A. Ryan

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informative medium-paced

4.0

This is a thorough, well researched account of how three successive rulers of Aragon engaged with astrology and other divinatory arts as well as some of the reactions they received for doing so. Recommend for those with an interest in this period and/or those who share my interest in the history of divination.
Raven Stratagem by Yoon Ha Lee

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

I don’t know why I left so long between reading Ninefox Gambit (which I read in 2020) and picking up this sequel; I really wish that I hadn’t. While this installment felt more approachable and easier to follow than the first – the first really drops you in a world without much, if any, explanation – I did wish I remembered more detail from Ninefox. There is a lot I liked about this – consistent pacing, an interesting cast of characters (though some POVs I did find more interesting than others), fascinating political dynamics and questions; though military sci-fi is isn’t really my usual go-to, Yoon Ha Lee does it so well. The big twist in this one was massively satisfying to me – I didn’t exactly see it coming, and it sets up some really interesting possibilities for the third book without just feeling like a ‘middle book.’ I will absolutely finish this trilogy & probably pick up the collection of related short stories. 


Content warnings: violence, death, murder, war, torture, genocide, suicidal thoughts, suicide (in a battle context), genocide, grief, incest (involving adults only) 
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An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms around Us by Ed Yong

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informative medium-paced

5.0

I could not more enthusiastically give a book five stars. Ed Yong's An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us is meticulously well researched, well written, thoughtful, utterly fascinating, and includes both moments of humour - being punched by a mantis shrimp! - and, of course, tragedy. It is a text that is world-opening: while we cannot truly know what it is like to be any other species, Yong's exploration of how my other-than-human neighbours navigate, communicate, and express their curiosity has deepened and enriched my own experience of my surroundings. Even better? After concluding reading, I've begun thinking about how I can be a better neighbour by mitigating the light pollution emitted by my home. I am immensely grateful for this book and anticipate gifting it to others.

Content warnings: animal cruelty (including animal experimentation), animal death
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Goddess of the River by Vaishnavi Patel

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adventurous emotional reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

4.0

Having previously really enjoyed the author’s debut novel Kaikeyi, a feminist interpretation of Ramayana, I have been eagerly awaiting the release of Goddess of the River, which is based on the Mahabharata. 

I love a lot about Goddess of the River: the first-person perspective of Ganga, goddess of the river, is very well developed; she spends some time in a human form and this changes her dramatically in ways that come across in small details, and while she reflects on the way these experiences have humanized her in some ways, she very much reads as a river and a deity. Like Kaikeyi, complex relationships, including between family members, are a core theme of this text, and Patel writes them so well. I found more complexity in the secondary characters in this book, which I appreciate, and I feel like Patel tackles significant themes – in her own words, the novel “asks questions about dharma, justice, the responsibilities of the powerful, and the greater good,” as the Mahabharata does – without feeling heavy-handed or moralizing. 

Content warnings: murder, violence, death, blood, injury detail, violence toward non-human animals, deaths of children, sexism, misogyny, classism, casteism, ableism, war, grief, sexual assault. The author provides a fairly detailed content warnings note at the beginning of the book. 

Thank you NetGalley & Redhook Books for an ARC to review. 
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One Hundred Shadows by Hwang Jungeun

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mysterious reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

"I wonder if they call this kind of place a slum, because if you called it someone's home or their livelihood that would make things awkward when it comes to tearing it down."

One Hundred Shadows is a novella that is inspired by, and reflects on, the 2009 Yongsan Disaster - an incident in which tenants threatened with eviction faced a a SWAT team in defense of their building, slated for 'redevelopment;' amidst the clash, a fire broke out and killed several people. 

The novella's commentary is subtle. The storyline follows Eungyo and Mujae, two young people who work in electronics shops in Building B, one of five buildings that are being threatened with gentrification and displacement. This story almost fades into the background as the meandering text explores the characters' emerging relationship, several of their days out, and the strange phenomenon of people's shadows detaching and drifting away. 

The book is atmospheric, and the moving shadows are eerie and foreboding, signalling an immanent risk of losing the individual entirely -- a hopelessness. I did struggle with the dialogue not being demarcated by quotation marks, and I found that the ending was far too abrupt. The writing is lovely, and the world-building is effective; I wish this was longer and that some aspects were elaborated upon more.


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Jumpnauts by Hao Jingfang

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adventurous challenging inspiring medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

Jumpnauts follows a small group attempts “a desperate mission of first contact with a mysterious alien race before more militaristic minds can take matters into their own hands.” Jiang Liu, a young astronomer from a wealthy family, Qi Fei, a military researcher, and archaeologist Yun Fan shift from rivals to allies as they aim to unravel a series of mysteries and prevent war. 

Initially, this book reads much more in a thriller/espionage vein than I’d expected, and the very beginning is a bit slow; however, I was quickly drawn in. In addition to the central plot involving both alien contact and human politics, the characters’ relationships and back stories are well developed, including their relationships with their families (who are secondary characters and/or absent but very much have an impact). 

There are many, many references in this text – the characters debate Chinese philosophy including Confucianism and Mohism, discuss LeGuin’s “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas,” and underlying themes include artificial intelligence, democratic decision-making, human/technology interfacing, and more. Ken Liu’s footnotes were immensely helpful for me when it came to the nuances of the conversations on Chinese traditions – I would recommend reading his introduction to get a sense of his approach. 

Since reading this, I’ve learned that it is intended to be book one in a series; based on it, I’ll happily pick up the next one when it comes available. 

Content warnings: sexism / misogyny, (threat of) war, classism 
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The Terracotta Bride by Zen Cho

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adventurous emotional funny fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

With a tagline like this -- "A tale of first love, bad theology and robot reincarnation in the Chinese afterlife." -- I knew I'd like this novelette.  In The Terracotta Bride, Siew Tsin resides in the tenth court of hell with a husband her elder uncle married her off to; here, unlike in the other courts of hell, the dead have enough wealth (in the form of offerings made by their living relatives) to bribe demons to (mostly) leave them alone.  Many seek to stay here, avoiding reincarnation into their next life, so as to maintain their personality and memories.  When Siew Tsin's husband brings home a third wife made of terracotta, Siew Tsin must navigate their relationship as well as a dangerous new threat.

The world-building in this story is fantastic, and I really appreciated Siew Tsin as a protagonist. Cho has included a lot of themes thoughtfully for such a short work. Definitely recommend.

Content warnings: violence, death, sexism, misogyny, mention of a car crash causing death (not graphic)