lukesanby's reviews
21 reviews

Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 5%.
Too many books being borrowed, will finish this later.
The Reformatory by Tananarive Due

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 2%.
Had to return to library, will borrow again later.
Hurricane Season by Fernanda Melchor

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 13%.
I could easily finish this, but it would be an ordeal. It would drag. In the same time I could read two books I actually enjoy.

I've read a wide variety of postmodernism, literary fiction and classics, but if it isn't for a degree I insist on the occasional paragraph break.
The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by S.A. Chakraborty

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 4%.
I was very excited about this, but I don't want a real world setting right now and I hate the narrative voice.
Malice by John Gwynne

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 4%.
I'll try again next year, but right now this bored me out of my mind
A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik

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adventurous dark emotional funny medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

 El is an anti-social loner, and destructively powerful. She has worked to survive her magical education at the Scholomance with stubborn sarcasm and alternative angst. Graduating requires alliances, and this is the last year she can build those relationships. She went in with a plan, and she means to follow it. 
But when the school hero, Orion Lake, insists on saving her, El finds everything she believes about herself, the people around her and the school itself upended. 

A Deadly Education is a masterclass of how to reveal information to the reader when the protagonist isn’t new to the world, written in the 1st person perspective, past tense. It is the first book of THE SCHOLOMANCE trilogy. 

The frequent attempt to compare this trilogy to Harry Potter is lazy, the trilogy is in better company with Lev Grossman’s THE MAGICIANS trilogy. The depth of trauma and issues like drug abuse aren’t explored in this book, but the tone is similar—this is not an inconsequential romp made for children. At least I can’t remember Harry using quite so many four-letter-words to describe fellow students the was El does, and enthusiastically. 

If you are familiar with Novik’s other stories, you’ll know to expect the influence of European folklore. What you might not expect is the vast roster of creatures, called maleficaria in the series inspired by folklore, classic fantasy, TTRPG and card game monsters, and Science Fiction constructs. 
The 13 chapters glide by, paced to perfection with a story structure subtle enough that you might not realise it is there at all. 

A WORD OF WARNING: do not look up the Maleficaria to see fan art and the like. I looked up what a maw mouth looks like, to see if the image in my head was accurate and google auto complete had the biggest spoiler from book three. 

To read more, go to: https://lnsanby.co.uk/2024/06/24/book-review-a-deadly-education-by-naomi-novik/
Stars and Bones by Gareth L. Powell

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adventurous dark funny mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

75 years ago an entity saved humanity and kept them from harming Earth ever again. Amongst the stars we follow Eryn, the Navigator of a sentient/AI ship as it surveys and scouts ahead of humanities fleet of Ark ships, collectively called the Continuance.

But when a distress call from Candidate-623 leads to her sister disappearing, Eryn does what she must to be part of the investigation. Revealing a horrifying mystery she must race to solve.

From the start the inclusion of Sam, the talking cat, and a dry sarcastic ship’s avatar set the tone which carried me all the way to the end of the story. We spend most of the novel in Eryn’s perspective, bouncing around a few of the others in the group and one exploring the events of the past. The switching of perspectives are well utilised at forming the structure and manipulating the pacing, but the perspectives were not distinct enough that I ever cared for them besides the flashback perspective.

Powell writes clearly enough that I did not struggle with the audiobook during the action beats (Dyslexia effects my audio processing very mildly, but enough to make intense action intelligible in this format). The audiobook was well narrated by the voice actor, adding subtle difference between voices which fit the descriptions we were given. I was less of a fan of the accents, but not enough to swap to the physical book instead.

A sequel was published in April 2023; however, it follows a new set of characters making this a standalone story with more to explore in the universe.

To read more, go to:
https://lnsanby.co.uk/2024/06/16/book-review-stars-amp-bones-by-gareth-l-powell/
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This novel was my most anticipated for years, but I could never make it further than page thirty-six. Until this book I have not had my dyslexia affect my reading ability since I was a teenager. I tried to ignore the pull to read this novel, but on the fifth attempt I got beyond the pinch point and by page seventy it was like reading any fantasy book; the words don’t make sense, but not because they are jumping around the page. Re-reading the first chapter is all I need to remind myself why I have kept trying to read this book. 

This book is renowned for its second person perspective, but really it is functionally a third person perspective with a different pronoun. None of the trappings of a truly second person perspective are utilised; you won’t find yourself being a character in this book, to choose your own adventure. What I found most distracting was the present tense. I find myself reading a third slower than usual. 

It has been a while since a fantasy book required me to look in the glossary, so I was impressed to find a short and pointed repository with the bonus of having no accidental spoilers. 

I know for many the aspects of motherhood and maternal pain are a key component to how connected they feel to these characters, and this special story. For me what connected with me was the exploration of a total loss of control over one’s life and the struggle to reclaim it. 

This is the kind of fantasy story which first made me fall in love with the genre. And none of my initial struggles with this novel can change how highly I regard it, which was not clear when I started to read it for the fifth time. 

I wish I had noted when I first suspected it was the different stages of one person’s life to see what made me think that. It feels like it was early on. What I know for certain is that a few chapters before it is explicitly revealed I had worked it out, and both times I made note of what had done it. Both times, for me at least, I found the hint very subtle. I look forward to being able to note every hint in my re-read, to examine how it was effortlessly accomplished. 


Music

 
  • The Birthday Massacre — {Playlist} 
  • Lacuna Coil — {Discography} 
  • Alexisonfire — {Discography} 
  • In Flames — {Discography} ~1 
 
~1 The last chapter was read to “In The Dark” from the album Foregone (2023). The music fit the atmosphere of a final chapter, but it was the way the lyrics in the chorus reflected the narrative which make me point it out (Countless voices in the dark || Speak of the end that isn’t far || The pain, the rage, our scars) 
Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

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funny hopeful inspiring relaxing sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I began this book with the audio version but couldn’t understand most of what was being said. Instantly the physical book was an easy and pleasant read. 

Going into this book I was aware of the premise. I was hopeful. The most interesting parts of fantasy are the mundane, those activities which are the fantasy versions of things we do, or the emergence of unique activities exist because it isn’t our world. Who wouldn’t want to read a story set in a magical item shop? For much of the novel I felt like I was on a side quest in an RPG (think The Witcher 3 Frying Pan quest), or more recently taking down the Thorm family in Baldur’s Gate 3 through dialogue. Sometimes it is more challenging to not fight, and when that narrative is presented through the perspective of a character like Viv then the story is endlessly exciting. We might say these sorts of stories are low stakes, but to me they have the highest investment. 

It always brings out the fun when we are given reimagined things from our modern world in a fantasy. Some with humour, like the
pick-up and amp for the lute
, but many with intelligence like the
coffee machine and the extractor
. Either way, they give me that giddy feeling of working out what is being described in such a unique way. 

As I finished this novel, I was grateful to know it continued, there is already a “sequel” out. This is how it is marketed. Not only is it marketed this way, but it is also sold bundled with the story following this one. I am not sure why everyone forgot the word “prequel,” but it did affect how I felt about the ending of the book. Not knowing the other book exists during the final fifty pages, I would not have built up expectations, which were instantly dashed. After a few weeks, this continues to influence how I feel about this novel and that is a shame. 

I spent much of the first five or six chapters feeling like the fantasy version of Grand Designs,  I was surprised there was no inopportune pregnancy, a bad winter, over-budgeting, over-confident/under-experienced, divorce and second mortgage. Kevin McCloud would be extremely impressed.


Whenever Thimble is in a scene, the cuteness of the little fella bounces off the page, but equally there is something there which is desperately sad. There is a loneliness or detachment about him, abated by his moments of joy with his cup of coffee and later his baking. From his first appearance I wanted him to become friends with Viv and Tandri. 

As the story went on, I was increasingly hoping it became a worker owned operation, if only because I wanted this group of buddies to stick together. Interestingly it does highlight the moral imperative of this structure. Everyone worked to build the business, all should have ownership of it. Next, I’d like to see the procurement of fair-trade produce from a worker-led cooperative. 

I’m all here for the beautiful and caring romance slowly building throughout the novel, but all I  wanted during the final third of the book was for Cal and Thimble to become best chums. Both silent, drinking their bean water. 


Music

 
  • The Birthday Massacre — Violet 
  • The Birthday Massacre — Walking with Strangers 
  • The Birthday Massacre — Pins and Needles 
  • The Birthday Massacre — Imaginary Monsters 
  • The Birthday Massacre — Hide and Seek 
  • The Birthday Massacre — Superstition 
  • The Birthday Massacre — Imagica 
  • The Birthday Massacre — Under Your Spell 
  • The Birthday Massacre — Diamonds 
  • The Birthday Massacre — Fascination 
 
Violet, Pins & Needles, and Fascination were all as equally comforting as this novel, they fit well. Violet also took me to that nostalgic place of having headphones in, on a bus to school, with a book that no one around you knows about. It’s all yours. Which is clearly ridiculous with this novel, but that is the powerful effect of reading with music. 
Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

This was the first time reading this book, and I’m glad to say it continues all my favourite parts in the “Witches” line of Discworld books. The three witches are such fun characters to follow. My new favourite character is Magrat, but the double act nature of Granny Weatherwax & Nanny Ogg gives me the same comfortable as The Two Ronnies or French & Saunders. 

Understanding there would be references to Shakespeare, I was engaged with trying to remember all the plays I remember. Turns out it has been too long because Macbeth and Hamlet are a big splodge in my memory. This is a testament to the writing; I still enjoyed the satire. 

I am wondering if there were many jokes which have not translated well to the audiobook version. I imagine the “Rincewind” books will suffer the most from the format. The footnotes became distracting at one point, when multiple were read one after another. It is distracting enough that I will consider returning to the physical books if it continues.