readthesparrow's reviews
250 reviews

After finishing Maeve Fly, I loved it so much I wanted to reread it immediately.

Luckily, the audiobook ARC was available--huzzah!--and so I requested it immediately.

Unfortunately, I did not enjoy the audiobook anywhere near as much.

Maeve's voice and character work well on the page. Not so much on audio.

This narrator brings a smug, somewhat conceited tone to Maeve's voice that made me roll my eyes. It makes it difficult to take her seriously. When originally reading, I imagined Maeve's voice as somewhat similar to Bateman's; somewhat flat, but with a quiet articulation. Little emotion besides anger. The narrator's take on Maeve does not quite capture the character's misanthropy and detachment from humanity.

Admittedly, capturing Maeve's voice off would be difficult for anyone, but regardless. The direction does not work for me.

Additionally, a minor complaint. The parts in the book where Maeve sings lyrics to real songs were never actually sung or even spoken to the right tempo, which was so distracting and awkward it made me flinch.

There are some parts the narrator did well. I liked the voices she did for the side characters, particularly Tallulah and Gideon. Her acting for Kate's rant at the party was emotional and perfectly captured how I envisioned the dialogue. The narrator is certainly talented, but she just doesn't fit into Maeve's skin, at least not in the way I had heard her.

This audiobook is, unfortunately, one I would specifically suggest people avoid in the interest of them actually enjoying the book.

I was a Dragon Kid.

I read the first Eragon book to tatters, and obsessively read the third around four times a year. Dragonology was my favorite -ology book. It was Lady Trent’s Memoirs, a series about dragon naturalism, that broke me out of my four year reading slump. 

I haven’t read a good dragon book in a while, but I’ve been itching for one. To Shape a Dragon’s Breath is exactly what I needed to scratch that itch.

WORLDBUILDING

The story is set in an alternate history version of America based upon not Christian English beliefs but Anglo-Saxon, Old Norse, and Old English religion and culture. I loved how Blackgoose reinterpreted and structured these inspirations; for example, the political system is a cross between the real world early American democracy and the Anglo-Saxon aristocratic system with a king, thanes, and halls. 

The magic system, too, is so well-done. It’s more of a magical alternate science system, which I would describe as a cross between chemistry and alchemy. Though the vocabulary is different (for example, iron is called isen and elements are called skiltas), the foundational concepts are the same, making it easy to follow as we learn about it beside Anequs. 

I adore dragon fantasy stories that reinterpret our own history and natural science through its own lens. That’s no easy feat to accomplish, much less do it well. With To Shape a Dragon’s Breath, Blackgoose has created not only a fantastic science fantasy but also one of the best dragon fantasy books I have ever read. 

FOLKLORE IN TO SHAPE A DRAGON’S BREATH

I could write an essay on the way Blackgoose implements folklore into her storytelling. However, this is a book review, and as such I shall restrain myself to a few paragraphs. 

Folklore—more specifically, the telling of stories—is a major theme in To Shape a Dragon’s Breath. More than one chapter is a story within a story, framed by Anequs asking another character to tell her a story or telling a story herself. It’s obvious to me that Blackgoose is passionate about folklore, reinterpreting lore from real-world cultures with care.

Even the presentation of the novel itself has links to folklore. The chapter titles, when considered together, read as a bare-bones bedtime story version of the narrative. It’s so clever, and I absolutely cannot wait to see how Blackgoose continues the theme of folklore in the rest of the series. 

PLOT

I sometimes struggle to enjoy some fantasy titles, as they tend to incorporate tropes and narrative beats I find tiring (for example, the love triangle and poorly handled fantasy racism). 

However, Blackgoose not only avoids these tropes but actively challenges them. In example,

although Anequs is interested in two characters, she plans to pursue both of them, avoiding a tiresome love triangle that so often drags books down for me.

She also handles racism and bigotry on several levels. For example, by reflecting problematic tropes and narratives present in real-world literature through in-world books Anequs encounters, and exploring how those racist narratives effect Anequs’ life and relationships.

And now we come to the only caveat I have to say about To Shape a Dragon’s Breath.

The plot is largely concerned with worldbuilding, society, and culture. If you’re expecting a high-octane adventure fantasy, you will be disappointed. There are no sky battles or magic duels or special ancient weapons.

I’ve seen some other reviewers complain that nothing happens in this book. I disagree. 

Things do happen, it’s just that those things concern cultural, scientific, and political worldbuilding, the navigation of social settings, and the development of character relationships.

At its core, To Shape a Dragon’s Breath about exploring a world through the eyes of an Indigenous teenager living in a colonial world and moving through a restrictive social structure she refuses to assimilate into. 

The plot, therefore, is about what she learns and who she learns it with. For someone expecting dragon battles or a fantasy boarding school mystery, it may feel as though nothing is happening, but something is happening: an exploration of the crossroads of race, gender, religion, class, and culture in this fictional setting throug nuanced, well-written dialogue between diverse, well-written characters. 

It is a slow paced book, but like a good hike, the pleasure is in the journey and who you’re walking with. 

To Shape a Dragon’s Breath provides a breathtaking trail and excellent company. 

FINAL THOUGHTS

After finishing To Shape a Dragon’s Breath, I already missed the characters and the world. This is the first installment in a series, and I cannot wait to see what else Blackgoose has in store for us.

If you love dragons, science fantasy, or well-written diverse characters, I cannot recommend To Shape a Dragon’s Breath enough. 

Thank you to Del Ray for providing a digital ARC via Netgalley. If you are interested in To Shape a Dragon’s Breath, it is available now. 

Quick read. Really liked the characters. Thematics of

sisterhood and the healing power of female friendships.

Good prose. Wish that

the monsters weren't zombies, though, because zombies are kinda boring, and not typically a "final girl" genre.

Style is interesting, and on a technical prose level is is excellent. However, the heavy references can make it difficult to follow at times, even for a horror/slasher lover. Style, despite being interesting and being thematically appropriate, was also difficult to follow at times and often exhausting, even for a 200 page novel. Normally I would blaze through a 200 page novel, but this took me five days to read because I could only get through around 20-40 pages at a time before having to take a break.

Liked the story and the characters, but it was just. Too much at times. 

Also,

the final college epilogue was really goofy. Did I like it? Eh. Sure. It's camp.

I think I was mostly just glad it was over.

Interesting to see the bones it shares with MHIACS.

 REVIEW [MINOR SPOILERS INCLUDED]

After I finished Maeve Fly by C.J. Leede, all I could think was holy fucking shit.

I could talk about the razor sharp prose. I could talk about the horrific mutilation scenes. I could talk about Leede’s willingness to dive head first into pure, unabashed brutality.

(Of note: I do not exaggerate when I talk about the extreme level of brutality. American Psycho is a comp title for many reasons; this is one of them.)

As good as the violence and gore is, as much as they’re deserving of praise, the thing that truly makes Maeve Fly great is the genuine, pure love Maeve has. For the Halloween songs she devotes chapters to, for the very few people in her life she has chosen, for the city around her. In fact, Maeve Fly is in and of itself a love letter to Anaheim, to horror, and to the terror of womanhood. 

And, of course, a love letter to American Psycho.

Characters not only directly reference the novel (“She asks what I do for a living. ‘Murders and executions,’ I say.), but Maeve Fly shares several structural similarities (Maeve often discusses her favorite music, à la Bateman’s song reviews).

Leede, however, puts her own spin on her inspirations, bringing a level of delight and excellent character work to Maeve’s world that makes it (in my opinion) a more enjoyable read than American Psycho.

(The tidy page count also helps; Maeve Fly is a tidy 288 pages, whereas American Psycho is over 300.)

While it’s not necessarily to read American Psycho to understand and enjoy Maeve Fly, I found great delight in noticing the parallels and references. I would strongly suggest it. 

I would also strongly suggest keeping the Maeve Fly Spotify playlist on hand to listen to the songs Maeve discusses, especially if you’re not familiar with them. Leede—and Maeve—have excellent music taste. 

FINAL THOUGHTS

This debut will be hard to beat, but I cannot wait to see what Leede writes next.

Maeve Fly has easily joined the ranks of horror books I champion endlessly to anyone who will listen (which I plan to make a list of this year, so stay tuned for literary proselytization). Until then, just know: I WANT YOU TO READ MAEVE FLY!

Thank you to Tor for providing a digital ARC via Netgalley, and thank you to C.J. Leede for such a fantastic novel. If you are interested in Maeve Fly, it releases June 6, 2023. Find more information from the publishers or consider supporting indie bookshops by purchasing the novel at Bookshop.org or from your local B&M!

When people have asked me what I’ve been reading the past few weeks, I’ve described In Nightfall as “if Twilight was written by someone who grew up on Tumblr instead of by a Mormon.” 

Unlike Twilight, In Nightfall has decent diversity for both main and side characters. Those characters are fun, with strong motivations and interesting antagonists. There’s also some really interesting use of vampire folklore, especially in homages to Dracula. 

Going in, I did not know what flavor of paranormal it was going to be. I originally assumed werewolves (not sure why), but it quickly became obvious I was way off the mark. 

Gorgeous characters make weird comments about how much they hate sunlight, say things like “Thank you for inviting me into your home” (wink wink), charm everyone around them, and lick strawberry sauce (that probably isn’t strawberry sauce) off their fingers.

The narrative isn’t being coy, not obfuscating what these girls are or trying to do any misdirection. It puts up a big flashing sign from the get-go that reads THESE GIRLS ARE VAMPIRES!!! THEY DO NOT DRINK…. sambuca.

So. Painfully. Obviously. Vampires. 

Despite this, the word vampire is first used seventy percent in. 

The narrative doesn’t bother to clue the protagonist in on what’s going on until 200 pages in. Two hundred. This made the pace drag hard. As a reader, it’s frustrating to know pretty quickly Here Be Vampires, but have to wait another hundred pages for the main character to get the memo.

As a result, the narrative takes ages to get interesting. It was only in the last third—when Theo is finally clued in on the whole vampire thing—that I was genuinely engaged.

One of the main problems I had with In Nightfall is that most of the interesting things happen to or around Theo. She does a bit of surface level investigation here and there (such as talking to a pair of visiting podcasters and doing a little surface-level googling), but overall, Theo was incredibly passive for most of the narrative. 

I found myself wondering why Theo is the point of view character. Other characters—such as the pair of podcasters, the love interest Parrish, and the three vampire girls—have far more interesting motivations and character arcs. They’re also the ones actually pulling their weight in the plot, up until Theo finally decides to pitch in and goes ham.

Speaking of Theo going ham, I was disappointed in the final vampire confrontation. 

Up to that point, the sense of danger with these girls was palpable. They’re incredibly clever, manipulative, charismatic, and oh, yeah, undead blood-sucking monsters that can fly and have super strength. They’ve killed several people, including the sheriff and other vampires. They’re predators, through and through, and the narrative does an excellent job making how dangerous they are very, very clear.

After all that build up, you’re telling me that two podcasters and a high school student armed with nothing more than chair legs and a kitchen knife fended off four, killing three, with nary a single human team casualty? That Theo punching one’s face did nothing to her, but a kick to one’s thigh will send a vampire capable of throwing a grown man through the air sprawling? 

Sure, it’s a YA book. Theo has to win in the end. But after forcing the reader to wait 200 pages for the climax, the execution is just disappointing. Honestly, I’m a little mad on their behalf. The girls deserved more of a fight.

Did I like In Nightfall? No, not really. Did I dislike it? Also no.

In Nightfall isn’t a bad book. It’s also certainly not a must-read for vampire lovers or horror readers in general.

In Nightfall is a book great for those who loved the YA vampire trend but did not enjoy the trend’s issues with racism, misogyny, and romanticization of abuse. In Nightfall does not directly engage with these negative tropes but does avoid them. I probably would have enjoyed the book far more when I was in high school and really into paranormal YA.

Would I recommend it? Yes, but only if you’re a part of the above niche, with a strong caveat that the pacing is slow and the climax disappointing. The book appeals to a certain audience. If you’re not part of that audience, you will probably not enjoy In Nightfall, and that’s okay. 

A point for the art (especially during the chase scene--really excellent) but the story is messy and barely cohesive (when it is cohesive at all).