*I received a copy from the publisher via Netgalley in return for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book.*
Roger Weathersby barely scrapes by making a living out of
stealing corpses for medical schools, dreaming that one day, he’ll be a reputable
doctor that saves lives. But when he’s framed for a murder of one of his
steals, he is forced to reunite with an old friend to save the city and,
hopefully, clear his name. The old friend in question is none of than Princess
Sibylla, who returns to her childhood city on request of her Queen grandmother,
who is keen to see she is married off to her cousin to further their magical
bloodline. But when her own suspicions tie in with Roger’s situation, it’s up
to them to save the country before it’s torn apart.
I’m not going to lie, this was quite a surprising read. The Resurrectionist of Caligo is quite intriguing. The royal family of Myrcnia rule by divine right due to their magical skills that comes from their bloodline. Everyone has a different ability, and due to it only being manifested in a person’s biology, the reigning Queen is quite hellbent on making sure it stays in the family. And that means killing off any illegitimate children and only allowing marriages within the family. And this has Sibylla on edge because her half-brother is hidden within the city and she is sure Queen is close to discovering his identity. Roger is in a strange position where in the town, the people are restless, and science is growing and questioning the supremacy of the magical users. A Resurrectionist is simply a cooler term for grave snatcher in the name of science. And Roger begins to notice a pattern in the corpses he has been collecting and the victims of a well-known strangler who has been terrorising the women of Caligo.
I loved the magical features and the development of the
political intrigue of this universe. But, the world-building is a hit or miss situations
where within Myrcnia, and its capital Caligo, it is quite packed with a lot of
detail. I was quite impressed with the quasi-Victorian design that is set up. Trimboli
and Zaloga draw on the challenges of the Victorian-era lifestyle, echoing a steampunk
design, which creates the Myrcnia’s landscape. A pivot part of Sibylla’s arc is
her interaction with the neighbouring country, but I was disappointed how bland
they were in comparison. You get a lot of rich detail within the city, but they’ve
resorted to merely being the outsiders, and it just didn’t sit well with me.
I personally loved Sibylla and Roger as characters in their
own right, but the story really hinges on their childhood connection and, personally,
I never really caught on to what drew them together. And a lot of their
communication is passed between Roger’s half-brother, who is also Sibylla’s
warden. They appear to despise each
other, and there’s little given to understand their connection, aside from
their forced situation.
Overall, I found The Resurrectionist of Caligo quite entertaining. It was quick, easy to read. The characters are great, I enjoyed the mix of comedy and mystery, and it was quite heart-warming in most scenes. The magic system is by far the most exciting aspect of this novel, but not as utilised as you would expect. But I would definitely be interested in checking out in any future sequels.
In Jade War, the sequel to the World Fantasy Award-winning novel Jade City, the Kaul siblings battle rival clans for honor and control over an Asia-inspired fantasy metropolis.
On the island of Kekon, the Kaul family is locked in a violent feud for control of the capital city and the supply of magical jade that endows trained Green Bone warriors with supernatural powers they alone have possessed for hundreds of years.
Beyond Kekon’s borders, war is brewing. Powerful foreign governments and mercenary criminal kingpins alike turn their eyes on the island nation. Jade, Kekon’s most prized resource, could make them rich – or give them the edge they’d need to topple their rivals.
Faced with threats on all sides, the Kaul family is forced to form new and dangerous alliances, confront enemies in the darkest streets and the tallest office towers, and put honor aside in order to do whatever it takes to ensure their own survival – and that of all the Green Bones of Kekon.
The universe was clearly working in my favour when I was given the honour of participating in the Jade War blog tour organised by Shealea @ Caffeine Book Tours.
Of course, the biggest thank you to Shealea for hosting this mammoth of a blog tour and working alongside Fonda Lee and her publishing team to give us all physical copies to review! The participants of this tour are all wonderful and extremely talented and I can’t wait to see what everyone’s thoughts are on this brilliant gem of a book! Check out my review and playlist!
photo taken by zaheerah
Review
Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)
*I received a finished copy via Caffeine Book Tours in return for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book.*
We return to the city of Janloon, where the Mountain and No
Peak clans have seemingly announced a public truce. But secretly the leaders of
their respective clan continue to fight for control of their nation Kekon, home
to the only source of jade, a magical energy source which strengthens its
users. With the rise of jade smugglers, the Kaul family must work together to
if they wish to bring down Ayt Mada while also squashing rising tensions within
Kekon and its neighbouring countries.
My first thoughts after finishing Jade War weren’t even something I could describe. An incoherent stream of yelling seems rather fitting. The sheer joy I experienced from reading this novel is something that can’t be easily replicated.
I can’t decide what makes this series so exhilarating. It’s smart, action-filled with an intricate plot that doesn’t let you down. It truly has the perfect blend of brilliant worldbuilding and damn near perfect characters that reside within it. Everything felt so vivid and realistic and, more importantly, believable. The attention to detail is spot on, and nothing is forgettable. Jade War takes us out of Kekon and really delves deeper into the other countries. Usually, I would lean towards one or the other, worldbuilding or characters, but the Green Bone saga really hits the mark on everything.
Like in Jade City, there are many alternate perspectives, but the core ones remain the members of the Kaul family. And Lee solidifies her cast of characters that are immensely complex and ridiculously compelling.
Hilo was the game changer for me. There is so much growth
and development with him that he has become one of my favourite male characters.
His initial dangerous demeanour can be dissuading, but he is so protective of
his loved ones that he has no choice but to act out to protect them. He is one
of the series’ best characters.
Shae really stood out the most for me, personally, and her
character truly grabbed my heart and was clearly unwilling to let go. Her role
as Weather Man continues to be undermined daily, and she’s trying her hardest
to prove to everyone she can her job, and not letting her personal life, which introduces
a romantic relationship, conflict with her duty to the clan. Wen, now wife to
Hilo, really makes her mark in Jade War.
Hilo naturally fears for her since she’s resistant to jade, making her an
easier target. But she refuses to let anyone stop her from helping her clan,
her family. Her compassion and strength really amazed me. Wen and Shae,
especially, are unstoppable and when they work together, shit gets done.
Anden is genuinely my favourite character in the series. In Jade War, he embarks on a new life, jade-free, on his cousin’s order, and even then, he can never truly escape the green life he was born into. What I loved, especially about Anden’s arc is that it brought to life the land beyond Kekon. And Anden he comes as a stranger and slowly learns that there’s a way to living green that is entirely different from the way he was brought up. The rules are stricter in different ways. Everything is on a different playing field when living jade-less, making it quite different from his own upbringing where Jade was crucial to your identity. And despite his promises to his family to keep a low-profile, he still manages to find trouble.
Family is such a core theme, and the circumstances the characters
face put them under all sorts of pressure. Whether it be tradition, duty, honour
or personal feelings, they return to each other because that’s what they’re
fighting for. Stories that focus on familial love is what I love the most, and this
series has, hands down, one of the best fictional families ever.
I realise I haven’t touched on this on my previous review of Jade City, but the fight scenes deserve a more extended discussion of its own. It truly comes to life and takes your breath away. The fight scenes are so brutal that I wasn’t sure if I would survive what would happen next. Having a story this ambitious and complex is not an easy feat, and Lee is incredible to have created a story so intense and satisfying.
I was already head over heels obsessed with the Green Bone world, but Jade War just confirmed every feeling I had from Jade City wasn’t a fluke or a one-off. Jade City glittered with a promise of something bigger, and Jade War delivered that with a big bang. I have zero ideas of what will happen next, but I do know that is the clan is my blood, and the Pillar is its master. Fonda Lee deserves every word of praise and accolade she gets from this series, this series deserves it all and more.
Fonda Lee writes science fiction and fantasy for adults and teens. She is the author of the Green Bone Saga, beginning with Jade City (Orbit), which won the 2018 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel, was nominated for the Nebula Award and the Locus Award, and was named a Best Book of 2017 by NPR, Barnes & Noble, Syfy Wire, and others. The second book in the Green Bone Saga, Jade War, releases in the summer of 2019. Fonda’s young adult science fiction novels Zeroboxer (Flux), Exo and Cross Fire (Scholastic), have garnered numerous accolades including being named Junior Library Guild Selection, Andre Norton Award finalist, Oregon Book Award finalist, Oregon Spirit Book Award winner, and YALSA Top Ten Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers. In 2018, Fonda gained the distinction of winning the Aurora Award, Canada’s national science fiction and fantasy award, twice in the same year for Best Novel and Best Young Adult Novel.
Fonda wrote her first novel, about a dragon on a quest for a magic pendant, in fifth grade during the long bus ride to and from school each day. Many years later, she cast her high school classmates as characters in her second novel, a pulpy superhero saga co-written with a friend by passing a graphing calculator back and forth during biology class. Fortunately, both of these experiments are lost to the world forever.
Fonda is a former corporate strategist who has worked for or advised a number of Fortune 500 companies. She holds black belts in karate and kung fu, goes mad for smart action movies (think The Matrix, Inception, and Minority Report) and is an Eggs Benedict enthusiast. Born and raised in Calgary, Canada, she currently resides in Portland, Oregon.
A small American town
finds themselves back in the limelight after a murderer remerges to terrorise its
citizens. Twins Ellery and Ezra move into town to live with their grandmother
when their mother is admitted into rehab and find themselves in the centre of the
murder mystery. As they settle into their new home, they discover that Echo
Ridge thrives on gossip and the new drama brings up old wounds of their missing
aunt and creates new ones when people begin to wonder if they have a copycat or
the original killer on their hands.
The main problem with the story is that there’s too much,
and not much being done with it. Too many characters, too many side plots, and not
enough focus on the original mystery that there is a lack of depth to everything.
Ellery and Ezra’s aunt went missing before they were born, and her
disappearance doesn’t seem to impact or intertwined with the current mystery like
it’s suggested to be until the end. McManus relies on clichés without working
on them further. Rich, snobby girls and all-American jocks. And their voices
weren’t distinct enough to be remotely memorable.
What I appreciated the most about Two Can Keep A Secret was the little things. I really enjoyed the
theme of family, and while this book does go on a tangent at some points, the family
was a key motivation in all the characters. There’s also some discussion by the
side character about being a minority in a heavily white population and how you
are forced to be perfect in fear of lash back.
Like McManus’s debut, Two
Can Keep A Secret followed through with that intriguing and suspense
building flair. It certainly keeps you guessing and enjoyed how this small town
both mixed and clashed with each other. The chapters alternate between Ellery
and Malcolm, whose brother was accused of killing the first girl five years
ago. Malcolm, I think, had the most substantial chapters. He has to struggle
with everyone pointing the finger at him and no one willing to listen to him.
Ellery is a true crime fanatic which was born out of never knowing what
happened to her aunt. She’s rather exciting, and I liked how she thinks. But I
found it a little inappropriate at times for her to be digging into an actual
crime and treating it as her own plaything. Being stubborn isn’t a bad thing,
but I could never take her seriously because she never did.
Overall, I have to say I enjoyed Two Can Keep A Secret much more than I did with One of Us is Lying. Both books have their strengths and flaws, but I think TCKAS was a stronger and more enticing read. It was a satisfying read about a small town with big secrets. I was super invested quite quickly, but I found my interesting waning towards the end. But it was still a satisfying read, and a quite quick read I might add, I would recommend reading if you have an afternoon to kill.
In a strictly divided society, where high ranking men each
marry two women, a Primera and a Segunda, Daniela has risen to the very top of
her class despite her forged identity.
Medio is an island nation divided by a wall and aligned by
class. The mythos of the world reveals it was born after two sibling gods
fought over a woman. Those who sided with the salt god were cursed to live in
barren and ruined lands. The descendants of the sun god who reside in the
capital are wealthy and refused to change their disproportionate way of living.
The role of Primera and Segunda comes from the sun god and his two wives: one
who is responsible for running the household and one who must bear their
husband’s children. And the Medio School for Girls is accountable for raising
girls suitable for marriage.
Daniela is days away from graduating and getting married
into one of Medio’s high-ranking families. When an agent of La Voz, a group of
rebels within the city who protest the violence and disparity of the divide
between the island, calls out her fraudulent papers and supplies her with new
ones. Soon, she is blackmailed into spying on her new family. As she settles
into her role as Primera, she must make some unexpected choices if she wants to
survive.
We Set the Dark on
Fire is certainly engaging, a story not so far removed from our reality. It’s
a part thriller, part forbidden (sapphic) romance, and full on drama. I can’t
quite put my finger on what precisely, but it has that old school dystopian flair.
And Mejia brings her own Latinx twist to YA dystopia which I really enjoyed.
Mejia has crafted quite a world. I found it quite sparse at
first, especially with no map, I couldn’t really picture anything that wasn’t
the space that Daniela occupied and her descriptions of the border. Which is
such a shame because it really weakens the rebellion when you almost nothing
about it. Other than visual, there is a lot of detail in different ways. Mejia
takes on immigration, class disparity, corruption and oppression. And I really
enjoy the use of the salt and sun god’s actions which led to the way their
current society was formed.
I’m still a little wary over how the romance between Dani
and Carmen developed. I do like “enemies to lovers”, but this felt more like bullies
to lovers, and I really couldn’t put aside the fact that Carmen tormented Dani
for over five years. The romance is good, I would say it’s one of the books
strongest points, but how we got there was the issue. Other than these two little
titbits, I would still say this is quite a good read.
Overall, We Set the Dark on Fire was a refreshing read where my high expectations were surprisingly met. An action-packed narrative that discusses privilege and immigration, mirroring our own headlines. The plot twist at the very end actually threw me off completely. I am definitely excited to see where the story will go further in the next instalment.
*I received a copy via the publisher and NetGalley in return for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book.*
Years after The
Gauntlet, the Architect returns with a new partner, MasterMind, to take
revenge on the Mirza family. Now twelve-years-old, Ahmad Mirza must face their latest
creation, The Battle. Ahmad is forced
back by the Architect to a brand new Paheli. A slicker and more modern update
raises the stakes, and with New York frozen in time, Ahmad must beat the game again
before it beats him.
Like the first book, the story is structured around three
challenges that Ahmad and Winnie must complete to defeat MasterMind’s game.
Riazi again gives readers not much time as our characters must rush all over
the city of Paheli. Ahmad remembers little from his past adventure, so he’s
just as confused as Winnie is. What definitely carries on the from the debut is
the fast-paced mix of monsters and high-stakes battles for survival. I loved the
descriptions of the new Paheli, it’s an entirely new landscape with some familiarity
with Ahmad and returning readers. The world-building of the novel and game
design shines through. The old Paheli isn’t there anymore, but parts of it
still manage to linger with a more significant emphasis on the steampunk design
this time around. I enjoyed the level of detail given to the setting. I’m
obviously not the intended audience, but this book is good fun, full of action
and adventure.
A similar issue I had with The Gauntlet was the disparity in characterisation between the
lead, now Ahmad, and its secondary characters. The Battle introduces Ahmad’s classmate, Winnie, as his companion
into Paheli. Throughout the novel, you really get a feel for Ahmad and watch
him grown as a person, but Winnie is not as fully developed. She’s a smart and
confident girl but doesn’t really impact the story as much you’d expect and
felt like a paper character meant to just tag along with Ahmad.
Overall, I have no doubt that younger readers will enjoy the new Paheli landscape with high-rise landscapes, flying cars and familiar faces. A surprising reveal at the end makes me wonder where the future of Paheli could lead. I personally didn’t enjoy The Battle that much which is quite disappointing, especially when I adored the first one. I absolutely loved The Gauntlet, but its sequel doesn’t match up with the magic of its predecessor. It is a solid and fascinating return but to those who loved the world created before may be disappointed by its execution.
*I received a copy of both books via the publisher and NetGalley in return for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book.*
Shadow of the Fox
follows young Yumeko who is forced on the run when her temple is destroyed by demons
in search of a piece of an ancient text which summons one wish once every
thousand years. With nothing but her kitsune powers, she teams up with a
samurai who wields a demon-possessed sword and is unaware the very thing he’s
searching for is hidden within the folds of Yumeko’s clothes.
This book was quite fascinating. Inspired by feudal Japan, I
found Shadow of the Fox quite refreshing
in the first chapters. It’s a great mix of samurai fighting, demon magic and
folklore. Every thousand years, a dragon returns to grant one wish to the
bearer of its scroll. Fearful of its power, the scroll ripped and scatted across
the lands. Yumeko is a kitsune who was taught to hide from her abilities,
making her quite a naive little child in the beginning chapters. But once evil descends
on her temple, she is thrown right out of her comfort zone and into the real
world where foes are at her every step, and every village seems to be hiding a
secret that can kill. Tatsumi is our brooding love interest, who fears that he’s
unable to carry the sword he wields.
The rest of the group that ends up in Yumeko’s journey are
the highlight of this series. Despite the dark theme, they’re quite cheeky and
unique that provides a strange presence of entertainment that I hadn’t expected
from the book.
Despite enjoying their group dynamic, their mini-adventure detracts
from the main plot for a vast majority of this book that felt quite formulaic. Yumeko
and Tatsumi are clearly on opposite ends of each other, and their journey was
just one long love angst that I didn’t really have much interest in. While I
really enjoyed Yumeko’s growth and it felt like it kept digressing a lot. There’s
a lot of switching up: one minute she’s naïve, and the next page she’s cunning
before returning to appearing like a common fool for the sake of the comedic moment.
The inner struggle between Tatsumi and the sword deserved more than what we’re
given.
as told by zaheerah 