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When the world is hard, love must be harder still: Reviewing The Stone Sky (Book 3 of the Broken Earth Trilogy) by N.K. Jemisin

Hi everyone! I hope you are all doing well and keeping cool during this intense summer heat. Before you read this review, read my reviews for the first two books in this trilogy, The Fifth Season and The Obelisk Gate. I have one more trilogy I am wrapping up after this and then I will be reading mainly standalone books. I got quite a few books for my birthday that I am so excited to read. I’ve been balancing that with some of my own creative writing. It pleases me to report that I am progressing on a potential novel (maybe two). If nothing else, I am excited to be writing again. Now, let’s talk about the final book in the Broken Earth trilogy, The Stone Sky.

Content Warning: Violence, Harsh Language, Grief and Mourning, Graphic Injuries, Grief and Mourning

The Moon is going to return, but that means humanity is doomed. Essun now wields an incredible power. She plans on using her newfound abilities to find her daughter, Nassun. Nassun, however, has discovered her own powers with the help of her mother’s former Guardian. While Essun is trying to save the world, Nassun is trying to destroy the world and, in turn, eliminate anyone who would bring her harm. It is a race against time as mother and daughter fight to try to control an ancient and powerful magic. Only one of them can change the world forever.

N.K. Jemisin has blown me away with this unique sci-fi/fantasy trilogy. The Stone Sky is easily the most emotional of the three books. The world-building is so strong and unique but it doesn’t outshine the characters and their journeys. At the heart of the book are themes of family bonds, self-acceptance, inner strength, and unwavering love. Jemisin explores the complications that come with differences in a society where differences aren’t accepted unless they are useful and/or non-threatening to others. There is an additional character point of view that showcases the fantasy elements of this story that I really appreciated. Granted, the book can be a bit tricky because some of the terminology is hard to follow but it is incorporated in the story so naturally that you forget that these are terms that exist only within the world of The Broken Earth trilogy. The Stone Sky was a strong end to an incredible series that I highly recommend to all of you.

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To live is to exist within time. To remember is to negate time: Reviewing Bliss Montage by Ling Ma

Hi everyone! I hope you are all doing well. My TBR pile grew by quite a bit because my birthday just passed and I am lucky enough to have family who understand that I just want to read. I even got the complete Dune trilogy so I’m looking forward to reading that. I’m also pleased to say that I am working on some of my own writing in my spare time. It feels good to finally have an idea that I want to work on. If there are any updates on that, I will be happy to share them with you all. In the meantime, let’s talk about Bliss Montage, a collection of short stories.

Content Warning: Substance Abuse, Some Sexual Content, Discussions and Depictions of Domestic Abuse,

Ling Ma’s collection of eight short stories, Bliss Montage, explores feminism, immigration, friendships, and motherhood. A woman lives with her husband and 100 ex-boyfriends. A woman travels with her husband to his home country to participate in an ancient ritual that involves being buried alive. A designer drug threatens to tear apart a friendship. A professor discovers a portal in her office. These stories use surrealism to confront everyday fears, explore isolation, and examine toxic relationships.

While I am normally drawn towards short story collections, Bliss Montage offered a refreshing and poignant perspective that is as strange as it is meaningful. Each story stands on its own but, what I liked is how they all seemed to build on each other. In my interpretation, three of the stories had the same narrator but arguments could be made for the opposite point. Ling Ma does an excellent job giving her stories a dream-like feel, while still being rooted in certain realities. She is not afraid to dive into heavy topics like domestic violence and addiction. Ma’s approach is meaningful and her writing has a certain relatability to it. Bliss Montage is an excellent short story collection that is engaging, thoughtful, and darkly humorous.

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Eyes held high in pride are less able to see the uneven ground ahead: Reviewing Star Wars: Greater Good (Book 2 of the Ascendancy Trilogy)

Hey everyone! I hope you are keeping cool this summer. It has been a scorcher where I live and I am struggling over here. Before you check out this review, feel free to read my review of the first book in this trilogy, Chaos Rising. I have the third book in this trilogy ready to go. I also recommend checking out all of my other Star Wars book reviews. I’m still trying to find more to read. I might check out the High Republic books because I am watching Star Wars: Acolyte and I am enjoying it so far. Funny enough, I only became a Star Wars fan relatively recently but I rarely like anything casually I love to know about lore and backstories and other characters. Star Wars is the perfect franchise for this. Now, without further ado, let’s talk about Greater Good.

Thrawn’s victories have caught the attention of the Chiss and brought victory to the House of Mitt. Despite his unusual methods, he has earned the respect of his fellow officers. The threat to the Chiss Ascendancy, though, has not been eliminated. Their enemy lurks in the shadows and plays a different game, one that involves espionage and ulterior motives disguised by acts of generosity. This enemy has been sowing the seeds of discord with the goal of turning the Nine Ruling Families and the Forty Great Houses against each other. With civil war on the horizon, the Chiss must decide between family and the Ascendancy.

Greater Good may not be my favorite book in this trilogy but there was still plenty I appreciated about this book. Timothy Zahn takes full advantage of how vast and interesting the Star Wars universe is and creates these fascinating characters who might not be seen in any other Star Wars media. Thrawn isn’t heavily featured in this book, but there are plenty of other characters who are just as compelling. I like reading about how the Chiss society operates, the alliances, and all of the politics that come with it. It certainly wasn’t boring but I did prefer the battle scenes. Overall, this is a solid follow-up to Chaos Rising and I look forward to reading the next book in this trilogy.

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I will be a monster if it means we survive: Reviewing The Rage of Dragons (Book 1 of The Burning Series) by Evan Winter

Hi everyone! I hope you are faring well during these hot summer days. I am so excited to discuss this book because I wanted to finish it before Season 2 of House of the Dragon premiered. It only felt appropriate. Speaking of that, I want to read George R.R. Martin’s Fire and Blood. I may re-read The Song of Fire and Ice series in the future. It has been years since I read them but I may consider doing reviews, just for fun. I think you all know that I love fantasy books, especially fantasy books involving dragons. Needless to say, The Rage of Dragons was calling to me so let’s review it.

Content Warning: Violence and Gore, Harsh Language, Explicit Sexual Content, Disturbing Imagery

The Omehi people have been at war for hundreds of years. A select few of them are blessed with the ability to call dragons and others can transform into giant monsters. These gifted people have kept the Omehi people safe for so long. Tau Solarin is not one of these people. He doesn’t want to spend his enter life fighting in a never-ending war. His plans are changed when his father is killed and he decides to take revenge against the men who killed him. He promises to himself to become the greatest warrior. With the war raging on, Tau must make decisions that change his life and the lives of his loved ones forever.

The Rage of Dragons is an absolute must-read for all fantasy lovers. I was initially intrigued by the Game of Thrones comparisons that people were making about this book and I absolutely see the similarities. The Rage of Dragons, though, sets itself apart with its world-building that is inspired by Xhosa culture. This book is relentless and action-packed. I was genuinely surprised by how intense it got but that made me love it even more. One of my favorite aspects of the book was Tau’s character journey. I love how personal his narrative was, even among all of these sweeping battle scenes. If you love an underdog story, then you will enjoy Tau as the main character. I could rave for so much longer but I won’t. Instead, I will tell you to go experience The Rage of Dragons for yourself. I will buy the next book sooner than later.

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For every man, there exists bait he cannot resist swallowing: Reviewing Night Film by Marisha Pessl

Hi everyone! I’m back! Thank you for bearing with me during my brief absence. I still have plenty of books to talk about. My summer reading pile is pretty exciting and eclectic this time around. I like to branch out and buy books on a whim. Variety is the spice of life, you know? I’ve been waiting to talk about this particular book for a while, though. It’s time to talk about Night Film by Marisha Pessl.

Content Warning: Violence, Disturbing Imagery, Substance Abuse, Harsh Language, Self – Harm

Scott McGrath has spent most of his career chasing down Stanislas Cordova, a mysterious and controversial film director who had seemingly disappeared. McGrath gives up on the search for Cordova after the investigation nearly ends his career. He’s pulled back into his investigation when Cordova’s daughter, Ashley, is found dead. Her death is ruled a suicide but McGrath thinks that there is more to her death than meets the eye. With the help of unlikely friends, Scott McGrath is dives back into the twisted and bizarre world of Stanislas Cordova, where he might finally come face to face with the man who ruined his life.

Night Film is a fantastic mystery-thriller that was unputdownable. My favorite aspect of the book was that is used mixed media, like articles and websites, as part of the story. It helped heighten the mystery and I looked forward to those sections of the book because they were so creative. This is a longer book but it’s pretty fast-paced. Night Film hits the most important story beats that any good mystery should have. It didn’t rely heavily on gore or shock but there was enough there to make you keep guessing what was actually happening. Since this is a mystery novel, I am not going to spoil this for you. Go experience the fun thrills of Night Film for yourself.

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It is a terrible and unholy thing to behold: Reviewing Eynhallow by Tim McGregor

Hey everyone! I’m back again! I hope you didn’t miss me too much in between reviews. This book was short so I figured that this would tie everyone over until I post one of my longer reviews. I started my first Brandon Sanderson book so that is going to take me a bit to get through. I used to love really long books but my attention span has shifted over the years. I have been wanting to get back into books that are 500 or more pages. That doesn’t mean I’m going to stop reading novellas. Now, let’s talk about this novella, Eynhallow.

Content Warning: Domestic Abuse, Traumatic Childbirth, Death due to Traumatic Childbirth, Murder, Cannibalism, Some Sexual Content, Harsh Language

Agnes Tulloch lives a sad existence on the tiny island of Eynhallow. Her husband is a terrible man and she is struggling to raise her four young children. The quiet island is thrown into chaos when a wealthy stranger arrives on the island. His motives for arriving are unknown, which worries the islanders. Agnes is hired by the stranger to clean his cottage and bring him dinner. Despite her reservations, Agnes finds herself drawn to the enigmatic, amateur scientist named Victor Frankenstein. Where Frankenstein goes, death follows and Agnes is caught in the middle.

I have probably said this before but I’ll say it again: I am a huge fan of Frankenstein. It was a major part of my Master’s studies and I have re-read it several times. It goes without saying, then, that I was immediately drawn to this novella. I absolutely loved Tim McGregor’s take on Mary Shelley’s classic gothic horror. McGregor captures the unsettling yet compelling atmosphere that Shelley had so well crafted. I particularly liked Agnes’ perspective in this book as it shows just how terrifying and fascinating both Frankenstein and his creature were. I could do a whole five-page analysis on this book, honestly. It was also a truly tragic tale that I couldn’t look away from. You see the characters’ tragic fates from a mile away but you can’t look away and I thought that was a testament to McGregor’s understanding of Frankenstein. I desperately need other people to read this book. It is good on its own but you’ll appreciate it more if you are familiar with Frankenstein. Go read it immediately. You won’t regret it.

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Judgement can only focus on actions: Reviewing Star Wars: Chaos Rising (Book 1 of the Ascendancy Trilogy) by Timothy Zahn

Hi everyone! I’m back already! I almost put out two reviews yesterday but decided to pace myself. I’m also back into my obsession with Star Wars books, particularly ones about Thrawn. Feel free to check out all of my other reviews of the other Star Wars books. If you are interested in the Timothy Zahn books, I have read the Thrawn trilogy and the Heir to the Empire trilogy. This series is set before the Thrown trilogy, in case you wanted to read them in a specific order. Now, let’s embark into Chaos Rising together.

Content Warning: Intense Battle Scenes, Some Violence

In the Unknown Regions of the galaxy lives the Ascendancy, home of the proud Chiss people who are governed by the Nine Ruling Families. The peace of the Ascendancy is threatened when a bold, unknown enemy attacks the Chiss capital. With little to no option, the Ascendancy dispatches a young, renegade military officer named Thrawn to hunt down this new threat. Thrawn’s methods are unusual and dangerous, but he is effective and brilliant. With the help of Admiral Ar’alani and the Expansionary Fleet, Thrawn’s investigation leads him into a stretch of space that the Chiss refer to as Chaos. Within the Chaos, Thrawn discovers a threat to the Ascendancy that is only just beginning.

Timothy Zahn continues to impress me with how he builds upon his lore, creating a these fully fleshed-out characters and expanding upon the Star Wars universe. I enjoyed seeing how these different cultures operate and the tangled web of politics and war. Thrawn continues to be a favorite of mine because he is such a fascinating character who, while genius, is still imperfect and is constantly learning. The other Chiss characters are interesting in their own ways and serve as good foils or support to Thrawn. I like seeing pre-Empire Thrawn and it is interesting to see his path unfold. With that being said, this is another must read for Star Wars fans and I will be staring book two immediately.

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All things end, all things change, all things begin again: Reviewing Sunbringer (Book 2 of the Fallen Gods series) by Hannah Kaner

Hey everyone! I hope you are all doing well. Quite a few of the books I am reading right now are on the longer side so don’t be surprised if there are some longer gaps between reviews. I am also making an effort to re-read some of my favorites. Before I review this book, make sure to check out my review for the first book in the series, Godkiller. This is going to be a trilogy, which I am very excited for. (I love a good fantasy trilogy). Now, let’s talk about Sunbringer.

Content Warning: Violence, Gore, Intense Battle Scenes, Harsh Language

The gods have returned to Middren and have declared war. The Godkiller Kissen is presumed dead after sacrificing herself to defeat the fire god Hseth. Gods, though, are not so easily killed and Hseth has returned with a vengeance. Inara and her god of white lies Skedi have set out to discover the true nature of the gods and uncover secrets along the way. Elogast, former knight of King Arren, has made it his mission to defeat his former friend and king. The king is on a mission to kill every god and become the only god in Middren. War is on the horizon and everyone, both god and man, must fight for their lives.

Sunbringer is the perfect sequel in this series. I can’t say it is better than the first book but, in my opinion, they are on the same level as far quality and entertainment. This book moved much quicker and had more battle sequences, that I personally enjoyed quite a bit. I also love how Hannah Kaner has made her story so inclusive through the world building in this series. Even though this is a rather large world, Kaner’s narrative is focused on how the characters develop throughout the events of the book. Every character is so carefully created to feel dynamic, even if they show up briefly. This book also does get intense towards the end and the action sequences are so much fun to read. The Fallen Gods series is definitely worth checking out and I will be waiting impatiently for the third book in this trilogy.

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She has all the confidence a deadly thing should: Reviewing Mary: An Awakening of Terror by Nat Cassidy

Hello everyone! I’m back much sooner than I thought I would be. I try to pace myself when I read, but I get excited and speed through books. That means more content for you all, though! This book has also been on my TBR for a long time, so I’m happy to have finally gotten around to it. I’m going to go on for too much longer. Let’s talk about Mary: An Awakening of Terror.

Content Warning: Violence, Gore, Disturbing Imagery, Child Death, Animal Death, Discussions and Depictions of Misogyny, Discussions and Depictions of Ageism, Sexual Assault

Mary has been feeling miserable lately. She’s starting to go through menopause, she’s lost her job, and she is incredibly lonely. That isn’t the only thing wrong with her, though. Every time Mary looks in a mirror, she sees the ghosts of dead women looking back at her and hears voices telling her to do awful things. An opportunity for a new chance at life arises when her estranged aunt calls, asking for her to be a caretaker. Mary packs up her little collection of porcelain figures and heads to her hometown. Everything gets worse. Soon, Mary is plagued by nightmares and begins auto-writing the same bizarre phrases that echo those of an infamous serial killer who died in her hometown. When a spate of murders happens soon after she arrives, Mary must find out how she is tied to these deaths and uncover some deadly, long-buried secrets.

Mary: An Awakening of Terror is a rare combination of insightful commentary and a full-blown splatterpunk gore fest. (If you are sensitive to gore, this is not the book for you.) This book ticks off so many horror sub-genres that it almost feels like it completely shifts from slasher horror to cult horror to existential horror. I appreciated the messages revolving around self-worth and self-doubt (even if it is in a warped and twisted way). It is a fast-paced read with plenty of gruesome action. What I appreciated the most about this novel was how the protagonist was a middle-aged woman just trying to cope with a part of life that most people don’t really address or think about. Women, in particular, have a particularly tricky relationship with aging and I liked how Nat Cassidy (who is a man) approached the particular topic without making any assumptions or playing into any stereotypes. Mary: An Awakening of Terror is unlike any horror novel I have read and I definitely recommend that you experience this one for yourself.

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To tend and to mend: Reviewing A Power Unbound (Book 3 of The Last Binding Trilogy) by Freya Marske

Hi everyone! I hope you are all doing well. I’m back sooner than expected. Before you read this review, check out my reviews for the first two books A Marvelous Light and A Restless Truth. I don’t know about the rest of you but I love completing a series. It’s always satisfying, regardless of whether the ending was good. Now, I won’t ramble on too much. Let’s talk about A Power Unbound.

Content Warning: Explicit Sexual Content, Harsh Language, Violence

Jack Hawthorn, Lord Alston and Earl of Cheetham Hall, went out of his way to avoid any unnecessary chaos. He just wanted some peace after losing his twin sister, losing his magic, and fighting in a war. He finds himself right back into the world of magic when he learns of a ritual threatening every British magician. Now, Jack lives with a ragtag group of disgraced upper-class magicians. The really wild card of their group, though, is the charming, albeit non-magical, journalist Alan Rossi. The two immediately butt heads over their class differences. They must, however, put their differences aside to save the future of magic in Britain as they know it.

A Power Unbound neatly wraps up Freya Marske’s enchanting trilogy. I could tell that Marske put a lot of thought and consideration into creating this world, which was fun to see through to the end. The romance between Jack and Alan was particularly intriguing as it was definitely an “enemies to lovers” with just a little bit of roleplaying. Aside from the spicy parts of this book, I liked how this was an ensemble cast featuring characters from the previous books. I would rather an author develop existing rather than create brand-new characters. The entire trilogy was super fun to read. If you want a series with plenty of action and romance, The Last Binding trilogy is absolutely the series for you.