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Never presume to know the journey of another: Reviewing Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton

Hello everyone! Yes. I am back sooner than I anticipated. Like I said, I’m a fast reader. I also just really excited to share a new book with you all. Thank you for your continued support on my little hobby. Now let’s talk about Hollow Kingdom.

Content Warning: Graphic and Disturbing Imagery, Violence, Harm towards Animals, Animal Death, Harsh Language

S.T. is a plucky, fast-talking domesticate crow who loves his owner Big Jim, Cheetos, and Big Jim’s other animal companion: a dopey dog named Dennis. Life is going smoothly for S.T. until Big Jim begins to fall apart…literally. His eyeballs pop out of his head. Despite S.T.’s best efforts, he has to come to terms with the fact that his owner is a goner. With Dennis at his side, the sarcastic crow begins a journey into a world where humans are behaving like animals and animals are reclaiming the land. S.T. learns that he has an important role to play in this new fight for survival and must use his vast knowledge of human culture to save his fellow animals from possible extinction.

This was such a fun and unique take on a pretty classic zombie apocalypse story. Kira Jane Buxton’s writing is sharp, funny, lyrical, and heart-warming as she tells a story about the apocalypse from the eyes of various animals. I laughed out loud and got pretty sad while reading this book. I have a soft spot for animals of all kinds so this book was very endearing to me. This was such a fun reading experience, despite its sad moments. Go get this book and then get lost in the wonderful and poignant narrative about the power of nature and friendship.

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Do You Ever Feel Haunted?: Reviewing Borne by Jeff Vandermeer

Hi everyone! I hope you are all still doing as well as the last time you found one of my blogs. I am still impatiently waiting the arrival of autumn because I am sick and tired of being hot all the time. I’m over it. I need hoodie/sweater season to begin already. September is still young and there is still plenty of opportunity left in the year. Let’s discuss Borne by Jeff Vandermeer.

The world is in ruins ever since the Company created a massive, monstrous ursine creature called Mord. Among those ruins lives Rachel, a young scavenger just trying to survive, and her lover, Wick, who remains a mystery to her. One day, while scavenging in Mord’s wake, she stumbles across a strange creature she decides to take home. The creature, who she names Borne, begins to grow and evolve at a rapid pace. With no discernible shape or origin, Borne relies on Rachel to guide him and Rachel finds herself growing protective over this odd being. As Borne grows, though, Rachel fears he might be a danger to himself and the world around him. As a new force threatens to invade Rachel and Wick’s safe haven, she must make critical choices and the consequences will change her reality.

This is not my first time reading a Jeff Vandermeer novel. (Feel free to read my review of Annihilation if you wish). I find the way he portrays the power of nature to be fascinating and Borne was an interesting portrayal of an “eco-apocalypse.” Rachel served as an insightful narrator who helped to further enhance the strangeness and horror of the aftermath of man trying to mess with the balance of nature. Her relationship with Borne is as sweet as it is complicated. I liked how Vandermeer didn’t try to “uncomplicated” issues of people trying to control nature. His narrative is certainly thought provoking and it kept me interested through the whole novel. Though I am not usually a fan of apocalypse stories, I think Vandermeer breathes a breath of fresh air into the genre. If you want some eco-centric sci-fi, then you should definitely check out Borne.

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See No Evil: Reviewing Bird Box by Josh Malerman

Hi everybody! I’m just out here cranking out more book reviews. I’m sure a lot of your have already heard of this novel or seen the Netflix movie based off of this book. I watched it when it first came out and, overall, I did enjoy it. I’ll be making some more comparisons in my review. For those of you who are interested, let by tell you about Bird Box by Josh Malerman.

The apocalypse started and no one saw it coming, literally. The world has been invaded by creatures that drive people to madness with a single look. Malorie, a mother of two young children, must take her chance to get her and the children to safety. With her only chance being a rough trip down a river, Malorie must embark on the perilous journey and escape whatever might be chasing her and her family or lose her mind and life in the process.

This novel carefully straddled the line between character-driven and plot-driven. Overall, the plot is certainly intriguing but the characters felt a little bland to me. It felt as though the only reason I really cared about any of them was because of their situation. The whole situation with the creatures actually gets a better explanation in the movie. In fact, the movie actually did a slightly better job depicting the whole chaotic nature of this apocalyptic scenario. I did, however, enjoy the suspense of the novel and the quick pacing. For those of you who have seen the movie, it’s not a spot-on adaptation. It is pretty close, though. The novel doesn’t hold back in depicting any graphic violence, of which there are a few instances. In conclusion, Josh Malerman’s Bird Box is a good read if you are interested in apocalyptic/survival stories. The whole thing felt a little overhyped to me, but I can’t say I didn’t find enjoyment in this novel. Overall, I’m going to go ahead and recommend reading this novel.